Brushton Minton is the No. 9 calf roper in the world right now, but the 24-year-old from Northern California also leads the California Circuit’s heeling standings with $11,013.99 won on the year.
Taylor Vollin: Tell me about where you’re from and how you got started roping.
Brushton Minton: I’m from Winter Springs, California, up in Northern California. I’m a fourth-generation roper. My dad roped, and I just grew up around it and was raised around it, so I just started doing it and I liked it. My dad helped me with just about everything to get me where I’m at right now and taught me everything I know.
TV: Your dad, Casey, didn’t just rope; he also won the Linderman Award (1993). What kind of influence did that have on you growing up?
BM: He did win the Linderman Award. He roped and rode roughstock. We did a lot with him, and I went with him when I was young to all the rodeos. We had a motorhome, and we’d all pack in it and go with him, and I really enjoyed it.
The PRCA’s Linderman Award recognizes one cowboy who wins at least $1,000 in three different events, including at least one roughstock and one timed event. The award was named after Bill Linderman, a six-time world champion—two in the all-around, two in the saddle bronc riding, one in the bareback riding and one in the steer wrestling—who died in a plane crash in 1965.
TV: What would you say is your main event right now?
BM: I heel and steer wrestle at all the circuit rodeos, but other than that, calf roping is my main event. I practiced the heeling and the bulldogging a lot when I was younger, but I don’t get to practice them much anymore.
TV: When did you realize calf roping was what you wanted to focus on?
BM: Probably about three years ago. I had some good calf horses, and I just liked it. It seemed like it was just kind of easier. You don’t have to rely on anyone or get partners and rely on how good of horses they have. It’s all on you. I just think I like it a lot better for some reason.
TV: And you recently moved to Stephenville, Texas. What was the reasoning for that?
BM: I moved to Texas mainly just to get around all the better guys and get to go to more jackpots and to try to get to that next level. I think it has helped a lot.
TV: Do you have any plans to team rope outside the circuit much?
BM: I’d like to, probably later on, though. I’d like to make the Finals in the calf roping a couple times and then try to pick [heeling] back up. I would like to heel right now, but it’s so hard to enter when you’re entering multiple events over the Fourth and in the summertime. It’s hard to get up right, so I’m just going to try to focus on the calf roping right now.
TV: You’re winning the California Circuit right now, but was that a goal? What’s the plan there?
BM: It’d be nice to win the circuit. I wanted to make the circuit finals heeling, but I never really had a partner I was going to rope with all year. I’ve just kind of switched around a lot. I roped with my brother Bryor a couple times, and Clayton Hass and Preston Burgess. I wasn’t even going to rope at Oakdale because Clayton Hass didn’t want to go, but Preston Burgess said his partner couldn’t go, so he called me, and the books were closing, and we entered. We ended up winning it, too.
TV: You’ve had a successful spring heeling back home. Tell me about where all you’ve won so far.
BM: Clayton and I placed in a couple of rounds at Clovis. Bryor and I, we won Auburn, and then I started up with Preston after that at a few of them. We won Oakdale and placed at Redding and Hayward; just kind of placing here and there.
TV: Are you going to keep circuit rodeoing now that the summer run is here and you’re sitting in the Top 15 in the calf roping?
BM: I’ll go to probably two or three more circuit rodeos, and there’s a couple in the fall when I get back, like San Bernardino and Poway, that I’ll try to go to. And I’ll go to Salinas.
Keep up with ProRodeo circuit standings all summer long with updates from The Team Roping Journal, thanks to our friends at Fast Back Ropes.
Circuit Standings
Columbia River
| 1. | Charlie White | $3,722.40 | 1. | Jason Minor | $3,359.56 |
