story by Terry Rhodes
Finishing a run in 4.2 seconds has got to top the list of unforgettable runs for any team roper. And Kyle Rowse is certainly in that camp. “I don’t remember the year but I was heading for Jason Held. We won the rodeo and that was the fastest that I have ever been at a rodeo.” Those kinds of runs are what keeps bringing Kyle back to the practice pen, the arena, and keeps the adrenaline pumping.
Kyle, 33, has been in the Mid-States Rodeo Association for the past 12 years and says that Mid-States association is a great place to rodeo. “The rodeos are close to home and the people are really nice. They’re accommodating about getting you entered when you need to be up. Then you can make a pretty good circle of rodeos on a weekend.”
His dad started him roping at the age of 10. “From there I competed in high school and college rodeo. I went to Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture on a rodeo scholarship.”
Kyle spends some time doing preparation for his run. “On the way to the rodeo I’ll visualize the run that I want. A lot of it is muscle memory and I do practice quite a bit. And I always try to practice with my partner before we go to a rodeo. I rope some with Dalton Pelster.” Kyle says that he owes a lot of his success to his horses. “They make my job a lot easier. They’re Quarter Horses and they’re special to me because I’m the one that has trained them. We have home grown and trained horses and I’ve ridden these bloodlines for years, all through high school and college. However, what I’m riding currently aren’t home raised but I have done the training on them. My old horse is 17 and the young one is 8.”
His biggest influences are all in his immediate family. “My wife, Traci, is my support system and she always encourages me. She keeps me up when things get a little bit down. She helps me out a lot; if I need to go to a rodeo, she’ll stay home take care of things. My parents, Jerry and Tammy Rowse have always been a big influence to me too.” Kyle and Traci occasionally team up in the mixed team roping or at local jackpots.
His home is in Burwell, Neb., where he was born and raised on the family ranch. Besides working the family ranch, Kyle runs his trucking company. “I haul livestock. I have two trucks and a couple of guys that work for me and I drive truck part time. At the ranch, we have about 500 cows that we run, plus another 200 or 300 outside cows that we run.” Goals for the future are to continue to rodeo and build his trucking business and expand ranch operations.
