As Vale’s 4th of July Rodeo gears up to showcase the thrills and spills of arena action, some rising stars just down the road in Ontario are hard at work learning the skills required for rodeo success.
It’s the Treasure Valley Community College rodeo team, and they are making waves far beyond eastern Oregon.
The powerhouse team of more than 40 students led the national college standings in the men’s and women’s divisions this year and last, competing against major universities where rodeo is even more prominent, such as Montana State University.
Helmed by longtime head coach Drew Pearson, the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Coach of the Year in 2022, TVCC’s rodeo team has become a sought-after program on the national stage.
Pearson attributes the team’s success to a combination of factors, such as the talent the college attracts, his assistant coaches and the school’s administrators, who support the program.
Before his tenure as the school’s rodeo coach, Pearson spent 25 years as a rodeo bullfighter – the person who distracts and rounds up bulls after the animal bucks its riders. That experience in the rodeo world has allowed him to share a passion for the sport, Pearson said.
It’s a passion that has drawn students from outside the area to the college. Samantha Dunn, a second-year nursing student from Middleton, Idaho, said that while many who attend college to compete in rodeo might look at schools far from Ontario, the coaches at Treasure Valley Community College “turn themselves inside and out” to work with the team.
“That support has been vital to the success that we have had,” Dunn said. “All of our success is because of Drew and the other coaches,” she said.
Dunn won the regional competition in college roping and was among the country’s top 10 women’s all-around college rodeo talents this season, according to the National Intercollegiate Association standings.
Zane Taylor, National College Rodeo’s No. 1 steer wrestler, said that for him, the attraction to ride a rodeo for Treasure Valley Community College was twofold. First, he said, the college was close to Burns, where he grew up, and second, Pearson is a good coach. Pearson, he said, “sold him” on Treasure Valley College being a school where he could work to hone his skills.
Caseyn Pearson, Drew’s nephew, said competing for his uncle was the main draw to the college. A saddle bronc rider, Caseyn ranked second nationwide in the event and fourth overall.
Growing up around rodeos, Caseyn said his dad, Pearson’s brother, was a bullfighter like Pearson. The camaraderie of a rodeo drew him to the sport. Even at the college level, Caseyn said those he competes against will be out in the arena helping and cheering each other on to do their best.
“That’s the cool thing about rodeo is that we all root for one another,” Pearson said. “Even if they’re not on our team, we’re in their corner.”
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