Childhood friends Coleman Proctor and Travis Graves prove a potent team, swiftly making their mark with clean, fast runs.
Several weeks ago, Pryor, Oklahoma, cowboy Coleman Proctor announced he would no longer be competing alongside his roping partner Logan Medlin, and instead will have lifelong friend and Jay, Oklahoma native Travis Graves as his heeler.
After five years of roping together, both Proctor and Medlin decided it was time for a change. Medlin and Proctor saw success in numerous NFR rounds, but found in the past year that they no longer could combine their skills in a way that enabled them and their horses to make the fastest, cleanest runs. The consistency and speed were simply no longer there. Nobody’s fault, just no longer the right fit. The pair is still fast friends, as are their young daughters, and Medlin will now be teaming up with header Coy Rahlmann.
As Proctor settles into his new routine, he’s already finding success. The Proctor-Graves pairing is proving an excellent choice as the duo clocked a 5.0-second run at the National Western Stock Show last night. They will return Saturday night as competitors in the Semifinals and undoubtedly make another stellar run.
While they haven’t been burning up the rodeo road together in recent years, Proctor and Graves go way back. The men grew up around each other during their childhood in Oklahoma, and both have impressive records in the arena as well. Travis Graves has qualified for the NFR 16 times and competed this past year alongside header Tanner Tomlinson. While Coleman Proctor didn’t qualify for the NFR this past year, he has competed there 8 times prior.
They also share a love of Lone Star ropes, with Proctor often using the Fever head rope and Graves opting for the rope Lone Star designed especially to his specifications, known as the Helix Pro. Both men are affiliated with Lone Star ropes and speak highly of their capabilities, which they display on all their runs.
Graves credits Walt Woodard with teaching him much of what he knows and remembers the lessons Woodard instilled in him while putting on clinics at Graves’ parent's ranch in Oklahoma. As a young man, he won the International Finals Youth Rodeo heeling title in 2001 and then got his PRCA card the very next year in 2002. He also has a unique claim to fame in that he is one of the few heelers who have ever won every major open jackpot and almost every major rodeo.
Proctor grew up around roping, too, with his mom, dad, and both sisters roping. He entered his first roping competition at 9 years old. When he speaks of career highlights, he often mentions winning the George Strait Team Roping Classic in 2010. He and his partner, Jake Long, beat 465 teams to secure that win.
While the list of accolades between the two is endless, it will be their ability to work together and complement each other’s skills that will ultimately determine their pairing.
These two men are giving it their all and are a pair to watch as they channel their power into this promising new partnership.