story by Riata Cummings
Logan Cumbie is a 15-year-old rodeo athlete from Tremonton, Utah. He has been competing in rodeo for as long as he can remember, participating in pee-wee events when he was only 5-years-old. The sport of rodeo “runs in the family” for Logan, and he loves “the adrenaline rush, the people and the positivity” of the rodeo environment. He also enjoys the opportunity it gives him to ride his horses and work with them to become better.
Logan attends Williamsburg Academy of Utah, an online school that allows Logan to finish his work “faster than public school” and at his own pace. His favorite subjects are science and math.
Logan is the son of Matt and Traci Cumbie, and his siblings are Keegan, Brannam and Kasen. Keegan, his older brother, “is a good roper and really supportive brother.” Brannam is “a good friend that is always trying to get better,” and Kasen is “just starting rodeo and doing really well, even though he is sometimes a little tease.” The family enjoys spending time together in the arena, riding colts, practicing for rodeo and enjoying each other’s company. They also enjoy fishing, camping and other outdoor activities.
Logan competes in the team roping, tiedown roping, chute dogging and ribbon roping through the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association. He especially loves the physical challenge of tiedown roping because there is “always something to work on and improve on.” He also enjoys roping with Rio Hughes in the team roping and Paislee Davis in the ribbon roping.
Logan competes on several horses, rotating based on the stock and the event. His team roping horse is Gus, an “ugly gray horse that doesn’t look like much but is a superstar in the arena.” His calf horses are Chile, a quick horse who has been with him since day one; Doc, an older, slightly slower horse who “works the line great and is really easy to ride”; and Biggy, Keegan’s little sorrel mount who is “quiet in the box, fast to the calf, has a good stop and is just really honest.”
During practice, Logan usually rides younger horses to focus on his horsemanship. “If you aren’t creating a relationship with your horse and becoming a better rider, you will limit yourself. And, you can’t compete to your full ability if you don’t have a good horse. It’s easier to do everything right when you can trust your horse.”
Logan lives by the saying, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” This means more to him than “just taking your chances,” it means, “If you aren’t taking smart shots and mastering your head game, you will miss so many shots that you should have made, in and out of the arena.” Logan is constantly practicing his mental game, utilizing the sports hypnotherapy skills of his mother.
One of Logan’s heroes is his father, who is “always running around helping and making sure things are right.” One day Logan would like to emulate his father’s “habit of being kind to others and always working hard” as well as his roping and horsemanship skills.
Logan would like to thank his mother and father for supporting his rodeo dreams and helping him become the competitor he wants to be. He would also like to thank his brothers and Grandpa Randy for giving him opportunities to be better.
