Middle school players return home from national finals in Georgia
Mitchell Story competed in Saddle Bronk riding Daddy Roy at the True Western Roundup Rodeo at La Plata County Fairgrounds this summer. Story is he is one of several athletes from the Four Corners heading to the national rodeo finals in Wyoming. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
There may not be many Four Corners representatives traveling to the 2023 National High School Finals Rodeo. But at his CAM-PLEX event center in Gillette, Wyoming, he’ll be easy to put up with if you’re coming to see the 75th installment of this massive spectacle, which runs July 16-22. is.
Quincy Morgan Montoya (and Mancos HS) of Hesperus finished the 22-23 season of the Colorado State High School Rodeo Association in first place in Goat Tie. Despite averaging 4th in the CSHSRA Finals May 25-29 in Craig, her cumulative points of 114 are one point behind McAleigh Fisher (Eagle, Homeschool) and Brooke Bruner. (Parker, Lutheran High School) by two points. It is one of the association’s most competitive specialties.
Morgan Montoya also qualified for the NHSFR on the Breakaway Rope and finished runner-up with a victory in the state final to extend his year-end points tally to 89.5. Wellington’s Machi York ended up in first place with a total of 97 points.
At Saddlebronk, Aztec’s Mitchell Story covered all three he pulled up at the Moffat County Fairgrounds to finish as CSHSRA champion. His score of 216 (71-74-71) surpassed the 204 (70-66-68) recorded by finals runner-up Traven Sharon (Ordway, Fowler High School), and his seniors scored in points (70.5) for the year. came in third place. His younger brothers Waitley (118.5) and Story (138.5). Durango’s Wyatt Bartell (38.5) ended up sixth on the standings, just outside the required top four.
In team roping, Bayfield’s Story and Tegan Lukema (Taylor) finished seventh in the MCFG before scoring 49 points each in 2022-23, ultimately sharing sixth on the season.
Guaranteed at tries in each of the first two rounds at Gillette, Morgan Montoya’s first try at the breakaway is currently scheduled for Monday night, with a second by Friday morning. It’s going to take. At Goat Tethering, she competes on Tuesday evening and Thursday morning, with Story’s two sure-fire bronco rides on the saddle during the same performance.
Durango’s Shailene Drumm, center, finished ninth overall in cowgirl points at the national middle school finals rodeo in Georgia at the end of June. Photo of Drums receiving his state championship belt buckle earlier this summer (Courtesy of the Basin Rodeo Team)
NJHFR Roundup
Durango’s Shaleen Drumm made an impressive appearance representing La Plata County and Southwest Colorado at the National Middle School Finals Rodeo June 18-24. When all the chaos subsided in Perry, Georgia, Drum, who won four tournament qualifiers, scored 650 points, about half of Brady Bourde’s total of Hollister, Calif.・Ranked 9th in points.
Drum finished fourth in the goat tie, recording a total of 27.7 seconds over three attempts, fifth on the second with 8.45 seconds, and sixth on the third (i.e. “short”) with 8.66 seconds. She won both the second and short, with 7.04 and 6.93 points respectively, ahead of Ella Kaye of Louisiana, Iowa, with 23.01 points. Kenley Kuntz of Montpelier, Idaho followed with 26.85 points, thanks to the fourth-fastest 8.33 points in the short program. Emry Woolstenhalm of Oakley, Utah (27.4 points) is third, while Mesa Shannon of Annabelle, Missouri (27.75 points) has the second-fastest short time with 7.71 points, just behind Drummer. finished with
Overall, 161 participants successfully trapped and controlled at least one goat.
After failing to record a time on the breakaway’s first run, Drumm posted a 2.41 on the second run. 122 entrants timed at least one time, finishing 4th on the run and 42nd overall on average. In pole bending, Drumm scored a total of 43.391 seconds for two guaranteed tries (22.073, 21.318) and finished average 40th (out of 159), but missed the short.
Drum, who also competed in ribbon roping, paired with Tanner Richards of Kirk (population less than 100) in southern Yuma County, scoring 27.42, starting 84th and eventually finishing 114th of 117. became.
Bayfield’s Tegan McInnes finished 39th out of 159 in the barrel race with a two-ride total of 32.728 seconds. Her starting 16.461 ranked 52nd in the first run, and she updated her 16.267 (48th) in the second run, but failed to advance to a decisive short go. Cortez’s Kelby Oliver averaged 58th out of 81 on the tie-down ropes. He set a good 38th place time of 22.28 on the first run, but was unable to match it on the second run.
Oliver also competed in Team Roping, but failed to set a time with his partner Easton Zeldentuis (Crawford).
