Meet the Member Wes Bray
story by Lily Weinacht Wes Bray clinched his goal for his final season of high school rodeo, finishing in the top 20 in the nation […]
WHSRA member, Chett Whitman - Photo by Carie Whitman, Bar 111 Photography
story by Lily Weinacht
The WNFR has played a leading role in inspiring Chett Whitman to rodeo, from watching the finals rodeo on television since he was only knee high, to his supreme rodeo goal of competing in the Thomas & Mack Center. The 18-year-old from Big Piney, Wyo., started rodeoing as soon as he understood the sport, and has had the bighearted support of his parents, Grant and Carie Whitman, the roping coaching of PRCA cowboys Jhett and Justin Johnson, and Chett learned his cutting know-how from his grandpa, who is a horse trainer. Chett calls himself Cesar de la Cruz’s biggest fan, and never fails to be inspired by watching him or Jade Corkill rope. He competes in cutting and team roping as a heeler in the WHSRA, and Chett has also tried tie-down roping, which he hopes to pursue further once he finds a solid calf horse. He has been working on his roping and tying skills since he was quite small, going many places with a rope in hand and tying his family’s table and chairs together with shoelaces.
Within the last year, Chett’s catch rate in team roping has greatly increased. He attributes this to approaching the event with a more confident and positive mindset, something he learned at the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy. During his 22 weeks at the school, Chett only team roped a handful of times, but returned to high school rodeo roping better than he ever had before. “It kind of shocked me!” he recalls. “I thought I would need some practice to get back into roping, but I mentally went in thinking I would catch, and I did! The WCCA really changed how I looked at things and reacted to them – and life in general. You just have to keep going forward and stay positive, whether it’s in the roping pen, the classroom, or in life.”
The Whitman’s call their small ranch in the foothills of the Wyoming Range home. Chett’s 15-year-old sister, Rylee, competes in cutting in the WHSRA, with some pole bending, barrel racing, and team roping on the side. Rylee competed in the NHSFR in cutting last summer, as well as the NCHA Western Nationals held in Denver, Colo. Chett and Rylee do most of their practicing at home, with an outdoor and indoor arena to choose from. Chett and his friend JD Slagowski have started a horse training business, taking four and five-year-old sale horses that have never seen a rodeo and training them for heading or heeling, depending on the horse. Chett’s own roping horse is Buckcherry, a mare that he purchased from his neighbor – a professional roper – Wes Miller. Chett says of the high powered mare, “She’s a big blessing, and a big key to my success so far.”
Chett is a senior at Big Piney High School this year. He took all online classes from home his first semester and returned to his high school this semester to finish out the school year. Welding has been Chett’s favorite class, where he learned to weld in tight places or upside down, fix rust on horse trailers, and weld a variety of other projects. While rodeo is the career Chett plans to pursue, he is also entertaining the idea of becoming a teacher.
Following high school, Chett plans to rodeo for Western Texas Community College, and he’s hoping to add tie-down roping and even steer wrestling to his rodeo résumé. He finishes, “Thank you to everyone who has helped me out – my family, the Johnson family, and my roping partner, JD Slagowski. Thanks for sticking with me!”
