story by Riata Cummings
Wyatt Crandall is the 18-year-old son of Jimmy and Tiffanie Crandall of Benjamin, Utah. His younger brothers are Bridger, Tate and Ryder, and the family spends most of their time together in the arena. Wyatt attends Spanish Fork High School as a senior, and he enjoys the hands on learning he experiences in his welding class. After high school he would like to attend college to explore a possible career in veterinary science, and he is leaning towards Ranger College in Texas as his school of choice.
Wyatt’s parents competed in high school rodeo, and he has been a competitor himself since he was 8-years-old. Various junior rodeo circuits and the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association prepared Wyatt to be a successful high school rodeo athlete. During junior high, Wyatt was a two-time national qualifier. During his sophomore year he qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo in the team roping. He has also been one of the top 15 contestants at the Junior American Rodeo and qualified for the Junior National Finals Rodeo. This year the team roper and tiedown roper hopes to qualify for the NHSFR in both of his events and is shooting for a state title.
Wyatt usually competes on two horses, Grit and Greg. Grit is a 9-year-old, sorrel calf horse with a good attitude and an honest work ethic and is the horse Wyatt spends most of his time on. Greg is the fast and consistent head horse that Wyatt uses to turn steers for Brady Baxter, his team roping partner. Wyatt practices nearly every day of the rodeo season, sometimes using as many as five or six horses to rope for hours on end. “We rope as often as we can, and sometimes we just get on and keep going until we can’t rope any more. As much as our horses and our stock can handle.”
Rodeo has taught Wyatt to be “hard working and dedicated to whatever it is you love. You have to just keep trucking along, keep trying to get better. You have to be self-motivated and set goals for yourself.” The lifestyle has also taught him to be “responsible for livestock, horses and equipment.” Wyatt lives by the saying, “Hard work pays off,” and he believes that consistent practice is the key to success. One of his favorite parts of the cowboy’s sport is getting to build relationships with other competitors and getting to spend downtime at the rodeo with his friends and family.
Wyatt works hard to balance his rodeo career with the family and academic aspects of his life. “My parents have pushed me to be good at everything I do, not just rodeo.” His parents have also encouraged him to the kind of person that others can look up to. “I try really hard to be a good example to my brothers and my friends. Sometimes that’s the best thing we can do for a person.”
Wyatt would like to thank his brothers and parents for supporting his rodeo career, helping him in practice, keeping him on good horses and pushing him to be a better man. He would also like to thank his roping partner, Brady, and the rest of his practice companions for making him a better athlete and a better friend.
