With his time in the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo arena, the up-and-coming French-Canadian bareback rider looks to an accomplished pro rodeo career. But first, it’s all about competition in Cowtown.
The time-honored tradition of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo has become more than a yearly event. It’s a Mecca for many rodeo cowboys.
And every Mecca necessitates a journey.
That’s especially true for one French-Canadian bareback rider, Spur Lacasse, from Quebec, who will compete in three rounds at the FWSSR in Texas for a chance at qualifying to the championship round held February 6.
Maybe it was his name, Spur, or the fact that his father, Roger Lacasse, is a Canadian champion bareback rider who has won just about every big rodeo there is, from Cheyenne to San Antonio and the International Finals Rodeo, that predestined the charismatic 22-year-old Lacasse to fall in love with the sport of rodeo and bareback riding.
But he almost chose another path.
Lacasse was born in Edmonton, Alberta, when his father competed as a professional rodeo cowboy there, but both of Lacasse’s parents are French Canadian and soon moved their family home to native Quebec, where French is the first language.
Before the move home, Lacasse learned English as a youngster traveling the rodeo road with his dad. He was interested in rodeo as a kid, but through school he focused on hockey and soccer.
That all changed when he was 16.
“I went to a rodeo in the spring, and I said, ‘Dad, I think I’ll try that,’ ” Lacasse recalls.
The older Lacasse, who holds a rodeo school each May in Quebec, was able to set his son on the path to success. By 17 the young man was competing in rodeos there in Canada.
Though the sport of rodeo is not exactly widely known in Quebec, there’s something special about the rodeos they do put on, according to Lacasse. He cites the energy of the crowd north of the border, but is quick to mention the tradition and history of the rodeos in the United States.
It’s clear. For Lacasse, rodeo has its same appeal no matter the location.
“Why I rodeo for a living is just the lifestyle,” he says, and adds, “to me, it’s the best way I could live my life. That’s how I see it. You have fun, you meet new people every weekend, you travel to new towns, and it’s just an experience.”
An old traveling partner of Roger’s, Chris Harris, brought Lacasse to the attention of the rodeo coach at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. Lacasse is in his third year there and last year made it to the College National Finals Rodeo.
His goal is to make it to the CNFR again this year. This is only Lacasse’s second year in the PRCA, and so he has his sights set on making the Canadian Finals and the Texas Circuit Finals. He’ll likely make the trip home to Quebec at the end of the summer to compete in the International Professional Rodeo Association Canadian events as well.
Right now, he’s focused on success in Fort Worth.
One 8-second ride at a time, Lacasse will continue his journey.