RICHLAND CENTER — Four area cowboys and cowgirls recently punched their ticket to compete at the 2023 National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, WY, on July 16-22.
These area cowboys and cowgirls did so with outstanding performances throughout the 2022-23 rodeo season, including the Wisconsin High School State Finals Rodeo held in Richland Center on June 8-11.
The State Finals Rodeo is the last of 10 competitions throughout the regular season for state participants and carries more weight than any of the nine regional meets held earlier in the season.
To qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo, competitors must be among the top four finishers in their event at the conclusion of the state finals rodeo.
Moving on to the National Finals are Lainee Burks of Lancaster, Brody Kielley of River Ridge and Jesse Vesperman and Wyatt Heer of Platteville.
Burks will be competing in barrel racing and goat tying, having finished first in both events this season with 228 points in barrels and 226 points in goat tying. It is the third year that Burks has won state titles in barrels.
Burks, who only competes in three of the eight girls’ events throughout the season, was also in the running for All-Around Cowgirl, finishing fourth with 558 total points, just 39.5 points behind All-Around Cowgirl Josie Laue of Ithaca.
At the state rodeo, Burks finished first in the goat tying competition with a total time of :24.17 in three go-rounds, and was second in barrel racing with a time of :43.158.
Brody Kielley of River Ridge will compete in steer wrestling, where he finished third on the season with 179 total points. At the state finals, Kielley had a time of :14.280 on one go-round to earn seven points.
Jesse Vesperman of Platteville will be busy at the National Finals, having qualified in steer wrestling, tie-down roping, trap shooting and small bore rifle.
In steer wrestling, Vesperman placed first at the state finals with a combined time of :36.430 in three go-rounds. On the season he also finished first with 237 total points.
In tie-down roping, Vesperman finished fourth at the state finals with a combined time of :52.120 in three go-rounds, and finished third on the season with 191 total points.
In trap shooting, he finished second at the state finals, hitting 72 of 75 possible targets, earning him a second-place finish in the season standings with 144 total points.
And, in small bore rifle, Vesperman finished third at the state finals with a score of 284, which put him third in the season standings with a total of 60 points.
With all of his success during the season, Vesperman also earned Reserve All-Around Cowboy honors with 459 total points.
Fellow Platteville senior Wyatt Heer will also be busy at the National Finals Rodeo, having qualified in boys’ cutting, team roping and tie-down roping.
In tie-down roping, Heer finished third at the state finals with a combined time of :51.415 in three go-rounds. On the season he finished second with 202.50 points.
In team roping, Heer and Trent Parr of Mondovi placed sixth with a combined time of :20.210 in two go-rounds to earn five points. On the season, the two finished fourth with 167 total points.
In boys’ cutting, Heer finished second at the state finals, and on the season finished second with 33.5 points.
Lancaster’s Grace Bennett also competed in the queen competition at the State Finals Rodeo, where she finished runner up.
This year marks the 75th Annual National High School Finals Rodeo, which will kick off July 16 and conclude July 22.
Featuring more than 1,700 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian Provinces, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand, the NHSFR is the world’s largest rodeo.
Performances will air online at www.thecowboychannel.com. beginning at 7 p.m. on July 16 and continuing daily at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. through July 22.
Saturday’s championship performances will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series on RFD-TV. LIVE broadcasts of each NHSFR.
