Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who voted during the PRCA Photo of the Year Contest. After the votes were tallied, the picture Tony Bruguiere captured of me at the famed Cheyenne Frontier Days received 18% of all votes...good enough to finish 2nd place out of the 25 entries. Congrats Tony! You can read the full story at http://www.prorodeo.com/News.aspx?xu=973

On 22 Jan approximately 70 PRCA cowboys/cowgirls made the trek to Steamboat Springs, CO, to partake in the 34th annual Cowboy Downhill. 2008 marked my fourth year to compete in the winner-take-all downhill ski race. The course is tough for cowboys who ski/snowboard once per year (aka me). It must be quite a spectacle to see 70 out-of-control cowboys zooming by trying gamely to stay upright. The course is highlighted by a six-foot jump!

I've already admitted to snowboarding once per year. Nonetheless, my intention is winning! (I mean surviving) This year I was determined to land the big six-foot jump. In previous years I've been a strong contender for the worst wreck champion. My 2007 crash was good enough, or should I say bad enough, to be a featured picture on the 2008 promotional poster.

I'm proud to say I landed the jump this year! In the timed slalom race, I was paired with good friend and world champion Charlie Sampson. Charlie had a little hard luck on the jump and I was able to pull ahead and race to the finish line. When announcer Bob Fiest interviewed me at the finish line, all I could say was how "stoked" I felt landing that jump, especially after three previous failed attempts. Goes to prove if you put your mind to something you can do it. The link below is from the Steamboat Pilot.http://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/2008/jan/23/tabernash_bull_rider_wins_annual_cowboy_downhill/

The 2008 rodeo season is in full swing and my schedule is taking shape. 2008 will mark my busiest pro rodeo season since entering the Air Force after 9/11. I'm excited to go coast-to-coast and even travel abroad in '08 representing the Air Force & Wyoming alike. My schedule is from New Jersey to California and once again to South Korea. My major stops are at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Cody Stampede, Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls and the College National Finals - all in the great state of Wyoming! I look forward to keeping you updated with every exciting event. Forever West,Jeremy

Jeremy A. Sparks
Captain, USAF
PRCA Bullfighter
http://www.jeremysparks.com/

Happy New Year!

2001 marked the last time I was at my parents’ home for Christmas…not by choice. The Air Force has a core value “Service Before Self” and previous Christmas’ and New Years have been spent with my brothers and sisters in arms.

It was great trip with time well spent in the company of family and friends in Arkansas. I felt like Santa Clause saved all my gifts since my last homecoming…Lord knows I wasn’t that good of a boy in 2007!

My parents surprised me by giving me a compound bow! It had been a while since my last archery experience but I often think about shooting dozens upon dozens of arrows with my brother Jeff growing up. Ever since harvesting my first Mule Deer, while hunting in Wyoming, I’ve had the hunting fever. My main goal with my new bow was to harvest a Whitetail Deer. As you know time flies when you’re having fun…and running out of time was fast approaching.

December 31st ended up being the only day I had to hunt. My bow was ready to go but with one exception…it needed to be sighted in. Around 1:00 pm my Dad and I arrived at the deer camp to sight-in my bow, by 2:00 pm it was sighted-in and I was in the woods.

It was a touch warm and abnormally windy for Arkansas but I was determined to test my skills. Mind you it had been 10 years since my last archery experience, well except for the few arrows I shot in November while at Bass Pro. Nonetheless, my brother put me on a hot spot and I was convinced to stay until sun down. When my dad dropped me off, my last words were “I’m shooting the first legal deer I see!”

I sat patiently and observed quail, doves and even spiders…everything but a deer. My luck would change at 4:00 pm when a young button buck walked 10 steps from me! Archery hunting is much like playing chest…the wildlife has such the advantage and hunters must calculate their every move in order to avoid being spotted and missing their one chance to harvest the game.

Patience is not my strong point but I was able to wait for the right time to draw my bow back, take aim and release. It was a 15 minute process that seemed to take forever. When I released I knew it was a good shot…I text messaged Jeff and told him I was successful. Before my dad and Jeff could arrive I found the buck and waited for them to arrive.

Within 3 hours of shooting my new bow for the first time, I had my first successful archery hunt!

I asked my brother if he thought I would be successful in the hunt. He replied, “I really didn’t think you would sit and wait!” He’s an avid archer and was proud to see me succeed.

PRCA Photo Contest of the Year

The PRCA has just released the PRCA Photo Contest of the Year. There are 25 photos up for the title and I just happen to be one of them. Tony Bruguiere captured an image of me fighting bulls at the 2007 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo that is picture perfect for the cover of the ProRodeo Sports News (PSN).

