Chanley Iverson is keeping tradition within the family.

The young ranch cowboy and recent high school graduate has demonstrated heart and grit to become a champion saddle bronc rider. It's a pursuit that began on a ranch in northern Arizona, where Iverson grew up in a saddle from the time his grandpa put him on an old bay horse at a tender age.

"Being on a horse is natural to me," Iverson said. "Competing in rodeos is a good sport for a ranching type of family like mine."

Iverson was raised in Moccasin, Ariz., a red-dirt outback "where the cemetery is bigger than the population," he said. A routine day began before daylight, gathering and counting the cows fenced off in square-mile sections.



Iverson not only loves horses, but he also admires those who ride them -- specifically his grandfather.

"I look up to old ranchers like my grandpa," Iverson said. "He rode bareback in the rodeos before there was a science behind the way you mark your rein."

And like his grandfather and many other family members, Iverson has pursued the tradition and sport of rodeo. He hopes to compete professionally after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Going pro is realistic to him," said William Wright, a friend and riding mentor. "He has the heart, desire and attitude to work at it."

Following a standout high school career, Iverson secured a first-place finish in the saddle bronc competition at the Silver State International Rodeo in Fallon, Nev., recently. He earned a spot in that rodeo by accumulating enough points in sanctioned high school competitions.

But saddle bronc riding wasn't always easy for him. In fact, Iverson struggled early in his career, scoring low in his initial competitions.

"(He) tried in every way possible to stay on the horse, but he had the mechanics of a ranch cowboy and bronc riding is a different deal," Wright said.

Iverson did experience some discouragement -- "I was falling off every horse and I lost hope and was about to quit," he said -- but tackled that with faith and hard work. Wright gave him some pointers and Iverson spent many hours a week in training.

"I kept praying," he said. "I kept faithful and worked at it, learning the principles of riding bronc and visualizing myself doing it right."

Before the actual competition begins, Iverson has already ridden successfully through visualization, an essential part of his athletic warm-up. While throwing the saddle on the horse, he says a prayer to be in the right frame of mind.

At the Silver State rodeo, Iverson rode against the top high school competitors in the region. The rodeo leveled the field, providing them with a draw of good horses.

"We were able to compete on skills rather than luck," Iverson said.

He says he's now working on consistency, while realizing that there will always be bad days and that "even world champions fall off." But it all worked out for Iverson at the Nevada competition, where he finished 77 points ahead of the nearest competitor. For eight seconds that day, Iverson was in the image of his grandpa.

"He has the heart of a bronc rider," Wright said. "It's a way of life."

E-mail: jfrancis@desnews.com