UJHSRA member, Dayden Johnson – Diane Garcia Photography
stories by Ruth Nicolaus
Dayden Johnson is a member of the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association.
The Oak City, Utah cowboy, who is twelve, competes in the chute dogging, breakaway, team roping, and goat tying. Of all his events, chute dogging is his favorite, because “I get to throw a cow on the ground,” he says.
For the roping events, he rides a fifteen year old sorrel named Bugs. For the goat tying, he rides an eighteen year old sorrel and white paint named Spanky. Of his two horses, Bugs is his favorite because the family has owned him longer, and “I have a better bond with him.”
Dayden is a seventh grade student at Delta Middle School, where he enjoys science class but dislikes health class, because “we do a lot of weird things.” His favorite school lunch is pizza sticks dipped in ranch dressing, and the best thing his mom makes is pepperoni pizza. He plays basketball, is on the swim team, and plays football. Dayden is on the honor roll and has a 4.0 grade point average, which will help him in his future career, which he hopes will be as a neurosurgeon.
He’d like to be a neurosurgeon, partly because he’d make a lot of money, and partly because “I think it would be cool,” he says. As for all the money he would make, he’d like to “get a good house, buy my mom a house, and get me a good truck to haul horses around.”
He competed at last year’s state finals in the team roping, and has already qualified for this year’s finals in the chute dogging and breakaway.
He has two brothers (Calder, age nine, and Kanyon, seven), and a sister, Raylee, who is five, who picks on her brothers.
He is the son of Travis and Denise Johnson.
UJHRSA member, Cash Robb – courtesy of Leesa Stansfield
Cash Robb is proud to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
The 12-year-old cowboy chute dogs, just like his dad did, and also tie-down ropes, ties goats, and ribbon ropes.
The Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association member who lives in Altamont rides a nine year old buckskin named Max for the tie-down, a twelve year old brown horse named Pig for the ribbon roping, and a 22-year-old sorrel named Joker for the goat tying. Of the three, his favorite is Max, because as his skills develop and grow, Max will get better as well.
Cash is a seventh grade student at Altamont High School, where he enjoys math but isn’t crazy about art. But the best part of the school day is when it’s over and he can be outside.
He plays baseball, football and wrestles, and finished the 2015 junior high wrestling season as a state champ. He’s also on the honor roll.
For fun, he loves to work around the ranch, checking cows, fixing fence, feeding, putting out mineral, and riding and roping.
The Robb household has two dogs: a blue heeler named Dutch, who is his sister’s dog, and a Corgi name Wilson who claims Cash as his “person.” They also have a pet cat.
He competed at last year’s state finals in the chute dogging, tie-down roping and goat tying, and as of press time, is currently leading the state standings in the chute dogging.
When he grows up, he’d like to be a veterinarian.
He has a younger sister, Karysn, who is eight, and a younger brother, Cruz, who is four.
He is the son of Justin and Whitney Robb.
UJHRSA member, Joey Dansie – courtesy of the Zane Dansie
Joey Dansie loves to chute dog.
The twelve year old member of the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association also team ropes, ribbon ropes, ties goats and tie-down ropes, but chute dogging is his favorite.
He lives in Herriman, Utah, along with his all-around horse, Pepper, a ten year old gray, and a 20-year-old dun, Twister, who used to be his main mount but now is his heading horse.
Joey is a seventh grade student at Providence Hall Junior High, where he loves math, socializing, and school lunches. He might get in trouble – but only once in a while – for talking in class, and he likes the school’s orange chicken.
Joey admires his older brother, Leroy, who is in his freshman year at Utah Valley University. He looks up to Leroy, who is also a steer wrestler, because he “went to Nationals (high school), and he knows what he’s doing.” When Leroy gives advice to Joey, Joey listens.
Joey competes in wrestling and was on the honor roll in sixth grade. For fun, he loves to rope and chute dog at the family’s outdoor arena.
He competed at the team roping at state finals last year, and when he grows up, he wants to be a pro rodeo steer wrestler and maybe team roper, and then a timed event stock contractor.
Joey has four brothers: Zach, 20, Leroy, 18 Mikey, 17, and Eli, who is 15, and two sisters, Whittney, 22, and Louey, who is eleven.
He is the son of Zane and Lorena Dansie.
