Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Cody Kiser's mom remembers his first high school rodeo perhaps better than he does.
Up until then, he'd ridden smaller bulls and steers in junior rodeos, and his mom, Carrie, expected more of the same. But these bulls were full-grown and just as big and mean as those used in professional rodeo.
"I just started crying," she remembers. "I begged him not to get on."
As usual, she said, he didn't listen.
Then on Mother's Day of Cody's freshman year, his mother's fears were realized. A bull stomped on Cody's face, breaking his jaw, and causing other damage.
He finally agreed to stop riding bulls.
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Cody's dad, P.D., grew up in Virginia. Although his family had horses, he always dreamed of the Western lifestyle. So after earning his master's degree in civil engineering, he moved to Utah to take a job in Salt Lake City.
There, he became friends with some rodeo cowboys and tried his luck at riding bareback broncs.
"I just had this thing about wanting to be a cowboy," he said.
But at 29, P.D. was just getting started as other guys his age were retiring. By the time Cody was born, P.D. had given up rodeo.
Cody grew up riding horses, and like his dad, wanted to be a cowboy. He entered junior rodeos, roping dummies at first and moving on from there.
"Actually, he was a pretty good little roper," said P.D., who, with his family, lives in Mound House. "But he wanted to ride things."
Cody started by riding sheep, then calves, then steers, then cows and mini bulls - until the day he promised his mom he'd never ride another bull.
But he never said anything about horses.
• • •
After taking some time off to heal, Cody, 18, returned to competition. Staying true to his word, he stopped riding bulls. Instead, he tried his hand at bucking horses.
Lanky and more than 6 feet tall, he found he was better suited to his new event.
"I like the horses much better than the bulls," he said. "They both buck, but you ride totally different. Horses are taller and faster. It's definitely a huge adrenaline rush and a lot of fun."
He progressed quickly, qualifying as a junior to compete at the National High School Finals Rodeo. As a senior at Dayton High School, he qualified again this year and left Friday for the rodeo in Farmington, N.M., which began Sunday and continues throughout the week.
Bolstered by a second-place finish last weekend at an amateur rodeo in Battle Mountain, Cody's ready for the finals.
"I'm excited," he said. "I really want to ride. I want to go all out because you can't go past nationals in high school. I'm definitely planning on going out there and doing something."
However, it can be hard, Cody said, to find the time to practice when, unlike many other competitors, he doesn't live on a ranch and have access to rough stock.
He fills in with a mechanical bull in the front driveway, but there are some things you just can't prepare for, he said.
"It's like 90 percent mental," he said. "It's the fact that you're getting on a wild animal you could potentially die from. You have to put aside being scared. Then you can start working on strength and technique."
Cody also finds a balance. He graduated this year with a 4.7 grade-point average and works at the Harbor House at Sand Harbor. He plans to attend the University of Nevada, Reno next year to pursue a degree in geological engineering.
His family helps bring perspective. As they looked through photos of him one night this week in the kitchen, his mom and sister, Cheyenne, 14, who herself competed nationally in dancing, poke fun at the face he makes while riding.
They say he closes his eyes. He argues he's just squinting.
"It's my bear-down face," he says.
He hopes to continue to compete in college and would like to eventually make the professional circuit.
"This summer is a precursor to see how it goes," he said. "I would definitely like to do more."
As Cory Kiser, 18, prepares to go on to college at University of Nevada, Reno, he knows the time he'll have to dedicate to rodeo will be even more scarce.
As a rodeo participant in high school, he had to meet all the academic eligibility requirements mandated by the state, but because rodeo is not a sanctioned sport in Nevada, he and teammates received little support.
He expects college will be more of the same.
But some are looking to change that.
Charmi Pommerening, a roper who graduated this year as valedictorian from Smith Valley High School, has made initial inquiries into starting a rodeo club at UNR.
"It's kind of a dream," she said. "I don't know exactly what it will entail."
She knows she needs at least 10 members and a constitution. She said she knows of at least five people attending UNR next year who'd be interested.
"All the schools in the area around us have rodeo teams," she said. "It's sad we're the only ones who don't when we very easily could have one."