Rodeo does not always receive the recognition that it should. It's not only a sport, but a way of life for many people around the world. Rodeo is the basis of their dreams and aspirations for many people where they spend countless hours working toward that dream and goals that they set for themselves. Rodeo is not only a sport, but it also teaches children and adults a variety of important principles that create better individuals and are useful in many life situations. I have learned so much in my years working through high school and college rodeo. Many of the most important principles I have learned from rodeo came from the people who pushed me towards my dreams and worked to help me become the best I can be. Here is a list of 10 things that rodeo, and my college rodeo coach, taught me, as well as other rodeo athletes across the world.

1. Hard Work

Nothing has ever taught me the value of work like rodeo has. Without hard work, whether it be taking care of animals or practicing every day, the goals and dreams that you are chasing can not be accomplished. Because rodeo is a sport that mainly relies on you and your horse, unless you are a rough-stock rider, you learn that you have to make yourself put in that work. Most of the time, no one will be there to tell you that you need to ride and you need to practice. You have to put in the hard work.

2. Dedication

Dedication and hard work go hand in hand. You have to be dedicated to improving yourself through hard work and practice. If you are not truly passionate and focused on improving yourself, you won't see the results that you want to see. Have you ever heard of an Olympic athlete who isn't extremely dedicated to their event? No. You will also never see an athlete at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) who isn't completely dedicated to improving themselves and performing at their best.

3. Practice with a Purpose

When you practice, are you practicing towards a goal, or are you just going through the motions because you have to? In order for practice to be effective, you need a purpose. That purpose can be as small as working a knee placement when you are flanking a goat or as big as speeding up your tie-down run by a whole second. That purpose provides motivation and gives you a direction to go throughout practice. Without a purpose, practice isn't effective.

4. Don't Blame the World for Your Mistake

Everyone has been in situations where your run went downhill very fast. Sometimes the livestock is terrible or the ground is less than great. You have to accept these things and go out there and make your run. But, if you make a mistake, it isn't helping you or anyone else to blame it on the factors that you couldn't control. If you missed your mark out or messed up your tie, look back and understand what you did wrong and fix it. If you keep blaming everything else, you will never improve yourself.

5. Always Look for the Positive in a Run or Ride

Every bad run or ride has at least one thing that you did good. That thing could be as small as keeping your head down in a goat tying run or a good start on a calf. Find those things and use them to bring your mood up to a place that you can look at your mistakes during the run in a rational way. These positive things will help keep your head up a little higher and keep you from becoming so frustrated that you give up.

6. You Have Five Minutes to Be Upset

So you had a crappy run. If you need to go throw a tantrum or stomp around, you have five minutes, and I'm being generous. That's all the time that you should allow yourself to be upset about a run before you need to calm down and look to your next run. If you stay upset for longer than that, it affects your practice time and your next run. Keep that tantrum short, and try not to throw things (it makes you look like a small child who didn't get what they wanted).

7. Sportsmanship

The sport of rodeo is unique in how it promotes sportsmanship and friendliness between competitors. I played multiple sports in high school, and we were conditioned to dislike our opponents -sometimes to extreme levels. Rodeo is the complete opposite. Competitors help each other by hauling to rodeos together, helping out before or after a run, or offering a horse when another competitor needs one. This type of camaraderie between competitors is amazing to see and be apart of.

8. Taking Criticism

As a college rodeo athlete, criticism comes from teammates, competitors, coaches, parents, and pretty much anyone else that watches your run. Most of the time this criticism is given to you for you to improve yourself. Sometimes it isn't. You have to learn to see which type of criticism is which, and find the constructive portions of both types. Yes, criticism can be hard to take from someone that you don't want to accept it from, but it is important to look at what they have to say and input any suggestions that are valuable. The better you are at accepting criticism, the better you will be at adapting and improving yourself.

9. Teamwork

Teamwork seems like an odd thing to learn through rodeo, a sport in which you usually compete by yourself. College rodeo has provided me with an understanding of teamwork that I have been unable to attain from any other sport. Rodeo shows you how important it is for everyone to put in all their effort for the team and help each other when it is needed. Your teammates are not only your friends, but they are valuable people who can support and help you in many ways. Take advantage of the people that are given to you on a team and be supportive of everyone, even if you don't like them.

10. Always Ride for God

This is another thing that college rodeo really instilled in me. I had always gone to church as a child and believed in God, but I never really put all of myself for Him. The most important thing that my college rodeo teammates taught me was to believe in Him and always do everything for Him. You may not have a perfect run or a fast tie, but as long as you are riding for Him, you have succeeded in pleasing Him. God always has a plan. You have to trust Him. As long as you always believe in Him, you will never fail.