SADDLE BRONC RIDER DOESN'T MIND THAT HE MISSED HIS TRUE CALLING

If Dan Mortensen followed his heart instead of his head, he might still be trying to make a living with a bull rope instead of a saddle bronc rein.

Mortensen, the 1993 World Champion saddle bronc rider, once thought his true calling involved battling bovines instead of broncs. But academics and economics forced him to change his opinion.

Mortensen, 25, will put his skills and title on the line during the 42nd annual Sikeston Bootheel Rodeo, scheduled to run today through Saturday. Attendance at the event has averaged 37,000, and it is expected this year to meet or exceed that figure.

A state champion bull and saddle bronc rider in high school, Mortensen was in an enviable position. The only colleges luring new rodeo talent were ones that wanted cowboys proficient in both events.

But after entering the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, it didn't take long for him to realize his love for bull riding would have to take a back seat to making money.

He managed to scrape enough money together in February 1990 to enter both the bronc riding and bull riding events at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Mortensen finished second in the average competition and won more than $9,000 in saddle bronc riding. "Until Houston I'd won only about $800 that season," said Mortensen. "I guess that's where bronc riding took over."

Indeed, he was the 1990 PRCA Resistol saddle bronc riding rookie of the year. He was the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association saddle bronc riding champion in 1991 and emerged as the 1992 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo all-around champion. In 1993 he became the Original Coors Rodeo Showdown saddle bronc riding champ.

Along with those titles came regular-season earnings of $95,203. He also captured his third National Finals Rodeo.

In addition to saddle bronc riding and bull riding, the Sikeston Jaycees Bootheel Rodeo will include bareback riding, wildhorse racing and the Wrangler Bullfight.

The Sikeston Rodeo also will showcase country and western music stars Martina McBride, Joe Diffie, Marty Stuart and Tracy Lawrence.