ProRodeo Sports News - January 25, 2019

GRILLE COWBOY

Kellan Johnson, 20, of Casper, Wyo., is a team roping header and the son of five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo-qualifying team roping heeler Jhett Johnson (2005-07, 2009, 2011). Kellan joined the PRCA in February 2017 and earned a career-best $22,279 in 2018. Kellen has higher expectations for 2019.

WITH TRACY RENCK PSN

How has your rodeo career gone since you joined the PRCA? Kellan: It has been great. My rookie year (2017) I got to enter Cheyenne (Wyo.) (Frontier Days) for the first time, and last year I had a decent year. So far this year, I’m winning my circuit (Mountain States) and I’m in the top 50 in the world going into the winter run, so it has been good. I really like to carry on what my dad has done, and I would love to make the NFR and then chase a gold buckle. Who are you going to rope with this year? Kellan: This winter I’m going to rope with J.C. Flake, and when Guymon, Okla., (Pioneer Days, April 29-May 5) comes around, I will start roping with my little brother, Carson, who will be 18 in February. How young were you when you started your rodeo career? Kellan: When I was little, I got to be around my dad a bunch. I was swinging his ropes when I was about 4 years old. Then I started roping when I was 8 and I started competing when I was 9. Rodeo has meant everything to our family. How big of an influence has your father been on you? Kellan: My dad has been a big part of my life. In the rodeo world, he knows a lot of people, so if you are going some place and you need a place to stay, he knows who is around there. He also helps me with fundamentals and the mental game. He has always been strong about staying positive no matter what is going on. What events did you do growing up? Kellan: I (tie-down) roped a little bit in junior high and high school, but when I got to Gillette (Wyo.) College I thought I better just stick to team roping. Almost your entire family does team roping as a heeler, why did you choose to be a header? Kellan: My uncle Justin (Johnson) is a (PRCA) header, and he helped me a lot with my heading. Everyone else in my family was a heeler, so I always got a lot more runs because if they needed someone to rope, I always got to head. I have to say I was not a very good heeler. I never got the hang of it. I thought if I wanted to rope, I might as well try being a header, and I really liked it. I really enjoy being the captain of the team, so to speak. What was it like winning the College National Finals Rodeo last year in your hometown of Casper with your partner Trey Yates? Kellan: A lot of my family and coaches and high school teachers got to be there, and

it was exciting. That was our plan to win it. It is hard to put into words what it meant to win a national championship in your hometown. This year, I’m going to continue to rope for Gillette College. I will be roping with my cousin, Jerren Johnson. What is your favorite restaurant? Kellan: I like Olive Garden. When I’m there I get their seafood alfredo. Who is your favorite non-rodeo athlete? Kellan: I would say LeBron James. I really like him. He has a cool swagger about him, and he’s a leader. Every team he’s played for, he’s left better than when he got there. When you’re not rodeoing what do you like to do? Kellan: I play basketball for fun and throw the baseball around. I also like to do ranch work, feeding cows and helping my dad with that stuff. Where’s the coolest place you have been in your rodeo travels? Kellan: I would say Chicago. It was sweet. It was a different culture and it was a cool place to be. What is your go-to karaoke song? Kellan: That’s a good question. I would say “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. That’s an old-

school song, but I know the words to that song and I enjoy it. What were your favorite cartoons to watch as a kid?

Kellan: SpongeBob SquarePants and Tom and Jerry . What was your favorite Halloween costume? Kellan: I loved dressing up as John Travolta’s character (Danny Zuko) from Grease . I loved combing my hair back and looking like him. What is your favorite movie to watch? Kellan: The Sandlot . I always felt that movie described how my brothers and I were when we were younger. We were always getting into mischief and messing around. My youngest brother is Kress, and he’s 10 years old.

KELLAN JOHNSON

ProRodeo Sports News 1/25/2019

ProRodeo.com

8