Freshman from Southeast Missouri ropes in state title

With every highway mile Coy Rahlmann logs, every truck his family trades in and every championship buckle his mom displays in the family great room, it's sinking in he could rodeo professionally.

The victories began early and often and are picking up in speed and prestige. Most recently, the freshman from East Carter High School in Ellsinore, Missouri, earned a Missouri High School Rodeo state championship.

Rahlmann, a team roping header who ropes the steer's head, initially partnered with a heeler (who ropes the steer's back legs) out of Nebraska at the beginning of the 20-event high-school season. Six events in, things weren't working out.

Rahlmann put in a call to childhood friend and rodeo buddy Blaine Maxwell, who is a freshman from Bertrand, Missouri.

The duo had some catching up to do in the standings but dominated from the start.

They won three of the final four rodeos of the fall season.

After 10 more events in the spring, they were in second place by a couple of points going into the state finals.

Some of the guys at the four-day rodeo in Jackson wanted to go swimming or golfing during down time.

Rahlmann passed.

"I was pretty nervous going into the state finals. I don't really get nervous. I've just taught myself not to, being in so many big places, but I was pretty nervous," Rahlmann said.

The top team took a no time in each of the first two rounds.

Rahlmann and Maxwell missed in the first round, too, but won the second round to take over first place.

By being in the top spot, they also went last in the Short Go, the third and final round, and had clinched the state title before their final ride.

"We knew we had it, but at the same time, we didn't want to do anything silly," Rahlmann said.

Their goal was to just have a clean run. Instead, they posted a 7.4-second time to win the Short Go and take second in the average.

The top team was the only team at the finals to earn a time in all three rounds.

"That's pretty good to win the round when all you are trying to do is catch," Rahlmann said.

Rahlmann picked up the sport simply enough.

Both his parents competed, and the family farm between Ellsinore and Poplar Bluff, Missouri, lent itself to roping and horse riding.

He started taking things more seriously at about age 8, when he became strong enough to ride and swing a rope at the same time.

Junior rodeos and early success followed.

He began to realize this could be a career two years ago at an event in Tunica, Mississippi.

The then-junior-high student ended up being the big money winner after winning two of the handicapped events and placing in the top five in two more.

It was Rahlmann's first big payday in an expensive sport.

"A lot of my friends in Texas -- oil money -- it's nothing for some of them kids to spend $75,000 to $100,000 on one horse," Rahlmann said.

Rodeo is famous for its hectic travel schedules.

Rahlmann is competing in a semi-pro rodeo in Hillsboro, Missouri, this weekend, a four-hour round trip.

In July, the family is planning a two-week trip so Rahlmann can compete in the International Finals Youth Rodeo in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Then it's off to Gillette, Wyoming, for the National High School Finals.

The trip will put about 3,000 miles on the truck. They've lost track of yearly mileage.

"We trade trucks every two years or less because we put so many miles and wear and tear on a truck," Rahlmann said.

"Not that we are rough on a truck, but when you are hauling down the interstate with a humongous trailer on the back, four horses loaded down, water tanks full, it is hard on a truck to just go up and down the interstate all (year)."

Rahlmann's mom, Susie, said, "We support him whole-heartedly, and we do travel; pretty much every weekend, we're somewhere. A lot of weekends, we are really far off."

Rahlmann is on the road so much, his closest friends are out-of-state rodeo buddies.

He'll get invited by his East Carter classmates to do something on the weekend but can't because he's on the road competing.

On top of Shawnee and Gillette, Rahlmann is considering an event in Glen Rose, Texas, which is nine hours away.

"He lives it, breathes it, dreams it," Susie said.

The Glen Rose trip, though, depends on who his partner will be.

"I'm not going to go unless I have the best partner. I'm not going to go spend a bunch of money unless I know the guy behind me has a 99 percent chance to catch two feet every time I turn him one," Rahlmann said. "I've really got to sit back and study who's the best ropers so I can be sure to enter with them."

Glen Rose carries a $500 entry fee.

Add gas, hotels, feed and other costs, and it becomes an expensive weekend if Rahlmann and his teammate don't post good times.

With risk comes reward, though. Rahlmann said the Glen Rose rodeo gives away trucks and trailers to the winners.

"We've got a lot invested in so many ways," Susie said. "Hopefully, he'll be getting scholarships for college, and all this will maybe pay off in the long run."

Rahlmann wants to go to college and get a degree to fall back on.

He's thinking he'll go to school somewhere in Texas so he'll be in the thick of rodeo country.

"Where there's roping," he said, "you know where to find me."