Not his first rodeo: This Hawaii Island cowboy is riding his way to the top in the sport

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - When the dust settled at last weekend’s WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo in Corpus Christi, Texas, a Big Island cowboy was the last steer wrestler standing.

Trisyn Kalawaia beat out 47 other riders to finish first, and he had the fastest time.

“My best time down there was 3.75. That was in the final round. It was definitely worth the trip. It was a good deal,” he said.

The $15,000 prize was his biggest win so far in the short time he’s been on the professional rodeo circuit. And he took home the WCRA’s coveted trophy, which was fitting for a boy from the islands.

“I ended up taking home a surfboard. That’s pretty cool, being from Hawaii and taking home a surfboard,” he joked.

Steer wrestling is one of the fastest and most physically demanding events in competitive rodeo. Finishing first at the WCRA is going to look great on Trisyn’s resume.

He also rides in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the largest American rodeo organization.

“I think by winning this deal down there, it really put my name out,” he said.

The Waiakea High School graduate is in his final year at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where he competes in collegiate rodeo. This is the first year he’s touring with his pro card.

His family keeps up with his contests by watching The Cowboy Channel.

“As soon as I make runs or win something, they’re always texting me, ‘Good job!’ Or they have the videos ready,” he said. “That does help a lot.” Winning helps, too. Eventually, rodeo announcers will learn how to pronounce his last name.

“Me and my friends, we joke about it. We try to figure out, how is this announcer going to say it? Or how is this announcer going to say it? How’s he going to mess it up this time?” he said.

They better work on it because he’s getting better at taking down the competition.

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