Blair Burk

                    

BIO
                                         

Name: Blair Burk 

Age: 28

Marital Status: Married to Tawna 

Home Town: Duncan, OK which is close by to Durant, OK    

Pets: 2 dogs: English Bulldog named "Cueball" and a Chiuaa named "Cosmo"  

His horses: Both are registered Quarter horses, "Sweetness" a sorrel, and "Goround" who is a bay

Native Heritage: Member of the Choctaw tribe   




Association Member of: PRCA: Columbia River Circuit  

Blair has competed at the High School finals and college finals as well.  


Rodeo Accomplishments:

Blair Burk hit the professional rodeo scene running, winning both PRCA/Resistol Overall and Calf Roping Rookie of the Year honors in 1993. He made a splash straight out the gate, finishing 16th in the world in 1993 and '94, with $44,580 and $44,164 in annual earnings, respectively, and has been making world-class waves ever since. The pride of Durant, Oklahoma qualified for his first NFR in 1995, and finished 12th in the world that year with $67,204. He followed that up with a seventh-place finish in 1996($89,727: Burk also tried the NFR record that year) and ninth place in 1997 ($90,734). After finishing a close third in 1998 ($117,994) and '99 ($171,656), Burk is unanimously considered a serious threat for the world championship.
Burk, a strapping 6'1" and 195 pounds, has also made his presence known in the race for the world all-around championship in recent years. Including team roping earnings, he worn a whopping $175,755 in 1999. 




He's also become a television-camera magnet. When the chips are down and the spotlights are cranked up, Burk always seems to dig deep for his best effort. In 1999, in fact, he qualified for the short round (AKA TV round) at every Wrangler World of Rodeo event. He came out on top at a number of major rodeos, winning Houston, Reno, Colorado Springs, Rapid City, Regina and Clovis, California, to name a few. Burk, who won the 1999 Coors Chute Out Calf Roping Championship, never misses an opportunity to thank his sponsors in an interview, and represents them with the same integrity and positive attitude he bases every aspect of his life on. With the increased television exposure the PRCA and its contestant superstars will receive in 2000, Burk's position as a leading ambassador for the cowboy sport is headed straight for the stars.


2001 has been another exceptional year for Burk. Starting off the year placing at some of the major Rodeos like, Denver and Houston, and winning Rodeos like Tucson last winter. Putting him in the top of the Tour Standings going into the Final in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Arena in June. Burk had a great Tour Finals, placing in the first two go rounds and winning the average after two head, lead him to the final two "sudden death" go rounds where he won second in the first round, and won first in the final round with earnings of over $22,000.00. This gave Burk great momentum as he started into the Fourth of July run.
Burk competed in several rodeos over the Fourth of July, winning first at Airdre, AB, Williams Lake, AB and Molalla, OR, and placing deep at Greeley, CO, Cody WY, and Ponoka, AB. This successful Cowboy Christmas bumped him up another $17,000.00 and put him in the #1 spot in the Jack Daniels World Standings. 
After the busy Fourth of July, Burk's schedule starts to change, where he can concentrate on the All Around Standings by competing regularly in his other two events, team roping and steer roping. Burk has been in the top seven in the All Around standings for the past three years. This year he won the team roping event at the prestigious Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne WY, which boosted his earnings in the All Around by $7,500.00. You can count on this three-event cowboy to be a contender in the All Around Race in the years to come.
It was crunch time in Pendleton, OR. Burk had to win first to cinch a trip to the Summer Tour Finals in Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Coliseum in October Burk's 9.2 second run did just that, earning over 6,500.00. Burk is now the only calf roper who has qualified for all four of the Wrangler Pro Rodeo Copenhagen Cup Tour Finals since the inception of this new innovative program in the PRCA. The popularity of this new concept seems to be dictating that this may be where Rodeo is heading in the future.
Burk ended the regular season at San Francisco, CA. With three great runs and the Cow Palace Championship and as the regular season ends he is sitting in second place in the calf roping with earnings of $114,715.00 and is holding down sixth position in the All Around Standings with $129,568.00. It is safe to say that Burk is right on track heading into he's seventh consecutive trip to the National Finals Rodeo.
2002 has been Burk's best year yet. Accumulating over $150,000.00 in PRCA regular season earning thus far. Burk qualified for both Tour Finales this year, and placed at several major rodeos throughout the year. 




   

 When did you start an interest in Rodeo? 

" My Dad, been around rodeo all my life, Roy Cooper has also been a lot of help, taking e to rodeos and I bought a couple horses from him"  

Do you have a lucky piece that you carry with you when you compete?

 "Not Really"   

What other sports other than rodeo do you enjoy? 

"I played football in high school and at rodeos during down time we play basketball"  

What is the funniest thing that you have seen or experienced at a rodeo? 

"That's a pretty good question, but at Red Bluff this year, a guy got on a bronc, he was wearing a Army uniform and came out dragging a dummy that looked like Sadaam and Bin Laden"

What advice would you give to Indian youth about rodeo or anything in general?

 "Learn the basics from someone, who knows how to teach a kid, because bad habits are hard to break, like any sport, you need a good coach, hours of practice makes perfect, if you want to be a football player, you practice and go to ball camps, same thing for roping or rodeo, find a good school and coaches who are used to working with kids, practice, practice, practice " 

What is your favorite western movies?  

"Billy The Kid, Young Guns, American Outlaws, but I really like the Young Guns movies"

What is your favorite music?

"Oh I like all kinds, but older 80's and 90's rock music"

What would you like to see more of at Rodeo's?

" More coverage on the sport, you see rodeo on tv  now, but there are no stories on our way of life, what it takes to get us here, people don't get to see life of a rodeo cowboy, what it's like to go from rodeo to rodeo, how much time and effort, along with all the support from family and sponsors to get me in that area and backed up in the roping chute, with any sport for the fans to get to know the competitors you should know what the daily lifestyle is like to get us to the top, it takes a lot to get to the National finals year after year, not including the efforts to win that world championship, rodeo fans need to see more coverage" 

Have you heard of the American Cowboy CD?  

"I've heard of it, but that's about it"




Would you like to thank sponsors and or anyone for your success in rodeo?  

"I'd like to thank everyone for standing behind me, and supporting me, my wife, my family, everyone" 




Indian Rodeo News will be following Blair  throughout 2003.  Check back for recent news about Blair and his success in rodeo for 2003!  


To check out his web site click on any above pictures.   Wrangler and the Choctaw Nation are sponsors who support Blair's rodeo career, click on the ad to view their web sites.