The winning photographer is guaranteed the front cover of the PSN in January 2008. However, the winning photo is determined by YOU the Rodeo Fan!

Tony and I would like to ask for you to visit the PRCAs website at: http://www.prorodeo.com/pages/photo_contest.html and vote for photo “Q”

Voting is open now and will continue to be so until 2 Jan.

Thanks in advance for participating and lets bring another award back to Wyoming!

Forever West
Jeremy

AIR TIME

I hope my blog finds you doing extremely well and gearing up for Halloween Trick-R-Treaters! You never know, I might dress up like Ricky Bobby and knock on your door, do a little shake and bake and ask for a treat! Perhaps dressing up like Scar Face would be more appropriate being I have a nice scar from my hunting accident!

The 2007 rodeo season was a great year for me. Not only was I blessed to be involved in various major rodeos nationwide and abroad, I also had the opportunity to participate in numerous media engagements around the world.

A few media highlights would have to be my Bresnan Commercial, print ads for Corral West, cover-story for the Rodeo News, the ProRodeo Sports News ‘8 Seconds with…” and meeting Drew Carey when I flew to NYC for the Power of 10.

There is one additional event I want to highlight. It’s a new TV Show called Pressure Cook with Ralph Pagano, produced by NYC firm Helicon-Media which airs on MojoHD. Ralph is a famous chef with previous appearances on Hells Kitchen and other top cooking shows worldwide.

It was my pleasure to help welcome Ralph and crew to Wyoming and do my part to make Ralph a real-life cowboy! The shoot took place at the historic Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. It was a day of riding, roping, and bullfighting… and yes some true cowboy trash talking!

Pressure Cook, Wyoming episode aired on MojoHD October 21 and will air again on October 28. However, you can watch the full episode on their website. Check out the link below to see how Ralph handled the pressure of cooking in Wyoming (with no budget) and learned the ropes of the cowboy lifestyle!

http://mojohd.com/video/?sid=16

Image: New York chef Ralph Pagano, center, learns the art of chuckwagon cooking at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Pro bullfighter Jeremy Sparks appeared in the show “Pressure Cook” shot in southern Wyoming last summer and airing now on MojoHD-Television. (mojohd.com) Photo credit: Lori Hogan

Forever West,

Jeremy

Hunting Wyoming

Last weekend I was afforded the opportunity to go on a Mule Deer and elk hunt in southern Wyoming. I’d hunted Wyoming only once prior and that trip didn’t fair so well. I was in Wyoming’s unforgiving Savage Run Wilderness with rodeo buddy, Ira McKillip. Our hunting trip turned into a survival story at the mid-day point due to the fact we were lost…well Ira claims we were hiking, not lost! I remind him, it may have been hiking, it was just in the wrong direction.

As you can imagine, I was hoping this hunting trip would be more successful. I had been excited about this trip ever since my good friends Kal and Brian invited me. I sighted in my rifle in the Snowy Range, bought camp food, packed my bags and loaded up my truck and headed towards Baggs, Wyoming.

I highly recommend a day trip through the Medicine Bow National Forest. Our route took us on a beautiful drive through Centennial, Wyoming. We made it through a little snow shower just in time to set up camp at Battle Mountain and hike in for the evening hunt. Wildlife is plentiful in Wyoming and we were able to set up hunting camp in a prime area. Kal, Brian and I all passed on mule deer that evening in hopes for, “Walter the Wall Hanger” the next morning!

Before the clock could strike dawn, we were up and eager to hike the mountain. Thank God for Brian’s four-wheeler because without that the trek to the top would have been a solid day’s work. But don’t worry; we hiked our fair share over the three-day hunt. At 8 am Brian and I trekked over a nearby ridge to glass for deer. To my delight, we saw a nice buck but had no luck getting a solid shot. It was a little disappointing to be so close…yet so far away.

By 10 am we met up at the bottom of the ridge and took comfort in the fact that the four-wheeler was still in place! After all, we had seen fresh signs of deer, elk and bear.

