story by Riata Cummings
Kylie Batchelor has been competing in rodeo since she was 5-years-old, and the barrel racer and pole bender loves “the adrenaline rush in the arena and the friendship in the warm up pen.”
The now 17-year-old is a member of the Utah High School Rodeo Association and a senior at Payson High School. She enjoys the discovery of the past in her history class and is currently taking a medical billing class through Mountainland Technical College and hopes to make the class into a career path.
Kylie is the daughter of Brady and Jennifer Batchelor of Benjamin, Utah. She has two older sisters, Shalece and Shaley, and a younger brother, Jayden. Together the family enjoys going hunting, fishing or spending time in the outdoors.
Kylie practices three or four days of the week, working the pattern one or two of those days and exercising out of the arena on the off days. She has qualified for the National Little Britches Rodeo Association finals and hopes to qualify for the Utah High School State Finals Rodeo this year and finish top 10 in the barrel racing. She enjoys learning and growing with her horses and hopes to compete in the Rocky Mountain Professional Rodeo Association after graduation.
Kylie’s hero is her best friend, Makayla Brown, who competes in rodeo with Kylie. “I watched her work her butt off. She got knocked down, like we all do, but she still gets up and she keeps going.” Kylie admires that determination and hopes to emulate it in her own life.
One of Kylie’s greatest strengths is her determination to be kind. “Even if I have had bad experiences with someone, I try to be kind to them. You never know when someone will become your friend.” The kindness has helped her keep a positive, encouraging attitude at the rodeo. “It lifts your spirit to cheer other people on.”
She would advise rodeo rookies to be bold and courageous when they compete. “Don’t be afraid you will look stupid. Everyone looks dumb once in a while. Just go for it, do your best and be proud of yourself.”
Kylie would like to thank her parents for hauling her to rodeos and supporting her rodeo dreams. She would also like to thank Mckayla Brown and her parents for helping her down the rodeo road.
