Charleston duo makes most of first state finals appearance

After team roping for seven years, Adam and Evin Burke of Charleston, Mo., got their first chance Thursday to compete against the state's best in the first round of the Missouri High School Rodeo State Finals at Flickerwood Arena.

They showed on opening night that they plan to make the most of their time remaining on the circuit.

The pair finished a solid run in the evening session to stand in second in team roping. They and others in the event compete again today and Sunday in an attempt to finish in the top four, which would seal a spot in the national finals next month in Farmington, N.M.

Standing fifth in the season standings before Thursday, the duo knew it was now or never --Evin, a senior, will attend Murray State on a rodeo scholarship in the fall. And while both insist anything can happen in the sport, the Burkes say their family ties should give them a leg up on the competition going into the weekend.

"I know exactly how he's going to turn it -- we just know," Sam Burke said. "We know each other's limits, what we can and can't do."

And while the other teams have limited practice time, the Burkes don't have to make an extra effort to put in practice time.

"We get to practice a lot together," Evin Burke said. "We can just go out and practice."

For all the advantages roping with a family member can bring, there are some disadvantages.

"If we have a bad week, we have to ride back with each other," Evin said.

Besides an occasional bad experience and good-natured ribbing between siblings, the Burkes have found a way to excel in the arena. For proof, there's Thursday's evening session and their rank of fifth in the state standings before Thursday's events.

"It helps when you have a good person behind you roping with you," Sam said.

For Evin, his three years of state finals experience helps him through the pressure situations. Sam, appearing in his first state finals, turns to an outside hobby to keep his mind in the right place. Sam is a black belt in tae kwan do and uses his martial arts training to deal with the pressure.

"It helps me out mentally," Sam said. "It helps me relax."

The two also use their roping to help them stay closer as family.

"It's probably brought us closer together as brothers," Sam said.

With the point standings so close, the pair stand in position to make a run at one of the four qualifying spots. Regardless of whether they qualify, Sam said he realizes this event is a chance for him to try to audition for a new roping partner.

"That's one of the good things about having a partner here, so people can see how I rope," Sam said.

Besides the team roping, Evin sits in fourth place in the calf roping after the evening session. Evin is trying to qualify in calf roping for the third time.

"It's really something," Evin said of the national event. "Here you have 100 people, out there there's 1,500. It's just something to see."

Jackson's Ty Atchison, who was ranked No. 1 in the steer wrestling going into Thursday's events, did not record a time in his heat Thursday but was third in saddle bronc riding. Delta's Brent Menz put up the second-best time in the steer wrestling event. Menz ranked fifth going into the state finals.

Poplar Bluff's Matt Boyers, one of the top cowboys in the state, had a rough night. He failed to record a score in the saddle bronc and bareback competitions. He came into the state finals ranked first in both events.

The first round will be completed this afternoon with the second round at 7 p.m. The top 12 competitors in each event will move into Saturday's championship round.

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 171