Clint Holcomb

story by Lily Weinacht

photo by Double K Diamond Photography

Riding bulls is currently Clint Holcomb’s greatest pursuit in life. The 25 year old from Tucson, Ariz., started out mutton busting and riding calves and steers as a kid. “When your whole family is in rodeo, you’re going to get thrown into it, too, and sheep riding is pretty much how everyone gets their start!” says Clint. He and his older brother, Raymond, also competed in gymkhanas, but they wanted to be like their dad, Joe, and ride bulls. Yet Joe, having competed in all three roughstock events, knew how brutal bull riding can be. Once his sons were getting to the age where they could start riding full grown bulls, Joe decided to pull them from rodeo and get them involved in other sports. Clint started racing go-karts, then moved up to racing speedway stock cars on dirt tracks. He raced from 2001 – 2008.  “I quit racing in 2008 because I couldn’t afford it anymore,” Clint explains. “But I have to get my kicks and adrenaline rush from somewhere, so since I was out of the house at that point, I decided to start riding bulls in 2009.”
Clint competed in open bull ridings for several years, then joined the GCPRA in 2011, choosing the association for its number of rodeos in Arizona. Clint says that his love for bull riding comes not only from being an adrenaline junky, but also because he’s a very competitive person. “I also tend to have a slight problem with being a perfectionist,” he says with a laugh. “Bull riding is something that I’m far from being perfect in, and there’s always something to fix or get better at. Plus, I love the travelling!” Clint was the GCPRA Bull Riding Champion in 2013 and placed in the top five the previous two years. His goal is to win the championship again. “I’m leading the bull riding right now, but we have a really good set of riders battling it out this year.”
While Clint would love to rodeo full time, he is currently a “weekend warrior” and carefully saves his money for entry fees and travel expenses. He works during the week as a mechanic at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson. “Anything mechanical that breaks is my job to fix, from tractors to weed whackers.” After work, Clint heads to the gym several times a week or works out at home on the balance ball. He will also go ride some of his dad’s horses bareback, which uses the exact same muscles as riding bulls. Between rodeos, he will often go to a practice pen on a weekly basis and get on several bulls.
When he has some down time, Clint enjoys visiting with his dad, who lives about an hour away. Joe continues to be Clint’s rodeo role model, and Clint calls his twin brother, Colby, his biggest fan. “No matter what I’m doing, whether it’s racing or bull riding, Colby is my greatest support,” says Clint. Colby is Clint’s younger twin and he has cerebral palsy. “He doesn’t get to see me ride very much, but when he does, he’s the most excited person around. Colby is very positive, and he’s a really good guy.”
Clint is now working to fill his PRCA permit, rodeoing on the Turquoise Circuit. He is considering moving to Texas and ultimately hopes to rodeo in the PRCA or compete in the PBR. “I know I’m still pretty fresh in the game, but I love bull riding enough that if that’s what I could be doing day in and day out, I’d be happy.”