The National High School Rodeo is the ride Jill Goff and Alana McCarthy promised they would only take together.
It was three years ago that the lifelong friends from the Pembina Valley region made a pact that they would only attend the National High School Finals Rodeo if they were both invited.
It’s time to saddle up.
The teen cowgirls qualified for the NHSFR after outstanding performances in the Manitoba High School Rodeo Finals in Richer earlier this month. The NHSFR, affectionately known as the ‘World’s largest rodeo,’ is really an international meet that welcomes 1,500 of the top young rodeo athletes from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.
This year’s event will be held from July 14 to 20 at the Sweetwater Events Complex in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
To qualify, Goff, who was fourth among Manitoba riders in average score this season, capped a marvellous campaign with the second-highest average in the finals.
“I’ve been dreaming about doing this since I started high school rodeo,” said Goff, 15. “To earn my spot in nationals has been an amazing experience, I may have cried a little when I found out.”
With the top four finishers from the province punching their ticket to the international event, McCarthy, who finished fifth in the local event, appeared to have fallen just short of the mark. That is until one of the top four finishers bowed out of the competition shortly after qualifying.
“It’s an incredible opportunity. I feel like I rode very well at finals, “said McCarthy, also 15. “I just want to represent (Manitoba) as best I can and show them that even though I was a roll-up, I still deserve to be there and I still have what it takes.”
Rodeoing has been in McCarthy’s family for generations. She was born into horse riding, and her aunt and uncle introduced her to breakaway roping at a young age—a variation of calf roping in which a calf is roped but not thrown and tied.
Though she’s ridden horses since she was five, Goff is a first-generation cowgirl and has only been riding for three years.
In fact, McCarthy roped Goff into trying rodeo months before they started high school.
“She walked into my house, and she said, ‘I signed up for high school rodeo; I’m signing you up too; the first rodeo is in August.’ And that was it — I was hooked.” Goff said.
Shortly after, they made their pact.
“We’re best friends, and, honestly, going into rodeo alone is just not— you’ll make so many friends, but you always want to go in there with someone, and who’s better than Jill?” McCarthy said. “I’m so happy that I brought her into it because I don’t know what I would do without her in the real world now.
“Tears after a bad run, laughs after a good run — she’s there.”
Goff’s commitment to rodeo has increased substantially over the last two years. During the summer months, she trains as hard as possible in her hometown, Carman. She trains even harder in Arizona, where she and her family head for the winter months to accommodate her brother, whose disability hinders him in snow and ice.
Goff does online schooling while down south and has taken full advantage of being perhaps the only teenager from Manitoba who gets to train for the sport year-round. She estimates that she ropes a dummy calf 50 times a day to improve her muscle memory.
In just a few short years, Goff has developed the necessary skills to compete in seven events, including breakaway roping and trap shooting, which she will do at nationals.
“I started on my dad’s rope horse, running barrels, poles and goat tying — it was not very pretty, but I’ve had some amazing people help me along my way… and I’ve slowly transitioned to different horses and built my skill level up enough to make it,” said Goff, who aspires to compete professionally one day.
Meanwhile, McCarthy, who does not have the luxury of training on horses all year in Miami, has improved her mental toughness during the winter months. Physically, she knows she’s as capable as anyone, but it’s between the ears that has plagued her in the past and now has her feeling as confident as ever entering the biggest rodeo of her young career.
McCarthy will focus on breakaway roping, her favourite event, at nationals.
“My auntie got me into breakaway, she’s the reason I wanted to start and she went down to Las Vegas this year to compete and roped for the crowd, which was so cool because she won our Manitoba circuit. So, I feel like I’m kind of like a mini her going into this and I’m going into what would potentially be my Las Vegas, but as a kid,” said McCarthy, who also intends to be on a professional rodeo circuit in the future.
“I really want to represent that well, and I want to rope hard, rope fast, and rope consistent.”
