SAN ANGELO, Texas — Since he was a child, College Station native Tyler Calhoun has been working with horses.
A family tradition, the roper said his great-grandfather made money solely from his career as a cowboy.
This passion has passed down through the generations and on Oct. 27, Calhoun competed in San Angelo's 70th annual Cinch Roping Fiesta, where he won the title of preliminary roping champion.
"This is such a legendary roping," Calhoun said. "You have to come to the roping, it's one of the best of the year. It's truly an honor just to be out here, much less win the preliminary."
Calhoun competed in the preliminaries last year, as well, but this was his first time making the ranks.
On Oct. 28, the 18-year old will find himself up against the top 35 ropers in the world, including San Angelo natives Ty Harris, Joel Braden Harris and newcomer Dylan Hancock.
"It feels amazing to be here and be able to win the preliminaries but as good as it feels, you gotta start all the way over because you have to rope against the best guys in the world tomorrow out in the big arena," he said.
In order to achieve this goal, Calhoun has dedicated much of his life to the Texas roping tradition.
From purchasing equipment like trucks and trailers to working alongside practice cattle, the path of a roper isn't always an easy one.
"There's a lot of preparation, a lot of preparation with horses and roping and just trying to stay sharp and then also you gotta look at, we rope everyday but we have to work out and keep everything else going and it's just a lot more to it than what the common eye sees," Calhoun said.
The competitor has been partnered with his particular horse for the past three or so years, noting the bond created through the sport.
Mostly, though, Calhoun is excited to be part of such a historic event.
"It's just an honor to be here, it's a blessing to rope. I really wanna thank God for all the many blessings that he's given me in my life at such a young age and just grateful for everything that I have in life," he said.
Go to cinchropingfiesta to see the full event schedule.
