Shea Fournier and Kade Sonnier go back a little ways. The two met when Sonnier was still playing baseball and Fournier was still a green bull rider.
The two would immediately become close as Sonnier would find his way to the Fournier’s ranch. It was there that they connected over their hopes and dreams for rodeo.
“We were always talking about rodeo, like, man, this is what we’re going to do, this is what we’re going to do, we’re going to rodeo. He always talked about when he was done with baseball he wanted to ride bareback horses and I wanted to ride bulls and broncs. So we clicked along really good,” Fournier said.
It was about a year later when the two ended up at McNeese State University where they would push each other even more.
“We got along really good together because we both knew where we wanted to be and it pushed us to do what we needed to do to get where we want to be,” he said.
This friendship extended to family too. Sonnier worked on the Fournier Ranch while his father, Joey Sonnier, quiety stepped into a helping role on the bronc riding side of things for Fournier. When the young bronc rider was having trouble finding his feet, it was Joey who gave him a pair of spurs that made all the difference.
As Fournier looks forward to his rookie year, his plan is momentum going into the summer run as he rides with the best of the best at the winter rodeos.
