William Reynolds’ pursuit of a professional rodeo career in the United States has cost him four shoulder reconstructions, two hip surgeries, a major wrist operation, and more shoulder dislocations and concussions than he can remember.
But the 25-year-old, who grew up in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, wouldn’t change a thing.
And he wants young kids to know that the rodeo ring isn’t the exclusive domain of those from farming or regional backgrounds.
Reynolds spent his childhood surfing and skating around Sydney, before deciding to traverse the vast cultural and physical distance between the leafy eastern suburbs and the wide open pastures of the Top End.
“I was the epitome of a surf-loving city kid,” he said.
“All I ever wanted was to surf, and I couldn’t imagine a life not by the beach, but here we are.”
Since 2018, Reynolds — who is now based in Fort Worth, Texas — has been competing in the US, first at the collegiate level and, since 2021, in the sport’s top tier, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
And while his extensive injury list has kept him out of the ring for longer than he would prefer, he has just wrapped up his best summer season.
“I had a really good year, [but] unfortunately after Fort Worth this year I had to get surgery on my left hip,” he said.
“I didn’t get to start rodeoing again until June, but this year I went to the least amount of rodeos I’ve ever been to, but I’ve won the most amount of money.”
Sydney grommet to Texan cowboy
The long road to the US pro rodeo circuit started with a decision to pull out of high school early and do a gap year on a cattle station in the Northern Territory.
In his final years at school, Reynolds was a boarder and met students from all over the country.
“Many of them were doing gap years on these big stations up north, so I decided not to do my HSC or ATAR, and left early to go and work on a station,” he said.
Working on Heytesbury Pastoral’s Mount Sanford station in 2016, roughly 500 kilometres south of Katherine, and more than 4,000km from home, Reynolds quickly became interested in the rodeo scene.
“When one of the first rodeos for the season was starting up in Daly Waters, they sent out entry slips to all the station hands and I ticked every box for every event,” he said.
“I didn’t really know what I was getting into, but I wanted to give it crack.”
Reynolds is using Instagram and TikTok to share his background and encourage others to consider the sport.
“I think there’s a misconception that you have to be from a farming or ranching background to get into this lifestyle, and I’d like to think I prove that’s wrong,” he said.
Aussie legends
Australians are well established at the college and professional levels of the sport in the US.
Queenslander Troy Dunn is one of only a handful of competitors to win the prestigious Professional Bull Riding (PBR) championship multiple times, claiming the title in 1995 and 1997.
Dunn’s two wins set a record that wasn’t broken until 2012, and he has since been inducted into the PBR Hall of Fame.
Saddle bronc rider Glenn O’Neill was the first Australian to be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, after winning the National Finals Rodeo average title in 2002.
Goondiwindi’s Jake Finlay, 28, is ranked 49th for saddle bronc riding, and introduced Reynolds to a coach in America.
Today, 23-year-old Ky Hamilton, who was born in Mackay, is ranked second for bull riding and 24-year-old Damian Brennan from Injune is ranked 11th for saddle bronc riding.
Rockhampton bronc rider Jaime-Lee Mant and Normanton’s Emily Collits have also competed on the American rodeo circuit.
And there are about 30 Australians on scholarships with American universities competing at the collegiate level.
A scholarship with Oklahoma Panhandle State University between 2018 and 2020 was Reynolds’ gateway to competing overseas.
Risky business
Reynolds’ extensive injury list is par for the course in a sport widely considered the most dangerous in the world for competitors.
A 2022 study in the Kansas Journal of Medicine reviewed a decade of injury data from college and professional rodeo competitors and found half of the 70 patients sustained head injuries and nearly 30 per cent required surgeries.
But Reynolds is bringing a touch of Bondi’s wellness culture to the US rodeo scene, where many competitors need to make a shift from a rough cowboy lifestyle to something more professionally athletic.
“The cowboy lifestyle involves a lot of drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, and not taking care of your body,” Reynolds said.
“But eventually you learn that you have to take care of your body, and that’s a lesson I learned the hard way.”
Saunas, cold plunges, nutritional changes and alternative training theories were all part of Reynolds’ latest recovery process, and the inspiration for his fledgling small business.
“I was taking so many vitamins and supplements in my recovery, and most days I would forget to take them,” he said.
“So I’ve combined all of that recommended daily intake into a single shot.”
Posted , updated
