Titan Fuel Tanks Ranch Team of the Week: Barron-Highsmith Cattle Co. & Short Ranches
Barron-Highsmith Cattle Co. & Short Ranches has been named the Titan Fuel Tanks Ranch Team of the Week after clinching the first-place overall position at the 2018 Green Country Classic Ranch Rodeo, held in Claremore, Oklahoma, April 27–28.
The team—Willie Barron, Cory Highsmith, Jake McCall, John Crowder, Armando Rodriguez, and Jake Horine—is no stranger to the winner’s circle spotlight, having sealed ranch rodeo wins that have led them to the WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo five times.
It’s a position they don’t take for granted.
“It really just came down to getting lucky,” says team captain Willie Barron. “Anybody at Claremore could have won it. All those teams were just as tough. Sure, you have to put yourself in a position where you know what to do, but after that, it really just comes down to whoever has luck on their side that night.”
Behind that luck, however, is a good team. Barron credits much of their success to the work ethic and camaraderie of the team members.
“Everyone knows we all got each other’s’ backs,” he says. “We all try to be on point and tuned up, but it really just comes down to going in there with guys who you really trust and who you know are going to be there. Everyone on the team is pulling on the same side of the rope and that means a lot.”
And when a good team is graced with good luck and everything just comes together, Barron says “there’s no feeling like it.”
That feeling is precisely what Barron and his team will be chasing at the Championship in November.
“You get a little obsessed with trying to make it every year,” he laughs. “Every year we make it we sit back there at the stalls thinking, ‘Man we’re getting pretty old to keep this up… Awh hell, let’s give it one more year.’
“The competition there is just second to none. One of our goals is to win it, and I think we’ll probably keep going until we do!”
And with their win at Claremore so early in the season, the team has plenty of time to fine-tune their skills before the big show.
“This win is a big relief for everyone,” says Barron. “Now we get to go to rodeos, try some new things out, take some risks, and just have fun!”
Another perk of cementing a Championship ticket so early?
Barron laughs, “My wife likes to win early so she can get the hotel and all that lined out. It’s got a lot of perks!
“We always look forward to competing there in Amarillo. We look forward to just getting away and getting to hang out with the teams and their families. It’s always a phenomenal reunion and the whole event is just so much fun.”
Be smart like Willie’s wife. Book your WCRR stay early with the WRCA Hotel Booking Service. Not only is it convenient and the only WRCA-approved service, but you’ll be getting the best available rates at Amarillo’s best hotels.
Titan Fuel Tanks is a sponsor of the WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo through 2019. They also sponsor the Titan Fuel Tanks Ranch Team of the Week to help highlight the outstanding achievements in WRCA sanctioned ranch rodeo competition.