story by Lindsay Humphrey
All four Rawls boys essentially live and breathe team roping, day and night. At the helm of that passion is Trysten, who, at 18, is the oldest of his siblings – Paden, 16, Phoenix, 11 and Roane, 3. “If you grow up around it [team roping], it’s just going to become part of you and that’s definitely true about my brothers and I,” said the Tecumseh High School senior. “My dad has always been a team roper and immersed into the rodeo life, but he never pushed it on any of us. I could always tell that he would love it if we chose to rodeo.” Trysten’s mom – Misty Moore – also grew up around rodeo, but her dad and brother were behind the chutes. “My mom plays a big role in keeping everyone humble. But both of my parents are really big life coaches for all of us and they’re helping us succeed in everything that we want to pursue.”
It wasn’t that long ago that Trysten was more interested in high school sports – baseball, basketball and football – than rodeo and team roping. That all changed because of baseball. “It was the summer before seventh grade when my brother went to cowboy church camp for a few days, and I couldn’t go because I had baseball. My dad took me with him to the practice pen and that day changed everything.” With his dad on the head side, Trysten nailed his heel shots. That’s all it took to light the spark that would ignite Trysten’s passion for the event and carry him through high school rodeo. Even though team roping has been Trysten’s focus ever since that day, he continued playing sports until the beginning of his final high school rodeo season.
Teamed up with his brother, Paden, in the OHSRA, Trysten wouldn’t want to rope with anybody else. “When Paden was little, roping wasn’t just an option for him, he loved it so much that it was always mandatory. He’s one of the most consistent headers that I know, and I’ll rope with him over anybody else every time.” Phoenix started out a lot like Trysten who pursued sports more than rodeo after first. The tide might be changing as junior high rodeo approaches. “He wants to start roping more and I can see it starting to click with him.” As for the youngest, nothing can keep him away from the dummy on any given day. “Roane is wild. He loves to rope and that’s all he does. He’ll be better than the rest of us soon because that’s all he does.” As the oldest brother, it’s clear that Trysten loves his brothers even more than heeling.
“My dad started me out heading, but after about a year of that I thought it was kind of boring. Heeling seemed a lot harder because of the timing and focus required. It’s always been more fun for me.” The finesse of heeling makes it even more enjoyable for Trysten. There is no greater feeling than a run that slows down in real time because it’s playing out perfectly. “When I make a great corner and I can feel that it’s about to be a good heel, everything happens in slow motion. After I let a dally go on a good run, the feeling is unmatched. Especially at a big event.” Trysten discovered that feeling this past rodeo season, first at the All Star Finals in the fall and then at the Bob Feist Invitational this spring.
With plenty bigger ropings in Trysten’s future, he knows that the OHSRA helped prepare him for those moments. “The experience of high school rodeo teaches everyone what it’s like to rodeo. The friends I’ve met are going to be with me for a lifetime. The most important part of the OHSRA is the experience of it all.” After graduation this spring, Trysten will go full-time as a residential electrician’s assistant. He got certified last year and already has plenty of experience under his belt. “I like the job I have because it’s not super hard on the body, but it still makes me think. It helps that it pays well so I can keep roping. I’m planning to keep working and wait for my brother to get out of high school so we can start roping professionally together.”
