Ty's Let'm Buck Rodeo is happening on Saturday at the Nevada State Fairgrounds.
The rodeo honors 15-year-old Tyler Crystal, who died last September while participating in a ranch bronc event.
His family shared how loved their son was for his hard work, the cowboy way of life he had, and his passion for rodeo.
Shawn Crystal, Tyler’s dad, told us, "He loved rodeo. That was his goal. His whole life was to do rodeo and just be a cowboy. So, it was a tragic deal, but he was 14 when he first started riding ranch broncs, and he was taking money from all these open rodeos that he was going to."
Tyler was so committed to rodeo that his family knew he wanted to make it his profession.
His family is working to keep his legacy alive and will be donating the money raised at Saturday’s event right back into the sport.
Victoria Crystal, Tyler's mom, said, "15 and under are free, with one paid adult. At least if there's one paid adult, they can have 10 kids, and we would love to see them fill those seats. And I just want everyone to know that all the money is, like I said, going to help support rodeo, young rodeo athletes up and coming."
We got a chance to speak with people who knew Tyler, and they say his family has stayed as positive as they can throughout this hard time.
Emily Cady, Miss Reno Rodeo 2027, told us, "Talking to his family, you wouldn't be able to tell that this huge tragedy happened to them because they're so positive about it. And they’re just looking forward to supporting other people, especially our youth, and they're just such an amazing family. And I'm really honored to be involved and support Ty and support his family."
This rodeo is meant to keep his memory alive while supporting other kids who love rodeo just as much as he did.
Tyler's dad told us, "Just to carry on his legacy. We're going to, and we've always supported numerous kids going back to the junior finals and high school rodeo finals. We just want to push forward and help kids with their entry fees, fuel money, safety gear."
