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Jones back ...WISE COUNTY MESSENGER, Decatur, Texas, Wednesday, November 28, 20127AContinued from page 1Aand-tear of the rodeo arena,were responsible for droppinghim out of the ranksof the most elite cowboys inthe world. After qualifyingfor the NFR in 2002, 2003,2004, 2006 and 2008, it wastough to take.“You always think, especiallywhen it takes a littlelonger to get up sometimes,you might be getting too oldfor this,” Jones said. “Threeyears ago my body felt likeit was shutting down. Icouldn’t react like I used to.”But when he finally gotan MRI last year the doctorasked, “When did you breakyour back?”Jones replied he hadn’t.The doctor told him thathe had — and the fracturein one of his lower vertebrahad led to spinal stenosis inhis neck.“It had led to complications,”Jones said.Spinal stenosis is an abnormalnarrowing of anarea of the spinal canal.It can compress the spinalcord and eventually causeparalysis.“I didn’t have any power,”Jones said. “And it’s hardto bulldog if you don’t haveany power.“My nerves were beingcrushed, and it screwedup my coordination andbalance. I thought I wasjust losing it. I felt like Ias 102. I couldn’t believeow much it hurt. Iouldn’t even ride.”He realized he’drobably broken hisack sometime backn 2008, the lastime he made thenals. Instead ofurgery, he startedndergoing treatentswith a chiopractorin Northichland Hills whoorks with severalullriders in therea.“I’m used to aot of pain, but Iouldn’t get awayrom this,” Jonesaid. “I couldn’tleep. I couldn’t doothing. He pute through a lot ofraction. It felt likee was pulling myody apart.“I went to him 90ays straight everyay and I started feelingetter and I was able toake off rodeoing again.”It’s hard to escape injuyin a sport like bulldoging.This past August heMessenger photo by Joe Duty • Buy reprints at wcmessenger.com/reprintsHANGING ON — Bulldogger K.C. Jones of Decatur wrestles a steer to the ground while competing in the grass arena atPendleton, Ore. The Decatur cowboy is ranked 10th in the world in steer wrestling. He’s one of four local cowboys to qualifythis year for the prestigious Wrangler Nationals Final Rodeo in Las Vegas Dec. 6-15.suffered another setbackwhen he broke a bone inhis leg in a rodeo in Canby,Ore. while sitting in sixthplace in the world.“I had a steer that ranup and stopped right at thebarrier line,” Jones said.“He ran so fast and thenstopped so fast that myfeet swung in front of thehazing horse and his legskicked me.”His hazer, Tim Sparing,a 22-year-old from Helena,Mont., who is attendingcollege at Tarleton StateUniversity in Stephenville,broke the bad newsto Jones. After the ride hecame up to Jones and said,“Dude, you broke it.I heard somethingcrack.”“I told him no,”Jones said. “My legalways sounds likethat when I get up.We get in the truckand drive all night.We stop to get gasand I can’t get outof the truck. It’slocked up. Maybethere is somethingto this.”But Jones stillthought it was justa bad bruise andcontinued to competein rodeos.An eventual x-ray proved he’d brokena non-weightbearing bone inhis knee. Trainerstold him if he couldstand the pain hecould still competeif he really wantedto.“Everybody is telling meto go home and stop andI’m stupid,” Jones said “ButI just kept bulldogging andit finally stopped hurting.School to raise awareness for G/T programMulti-tasking cowboyParents, staff and communitymembers in AlvordISD are invited to a comeand-goGifted and TalentedAwareness Meeting 4 to5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec.12, in the elementary cafeteria.All those interested infinding out more about thenomination, screening andidentification process forAlvord’s gifted and talentedstudents are encouraged toALVORDWhile most cowboys competing in theNFR just have to worry about how theycompete in the arena, Jones has starteda couple of businesses on the side, includingthe first online fantasy rodeo.“The first year I went out there I wasjust happy to bulldog and made somegood money and had fun,” Jones said.“But I was also scared when I was donerodeoing I wouldn’t have nothing.