Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Former Socorroan takes his rodeo skills to the top

Toby Smith The Albuquerque Journal

What does a 20-year-old do with $200,000?

"I try not to spend it," said Taos Muncy, of Corona, who last year won slightly more than that as a professional rodeo performer. "I keep it in my pocket."

In December, Muncy, a former Socorro native, rode away with $91,755 at the Wrangler National Finals, in Las Vegas, Nev., which is considered the Super Bowl of rodeos.

Last year Muncy also won the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming, the biggest outdoor rodeo in the United States, and was co-champion at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in Texas, another major competition.

Muncy finished 2007 as the No. 1 saddle bronc rider in the world.

"Any time a kid wins a world championship against an extremely veteran and proven field, it shows he has a lot of talent," said Jim Bainbridge, senior public relations coordinator for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

"Others in the field have been doing what Taos did for 20 years," Bainbridge said. "When you see his love of the sport and his commitment to getting better, you have to believe he has a very long and great career ahead of him."

In truth, Muncy used a portion of last year's winnings to buy "some cows and stuff" and he's "saved a little bit to rodeo."

"Taos has been pretty smart with his money," said his mother, Johnnie, with a laugh. "He doesn't spend too freely."

In his third year on the professional circuit, Muncy travels to rodeos each weekend in the wintertime, usually sharing rides with three other cowboys, all about his age.

"We stay in rooms and stuff, and it can get expensive," he said.

In the summer, this same group rodeos almost every day. Typically they bunk in camper shells in each others' pickups.

Muncy gained early fame as a college rodeo performer. As a sophomore at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla., he won the College National Finals in Casper, Wyo., last June.

He's one of only three cowboys to have won the College National Finals and the Wrangler National Finals in the same year. Ty Murray, the sport's superstar, and Matt Austin are the others.

College performers can rodeo as professionals, but Muncy won't do that this year.

"I did both last year and it's tough. You're always flying back and forth. This year I'm just going to concentrate on pro rodeos."

Muncy is, however, still continuing as an Oklahoma Panhandle State student, doing course work online. Periodically he returns to Goodwell to check in with the school and with the bronc riding horses he keeps on campus.

A saddle bronc rider is only as good as the horse under him. In that event, a rider is graded 1 to 25 points by each of two judges. The horse is graded the same way.

Thus, it's possible to get 100 points in the competition, although no one ever has. The highest Muncy achieved in saddle bronc riding was an 88, at the College National Finals.

Muncy spent a few years in Socorro and has family in the area. His parents, Blaine and Johnnie, currently live on a ranch in Corona.

"In high school, I wanted to ride bulls," Muncy said.

His father, who'd had a 15-year career in rodeo, named him after a bull rider named Taos Cribbs.

"My parents wouldn't let me ride bulls until I weighed 100 pounds," he said. "I only weighed about 75 pounds when I was a sophomore. But then my mom saw that I could ride bareback, so I tried bronc riding and I like it. It's funner. I'm scared to death of bulls now." (At 5-foot-10, he now weighs 155 pounds).

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