He's taught roping schools literally coast to coast-California, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, you name it. He had a school in the Dominican Republic, too. And he's helped people at every level of the game, from complete novices to gold buckle guys. Ryan Jarrett was the World Champion All-Around Cowboy in 2005, but way back when was just "a kid who really stuck out at a school in Alabama when he was about 15."
Joe has a picture of three-time NFR tie-down roper Scott Kormos sitting on Joe's great horse Pat at his Thanksgiving roping school when Kormos was 10. Tiny at the time (Kormos is still just 5' 7"), Joe had heck convincing the scrappy kid that he needed to use his upper body for leverage in order to compensate for his size. "I got on my knees to show him how to use his upper body to pick calves up," Joe smiles. "That kid had so much try. He's been one of my favorites ever since."
Joe, who's roping calves and heading for back-to-back NFR team roping titlist (1998-99) Brad Culpepper, had only been to one 2008 rodeo, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, when I hit send on this story the end of January. He placed on his first calf back. He also tied his horse up and took time out-per usual-to make someone else's day.
Joe went way out of his way to spend a day with a Make-A-Wish child, wheelchair-bound Shane Wood, and his twin brother, Seth. Joe gathered both boys up in his arms, and off they went. He put them on a pony, and toured them through a living quarters trailer because they were curious about how real cowboys live on the road. "Days like that are always more rewarding for me than they are for the kids," Joe said.
Joe's lived through enough hurt and heartache of his own to appreciate the good times. And the older he gets, the more obvious it becomes to him that the opportunity to be on top may not knock too many more times. The goal now is to get back to the Finals in both events.
"Now I've got a major challenge," he said. "Can he come back again after a year off? I wonder if he's still got it at his age? This time is more about satisfying me than anything; to prove to myself that I can come back from anything. This is personal, because honestly, after this hip surgery I even started to wonder if this injury might have me this time.
"I appreciate the competitive time I have left more than ever. I appreciate being a threat more than ever. There's going to come a time when we're all going to get beat. So I savor the time I have left to be a threat and know when I ride in there that I can back in there and beat 'em up. When my time is up and I do step down, maybe someone I've helped will take my spot. That'd be satisfying knowing I helped a guy get there."
There's always a bright side with Joe B.
"It's all about a challenge-everything," he said. "The challenge of that trip to Australia and New Zealand was to see if I'd drop everything and get on a plane for 20 hours to see if I could help those people over there rope better. It's a challenge to see if I can prove everybody wrong who doesn't think I can come back this time. It's all about winning and losing to me, but the bottom line is how you play the game. If you don't play the game good enough, you aren't going to win. I don't care who you are.
"I'm pumped. I feel sharp. I'm excited about this year. I have some schools in California, Oregon, Montana and Mississippi this spring. Then I'm going to hit it hard this summer. I'd like to have the Finals made in both events by Labor Day. That's what I'm shootin' at."
Walt Woodard winning it all again half a lifetime later-at 52-has all the greats inspired and ready for an encore.
"Hats off to him," Joe said. "Anybody who can come back 26 years later and win the world again is a true champion. His character and mind strength are unbelievable, much less his talent."
A few of the noticeably absents-the likes of Joe with his hip, Jarrett after a knee operation and Fred Whitfield, who was sidelined by neck and rotator cuff surgeries-changed the face of the 2007 calf roping race.
"There are some guys who don't play for fun-they play for keeps-that are entering again this year," he said. "It's going to be fun."
