Mike Goscha
Mike Goscha just recently joined the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo Association Board as a director. Mike Goscha was raised in Carbondale and graduated from Roaring Fork High School in 1990. He started working on a local ranch when he was 14 years old, and learned much about the registered Angus cattle business during the 25 years he worked there. Mike received his A.A. from Colorado Mountain College and went on to receive his B.S. from Colorado State University in 1998. He married his wife Jayme in 2000 and have owned and worked their own cattle with the help of their two children Trent and Tess. Mike also spent 5 years as an electrician and is currently the Ranch Manager at Bear Wallow Ranch where he lives with his family up Canyon Creek in Glenwood Springs.
Mike has been an active volunteer in the Carbondale community, and you may recognize him from his work with Mt. Sopris Rec Riders, Potato Days (Bareback Bonanza & Parade), Mt. Sopris 4-H club, or you may have seen him cheering his kids on at the Roaring Fork Ranch Roping, Garfield County Fair, baseball, softball or soccer fields. Most Sundays, the Goschas can be found at the Orchard church in Carbondale. Because of Trent’s and Tess’ passion for their western heritage, Mike and Jayme also took over the reins of the local gymkhana series several years ago and started the Sopris Gymkhana Club which holds monthly events at the Gus Darien Arena for riders of all ages from June-October each year.
The CWWR has always been a big part of the summer for the Goschas, as they began attending as a family when the kids were little. Trent and Tess both participated in mutton bustin’ and calf scramble and always enjoyed seeing their cowboy friends and neighbors each week at the rodeo. Trent loved the rodeo so much that on his 6th birthday he asked for donations to the CWWR instead of presents! Trent is pictured at 4 years old after Mutton Bustin’ at CWWR. Since Trent’s unexpected death in November 2016 at the age of 13, Mike and his family have dedicated themselves to the things Trent loved and valued in his short, but full, life. The thing Trent loved most was being a cowboy and learning from the wonderful cowboys and cowgirls heroes he got to know at the CWWR. (The CWWRA Board has established the Trent Goscha Sportsmanship Award to be awarded to a participant in the rodeo or the gymkhana.) Mike is happy to work with such an incredible group of people as a member of the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo Board to keep Carbondale’s western traditions alive and to help bring the same joy to other families as the CWWR has brought to his.