“I had seen things really good about Team Cavender’s,” said Team Cavender’s Athlete Dylan Ouzts. “I think a few of my friends who had been on the team put in a good word for me, and I was officially made a part of the team during the National High School Rodeo Finals this year.
“It had been a dream to be on Team Cavender’s for a while,” he added. “Now that it’s actually happening and it is real, I am very thankful and excited for the rest of this year.”
Dylan Ouzts said that although he had lived in Texas all his life, a state that has produced multiple rodeo legends, he had not grown up in a traditional rodeo family.
“I always rode horses growing up just like everyone else here, but I didn’t really have any family that was involved in rodeo,” Ouzts said.
Although he did not grow up in a traditional rodeo family, Outzts said he had no shortage of role models and teachers.
Robson Palermo, a three-time Professional Bull Riders World Champion and 2021 Ring of Honor Inductee, played an instrumental role during the start of Ouzts’s rodeo career.
“Robson taught me how to really ride my horse so that I could even have the ability to rope and the basics of team roping,” he said.
“Later, I was able to learn more from Lightning Aguilera, who made the NFR in 2022,” he added. “I started to see a real future in rodeo.”
Ouzts said he realized he had to choose between school sports and rodeo.
“I felt like between school and rodeo, I was living two different lifestyles,” Ouzts said. “I played sports at school, but the injuries I would get from rodeoing would stop me from playing baseball and football, so I decided to focus only on rodeo.
“It’s hard because I love rodeoing, and I see more opportunities and a future there, but I miss playing football and baseball with my buddies at school,” he added.
During his freshman year of high school, Ouzts said he decided to add another event to his resume, this time on the opposite end of the arena.
“Jeremy Stevenson, who knew my mom, texted me one day and said he’d like to help me get into bronc riding,” he said. “I went to his house, and he let me use his saddle and gear when I started. I am very thankful for everything he’s taught me.”
While Ouzts was learning to rodeo, he said his family was learning along with him. One person he said has taken it all in stride is his dad, Burton Ouzts.
“He didn’t grow up around rodeo at all, and he didn’t think much of it when I started roping,” he said. “When I started riding broncs, he did question me pretty hard because he knew how much I loved playing football. I think he sees now how much I also love riding broncs.”
No matter what he chose, Ouzts said he knew his parents would be supportive.
“My mom, Shana Ouzts, always makes it to my rodeos,” he said. “I can’t say how thankful I am for her being supportive of me and my dreams.”
He added there is no shortage of support from the friends he’s made on Team Cavender’s.
“Jace Stout and Cooper Lane have helped me a lot too,” he said. “Whether they are teaching me something new about bronc riding or giving me pep talks, they are always helping.”
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