In the world of rodeo, legends are made in the dust and sweat of the arena, and in the McLeod family, rodeo is more than a sport; it's a way of life.  

Scott McLeod and his youngest son, Tee, have made rodeo history in more ways than one. Scott has been a CCA Rodeo finalist for 35 consecutive years, and 36 in total. His dedication was recognized by the CCA with the prestigious Cowboy of the Year award. 

"It felt pretty good,” stated McLeod. “The people that gave it to me, or those that sponsored it, were with a close friend of mine that we lost this spring. It meant quite a lot more than what most people know." 

The McLeod family is lucky enough to have an indoor arena in which they can hone their craft. All three of Scott McLeod’s sons; Tuftin, Tyce, and Tee are headed to Red Deer this week for the professional finals in open team roping. 

"I would say there's a little more money in it,” said Scott McLeod. “It's gotten to be a very competitive sport, that's for sure. There's a lot of people that take it very seriously nowadays. When I started, it was just more of a hobby for 90 per cent of the guys and now it's probably vice versa." 

Tee McLeod, a multi-generational cowboy, made his mark early in his career by earning the CCA record time in team roping of 3.6 seconds.  

“There’s not really one thing that makes you successful, it's a whole bunch of little things,” expressed Tee McLeod. “There are people that we’ve been around our whole lives that have been super helpful at a young age, and then we all went to school down in Texas and New Mexico and got dropped around a bunch of good guys. Then we’d just come home and work at it every day.” 

Scott McLeod recognizes the dedication required in rodeo, noting:  

"You get what you put into it. If you want to be the superstar, then you have to work at it."  

His youngest son’s record-breaking achievement is a testament to this dedication:  

"Oh, it feels pretty good. Practice every day for it and it works out, that always feels good," stated Tee McLeod. 

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