'They won it for Ty'

COLFAX — Saturday afternoon, 10-year-old Tate Carlson sat on one of the gate panels of the bull riding arena at the Jasper County Fairgrounds.

Donning his brother’s cross necklace and one of his cowboy hats, the young horse rider gazed into the bull riding arena — remembering the countless memories of when his older brother, Ty Carlson would saddle up and conquer a bucking bull, living life eight seconds at a time.

“I loved watching Ty ... It was pretty amazing (to see him ride a bull). It’s sad when he breaks bones. I really can’t describe it, but it was amazing,” Tate said. “Oh heck, I loved to ride with him ... (He taught me to) hold on tight, keep your hand in the air, keep your head down.”

Hundreds of people remembered the 19-year-old Saturday at his memorial bull riding competition at the Jasper County Fairgrounds in Colfax.

From the overfilled stands to the overwhelming amount of sponsors and bull riders who wanted to be a part of the memorial, the event organizers said one thing was certain — Ty Carlson was deeply loved by everyone who had the privilege of knowing of him.

“I have been blown away by the support, the back-up, everything,” Dalton Breckenridge, who organized the dedication, said. “I am truly still amazed at the amount of people who wanted to sponsor the event, who wanted to volunteer at the event, the donations at the event, the backing from the whole community, and Ty’s Friends and Family showing love. It brings tears to my eyes.”

Hours after winning the Maxwell Old Settlers Rodeo bull riding competition Aug. 5, Ty Carlson was killed in a single-vehicle accident after he allegedly lost control of his pick-up truck near the 600 block of Forest Street South in Colfax. After hearing the tragic news of his death, several people who knew the Colfax-Mingo graduate quickly tried to find a way to show his family how much he meant to them.

Only a few hours after the accident, the community rallied together to create the ultimate tribute to the teen bull rider by setting up a bull riding competition in his hometown in his name.

According to his family, Ty loved the bucking sport ever since he was a 3 years old. After being thrown off his first sheep at a mutton bustin’ in Oklahoma, his family said Ty dedicated himself to being the best bull rider he could be, spending countless hours perfecting his form and fine-tuning his craft.

“It was just me and Ty. He was scared the first time. He got his nerves, but it was something he wanted to do. After he got on it, he couldn’t get off of it,” Ty’s father, Todd Carlson said. “(His last competition) was a perfect day. He did what he loved to do. He rode the best he rode in a long time. That day was a perfect day for a father and son.”

To share the passion for the sport he loved, it was only natural that a bull riding competition would be held in his honor. With only a month of planning, Breckenridge and the community worked together to make a true tribute that would reflect the impact Ty had on the rodeo and Colfax community.

“It takes us about a year of planning to get our (Jasper County Fair Round-up) Rodeo planned. For Dalton to get it done in less than a month is incredible,” Jasper County Fair Committee member Alan Guy said. “We are more than just about what we already strive to do. It was our chance to give back a member of the community, in some shape or form. Without something like this, I don’t know what we would have been to do with this amount of impact or response.”

The festivities kicked off with Ty’s father, Todd Carlson and Ty’s uncle, Ron Hamell leading Ty’s horse, Doc around the arena. With Ty’s hat on his saddle, the people in the stands stood up and cheered as the gray horse passed.

The event was filled with tributes to the 19-year-old bull rider. From a lit-up performance to his favorite song, Chris LeDoux's "Hooked On an 8 Second Ride" by the Red Rock Riders Equestrian Drill Team to the bull Ty won his last competition on participating in the dedication, Ty's family said the 19-year-old would have been happy to see the outpouring of support for him and his family.

“He is probably up there thinking, ‘Why are you doing this for me? I don’t believe this,” Ty’s mother, Kari Carlson said. “He never looked for attention. He did what he did, and he loved it.”

According to Breckenridge, a majority of the 32 bull riders who competed Saturday had some personal connection to Ty. Many of the riders said they decided to go into the arena Saturday to remember the Central Iowa student and do what he loved to do.

“Every moment I was around him, it was great. You could be down from getting bucked off a bull or something, and somehow he put a smile on your face and make you happy. Things he say, things he do, he would find a way to lighten the mood,” Ty’s friend and fellow bull rider Gatlin Rodriguez said. “I rode for him, and took it one jump at a time. We were all out here riding in Ty’s memory.”

Breckenridge said shortly after receiving their prizes, the three winners of the competition approached the family and gave them their winnings. With a $50 entry fee and $1,000 added to the pot, the top-three winners were Dalton Krantz, Bubba Greig and Malachi Schroeder, respectively.

“Those guys came not for the money. They came because they knew Ty somehow. He touched them,” the event organizer said. “I decided that I was going to have 30 guys in the show. I had almost 50 guys who wanted in. I had to turn down, almost 20 people.”

With 100 percent of the proceeds going to the family, several members of the community did whatever they could to make the event possible. Breckenridge said the 40 bucking bulls used in the dedication were donated — which is said to be a $2,000 to $4,000 expense, and more than 35 organizations from Colfax businesses to rodeo organizers sponsored the dedication.

From Ty’s graduating class at Colfax-Mingo to family members traveling long distances to be at the dedication, many people in the stands could be heard sharing memories of Ty throughout the evening. From stories about his wrestling days at Colfax-Mingo to testaments of his hard work and dedication, it was clear that Ty Carlson will be missed.

“I don’t have words. The community is priceless how it came together. You hear all the bad stuff that happens in the world, but then it comes together like this,” Todd Carlson said. “That is the community. That is where the heart is. That is what it is all about ... The volume here spoke for itself.”

According to Guy, the Jasper County Fair Committee hopes to turn the Ty Carlson Memorial Bull Riding into an annual event. He said many committee members said they wanted to do this to pay tribute to the Colfax native and preserve his legacy.

“Ty loved his rodeo,” his 10-year-old brother, Tate said. “(Saturday, the bull riders) won it for Ty.”

The Iowa Barrel Burners are hosting a memorial barrel race in dedication to Ty Carlson Oct. 8 at the Sonny Walker Arena in Maxwell. The proceeds of this event will also be donated to the Carlson family.

For more information about this event, call 515-202-7620 or find the Ty Carlson Memorial Barrel Race event on Facebook.

Contact Anthony Victor Reyes at areyes@newtondailynews.com