STEER WRESTLER SPENDS HOURS PRACTICING FOR SECONDS OF SUCCESS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Bob Levy Jr. spends hours and hours practicing for a career that measures success in just seconds.

The 20-year-old Cape Girardeau man has embarked upon a rodeo career. Levy spends a lot of time perfecting his steer-wrestling skills at his family's Cape County farm.

"I'm a big practicer; I practice more than I compete," said Levy. "The more you practice, the better you'll get."

The ruddy-faced Levy doesn't look like a typical cowboy. At the farm, he often wears a baseball cap and rubber work boots.

"I rodeo ... and that's what I do," said Levy, who has competed in about 70 rodeos. "I take pride in it, sure, but I don't flaunt it. I don't need to; the last five times I've gone to a rodeo, I've placed."

Rodeos are a family affair for the Levys. The family used to live in Oklahoma. Levy's father, Bob, spent about five years competing full-time on the rodeo circuit and still competes on occasion.

Levy's 15-year-old brother, Jory, also competes in rodeos. "We push each other a lot," said Levy.

Levy has been competing in rodeos on a regular basis for about four-and-a-half years, beginning when he was a senior at Cape Central High School. But he has been around rodeos all his life. "I learned how to ride a horse at a young age," he recalled.

At age 10, he competed successfully in Junior Rodeo events such as barrel racing and calf riding.

"Right now, I'm in the Missouri Rodeo Association," said Levy, who spends a lot of his weekends competing. "I'm going to one a week on weekends right now," he said. "There for a while, I was going to three to four rodeos a weekend."

Levy said he hopes to move up to the International Professional Rodeo Association next year. The association sponsors rodeos throughout much of the eastern part of the nation.

Ultimately, Levy wants to compete in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the major league of rodeos, which sponsors some of the biggest and best-known rodeos in the western United States.

The ultimate goal for any rodeo cowboy is the national finals. Held in Las Vegas, the national finals are "the world series of rodeos," said Levy, who has previously attended the event as a spectator.

Levy said he wants to be "nationally known" on the rodeo circuit, just like his dad was. "Everybody knew him; they knew who Bob Levy was."

In steer wrestling, a 2-to-4-year-old steer is given a head start. The cowboy, on horseback, catches up to the steer, dismounts, grips the horns and wrestles the steer to the ground. All four legs of the steer must be pointed in the same direction. Fastest time wins. Most of the money is won in less than five seconds.

"What you're trying to do is use the steer's momentum to throw him down," he explained. "The quicker the time, the better chance you have of winning. I had a 3.9 seconds and didn't place" at a single rodeo, he pointed out.

The steer is not judged, but some steers are harder to wrestle than others, he explained. "It's a get-lucky-type situation sometimes."

The skill and speed of the horse is an important factor in steer wrestling. "The horses are under a lot of pressure," said Levy, who spends a lot of time practicing with his horse, "Mouse Trap."

Levy tries to practice wrestling steers about three times a week. He also spends time sharpening his skills on a mechanical steer pulled by a truck or tractor.

"I watch a lot of videotapes of myself," said Levy, explaining that it helps him improve his skills. In addition, he has attended three rodeo schools in Kansas in an effort to improve his steer-wrestling techniques.

One doesn't have to finish first to make money on the rodeo circuit. "They pay three to four to eight holes (positions)," said Levy.

He said he tries to be consistent. A cowboy who throws his steer in five seconds will often finish anywhere from fourth to sixth place. "I'd rather place fourth every week than finish first once a month," said Levy.

In steer wrestling, most of the steers weigh 450 to 700 pounds. "You have to be in shape, be strong," said Levy. "I work out. I throw a lot of hay."

This spring Levy plans to start a stringent weight-lifting program to improve his strength.

Levy said that full-time rodeo cowboys spend a lot of time on the road, traveling from rodeo to rodeo. "It takes a lot of money and you have to be good," he said.

To the casual observer, steer wrestling may seem like a dangerous sport. But Levy doesn't view it that way. "I consider walking across the street dangerous and I consider (steer wrestling) fun," he said.

Levy said, "People do get hurt and killed" in rodeo competition). But deaths have averaged fewer than one per year over the past decade, according to the 10,000-member Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

Bumps and bruises are commonplace. "Your legs take a beating," said Levy. "I've been kicked. I've got some good horn marks across my belly. I'm horrible on clothes. I ruin shirts left and right."

He concedes that rodeo is generally a young man's sport. Most of the full-time competitors range in age from 25 to 35.

Typically, said Levy, a good rodeo cowboy can make about $45,000 a year.

Levy said he enjoys the thrill of competition and competing in front of a crowd. "It's like scoring a touchdown; it's a good feeling."

For Levy, nothing can compare to a rodeo career. "I have a good time doing it. It's fun and it's exciting."