Barrel racer Tiany Schuster speaks her mind in first NFR appearance

Without question, the best thing about rodeo is the quotes from competitors. It’s not the same old tired sports clichés. And even if they are clichés, well, they’re rodeo clichés that aren’t yet cliché in the everyday sports world.

You’ll also get far more straight answers from these cowboys and cowgirls. And better still, the first thing that comes to their minds will spill out of their mouths. For example, No. 1-ranked barrel racer Tiany Schuster, at 40 years old, is competing in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time. So has she ever been to Las Vegas?

“One time, about a hundred years ago,” Schuster said.

She may have been exaggerating.

Seriously, Schuster has been a barrel racer for some time, but never really ran an extensive enough schedule to qualify for the Wrangler NFR. That changed this year, as she finally had the horses to make a go of it, particularly her top horse, JSYK I’m Famous. (For those unfamiliar with the shorthand lingo, Schuster says “JSYK” stands for Just Sayin’, You Know.)

“He won $65,000 in the winter season. He got a check everywhere we went, including several wins,” Schuster said. “He’s just a solid, consistent horse. He might not always win it, but he never loses it. We got off him in March and rested him all summer.”

That was doable because of such a strong winter run. For the spring and summer, Schuster primarily got aboard a barrel-racing newbie, Show Mance, who proved to be a quick study. “He’d never been to a pro nor amateur rodeo,” Schuster said. “We threw him in the fire, went to a Champions Challenge event. It was a choppy pen, and he went out there and won it. From there, he was third at Austin, won Goliad, won a bunch of California rodeos, won Calgary. I don’t know exactly how much he won, but way over $150,000.”

That allowed Schuster to finish the regular season with a whopping total of $250,378, nearly $65,000 ahead of anyone else in the field. And as if it’s not enough to have two great horses in tow for the 10-day rodeo at the Thomas &Mack Center, Schuster has a third solid steed in Firen For Jack, just in case.

“He’s won a pro rodeo and placed in several others. He’s not as fast, but he’s just a nice, consistent horse, in case something goes wrong,” Schuster said, before throwing another great quote out there. “He might not be your first pick for the prom, but at least you’ll have a date.”

Well, prom has arrived, and she’s got two real lookers and a reputable third with Firen For Jack.

Perhaps surprisingly, beyond the $10,000 bonus each Wranger NFR contestant gets, Schuster was still seeking her first go-round check of the 10-day rodeo. She broke through in Tuesday night’s sixth go-round, taking second at 13.49 seconds to win $20,731. She’s had nothing but clean runs though six rounds.

So she’s in good shape for the NFR average, which could bring a sizable bonus at week’s end. And because she did so well in the regular season, she’s still entrenched in first place with $281,1098 in yearlong earnings.

But regardless of how much she wins or where the standings are when this all wraps up Saturday night, Schuster is eager to take it all in – inside and outside the arena.

“I am so excited and so starstruck right now,” Schuster said. “It’s all exciting. Room service, that’s most exciting. And hearing all those people when I ride into the arena. I know the crowd is overwhelming. And all those things that excite you are the same things you get nervous about. It’s that fine line. But the barrels don’t move – just watch where I’m going and tune everything else out.”

That’s a strategy that’s worked well all season long. These days, a barrel racer generally needs to earn $75,000 minimum to get within the top 15 who qualify for the Wrangler NFR. Thanks to that sterling winter run, Schuster was a shoo-in.

“No man or woman has ever made it out of winter rodeos with enough to qualify. We knew we had it in March – I had over $75,000,” Schuster said, while noting the reason she kept her foot on the gas the rest of the year. “I didn’t relax, because I wanted to go for that No. 1 back number. That was our goal.”

Due to some policy changes regarding back number assignments, Schuster couldn’t quite get that goal. But she is riding with the No. 5 on her back, which is no small feat. And it’s added some fuel to her competitive fire, knowing that all that really matters is finishing with the gold buckle as the top barrel racer in the world.

“Oh, for sure. Nobody remembers anything other than that. Everybody wants to leave with the gold buckle,” Schuster said. “I can’t think too far ahead. If I try to think like that, I’ll just screw it up. It’s the same three barrels, just a different location.”

Still, the New Orleans-born barrel racer, who now lives in Krum, Texas, allowed herself to imagine what things might be like at day’s end on Dec. 16 – with another great quote.

“I visualize myself after the 10th night in a bubble bath,” she said, while noting alcohol won’t be involved. “I’m not a drinker. But by the 10th day, I’ll probably drink an O’Doul’s beer and get drunk off it.”