Athletics require nuance. As a competitor you want to play with emotion, but not get emotional. In rodeo, a star cowboy requires humility, but cannot lack confidence. It is a balance that Dean Thompson is learning how to strike as his career takes off this season. The 22-year-old continued his run of good showings by winning the bareback riding crown at the Sisters (Ore.) Rodeo with a score of 88 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo's Cowboy Fever. The ride featured pause and applause. "She's the kind of horse when you hear about it you kind of buckle up the whole week before. You know you can win it. But she has made winners of a lot of guys and fools of a lot of guys as well," said Thompson, who explained that the key was surviving the first few jumps. "I knew that horse had enough horsepower. But it was scary. When she was coming out, she landed with both her feet on top of the chute gate. The judges gave me a free roll because she had interference. What a fantastic event in one of ...