Rodeo roundup: Three Church members win World Championships
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Matt Sherwood of the Pima Arizona Stake clinched a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world championship Dec. 13 in Las Vegas. It was his second world title in the past three years for Team Roping (Heading).
Along with his Team Roping partner Randon Adams and Saddle Bronc Riding champ Cody Wright, he helped make it three Church members among the eight pro rodeo World Champions for 2008.
Father of seven and a returned missionary, Brother Sherwood knows what it means to be a full-time ambassador for the Church.
"I try real hard to represent the Church well," he said. "And yeah, everyone does know I'm LDS. I guess in one regard, knowing that everyone knows I'm LDS makes it easier for me to really try and do what's right because I know people do look at me and expect me to keep the standards that I profess to believe in."
Brother Sherwood, who didn't compete full-time on the professional circuit until he was 36 years old, took the road less travelled to becoming a rodeo king. That long journey began when, at the age of 5, he entered a father-and-son roping competition in his hometown of Snowflake, Ariz., with his father, Bill Sherwood.
"[Roping] is what I grew up doing," Brother Sherwood said. "By the time I was old enough to make a decision, it's what I already knew how to do."
After serving in the Melbourne Australia Mission, Brother Sherwood married Kim Carpenter after she came home from the South Dakota Rapid City Mission. They attended school together in Florida, while he competed intermittently in rodeos. But once children started coming, then financial concerns dictated he put his rodeo dreams on the back burner.
"Professional rodeo is a unique sport because there are no (guaranteed) contracts," Brother Sherwood said. "The only money you make is through sponsorships you get or the money you win. I didn't have a lot of sponsorships behind me and so I never wanted to take a chance and put my family in a financial situation that I didn't know that I was going to be making money."
Brother Sherwood provided for his seven children, who now fall in the age range of 4 to 15 years old, by operating his own flooring business. He also persevered in his pursuit of rodeo by continuing to rope in his spare time.
"For years and years I was always wishing that I could rope at the National Finals rodeo," Brother Sherwood said. "But I never felt like I had the confidence that I could rope good enough or was financially situated where I could take the chance and travel. Even if you think you're one of the best guys in the world, there is a possibility . . . that you're going to spend a whole lot of money in entry fees and diesel fuel and motels and stuff, and you're not going to make any money."
In 2006, the Sherwoods finally decided it was time to cast their lot with rodeo. The flooring business was sold and, already well into his mid-30s, Brother Sherwood became a full-time professional cowboy for the first time in his life.
"The opportunity came up at a time when he could do it," Sister Sherwood said. "He felt like it wouldn't be a strain on us financially for him to do that. That was his thinking.… He's tried to keep his priorities in order."
Three years of competing year-round on the professional rodeo circuit have netted the Sherwood family two world titles and some insight into coping with an often times rigorous travel schedule for their resident rodeo champ.
"We've gotten used to it," Sister Sherwood said. "He still stays pretty involved when he's gone by calling and talking to the kids. What makes it good is when he's home, he's not really doing anything else — he mostly spends time with us when he's here, and that really helps make it worth it."
His roping partner, Randon Adams of Logandale, Nev., is 26 and engaged to Audrey Fuller. Brother Adams and Brother Sherwood were roping partners for almost a year and a half. Although they recently found new partners, Brother Adams looks back fondly upon the time he spent roping with Brother Sherwood.
"Matt's a very spiritual guy and we . . . had a great relationship," Brother Adams said. "He'd pull out the Book of Mormon quite a bit and we'd read it. We're still good friends, and we'll maybe [rope together] again one day."
Cody Wright is 31 years old and lives in Milford, Utah, with his wife, ShaRee, and four sons.
He has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo six times, but this was his first world title. Last year he finished fourth in the standings and seventh at the NFR. He actually clinched the title Friday night, Dec. 12, when five-time world champion Billy Etbauer, who came in the event's leader, was bucked off early.
