Meet the Member Teige Whetham
story by Ruth Nicolaus Teige Whetham is a busy man during football and rodeo seasons. The Nebraska High School Rodeo Association member plays ball for […]
story by Ruth Nicolaus
If things go as planned, Leif Meidell will be back to riding bucking horses again this spring.
The Harrison, Neb. cowboy, a saddle bronc rider and team roper in the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association, came off a bucking horse wrong at the Lexington, Neb. rodeo last fall and broke his neck. He was in a neck brace for a while, and at the end of February, was cleared to ride saddle broncs and team rope again, which makes his world much better.
For the team roping, he rides a bay horse who is lot like his rider. Kid, who is a coming seven-year-old, “is pretty much the image of me,” Leif said. “He’s a pain the butt, stubborn, hard-headed, and he likes to buck every now and then to mess with me and keep me honest.”
But the two get along great. “He and I have always clicked,” he said. “I’ve always roped better when I ride him.” Leif heels for Blaise Lange.
A senior at Sioux County High School in Harrison, Leif isn’t crazy about school. The best part of the school day is being in the ag shop, where he loves to build things. He’s built calving sheds, coffee tables, coat racks, dog houses, and branding pots. Sometimes he builds things for his or his family’s use. Sometimes his projects end up being sold at the labor auction, a fundraiser for the FFA.
In high school, he played basketball one year and football three years, missing the 2021 season due to the broken neck. He also wrestled.
For fun, he likes to call coyotes at night with a neighbor, or run around with his friends.
Leif owns a few head of cows that he calves out every year, and works in the summer for neighbors.
The most fun he’s had on a trip was going to a college rodeo in Gillette, Wyo., with his sister in the spring of 2021. With no parents around, it was “all kind of late nights and wild times,” he said.
The best meal his mom makes is chicken fried steak, and the best dessert she makes is a strawberry dessert with a graham cracker crust and strawberries, whipped cream and Jello.
He’s qualified for the state finals each of the last three years and went to the 2021 National High School Finals in the saddle bronc riding, where he didn’t do well, in part because of his draw.
This fall, he will attend college at either Chadron (Neb.) State or Casper (Wyo.) College. He’ll compete collegiately in the saddle bronc riding and possibly the team roping as well, depending on securing a partner. Leif would like to major in wildlife management.
His parents, Eric and Tricia, are proud of their son. “He’s a perfectionist,” Eric said. “He really strives, whether it’s football, wrestling, rodeo or hunting coyotes, to excel at it. He’s always looking to get better and do his best.”
Leif has two older sisters. Abby is 22 and lives in Utah, and Maddie is 21. Both sisters competed in high school rodeo.
story by Ruth Nicolaus Teige Whetham is a busy man during football and rodeo seasons. The Nebraska High School Rodeo Association member plays ball for […]
story by Ruth Nicolaus Bo Bushhousen is a state champ. The 19-year-old, a resident of Worms, Neb., finished as the Nebraska State High School champion […]
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Rodeo Life Magazine™ (ISSN 1934-5224) is located at P.O. Box 93598 Southlake, TX 76092. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rodeo Life Media, P.O. Box 93598 Southlake, TX 76092
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