By Tim Lee
The man, the legend, tips his hat and holds his hands over his chest in the shape of a heart. The end of an era has arrived with the retirement of Flint Rasmussen. Flint was born in 1968, and was the youngest of four, and against popular belief, Flint was not your “school cut-up”, or “class clown.” Flint was a good athlete, in the choir, and a good student. Flint attended high school in Choteau, went to college in Dillon, and continued being active and imaginative for the next thirty years, making him the top entertainer of the PBR.
“We had a strong family, had supper every night, breakfast every morning, went to each other’s games, concerts, I didn’t know any different.” Flint stated, thinking back to his childhood. “The value of family in the Western world, in rodeo, there is a danger of losing the Western way of life. This all passes on down to our children; if we don’t teach them, no one will.”
Like all good things, there is a season when you know it’s time to wipe off the clown makeup. “I am tired, my brain wants to go a different direction much like my body. That is why I am retiring. “Flint’s on-stage and off-stage personalities are very similar, except for the body launching jumps and flips he would do over the dreaded male bull- snake, one of his trademark routines. On his final PBR event, Flint stood before
a huge crowd, flames exploding around him with pomp and circumstance and even sang with Kid Rock. He was handed a trophy in his likeness and thanked for his many years of service to the Western way of life. But what brought tears to his eyes more, was thanking his two biggest fans. “My girls are rodeo stars, national champions. We have passed it on to them, it preserves a lifestyle that is on the verge of disappearing.” Flint summed up his hopes for the future in a simple yet poignant statement. “As long as people say ‘Wait, I think that is Shelby and Paige’s dad!’ I am okay with that.”
After completing the PBR circuit, Flint went home to do several smaller shows. Like all professionals there is the job you do, and then there is the job that you play. As a PBR circuit entertainer, it was Flint’s job to hide the empty moments, the pauses behind the scenes as the next animals were prepared. If Flint did his job right, there was never a dull moment of silence both in the stands and on the TV. “First of all, the smaller events are the fun events for me. The larger ones have a lot of tasks to hit, and timing. They are a challenge, but the small events are the fun ones. Come July, I am done so to come back and perform for those people I know, I appreciate it. If I can provide that entertainment, it is exciting for me.”
As Flint tips his hat, and saunters into the sunset, we know no one will do it like Flint did. But we can all look forward to the young entertainers that will step up to the task because of the inspiration of Flint Rasmussen. Don’t worry, Flint won’t be disappearing into retirement, you can continue to cheer him on in his personal podcast called “According to Flint” that can be found wherever you get your podcasts as well as on YouTube at YouTube.com/@AccordingtoFlint.