story by Siri Stevens
Tyler Kippes is leading the bull riding in the CPRA – and leading by a long shot. “It’s been a good season and I’m fortunate to be where I am,” said the 16 year old from Eaton, Colorado. “It was my goal to win the CPRA on my Rookie card.” Tyler was riding last year at a few local jackpots and then ended up tearing his PCL on his knee and just got cleared this last March to ride. “It was one of my goals to do the CPRA rodeos – it was the next step up.”
Tyler will be a junior this fall and will take the time off his home school schedule to make the Finals. He also works part time for Crooked Fence, LLC. “I’m a welder for them – I love it. That’s another one of my passions. I was always told there’s no point in doing something you hate; so this is something I really enjoy. It’s like bull riding – you are perfecting your craft. It doesn’t matter how good your weld is or how good your bull ride is, there’s always something you can pick out to improve on.”
He started competing in rodeo as a mutton buster. He got on his first actual bull just shy of his eighth birthday. “I went to Mountain States Young Guns that Kevin Rich puts on every spring and fall in Fort Collins.” He has perfected his riding over the years. “The biggest thing with bull riding is that it’s an individual sport. Figuring out your mistakes – Kody Lohstroh and Gary Leffew both taught me the only two things you can control is your attitude and how hard you try. As soon as I started realizing that, it changed my riding. I wasn’t so focused on winning all the time – you have to set your sights on the eternal things in life, not the material.”
Last week at Golden, he got knocked out, so he needs to wait until September to get on again. I’m doing a little rehab right now. “I remember waking up on the stretcher asking what my score was. That’s the first time I’ve been knocked out for 16 years.” He lives at home with his mom, Michelle. His dad, Randy lives in Littleton and works at Denver Water, a job he’s had since high school. Michelle works at Agfinity Feed in Eaton. He travels with Wyatt Joseph. “We’ve been running together all summer – it’s a blast. He comes over to ride practice bulls, we both have bulls at our houses. It’s been a fun summer for sure.”
After high school, Tyler would like to pro rodeo. “I’d like to make a living off rodeo, but I’ll probably keep doing what I do with the welding. Maybe I’ll even start my own business one of these days. The only thing I really know is that I need to keep God first. I need to bring honor and glory to His name and remain optimistic no matter what the outcome is, it is always worked out for my good. That’s made me progress.”
