Polson poke born to rope

You might say Wyatt Lytton, an 18-year-old graduate of Polson High School, was born to do this.

“Eight-months old got my first one,” the team and tie-down roper said.

“A little string deal. I would swing that for quite awhile.”

Little did he know then that it would lead to something bigger and more enjoyable.

Lee, his father, started the family roping tradition.

Like Wyatt, his two older brothers — Hoke and Jesse — and the younger one, Willy, age 13, have all followed suit. They are fifth generation cowboys.

Pam, Wyatt’s mother and a Grand Prix dressage competitor, has also shown a great agility with it.

“It’s a great opportunity for all us brothers to come together and do something that we love,” Wyatt said of roping.

“It unifies us.

“My dad is my best friend,” he said.

“We just enjoy the chase. It’s been a fun experience.”

Hoke and Jesse competed at both the National High School Finals Rodeo and the College National Finals Rodeo. Wyatt is trying to follow in their footsteps.

He came very close last year to qualifying for the NHSFR in team roping with partner Carson King of Dillon. They finished fifth, four points out of fourth place at the Montana High School Rodeo Finals in Bozeman. The top four advance to nationals.

This year, Lytton and King are headed to the big show in Rock Springs, Wyo., tying for first in the season standings. The duo was sixth in the state finals.

Lytton, the heeler, and King, the header, posted the third-best time — 9.79 seconds — in the preliminaries.

“For a lot of partners, it would be a struggle,” Lytton said of two being from different towns, which limits valuable practice time.

“But we have the same goals. My roping partner is a great teammate.”

Lytton works in Dillon in the summer, so that helps. That’s when they compete in Northern Rodeo Association and jackpot events.

“Like anything, the more you do it the better you get,” Lytton said.

Lytton is also competing in tie-down roping. That event, however, did not go as well. He posted a no time.

“Missed my calf,” he said.

“Sometimes you just miss. It’s one of those things you can’t dwell on it as it doesn’t do any good,” he said.

“It’s over with. So move on to the next one.

“Every day is a good day,” he added.

“Some days are just better than others.”

Lytton put all of his attention on rodeo during his freshman season.

“Like kids going to basketball practice, we rope every night,” he said.

“Three to four hours on dummies or calves, steers.

“You figure out different things that work for your style and focus on the basics. You don’t want to make it harder than it is.

“I think everyone has the talent (for something), it just depends on how hard you wanna work.”

Lytton’s dedication has paid off with a nice full-ride rodeo scholarship with the University of Montana. A 3.8 student, he plans to pursue a degree in agricultural business.

“That was pretty exciting,” he said of signing the deal with the Grizzlies.

“It’s been a real good year in general. Not just rodeo, in life, too. I’ve been making a lot of changes and taking that step into the real world.”