Whitehorse Looking for First Premier Series Victory Just Miles From Where he was Born
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Roughly six miles east of the Days of ’47 Arena is the University of Utah Hospital.
It was there 23 years ago that Keyshawn Whitehorse put a wrinkle in his parents’ plans to attend the Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo, which the Delta Center was then playing host to, on July 24, 1997.
Instead of Del and Norbert Whitehorse taking in the rodeo, the proud parents were welcoming their son, Keyshawn, into the world.
“I was born early,” Keyshawn recalled on Friday night. “I must have been like, ‘Get me the hell out of here, I gotta go to the rodeo myself!”
It is just one reason that Keyshawn laughed on Friday night when asked about his continuous success in Salt Lake City.
Whitehorse finished Round 1 of the PBR TicketSmarter Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in fifth place with an 87.25-point ride on Mortimer.
Whitehorse is now 5-for-7 at all levels of PBR competition in Salt Lake City. The McCracken Springs, Utah, native won the first-ever PBR event of his career four years ago when he went 3-for-3 at the 2016 Velocity Tour event. He nearly won the Days of ’47 Rodeo last year after posting a 90.75-point ride on Deaconator in Round 1 before Crazy Wolf bucked him off later in the week in 7.2 seconds.
“I feel like I am right at home,” Whitehorse said. “I was born right up at the University of Utah. It is just a special place to me, and it holds true. I think part of the reason why I am a bull rider today is because I was destined and born here during the time of the actual Days of ’47 rodeo. It is part of who I am, and I take it to heart. I just feel like this is what I was meant to be – a bull rider.”
Whitehorse will attempt to win his first premier series event Saturday night at the Days of ’47 Arena, which was built in 2017.
“It would be great,” Whitehorse said. “A few years ago, I won the Velocity event in Salt Lake. To get this one on the list, it definitely would mean a lot for me.”
The 2018 Rookie of the Year has drawn Chile Pepper for Round 2. Chile Pepper is 17-0 at all levels of competition.
Fans can watch Round 2 on CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. ET and on RidePass at 8:45 p.m. ET. The Championship Round will air Sunday on CBS national television at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Eighteen years ago, Whitehorse was 4 years old when the Olympic Winter Games came to Salt Lake City in 2002. Utah’s Native American heritage took center stage and tribal leaders from each of the five major tribes in Utah – the Ute, Shoshone, Goshue, Paiute and Navajo – greeted the Olympians to the Games in their own language.
Later on, representatives from each tribe, including Whitehorse’s mom and aunt, participated in the Millennium Drum Dance featuring five drum circles 20 feet in diameter, and remained onstage as Robbie Robertson and Walela sang Stomp Dance (Unity).
“My whole family actually attended that,” Whitehorse, who is Navajo said. “They had a little powwow there. My mom was there. My auntie was there. They were there to dance.”
Whitehorse is hopeful to add another memorable chapter to his family’s history in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.
His family may not be in attendance, but Whitehorse knows they will be watching him closely on television.
“I am having a good mindset going,” Whitehorse said. “I’m having fun, enjoying the moment and staying in the moment. A lot of times, especially when you are a competitor, and you like to compete, and you really want something, you then to start thinking about the future too much when it is not even there yet. You just need to stay in that moment where you are continuing to do what you need to do at that high level.”
There is another important race at stake this weekend for Whitehorse: getting back inside the Top 35.
Whitehorse earned seven world points on Friday night, and the No. 40-ranked bull rider in the world standings is a mere 4.16 points behind No. 35 Brock Radford.
The third-year premier series veteran is not paying any attention to the points, though. Those will come just fine if he reaches the 8-second mark consistently, Whitehorse believes.
“It doesn’t really come to mind because the points won’t come until I ride my bulls,” Whitehorse said. “That is my first and foremost concern is just ride my bulls. Then the points will come, for sure.
“You can’t think about the past, and I am just staying where my feet are, enjoying the moment and making sure I give 100 percent every time I get on.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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