After a serious hand injury, Arbon Valley teen ropes his way to state rodeo finals
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AMERICAN FALLS — Two months ago, it looked like Travis Evans’ high school rodeo season was over. A roping accident left the 17-year-old Arbon Valley cowboy with injuries to four fingers on his right hand, including the loss of the tip of his middle finger.
Yet, Evans has now accomplished what once seemed out of reach. Not only did he return to competition, but he also qualified for the Idaho High School Rodeo Association State Finals in both team roping and calf roping.
The accident
Evans was practicing at a local arena on March 20 when, in a matter of seconds, what every roper fears happened.
“I was roping a dummy. I roped it sharp, pulled the slack, and my hand got caught in the coils,” he said.
The rope wrapped tightly around his fingers, causing serious damage. Three fingers were degloved, including the tip of his middle finger, which was nearly torn off to the knuckle.
“In the moment, I didn’t even feel it happen,” Evans said. “Then I saw blood squirting out, and I knew I needed to get to a hospital.”
He immediately started running toward the house and spotted his sister, Katelyn, driving a four-wheeler. She quickly got him to his parents, who rushed him to Portneuf Medical Center.
“By then, there was blood everywhere, and I was in a lot of pain,” he said.
A local hand surgeon was called in, and Evans underwent a three-hour emergency surgery. The surgeon repaired the badly damaged middle finger by shaving off some bone, pulling the skin up around it, and sewing it back together while saving as much function as possible.
Following surgery, every finger except his thumb was wrapped in protective dressings.
Despite the severity of the injury, Evans remained optimistic.
“I had set high goals for myself this season,” he said. “I honestly thought I’d be rodeoing again in a few weeks. I didn’t realize how bad it was.”
Instead, doctors warned that recovery would take time. He was told there would be no roping or writing with his right hand for at least three weeks.
As a right-handed person, even everyday tasks became difficult. Unable to even grip a pencil, Evans taught himself to write and eat with his left hand.
“It took a lot longer to do things, but I pretty much became ambidextrous,” he said.
The comeback
Three weeks later, he picked up a rope again.
“I started with a kid’s rope. Then I worked my way back up to a regular rope,” Evans said.
Getting back into the swing of roping was not easy, and Evans admits to feeling discouraged.
“The first couple of weeks were rough, I did horrible,” he said. “My confidence was destroyed. I felt like making state was out of the question.”
“I had set so many goals for myself, and this really affected me. I had a little bit of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from the incident and had to push through a lot of fear,” he added.
Then something changed. With his fingers still painful and requiring protection, Evans said he had a major mental shift, like a switch that had been flipped.
“I changed my attitude and mentally changed my mindset. It became more of a mental game than a physical one,” Evans said. “After that, things started coming together. I started catching and tying fast again.”
After sitting near the bottom of the standings, Evans climbed all the way to third place in calf roping and sixth place in team roping, earning spots at the Idaho High School Rodeo State Finals in Pocatello this June.
“The incident with my fingers has been a crazy experience, but it made my faith stronger, bringing me closer to God and made my faith stronger,” he said. “I know this is God’s plan, not mine. He has a plan for me, and I’m glad I’m here to share it.”
Even now, he continues to compete with his middle finger in a splint and lingering pain from the injury.
Giving thanks
Along the way, Evans credits several people for his successes and for helping him overcome one of the toughest challenges of his young life, including his parents — Jake and Brianna — and his older sister, Katelyn, an accomplished rodeo cowgirl.
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He also expressed gratitude to friends and fellow cowboys Wade Williams and Ike Clayson, who helped him prepare and compete throughout the district season.
“Wade gave me opportunities every week to improve my calf roping,” he said. “Ike always had great advice in the areas I needed to improve and was always there supporting me.”
Perhaps no one, however, has been a bigger source of encouragement than his grandmother, Bobbette “BoBo” Williams.
“Even when I doubted myself, Grandma BoBo was always there supporting me, praying for me and believing in me,” Evans said.
The future is bright
Raised in a rodeo family, the American Falls High School junior has already built an impressive rodeo resume. Last year, he was the Idaho Junior Rodeo Association reserve champion in team roping and champion in calf roping.
As a freshman, he finished third in team roping and seventh in calf roping. In eighth grade, he earned reserve all-around cowboy honors before later becoming the High Desert all-around cowboy.
He’s also maintained honor roll status throughout high school.
Following graduation next year, Evans plans to compete in college rodeo while pursuing a degree in electrical engineering.
Looking back, Evans says the accident that nearly ended his rodeo season ultimately changed his life for the better.
“My mental game is at an all-time high. Even through the lows, you have to think positive and keep the negative thoughts out,” he said. “I learned so much about solving problems and making it through.”
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