By Robert Morgan | Published Sunday, July 19, 2009
Clayton Shaw of Alvord has been chosen to represent Bloomer Trailers on its national high School rodeo team for a third straight year. The Bloomer Trailer team consists of 35 team members representing eight states. Clayton will be competing in the calf roping and team roping events.
Clayton and the rest of the Bloomer team will be competing against approximately 1,200 contestants at the International Finals Youth Rodeo in Shawnee, Okla., this weekend. The IFYR, also known as the Cheyenne of high school rodeo, prepares young rodeo standouts to move up to the next level as it offers 11 performances of the top high school events, has three arenas running simultaneously and more than $200,000 payoff.
Team members are chosen to represent Bloomer Trailers not only on their ability to win in their event, but also based on moral character, attitude, competitive spirit and leadership ability.
Clayton has qualified for the State Finals for four years in calf roping. Qualified for Nationals in 2007, and has been on the Wrangler All Stars Team for two years. He has been a qualifier for the United States Calf Roping Association from 2004 to 2009, bringing home a horse trailer in 2009. This is his first year as a team roper, partnering with his younger brother, Dalton Shaw.
"Becoming a champion is not easy, it takes hard work, perseverance and dedication to get to the top and stay at the top of any field. Clayton has all the qualities of a winner and we are proud to have him on our team" said Randy Bloomer, owner of Bloomer Trailers.
The majority of the Bloomer team members will go on to compete at the college and pro levels. The Bloomer Trailers program works hard with the team members leading up to the competition in several areas including: Obtaining sponsors, interviewing for television and radio, the business side of rodeo, professional photo shoots, and focusing on being a winner in and out of the arena.
They work with several professional rodeo cowboys that are Bloomer Trailers Pro Team including Josh Peek, Tuff Hedeman, Joe Beaver, Cody Ohl and many others. They are all trained by legendary commentator Pam Minick and interviewed by The Roping Show for a future episode. Bloomer team members also work with such companies as Justin Boots, Panhandle Slim, Cinch Jeans, Cruel Girl Jeans, Southern Thread and many others that look at each one as the future of pro rodeo.
