As kids on their farm in Craig, Garrett Uptain and his older brother Wyatt often played rodeo, going through all the events and giving themselves pretend scores for each performance.
At the center of this make-believe was a blue bucking machine, which the boys had to hand-pump.
That Mighty Bucky became the instrument that jumpstarted Garrett’s burgeoning rodeo career. The 26-year-old is already making his mark as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association saddle bronc and bull rider, as well as a college coach.
“That bucking machine is why Garrett became such a good rough stock rider because he would get on it and then both me and (my friend) would buck him with both of us on the handlebar to power it,” Wyatt Uptain recalled. “If we did buck him off, he would get so mad and he would get right back on.
“Things haven’t changed now that he’s a pro.”
Garrett made his eighth appearance at the National Western Stock Show this month. For the cowboy, rodeo is a family tradition passed down from generation to generation.
His grandfather, Dennis Scofield, competed for 30 years as a team roper in both jackpot and professional rodeos. His parents, Rick Uptain and Kim Moon, met on the Northeastern Junior College rodeo team. Rick was a bareback rider and Kim was a barrel racer and team roper.
The cowboy lifestyle is what the family is all about.
“We told Garrett at one time when he was little, ‘This is what we do — now go get on your horse,’” Moon said. “And whatever Wyatt did, Garrett wanted to do it. So that’s how it started.”
Wyatt, who is a PRCA calf roper and team roper, is three years older than Garrett. He set his younger brother’s rodeo journey in motion and gave him an early bar to reach after Wyatt became a high school state champion in saddle bronc riding.
“He played a huge role,” Garrett said. “He was able to show me a lot within the rodeo just from his (own) experiences, and it allowed me to excel much faster.”
Garrett, who was a four-time qualifier for the College National Finals Rodeo across his six years at Sheridan College, Chadron State and the University of Wyoming, has made the Mountain States Circuit Finals seven years in a row. He’s also qualified twice for the National Finals Rodeo Open.
The Moffat County High School alum had to rally from injuries the past couple of years, including a broken ankle in 2023 and a broken collarbone in 2024 that sidelined him during the prime of the summer season. But he’s back healthy now and determined to take the next leap in his career: qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo as one of the top 15 competitors in either saddle bronc or bull riding.
The closest he’s come was in 2021, when he was 71st in saddle bronc riding while finishing 33rd in the all-around world standings. He’s determined to up his chances in 2025 by entering about 80 rodeos, or nearly double what he would do in a prior injury-free year.
“It’s definitely challenging with how qualifications are set up through the PRCA to get into some of the bigger, higher added-money rodeos because you have to have more qualifications than I have now,” Uptain said. “But my plan for this year is to go to as many rodeos as possible, with as much money added at those rodeos, and try to work my way into that top 15 eventually — even if it’s next year after I get more qualifications from my earnings this year.”
In the meantime, he’s focused on building the rodeo program at Colorado Northwestern Community College. Uptain was named the head coach there at age 23 and is entering his third season at the helm.
When he took over the program in 2023, the Spartans had only two people on the team. That number has grown to five entering the 2025 spring season as Uptain takes a hands-on approach with his athletes.
“When he’s explaining something like about a mark-out and holding your feet, he gets on, too, and can prove it by showing himself right in front of you,” explained CNCC team roper and saddle bronc rider Dan Weyrich. “That’s pretty valuable because I don’t think many rodeo coaches get on broncs with their athletes.
“He also knows how to be goofy and have fun with us, but still be serious. He’s well-balanced in being our friend in this sport because he’s so similar in age, but also being a leader as the coach.”
Uptain hopes to get the program’s numbers in the double digits by 2026.
“We’re headed in the right direction,” Uptain said. “As a coach, I’d really like to stay at CNCC and be able to build this into a winning program that’s highly respected and can be competitive on a regional and national level.”
To some, Uptain’s career and coaching goals might seem lofty.
But to those who know the driven cowboy best, making the NFR and getting CNCC relevant on the college rodeo circuit are both attainable objectives.
From the time Uptain was born six weeks premature, with breathing issues that made doctors unsure if he was going to live past his first night, he’s been a hard-headed cowboy. His parents say that premature birth caused him to be undersized growing up. He weighed only about 90 pounds as a freshman in high school.
Despite that frame, he never shied away from climbing into the chute atop thousand-pound animals itching to buck him off. He follows a rigorous daily workout routine that includes weight lifting, running, the sauna, the cold tub and time with both his spur board and bucking machine — enough to keep him ready for rodeo’s mental and physical grind.
“When he was little if you went into his room, he’d have Post-It notes everywhere that say things like ‘world champion bull rider’ and ‘world champion saddle bronc rider,’ just little motivational reminders to keep him working toward the top,” his mother said. “He’s always been the kid where you tell him he can’t do something and he says, ‘Watch me.’ Because when he puts his mind to something, he does it.”