“I knew I needed to use my connectionsin rodeo to have something afterI was done.”So 10 years ago Jones and somefriends created the first fantasy sportsgame for rodeo. It’s just like fantasyfootball except instead of putting togethera team consisting of wide receivers,tight ends, running backs and quarterbacks,you compile a team featuringa steer wrestler, bareback rider, headerand heeler for team roping, saddle broncrider, tie-down roper, a barrel racer anda bull rider. Each player gets so muchrecruiting money and from there buildsa team.Profantasyrodeo.com has become theofficial fantasy rodeo game of the ProfessionalRodeo Cowboys Associationand the NFR.Jones also started Rodeo Vegas withhis wife Gayle. It’s the official NFR afterparty of the PRCA that runs 10 days,non-stop during the NFR at the Miragein Las Vegas.Jones credits his business sense tohis parents.“I was going to rodeo and set theworld on fire, but my parents had differentplans,” Jones said. “I came from aworking farm. Mom and dad made megive them a college degree before Icould get my PRCA card.”The businesses have proven a distractionat times, so this year Jones intendsto focus all his energy on taking care ofbusiness in the arena.“I was always promoting the businesses,”Jones said. “Going to bulldogat the Thomas and Mack became almostan afterthought. That’s hard whenyou really want to win. We’ve workedhard already and we’re bringing somereally good help. So this year I can reallyjust sit back and stick to thinkingabout bulldogging.”attend this meeting.Information packets andnomination forms will beavailable, as well as anoptional video and characteristicsto look for whennominating a student forG/T services.For questions or concerns,contact Kaysi Hamilton,G/T coordinator for AlvordISD, at khamilton@alvordisd.netor call her at (940)427-2881, ext. 1003.“It’s 100 percent now,”Jones said.And at 41, after sufferingthough multiple majorinjuries, Jones mightbe reaching his peak. He’sbulked up from 180 poundsto 220.“I’m excited,” Jones said.“I’ve been putting in a lotof time at the gym. Thelast year I figured out thisis physics. The bigger andstronger you are the quickeryou can be. Lookingback the last three yearsit’s completely different.There’s things I can do nowthat I couldn’t do before.“I want to make my markin the arena this year,”Jones added. “I wanna getthe gold buckle. Once youget the taste of winning it’sa hard taste to get out ofyour mouth.”Jones enters the NFR,which runs Dec. 6-15,ranked 10th in the worldwith $64,653 in earningson the year. First placebelongs to Ethen Thouvenellof Napa, Calif. Eventhough Jones is $34,000off the leader, it’s a marginthat can be bridged in onlytwo nights in the finals.“Bulldogging is the tightestevent out there,” Jonessaid. “There’s not a wholelot of difference in earnings,and they give out somuch money in Vegas. Ifyou do good in the Finalsyou have a good shot of winningthe world. You can geta lot of money put togetherin 10 nights. At the NFRyou want to prepare whereyou’ve eliminated all theobstacles. You want to bephysically and mentally fit.You want to go in there andjust let your body react.“I just have to go outthere and have fun. If Istart worrying too muchabout winning and gettingnervous, that’s when it getshard. It seems like a reliefnow to be back entered. Ican just go back to being acowboy.”His bulldogging horsethis year is a seven-yearoldblack mare namedSmoker, owned by Jud Littlein Oklahoma. Sparingis riding a former bulldogginghorse named Payday.“He’s hazed for me allyear,” Jones said of Sparing.“And I’m a big believerthat you dance with thegirl you brought.“Maybe I’ll steal a littleyouth from him every nightand we’ll be an averageagedteam.”Or maybe the other competitorsmight like to steala little of whatever Joneshas, now that he has overcomean injury that kepthim out of the NFR since2008. After all, a yearago he thought he mightbe finished. Now he’s gota chance to win a worldchampionship.At least this year, Joneswill have an opportunityto jump off a horse racingat top speed onto an angrysteer barreling across anarena floor without a brokenbone in his back.Rhonda J. ShawInsuranceGETS YOU BACK WHEREYOU BELONGAUTO • HOME • LIFE • BUSINESS1816 Hwy 51 South, Suite 800 • Decatur940.627.9299 - 800.905.7007 • rshaw@farmersagent.com940-627-5987 • WCMESSENGER.COM/SUBSCRIBEThe MarketCollectionCLASSIC HOME FURNISHINGSHOLIDAYSALEGOING ON NOWTuesday - Friday - 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Saturday -10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.Closed Sunday & MondayVisit OurEXPANDED Showroom!Stone Briar Business CenterA Real Barber Shop11$11HaircutsBROWN’SBARBER SHOP1014 HALSELL ST.BRIDGEPORTRegular, Flat Tops, Fades817-874-6493Three Barbers to serve you:Jerry, Beaumont, AaronTuesday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Saturday 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.Down Town Browns