Local Team Ropers Gonzalez & Hatley Qualify for CNFR

NMJC's team roping duo of header Lyvan Gonzalez and heeler Cason Hatley are headed to Casper, Wyoming to compete at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) June 15-21. 

The two T-Bird athletes are both local products that hail from right in Hobbs, NM.

"Oh, it's pretty cool to head to the CNFR as a Hobbs kid. Growing up here you know everyone, everyone knows us," Hatley said. "It's pretty cool over the years we've come and roped up at NMJC and been around the kids. It's cool to be a part of the team now and go to nationals. I'm very excited to go to Casper. We'll just go out there and see what happens. Let the cards fall where they're going to fall."

The team ropers won the second rodeo of the year at the Sul Ross State Rodeo which earned them 135 points each and jumpstarted their run to nationals. 

They placed third in average at the Odessa College Rodeo to start the second semester scoring 80 more points to add to their total. The pair moved into fourth and fifth place in the header heeler standings with the finish at the time. 

The Western Texas Rodeo in April was the final Short Round Gonzalez and Hatley made where they placed third in average. The 130 points vaulted them into prime position in first place and second in the Southwest Region standings. The T-Birds moved to second place following the Howard College rodeo. Gonzalez and Hatley headed into the final rodeo of the season at the Tarleton Stampede with a great chance at qualifying for the CNFR. 

In Stephenville, the pair finished one spot out of the Short Round and after their run they nervously waited to see if any other teams could make the Short Round to bump them out of Casper.  

"Stewy and I were sitting back there behind the head box after there's probably like five runs left and there's two or three people that can get us out of it," Gonzalez said. "The first two went and the last team was right in the box. Stewy looks at me and says, 'This is it right here' and as soon as they roped and missed, it was just a good feeling."

The top three team ropers in the region make it to the CNFR. The Thunderbird duo ended the season in third place with 345 points to qualify for nationals. Gonzalez credits Coach Kinley as a huge part of the team ropers success this year. 

"I honestly think he's been a big part of our success this season and I give a lot of thanks to him," Gonzalez said. "He's helped me out a lot and helped many others there at the school. I think without him most of this wouldn't be possible. It's hard whenever you haven't been there, and you have someone behind you like that that knows everything that gets you out there. It's just makes it so much easier when you have someone like him coaching."

Coach Kinley is over the moon to see them achieve their dreams of competing on the national stage in just their first year with the program. 

"I am just proud of these guys. Going back to these guys being freshmen, like that didn't bother me at all," NMJC men's rodeo head coach Stewy Kinley said. "I knew when these guys signed last year that they absolutely had a chance to make it to the CNFR and it fits their style. These guys would go knock them down type style. These guys got ahead in the standings after Snyder. If you get ahead, those other teams got to come get you. They were in a good spot coming into Stephenville, and the other teams had to come get them instead of being the ones chasing. They didn't have to win something in Stephenville to get to Casper and that takes a lot of pressure off these guys. I'm proud of them."

The format is a great fit according to Coach Kinley. The rodeo will be a three header and then a Short Round with the top qualifiers.

"That's what I'm excited for these guys is their game plan isn't to just win rounds," Coach Kinley said. "If they draw good enough, they do win rounds, but they know how to get them caught and that is the most important part."

Hatley has never attended the CNFR, but he is very familiar with the rodeo after watching it on television growing up. His game plan involves being patient. 

"I mean, I've watched it every year for the past 10 years, and it seems like going in there, everyone gets there, and they think they have to be smoking fast on every one of them," Hatley said. "If you just go catch them, 99% you're going to win the rodeo."

The success this season didn't happen overnight at NMJC. Hatley and Gonzalez have been building their rodeo partnership for over a decade.

"Me and Lyvan heck we've roped together since we were five years old," Hatley said. "We pretty much know what each other is going to do, what we need to do. If I need to bring the steer left a little bit. I mean, we just know going into it, it kind of helps each other that we've been roping for this long. We know okay he's going to make sure that this steer stays in the same spot." 

They say opposites attract and well Yin and Yang is a great way to describe Lyvan and Cason together. 

"They're very opposite, but they work well together," Coach Kinley said. "They know each other like the back of their hand. I'm not surprised to see these guys make it. That's kind of what we were thinking right from the get-go."

So, what is a successful rodeo come June?

"I think just being able to get by all of our steers and make some good runs," Gonzalez said. "If we win it, we win it, if not it's okay we'll come back happy with the performance."

The team ropers will have over a month off before they travel to Casper, Wyoming June 15-21 to compete at the CNFR inside the Ford Wyoming Center.