In the loop

Tyson Durfey had a plan and a dream. In his heart he wanted to be a champion roper but his mind told him to focus on being a businessman. That’s how he was raised in Savannah, Mo.

“My dad’s very strict, a good guy, but financially he always did what was right,” Durfey said. “You didn’t have the money to rodeo, you didn’t do it.”

And that’s how Roy Durfey was raised by his dad on a ranch in South Dakota.

“My grandpa was a very stern man,” Tyson Durfey said. “He believed in making money. He thought rodeo was more of a hobby, not necessarily a living.”

Durfey devoured books on business after his mom gave him “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” to read when he was 14. Despite being a successful high school roper, he started a small construction company after graduating and roped on the side.

Along the way he met Fred Brown, a Colbert businessman and avid roper, at a competition in Montana.

“We developed a really good friendship,” Durfey, 23, said. “Our personalities were able to mesh. He actually helped me with my first business, I would call him periodically, he would give me advice on how to run things and solve problems. When I told him I was selling my business he gave me the opportunity to come up here and be my mentor.”

Brown, 47, said, “You meet a lot of people out rodeoing. He’s a good kid. He had an interest in business (and) was looking for his next opportunity.”

Funny thing is the next opportunity turned out to be a dream come true.

“Talking to Fred about my goals, I said I wanted to be a successful businessman but I don’t want to ever lose sight of making the National Finals Rodeo,” Durfey said. “That’s been a goal I’ve had since I was 2 years old. He talked me into rodeoing before I got lifted off in the business end of things because once you get lifted off in business you won’t have time to devote all the time you need to rodeo.

“Fred basically said if you see something you want, go get it, no matter what it takes. Figure out a way to go get it. That’s what I’ve tried to do.”

And that’s how it has come to pass, that when Tyson Durfey is introduced to the crowd during the Spokane Interstate Fair rodeo at the Fairgrounds, he’ll be called the ninth-ranked roper in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings and the reigning Canadian Pro Rodeo Association champion.

And, the announcer will say he hails from Colbert, Wash.

“When I moved up here I decided this was my home,” he explained. “I’ve kind of created a team of people that want to help me, a few in Missouri, a few up here. I really believe that a person needs a team. A lot of minds put together are better than one.”

Sending Durfey on the road was easy advice for Brown.

“It’s a good thing to do when you’re young,” he said. “He certainly has a lot of talent and aptitude. It’s hard to do when you’re involved in business.”

After accomplishing his goals last season – he also won the Columbia River Circuit Finals – Durfey set his sights on the NRF. He had a slow winter but things picked up when he won the big Reno rodeo early in the summer. Since then he has been a consistent placer.

“I’m not surprised,” Brown said. “He’s a fundamentally sound roper, he’s got championship-caliber capabilities.”

A lot of credit goes to the horses he rides: Rolex, which he keeps up north for Canadian rodeos, where he is once again leading the standings, and Little Man, for travel in the states.

Brown and Roy Durfey have contributed to Durfey getting mounted on quality horses but ultimately it’s up to Durfey.

“A lot of rodeoing is mental,” Brown said. “It takes a lot of physical talent but you have to get your mind right. It’s tough on the road, you have to keep a good, positive mental attitude, believe in yourself.”

Durfey is confident he is going to make the NFR, he has been told as much by veteran ropers, but he’s trying not to dwell on it.

“When it’s been your goal and you’re coming this close, it’s hard to keep the money side out of your brain,” he admitted. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”

At the same time, he’s savoring the experience.

“When I back into the box I want to be talked about like (six-time world champion) Cody Ohl is talked about,” he said. “With me winning the Canadian deal, winning Reno, being in the top 10, that’s something they mention every time. I like to hear it. It’s a lot of fun.

“I’ve always prided myself at trying to be the best at what I do. To get the recognition means a lot to me, I feed off of it and want to win more because of it. It’s not pressure, it’s motivation.”

Sounds like a good way to do business.