I had the pleasure of visiting with Braden Ellis, a 12-year-old team roper and quite the charmer! The girls in Plain City, Utah better look out. Braden is a 7th grader at Wahlquist Junior High and a member of the Utah Youth Rodeo Association where he competes in breakaway and team roping.

Braden is the youngest of two and shared with me that he has an older brother who has rodeoed. He comes from a rodeo family with Grandpa Tim Ellis giving him tips on life and roping and his dad, CJ Ellis, hauling him to rodeos and competing as a team roper himself.

At the age of 5 or 6 Braden competed at his first rodeo as a member of the UYRA in the Golden Spike Event Center and has been competing ever since. He says that rodeo is just a fun sport! When asked what his greatest accomplishment to date was he told me it was winning a check with his partner at a UYRA rodeo.

While getting to know Braden I asked him to tell me something fun about himself. I then realized where the charm may come in handy as he proceeded to tell me that he likes to volunteer to help at the barrel races. This polite and charismatic young man says that his favorite rodeo is the West Haven rodeo because they have the chicken chase!

Braden loves to hang out with his blue heeler, Guinea, and his blue heeler/corgi, Wednesday! He enjoys playing baseball and fixing and driving quads. One of his proudest accomplishments is rebuilding a 4-wheeler all on his own. His favorite color is blue. And he told me that he, “likes a good spaghetti!”

When roping Braden may hear, from time to time, folks hollering, “get it in the cradle”, when he misses the horn. This saying from the jousting matches in the movie “A Knights Tale” is a recurring phrase that he says they have fun with.

Braden plans on joining the Idaho Junior Rodeo Association to compete in breakaway and team roping events. This impressive young man has big dreams that I have no doubt he will accomplish. He has his sights set on becoming an architect so that he can design houses. And his goals for rodeo? The NFR of course!