story by Lindsay King
Kade Williams from Haskell, Oklahoma, was bound to become a roper. Jana, his mom, set the fast time record in the breakaway roping at IFR 42 that stood until just last year. “My parents always had friends over to rope while I was growing up. I would rope with them and try to do some of the things they did. Basically, I grew up in a roping arena,” said the 13 year old. KaCee, his dad, is also a roper, so learning how to rope was a team effort from his parents. Naturally, his favorite place to be is in a roping arena and his favorite event is tie-down roping. “I have been doing it the longest and it is the most fun for me. It takes a lot of athletic ability to rope the calf around the neck, dismount and then handle it.” Kade also ribbon ropes, breakaway ropes, ties goats and is a chute dogger.
He first started riding when he was three and began to rodeo in the NJRA at the age of six. The next year he started to rope in the OJRA. “My dad used to rope a few steers and I need another event for high school so I am thinking of learning how to head next year.” Kade was blessed to finish his seventh-grade season as the OKJHSRA state champion boys breakaway roper before heading to nationals. He finished in third place in the short-go and also took third in the average for breakaway roping. The last several months have been good to Kade, he won the Chris Neal’s Future Stars Calf Roping in May and Rising Stars Roping last November. “Those were really fun to win. When I was eight, I won the first Future Stars youngest roper saddle.” For six years, Kade has captured the OJRA all-around cowboy title, including this year.
His second favorite place to be is on a baseball diamond, where he spends part of his summer playing first base or pitching for the Coweta Tigers Junior High team. “I have played my whole life. You have to be smart and play to your position.” Kade is a fan of the Texas Rangers baseball team and follows both the Warriors and Thunder during basketball season, but rodeo is his year-round sport. “Summer is when I try to get better. We rope just about everyday early in the morning before it gets too hot.” An eighth grader at Cowetta Junior High School, Kade enjoys seeing all his friends. “We live on a small ranch out of town so I do not see my friends much outside of school.” The challenge of math is appealing to Kade, making it his favorite subject. He is an honor student and enrolls in advanced classes while making straight As. He aspires to become a mechanical engineer in the future.
Kade’s little sister, Jacee, is 9 and runs barrels, poles, goat ties and breakaway ropes. “It is fun to rodeo with her. I try to help her in practice when I can, but she does not always listen to me.” KaCee is a pharmacist and Jana is a principle in Bixby, working hard to keep their kids mounted and to their various activities. Kade appreciates the support from his parents, grandparents and their long-time family friends, Gary and Cindy Updyke, who let him ride a couple of their horses, Jody and Yella. He credits them for improving his roping in the last 18 months.
“My parents and Trevor Brazile are definitely my role models. Trevor works hard and keeps a good attitude in the arena. He acts the same when he wins and loses.” Kade always tries to emulate Trevor by keeping a good attitude inside and out of the arena. He is most proud of being a Christian, regarding it as one of his favorite things. “Every year I try to set goals for the upcoming year and beyond. I would like to make nationals in the tie-down roping, goat tying and chute dogging next year. In high school, I want to focus on tie-down and eventually go to the NFR in it.” His favorite part of rodeo is working hard and seeing that pay off. “I like to rodeo with my friends in the OKJHSRA and I like how tough it is. You have to work hard all year to make it to nationals. It is a really humbling sport, but, mostly, I just like being a cowboy.”
