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Walla
Walla, Washington-The little voices have risen above the
crowd all year, hollering 'go Mommy go!' in arenas from
California to Texas. Four-year old Treston Brazile and little
sister Style already have several Wrangler National Finals
Rodeos (WNFR) under their belts as number one spectators
for their dad, 16-time PRCA World Champion Cowboy Trevor
Brazile, the richest and most decorated cowboy in history.
In 2012, the little fans have added
to their duties, now busy cheering for Mom, too. Shada Brazile
grew up in a rodeo family and was no stranger to the rodeo
arena before she got married. But family responsibilities
slowed her time to compete.
"I have gone a few times but not
for this long," Brazile says of her season on the road.
"I would go in July or in September but this is the
longest time I have had a horse out."
Brazile's personal competition schedule
changed in February with the purchase of Dial It Fast, a
six year old gelding by Dashin is Easy and out of the Easy
Jet daughter Dial it In. Though the gelding was green to
rodeos, Brazile made the decision to try him out during
the 2012 campaign, hoping to season her horse while possibly
earning enough to qualify for the big winter rodeos of 2013.
"I just entered," Brazile
laughs, saying she didn't put thought into where to go.
"I was just so excited to have a horse and be able
to enter. I didn't care much as long as we could enter together.
I didn't worry about when the ground was the best or anything
like that."
Sponsored by the Relentless brand, the
Brazile family has always been on the road full time with
Trevor working three events but adding a barrel racer to
the mix presented a few challenges.
"We were already entered in three
events everywhere and Trevor always hauls a couple of head
horses and a couple of calf horses," Shada explains,
adding that they now have two rigs to accommodate their
plans while rodeoing in the Northwest. "But for most
of the year we have been able to be in just one rig because
he has just had one calf roping horse."
"Being able to buddy really helps,"
she says of the opportunity to get her competition scheduled
at the same time as her husband. "We couldn't do it
if we couldn't buddy."
Enjoying life on the road is extra special
when the whole family is involved and Brazile cherishes
her littlest fans.
"We were in Clovis, Calif., during
the slack and they were so loud!" she laughs when speaking
of her kids. "It's so funny. Treston was yelling, 'go
Mommy,' and then when I was coming across the line I heard
him yell, 'slow down Mommy.' I guess I looked like I was
out of control!"
Veteran announcer Boyd Polhamus even
put Treston on the mic in Dodge City.
"I never heard anything Boyd said
[during my run] but then I heard this little voice saying,
'go Mommy,'" she says, noting that a competitor can
tune out all the extra noise but a mother always hears her
kids. "You would have thought I won the round and the
rodeo, I was smiling so big."
Of course, Treston and Style are rodeo
savvy despite the young age.
"It works both ways," Shada
laughs. "They understand winning and losing and they
will point out when you hit a barrel or make a bad run."
The youngest Braziles have to be pleased
with the frequency of the wins coming throughout the year.
Brazile leads the WPRA Qualifying Tour standings for a chance
at the Calgary Stampede in 2013, a huge goal for her, and
she sits close to the top 50 in the standings.
But nothing was more exciting for the
Decatur, Texas cowgirl than her win at the Walla Walla (Wash.)
Frontier Days Rodeo over Labor Day.
"Definitely Walla Walla,"
she says when asked of her favorite run aboard Dial It.
"When I got him, he had never been to the outdoor rodeos
and we have been working on it all year. Over the Fourth
I was playing with different headgear . . . it was trial-and-error.
"In Walla Walla, he finally put
a run together for me . . . a really good run."
She can be forgiven for being at a loss
for words. Walla Walla always attracts a host of the toughest
horses in the WPRA and with fast ground, it takes a wicked
run to earn a check, let alone win first. But Brazile and
Dial It were up to the task, posting a 17.10 second run,
fast enough to tie with three-time World Champ Sherry Cervi
for the victory and better than five of the top 15 cowgirls
in the WPRA world standings. She added $2,336 to her season
total.
Brazile says that she loves that Dial
It tries so hard every time and wants to please her but
notes that they had a little bit rocky beginning.
"When I first got him, he hated
steers. I said, no one with the last name Brazile can hate
steers and ropes," she laughs. To conquer his fear,
she tied him in the arena at home during a practice session
but the gelding ended up trying to jump the fence and skinned
himself up. "I tried to get him over it in one day.
After that, I took a slower approach."
"Now, I can track steers on him
and swing a rope," she says. "He has become part
of the family."
"I just feel blessed to own him."
For more information on Walla Walla
Frontier Days, visit them on-line at www.wallawallafairgrounds.com.
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