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Military members can compete in rodeo from just about anywhere

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 47th FTW public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Jeff Scott's boots are no longer the black, shiny leather he wore for 25 straight years in the Air Force. Instead, they're rough and brown, with cracked rubber soles and a thin coating of dust and mud that would be far from Air Force regulations if he were still on active duty.

For the moment, they sit relatively still, flat on the floor of the retired master sergeant's office in the 47th Communications Squadron.

Not 48 hours ago, however, they were dug deep into the stirrups of a saddle as Scott and his horse "Seven" thundered through a dirt arena hot on the heels of a bolting steer.

Currently, Scott is the only member of Team XL to also claim membership in the Professional Armed Forces Rodeo Association.

A project and unit deployment manager by day, at night Scott replaces his "Roping for Christ" ball cap with a dusty straw cowboy hat, picks up a lasso and mounts Seven.

His sport is team roping, and Scott has been doing it almost as long as he spent on active duty in the Air Force. He got his start in the rodeo riding bulls in the '70s, but switched to team roping in the '80s and has never looked back.

"Team roping, to me, is a lot more fun and a lot less painful," he said.
Now the circuit director for PAFRA's Burning Sands Circuit, which includes West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, Scott ropes with a handful of other members in the local area, competing wherever and whenever he can.

PAFRA president, Marine Corps Master Sgt. Chester L. Howe, said "Because the U.S. military is spread throughout the world, PAFRA has circuits worldwide so that cowboys and cowgirls can compete regardless of where they may be stationed.

"To facilitate this, PAFRA co-sanctions its events with other associations affording competitors the opportunity to compete in many different venues," Sergeant Howe said.
PAFRA competitors are allowed to claim up to 20 events for points to count toward their qualification to the PAFRA World Finals Rodeo. This year, the finals will be held at the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, Scott said.

While the chance to compete in the World Finals Rodeo is a worthy goal, Scott has many reasons he enjoys PAFRA as much as he does.

"I enjoy hanging out with people with similar interests as me," he said. The competitiveness and the camaraderie are some of the best aspects of PAFRA, he said.
"We rib on each other," he explained, "but then we turn around and help each other."

Anyone interested in joining PAFRA can visit their website at http://www.PAFRA2000.com or call Scott at (830) 298-4211. Membership requirements are outlined in detail on the site, as are the organization's rules and membership packages. Competition in the rodeo is not a requirement for joining, however military service, in most cases, is.

"If anyone is interested in joining, I'd love to talk to them," Scott said. "And they're always welcome to come out and watch our practices."

PAFRA members compete in local rodeos often, including the Del Rio Rotary Independence Day rodeo July 6 and 7 at the Val Verde County fairgrounds, which will also be a membership drive for the organization. 

Scott said since it's a military group, PAFRA has an all-patriotic membership, and the wholesomeness of it appeals to him.

"We all have similar values out there," he said. "It's all good, clean fun. 

"Except for the dirt."