ProRodeo Sports News - Sept. 7, 2018

MORGANWILDE guys, in my opinion, who should’ve made it a lot further than he has in rodeo, but because he doesn’t do it full time he doesn’t get to enough rodeos. He’s just a real big family man. He would always rodeo with his family, they would come with us. He’s one of those guys who you can call, and he will do anything for you.”

that you have to take care of. It’s time to step up and be a man now,’ and I consumed myself worrying about them. “Also, some good came from it, it was super tough to get through, but it made us step back and realize to appreciate life more because of

how quickly it can be gone. It brought my wife and our family closer together.” McNeill praisedWilde for the courage he showed in the face of tragedy with his daughter. “If that would have happened to me, I would have lost it,” McNeill said. “To be able to hold it all together and be there for his wife and family and be the man they needed him to be in the time of grief, while he was grieving himself, I look up to him incredibly for that. I don’t know that I could have handled that situation with as much class and strength as he did.” ELECTRICIAN BYTRADE WhenWilde was young, he wasn’t immersed in rodeo, but he was intrigued about being an electrician because his grandfather did it. “I remember helping my grandpa wire my parents’ house when I was a kid,” Wilde said. “Then, I remember my dad telling me if he could go back and do it over again, he would be an electrician, and I thought that would be cool. When I started it, in all honesty, I didn’t really care for it at first, but now that I do it, I really enjoy it. It’s a good gig.” Wilde, however, still can’t get rid of the rodeo bug. “I started rodeoing late in my career,” Wilde said. “When I was in middle school, our high school rodeo team put on a rodeo. I went home and told my mom (Vicki) I wanted to be a saddle bronc rider. She said, ‘No, you’re not.’ I said, ‘OK, I will ride bulls.’ And she said, ‘Over my dead body.’ I asked if I could ride bareback horses, and she said, ‘Yes.’ “Rodeo is something I enjoy doing, and I’m able to take my family with me. They get to go to all these different states and travel around and see different parts of the country.”

FAMILY LIFE WhenWilde isn’t rodeoing, he stays busy with his children while living in McCammon, Idaho, about 25 minutes south of Pocatello. “We are always running around,” he said. The strength of the Wilde family was tested to its core when their daughter, 9-week-old Kenadee, died of pertussis (whooping cough) May 3, 2012. She had been scheduled to receive her first pertussis vaccine April 30, but by then she was already ill with the disease. “You feel so helpless,” Wilde said. “You watch your baby girl try to breathe and there’s nothing you can do.” At the time of Kenadee’s death, Wilde also became an advocate to let the public know about the seriousness of whooping cough. “We want to make people aware of the importance of the immunizations,” he said. “… A lot of people don’t know they are supposed to get boosters. We want to encourage everyone to get their vaccinations, because this is a preventable disease.” Wilde also said his daughter has never been forgotten. “We still talk about her like she is right there with us,”Wilde said. “I’ve always said I would not wish (having a child) pass away on my worst enemy. It was really hard to deal with. I remember the day she passed away, my dad

(Richard) was standing right there with me. He took me aside and said, ‘You have a wife and a little boy (Shade)

ABOUT MORGAN AGE: 30 EVENT: Bareback riding HOMETOWN: McCammon, Idaho HIGHLIGHT:

Qualifying for the 2014 RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo

Morgan Wilde shares a moment with his family, son, Shade, 8; late daughter, Kenadee (in picture frame), who would be 6 this year; wife, Amber, who is holding daughter, Quincee, 2; and son, Rekker, 5 (arms around Amber). Photo courtesy Morgan Wilde

ProRodeo Sports News 9/7/2018

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