High school rodeo: Talbot born to be bulldogging champ

HEBER CITY — Sever Talbot's decision to try and wrestle steer to the ground may have been made for him before he was born.

"My dad bulldogged in high school," said the Fremont High senior who had the best time in Thursday morning's steer wrestling competition in the Utah State High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Fairgrounds. "My grandpa bulldogged . . . One day my mom and dad came home to see dust flying and a horse with no rider. My older brother (and his friend) said they were going to be bulldoggers."

The fact that rodeo is in his blood is only one of the reasons Talbot competes in what is referred to as the "Big man's sport."

"It's an adreneline rush," he said of steer wrestling, which requires cowboys to chase down a steer on horseback, jump from the horse onto the steer, and then wrestle the steer to the ground in the shortest amount of time. Talbot's top time Thursday morning was 7.17 seconds — good enough for third place in the first round of the Utah High School State Finals Rodeo, which concludes Saturday.

"My goal is to be top 10 in two events," he said. "My bigger goal is to make it to nationals."

Tablot is the national vice president of the National High School Rodeo Association. He said the group's queen is from Utah and the other two officers are cowgirls from out of state.

"I have learned you don't disagree with three women," he said laughing about how he disagreed on the color of shirt they should wear when representing the organization. He and the other officers travel the country representing high school rodeo.

"It's been a lot of fun," he said. "I've met a lot of people and it's been a great experience."

In fact, meeting people from around the country is one of the reasons he enjoys rodeo.

"I love talking to them, hanging out with them," he said. "I love the adreneline rush of steer wrestling and I like team roping. Probably mostly, though, I like the people I meet."

Talbot said he tries not to over think what he's doing when he's in the arena.

"I came in third and if I have a good second round, I can make it," he said. "It's hard (dealing with the pressure), but I do better if I don't think about things too much."

His father, Boyd Talbot, is his hazer and said his father knows exactly how to guide the steer out of the chute.

"He's never missed a haze," said Talbot, who rides a horse named Appy.

Talbot wasn't the only teen hoping to earn a spot on that national team this week. Chance Pope was the only cowboy to stay on the full eight seconds in bareback riding Thursday morning. He won the round with 69 points.

There are fewer teens competing in bareback this year, something he believes is due to the nature of the event.