story by Kyle Eustice
During the course of his burgeoning rodeo career, 17-year-old Kayden Cottam has had some pretty close calls. The Heber City, Utah saddle bronc rider, trap shooter and light rifle shooter has broken his arm, been knocked out, and almost broke his hip during his three years at Wasatch High School.
“The horse bucked me off and then tried to miss me but landed on me and kicked me twice in the head and the hip,” recalled Kayden. “I was knocked out immediately and they had to stretcher me out.”
After several CT scans and spending a lot of time in the ER, he was finally cleared to go home. Those experiences, however, haven’t stopped him from pursuing his passion for rodeo full force. His parents, Shaune and Jill Cottam, were naturally incredibly concerned, but everyone saw the silver lining in the situation.
“My dad was pretty worried because he wasn’t there that night,” said Kayden. “He works out of town and my mom called him to let him know what had happened. He drove to the hospital in Park City, Utah as fast as he could. He and all my other family were just happy I made it out with only a concussion and a pretty bad bruised hip. It could have been a lot worse. I just figured it was a freak accident and it won’t happen again. I got back on for a rodeo shortly after being cleared.”
Armed with a newfound sense of confidence, Kayden has been feverishly attending event after event. Since joining the UHSRA as a high school freshman in 2013, he’s come a long way since the first time he got on a saddle bronc horse.
“The first time was pretty nerve wracking,” said Kayden. “You go out there in the presence of a lot of people and it rattles you a little bit. But you get down in the chute and it’s a whirlwind. It was a blast though and I wanted more.”
Earlier this year, Kayden made it to Silver State International Rodeo in Winnemucca, Nevada, where he participated in the trap shooting event and saddle bronc. He ended up tying for 3rd place, but ended up 5th place after a shoot off in trap. Saddle bronc riding is the most challenging. He spends hours practicing, often with his little brother Hagen, 14, who just started doing high school rodeos this year, following in his brothers footsteps.
“It’s pretty nice to be an older brother,” said Kayden. “It’s kind of fun. I’m kind of like the test dummy for my little brother. Hopefully, I can pass more knowledge down to him.”
Kayden also has a little sister, Mylee, who is 11. Although she hasn’t started rodeoing yet, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she picked it up, as well.
After he graduates high school, Kayden plans on going to Utah State University to study Veterinary Science. In the meantime, he’s focused on school, rodeo, shooting archery, and participating in the Wasatch Chapter of the FFA, which he’s the Vice President of. He’s also the Wasatch Rodeo Team President.
“I don’t really do too many others sports,” said Kayden. “I spend a lot of time traveling the state to open rodeos and different UHSRA events. Rodeo keeps me busy. It’s a full time gig.”