story by Kyle Eustice
Born in Okmugee, Oklahoma and currently residing in Bartelsville, Oklahoma, Walt White has always been drawn to the cowboy way of life. Both he and his younger brother Wade White took after their father Randy White, who had been rodeoing his entire life. Walt joined the ACRA when he was 16 or 17 while a student at Preston High School and never looked back.
“My brother ropes calves and I rope calves,” said Walt. “I team roped a little bit, too, but I’ve done calf roping the longest.”
Walt attended college for a couple of years in Poteau and Tishamingo, but rodeo was his true calling. That’s all he wanted to do. He was drawn to the rodeo because of the people he got to know and the ability to travel.
“I love the friends you make and the people you see,” said Walt. “I’ve also roped in every state in the lower 48. I’ve been to Canada, too. You get to see a lot of country and make some real good friends.”
Walt prefers ACRA rodeos because they are typically close to home and he can sometimes do more than one rodeo in a night. He was on the board for eight years as the calf roping director, a role he took seriously. He applies his strong work ethic to everything he does.
“You’ve got to put 110 percent,” said Walt. “It’s like anything else. If you want to accomplish something, you’ve got to work at it. If I was home, I was in the practice pen at least two or three times a week. It keeps you sharp. There are kids coming up now that can do it and so many out there that can rope well. If you’re not on top of your game, they’re going to beat you.”
With that in mind, the 43 year old is still on call as the alternate director and rodeos whenever time allows. As a parent to three children—Jordan, 21, Clay, 17, and Karsyn, 5—it’s a little harder to make room these. His job as a hot shot delivery driver also demands a lot of his time. Thankfully, his middle child Clay loves roping, as well.
“It’s great to see him get into it,” said Walt. “We do it together. We are going to do more. Now that he’s out of the junior category, he can go to bigger rodeos.”
Balancing rodeo and family life is a tough job, and he’s had to make some sacrifices, but he’s at a point where it’s working well for him.
“Being away from my kids was the biggest sacrifice,” explained Walt. “Jordan ran track and Clay played basketball, and I tried to make it to as many events as possible. It wasn’t always easy.”
While it may have cost him some time from home, Walt has accomplished more than many rodeo contestants dream of.
“I’ve been blessed,” said Walt. “I can’t lie. I won the IPRA seven times. I won the ACRA calf roping event 10 times and the all around once. I won the Indian National Finals once, and made the American in 2014.”
Even with all of his accomplishments, he still has one more on his list—making it to the NFR.
“I’d like to go to the NFR, but I don’t have money to do that,” admitted Walt. “That’s the only thing I wanted to do. I’ve slowed down a bunch and have only done about 20 rodeos this year. My body is slowing down and I’ve been working a lot.”
Although he doesn’t currently have any horses, he has a few good friends that let him ride theirs when he has a rodeo. He is looking forward to the Indian Region Finals coming up and hopes to go back to Vegas for the Indian Finals later this year. His sponsors—Impact Gel, Rattler Ropes, Hays Cattle Company, and Truck Works—will back him all the way. In the meantime, Walt can be found listening to music, playing basketball, or fishing when the kids want to go. “I can’t complain,” said Walt. “I’m lucky.”
