'Dedicated' Mike Nannini Prepares for Thursday Night Steer Wrestling Run He's Already Seen
6/15/2023 2:50:00 PM | Men's Rodeo
One of Montana State's star bulldoggers works to get back to Saturday's short go-round
BOZEMAN, Montana – Mike Nannini knows how Thursday night will unfold.
Montana State's junior steer wrestler will be at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, site of the 2023 College National Finals Rodeo, when the draw for his third round occurs around 6 pm. He'll find a fellow competitor, he'll find the steer he drew, then he'll say a prayer.
And when he mounts his horse Lois (like Lois Lane from Superman, he points out), he'll have already made that run. "Visualization is a big thing for me," he said. "When I make my run I've already ran that steer a thousand times in my head."
Nannini's routine starts with studying his opponent for the evening. "They draw one hour ahead of my go (Thursday), so I'll get the number and go and find (the cowboy) who had him last and say, 'Would you please give me a video of that steer?' Usually everybody's courteous, although sometimes they don't have video. I've ran that steer a thousand times in my head before I make my run."
Nannini, who finished among the top five steer wrestlers in the 2022 CNFR, stands 17th in that event after two go-rounds of this year's collegiate rodeo national championship. The top 12 in each event qualify for Saturday's short go, which crowns national champions. The Kimberly, Idaho product helped his cause immensely on Monday, when his time of 3.5 won the CNFR's second go-round.
"He really smoked one," Bobcat coach Kyle Whitaker said of Nannini's second head, after he logged a 17.7 (including a penalty for slipping, or catching only one of the steer's horns) in the first round. "The first steer I had was very wild," Nannini said, making a quick and unexpected turn. The first CNFR round presents the issue of entering "blind," Nannini says, describing an unfamiliarity with the event's stock.
Following that go Nannini and his hazer Jhet Murphy, a star bulldogger himself at UM Western, concocted a plan. "Me and my hazer Jhet Murphy got together and made a game plan to not give (the second steer) a chance to do that. We decided to be really aggressive."
That aggression found its roots knowledge and commitment, and in this case, in video. After seeing a recording of the steer's first run, Nannini said, "we knew how he was going to leave out of the box (quickly) so I made a good game plan" based on what he'd seen.
"All stock have a pattern," said Whitaker, a veteran of the college and professional steer wrestling scene. "They might do something different once in a while, but part of your job is to find out what you've drawn and get all the information you can."
While Nannini said most of the time fellow competitors "are courteous about sharing video," avenues for gaining that knowledge have exploded recently, according to Whitaker. "It's easy to get video here because most kids or their teams post runs on social media. For instance, Caleb Meeks is up tonight in the bronc riding and we knew who had his horse the first time so we looked it up on (that competitor's team) Facebook page." Whitaker said that provided important intel for Meeks in advance of tonight's ride.
Competing athletes spend a week in Casper during the CNFR, which leaves considerable down time. Nannini said that filling it isn't a problem. "I'm a Christian so I pray" when not preparing for upcoming events, he said. "I like to stretch to prevent injury. I had a bad PCL injury my first college rodeo this year, so I stretch to try to keep that in good shape and to stay away from injuries in general. And then working out, strength training, is the second-most important thing at Montana State for me."
Whitaker called Nannini "a workout freak," saying he and 2023 teammate Nate Eggena "are the two most dedicated (to strength training on the team). Mike's always been the most dedicated to it, and others see how beneficial that can be."
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Trey Stringer works with MSU's rodeo program, and said improvement through strength training aligns with Nannini's personality. "He's a very purpose-driven and goal-oriented person," Stringer said. "He's a good leader and a great teammate. He lifts others up when he's in here with his group, and it helps others raise their level, seeing how he attacks things in here."
Nannini said that Stringer's expertise is crucial to his success. "He's taught me everything I know about strength training, and it's been so important. I'm one of the guys (on the team) really adamant about it. I think it's the most important thing. No amount of training or anything can be equivalent to that. If I can prepare (with strength training), then mentally it's so much easier."
