Joseph Parsons of Marana is the calf roping champion for the Arizona and New Mexico region. He is one of three family members competing this week.

A.E. Araiza / arizona daily star

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Joseph Parsons can't wait to rodeo.

When he steps into the arena today for the 82nd annual La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, the countless hours of training and practice will fade to the background. So, too, will the crowd looking down from the stands. The noise will soften, the sun will blanch and all he will see is the calf.

"As soon as you leave the chute, you just focus on the calf," he said Friday afternoon at his father's ranch in Marana. "When you get to the rodeo, you just have to let it happen."

At 22, Parsons is one of the best in the country at calf roping and is the champion for Arizona and New Mexico, a region known as the Turquoise Circuit in professional rodeo. But his ascent, in many ways, is simply a family tradition.

Parsons' father, Joe, is an 11-time Turquoise Circuit champion for calf roping, and he, too, is competing this week.

Cutter Parsons, Joseph's 23-year-old uncle (and Joe's youngest brother), is also competing in calf roping and steer wrestling.

In the Parsons family, the lasso, it seems, doesn't stray far from the mark.

"It's horsemanship," said Joe Parsons, 50. "It's understanding your horse. Timing with the horse and the animal. It's reading livestock."

Joe Parsons exudes a calm, wise air about him that one would expect in a martial arts master. And in the rodeo world, that's the status he holds.

A member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, he retired at the peak of his career in 1993 to spend more time with his family. But he now travels the road with his son, lending sage advice.

"There's nothing like it," he said.

Leaning against a fence post, watching his son go through a few practice runs, he waxed about calf roping, which now goes by the more politically correct name of tie-down roping.

While it is far less brutal than other rodeo events like bull riding, the rider has to be aggressive in getting ahead of the calf and reading its moves.

The psychology of calf roping, he said, was more like boxing.

"It's you and only you trying to compete and be the best," he said.

If calf roping has changed in any way from the time Joe Parsons was racking up championships, it is in its evolution as a sport.

Joseph, the son, practices 50 to 60 hours a week, takes boxing classes to stay in shape, follows a strict diet and has a trainer to help him stretch.

Although Joseph stands at 6 feet 4 inches, he is quiet, often answering questions in a few words.

His father's success doesn't overshadow his burgeoning career, he said, adding that he feels no pressure.

"I just love rodeo so much," he said. "By the time I get to the arena, I can't wait to rope."