Brian spotted another buck Mule Deer and offered me the shot. I accepted! I’d never killed a Mule Deer so I was excited to have the opportunity. Now this is where the story gets good! I had the deer in my scope and could see he was a three-point. Just when I got a steady hand he walked behind some Scrub Oak and out of my scope. Well I was really leaning forward trying to find him…and out he came. I forgot how far I was leaning and pulled the trigger of my 30-06. Next thing I knew, blood was running down my head and off my nose! I asked Brian and Kal, “Did I hit him?” They couldn’t even answer me… not because they were concerned with my bleeding, mind you, but because they were laughing so hard! To make a long story short, I “scoped” myself. When I pulled the trigger the recoil caused the scope to hit me a good one! Good thing I’m used to pain from rodeo because that was a Mike Tyson type blow. I almost forgot to tell you…I did kill him and it was 165 yard shot. They still remind me I drew first and second blood…good friends, good times in good ‘ol Wyoming.











Jeremy's injury on recent hunting trip in Wyoming

Movin' on up

Rodeo season may be winding down but my life is still a whirlwind! One thing is certain …...I'm burning the candle at both ends 24/7!

I am scheduled to close on my house Friday and that will be great. However, getting to that point has been organized chaos at best. The movers came in and packed my belongings on the 20th and then came back to pick it up on the 21st.The house was pretty bare, just a lonely bed and television. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the simplicity of the four walls. The only down side of this move is my "stuff" is scattered everywhere! I have things in my office, my camper, at my neighbors, in my truck, and a large majority is in storage until I find a place to reside.

I really want to thank all the people that have helped me in one way or another...rodeo is a great sport because your friends are true friends even when it is an inconvenience. A special thanks to my neighbors, The Smedleys’, for taking me in as one of their own kids during this time.

Two things I wanted to share:

1. My Dodge truck has been redecorated by Wyoming Tourism. I blogged in July when this was done originally. However, we wanted a different look...bigger is better! You won't miss our rolling Wyoming billboard now as the truck has 2 large photos of me fighting bulls which extend all the way down the driver and passenger sides as well as a scenic Wyoming photo across the back glass. I really appreciate everyone associated with Wyoming Tourism. Not only do they ensure I am taken care of while on the rodeo trail, and exploring Wyoming, but they always treat me as family.

2. If you subscribe to the ProRodeo Sports News (PSN) you are familiar with the column "8 Seconds with..." This is a question/answer type interview the PSN does on rodeo personalities throughout the year. I was fortunate enough to be asked and was featured in this week’s PSN 8 Seconds with Jeremy Sparks I hope you like the story...as always you can find more news articles, videos & pictures at www.jeremysparks.com

Stay tuned for upcoming blogs as I take on a few of Wyoming's state parks and try to tough out the early stages of winter one week at a time!

Forever West,
Jeremy

Duty Calls

Forgive me for not writing...it's been a busy couple of weeks.

When I left Sterling, Colorado’s PRCA Rodeo my intentions were to fight bulls in Douglas, WY, for the Wyoming State Fair & PRCA Rodeo. However, my Air Force duties had to come first. I was scheduled to be in the University of Wyoming's new faculty orientation and the dates were the same as the rodeo.

Since my last blog, I have taught two weeks at the university, been in a photo shoot and worked at selling my house. It's never-ending, that's for sure.

I really enjoy teaching ROTC at UW. The entire UW experience has been great so far. I try to do my best in my teaching duties and instill a few core values in my "cadets." Every week I share with the cadets my Word of the Day. The first week my word was Resourcefulness..."not having all the answers but knowing how to find them." I think this is important in everyday life, especially for a college freshman. The second Word of the Day happened to be Integrity..."doing what's right, even when no one is watching." I'm a small-town guy with small town values. I've figured out in my 30 years of living that a person is only as good as their word and I hope my "cadets" see integrity in my daily living.

To lighten things up for them, I always end class with a "safety" video. These aren't your typical work safety videos. They tend to be idiots doing not-so-smart things! I hope the "cadets" like them as much as I do. So far, I haven't shown any of my bullfighting wrecks, but one never knows. I'd like to think I'm not an idiot doing not so smart things.

Last year, Corral West Western Stores invited me to model for their annual photo shoot. It was a great event and perhaps you have seen their ads throughout the year. The larger-than-life ads have been featured at the Wrangler NFR, the NFR Cowboy Christmas, Pro Rodeo Tour events and in 90+ stores nationwide. Last week, we shot the 2008 photos. This is always a great time and I enjoy everything about the shoot. I was able to make a few new friends and look forward to working with them again. Thanks again to Corral West for inviting me to participate in such a large campaign. I will be sure to post photos when they become available. The ads will appear for the first time at the 2007 Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas, NV in December.

Well the rodeo season is winding down for '07. It has been a great season and I still have a couple more stops to include the Military World Finals in Ft Worth, TX.

Be sure to check out www.jeremysparks.com to see photos from the 2007 season.

Forever West,
Jeremy