Louisiana’s Josie Conner has been winning at nearly every level of competition since her middle school days, and she isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
To add to her resume, Conner punched her ticket to her first National Finals of Breakaway Roping and sealed her Resistol Rookie of the Year title just days before her 19th birthday.
Conner placed at eight of the 10 final rodeos she entered and went everywhere from Texas, to Florida, to Maine in the final week of ProRodeo’s regular season.
Besides being a great competitor, Conner is known for being a kind human and friend outside of the arena, as well. Multiple-time NFBR qualifier Shelby Boisjoli mentioned in a social media post following Conner’s runs in Maine,
“So proud for Josie Conner. What a lot of people don’t know is that when it came down to a couple rodeos left, Josie mounted Jackie (Crawford) out on one of her great horses. Both were battling for the 15th spot. Being a team player like that is something I will always look up to. She finished with CLASS!’
Shelby Boisjoli
Conner’s success at a young age begs the question,
How did her parents do it?
Josie’s parents, Jade and Wendi Conner weighed in on the parenting and coaching tactics that paid off with Josie as they reflected on her budding career. Here’s some of their top tips.
Treat it like a business.
“When Josie was 15 or 16, I opened an account for her and told her ‘I think you rope good enough to be profitable, and if you run out of money, come talk to me,” Jade said. “Since that day, I’ve never paid another dime (for rodeo expenses). Josie runs it all as a business. She writes down every stall she buys, every bag of shavings. She has her own credit cards, her mom helps her with her taxes.”
Learning the Business of Rodeo with Resistol Rookie Leader Josie Conner
Separate the sport from their identity.
“We’ve told Josie her whole life that roping is something we do as a family because we absolutely love it,” Wendi said. “We never want it to be who Josie is. We have always instilled that.”
Jackie Crawford: 5 Things I Want My Daughters to Know About Rodeo
Losing can help them stay humble.
“It’s pretty easy to stay grounded as hard as it is to win,” Jade said. “If you go out there and ProRodeo much, between the luck of the draw, the setups and the 170 girls entered at all of them, it’s not hard to stay grounded.”
Check out this episode of The Breakdown Podcast for the full conversation with the Conners regarding their reactions to Josie’s NFBR qualification, parenting insights and more on what it was l raising a top-level athlete.
