WHEATLAND – The Wheatland High School Rodeo Club has been busy traveling the state to compete as they near the end of their spring season. The club began competing in September and hosted a rodeo on September 23 – 24 in Wheatland. That rodeo is the favorite of several members of the team.

“We put on a good old-time rodeo,” members of the club said, adding they think it’s been a good season.

The members typically practice on their own and travel individually to events, so not everyone competes in all the rodeos, and not every event is held in all the rodeos. For more information on the rodeos, see the Wyoming High School Rodeo website at www.wyhsra.org.

“I started my eighth-grade year because my sister was competing and I wanted to spend time with her and see what rodeo was about,” Jessie Graves said. As for choosing the riding trap shoot competition: “Why not?”

Caleb and Jacob Hyche both started three years ago, swinging their rope in the team roping event. Jacob is the header and Caleb is the healer. Jacob also competes in tie-down. This is Katie Miller’s first year competing and she also likes to rope, and she competes in reigned cowhorse. Rylee Griffis has been traveling to rodeos since she was in the sixth grade, five years ago. She competes in several events, but her favorite event is goat tying.

Madison McIntosh has been competing for four years and while she competes in other events, barrels are her favorite. “I’m good at it,” she said. In 2023 she qualified to compete in the world junior barrel racing competition in Nevada.

After taking a break throughout the winter, spring rodeo competition kicked off with a Laramie rodeo on April 6. McIntosh ran the barrels in 15.194 for seventh place and four points while Griffis hit 16.118 on the clock. Miller had a no-time in breakaway roping; Griffis was 41st with 9.98 in goat tying and 28.277 in pole bending for 20th place; McIntosh ran a 32.393 in the poles. The Hyches had a no-time in team roping and Jacob Hyche was 25th for tie down calf roping.

The second day of rodeo in Laramie saw McIntosh shave off time with a fourth-place finish of 15.144 in barrels, earning her seven points; Griffis hit 16.263. Miller earned two points in breakaway roping with her ninth-place finish of 4.950. Griffis clocked goat tying in 10.750 and recorded 30.695 in pole bending. Jacob and Caleb Hyche placed 9th and 10th for six points with a team roping time of 13.130. Jacob earned four points for tying his calf in 18.120 seconds for seventh place.

Traveling to Rock Springs on April 20, McIntosh nabbed third place and eight points in barrels with her 15.898 finish. Griffis clocked 16.859 in barrels and 12.580 in goat tying. McIntosh ran the poles in 28.162; and Graves placed seventh for four points in trap shooting with a 87.5 score.

The second day in Rock Springs saw McIntosh earn four points in barrels for seventh place with 15.961 and three points with an eighth-place finish of 21.666 in pole bending. Griffis ran the cloverleaf pattern in 16.580, placed 12th in goat tying with 9.870.

Big Piney saw McIntosh gaining another six points and fifth place with a barrel-racing time of 16.870. Griffis clocked 17.522 in the barrels and 10.270 in her 12th place finish in goat tying. Graves earned nine points and second place in trap shooting with a 96.0 score.

Day two in Big Piney saw Griffis beat out McIntosh in barrels, earning three points and eighth place with a time of 16.967. McIntosh earned one point and 10th place with a 17.057 finish. Griffis hit the 12.360 mark and 17th place in goat tying; McIntosh was 22nd in pole bending with 25.769.

At the May 4th Newcastle rodeo McIntosh garnered three points in barrels with her eighth-place finish of 16.865. Griffis was 19th with a 17.352. Miller had a no-time in breakaway roping. Griffis earned two points in goat tying with her ninth-place finish of 9.030. McIntosh was 21st in pole bending with 31.667.

The second day at Newcastle had Mcintosh and Griffis slowing down at the barrels with a 30th place, 22.151 for McIntosh; 37th and 23.730 for Griffis. Miller had a no-time in breakaway. Griffis earned one point for her 9.330 tenth-place finish; and McIntosh was in sixth and earned five points in pole bending with 21.587.

The rodeo this weekend in Gillette on May 11. McIntosh didn’t disappoint with her fourth-place finish in barrels with 15.540, earning seven points; her second run put her in sixth with five points and a time of 15.581. Griffis was 26th on Friday with 16.448 and 25th on Saturday with 16.212 in barrel racing. Miller hit the 14.250 mark for 19th place in breakaway roping before jumping to 11th place with a time of 4.280 on Saturday. Griffis was 15th in goat tying both days: 12.530 on Friday and 11.470 on Saturday. McIntosh had nearly identical times and two seventh-place finishes in pole bending. Friday saw 21.520 and Saturday saw 21.553. Both days earned her four points.

The high school rodeo will be in Casper this weekend, May 17 – 18, Sheridan on May 25, and in Buffalo May 26 – 27. The state finals will be held in Rock Springs, June 3 – 9. Competitors can only take a total of 120 points from the whole year (September – June) into finals, and there is a limit of 10 points that will be counted in each rodeo. Fundraisers were held by the rodeo club is to help put on the fall rodeo in Wheatland. Anyone can be a part of the rodeo club from fifth grade through high school. For more information contact Jessica Griffis at 307-359-2024.