Stephen Dow
Clay Tryan, two-time world champion roper.
Family, friends and members of the local rodeo community celebrated the accomplishments of two-time world champion team roper Clay Tryan at a reception this week.
“Team roping is a big deal in this market,” said Yellowstone River Roundup Cowboy Club member Todd Buchanan. “When a Billings guy elevates it to the next level, we need to recognize that.”
The Cowboy Club, whose mission is to support the Yellowstone River Rodeo, held during MontanaFair, hosted the reception Monday night at MetraPark.
Tryan, who was raised in Montana and is now living in Texas, has been a part of the local roping community since he was a young child. He won his first Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Championship in Las Vegas in 2005. He won his second in December.
Local sportscasters Scott Breen of KTVQ and Chris Byers of KULR were on hand during the event to show video footage of Tryan’s two world championships and to share their recollections of a young man they’ve been following for many years.
“I actually did my very first interview with him when he was 10,” Breen said. “That wasn’t the beginning of greatness — he was already in the middle of it.”
“He knows how important rodeo is to the folks of Montana,” Byers added. “When you see his name at the National Finals Rodeo, he’s not listed as being from Texas — he lists his hometown as Billings, Montana. You all should be very proud of that.”
When Tryan stood to speak in front of the audience of nearly 30 people —including County Commissioners Bill Kennedy and John Ostlund — he thanked everyone who has supported him throughout his career.
“The support means a lot when you come from an industry where people think you have to come from Arizona or Texas to be great,” he said. “My family and friends never let me believe that… .
“It’s nice to see all you guys that I roped with or against while growing up. Those early years are what made me great. Those days just starting out as a 13- or 14-year-old kid… . Without all that and my family’s support, it wouldn’t be possible to do what I do now. I’d like to thank everybody that was there along the way.”
Thanks to the Cowboy Club, the Yellowstone River Roundup has grown into one of the region’s best-attended rodeos.
It was also announced at the reception that the Cowboy Club, with contributions from its members, is going to increase the purse for each event at the rodeo from $1,500 to $6,500 this year in hopes of attracting more competitors.
The expanded purse will also affect the team roping event. Previously, the two winners in the team roping category had to split a $6,500 purse. Now, the header and heeler will each receive that amount.
“We doubled the team roping purse this year and I said to Clay, ‘Now you don’t have any excuses for why you can’t come to Billings,’ ” said Bob Dunker, chairman of the Cowboy Club.
With two world championships under his belt, Tryan is hoping he can win a few more times before he retires.
“I don’t know how many I have to win in order to get a statue in front of the Metra, but that’s my goal,” he said with a smile, referring to the bronze sculpture of Dan Mortensen near the MetraPark arena. Mortensen is a six-time PRCA world champion on the saddle bronc and a one-time world-all-around rodeo champ.
“I still have a lot of energy and I’m still trying,” Tryan said. “I’m still hoping I can win a few more.”
