story by Riata Cummings
Shyann Young is the 17-year-old daughter of Chet and Courtney Young of Wallsburg, Utah. She has an older sister, Sadie, and the family enjoys going on trips to big rodeos together and supporting one another’s hobbies.
Shyann is a senior at Wasatch High School, and she enjoys her agricultural classes. She is the Wasatch FFA Chapter sentinel and leads the efforts to “get more people involved and show more people a place where they can belong.” She loves the “good people and good experiences” found through the National FFA Organization.
When Shyann isn’t at a rodeo or at school, she is working as a custodian for an elementary school and as a veterinary technician’s assistant at an animal clinic. After graduation, she hopes to attend Utah State University to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine.
Shyann’s father was a bull rider., and she was “raised with a love of rodeo.” She serves as the Wasatch Rodeo Team secretary. Her chosen events are the light rifle shooting and the trap shooting. She started competing in the trap shooting when she was a freshman, and the faster-paced event is her favorite. Last year she qualified for the state finals and went on to compete at the Silver State International Rodeo. This year she started the light rifle shooting. Her team practices together once a week, usually shooting around 100 rounds a piece.
She loves that the shooting events “aren’t traditional rodeo events but they give kids that aren’t as connected to the lifestyle a chance to get involved in it.” She also loves that the shooting community “has become a second family.” She has met all of her closest friends through rodeo and shooting.
When Shyann is shooting, her coaches and friends tell her to “just go have fun.” She has adopted that sentiment as her mantra, and strives to “live life not so seriously,” and to enjoy the exciting moments without worrying so much. She would advise rodeo rookies to “give it your all, but don’t stress about the small stuff.” One of Shyann’s greatest strengths is her independent nature. “I worry about me and I work for what I want. I try not to stress about other people too much.”
One of Shyann’s heroes is her dad, Chet. “He always works hard, and he always does his best.” She would love to be as hard working and passionate as her father is. Shyann would like to thank her father and mother for supporting her shooting. She would also like to thank the Brierleys family for helping her get started in the shooting and for becoming her “second parents.” Shyann is grateful for friends and family that have helped her become the markswoman she is, and hopes they see her gratitude.
