SPENCER MITCHELL, Colusa, Calif.

Spencer Mitchell watched closely to the goings-on at last year’s Timed Event Championship.

Mitchell was inside the Lazy E as a helper, the teammate in team roping for the bright stars in this game. This year, he’s taking a turn at riding in the championship himself.

Mitchell, a header by trade, has qualified for the last two Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, roping this past December with Dakota Kirchenschlager after losing longtime friend and partner Broc Cresta last July. Mitchell and Kirchenschlager placed in three NFR go-rounds, including splitting first in the fifth round and winning the ninth round outright. They earned $43,876.

Mitchell has been around the sport all his life and is the third generation of his family to compete professionally. As a youngster, he qualified three straight years for the National High School Finals Rodeo. As a member of the PRCA, he’s earned rodeo titles from events in California to Idaho to Wyoming to Kansas. Last spring, he teamed with Brady Minor to win the team roping title at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City.

This is his time to shine, and Spencer Mitchell is ready for the challenge.