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Jack Skavdahl - Sandall Photography

Meet the Member Jack Skavdahl

story by Ruth Nicolaus

Jack Skavdahl was a busy man on graduation weekend.
On Saturday, April 27, the day he graduated from Sioux County High School in Harrison, Neb., the Nebraska State High School Rodeo Association member competed at the high school rodeo in Hyannis. Then he hurried home in time for his own graduation, at 4 pm, and the party, following. Then, on Sunday, he headed back south to Arthur, for another high school rodeo.
Jack, who is a team roper (heeling for Chance Symons) and a saddle bronc rider, has been competing since his sophomore year. Of his two events, saddle bronc riding is his strength. He comes from a long line of rodeo cowboys; his dad, Jud, rode broncs, as did his granddad, Bill Skavdahl. In fact, his granddad qualified for the National High School Finals in 1960, when he split third place in the bull riding. Bill also qualified three years later.
In the senior class at Sioux County High, Jack is the only boy among the six students, and one of his classmates is his cousin. The best part of high school has been the memories and friends, and his favorite subject has been ag. This year, his FFA team was district champions in the senior livestock judging.
Because there are only six kids in the senior class (and 32 in the entire high school), the graduating seniors hold their party together, because the same people are usually invited to everyone’s party.
His favorite teacher ever was Mrs. Sharon Lambert, his sixth through eighth grade teacher, when he attended a two-room country school. Mrs. Lambert was a good friend, and she readied him for high school, not only academically but socially, as the country school kids had the disadvantage of being new to “town school.” More than any other teacher, she really believed in him. She took the time to care about him, work with him, and encourage him.
In high school, Jack played football and basketball, was a member of FFA (and served as president his senior year), did one-act plays, and was on the speech team. He also participated in track for one season.
The students at Sioux County High School got out of school in early April, because most of them are ranch kids, and they are needed to help with ranch work during the busy spring season. Jack helps in all areas on the Skavdahl Ranch: fixing fence, feeding, haying, and calving. This winter, he did much of the night calving for the heifers, checking at 10 pm, midnight, and 2 am, before his dad took over the other shifts. It was a harsh calving season; the nighttime temps were often below zero, with a wind chill.
For fun, Jack and his friends “cruise” the country roads, and hunt. They love to hunt nearly anything, and make sure to keep the coyote population down.
His favorite meal is roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, made by grandma Jackie Delatour or his mom. Grandma also makes excellent sugar cookies, and she and his mom make homemade peach jelly and raspberry jelly that he loves to put on peanut butter sandwiches. Jack’s favorite beverage is unsweet iced tea, and if he could choose any food from any buffet line, he’d choose Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza.
This fall, Jack will attend college on a rodeo scholarship and compete in both of his events. Last winter, he devised a cash flow plan for a loan from the bank, so he could purchase forty heifers, to go along with his 25 head of cows. He calved them out and will sell the calves in the fall, to help fund his college education.
He has competed at state finals in Hastings his sophomore and junior years, in the saddle bronc riding and last year, made the National High School Finals in the saddle bronc and trap shooting, which he has done since junior high.
Jack has a younger sister, Julie, who is sixteen, and two younger brothers: Jadon, who is thirteen, and Jhett, age eleven. He is surrounded by family: two aunts and uncles, four cousins, and both sets of grandparents, all who live within five miles. He’s very close to both of his uncles and has spent a lot of time with them.
He is the son of Jud and Jennifer Skavdahl.

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Nebraska High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA)

