story by Riata Cummings
Curry Wilkins is the son of Randy and Jenny Wilkins of small-town Jensen, Utah. Curry’s siblings and siblings-in-law are Sequoyah and Chancy Law and Chandler and Ky Jensen. He is also an uncle to Grady. He says his family is “pretty crazy” but he enjoys camping, fishing, hunting and playing cards with them. Curry is the fifth generation on the family farm, and the work keeps him close to his roots.
Curry attends Uintah High School as a senior, and he enjoys his diesel and automotive mechanics class, as well as welding. After high school, he would like to attend Utah State University Eastern to study diesel mechanics. “When I was 14, I started wanting my first car to be a diesel truck. My parents got me one, but I had to work on it a lot. Then I got another one and worked on that truck. I fell in love with it by the second, and I could imagine doing anything else.”
Curry comes from a long line of rodeo athletes and cowboys. He competes in the light rifle shooting and trap shooting through the Utah High School Rodeo Association. “I have always loved guns and shooting. It seems like there was always a gun in my hands. Now I get to do it for fun with lots of great people.” His favorite event is the light rifle because “it feels more natural.” Curry was a state champion light rifle shooter in junior high school and has been to nationals five times. Last year he finished second in the state and fifth in the world in the light rifle shooting. This year he has set his sights on the state and national titles.
One of Curry’s heroes is Sean Hawley, the manager of the Vernal Rod and Gun Club and an accomplished shooter. “He is a nice guy who cares about people. He is always willing to teach and help anyone around him.” That generous nature is something Curry has developed, and he shows it at the rodeos. “Sometimes there are people, who I might not be a fan of, who need my help. When I take the time to help them, it creates a bond that grows into a friendship. You never really regret helping someone.”
Another one of Curry’s heroes and friends was Dalton Van, a NHSRA Trap Shooting World Champion from Roosevelt, Utah, who passed away this summer. “He went to nationals with me, he helped me with welding; we were pretty close.” Losing Dalton was one of the hardest things Curry has experienced. “Dalton told us that if he was going to die young, he didn’t want us to be sad. He wanted us to go do what we love and be happy. It’s hard sometimes, but I’m doing what I can to be happy and trying to do what would make him proud.”
Curry would like to thank his mother to taking him to his shoots and for encouraging him to be his best. He would also like to thank Kolton and Kagen Rhodes, his “brothers,” for being good friends and for pushing him to be better. Curry is grateful for the opportunity to compete and for the people who have made it possible.
