Clayton Van Aken is sitting atop the Mountain States Circuit header standings, with $22,841.71 won so far, after teaming up with Resistol Rookie heeler Reece Wadhams.
Since they paired up in June 2025, they’ve won Grover, Colorado (5.2 for $1,567 each), got the win in Brush, Colorado (4.6 for $2,105 each), and have won or placed at the Steamboat Springs ProRodeo Series rodeos three times since the end of June (5.8 for $1,432 each, 5.7 for $812 each, 5.2 for $1,339 each). July 11, they were third in Laramie, Wyoming, going 4.7 for $2,201 a man, and went 5.6 for fourth at Monte Vista, Colorado, winning just over $1,000 each.
Wyoming’s Van Aken, 33, is no stranger to the spot he is currently in; he led these same standings in 2022 and 2023. His original plan was to stay local but, after having a bit of success, that has shifted.
“Honestly, [Wadhams and I] planned on being really close to home and just kind of circuit rodeoing, making the amateur finals because there’s, like, three associations [in our area,]” Van Aken explained. “But it kind of turned—we went to catching and doing good.”
For rookie contender Wadhams, 23, it’s all about gaining confidence in their run and doing his job every time he makes the corner. For those wondering why Wadhams is not also at the top of the Mountain States standings, he designated the Turquoise Circuit before teaming up with Van Aken earlier this year.
“It’s been a learning process but it’s also, like, I feel like I’ve come up a step in these last few weeks,” the Phoenix, Arizona native, admitted. “Since switching partners and roping with Clayton, I kind of just come up and started to see how it went. But now, seeing that it’s going pretty good, I have some pretty high goals.”
Bottom line: these guys are just getting started.
When it comes to consistently pulling a check, mindset matters. For Van Aken, his mindset is a steer-by-steer scenario.
“I’m a calculated risk guy,” he said. “I mean, if you don’t catch-they don’t pay you. Like, the other day at Monte Vista (CO), we didn’t have one to be four on. I mean, Reece could have taken a risk, but it wasn’t going to work. So, we won fourth, got our money and went home.
“I don’t know, maybe I am different than a lot of people,” Van Aken continued, “but, if we were supposed to win first every time, it would be a little different. But if it’s presented itself to win third or fourth and its good money and first is going to be a stupid risk, I’ll just take the third and go home. You’ve got to weigh the situation.”
With all the risks ropers have to consider, what they are backing off the trailer is not a risk this team thinks is worth taking.
Van Aken has developed a reputation with a certain gelding over the last few years. That gelding is known as “JB,” registered as Jay Bad Ropn Ammo, a buttermilk buckskin he’s had for four years.
“Everyone makes fun of me because when I show up on anything else, they remember him,” he joked.
“Lippy,” registered as I Like To Swing, is the bay gelding that gets the call for Wadhams.
“[Lippy]’s been my number one for a while, I rode him at the BFI. Any set up-he’s good. I rode him at Cheyenne, he’s good at the fast rodeos.”
Outside of their a-string athletes, both guys have a foot in the futurity world in one way or another.
For Wadhams, it is in his blood. His parents are the founders of the American Rope Horse Futurity Association (ARHFA), which he plans to focus more on…after he gets done rodeoing.
“Right now, I’m trying to stay slow with all of that just because we are gone rodeoing so much, I don’t really have time to ride show horses,” Wadhams said. “That’s another goal of mine-to get really big in the futurities. I love horses and training them-especially young horses. But right now, I am more focused on rodeoing while I’m young and can be on the road all the time.”
All though the runs made at the ARHFA shows are not being judged as a team, it is crucial to have good help on the other side of the chute. This is where Van Aken comes in, as he’s been helping at the futurities on either side of the run.
“It’s a different kind of pressure,” he said. “It’s fun, you got to have a lot of horses. It’s a different kind of roping.”
Van Aken helping at the Royal Crown will keep the team from making a full Northwest run this September, but they are going to make the most of it. The plan is to hit a few Colorado rodeos, run one at Deadwood, South Dakota, and hopefully make the trip up to Kennewick, Washington mid-August.
