Joseph Harrison Sets Golden New Year’s Resolution

Team roping heeler Joseph Harrison finished the 2020 season the closest he’s come to winning a world title, and now he’s looking ahead at 2021 with resolve.

While some may be ringing in the new year with the typical resolutions, Harrison’s are golden.

“My head goal is to win enough to make a living and feed my family, but everyone wants a gold buckle, baby, so that’s what I’m after,” said Harrison, 33.

While 2020 was a year many are glad to see come to a close, it had its share of positive experiences for Harrison. Alongside his partner, team roping header Luke Brown, Harrison made his fourth consecutive trip to the National Finals Rodeo, thanks in part to winning The American in Arlington, Texas, in March.

“The American last year was super special,” Harrison said. “If they had it 20 times, there wouldn’t be but 15 or 20 guys who win it since some might win it twice. Having the trinket to show you’re the champ one time is what it’s all about. Obviously, we want to make a living, but there are all kinds of ways to make a living, but we do this.”

The duo returned to Arlington for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field where they placed fourth in the average and won $87,718 in December. Two successful trips to Arlington pushed Harrison to third in the 2020 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $168,017, $10,469 shy of winning the world title.

Harrison’s won many of ProRodeo’s biggest competitions, but there are a few that have eluded the Oklahoma cowboy, and he’s hoping 2021 will be his year to check them off his list.

“San Antonio got away from me a couple of times, and I would like to win it and Houston since that got away from me before, too,” Harrison said. “Those are milestone rodeos, just like Cheyenne, Salinas and Reno. No matter what the money pays, just to say when you’re old and gray that, ‘Back in such and such year I won that rodeo,’ they’re conversation pieces, not to mention all of them pay good. Some pay really, really good like Houston paying $50,000 to the winner.”

With the 2021 season already underway, Harrison is third in the world standings with $5,603 earned toward his goal of being crowned the 2021 world champion.

“I don’t want to look back and say, ‘If I had given it 110% I could have done it,’ or ‘I could have done it if I just stuck my neck out,” Harrison said. “So my goal is that no matter what, with every steer to do a good job and don’t halfway do it.”

Check out the Jan. 8 edition of ProRodeo Sports News for more New Year’s resolutions from some of ProRodeo’s top athletes.

Courtesy of PRCA