Hold Tight
Sheridan High School Senior Ropes in Rodeo Accolades
Writer / Matt Keating
Photography Provided
Evan Bourdon, a senior at Sheridan High School, has proven himself to be a rodeo champion. He has garnered several awards in some stiff rodeo competitions.
“I won the all-around competition, which is the crown jewel of rodeo,” Bourdon says. “It’s the most prestigious title the rodeo world gives out. Each event I compete in, I gain points for that event, and the number of points is dependent on placing. First place is 10 points, second place is nine points, and so on.”
The Indiana High School Rodeo Association has 10 rodeos per year for participants to accumulate points.
“The cowboy with the most accumulated points will be the all-around champion,” Bourdon says. “This year I competed in calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping.”
Bourdon went on to the national finals, the largest youth rodeo in the world.
“There are 43 states as well as five Canadian provinces, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia, all at the finals,” Bourdon says. “To qualify for the finals, the contestant must be in the top four in points for his state. This year I qualified for my second national high school finals rodeo. I made it in the calf roping and steer wrestling, where I ended up placing second in both of those events for the state of Indiana.”
Bourdon has been around horses his whole life.
“I grew up riding horses since I was a young kid, and I would go to barrel shows,” he says. “Between fourth and fifth grade I quit riding horses, and just focused on playing baseball, but my family continued to run barrel horses. One day during the summer leading into my sixth-grade year, we were at a barrel show and they had a rodeo outside. While my family was running inside, I stayed outside all day long to watch.”
He was hooked again.
“Rodeo has always been in my blood,” he says. “My mom grew up high-school rodeoing for Indiana, and my grandpa, her dad, rodeoed semi-professionally.”
Bourdon loves the camaraderie of the sport.
“I have lots of families that I rodeo with, that I consider part of my family, and they consider me part of theirs,” he says. “Whenever I’d have a problem with a horse or a truck, someone has always offered to let me ride their horse, or even borrow their truck to get to the rodeo. It’s truly hard to describe without understanding what that feels like. It’s great to know, however, that I don’t just have my parents there to help, but I have the whole Indiana High School Rodeo Association to help me whenever I’m in a pinch.”
Bourdon does not play any other sports.
“I lift weights in the gym daily, because I consider that just as important as practicing roping calves or throwing steers in the practice pen,” he says. “For fun, I go hunting and fishing whenever I have some free time. My freshman and sophomore year I played varsity football at Sheridan, but decided not to play my junior year.”
Bourdon says he does his best to stay involved with his school and community.
“I am a class of 2022 representative for Sheridan High School,” he says. “I am the treasurer for the Sheridan FFA chapter. I also sit on the Hamilton County Relay For Life committee. I do my best to stay involved and be a leader.”
Bourdon says he wouldn’t mind eventually moving to another state, but probably not out west. He also hopes to attend college in the south.
“Right now the three schools catching my eye include University of Tennessee at Martin, Missouri Valley, or Northwestern Oklahoma State in Alva, Oklahoma,” he says. “When college is all said and done, I want to walk out and have a veterinarian degree and specialize in radiology. I’m not sure on my undergraduate academic pathway, as far as if I’ll do a pre-vet or a biology and chemistry degree.”
