When Delmar Smith first worked the chutes at the inaugural Timed Event Championship four decades ago, he was already at an age when most men are contemplating retirement. And now, at an age when most men have long since stepped away from the arena—he turns 100 this July—Smith has become inseparable from it. A beloved fixture at the Lazy E, he has been the gateman for every Timed Event Championship since, cracking the chutes on every run for every cowboy.
Livestream the 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship on Roping.com
Born in 1926 in Big Cabin, Oklahoma, and raised on a Hereford ranch, Smith came up learning animals the old way—by watching them, respecting them and paying close attention. That instinct carried him through a lifetime spent training horses and bird dogs, earning him international acclaim and a reputation as one of the greatest bird dog trainers in history. In the rodeo world, he is equally revered.
From his seat above the chutes, Smith has watched thousands of steers, horses and cowboys enter the Lazy E Arena. Over four decades observing the Ironman of Pro Rodeo, he’s learned a thing or two about what makes a champion.
He sums it up simply: “They have the want-to.”
More than talent or luck, Smith said, a champion requires the drive to practice until dark—and then keep going; to override the urge to quit when things get tough, mentally or physically; to sacrifice time and sweat in pursuit of seeing what they’re truly capable of. The “want-to.”
“Whether they win or not, all the cowboys who make the Timed Event are champions,” Delmar said. “They’re champions because this was what they wanted and worked for. Take Trevor Brazile. Ever since he was knee-high, he wanted to be a world champion. Or Marcus Theriot—that was all he had on his mind. Or Clay Smith—you could see it in his eyes. All these boys had the ‘want-to.’”
In his 99 years, Smith has watched rodeo evolve. Ropes last longer. Rigs are nicer. Payouts are higher. But the motivation behind the best competitors remains unchanged.
“If you get down to the guts of these boys,” Smith said, “they’re not after the money. They’re after what they could do.”
That love for the craft is what keeps Smith returning to the Timed Event Championship year after year.
“I’m going to school here,” he said. “I get to read the steer, read the horse and read the cowboy. In the next few seconds, they make their run and I know if I’d read them right or not. I’ve been a trainer of dogs and horses and learning to read them is very important. It’s important with people, too. That was why I do this. I never miss an opportunity to learn.”
In 2023, the Lazy E Arena formally recognized Smith’s lasting impact by naming the Timed Event chute after him.
“Since the Lazy E was built, there hav been three owners, three GMs and hundreds of events that have come and gone, but one thing has remained a constant: Mr. Delmar Smith,” said Lazy E Arena Vice President and General Manager Dan Wall. “We wanted his legacy to live on for future generations by dedicating the Timed Event chute in his honor.”
Being a perpetual student is Smith’s secret to longevity and he’s generous in sharing what he’s learned. At every Timed Event, the world’s best cowboys line up to shake his hand and glean pearls of wisdom.
Among those pearls: “Take a lesson from the animals,” he said. “There is only one animal that lies and that’s a human. The horse, the steer, the dog—they always tell you what they are going to do. It’s your job to pay attention. If you get bit or kicked or run over, it’s your own fault.”
Another: “Respect all living things. Certainly respect people, but you have to respect the animals. The only way animals know how to act is fair. So you better treat them fair.”
More than anything, Smith lives by a code of leaving folks with a smile.
“Leave people smiling, dogs wagging their tails and horses with their ears perked,” he said. “Leave every being you encounter happy.”
—TRJ—
Livestream the 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship on Roping.com