story by Lily Weinacht Wes Bray clinched his goal for his final season of high school rodeo, finishing in the top 20 in the nation […]
story by Lily Weinacht WHSRA athlete Karissa Phillips is taking her skills and lessons learned from high school rodeo to the college level this fall. […]
story by Lily Weinacht Dalton McCaslin concluded his senior year in the WHSRA as the 2019 state bull riding champion. “I knew I had to […]
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May 12, 2019
Bareback Riding
1 Donny Proffit 120
2 Riggen Myers 71.5
3 Derrick Robinson 10
4 Dimaggio Hamilton 9
5 Denton Pavlenko 9
6 Drake Amundson 9
7 Cameron Henson 8
Barrel Racing
1 Shelby Petersen 109
2 Shay Hough 102
3 Maddie Fantaskey 91
4 Taylor Nichols 89
5 Ellie Bard 83
6 Haiden Thompson 78.5
7 Cedar Kohr 75
8 Isabelle Camino 51
9 Baily Coombs 37
10 Halle Hladky 32
Boys Cutting
1 Wes Bray 111
2 Hunter Hayden 100
3 Preston Schwartzkopf 92
4 Joseph Hayden 91.5
5 Kasen York 91
6 Broc Schwartzkopf 15
7 Kall Mayfield 11.5
Reakaway Roping
1 Ellie Bard 67
2 Ellie Anderson 59
3 Jordyn Mcnamee 56
4 Rayne Grant 56
5 Kaydin Davis 49
6 Hadley Furnival 45
7 Shaylee Terry 42
8 Haiden Thompson 40
9 Hailey Hardeman 36
10 Kyra Corson 35
Bull Riding
1 Brody Hasenack 90
2 Dalton Mccaslin 84
3 Zain Fitzgerald 82
4 Wyatt Phelps 74
5 Donny Proffit 43.5
6 Matthew Fenton 41.5
7 Cjay Firnekas 41.5
8 Landen Brownlee 34
9 Tipton Wilson 28
10 Derek Grant 18
Girls Cutting
1 Ayanah Winsor 115.5
2 Emme Norsworthy 100
3 Taylor Gibson 92
4 Aniya Teppo 88.5
5 Maddie Fantaskey 34
Goat Tying
1 Tavy Leno 118
2 Haiden Thompson 109
3 Brooke Worman 92.5
4 Shaylee Terry 79
5 Karissa Phillips 76
6 Mckenna Clingman 56
7 Ellie Bard 49
8 Rayne Grant 47
9 Baylee Delbridge 41
10 Lanna Jordan 38
Light Rifle
1 Colter Nunn 30
2 Stratton Kohr 27
3 Tipton Wilson 23
4 Cody Caldwell 20
5 Peityn Manor 19
6 Alexis Wilson 14
7 Kennedy Sheehan 10
Pole Bending
1 Shay Hough 118
2 Halle Hladky 99
3 Shelby Petersen 73
4 Rayne Grant 66.5
5 Ellie Bard 64.5
6 Madison Wolff 61
7 Jordyn Mcnamee 45
8 Hailey Hardeman 44
9 Haiden Thompson 42
10 Amber Salazar 42
Reined Cow Horse
1 Clay Kinnison 38
2 Preston Schwartzkopf 32
3 Kasen York 30.5
4 Maddie Fantaskey 27
5 Tierney George 23
6 Peyton Kottwitz 21.5
7 Ayanah Winsor 19
8 Morgan Vaughan 12.5
9 Scotlyn Flitner 11.5
10 Hanna Griemsman 3
Saddle Bronc
1 Jase Longwell 63
2 Kayson Dory 49
3 Donny Proffit 38
4 Cian Ahern 20
5 Parker Manor 18
6 Wyatt Phelps 10
7 Guston Lozier 10
8 Cody Acord 8
Steer Wrestling
1 Winsten Mcgraw 98
2 Kaden Berger 78
3 Kagen King 73
4 Skyler Lubkeman 69
5 Jake Deveraux 63
6 Chase Stricklin 60
7 Danny Goold 52
8 Derrick Robinson 37
9 Chance Sorenson 33
10 Donald Quick 19
Team Roping
1 Jade Espenscheid 95
2 Coy Johnson 95
3 Kolby Bradley 62.5
4 Arye Espenscheid 62.5
5 Blake Afdahl 61
6 Clay Reiner 61
7 Carson Johnson 53
8 Teegan Leno 51
9 Bryan Lemmon 51
10 Jared Lemmon 51
11 Jase Longwell 48
12 Winsten Mcgraw 44
13 Lane Anderson 44
14 Cooper Deveraux 40.5
15 Jake Deveraux 40.5
16 Tanner Handy 40
17 Cameron Klatt 40
18 Bryton Scheller 37
19 Teagan Bentley 36
20 Dawson Mccuin 36
Tie Down Calf Roping
1 Jake Deveraux 83
2 Preston Schwartzkopf 77
3 Cooper Deveraux 69
4 Colter Ellis 67
5 Clay Reiner 63
6 Teagan Bentley 46
7 Cody Caldwell 45
8 Teegan Leno 45
9 Coy Thar 44
10 Weston Mills 43
Trap Shooting
1 Colter Ellis 28
2 Bryson Bartholomew 27
3 Carsten Hughes 25.5
4 Kolton Miller 17
5 Dawson Mccuin 12.5
6 Quincy Reynolds 12
7 Brodee Barkhurst 11.5
8 Alexis Wilson 10.5
9 Kagen King 8.5
10 Clay Reiner 7.5