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Steer Wrestler Turns Breakout Year Into Resistol Rookie of the Year Title

Originally posted on Rodeo on SI | By Sami Jo Buum | Last updated Oct 10, 2025 11:30 AM ET

In what was a fairytale-type season, Traver Johnson and his steady horse pocketed $51,461.54 in his rookie season, giving him nearly a $14k lead over the field of talented rookies.

The 22-year-old talent was raised in Eltopia, Wash. farming and watching his father, Erik Johnson, rodeo. From a young age, he knew he was destined to be a rodeo cowboy, just like his dad. Erik, a multiple-time Circuit Finals Qualifier and Average Champion, was an accomplished steer wrestler through Traver’s youth.

Traver, started to rodeo himself as young as he could remember, tells us, “My biggest rodeo inspiration is and always has been my dad. I would go cheer him on and wear his back numbers and knew I wanted to be just like him”.

His dad had a rule that he could not start steer wrestling until Traven was 180 pounds, and when that day came, his dad pushed it to 190 pounds for good measure.

Early Beginnings of All-Around Cowboy

Traver competed in calf roping mainly, until finally his senior year, when, at 17 years old, he finally jumped his first steer. Through his senior year of high school and all throughout college, he continued to calf rope and steer wrestle.

He qualified for high school nationals in steer wrestling his senior year of high school. While rodeoing for Montana State, he competed in the college national finals as well. He graduated in the spring of 2025 from Montana State University in Bozeman with a degree in business management.

During his final year at MSU Johnson’s rodeo coach, Kyle Whitaker, had a neat grey horse. Whitaker asked Traver if he wanted to jump the first steer on, and afterward, he instantly knew the gelding was fast and talented.

Flash of Dinero, or Potter, named after the great Mel Potter, took to bulldogging instantly. After 20 or 30 steers, Traver brought Potter to Tucson, which was the grey’s first pro rodeo.

Remembering the horse's performance, “He jumped at the barrier, but otherwise did great”.

They continued to take Potter to all the pro rodeos and the grey horse continued to excel. Ultimately, Potter earned the spot to be Traver’s main mount all season.

Johnson's Traveling Partners Made All the Difference

The rookie pair traveled with fellow rookie, Bode Spring, who ended up No. 5 in the Resistol Rookie standings, along with Quentin Wheeler. Johnson says he owes a lot of his success this year to Wheeler's excellent entering skills and Bode hazing for him.

Bode hazed for them on Johnson’s dad’s old haze horse Steels (Iron out Chex). Steels was the veteran of the rig at 22 years old. Traver mentioned how even though it was Steels last year out on the road, he was honored to have a horse that helped his dad to the pay window so many times before seeing him through his Rookie year as a PRCA steer wrestler.

Johnson listed the Pendleton Roundup as his all-time favorite rodeo as he grew up an hour from there and had always dreamed of competing there.

Johnson says when you are from the Northwest, “Pendleton is the rodeo that all the guys want to be in and win."

Johnson’s highlight of his rookie season was when he, along with his two traveling partners, Wheeler & Spring, all made the short round in Pendleton.

While Pendleton was the highlight, Johnson’s favorite 2025 rodeo win was the Sheriff’s PRCA Rodeo in San Bernardino, Calif. There, he pocketed nearly $3,000 for the win, but more importantly, he clocked his fastest time ever, a blazing 3.3-second run.

A Little Advice From the Champion

Traver said the most challenging part of rodeo is most definitely keeping your head up. Continuing to go with confidence during the lows of rodeo, and staying mentally prepared through wins and losses is hard to do.

His advice to any future rookies is, “Keep going and don’t get down when it is not going your way." Things can all turn around in one rodeo.

After asking about his plans and goals for the 2026 season Traver says the obvious goal is NFR qualifications. He is excited he has made it into most of the big winter rodeos and is hoping to capitalize on them to get a jump in the 2026 rodeo standings.

Now that Johnson and his horse Potter knocked it out of the park their rookie year of rodeo, expect to keep seeing their names at the top as they pursue big dreams and goals in 2026.