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Team Cavender’s: Luke Coleman
By Charity Pulliam
Photos Courtesy of Jennings Photography
Luke Coleman has entered his senior year of high school, which means he has also started his sixth and final year as a member of Team Cavender’s. But he said the journey has been nothing short of amazing.
“2019 was the first year that Cavender’s had a youth team, and I have been a member since that first year,” Coleman said. “I am grateful that I was lucky enough that they reached out to me back then because I was only 11 or 12 years old at the time.
“It has just gotten better and better since the first year,” he added. “I am very lucky to have them on my side because they have set me up with some really cool opportunities.”
Coleman is a second-generation cowboy from Madisonville, Texas, who has been on a horse since before he could walk.
“I wish I could say an age where remember my first time I roped a calf or my first time on a horse, but I can’t because it has been in my blood all my life,” Coleman said. “My dad grew up riding cutting horses, and he did that until college when he started roping, so I come by it naturally.”
Coleman, a talented tie-down roper, said he plans to break into the professional rodeo scene in 2025. “Once I turn 18, I want to buy PRCA Permit and my CPRA Card to rodeo up in Canada,” he said.
“If it all plays out like I want, I will be able to make the Canadian finals right before I start college,” Coleman added.
With plans to attend Texas A&M University next fall, Coleman said he wants to college rodeo, but what he really wants to do is earn a degree that sets him up for a future to work on Wall Street trading stocks.
“I’ve been in love with the stock market for a long time,” he said. “I found out the largest stock trade in the world is in New York. The New York Stock Exchange is where all the best trading happens.” I want to rodeo as long as my body will let me, but whenever I get done rodeoing, I would like to work on Wall Street,” he added.
Coleman said although his career path may seem ambitious, he plans to set himself up for success by pursuing a degree in either agricultural economics, agricultural finance, or agricultural business.
“Although nothing is set in stone, I want to be able to have a career in New York City once I am done rodeoing,” he said.
In the meantime, Coleman said he is finetuning his roping and riding while working for World Champion Tie-Down Roper Shane Hanchey.
“I go over to Shane’s house for three or four days at a time,” he said. “I have just been helping him ride all of his horses, and in return, he’s helping me with the fine details of my roping and teaching me better horsemanship.”
One other thing Coleman said he learned from Hanchey is how to mentally handle the pressure of rodeo. “He’s taught me how to have a good mentality going into things. It is one of the biggest things we’ve been working on,” he said.”It is 90% mental in the sport of rodeo,” Coleman added.