LINCOLN, Neb. – Just the experience of the national spotlight would rank as the top highlight of any rodeo competitor’s season.
To finish atop the leaderboard among the best high schoolers in the country – that highlight’s in a different stratosphere.
For Basin rodeo team’s Shylene Drumm, the dream turned into reality over the span of a surreal week for the Durango-native, as she bested a field of nearly 150 riders in the NHSFR breakaway roping field to earn the biggest buckle of her career.
With the best riders in the country descending on the Sandhills Global Events Center in the Nebraska capital over the week of July 19 to 25, Drumm led a contingent of five Basin and Ute Mountain rodeo team performers to test their skills in a race against their stock and the clock.
Drumm’s consistency proved to be the key to the title – each of her three runs in breakaway all finished with her taking the fifth fastest time in each go – posting times of 2.31, 2.27, and another 2.27 in the short go to win the average by over two-tenths of a second ahead of the rest of the field.
Ute Mountain Rodeo’s Kodi Mae Rima made a fantastic showing in her high school nationals debut, taking home 28th place in pole bending to follow up her Colorado state title. Rima posted a combined time of 42.205 seconds from her two go-rounds, less than two seconds off from qualifying for the short go. Rima’s first run of 21.352 improved with a time of 20.853 in her second go, as the top 18 advanced to the short go finals.
Ute Mountain teammate Brileigh Gordanier also made the most of her maiden NHSFR showing, taking 101st overall in pole bending to add to her Colorado reserve championship. Gordanier raced to a time of 21.921 seconds in her first go, followed by a run of 25.595 in the second for a combined 47.516.
Drumm also took 62nd in pole bending (44.195) and 89th in goat tying (19.62) to close out her incredible week in Lincoln.
Other Basin rodeo team competitors in the field included the Colorado bareback state champ Tucker Jacobson from Pagosa Springs, who turned in a two-ride combined score of 130, finishing 21st overall. Rides of 69 and 61 points had Jacobson just outside the top 16 cutoff for the final go.
Cortez’ Kelby Oliver teamed up with New Mexico’s Zane Johns in team roping, posting a time of 12.76 to earn 80th in the field.
At the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma in late June, Jayleigh Gordnaier added another strong finish to her growing rodeo career in the NJHFR.
Gordanier placed 77th in pole bending and 86th in barrel racing with times of 46.985 and 33.171 seconds, respectively. In pole bending, an opening ride of 21.343 got the week off to a strong start, before Gordanier ran to a time of 25.642. The Colorado champion posted times of 16.842 and 16.329 in her two barrel racing runs to close out the busy week.
Basin rodeo’s Brinnley Ellis competed in breakaway roping, taking 97th with a time of 12.28 seconds.
