above: NHSRA member, Lucas Troyer at NHSFR 2015 – JenningsRodeoPhotography.com
story by Ruth Nicolaus
Lucas Troyer is in his final year of competition in the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association.
The 18-year-old cowboy competes in the boys cutting and rides a 10-year-old red roan named Tony, whose registered name is DMAC Spoons Airride. Tony, who is owned by his dad’s cousin Paul Troyer, is ornery, Lucas says. He likes to kick at his bucket, dump the water out, and bang on his stall door when it’s feeding time.
Lucas, who lives in Beemer, Neb., is a senior at Wisner-Pilger High School. He enjoys school, especially study hall, where there isn’t much studying going on but lots of relaxing and socializing instead. His second favorite class is anatomy and physiology, in part because he’d like to be a doctor and will need to know those subjects. Calculus is the toughest class he has this year. “I’m starting to get the hang of it,” he says, “but it’s calculus. It’s really hard.”
He is involved in several extracurricular activities, including football, basketball, track, One-Acts, band (he plays the baritone saxophone), academic team, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Youth Group. He is on his school’s honor roll.
This fall, he hopes to play football, either at Doane College (Crete, Neb.), the University of South Dakota (Vermillion), or the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He will get his undergraduate degree, then apply to medical school.
In his spare time, Lucas loves to ride, hang out with friends, go to the movies, or help his dad manage feedlots. “It’s always fun,” he says of feedlot work. His dad “likes to show me what to do, and how to do it, and how to do things right.”
Lucas has competed at state finals all three years, and has gone on to the National High School Finals Rodeo in 2014 and 2015.
He has five brothers and sisters and seven nephews and five nieces. His niece Ashton Troyer has just started high school rodeo, and he predicts that his nephew Conner Troyer, a third grader, will also rodeo. “He likes to get out and get dirty and do anything with a horse. He loves to come out and help dad.”
Lucas is the son of Rick and Vickie Troyer.
