Dedication, attitude, skill put locals in top competition
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Abby Knight, Wyatt Lytton and Will Powell are headed to Rock Springs, Wyo. for the 65th annual National High School Finals Rodeo this week after exceptional performances at the state level. Knight placed first in pole bending and fourth in barrel racing. Lytton placed second in calf roping. Powell placed first in steer wrestling and second in team roping.
Powell went to nationals last year and he described the rodeo as “big enough to get lost in.” His family helps him navigate by renting transportation.
“The National Finals Rodeo is huge,” said Patti Powell, Will’s mom. “You need a golf cart to get around. Every state, every Canadian province and Australia is there.”
Abby Knight, Charlo, returns to nationals for the second time.
“Last year, I placed 13th in the nation,” Knight said. “Hopefully I do even better this year.”
Staying positive she says helps her compete.
“I just go in with a good attitude,” she said.
Knight, 17, needed help getting around the barrels when she first started competing.
“I started out when I was two being led around the barrels by my mom,” she said.
“I’ve been doing this for 15 years.”
Lytton, Polson, started competing in rodeo when he was five years old. At 17, he found his niche in calf roping.
“What I love about calf roping is that you’re totally on your own,” he said. “It’s just you, your horse and your abilities.”
This is Lytton’s first year at nationals.
“I hope it goes the way I practiced,” he said. “After all the hard work, I’ll just let the cards go where they will and see how it goes.”
Lytton said roping is a skill he learned from his family.
“My brother and my dad both rope,” he said. “Working with them and roping calves has taught me work ethic.”
Powell, 16, from St. Ignatius placed 19th in the nation last year. He doesn’t remember the exact age he was when he started in rodeo.
“I’ve always had a rope in my hand as long as I can remember,” he said.
At a typical rodeo, Powell rides into the starting box. He turns his horse in the direction of the steer. Powell checks his position. Correct form he says can mean the difference between winning and losing. A head nod starts the action.
“Once you nod, you go,” he said. “You ride as hard as you can to get to the steer.”
Powell rides his horse at full speed up next to the steer, lines up his body with the horns, and moves down over the animal’s head.
“I hook on the horns,” he said. “I’m off the horse. I bring the steer’s head really low. I can feel the steer’s body connecting around me.”
In 3.9 seconds, one of Powell’s faster times, the steer is wrestled to the ground.
“The steer lands flat on his side,” he said.
Powell built up the strength it takes to pin a steer by working on his dad’s ranch with his family.
“We work until six or seven fixing fence, moving water or working with the cows. Then we practice team roping and bulldogging.
“Having your family with you keeps you going. We push each other to get done with work so we can practice.”
Powell says the rodeo community is like an extended family.
“If something happens, your horse gets loose, you need money or you get hurt, people are there to help,” he said. “When I’m walking around at the rodeo, I’ll help someone get hay. We all help each other.”
National High School Finals Rodeo information can be found at NHSRA.org and live broadcasts air on NHSRATV.com.
