Bull riding is often a favorite event for a rodeo audience. The bulls and pen are smaller in high school rodeo competition, but the noise, action and competition is fierce. Two clowns and two mounted cowboys helped protect the riders, Saturday, at the Nebraska High School rodeo in Nelson. There were nine competitors, Stetson Sweley, Blue Hill, was among the competitors.
All eyes are on the shoot as Montey Hajny prepares to give the ready signal during Nebraska High School team roping competition at the Nuckolls County Fairgrounds, Saturday. Hajny's partner was Colter Wright. Fifty-five teams from throughout Nebraska, challenged one another for top place in the competition. Members of the Nuckolls County Fair Board, their families and friends hosted the event.
Josie Hajny is ranked eighth in Nebraska State High School team roping. Above she is in full action on the Nuckolls County Fairgrounds, Sunday. Hajny is a senior at Lawrence-Nelson High School.
Baleigh Bohlen works her horse smoothly through the poles at the Nebraska High School rodeo in Nelson, Saturday.
Monte Hajny and Colter Wright (not pictured) burst out of the box in team roping at the Nebraska High Rodeo in Nelson Saturday. Three Nuckolls County teams competed in team roping over the weekend in Nelson.
Josie Hajny, a senior at Lawrence-Nelson High School, is a strong competitor in Nebraska High School team roping competition. Saturday she narrowly missed roping a calf's feet after her partner, Kit Painter, secured the calf's head. Hajny is currently ranked in the top ten. Above, the pair have just completed their run and put away their gloves and ropes.
The Nuckolls County Ag Society hosted two Nebraska High School rodeos over the weekend, one Saturday and the other on Sunday on the fairgrounds at Nelson. Four contestants were from Nuckolls County: Bayleigh Bohlen, Jasper Elledge, Monty Hajny and Josie Hajny. Josie also competes in barrells and break-away roping.
Bohlen competed in pole bending and barrel racing. The other three participated in team roping. Jasper and Monty both roped the head. Josie roped the feet. All four attend Lawrence-Nelson public schools.
If one looks only at the score sheet, Saturday was not a winning day for any of the four.
However, Bohlen, a freshman, said, " I am learning now. My goal is to be in the top 10 contestants by my junior and senior year."
Two months ago, she started a new horse: a six-year-old mare. The two practice nearly everyday.
"It is just lots of slow work,"Bohlen said. "We drill on sharp turns and work on consistency. Even if I move one hand differently it may mess up our performance," she said.
Bohlen's mare is calm. Many of the horses used in pole bending are high strung, nervous horses which appear to be challenging to ride.
Bohlen started riding before she could walk. She is the granddaughter of Dennis and Stacy Shroyer and good horsemanship and roping are skills used year-around by the Shroyers.
Poles racing consists of nine poles placed 21 feet apart. The rider crosses the starting line full speed, runs a straight line to the furthermost pole then weaves in and out down and back, before racing out of the arena across the same line they started. If a pole falls over, the horse and rider are docked five seconds. National finalists tend to finish the course in approximately 20 plus seconds. The winners Saturday were completing the race in slightly more than 22 seconds.
Competition was fierce. There were 48 competitors registered for pole bending and 51 for barrel racing.
Members of the Nuckolls County Fair Board, their families and friends prepare the grounds, open and close gates, move stock, set up and take down the equipment, serve as announcers, timers and recorders, operate the food stand, keep records and probably many other things not obvious to the causal observer. Events continue throughout the morning in both the main arena and the east arena.
Ten volunteers assisted with pole bending. Nick Kucera raked the arena after every eight contestants, Cassidy Buescher and Cody Grover opened and closed gates, Angie Gardner, Cailey Foererer and Nicole Thayer repositioned poles, Kylie Beard and Lauren Kohmetscher timed events and kept records while Tatum Kohmetscher gave the contestant's name, who was on deck and who was in the hole. In addition, official judges ran flags and made sure rodeo rules were followed.
The fall Nebraska High School rodeo circuit includes events at Bassett, Lexington, Bloomfield, O'Neill, Nelson, Grand Island, Broken Bow and North Platte.
Thus far this season, Josie Hajny stands in eighth place in team roping with 19 points. The first place position has 24 points.
Reader Comments(0)