Cole Snider has traveled many miles, endured countless bumps and bruises and even suffered through concussions and a broken collarbone. But the hard work and tough times paid off recently when the Enumclaw cowboy captured the 2018 Pro-West Rodeo Association bareback championship.
The season-ending title goes to the cowboy compiling the greatest amount of prize money during the 20-rodeo Pro-West circuit. Putting an exclamation point on a winning summer, Snider rode his way to the bareback crown at the Pro-West Finals, staged Sept. 28-29 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
But there’s more than cowboy grit to the Enumclaw High graduate. The 24-year-old is polished and articulate, naturally gravitated to leadership roles throughout high school and college and is closing in on a bachelor’s degree. The Courier-Herald caught up with Snider, by phone, as he drove through Missoula, Montana, on his way to the college campus he’ll call home for one more semester.
SUCCESS IN THE RODEO ARENA
Snider has roots in the sport of rodeo, participating in junior events while growing up. But it wasn’t until he headed off for the world of academia at the University of Montana-Western that things turned serious.
His first competition came at a Chelan, Washington, rodeo in 2013, an open competition for amateur riders. Snider left with two impressions, the first being, “I definitely wasn’t very good.” But the second discovery is the one that shaped his immediate future: “It was the most fun I’d ever had.”
Success came his way during his college career in Dillon, Montana, including a championship at the Bozeman College Rodeo. But a university education was put on hold temporarily, largely due to Snider’s disdain for debt.
The just-ended summer season has helped in that regard, as Snider pocketed a bit more than $7,200 in prize money, despite getting a late start in the rodeo circuit.
The summer’s biggest highlight might have come in August when Snider returned home and won the Enumclaw rodeo. The biggest payday was earned earlier in the month at a rodeo in McMinnville, Oregon. Other stops on a busy summer tour included Cashmere, Colfax, Cusick, Monroe, Okanogan, Port Angeles, Waterville, Ritzville and Grandview, all in Washington.
While the money is nice and rather essential for a college student, cash doesn’t bring the fondest memories.
“I’ve seen a lot of country and met a lot of people,” Snider said. “That’s the best part”
The rodeo world hasn’t seen the last of Snider, despite his returning focus on classes, professors and textbooks.
Next summer, he plans to return to the Pro-West ranks and “hit it hard.” A goal, he says, is to advance to the Columbia River Circuit of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. There, the competition will be tougher, including the stock, but the money is better.
For now, Snider can appreciate what he’s worked to achieve.
“I’ve learned a lot,” he said from the road. “The only way to accomplish a goal is to just keep working.”
And things are falling into, with a college degree within his grasp.
“Everything is good,” he said. “There’s no such thing as losing if you’re still breathing at the end of the day.”
SHOWING LEADERSHIP OUTSIDE THE RODEO ARENA
Snider showed leadership skills during his Enumclaw High days, moving through the ranks of his school’s FFA chapter. As a senior, he was elected by fellow members throughout the state to serve a year as FFA president, an honor that meant delaying college for a year. He traded life as a college freshman for 12 months on the road, visiting chapters in all corners of the state and representing the agriculture industry.
With that year-long adventure tucked away, he headed for Dillon, Montana, and the UM-West campus. He eventually was elected president of the student body and was then elevated to president of the Montana Associated Students. In that role, he headed a group that included presidents from all the Montana colleges and universities.
The objective, he said, was “trying to get all the student councils on a similar mission.”
Snider realizes his leadership abilities and knows how he wants to use them.
“If you have the ability, people will listen to you talk,” he said. The desired goal “is to use it in a positive way.”
For Snider, the appeal of leadership “is being able to positively affect other people’s lives.”
