CNFR berth was a long time coming for LCCC's Bernard Girard

Jun. 10—CHEYENNE — The horse Bernard Girard shared with teammate Cauy Pokorny had been skittish when backing into the box on its first three steer wrestling runs of the Laramie River Rendezvous.

Girard had a lot riding on the horse's final run of the Central Rocky Mountain Region season.

A fast time and a strong finish in the aggregate standings would lift the Laramie County Community College junior back into the top 3 in the CRMR's season standings and punch his ticket to his first College National Finals Rodeo.

Girard wasn't going to take his chances on a typically reliable horse that suddenly had to be persuaded to back into the box and reined in to keep from breaking the penalty barrier. That's why he had another mount lined up just in case the horse he had ridden all season gave him fits in the box.

"I don't know if he was sore, or he could sense how tense (Pokorny) and I both were that weekend, but there was something going on with him," said Girard, who hails from Alliance, Nebraska.

Girard didn't need that backup horse.

"I rode into the box, turned around, and he immediately got ready," Girard said. "It didn't even take 10 seconds for us to get in and out of that box. That didn't even give me time to think or be nervous about my run.

"The steer I had was really strong. Nobody had thrown him in less than 6 seconds all weekend. It took us a while to get by, but (hazer Cauy Pokorny) told me to stick with it. I got him hooked, got him thrown down and everything worked out in my favor."

Girard stopped the clock in 6.5 seconds on that run, which was third-fastest of the final go-round. His aggregate time of 12.1 seconds also was third-best. That finish lifted him back into third-place in the CRMR and earned him at spot at the CNFR, which starts Sunday at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

"Before I made that last run, I tried to remind myself that I had already accomplished so much this season and that my friends were still going to be my friends, regardless of whether I made the CNFR," Girard said. "I'd like to say I wasn't nervous, but I was. I knew that run was going to decide whether I made it or not.

"I feel really fortunate and excited to go. The hardest part is over. Now we get to go up to Casper and really have some fun."

Girard's first-round run will come during slack Monday morning. His second chance will happen during Tuesday morning slack. He gets his third run during Wednesday night's main performance.

Reaching the CNFR was no easy task for Girard, and not just because he battled a knee injury during the spring that caused him to miss a couple rodeos and slide down the standings.

Girard was so excited about the spring portion of his sophomore rodeo season that he was practically salivating when the calendar turned to March 2020.

He was so good during the fall that he had himself in prime position to reach his first CNFR, even if he had a meager showing during the spring rodeos.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the season to a standstill days before it was scheduled to resume. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association eventually decided to cancel the remainder of its regular season once it became clear it was going to take more than two weeks to corral the novel coronavirus.

CNFR spots were going to be awarded based on where athletes stood at the time. Girard was headed to the CNFR. That dream was dashed shortly thereafter when the NIRA also scrapped the CNFR.

Girard was gutted. Not just because he had a spot in college rodeo's most prestigious event ripped from his grasp, but also because he hoped more success roping and steer wrestling would earn him a scholarship at a four-year school.

He convinced himself both of those opportunities had dried up and blown away, which is why he returned to Alliance and immediately started working for the water well service company his family has owned for more than 40 years. Summer turned to fall, fall turned to winter, and fewer people needed windmills built, wells drilled, trenches dug or solar work. With little to do work-wise, Girard connected with a friend who had work available in Texas.

That work frequently had Girard swinging a rope while on horseback, which led him to think about rodeo often. He remained convinced his college rodeo days had come and gone.

LCCC rodeo coach Seth Glause knew Girard had rodeo eligibility remaining and credits left to earn on his business management degree. The coach also knew the mental toll the end of the 2019-20 season took on Girard. Nevertheless, Glause reached out to Girard to inquire about returning to Cheyenne's southern outskirts to finish his degree and take another shot at the CNFR.

"More than anything, I want to help all the kids that come through here to get their degrees," Glause said. "(Girard) came back and did that. Now, he's going into our bachelor's program, which is a testament to how much he values his education.

"Having that bachelor's program is going to be a game-changer for our rodeo program. There are going to be students who pick us because they like living in Cheyenne, like going to school here and like rodeoing here and can get their bachelor's degree here."

Girard's return to college rodeo couldn't have started better. He posted an aggregate time of 13.6 seconds to win LCCC's season-opening Shawn Dubie Memorial Rodeo. Girard backed that with a berth in the finals at Chadron State.

A third-place finish at Central Wyoming in Riverton put him second in the CRMR standings behind UW's Austin Hurlburt — who is a former LCCC cowboy. Despite a wrist injury, Girard leapfrogged Hurlburt and moved into first by placing sixth at Lamar (Colorado) Community College, which was the final event in the fall season.

Girard's 4.4-second run in Lamar's first round was the fastest of the rodeo. However, he needed 16.4 seconds to tip his second steer. He was still sitting pretty heading into the second half of the year.

Girard dislocated the knee cap and strained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee the week before the season resumed. Those injuries sidelined him for the first two spring rodeos.

He only fell to second in the CRMR, despite missing those events. But no-times in the first rounds at Colorado State and Casper College dropped Girard to fourth and created the need to go big at UW in order to earn his CNFR berth.

The grit Girard displayed while punching his ticket to the CNFR is a prime example of why he's widely viewed as a team leader, Glause said.

"He showed up and took care of business," Glause said. "That shows his character and his willingness to do what it takes to win and be successful. He has his goals set and knows what it takes to achieve them.

"He is someone our younger kids look up to and want to compete like."

Girard also is a tie-down and team roper. He won the tie-down title at Colorado State with a time of 20.9 seconds on two runs. His 9.3 in the finals was the fastest of the rodeo. He also took second in tie-down at UW with a two-run total of 20.3 seconds. His 9.6-second run in the finals was the second-fastest of the rodeo.

Girard's skill with a rope has him setting his sights on bringing the CRMR's all-around championship to LCCC next season.

"I think I could do it in a full season, if I can stay healthy," he said.

His results as a roper and steer wrestler are evidence that goal isn't far-fetched. And if Girard has proven anything in the recent past, it's that he shouldn't be counted out.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.