COMPANION PASS: Quincy Eldridge

People often ask why Rodeo Quincy is the name of my company. Well for starters, rodeo is where it all began for me. I was a competitor first in this sport, but it has gifted me in so many more areas of my life. I can’t really describe much about myself without rodeo because it has shaped much of who I am. But even beyond just its influence on me, it has deepened my family bonds, led me into my career, and it introduced me to the love of my life (and my companion pass) Dakota Eldridge. I would never have guessed that rodeo would have brought me so much.

It was 2007 and I was competing at my first National High School Finals Rodeo in Springfield, Illinois. I was driving my golf cart around with a friend when a very handsome older gentleman waved us down saying, “Are you Quincy Marvel?!”. I was surprised at first, but that handsome gentleman turned out to be Mark Eldridge from Elko, Nevada. Even though I was born and raised in California, my mother’s family, the Marvel’s all hailed from Nevada and it was a name I recognized immediately.

My Papa, Tom Marvel, had taken Mark to lot of his high school rodeos and was now teaching his son Dakota how to ride cutting horses. As soon as I met Mark, he said, “Hey – come meet my son, Dakota”. And that was the first time I laid eyes on my cute blonde haired, blue eyed, fair skinned Nevada cowboy. Dakota and I were both only 15 years old at the time.

Time went on and my love for the sport of rodeo grew deeper. There were more National High School Finals rodeo qualifications and I couldn’t wait to see that cute blonde cowboy from Nevada every summer. My Papa, Tom Marvel also liked to bring up Dakota every time I was around him. He would say what a nice boy he was and most importantly what a great cowboy he was…(okay papa I heard you!). At the same time that I was falling for this handsome cowboy, I developed a passion for art and I had always been into fashion. I eventually got to a point where I combined my passions and started hand-painting my rodeo belts and horse tack. At the time, back in 2009, there really wasn’t anything quite like it out there yet and it gained a lot of attention in a relatively short amount of time. It was a short time later when I was competing at the 2009 National High School Finals in Farmington, New Mexico that I was lucky enough to catch the eye of Ariat International. This interaction led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design my own collection for them. It was called the Quincy Collection by Ariat.

Soon I headed off to my dream college, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, California to compete on their rodeo team and to try figure out what the heck I was going to do after college. I was lucky enough to qualify for my first College National Finals Rodeo my freshman year. One of the first cowboys I saw when I got there was that cute Nevada cowboy. Except this time he had matured into a smoking-hot rugged cowboy! It took one more trip to the college finals that next year, but he finally gathered up the courage to ask me out. After that first date, we both knew we had something special. But, even though I came from a rodeo family, little did I know just how rough relationships and the rodeo road can get. It seems like a fairytale, but in reality you barely see each other.

Dakota hit the road full time professional rodeoing in what would have been our senior year of college. He accomplished a lot that year, winning the all-around and steer wrestling rookie of the year and I couldn’t have been prouder. But I would be lying if I didn’t say how hurtful it was that he missed my accomplishments that year like winning the National Business Pitch competition in Chicago, graduating from Cal Poly and competing at my Final College National Finals Rodeo. Working hard and striving for our dreams kept us busy and focused and happy for the most part. But when it had been several weeks between visits and I would feel lonely, I would burry myself in my work and focus on my own goals. This was and still is challenging, but this has also been our binding glue that has held us together. He understands and fully supports my dreams as well as I do his. We are each other’s biggest supporters and fans. I remember calling him with doubts when we were in college on what my career choice would be, and without hesitation he would always tell me that I was going to start my business. His confidence in me helped me have confidence in myself.

Although I fully supported Dakotas dreams, I wasn’t completely focused on them, as I had my own dreams to attend to. This has built a stronger relationship for us through the years. I can’t urge women enough to focus on yourself and your dreams; not someone else’s. For me, it has brought more self-respect, and I feel that my independence has made a stronger relationship with my man. It’s important to focus on creating your own happiness and not rely on it from someone else. Also, if there is ever a point in your relationship where you do not feel you are the priority then LEAVE. The best thing that can happen is that something better comes into your life or they come back and you get a much better/mature version. Dakota and I had to learn this the hard way but boy was it worth it now!

Dakota has now made the NFR for the past 6 years and I have been growing my business, Rodeo Quincy for the past 6 years also. Rodeo Quincy is a brand offered at retail and wholesale to a variety of customers and stores across the country. Dakota and I are fortunate that both of our passions collide throughout the year. A lot of his rodeos fall in areas where we have stores we sell to, and our biggest retail show of the year happens to be his biggest rodeo of the year, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. We have been married for a little over a year now and although our lifestyle is still not easy, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Although rodeo life can take its toll it has by far given us more of life’s greatest joys, and we love representing the sport. Every day is a great day when Dakota can back into the box and nod his head and when I see someone at a rodeo wearing something Rodeo Quincy. We are so thankful, grateful and blessed. Xoxo