Tyler Crystal, a young high school rodeo athlete, was competing in a rodeo in Hawthorne on Saturday when an incident occurred, and he passed away. 

He was a student at Oasis Academy in Fallon, and on Thursday night, members of the community, young and old, memorialized him at a bonfire at the Churchill County Fairgrounds. 

Jess Jones, the owner of the Outlaw Broncs, a rodeo company that Tyler rode for, tells us, "Well, Tyler was a young, up-and-coming bronc rider, out of the Fallon area. He would venture up to our rodeos this summer and was always very, very positive, very happy, kind of a contagious attitude that he had, always wanting to ride something."

Just a week prior to the incident, Tyler rode at Jackpot, where he got his first check, a special moment for him and his family. 

"It was a pretty big moment for him to ride when he rode one of the better horses and was able to win his first check. You always remember your first check," said Jones.

On Thursday at the fairgrounds, Tyler's memorial was packed with friends, family members, and fellow riders. 

"I find it really uplifting and how everybody in Fallon is coming together to, to support this family," said Jones. "Everybody in town came together on the side of the roads when they escorted him to the funeral home and different things. It was just a really positive way to come out of the tragedy."

If you would like to support the Crystal family, you can visit Tyler's GoFundMe.