College grad prefers rodeo circuit

SPRINGDALE -- Wyatt Imus is a graduate of Rice University, an academic powerhouse located in Houston.

He's proud of his achievement but if you think this 22-year-old cowboy is ready to give up the rodeo circuit for a 9-to-5 job, you'd be wrong.

"I don't want to get out of this sport and start a new profession," said Imus, who graduated with a degree in sports management in 2020. "I want to create a legacy in this sport and compete for a couple of decades, if I can. I want to promote rodeo and help it progress in the way that it should."

Imus and his partner, Caleb Anderson, competed in team roping during the second night of the Rodeo of the Ozarks at Parson Stadium. Imus, the header, and Anderson, the heeler, did what they came for Thursday night. They had the lowest score with a 5.8, which placed them in the top four overall with two nights left at the Rodeo of the Ozarks.

"Caleb Anderson, my partner, is exceptional at what he does," Imus said. "My job is to start the run without a 10-second penalty, catch the steer, and give him a chance to throw. If we do that, we'll win something. It's not complicated, but it's really hard."

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2021 Rodeo of the Ozarks, Day 2

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The competition began Thursday night with bullriding, where the cowboys when 0-for-5 against the bulls in the first of two sessions. The action picked up in bareback riding with world champion Tilden Hooper scoring an 84 on his horse, Bell Bottoms. Justin Morehouse of Mound City, Kan., then used his background in football and wrestling to produce a 3.5 to lead the competition in steer wrestling.

"I got a slow steer and that helped," said Morehouse, 35, who pounced off his horse early for an easy takedown. "It was fun. This is my second time in Springdale. I came here in 2015 and I wanted to come back again this year."

Imus and Anderson arrived in Springdale in style by riding in a large, black camper trailer he bought from Patrick Smith, a world champion cowboy who lives in the same town in Texas as Anderson. If there's a more impressive ride on the rodeo circuit, the two Texas cowboys haven't seen it.

"Rodeo is one of the most tight-knit sports and I know Patrick pretty well," Imus said. "I called him and asked where he got his bus. He said 'I'm going to sell mine' and it started from there. This one is like a house on wheels. You can cook in it, take a show, and do just about anything. It's just more accommodating, especially when you spend so much time traveling."

Springdale is the latest stop on the rodeo circuit for Imus and Anderson, who've already been to Reno, Nev., Pleasant Grove, Utah, North Platte, Neb., and Delta, Utah. The two left Parsons Station Thursday night for their next destination, a 10-hour drive to Clear Lake, South Dakota. Stops for competition in Oregon, Wyoming, and Montana will follow.

"We're just glorified truck drivers, but I think they make a lot more money than we do," said Imus, who is from Brenham, Texas.

The Imus and Anderson team has done pretty well thus far, particularly during a 10-day stretch where they won about $10,000. But there's always the next rodeo and another opportunity on the rodeo circuit, which is back in full swing this summer after sports were curtailed last year because of covid-19.

"We're doing pretty well, but we need to keep that going because the big-money events are coming up," Imus said.

Action from the Rodeo of the Ozarks will continue tonight and Saturday beginning at 7:30 p.m.