It's been a few years since Libby Hegemann, Laney Hoier and Hailey O'Daniel capped a rodeo season together on the national stage.
Set to be juniors this fall, the three Washington County cowgirls will compete during the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) next week in Gillette, Wyo. They all last qualified for nationals together at the end of eighth grade.
“It means a lot,” Hegemann said July 1. “When we were younger, we pushed each other a lot.”
That's still the case, too.
“We still push each other a lot to be the best versions of ourselves,” she said.
“It's just really special,” O'Daniel added Thursday. “I could not be more happy for them.”
The feeling is mutual.
“It should be a lot of fun,” Hoier said.
NHSFR performances start Sunday night. From there, the Cam-plex Event Center will host two rodeos a day through July 22 when world champions are determined during the short-go round finals.
O'Daniel is an Iowa state champ
O'Daniel, a multi-sport athlete at Arlington High School, qualified for nationals in two events on the Iowa High School Rodeo Association circuit. The new student secretary of the IHSRA was the pole bending state champion and a top finisher in the barrel racing.
“I feel like I'm going to be more level-headed,” said O'Daniel, who also competed in Wyoming a year ago.
The cowgirl credited her horses for her successes, saying she is “grateful” to have them. Romance, the horse she rides in poles, is new to the family, but a top mare that gave her a chance to contend for the Iowa state title from the start.
“I knew I had the horse power underneath me,” O'Daniel said.
The two-event qualifier said her standout performances during the rodeo season came in Carson, Iowa, and during the state finals. She hopes for more during the NHSFR.
O'Daniel competes in pole bending July 17 and 21, while making both barrel racing runs July 19.
Hegemann looks to build on last year
Hegemann, an AHS classmate of O'Daniel, dealt with rain and mud during the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association finals.
Still, the two-time NHSFR qualifier — and sister to National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR) qualifier Haydn Hegemann — earned second in the all-around standings. In Gillette, though, she'll compete solely in the goat tying, beginning with a Sunday night performance and finishing up July 22.
“Being consistent. Having fun,” Hegemann said when asked the keys to her successful season. “Being confident in myself, but it also takes a lot of practice.”
The cowgirl earned 31st overall in the goat tying last year and is hoping to build on that start.
“I'm prepared for it a little more,” she said. “A lit bit more confident in my abilities this year.”
Nerves hadn't yet gotten to Hegemann as of July 1.
“Just ready to go do it,” she said.
Hoier is Nebraska's goat-tying champ
While Hegemann was second in the Nebraska goat-tying standings, Hoier earned the state title.
The Herman cowgirl said her folks played a large part in that success. In particular, her mother Allie has been a positive influence.
“She's pretty helpful making sure my head is in the right spot,” Hoier said Thursday.
She and her horse, Cartel, will make goat-tying runs July 17 and 21 in Gillette. The mare is her NJHFR-qualifying sister Charley's barrel horse.
“She is quite the character,” Hoier said, noting the victory laps the horse likes to take. “She's scared more than a few gate guys.”
In Wyoming, the soon-to-be Tekamah-Herman junior hopes Cartel has a few more laps and scares in her to close out a championship rodeo season.
