MSU rodeo: Scheer broadens his horizons

By JIM CNOCKAERT Chronicle Sports Writer

Cort Scheer came to Montana State sight unseen. In fact, he'd never been to Montana.

DAN CEPEDA/CASPER STAR-TRIBUNE Cort Scheer competes in the saddle bronc event during the College National Finals Rodeo in June in Casper, Wyo. He didn't have to see either place. He had a sense of the people there, the ones who'd be his rodeo teammates at MSU, the ones he'd compete against in the Big Sky Region. That, he said, was all he needed to know.

Sheer, a Nebraska native who transferred to MSU after two years at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, likes to say he's been touched in some way by everyone he's met. That's particularly true in rodeo. His dad rode bucking horses, so his signature event is saddle bronc. He picked up calf roping from his older brother. His next-door neighbor introduced him to steer wrestling. He elected to attend Garden City CC, in great part, because his sister went there.

"Everything I ever did, I had help," Scheer said. "There was always someone there helping me. I never had to do anything by myself. (Rodeo) came easy to me because people helped me."

Scheer's life experiences in 21 years have taught him the importance of making connections, which more than anything explains why he decided to continue his education and his rodeo career in Bozeman. The whole of his previous life experiences had been centered around Nebraska and Kansas. It was time, he said, to see what else was out there.

He wanted a different challenge: He was used to competing on the stock in the Central Plains Region, and he'd heard that the bucking horses in Montana and Wyoming were outstanding. He respected the cowboys from the Big Sky Region because he'd competed against them at the CNFR. He was ready for the challenge of a four-year university, he said, though he said he's still getting used to the size of the campus and the community.

"We really pitched to him that this is a place he could broaden his world," MSU coach Mike True said. "Cort is a bright kid with a lot of interests and the ability to go a lot of different directions. Bozeman is a really outstanding place to meet people who've got things going on. I think that was really appealing to him."

It also didn't hurt that Scheer quickly came to believe he could be part of something special in terms of the future of MSU rodeo. A two-time College National Finals Rodeo contestant who last spring was a dominant figure in the saddle bronc competition, Scheer was the biggest name in a highly-regarded recruiting class. Those first-year Bobcats on Friday made a huge contribution to MSU's impressive win in the first of five fall rodeos, the Northwest College Trapper Stampede in Cody, Wyo.

Scheer tied for second in the saddle bronc and finished second in the steer wrestling. Canadian newcomer Jake Vold won the bareback riding. Utah native Hutch Haslem was second in the bull riding and third in bareback. Freshman Chase Tryan combined with senior Braidy Davies to win the team roping.

"This team is loaded with great people, and that's what neat about being here," Scheer said. "I'd hate to be in Mike's (True) position (putting together a six-man scoring team for each rodeo). Those are hard choices to decide who's on the team. That makes it tougher, but that awesome."

Scheer started riding horses when he was three, and he's rodeoed pretty much ever since. He started roping with his brother when he was five, and he got on his first bucking horse when he was a freshman in high school.

His athletic interests extended beyond the rodeo arena, however. He was a running back, linebacker and cornerback for his high school football team, and he placed at the Nebraska state high school wrestling championships all three years he competed. He liked football so much, in fact, that he considered trying it in college. But after he took serious stock of his interests and his college options, he decided to pursue a college education doing what he enjoyed most: rodeoing.

Scheer gravitated toward saddle bronc because that was his father, Kevin's, favorite event. The first time he jumped on a bucking horse, his dad told him to kick for all he was worth so he could get an immediate feel for the event. It was an aggressive approach that Scheer still uses: He lets it all hang out on every ride.

"Sometimes you get drilled; sometimes you get a 90 (score)," he said.

Asked why he so enjoys saddle bronc, he replied: "It's a mental drive to do what I love to do. I love horses. To get on a good bucking horse is like riding a good calf horse. When it all comes together, it's awesome. It's snappy, and the crowd goes nuts. It's an awesome feeling pretty much."

Scheer's hold-nothing-back attitude paid off in a big way last spring at the CNFR. Determined to still make Saturday's final round after being bucked off his first horse, he finished first in the second round and second in the third to qualify for the short round, where he finished third.

His comeback got him a lot of recruiting attention. Every four-year school in the Central Plains Region offered him a scholarship, and he nearly signed to go to Tarleton State in Texas. Instead, he turned his attention north.

While Scheer gets the most attention for his bronc riding, True said he's also a great hand in timed events. That's no surprise, the coach said, considering his ranch background, and it's why True had recruited Scheer since he was a junior in high school.

When Scheer's moment of decision came last spring, True had a couple of aces up his sleeve: former Bobcats Jyme Peterson and Josh Graff. Both are native Nebraskans, and they convinced Scheer he could make the most of his rodeo and academic goals in Bozeman, just as they had.

"It would have been hard to go some place without knowing someone, because I'm all about making connections," he said. "I knew they would be great ones."

He's since found a whole bunch more on the MSU team and in the Big Sky Region.

"When you surround yourself with good people," he said, "that's what you'll become."

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