story by Ruth Nicolaus
Hadley Teut is leading the all-around in the Nebraska Junior High School Rodeo Association.
The Lincoln, Nebraska cowgirl competes in every event she can: breakaway roping, barrels, goat tying, poles, team roping (as a header for Trey Garey), and ribbon roping (as a roper for Dakota Storer.)
Hadley’s mounts for her events are Shrek, her breakaway, goat tying and ribbon roping horse; Nick, her head horse, and Cheeto, her barrel horse. For the poles, she rides her neighbor Pam Wolfe’s horse Ozzie. Of the horses she owns, Shrek, a sorrel, is her favorite even though “he’s really ornery and a butt to be around.” But she loves him. “He has my heart,” she said. “He works really hard at what he does.”
Hadley is an eighth grade student at Malcolm Junior/Senior High School, where her favorite teacher is her computer teacher and track coach, Mr. Arnold. He is special because “he is really nice and funny.” Hadley, who is a social butterfly, loves to talk and occasionally has to be told by her teachers to “sh-sh-sh!”
In school, she plays basketball and does the triple jump and 4×4 in track, is on the honor roll, and in 4-H, shows horses. She is active in church and was confirmed last month.
She likes to read, with her favorite books being The Divergent Series. She’s currently reading Friday Night Lights. Her favorite food is donuts, especially glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme. The best food her mom makes is her baked pork chops, with baked beans, and if she had to choose a favorite snack, it would be cool ranch Doritos. The best vacation her family has taken is to Oklahoma City to the U.S. Team Roping Championship Finals, and last year, she shopped the booths at the finals, spending her money on ropes, a new straw hat, and jeans.
Last year, at state finals, Hadley finished in fifth place in the team roping, the ribbon roping, and the breakaway. In the breakaway, she was one point from tying for fourth place and qualifying for Nationals!
When she grows up, she’d like to work in the medical field.
Hadley has a younger brother, Bryce, who is eleven. She is the daughter of Todd and Heather Teut.
