story by Lily Weinacht
Wynn Schaack of Wall, S.D., has been competing in the NLBRA for five years. He won his first world title in the team roping in 2014, the same year his brother, Wyatt, clinched the NLBRA world steer wrestling title. It is 14-year-old Wynn’s last season as a junior boy, competing in breakaway roping, team roping as the header, flag racing, and ribbon roping. His favorite event, however, is tie-down roping, which he is anxious to compete in as a Little Britches Senior Boy next year. “I’m really excited about being in the senior boys next year – it will be a blast!”
A family tradition, Wynn’s dad, Clay Schaack, was a PRCA steer wrestler, while Wynn’s mom, Holly Schaack, barrel raced. “I look up to my dad,” says Wynn. “He did pretty good in rodeo, and he coaches me and helps me a lot. I do rodeo for the fun of it, and getting to see my friends. My parents help me out a lot and keep me going with my horses and helping me be the best I can.”
The Schaacks live in the South Dakota plains near Wall, about 50 miles from the Black Hills. Wynn helps his parents on their ranch, where they breed and raise beef cattle. Not just an all-around cowboy in the arena, Wynn lends a hand in every aspect of the ranching business, though riding his horses is his favorite way to spend the day. His head horse is an 18-year-old mare named Ellie, while his breakaway and ribbon roping horse, Tongue, was born and raised on the Schaack ranch. “We call him Tongue because he had his tongue out all the time when he was little,” Wynn explains. Earl, his mount in the flag racing, was Wyatt’s rodeo horse before Wynn began competing. In addition to their many horses, the Schaacks have a cowdog named Scout, and a hunting dog they call Sport.
While Wynn is looking forward to his freshman year of high school this fall, he is devoting his summer to rodeos and a basketball camp. He additionally competes in junior high and 4-H rodeo, where he won the flag racing at the 2014 4-H state finals. But the NLBFR is always the high point of his summer. “We make Nationals our vacation, and last year on our day off, we went jet skiing and took a pontoon boat on the lake, but outside of the performances, the goat ropings are my favorite,” says Wynn. This summer will be the first time Wynn has competed at the NLBFR without Wyatt, who is rodeoing for South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. Wyatt, 20, will be a sophomore this fall, while he is attending an auctioneering school this summer, as well as heeling for Wynn in the practice pen.
Wynn also loves to hunt deer and antelope, and last year he started trapping. “I mainly trap raccoons and coyotes, and a few bobcats,” he says. “We have so many coyotes here that we have contests for how many you can trap.” And while Wynn excels at rodeo and hunting, he would also love to be a talented horse trainer or NBA basketball player.
His goals revolve around rodeo, however, and Wynn says, “I want to go to the WNFR and win the tie-down roping – that’s the one thing I absolutely want to do. I’d also like to college rodeo.” He finishes, “I want to thank my brother for helping me out a lot, and my parents for taking me all over the place and putting up with me all these years, and supporting me in rodeo!”