Standings

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September 20, 2020
Girls All Around
1 Madison Mills 3176.75
2 Brooke Mccully 2248.35
3 Elle Ravenscroft 2232.8
4 Wacey Day 2219.93
5 Clancy Jo Brown (R) 2068.18
6 Jessica Stevens 2060.55
7 Mekenna Fisher 1996.93
8 Faith Storer 1756.85
9 Emma Ohm 1720.71
10 Abigail Lawton 1577.7
Boys All Around
1 Cooper Bass 2348.35
2 Rhett Witt 2238.35
3 Zane Kreikemeier 1579.85
4 Cody Miller 1548.61
5 Sage Schrunk 1521.75
6 Tanner Drueke 1520.7
7 Jate Saults 1379.6
8 Coy Johnston 1225.65
9 Cole Kerner 1079.25
10 Sid Miller 1076.6
Bareback Riding
1 Tanner Drueke 73
2 Tate Miller 63
3 Cole Kerner 47
4 Spencer Denaeyer 46
Barrel Racing
1 Elle Ravenscroft 87
2 Taci Flinn 57
3 Brooke Mccully 57
4 Madison Mills 56
5 Jenae Whitaker 35
6 Bailey Bell 32
7 Ashlyn Henderson 30
8 Ashlyn Jensen 30
9 Mekenna Fisher 28
10 Morgan Rosander 28
Boys Cutting
1 Cooper Bass 81
2 Cody Miller 73.5
3 Tatum Olson 66
4 Hayden Jennings 63.5
5 Bo Bushhousen 60.5
6 Frazier Kaelin 56
7 Matt Symonds 54.5
8 Trey Vance 45
9 Devin Konicek 41.5
10 Hayden Stump 32.5
Breakaway Roping
1 Emma Ohm 49
2 Summer Richardson 38
3 Tehya From 38
4 Ali Vaughn 38
5 Wacey Day 37
6 Jaya Nelson 34
7 Jessica Stevens 27
8 Jace Hurlburt 24.5
9 Shayda Vaughn 24
10 Whitney Jennings 24
Bull Riding
1 Jett Sjeklocha 28
2 Cole Kerner 27.5
3 Dalton Garey 20
4 Tanner Drueke 19
5 Drew Farrell 10
6 Hunter Boydston 9.5
7 Brady Painter 9
8 Cooper Kursave 8
Girls Cutting
1 Faith Storer 112
2 Mekenna Fisher 99
3 Emma Pearson 74.5
4 Peyton Fisher 68
5 Gracyn Hicks 64
6 Whitney Jennings 62
7 Jenna Rutar 36.5
8 Jordan Downing 11
Goat Tying
1 Jessica Stevens 77
2 Wacey Day 68.5
3 Emma Ohm 56
4 Abigail Lawton 49
5 Kaci Wickersham 49
6 Ally Micheel 43.5
7 Ashlyn Henderson 43
8 Emma Warren 42
9 Kinley Greenough 39
10 Clancy Jo Brown 29.5
Pole Bending
1 Madison Mills 100
2 Clancy Jo Brown 65
3 Abigail Lawton 58
4 Jenae Whitaker 53
5 Emma Pearson 44
6 Lauren Lehl 34
7 Ashlyn Jensen 29
8 Brooke Mccully 28
9 Jordan Peterson 27
10 Elle Ravenscroft 24.5
Saddle Bronc
1 Brody Mcabee 60
2 Monte Bailey 30
3 Leif Meidell 19
4 Dean Schroder 9
Steer Wrestling
1 Rhett Witt 60
2 Dane Pokorny 50
3 Tucker Ravenscroft 46
4 Sage Schrunk 42
5 Coy Johnston 40
6 Thayne Kimbrough 39
7 Dalton Kunkee 35
8 Cody Miller 33
9 Gage Davis 33
10 Kaden Wooters 33
Team Roping
1 Jate Saults 58
2 Brent Charlton 52
3 Cooper Bass 43
4 Zack Bradley 43
5 Jasper Neal 38
6 Sage Dieter 38
7 Zane Kreikemeier 33
8 Coy Johnston 33
9 Ryan Shepherd 30
10 Carter Anderson 30
11 Sage Schrunk 30
12 Hayse Wetzel 30
13 Cinch Painter 28
14 Roper Wetzel 25
15 Chance Symons 23
Tie Down Roping
1 Rhett Witt 62
2 Zane Kreikemeier 56
3 Matthew Miller 50
4 Sid Miller 47
5 Tate Talkington 46
6 Layne Wallinger 43
7 Jate Saults 31
8 Sage Schrunk 30
9 Trace Travnicek 28
10 Carter Anderson 25

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