From Nursing School to World Champion: Leo Loucks
Published on September 2, 2025
By Hilary Holdinghausen
Leo Loucks of Crab Orchard has been riding and roping since he was six years old. By his teens, he had roped and ridden his way to multiple state titles. But on the national stage, success always seemed just out of reach.
That changed after his first year at John A. Logan College.
In July, Loucks closed out his final National Little Britches Rodeo Association season in unforgettable fashion. He became the Senior Boys World Champion Tie-Down Roper, the Senior Boys Finals All-Around Champion, and the Senior Boys Reserve All-Around World Champion, earning three major titles at the NLBRA Finals.
He credited much of that breakthrough to an unexpected source: JALC’s Nursing Program.
“Nursing is tough mentally. You have to keep your head on,” Loucks explained. “Every class has a quiz, every week an exam. Being in that constant pressure situation has strengthened me tremendously,” he insisted. “Rodeo is the same way. When the pressure is on, you have to perform.”
At nationals, Loucks went last, watching 19 competitors before him. In tie-down roping, each cowboy ropes and ties a calf in multiple rounds, and the times are averaged together to determine the winner. With calm focus, he made two clean runs and posted the best overall average time to secure his first world title.
The win was even more meaningful because it came on Little Debbie, a 10-year-old mare he borrowed from a fellow nursing student and longtime rodeo friend from Missouri.
Despite earning nearly $16,000 in winnings and scholarships, Loucks says rodeo will remain a passion, not a career. His future is in nursing. “Since junior high, I knew I wanted to be in healthcare. I come from a blue-collar family, and I’ll be the first to go into healthcare. I feel like I was called to help people.”
Loucks had already completed the CNA program in high school and graduated with his LPN from John A. Logan College in May 2025. In August, he began the RN program, working toward his goal of becoming an ER nurse in southern Illinois.
Balancing full-time nursing school with rodeo travel is not easy, but Loucks is thriving. “Rodeo has taught me life lessons. It’s more than riding and roping. You learn connections, communication, and that you are your own biggest competition. Nursing is the same way.”
With eight titles to his name and a spot as a first draft pick for the Junior Ironman in 2026, Leo is not slowing down. His advice to future nursing students is simple: “Get your prerequisites out of the way, master the art of critical thinking, and use study groups,” he said. “The nursing program here at John A. Logan is tough, but it has instilled a foundation for me to succeed.”
For Loucks, the connection is clear. The pressure of nursing school prepared him to win in rodeo, and the lessons of rodeo prepared him for a career in nursing. Loucks’ success in the classroom and in the arena has proven that with grit, discipline, and heart, you can rope your dreams and ride them to the finish line.