Chasing the Dream: Grady柯克 at 十大正规网赌软件

Raised in Carlsbad, 新墨西哥专科学校 rodeo athlete Grady柯克 is a New 墨西哥当地. In 2019, he won the title of State Champion Calf Roper for the New Mexico High School Rodeo Association (NMHSRA). Kirkes attends 十大正规网赌软件 on a rodeo scholarship and is hopeful to continue pursuing rodeo in the future professionally. 

When speaking about what attracted him to 十大正规网赌软件, Kirkes says that its affordable tuition costs were a factor, but his decision was based much more heavily on the college’s excellent rodeo-athletics facilities. “The rodeo facility [at 十大正规网赌软件] is easily the best in the State, and one of the best in the Southwest region [...].”

While rodeo is his primary pursuit, Kirkes has also found purpose in his academic 研究. He is seeking an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree, and will possibly pursue a Bachelor of Arts in History after completing his education at 十大正规网赌软件. 当被问及为什么 history, Kirkes explains, “It’s just something I found was interesting to me. 我还没 found that I really cared about any other [subject], so that is really what’s keeping 我在学校工作.” 

Kirkes will graduate from 新墨西哥专科学校 in Spring 2021. 自从开始 college in the Fall of 2019, he’s already had some pretty memorable 时刻. 他说, so far, probably his most memorable experience at 十大正规网赌软件 was the roping jackpot put on by his team coaches, Clay Bonner and Stewart Kinley. The jackpot was held in November 2019 and invited participants for events like calf-roping, breakaway-roping, and goat-tying. Kirkes jokingly adds that “the steers getting out weekly” were also very memorable 时刻. 

Among the memories of his first year as a Thunderbird, Kirkes also recalls the times he and his friends just spent time together. “We made some really good friends with some Frenchmen on the track team; they were hilarious. 他们花了很多时间 me and my friend Tomas in the dorm rooms [Tomas, an international student from Brazil, is also a rodeo athlete at 十大正规网赌软件].”

When discussing what his plans are after graduating from 十大正规网赌软件, Kirkes admits he’s 不太确定. His goal is to compete in rodeo at a professional level, and he would prefer to pursue that goal immediately, rather than to continue further education: 

“Hopefully, I’d win at the college finals next rodeo season, and use that momentum to start rodeoing more professionally through the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys 协会). If I do that, then I wouldn’t go back to school. 但如果我回去 to school] my choice will be between ENMU in Portales (NM) and Texas Tech University, 基于接近度.”

When asked what he would say to prospective students considering 十大正规网赌软件, for academics or athletics, Kirkes offers a few words of recommendation. 

On being a rodeo athlete looking to come to 十大正规网赌软件, he says “[...我知道那几个 of the kids who have already signed-on to the rodeo team are serious about it, and 我知道我是认真的. So, the athletics part of [十大正规网赌软件], definitely I recommend it, and I’d tell them to come on. You’ve got coaches that know how to coach, and you’ve got teammates who want to learn and who want to be the best.” 

Considering academica and recommendations he would give, Kirkes goes on to say, “College 其实没那么难. You’ve just got to show up to class and do the work they assign 你(...]. If you do the lessons and you show up, you’ll be fine [...]. 但是，它会 have been useful to have someone tell me, ‘Hey, there’s going to be a lot of work  从第一天开始. In high school you had about a two week grace-period [at the start of the year] where you just kind of did little small lessons and then you started 做真正的工作. With college, that’s a different story. 你第一天来上班 and then you have homework that night. It can be super easy to get behind or just miss assignments, and then you’re just trying to fight your way back up.” 

 

BONUS: During his interview, though not a primary focus, we briefly discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Kirkes as an athlete. 

“I think for me personally, it’s not so bad [...]. 我的家人非常支持我. I’ve got five horses here I can get on all day; we’ve got 20 head of calves; I’ve got a great practice partner that lives next door and who comes over to rope with 我的每一天. 所以，这方面还不错. You know there’s a difference in being sharp at home and being rodeo sharp, and 我还没 been able to go anywhere, so that 可能伤害. But everybody’s in the same boat with that. 

I hated to have to leave all of my friends like that, though. 我们都是一个大家庭 family over there, and then, it didn’t make anybody happy that we all had to leave with a week notice [not knowing when we’d get to come back].”

While not sure of what the Fall 2020 semester will be like, Kirkes is ready and hopeful to continue his time on 十大正规网赌软件’s campus as a Thunderbird soon.