The past off-season provided Nannini the opportunity to work on physical improvements, and Stringer said he took advantage of work designed to accentuate movements akin to what track and field sprinters and jumpers utilize. "Mike spent a lot of time during the offseason, in the fall and the spring, doing acceleration work and power work from short bursts, weighted and non-weighted, to jump training exercises. He would come into the weight room on non-team days to get in extra work, as well. He's a very dedicated cowboy."
Stringer said better physical skills lead to an improved mentality. "I think the combination of the improvement in his mobility and core strength, along with the base level he's improved through the off-season, has helped him physically but also psychologically," Stringer said. "He feels like he moves better in the arena so that helps him a lot, and he is very serious about what he does in the weight room. That goes a long way, as well."
A background in the weight room – "He came to me already strong," Stringer said – expedited the process. So did the move of the MSU rodeo squad into Bobcat Athletics, which coincided with Whitaker's arrival. "It's great that at MSU we have a strength coach that really cares and puts work into our athletes succeeding," MSU's second-year head rodeo coach said. "That's a great resource that a lot of programs don't have."
Three of Montana State's four bulldoggers – Nannini, Bode Spring, and Jaden Whitman – compete in Thursday's performance, which begins at 7 pm in Casper's Ford Arena. Trav Johnson is up on Friday. Whitaker said the final two performances, which close out the third round of competition and sets up Saturday's short go, offers the Bobcats a huge opportunity. "I'm honestly pretty excited," he said. "We have a chance to get all four of the steer wrestlers into the short go. If we can have a good go-round there, anything can happen in the team standings."
While Whitaker looks forward to Nannini and his teammates' ability to compete on the national stage, he said he always enjoys his time around Nannini, a junior nursing student from Kimberly, Idaho. "He marches to his own drummer," Whitaker said. "He has all the talent in the world, but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't rodeo after college because he has a lot of (other interests). The older I've gotten it seems more like things are put in a box and we want things to be the same, but Mike does his own thing. Everyone knows that's Mike, that's what he does, and Mike knows who he is. That's such a good thing."
#GoCatsGo
Montana State's junior steer wrestler will be at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, site of the 2023 College National Finals Rodeo, when the draw for his third round occurs around 6 pm. He'll find a fellow competitor, he'll find the steer he drew, then he'll say a prayer.
And when he mounts his horse Lois (like Lois Lane from Superman, he points out), he'll have already made that run. "Visualization is a big thing for me," he said. "When I make my run I've already ran that steer a thousand times in my head."
Nannini's routine starts with studying his opponent for the evening. "They draw one hour ahead of my go (Thursday), so I'll get the number and go and find (the cowboy) who had him last and say, 'Would you please give me a video of that steer?' Usually everybody's courteous, although sometimes they don't have video. I've ran that steer a thousand times in my head before I make my run."
Nannini, who finished among the top five steer wrestlers in the 2022 CNFR, stands 17th in that event after two go-rounds of this year's collegiate rodeo national championship. The top 12 in each event qualify for Saturday's short go, which crowns national champions. The Kimberly, Idaho product helped his cause immensely on Monday, when his time of 3.5 won the CNFR's second go-round.
"He really smoked one," Bobcat coach Kyle Whitaker said of Nannini's second head, after he logged a 17.7 (including a penalty for slipping, or catching only one of the steer's horns) in the first round. "The first steer I had was very wild," Nannini said, making a quick and unexpected turn. The first CNFR round presents the issue of entering "blind," Nannini says, describing an unfamiliarity with the event's stock.
Following that go Nannini and his hazer Jhet Murphy, a star bulldogger himself at UM Western, concocted a plan. "Me and my hazer Jhet Murphy got together and made a game plan to not give (the second steer) a chance to do that. We decided to be really aggressive."
That aggression found its roots knowledge and commitment, and in this case, in video. After seeing a recording of the steer's first run, Nannini said, "we knew how he was going to leave out of the box (quickly) so I made a good game plan" based on what he'd seen.
