![\"8](\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2024\/05\/8-44-135.jpeg\")
As a team, Tarleton State has qualified for nine CNFR appearances \u2014 three each from Tidwell and Driver, two for Brower and one for Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Head coach Mark Eakin said the team\u2019s experience is a definite plus in their drive for a national crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAny time you\u2019ve been there before, you kind of know what to expect,\u201d he said \u201cThen they can look at it just like another rodeo and take care of business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brower, a goat tyer and animal science major from Stettler in the province of Alberta, Canada, is making her second appearance in Casper. She finished the 2023-24 campaign as regional champion, taking finals slots in six rodeos and winning four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI definitely think the experience will help me with a different mindset going in,\u201d she said. \u201cLast year I thought too much and made it harder than it needed to be. This year I\u2019m planning on relaxing, having fun and doing what I know how to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jones, a kinesiology graduate student from Lamesa, finished third in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region this season, making the finals in eight of 10 rodeos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s awesome,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to get there my whole college career. I\u2019m so blessed to get there on my last try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tidwell, Southwest reserve champion barrel racer, and Driver, third place in the region, each appeared in the finals of five 2023-24 rodeos, and each earned two regular season championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tidwell said being familiar with the Casper logistics will lessen her anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow I know where to park, how to get inside the arena,\u201d she said. \u201cThose small things can really stress you out. I won\u2019t have to worry about those things. I can concentrate on just doing my job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driver concurs. \u201cExperience made my second year, last year, a lot easier. I know what to expect, and this year I\u2019ll be even more relaxed and ready to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the team\u2019s experience comes a certain closeness, the result of successes enjoyed through competing together over two semesters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all haul together, and we all know how tough this life can be,\u201d said Driver, echoing her teammates\u2019 views. \u201cWith this team, there\u2019s always somebody there who has your back, someone you can count on to be there for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eakin knows the four cowgirls are close and he credits the team members\u2019 participation in the organization\u2019s leadership council with bringing the members together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a very high character team with lots of talent,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are very tight and they have each bought into the culture. That\u2019s unique, and it\u2019s special when they have a great year like this one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tarleton State rodeo is seeking to add to its 37 national titles. Team members are acutely aware of the traditions of excellence that follow CNFR qualifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not so much pressure as motivation,\u201d Driver said. \u201cIt\u2019s always there, and it kind of keeps me on my toes to know about the people who went before me. Wearing that purple vest gives us a sense of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps the team\u2019s confidence is justified. After all, Tarleton State dominated the regional standings, winning five rodeos during the season. Atop the leaderboard from start to finish, the women captured the region by more than 1,000 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe know we\u2019ll perform well,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWe\u2019re going in expecting to win this thing.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Two noticeable aspects bode well for the Tarleton State University women\u2019s team as it prepares for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), June 9-15 in Casper, Wyo. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":50973,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,425],"tags":[455],"class_list":["post-50971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-campus-community","tag-rodeo"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"priddle","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/priddle-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2024\/05\/8-44-135-300x200.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_Homepage<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_Homepage<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Rodeo<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Rodeo<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 5, 2024","modified":"Updated on August 15, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 5, 2024 8:00 am","modified":"Updated on August 15, 2024 5:33 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"Five women in cowboy hats holding awards at a NIRA Southwest Region event.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50971\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}