Ep. 85 - 2016 College Goat Tying Champion Turned Rodeo Coach, Shelby Winchell
Shelby Winchell knew from an early age that she had a passion for education and the western industries, coming from an agriculture and rodeo based family in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Shelby is well aware of the importance of the western industries to the country as a whole and, after winning a college goat-tying title, she was able to land her dream job as a teacher and coach at the age of 24. This led her to her next big award, to be a recipient of the 2021 COWGIRL Magazine 30 Under 30 award.
Getting Started in Rodeo
“Growing up, I did all the sports - traveling basketball, traveling volleyball, softball, long distance running,” says Shelby, but, in 7th grade she decided to choose a “main passion.” That’s when she really started tying goats and focusing on the rodeo-aspect. Originally just competing in goats and barrel racing, as she added strength and size with age she started to add in roping as well.
“I would not be where I am today without my family,” says Shelby, who shares that her family sacrificed a lot to allow her the opportunities she had. Through a coaching lens, it’s more obvious how unaware you can be about the amazing sacrifices your parents make and, looking back, how much more you can appreciate that. “I wouldn’t have the job, the now traveling rodeo schedule, if it wasn’t for their support in me growing up.”
While not everybody gets that support all of the time, those that do should value it. One of the best parts about rodeo, is that rodeo is a family and there are so many rodeo families that are ready to adopt you. Rodeo is definitely a family-oriented sport, potentially even the MOST family-oriented of all the sports, with Junior Rodeo, Junior High, High School, College and more that even combine schedules to allow families to travel together.
Horse Power - The Iconic Horse That Built Shelby
In Junior High and High School, Shelby’s main barrel horse was a son of Special Effort and was “definitely unique.” While we all have that one horse that makes us, this is the horse that helped Shelby get to college. All of Shelby’s breakaway and goat horses, however, Shelby and her family trained themselves.
The horse that Shelby won’t he nation on in 2016, was an ex-bulldogging and hazing horse that had even gone to the NFR as a hazing horse with his previous owners. Purchased from a family in Nebraska, the oldest son Del Ray, called Shelby’s dad and said, “I have a horse - he’d be a great goat horse for Shelby.” At their arena, Shelby only needed 30 minutes to know he’d work - despite having never seen a goat. But Shelby had a backstory with failed, fast steer wrestling horses.
The horse before him, however, was a big bay horse named Carl and Shelby had the fastest time of the College Finals and two national reserve titles. Carl, however, was too fast for steer wrestling and nobody would get off of him. Shelby, however, is an adrenaline junkie and loves to go fast!
“I was fortunate to have the horses that I had! Like I mentioned earlier, sacrifices were made for myself … and my sister Libby … to have the horses that we had,” says Shelby. “Rodeo is definitely a family dynamic and looking back on growing up with the opportunities that we had growing up.”
The Physics of a Great Goat Tying Run
“The beautiful thing about goat tying, is that it’s 85% YOU,” says Shelby. While there are outside variables, you control 85% of the run. As an event that “what you put in, is what you get out,” Shelby loves the opportunity for success to be directly related to your fitness, your training, and your run. “In coaching and a lot of the clinics that I do … that is the most difficult part for athletes to understand. You put in all of this work and preparation …. all you have to do is go do all of the individual steps, whether it be goat-tying, barrels or roping … that’s going to be there at the end of it.”
“Preparation Builds Confidence.”
Shelby’s family jokes that at their home property in Nebraska that they don’t have arena lights because then nobody would ever go inside. That practice is so important for you to put the steps together and be successful. When you hit the point where you are starting for the run, you have to have muscle memory take over. If you have to think about it, then you’re going to slow and you haven’t done enough practice.
Winning the 2016 Goat Tying Title
A definite dream come true, Shelby had won second twice already so her father pushed her and said, “Are we going to do this or what?” Seeing the instant results of all of her practice sessions and work, practicing twice a day, going to the rodeo, and seeing that success. After placing second in her sophomore year by a tenth of a second, Shelby didn’t stay true to her skillset and strategy missing the title her junior year after coming into the short round sitting second, and then, a year off, she entered her redshirt senior year and her dad said, “You’ve gotten second twice, are.. you ready to do this the way you need to do this and not leave anything on the table?”
“Yes,” was Shelby’s short answer. It had been a long year off to finish her Bachelor’s degree and, from the time she had left the finals in Casper in June to the next year, she spent the entire time in the gym doing it “right” and training in a way that she had never done so before. Living in the gym until December, she was an assistant rodeo coach doing her student teaching in Wyoming where she was there women’s coach that semester as well.
“I kind of started practicing and getting back into goat tying shape and then the first goat tying from the finals in 2014, the first time I entered was the first college rodeo of the 2015-2016 season,” says Shelby. “I lived in the gym and in the practice pen until I was able to accomplish what I wanted to do.”
When she won the nation in goat tying, it was an almost surreal experience. “You know how, at the end of the big sports movie, when they win the big game … like the movie ‘Miracle’ … and their is this big eruption,” says Shelby, “I remember walking down the tunnel for the short run and I’m not one to look at standings, I don’t want to know the points or the money - but you know, you have a good idea. At the tunnel in Casper, you can’t see anything until you are in there. I remember walking my horse up the heading box and I heard the announcer say, ‘No more brother-in-law.’” At that moment, Shelby thought, it’s time to put a stamp on it.
You can hear the crowd on the video but in Shelby’s mind, in that moment, it was so quiet and so surreal, and when she got on the lap horse then all of the noise and emotion hit her in one fell swoop. “We” meaning the support team and the sacrifices had done it.
Transitioning to the Next Level as a Coach
Fortunate enough to travel both solo and with other clinicians to teach and train other athletes. Shelby already knew that she wanted to be a coach and a teacher. In fact, during her fifth year, she was already recruiting for her position as a coach at Sheridan College, was substitute teaching, competing, and recruiting for her future position that she had already spoken for.
“It took me a long time to discover that not everyone is like me, per say,” says Shelby with a slight laugh. “I think that was the hardest hurdle for me to overcome as a coach. As for technique … there are more than one way to win… but as far as work-ethic and things like that, I am more or less driven based on fear of [someone] out working her… Now, I know that it’s okay that not all athletes are going to be like that. Some athletes don’t want to go win the National, and that’s okay.”
“I wish for everyone to experience winning the nation because I know what doors that has opened for me in my professional career, but to understand that not everyone wants to get up at 5:00 am to go rope or tie goats - not everyone is into that,” says Shelby.
Coaching Advice
Looking back, something that Shelby now cherishes, is that the only time her players saw her was at practice or if she was in trouble. After a year, she moved schools to be an assistant coach and be an equine instructor and the chance to do both allowed her to embrace the “open door policy” because she was always there and easy to find. With a recliner, multiple comfy chairs, and more in her office to create a welcoming space, which has developed, on it’s own, a stronger relationship with the players into something more than just being the coach or the disciplinary administration. They are able to have a one-on-one relationship and they’ll be able to all go to dinner once a week.
Additionally, the education side of Shelby also says that she cares about her athletes as people and while she wants them to perform and accomplish their goals, but them developing as human beans is as important to Shelby as winning the nation. Coaches oftentimes see their players more than the players own parents see them so ownership of their wellbeing is extremely important.
Equine Teacher and AgriBusiness and Horsemanship
Teaching a variety of courses, this is definitely Shelby’s dream job - something she has always wanted to do. Working ten to twelve hour days from August to May, but that doesn’t matter. Shelby is excited to see her athletes and students grow into the people they want to be and the goals that they have.