story by Ruth Nicolaus
Hadly McCormick got a very special graduation gift from his parents.
It was an exceptional horse, a sixteen year old bay roan tie-down horse named Millie, who was previously owned by Brady Wakefield.
Hadly had ridden Millie most of the spring, and in May, his parents decided to buy her from Brady’s parents, Jim and Susan Wakefield. Brady, a former Nebraska High School Rodeo athlete, was killed in a vehicle accident in July of last year.
Millie is special to Hadly. “I love her to death,” Hadly said. “She’s very, very seasoned. She’s awesome. I was very fortunate to get her.”
Millie is quick, has a big stop, and can get “pretty jacked up,” Hadly said. “I’m pretty laid back, and I’ve been told, if you’re a laid back person and you get on a jacked up horse, everything balances out,” he laughed. He’s learned to be ready for her big stops. “She’ll get me if I’m leaning out over. She’ll teach me to get in the saddle.”
Hadly, a member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association, tie-down ropes and team ropes, heeling for Cole Retchless. For the heeling, he rides a horse named Roanie who is owned by Cole’s uncle, CJ Pankonin.
Hadly is good friends with the Wakefields. He never knew Brady well; Brady was in his senior year when Hadly was a freshman. But he’s gotten to know Riley (Brady’s younger brother and a college sophomore). “I was around Riley quite a bit (in high school rodeo),” he said. “They worked so hard, and had such good attitudes, and they were fun to be around. I tried to pick up their habits and tried to hang around them at the rodeos.” Jim has made a comment that has resonated with Hadly. “Jim always says, no matter what happens at state finals, don’t let it define your rodeo career.”
Hadly graduated from Mitchell High School this spring. In high school, he played football for one year and basketball for three. He was a member of the National Honor Society and FBLA.
This summer, he’s on the fencing crew for a rancher who lives about 45 minutes northwest of his home outside Scottsbluff. The work day starts at 7 am, so he’s up and going by 5:45 am and home by 5 pm each night.
This summer, Hadly competed at the Nebraska High School Finals Rodeo for the third time, in both of his events. He and Cole finished fourth in the state and are headed to the National High school Finals later this month. He hopes to go to some Nebraska State Rodeo Association rodeos as well, to keep his competition level sharp as he goes into college.
This fall, he will be a student at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. He’ll rope for the college rodeo team, and add steer wrestling to his repertoire as well. He’d like to major in secondary education and teach science at the high school level some day.
In between fencing and rodeos, he’ll do a little fishing, mostly in local sand pits and the North Platte River. He’s also serving as best man at his best friend’s wedding, and he’s looking forward to that. He has an older brother, Hagen, who is 23.
Hadly is the son of Cameron and Katherine McCormick.
