KYLE LOCKETT Comeback Kid at 41

In the Beginning

I grew up on a ranch in Ballico, California, which is just outside of Oakdale, where my dad (Jim) took care of stockers. I was always outside with my dad and helping him on the ranch. I have two older brothers (Blaine is 5 years older, and fellow NFR heeler Brent is 4 years older than Kyle) who roped and rodeoed, so I kind of fell in their footsteps. I always liked the cowboying as much as the rodeoing. That’s what we grew up doing, and I just like the whole lifestyle. I knew I was going to rodeo, and dreamed of making the Finals. That’s what we did.

The Wheatleys (NFR header Jim and his wife, Terry) have always been close family friends. My mom (Sharyn) babysat Wade when he was a baby, and Wade and I went to preschool together. So naturally, that’s who I was going to rope with growing up. Wade was a year older than me, and he went to college. I went straight to rodeoing out of high school, so I rodeoed my rookie year with Walt Rodman (Kyle was the 1997 Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year, and roped with Walt at