The rodeo scene is always at its peak in the summer months, showcasing a new event with rising stars each and every week.  All across the country, cowboys and cowgirls are chasing the dream, fueled with adrenaline, desire, and a lot of passion.  You don’t have to look far to see those committed competitors, with some great rodeo athletes in our very own community.

Not long ago, three Malad cowboys saddled up to compete against the best of the best in Rock Springs, Wyoming at the National High School Finals Rodeo July 13-19.  Lincoln Reeder won the Idaho state rodeo in the bareback event to qualify.  Alex Marshall also qualified for the national rodeo with a first place win in the steer wrestling.  Colter Bennett qualified for the Rock Springs with a second place finish in tie down roping.

For some cowboys, just having the chance to compete at the national rodeo would have been enough.  But not for these cowboys.  They had the mindset that they came to push the competition, to reach new highs.  

The national rodeo featured two long go-rounds, each round comprising six performances.  The short-go was held Saturday evening, a final performance showcasing the top 20 in each event.  

Colter Bennett was the first Malad cowboy to compete, drawing a calf in the Monday evening performance.  Competing at the national rodeo did get his nerves up a bit, Bennett admits, but that didn’t keep him from putting up a good show.  Roping early in the first go-round meant that Bennett didn’t have a chance to see his calf roped beforehand.  He had seen calves break hard and fast out of the chute and others hesitate.  All he could do was wait, watch, and adjust in the moment.

That first calf broke out fast, stretching a good lead in front of Bennett.  Bennett was able to catch up, getting a head loop around him before throwing him to the ground to do his three wraps and a hooey.  Bennett shared that his nerves led to a few mistakes, ending with a time of 11.81.

Tuesday morning, Alex Marshall had his first performance, drawing a tough steer.  Marshall said, “I just knew I had a job to do and if I did it, I would make the short go.”  Riding into the arena with a little more confidence than the previous year when he competed in the national rodeo, Marshall landed a 5th place finish in his performance with a 7.34 second time.

That evening, Lincoln Reeder had his first bareback ride of the week, drawing a horse he had seen a number of times.  Reeder said, “I knew that when I gave him the iron (spurring)  he was gonna be good.”  Good was an understatement of Reeder’s first ride as he tied for first place in the performance with an 80 point ride.

The second go-round began Wednesday evening but wasn’t until Thursday morning that the Malad cowboys competed again.  Reeder had his second bareback ride, a horse that he had not only watched, but had ridden over and over.  He shared, “in the second round I drew one of my practice horses.  It was crazy how it happened.  I saw my name by him and I was like ‘Heck yeah, the stars are aligning.’ Turns out we fed him all winter just for him to let me down here.”

Instead of coming out of the chute bucking, the horse ran out across the arena.  With the horse not scoring high for the ride, Reeder only scored 66 points.  He was hopeful for a reride but the judges didn’t give him one.

Marshall had his second steer wrestling run Thursday evening, drawing another tough steer.  But the challenge didn’t deter his resolve or his results.  Marshall ended with a time of 13.33, good enough to get him sixth place.  It wouldn’t be until later in the week that he would learn it was also good enough for the short go.

Friday morning Bennett had his second run, a performance he would describe as smooth and easy.  Roping his calf halfway down the arena, he managed a 9.53 second time to land him in second place for the performance and 16th out of 110 for the go-round.  Fast enough to also send him to the short go.

As if they hadn’t already determined to compete at their very best, the Malad cowboys stepped up their game in the final Saturday rodeo performance.  Reeder talked about his ride saying, “They brought in a bunch of horses just for the short-go and I just knew he was going to buck.”  With a horse to match his own skill, Reeder nailed the final performance with a stellar 81.5 point ride to take second place, just half a point behind first.  Tallying up all the rides, Reeder’s aggregate score was 227.5, earning him a 4th place finish in the bareback event of the National High School Finals Rodeo.

Bennett shared about the final round, saying “Going into the short round I was sitting 11th.  I was about three seconds behind the #1 man in the average.  After looking at my calf and seeing that he was a really good one I just thought to myself, ‘I didn’t come here just to win a top ten buckle, I came to compete for the world title,’ so I went for it.”  

That run started out well, he claims “thanks to the push from Alex Marshall”. Bennett  threw a fast loop and good flank, setting up the run up to be super fast.  But then as he went to string the calf he got his hand caught, slowing things down and resulting in a time of 9.3.  Bennett shared, “if that hadn’t happened, who knows how fast it could’ve been.  But that’s just rodeo, it’s God’s plan for how everything works out. I just work hard to be ready when he gives me opportunities.”  Bennett still had an amazing finish for the week, earning a top 10 placing at 7th place.

Marshall’s performance in the steer wrestling rounded out the week’s events for the Malad cowboys.  Once again he drew a tough steer but he still managed a time of 9.73 to land him in 10th place for the rodeo and an aggregate placing in 11th.  He shared, “Even though I felt I could have improved on a couple of my runs, I was still grateful to be able to finish out 11th in the world for my sophomore year.”

To compete at this level of rodeo takes a special kind of cowboy.  Each of these young men have worked day in and day out to practice, keep their horses healthy and in good shape, and stay both physically and mentally strong.  Their big dreams weren’t something too far out of reach but attainable if they were willing to put in the effort.  

The achievements they accomplished this season certainly aren’t the end, but only a stepping stone in their bigger dreams.  Reeder looks forward now to competing in bareback riding at the collegiate level and pro-rodeoing throughout the winter.  Marshall and Bennett are excited to continue their high school rodeo careers, hoping for state titles and national championships in their near future.

As they all shared about their journey, they commented on the other competitors, coaches, friends, and parents that helped them along the way, sending their thanks to everyone that played a part in getting them to the national rodeo.  

One high school rodeo season may have come to a close, but soon enough we will be watching these rodeoers again and you can be sure that it will be worth wait.