Clovis teen earns tie-down roping title

A Clovis teenager wrapped up his summer on the world stage. Kyan Wilhite, 17, earned the world championship title in tie-down roping at the 75th National High School Finals Rodeo.

Wilhite claimed the crown Saturday in Gillette, Wyo., after securing a cumulative score of 27.24 seconds for the week-long event. The score is based on the combined times and scores of three rounds.

Tie-down roping, or calf roping, is a timed rodeo event in which a rider must lasso a calf from horseback. Once the lasso is secured around the calf's neck, the rider then must dismount the horse and pick up the calf and flip it onto its side so that the competitor can tie three of the calf's legs together with a short rope.

"I had a lot of adrenaline and once I caught him (the calf), I was just really excited to go finish it. It was a cool experience," Wilhite said.

Wilhite scored first-place finishes in all of his rounds. He won Tuesday in 10.36 seconds, improved to 8.55 seconds to win Thursday and then clinched the title with an 8.33-second finale on Saturday.

Wilhite was rewarded for his victory with $2,000 in college scholarships and numerous merchandise prizes that included a saddle, boots, a leather jacket, a year's supply of nutritional supplement for horses, and a year's supply of jeans and shirts.

Jarod Wilhite said his son kept their entire family at the edge of their seats with his performances.

"We were definitely a little nervous in the middle of the day, as the day dragged on (Saturday). But as we got closer to competition time I could definitely tell he was zoning in ... Ky has been in those situations before, so we were confident he was going to make it happen," Jarod Wilhite said.

The younger Wilhite said he has been drawn toward the rodeo world since he was tying down whatever he could find at his grandfather's farm at the age of 9. It was at that time Wilhite said he wanted to do this for a living and start learning to compete as an athlete.

As a first-generation rodeo athlete, Wilhite said he and his father spent many years learning the ins and outs of the competitive world.

They got some help along the way from some familiar local names. Professional world-champion tie-down roper Shad Mayfield and his dad Sylvester Mayfield of Clovis offered Kyan Wilhite their mentorship. The Wilhites also credit family friend Payton Terry with honing the championship skills.

"I had to learn it all by myself and then after I could rope a little bit, we went down to the Mayfields and they helped me get on my first horse and start learning some more," Kyan Wilhite said.

Jarod Wilhite said that despite his son being the first in the family to partake in rodeo, he might not be the last. When he's not training, Ky an is teaching his younger sisters how to rope and perform in various rodeo activities.

"I picture my son's future kind of whatever he wants to make of it. His goal is to join the boys in the professional ranks and keep doing what he loves. He's got a great passion and talent set for the sport, calf roping, and I'm going to help him and do all I can to push him forward into the future," Jarod Wilhite said.

Kyan Wilhite, who is homeschooled, said he has enjoyed more than just the rodeos this summer. The travel that goes with it has allowed him to experience new things and make friends within the sport.

He said the quality time he spends with his family has been something to cherish.

The NHSFR is the world's largest rodeo, with more than 1,700 contestants coming from 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico, according to the high school rodeo association's website. Contestants competed for $150,000 in prizes and $150,000 in added money, in addition to competing for college scholarships and the titles.

"It was really cool to compete," Kyan Wilhite said. "I mean there were a bunch of people there. It's a pretty awesome experience. I was pretty pumped up about it."