Q: What goes through your head when you first wake up in the morning?
A: First, coffee. Then I get myself mentally prepared to take on whatever is thrown my way.
Q: Where is your favorite place to steer wrestle?
A: Pendleton Round–Up because nothing has changed there in 100 years.
Q: Tell us a favorite story from a day out steer wrestling.
A: Winning the Calgary Stampede in 2015. My wife Jena was there to celebrate my victory with me, then we drove 13 hours overnight to the next rodeo in Idaho.
Q: How do you up your game year after year?
A: I practice running steers at home in the practice pen and also make sure my horses are in top physical condition.
Q: Who are your heroes? Who do you look up to?
A: My dad Jeff Knowles, and anyone in uniform.
Q: What part of you, or what you do, reflects a spirit of restlessness?
A: I’m always on the move whether I’m rodeoing for 9 months with no time to rest, or home on the ranch playing catch-up. I make sure the fences are fixed and the cows are taken care of, and when I have a few spare hours in the day, I try to squeeze in a hunt here and there.
Q: If there is any love-hate relationship with any aspect of what you do, can you describe what that is?
A: I love throwing steers more than anything, but it’s hard leaving home now that I’m older.