Trisyn Kalawaia becomes just the third Hawaiian in ProRodeo history to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo and the first since fellow steer wrestler Cody Cabrall did it a decade ago.
(PHOTO BY JACKIE JENSEN)
HILO, Hawaii – Like most youngsters who grew up on the Big Island of Hawaii, Trisyn Kalawaia spent his early youth in the ocean.
It was more than a right of passage; it was home.
“I grew up in the water,” said Kalawaia, 24, of Hilo. “I mean, I boxed, played football, but we used to pretty much just surf every day. Early in the morning before school and after school, we’d go surf. It’s just kind of one of those things.”
He was a typical Polynesian kid on the Big Island, though he had some opportunities others didn’t. While his early childhood didn’t involve rodeo, he found it through his step-father, Billy Benevides, who has ranched and competed in rodeo his whole life and who shared cowboy wisdom.
It’s what pushed him toward rodeo, a move to the mainland and rodeo dreams. He’s living them and in his fourth season in ProRodeo. Kalawaia has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that takes place Dec. 3-12 in Las Vegas.
“I really don’t think it’s hit me yet,” he said. “It’s obviously my dream from when I was a kid. Just going back and thinking on it, to where we’ve come in the last six years from when I moved over here to now, it’s been a crazy journey.”
That’s why it hasn’t sunk in.
“I think once it gets closer, especially when we’re heading out there, it’s going to hit me pretty hard,” said Kalawaia, who first moved to the mainland on rodeo at Central Arizona College before transferring to Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “I’m sure I’ll be a little nervous and really excited for it.
“I’m pumped it. It’s exciting to go there and represent Hawaii, see everybody and go kick some ass.”
That’s a natural feeling that’s been exacerbated by those around him. His education gave him the tools to compete. He gained the groundwork and the mental edge it takes to be an elite steer wrestler. He finished the regular season 14th in the world standings with $119,427.
With that, he becomes just the third Hawaiian to qualify for ProRodeo’s Super Bowl, which features only the top 15 contestants in each event. He joins bull rider Myron Duarte of Wailuku, who made the finals eight times from 1995-2004, and steer wrestler Cody Cabral, a 2016 qualifier also from Hilo.
“We finally did it, and I have a lot of people that followed my journey throughout the years, from high school on up,” he said. “To represent Hawaii from the rodeo world is pretty awesome.”
While not widely popular, there is a cowboy culture that was established in Hawaii centuries ago. On the islands, cowboys are paniolo.
Kalawaia is sharing his culture with ProRodeo and doing it on the sport’s biggest stage. Go-rounds will pay out nearly $130,000 for each of the 10 days of the championship, so this is an opportunity to make some big-time money in Sin City. Not bad for a young man who was raised in the Hilo community of Waiakea.
“My favorite part was making a post that I made the finals on social media and just seeing the support I have back home,” said Kalawaia, who credits his success to his sponsors, Cinch, Professionals Choice, K&S Tire, Ag Research, Leatherneck Welding, Resistol, Queen Creek Health Center and Trey Nahrang. “I remember when Cody made it in 2016, it was huge. It was on the news and in the newspapers. Everyone talked about it. I was in high school, and I was like, ‘I want to go represent Hawaii. I want to be the one that carries the Hawaiian flag at the NFR.’
“Feeling that support I have from back home is just unreal.”
He’s earned his way to Las Vegas. It began while at school in Arizona, when he advanced 2021 College National Finals Rodeo. He returned in 2024 representing Northwestern and began to build a resume in ProRodeo. He actually finished as the runner-up for the 2023 Resistol Steer Wrestling Rookie of the Year, then capped his sophomore campaign 20th on the money list. He was 25th a year ago, then had his breakthrough season.
While his foundation was laid in the Pacific Ocean by his parents, Justin Kalawaia and Shannon Benevides, and his step-father, Billy, it has continued to blossom on the mainland. He thrived under former Northwestern coach Stockton Graves, an eight-time NFR qualifier, and Kalawaia established his own personality while bulldogging with the sport’s biggest stars.
His 2026 campaign was highlighted by some big wins, including a share of the title at Fort Worth, Texas, with fellow Northwestern alumnus Bridger Anderson and second place finishes in Salinas, Calif., and the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede.
“Obviously, a little bit of everything that happened is because the horses are the biggest part,” he said. “We can’t do what we do without the horses, and the horses we had in our trailer this year were unreal between four bulldogging horses and one haze horse, and that haze horse was Slick from Tyler Pearson.
“Horsepower is so important for us. Having a partner that starts like that is important.”
Kalawaia spent his season traveling with NFR veterans Tristan Martin, Bridger Anderson and Will Lummus, who were a key reason why Kalawaia found so much success this campaign. Not only that, but he was riding Cletis, a horse owned by Trevor and Jenna Duhon.
“I brought (Cletis) out a little bit at the end of last summer, so this summer was actually is first summer rodeoing,” Kalawaia said. “That’s pretty cool; the first year we take him on the road all year, and (three of us) all make the finals. I had another bay of mine named Rolex, and I rode him at a few of the smaller rodeos and long scores.
“We had a lot of good horses that helped a lot.”
When it’s time for him to nod his head in Las Vegas, he will have Cletis underneath and Pearson, the 2017 world champion and veteran NFR hazer, will help keep all the steers aligned inside the Thomas & Mack Center, the championship’s home since 1985.
It takes a team to make special things happen, and Kalawaia has that with his hauling buddies, Pearson and his girlfriend, Abby Phillips, a 2024 NFR qualifier in barrel racing.
“Abby and I have been together for a little over a year, and she’s great,” he said. “She’s got to go home with me, and she loves it in Hawaii.”
He hasn’t been to Hilo since last Christmas, but if he returns for the holidays this year, she’ll likely be by his side as he swims, fishes and surfs in the Pacific.
Until, then, though, Kalawaia is taking a little bit of the Big Island to Las Vegas.