By David Henry
Tyler Crone got his start in rodeo as a two-year old, riding a toy horse he received as a Christmas present and using a green and gold Christmas ribbon that came with the horse as a lasso, roping stuffed animals in it.
All he wanted to watch on television was professional bull riding.
"He'd go bull ride ma, bull ride," said Michelle Crone, Tyler's mother.
Back then, the Crones lived in the city, in Beaumont and though both of his parents enjoyed watching rodeos, they didn't live the rodeo lifestyle.
A lot has changed since then for Crone, who will be a freshman at East Chambers High School in the fall.
Crone qualified for the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Gallup, N.M. after finishing third in team roping at the state competition on June 4. The top four advance. This is his first trip to nationals.
Crone's family moved out to Winnie when he was three and he was invited to compete in his first rodeo at age 4 by a cousin who lived down the street.
Crone had never practiced and had no rodeo equipment but competed in sheep riding.
"The people we met there were so friendly, they were like 'borrow this', 'use that' because we didn't have the slightest idea," Michelle Crone said. "After that (Tyler) couldn't get enough."
A year and a half later, Crone had his first saddle, an award that goes to the overall points winner in a series of rodeos.
A horse trainer, Kyle Kahla, gave him a horse he could borrow.
Crone, who also plays basketball and football, has had high finishes at state the last two years in multiple events but his nerves always got the best of him - preventing him from placing high enough to make nationals.
He also qualified for state in chute dogging, goat tying, ribbon roping and calf roping.
Crone is the header on the two-person team consisting of him and Logan Cook of Alto, which means his job is to rope the steer while his partner ties the legs.
"Being a good header, to score right, you have to make sure you don't break the barrier and make sure you really give your heeler a great stint," Crone said.
Read the complete story in Tuesday's print edition of The Beaumont Enterprise
Qualifiers for the National Junior High Rodeo
Gallup, N.M. from June 26-July 2
TV: RFD TVI
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