story by Riata Cummings
Mark and Shalon Biggs are the proud parents of Braxton and Britton Biggs. Hailing from Payson, Utah, they spend a lot of time together on the farm or on the rodeo road. Britton is a 13-year-old eighth grader at Payson Junior High School, where he enjoys his math, science, and small animal science classes. Some of his hobbies include helping his grandfather, Kim Hansen, on the farm, working cows, and rodeoing.
After Braxton started rodeoing his sophomore of high school, Britton gained an interest in the sport and started learning the skills necessary to compete. Now, he competes in the team roping, chute dogging, and breakaway roping through the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association. His favorite is the chute dogging, where the contestants and their parents are particularly helpful and friendly. He has qualified for the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Finals in all three of his events, even placing in the top 5 a few times. At the junior high rodeo in Nephi this year, he won his first buckle. He hopes to keep placing and to qualify for the National Junior High School Rodeo Finals by finishing in the top 4 for chute dogging. Britton also knows that it’s important to love what you do and hopes he can keep having fun throughout the rodeo season.
Britton heads on Earl, a bay gelding who always puts him were he needs to be, and ropes calves on Jamal, a good horse the family hasn’t had very long. He and his bother try to rope live cattle 3-4 times a week, as well as spending a significant amount of time roping the dummy every day.
Britton lives by the John Wayne quote, “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” Although it can sometimes be intimidating to compete in the tough sport of rodeo, Britton remembers all the people supporting him, encouraging him to do his best, and is able to face the fear of failure to compete. He knows that you can never do your best when you let fear be your focus. Britton’s heroes include Trent Cloward and Gus Hansen. Trent has helped Britton learn how to rope and encouraged him as he improves. Trent even gave the Biggs boys Earl, their head horse, when they needed a reliable mount for the rodeos. Gus is Britton’s cousin and a talented steer wrestler, who taught Britton the ins and outs of chute dogging.
Like them, Britton strives to be a helpful and kind person, looking for opportunities to lend a hand whenever he can. He would like people to know him as a good person and talented rodeo athlete. Britton would like to thank his family and friends for their support in and out of the arena, and for the opportunity he has been given to compete in the greatest sport on dirt.
