Story by Ruth Nicolaus
Bradie Crouse might come across as shy, but once you get to know her, you’ll find out she isn’t.
The Nebraska High School Rodeo Association member, a resident of Blair, Neb., is quiet but smiley.
Every day, she has a “smile on her face,” she said. “Life’s too short not to be happy and having fun.”
She competes in the breakaway roping, barrel racing, goat tying, and team roping, as the header for Tyson Stracke.
For the barrels, she runs two different horses. Rose is her little roan who is best in the big outdoor pens. “She’s really tiny, which is funny, but she really does clock for me, as small as she is, in those big, sandy outdoor pens.”
Her other horse, Cupcake, is a big yellow horse whose name might be a misnomer. “She doesn’t fit her name,” Bradie said. “She’s kind of grumpy.” Cupcake prefers the smaller indoor pens and is also her goat tying horse.
For the roping events, the Crouses have several she can choose from: Molly Sally, a new horse Bradie just started in the roping, Rose, Cupcake, and others around the place. “It’s funny,” she said. “When we go to a roping, we ask, who are we going to rope on this weekend?”
Of her horses, Cupcake is her favorite. “I’ve had the most success with her,” she explained. “She’s been a lot of fun to run barrels on. She’s taken me to the next level.” Purchasing Cupcake also gave Bradie a chance to make new friends, of the horse’s previous owner, people she still stays in touch with.
A senior at Blair High School, she likes animal science classes but isn’t the biggest fan of school, although she doesn’t hate it. She was homeschooled for her junior year, and this year was excited to return to school to see her friends.
For fun, Bradie likes being with her friends. “I am really social,” she said, “so hanging out with friends is a big must for me.” They like to cruise around Omaha and visit the local malls. If they have a restaurant in mind, it’s often Chick-Fil-A.
She’s not a big shopper, but she likes to look at clothes. If there’s anything she likes to purchase, it’s ropes and tack.
Bradie qualified for the Jr NFR in 2018 and enjoyed her time in Las Vegas. She had a good first run but hit a barrel in the second run. “It was a blast,” she said, even the drive there. She estimates it took three days of travel to get to Vegas. “It was a lot of family time, spent in traffic, and it was well worth it.”
This year, she qualified for the Jr American in March, competing in the goat tying and the breakaway. Neither event went well; she was on a young horse in the breakaway, “but a lot of good memories were made.”
She has qualified for state finals in Hastings all three of the past years and finished in the top ten in the breakaway and goats several times.
She hasn’t decided on a college yet, but is considering Chadron (Neb.) State College, Mid-Plains Community College in McCook, Neb., Gillette (Wyo.) College, or Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford.
She has friends all over, in part, thanks to rodeo. “I have friends everywhere, and that’s one thing I like about rodeo: the camaraderie. Everybody’s there, supporting everybody else. It’s great.”
Bradie has a younger brother, Ryder, who is in seventh grade and competes in junior high rodeo.
She is the daughter of Harry and Kristin Crouse.