| 2. | Kolton Schmidt | $3,429.12 | 2. | Christopher Lopez | $3,212.45 |
| 3. | Coy Aldrich | $3,212.45 | 3. | Brady Minor | $3,107.41 |
| 4. | Riley Minor | $3,107.41 | 4. | Taylor Duby | $2,842.33 |
| 5. | Jack Fischer | $2,842.33 | 5. | Calgary Smith | $2,721.07 |
California
| 1. | Dan Williams | $12,559.90 | 1. | Brushton Minton | $11,013.99 |
| 2. | Tanner James | $9,881.46 | 2. | Cody Stewart | $9,175.90 |
| 3. | Preston Burgess | $9,216.31 | 3. | Jason Johe | $8,072.24 |
| 4. | Marcus Battaglia | $7,993.51 | 4. | Cody Cowden | $7,639.09 |
| 5. | Mike Christensen | $7,983.92 | 5. | Adam Fitze | $7,543.50 |
Wilderness
| 1. | Rhen Richard | $6,951.29 | 1. | Matt Liston | $5,604.53 |
| 2. | Brian Winn | $5,604.53 | 2. | Zackery Lewis | $4,650.18 |
| 3. | Hagen Peterson | $3,978.08 | 3. | Cole Wilson | $4,344.54 |
| 4. | Kaleb Driggers | $3,972.16 | 4. | Junior Nunes Nogueira | $3,972.16 |
| 5. | Travis Whitlow | $3,895.13 | 5. | Wyatt Thomas | $2,600.98 |
Montana
| 1. | Delon Parker | $3,913.68 | 1. | Ryan Zurcher | $3,913.68 |
| 2. | Brady Tryan | $1,431.15 | 2. | Jordan Herman | $1,412.70 |
| 3. | Daniel Vanek | $1,412.70 | 3. | Coley Nicholls | $1,184.40 |
| 4. | Cameron Irwin | $1,184.40 | 4. | Ike Folsom | $1,155.84 |
| 5. | Ben Folsom | $1,155.84 | 5. | Chad Hunter | $881.25 |
Mountain States
| 1. | Pedro Egurrola | $4,318.21 | 1. | Carson Johnson | $3,917.28 |
| 2. | Kellan Johnson | $3,917.28 | 2. | Jason DeVore | $2,623.83 |
| 3. | Todd Drommond | $2,623.83 | 3. | Ryon Tittel | $2,508.63 |
| 4. | Eric Martin | $2,508.63 | 4. | Cole Cooper | $2,216.05 |
| 5. | Edgar Aguilar | $1,927.00 | 5. | Edgar Villegas | $1,927.00 |
Turquoise
| 1. | Choc Westcott | $6,000.69 | 1. | Kolt Campbell | $6,931.29 |
| 2. | Michael Calmelat | $5,043.61 | 2. | TJ Brown | $5,043.61 |
| 3. | Tyler Waters | $4,921.65 | 3. | Seth Hall | $4,796.27 |
| 4. | Shain Sproul | $4,751.82 | 4. | B.J. Campbell | $4,751.82 |
| 5. | Corey Whinnery | $4,530.07 | 5. | Robert Murphy | $4,530.07 |
Texas
| 1. | Chace Thompson | $14,505.31 | 1. | Caleb Green | $14,072.61 |
| 2. | Tanner Green | $14,072.61 | 2. | Chad Williams | $13,974.68 |
| 3. | Cyle Denison | $13,636.81 | 3. | Corey Hendrick | $13,411.71 |
| 4. | Billy Bob Brown | $12,740.34 | 4. | Kirby Blankenship | $12,740.34 |
| 5. | McCray Profili | $12,329.18 | 5. | Colton Brittain | $12,696.66 |
Prairie
| 1. | J.C. Yeahquo | $10,075.54 | 1. | L.J. Yeahquo | $10,075.54 |
| 2. | Coleman Proctor | $9,554.39 | 2. | Logan Medlin | $9,554.39 |
| 3. | Andrew Ward | $8,513.96 | 3. | Buddy Hawkins | $8,513.96 |
| 4. | Tyler Hobert | $8,374.45 | 4. | Shannon Frascht | $8,374.45 |
| 5. | Bubba Buckaloo | $8,112.46 | 5. | Dawson McMaster | $7,159.90 |
Southeastern
| 1. | Marcus Theriot | $12,900.64 | 1. | Justin Yost | $14,076.67 |
| 2. | Justin Johnson | $10,505.91 | 2. | Cole Curry | $12,900.64 |
| 3. | Cole Thomas | $10,265.69 | 3. | Kaden Graves | $10,505.91 |
| 4. | Braxton Culpepper | $10,137.63 | 4. | Brad Culpepper | $10,137.63 |
| 5. | Clint Keller | $8,991.33 | 5. | Clay Green | $10,083.56 |
Great Lakes
| 1. | Dalton Turner | $10,172.22 | 1. | Clay Clayman | $10,172.22 |
| 2. | Cooper Bruce | $7,643.49 | 2. | Wyatt Kanan | $7,643.49 |
| 3. | Cody Reed | $5,297.28 | 3. | J.W. Nelson | $6,087.39 |
| 4. | Joe Beaver | $5,234.98 | 4. | Jace McDaniel | $5,297.28 |
| 5. | Adam Rose | $5,173.96 | 5. | Levi Pettigrew | $5,234.98 |
Badlands
| 1. | Bodie Mattson | $5,675.77 | 1. | Cash Hetzel | $6,613.42 |
| 2. | Reece Weber | $4,793.75 | 2. | Taylor Brower | $5,871.24 |
| 3. | Braden Pirrung | $4,079.60 | 3. | Matt Kasner | $4,793.75 |
| 4. | Tucker Dale | $4,018.50 | 4. | Jade Nelson | $4,079.60 |
| 5. | Layne Carson | $3,563.54 | 5. | Tucker White | $2,993.90 |
First Frontier
| 1. | Robbie Erck | $4,618.16 | 1. | Fred Brunelle | $4,618.16 |
| 2. | Chase Quinn | $2,529.78 | 2. | Riley Quinn | $2,529.78 |
| 3. | Chuck Smith | $2,507.90 | 3. | Kevin Brown | $2,507.90 |
| 4. | Eric Fabian | $2,487.03 | 4. | Derek Carey | $2,487.03 |
| 5. | Zane Kilgus | $2,385.26 | 5. | Shane Jenkins | $2,385.26 |
