“I have a few friends that were on Team Cavender’s in the past, and this year at the Texas High School Rodeo Finals, they set me up to talk with some people. I did well enough that they offered me a spot on the team right before nationals,” said Brodey Clemons, a senior on the team. “I really feel like I am part of the family now.”
Although he will only have one year, Clemons said he is excited to settle into his newfound home on Team Cavender’s.
“I am from Florida but moved to Weatherford, Texas a year ago,” he said. “There is not a lot of rodeo in Florida, and to progress and get better, I had to move to where there is more of an opportunity to rope and rodeo.”
Many cowboys move to Texas from their home states every year. The state boasts a long list of PRCA world champions and countless roping jackpots and rodeos year-round.
Moving from Okeechobee, Florida, to the Lone Star State was always in the plans for him and his family, Clemons said. But the move was a bit easier after his brothers came to Texas for school.
“Weatherford is the place to go if you are going to be a better calf roper,” he said. “Now that I am here, I have the opportunity to travel with people like Kincade Henry, my brother Cole, and Riley Webb.”
Kincade Henry has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo twice. Riley Webb, who has also made two NFR appearances, was the 2022 Rookie of the Year and the 2023 PRCA Tie-Down world champion, and Cole Clemons is on track to make his first trip to Las Vegas this year.
“I like to set goals. Last year, I set the goal to win the state tie-down roping title, and I got that done,” he said. Clemons won the short go with a 7.8 to secure the THSRA Tie-Down championship.
The next goal he said he has set for himself involves playing with the big boys in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
“I will buy a PRCA permit in December after I turn 18 and rodeo on my permit for the next year,” he said. “Then, buy my card once I have a year under my belt and hopefully win Rookie of the Year and make the NFR.
“Because my brother is in the top 15, and he is winning rookie of the year right now, I have some big shoes to fill,” he added.
Although he has gold buckle goals, Clemons said he started out learning the same way numerous other cowboys do.
“When I was a kid, I rode calves and sheep, but then I got into calf roping,” he added. “I learned a lot from Jason Hanchey, and my mom started hauling me and my older brothers to clinics and rodeos.
“I started home school in junior high. If you are going to rodeo at a truly competitive level, it is hard not to be homeschooled,” Clemons said. “If you are truly going to be the best and at the top of your game, you really have to devote your life to it. I love it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
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