"All stock have a pattern," said Whitaker, a veteran of the college and professional steer wrestling scene. "They might do something different once in a while, but part of your job is to find out what you've drawn and get all the information you can."
While Nannini said most of the time fellow competitors "are courteous about sharing video," avenues for gaining that knowledge have exploded recently, according to Whitaker. "It's easy to get video here because most kids or their teams post runs on social media. For instance, Caleb Meeks is up tonight in the bronc riding and we knew who had his horse the first time so we looked it up on (that competitor's team) Facebook page." Whitaker said that provided important intel for Meeks in advance of tonight's ride.
Competing athletes spend a week in Casper during the CNFR, which leaves considerable down time. Nannini said that filling it isn't a problem. "I'm a Christian so I pray" when not preparing for upcoming events, he said. "I like to stretch to prevent injury. I had a bad PCL injury my first college rodeo this year, so I stretch to try to keep that in good shape and to stay away from injuries in general. And then working out, strength training, is the second-most important thing at Montana State for me."
Whitaker called Nannini "a workout freak," saying he and 2023 teammate Nate Eggena "are the two most dedicated (to strength training on the team). Mike's always been the most dedicated to it, and others see how beneficial that can be."
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Trey Stringer works with MSU's rodeo program, and said improvement through strength training aligns with Nannini's personality. "He's a very purpose-driven and goal-oriented person," Stringer said. "He's a good leader and a great teammate. He lifts others up when he's in here with his group, and it helps others raise their level, seeing how he attacks things in here."
Nannini said that Stringer's expertise is crucial to his success. "He's taught me everything I know about strength training, and it's been so important. I'm one of the guys (on the team) really adamant about it. I think it's the most important thing. No amount of training or anything can be equivalent to that. If I can prepare (with strength training), then mentally it's so much easier."
The past off-season provided Nannini the opportunity to work on physical improvements, and Stringer said he took advantage of work designed to accentuate movements akin to what track and field sprinters and jumpers utilize. "Mike spent a lot of time during the offseason, in the fall and the spring, doing acceleration work and power work from short bursts, weighted and non-weighted, to jump training exercises. He would come into the weight room on non-team days to get in extra work, as well. He's a very dedicated cowboy."
Stringer said better physical skills lead to an improved mentality. "I think the combination of the improvement in his mobility and core strength, along with the base level he's improved through the off-season, has helped him physically but also psychologically," Stringer said. "He feels like he moves better in the arena so that helps him a lot, and he is very serious about what he does in the weight room. That goes a long way, as well."
A background in the weight room – "He came to me already strong," Stringer said – expedited the process. So did the move of the MSU rodeo squad into Bobcat Athletics, which coincided with Whitaker's arrival. "It's great that at MSU we have a strength coach that really cares and puts work into our athletes succeeding," MSU's second-year head rodeo coach said. "That's a great resource that a lot of programs don't have."
Three of Montana State's four bulldoggers – Nannini, Bode Spring, and Jaden Whitman – compete in Thursday's performance, which begins at 7 pm in Casper's Ford Arena. Trav Johnson is up on Friday. Whitaker said the final two performances, which close out the third round of competition and sets up Saturday's short go, offers the Bobcats a huge opportunity. "I'm honestly pretty excited," he said. "We have a chance to get all four of the steer wrestlers into the short go. If we can have a good go-round there, anything can happen in the team standings."
While Whitaker looks forward to Nannini and his teammates' ability to compete on the national stage, he said he always enjoys his time around Nannini, a junior nursing student from Kimberly, Idaho. "He marches to his own drummer," Whitaker said. "He has all the talent in the world, but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't rodeo after college because he has a lot of (other interests). The older I've gotten it seems more like things are put in a box and we want things to be the same, but Mike does his own thing. Everyone knows that's Mike, that's what he does, and Mike knows who he is. That's such a good thing."
#GoCatsGo
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