The Voice That Carries

Jeff Marn: Rodeo Announcer

Someone has to put all this into words.

You see a rodeo a little differently from the announcer’s booth. A different perspective and ability to assess what’s important — not just within the arena, but in life.

That’s what has kept Jeff Marn going all these years. After more than a decade of riding bulls, he’s now the voice that brings rodeos alive across Montana and beyond. “I rode bulls for 15 years before this, but I found announcing is a little easier on my body and pays a little better — at times,” he says.

It’s also a great way to share and stay a part of something Jeff sees as so vital.

“My kids are seeing the Western way of life and the way Montana is meant to be seen.”

When he describes it, you feel it. You believe. “As you look at the kids running around these rodeo arenas and kids growing up, I think it's critical to keep them off the screens a little bit and get them in the dirt, and it's okay to have a little fun, and it doesn't have to always be a video game or something,” Jeff says.

Rodeo is the family Jeff chooses to raise his kids in, and it makes sense the event here in Belt, Montana, would be a big part of that. His family has been involved with the Little Belt Cowboys Association for over 65 years. Jeff’s grandfather, dad and uncles have all been involved with the organization and it was inevitable Jeff would be as well.

“Of course, I dreamed of one day being able to ride here, and I never thought I’d be able to talk and do what I do now for a living. I’m pretty blessed to be able to be a part of it,” he says. “This weekend is my favorite place of all time to ever be, so Belt, Montana, always has a special place in my heart.”

And the Belt PRCA Rodeo is blessed to have Jeff as part of the show. The benefit of having someone behind the microphone who has experienced all aspects of the rodeo life helps color the action for those in the stands. Jeff knows what it’s like getting into the arena as a young cowboy. “I remember the very first time in my very first pro rodeo. It was right here in these rodeo grounds and the thought of it kept me up for a week, knowing I'd have to ride in front of the hometown crowd — with that announcer in the background, you know, just everything. My blood was flowing,” Jeff recalls.

Funny that the thought of contending with the announcer sticks out in his mind all these years later.

“I'm not going to say it lasted very long,” Jeff says with a smile, "but I redeemed myself. I made the circuit finals many times and had a very successful bull riding career. Being able to transition into this side and having the perspective I gained as a bull rider has helped me translate a lot better up in the crow's nest as an announcer. I understand the cowboy's experience in the bucking chutes.”

True to form, Marn’s experience even as a rider somehow turns back to the subject of family. He and his wife have kept every buckle, ribbon and sash from their rodeo days, and built a display that’s quite popular with their kids, who clamor for the stories behind each one of those prizes. Jeff and his wife let them unfold, and not surprisingly, the anecdotes get better and better with each telling. Perhaps the favorite story of all doesn’t involve a sash or buckle, but a ring. It happened right here in the Belt Rodeo arena.

"My wife was a former Miss Rodeo Montana and I was a competitor in the bull riding. She was running the flags in right here in this arena. I was getting ready for the bull riding. I saw her riding around and, well, that's kind of how it is. I went and introduced myself.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is kind of how the annual Belt PRCA Rodeo is as well.