Handling the pressure: Area athletes hold their cool, take home national high school championships

The National High School Finals Rodeo, held in Gillette, Wyoming, concluded July 22. A week-long rodeo with 1,785 contestants awarded $339,000 in jackpots and over $300,000 in scholarships, it’s one of the largest rodeos in the world and placing even in the top 20 is a big deal for the contestants.

One thing all the top competitors had in common was confidence. As simple as it sounds, it came down to who was left unshaken by the undeniable pressure and who could make the best of the circumstances they were handed.

The unpredictable nature of the sport leaves a lot up to chance. These athletes made the best of what they had and did all they could to maintain a positive mindset that would set them up for success.

Ella Begger and Piper Cordes will both be seniors in the fall, leaving them another year and another shot at success. However, they both recently achieved what many only dream about.

Begger, from Townsend, Montana, was the champion pole bender. She steadily worked her way up through the standings by placing 11^th in the first round with a 20.437 second run, third in the second round with a 19.707 and she won the short round with a 19.471.

Each time she rode down the alley way, she thought to herself, “keep the poles up and let her (horse) do her thing,” which she did.

Her confidence in her mare, Pepper, came from their long history together. She was only seven years old and Pepper was six when they got her, so they grew up learning the poles together.

She went into the short go sitting third in the average and despite having some ground to make up, she kept her cool, made a point to trust her mare and have fun. “Going into the short go was already amazing to me, it was a really special thing for me and my family,” she said.

Piper Cordes of Wall, South Dakota, went into the finals with the same confident mindset. She won the first round with a 17.015, won the second round with a 16.725, and placed third in the short go with a 16.921 to win the average by almost a whole second.

“I always like to think less is more,” she said, “going into the finals I never thought about winning every round, running the fastest time of the rodeo, or winning the average by almost a second. I just wanted to do what my horse and I could do best. We were there for a certain reason.”

Going into the short go, Cordes was leading the average and she drew last out in the performance. To win the world title, all she had to do was run faster than an 18.02, which she knew she was fully capable of. However, in the true nature of rodeo, anything could happen, and the pressure was definitely there.

“Surprisingly I wasn’t very nervous,” Cordes said, “I remember I just thought positive and gave it up to God because he has a plan for me, and I trust in Him.”

Winning the world was more than just another achievement under the South Dakota cowgirls’ belt. She knew from the first time she saw the Cinch trailer in Huron, South Dakota with the champions picture, that she wanted to be up there one day. For her, it was a chance to show the younger generation that the sacrifices she’s made, like many others, do pay off.

The guys who found success on the rough-stock side of the arena all had a similar mentality when it came time to get on their bucking horses.

Tuker Carricato of Saratoga, Wyoming, was the champion bareback rider in Gillette. The cowboy who will be a senior in the fall, rodeoed as much as he could throughout the summer to prepare for the finals and do some fine tuning.

Carricato was second in the first round with an 80-point ride, third in the second round with a 76 and he marked an 84 in the short go to win it and notably make the highest scoring ride of the entire rodeo.

Last year he won the same title, however he was going into the short go sitting first. This year the pressure was higher, he didn’t have that same cushion coming in third. He had to make the best ride he could and leave the rest up to chance.

His plan was simple, “just try to keep it like any another rodeo, it’s just another horse,” he said.

Kashton Ford of Sturgis, South Dakota, won the reserve bareback title, right behind Carricato.

He won third in the first round with a score of 79, second in the second round with a 78, and third again in the short go with a 78.

His consistency put him first going into the short go in a very tight race. Before getting on his bronc he was doing all he could to stay relaxed and quiet his mind from overthinking.

His plan was a close variation to Carricato’s, “just do what I know how to do, and don’t overthink it,” he said. Although he was five points short of his goal of winning the average, he isn’t slowing down. Ford plans on buying his pro permit as soon as he turns 18 and going down south to rodeo as much as he can in the fall.

South Dakota’s co-all-around cowboy found success at the finals as well. Eastan West of New Underwood, South Dakota, was the champion saddle bronc rider. He won third in the first round with a 75-point ride, in the second round he was in a three-way tie for fifth with a score of 74 and with a 72, repeated another three-way tie in the short go for fifth.

West’s consistency and ability to thrive under pressure paid off. Much like the other guys, his plan going into the finals was to, “take it one horse at a time,” he said, “don’t change anything, it’s just another rodeo.”

Coy Johnston of Stapleton, Nebraska, and Bohdi Coombs of Wellington, Colorado, but rodeos for Wyoming finished third and fourth in the steer wrestling average.  

Both guys had an all or nothing mindset going into the short go. Johnston who went in fifth and ended third felt as if he had “nothing to lose,” and everything to gain.

Coombs went into the short go sitting third and finished fourth. His plan was to, “go out there and make the same runs I had been making,” he said, with one other thing on his mind, “be aggressive.”