An article about my mom's brother

Former pro Feild finds his calling as a coach
By JACK NOWLINStar-Tribune sports editor

Lewis Feild found it was easy to go home again. That's because the former world all-around champion and current Utah Valley State coach never really left.Born and raised in Utah, Feild was a three-time qualifier for the National High School Finals Rodeo before attending college at Utah Valley State. Feild's rodeo prowess continued on the collegiate level as he qualified in three events -- bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and team roping -- at the College National Finals Rodeo.

After a professional career that included three all-around titles (1985-87) and two bareback titles (1985-86), as well as countless hours on the road away from his family, Feild is once again settled down in Utah, coaching his alma mater."It's been a great experience," Feild said. "It's been kind of a natural thing for me to do."But getting Feild to take over the coaching reins didn't come easy.When the former Utah Valley State coach left in 2001, school administrators approached Feild about stepping into the position."They asked me if I was interested. And I told them, 'Probably not,'" he said. "But then the kids talked me into it."I'm glad they did."

So are the cowboys currently on the Utah Valley State roster."I've learned everything from him," said freshman saddle bronc rider Ty Evans. "Not just how to ride, but the mental stuff. He teaches you everything."He's like our dad, that's a good way to put it."Feild and his wife Veronica have three kids of their own -- sons Shad and Kaycee and daughter Maclee -- but his fatherly advice extends well beyond his front door.

With a rodeo arena on site, the Feild's home is often used for Utah Valley State practices. There, Feild can pass along his knowledge learned from a lifetime of roping and riding.And living."(My dad) has taught me to have fun, but at the same time be tough, physically and mentally," Kaycee Feild, a bareback rider and team roper competing at this year's CNFR for Utah Valley State, said. "He teaches us that having a positive attitude is everything."Added Evans: "He says to always have a good attitude. If you get mad and kick the chutes or something he gets mad and tells you to straighten up and have a better attitude. And that helps me a lot."Make sure you have fun, but be serious doing it."

At rodeos and at practice, Lewis Feild is all business. That business-like approach helped the men's team win the Rocky Mountain Region this year."I'm not doing the team justice if I'm not tough on them," Lewis Feild said. "I correct them and I teach them, but I'm never scolding or mean. And the best part is that they listen."Rodeo is more of a mental thing. You have to develop an attitude of learning how to win."You can have all the talent in the world, but you've got to be able to perform when it counts. You've got to develop that kind of attitude and have that kind of confidence."

It also didn't hurt the team's success that some of Lewis Feild's old friends on the pro rodeo circuit would occasionally stop by the arena to help out at practice."Some of those guys would stop by and you'd see the kids' eyes get really big," Lewis Feild said. "For them, it was like Michael Jordan coming by. It means something to them when these former champions come by to help."I've always believed that when you put yourself in a circle of winners it's contagious."A serious competitor in the arena, Lewis Feild takes on a different persona when he's not competing. Behind the bucking chutes at Sunday's "Bulls, Broncs and Breakaway" session, he was completely at ease; whether it was giving advice to cowboys, swapping stories with old friends or meeting someone for the first time.

It's yet another attitude that Lewis Feild has passed on to the cowboys and cowgirls on his team."We're like a family," Wavey Allred, a freshman bull rider, said. "We travel to all the rodeos together in a big, ol' white van and pull all our horses together in a semi-truck."He's hard in the arena, but outside ... he calls and checks up and makes sure we're getting good grades. Stuff like that."

So while outsiders might categorize Lewis Feild based solely by the rodeo titles he won in his storied career, those closest to him know there's more to it than that."For me, it's no different than in real life," Kaycee Feild said. "He helps me in any way he can, but at the same time he doesn't sugar-coat anything."I really think he loves what he's doing. I know that family is a big part of his life and (coaching Utah Valley State) has allowed him to stay home."And Lewis Feild probably wouldn't want it any other way.