story by Terry Rhodes
There’s a cohesive bond common among members in nearly all rodeo associations, but it is probably most evident in the NSPRA. Trent Tidwell is only in his second year in the Senior Pro Rodeo Association, and he’s experienced the camaraderie first hand. “To sum it up; it’s the people in the organization. They are genuinely good people and they have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and part of the family. It’s been a privilege and honor to be around these good people. That’s what has drawn me in and made it easy for me to come back.”
Trent was convinced by long-time friend Shawn Hastings that he needed to get into the NSPRA. “Shawn and Homer (Sanders) were coming home from the Senior Pro Finals a couple of years ago and Shawn called me and said, ‘You’re coming with us next year.’ They were pretty persistent and they did get me going. I hadn’t rodeoed seriously since about 2000.” Now, Trent has been in the association two years and has already made it to the Senior Pro Finals in Las Vegas. He competes in team roping – heading, calf roping, and ribbon roping. “In the ribbon roping, my runner is Susan DeBolt and she lives in Canada. We don’t get to practice at all, so we just show up and it works.” About their remote locations he adds with a laugh, “That may be what keeps our friendship so great.”
For Trent the best times in the arena don’t always mean the most money won, there’s more to it that just money. “Up until high school I was mainly involved in team roping and didn’t get started calf roping until then. In fact, it was during a high school rodeo that I had one of my biggest moments in the arena. I was riding a 3-year-old colt, because that was all we could afford at the time. I placed fourth in two day rodeo and it was awesome. Here I was, 16 years old, the smallest guy out there, and riding the youngest horse there. I was just grateful to be there roping and I made do with what I was given. And its times like that I look back and think how blessed I am.” Trent got started as a young boy with the help of his father, Greg that also roped.
With that long hiatus from serious rodeo, getting back into shape has meant some serious conditioning. “Now I do gym workouts. I chute tie calves two times a week. Its 100 degrees here and we might tie 25 head a night. Homer is a ranch cowboy so I do what I can to keep up. Lately, in the last two years, I’ve had more coaching from Shawn, Homer, and Mike Freeland. I really give credit to them for where I am with tie down roping. I don’t believe I would be rodeoing in the Senior Pro association if it weren’t for those guys.”
Having the right horses is essential and Trent has a couple of good ones. “My head horse is from Cliff Vorhees in Utah. She’s an 11-year-old Jacki Bee bred bay mare. She’s awesome. My tie down horse is a 6-year-old mare that was raised by Tom and Gwenn Clark in Wallsburg, Utah. She’s young but she’s coming along.”
Trent lives in Gilbert, Ariz. with his three sons, Wyatt, 17, Bryson, 10, Cole James, 7. “I’m sure Cole will be into rodeo when he gets older.” During the week Trent operates his floor covering business. Trent is not one to take things for granted and thanks the Heavenly Father for all that he has been given. His goals are to expand his rodeo competition and go back to the NSFR again.
