Calf roper Burk aims to corral his lifelong dream: A world title

Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999 | 10:34 a.m.

Although he is embroiled in one of several close battles for a world championship during this week's National Finals Rodeo, calf roper Blair Burk isn't playing the role of the tough cowboy.

Burk admits that battling three-time world champion calf roper Fred Whitfield and two-time world champ Cody Ohl for the calf roping title as well as the All-Around Cowboy honors is nerve-wracking.

He's just not prepared to say he is nervous.

"Everybody's got to have something down there that pumps you up," Burk said. "I don't know if you call it nerves, jitters or just a desire to get out there and perform, but if you don't have something that drives you, you're just not doing anything.

"We've got something down there, I just don't know what it is."

It might be the realization that Burk is on the verge of accomplishing a lifelong dream of leaving the National Finals Rodeo with a world championship in calf roping.

"It's the goal of every person that has ever picked up a calf rope since he was a little kid until today," Burk said. "Everybody has to have a goal. It may be winning their high school association, to winning college, to coming to the pros and qualifying for the National Finals.

"I fulfilled one goal, qualifying to come here, so I have one goal left and that's to win the world title."

If Burk does walk out of the Thomas & Mack arena Sunday afternoon as the world champion calf roper, it no doubt would be a special moment for his father, Barry Burk.

The elder Burk qualified for the NFR 18 times during his career as a calf roper, but never came away with a gold buckle. Barry Burk finished second in the world seven times in the late 60s and early 70s and was third on three other occasions.

"My dad has helped me all my life, teaching me every little thing about roping that he knows," Burk said. "He helps me a lot all year and if I could win it, it would just be a nice big 'thank you' for everybody who has supported me."

Burk missed out on an opportunity to gain some ground on Whitfield in the calf roping standings Wednesday night when he failed to finish in the money during the sixth go-round. Whitfield also failed to cash, so Burk trails Whitfield by $11,118.86 going into tonight's seventh go-round.

In the hunt for the All-Around Cowboy title, Burk is third, trailing the front-running Whitfield by $33,110.54 and second-place Cody Ohl by $22,399.29.

But Burk said he is trying hard not to get caught up in dollars and cents.

"You try not to think about anything but roping your game," he said. "You try not to think about the money, you try not to think about everybody else and what they do, you've just got to not make any mistakes on your part.

"If I rope my way and not make any mistakes, I should come out right where we need to be."