LENOIR
CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) Former
Farragut High School football player Cody Farmer decided to quit
playing football when he was 15."I quit playing football in high school and my dad said find a job or pick another sport," said Farmer.
He lived across the street from horses and had a few cowboys in the family, and that gave him some inspiration.
"I got inspired just by watching people on TV, I wanted to get that good," said Farmer
Farmer's parents were skeptical when he decided to put down the football helmet and jump into the saddle, but they supported him. They bought his first horse then traded their family home for a ranch.
"Moving from Farragut from playing football to Lenoir City roping cows, it was a big adjustment," said Famer's mom, Angela Farmer.
Farmer competes in about 30 competitions a year, striving to ride with the pros.Five years after his first competition he got his pro permit. Now he just has to place high enough to win $1,000 to become a professional.
"The ability to make money and do it, that's pretty intriguing to me," said Farmer.