Natalie Hoffmann is a barrel racing and pole bending member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association.
The seventeen-year-old cowgirl, who lives in Prosser, Neb., grew up with parents who never rodeoed. But in fourth grade, she fell in love with horses and began riding. After watching local high school girls compete, she got really interested in it, and talked her parents into it.
She rides two horses for her events. Squirt, a twelve year old gelding, is her pole horse and occasional barrel horse. Niles, her eighteen year old sorrel, is her barrel horse when she’s not riding Squirt. Of the two, Squirt, a paint, has a lot of character. “He’s goofy,” Natalie says. “He likes to play with things. He’ll open the tack room door, and if you’re working outside and there’s a coat laying there, he’ll take it and run around with it.” Niles is more intense. “He knows his job, and he wants to do it. He’s more uptight.”
As a senior at Adams Central High School west of Hastings, Natalie’s favorite class is business law, in part because she enjoys the teacher, and in part because she feels it teaches useful things students should know. The teacher, Mr. Mulligan, teaches differently than others. “He brings different things into the classroom. He’s not always repetitive about doing notes, worksheets, quizzes and tests.”
Natalie is involved in several extracurricular activities, including membership in the FBLA, Student Council, and as treasurer of the school’s FFA chapter. She is on her school’s honor roll as well.
She suffered an injury in the summer of 2011 that has prevented her from playing sports. In a four-wheeler accident, she tore the labrum in her left shoulder. Because doctors told her surgery and recovery time would be a year, she has chosen to live with it, because she didn’t want to miss rodeo. When she goes to college, she plans on getting it fixed. It doesn’t bother her too much, it just gets sore from time to time.
Natalie has been accepted into Oklahoma State University’s honors college, where she will major in economics and possibly work towards a pre-law degree. The honors college will provide smaller class sizes and more opportunities for her education. Because the work might be more intense, she’s decided she probably won’t rodeo her freshman year. The studies might be harder, but she’s not worried about it. “I tend to work hard,” she says.
In her spare time, she likes to read biographies. So far, she’s read biographies on Hillary Clinton, North Carolina’s basketball coach Roy Williams, and the former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. She loves watching basketball and followed the Oklahoma State team closely.
Natalie has two older siblings: Nicole Jacobsen and Justin Hoffmann. Nicole is married with four daughters, and one of those nieces, McKenna, is horse crazy, like her aunt Natalie.
She qualified for state finals in both her events her sophomore and junior years. She also runs barrels in NBHA, Nebraska 4D and Better Barrel Races.
She is the daughter of Tim and Pam Hoffmann.
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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
