Meet the Member Denton Good
story by Hannah Crandall Down an eight-mile dirt road near Long Valley, South Dakota, 30 miles from Kadoka, Denton Good lives on his family’s ranch. […]
Talon Elshere - Acentric Rodeo
story by Lily Weinacht
“When all that hard work finally pays off there’s no better feeling. You work hard all year, and there’s traveling and money and the time you put into practice, and when it finally pays off and you place at Nationals, that’s as good as it gets really.” Talon Elshere, 16, finished fourth in the nation in the saddle bronc riding at his first NHSFR. “I drew a pretty good horse in the first round. It was a friend of mine’s practice horse, so I talked to him about it and I was a 65. The second round I was very lucky to draw the horse I did—he was probably the best draw in the pen, and I got by him, so with two down I couldn’t have asked for a better long round,” says the cowboy from Hereford, South Dakota. “The short round was pretty good on a nice little horse, and I ended up getting three covered. I was pretty blessed with the horses that I drew.”
Talon’s accomplishment was all the sweeter with his family watching, including his dad, J.J. Elshere, a four-time WNFR qualifier in the saddle bronc riding. Talon’s mom, Lindsay, and four brothers, Thayne, Trik, Tel, and Trailon, also cheered him on. “Thayne was out there (at the NJHFR) in the bareback and bull riding, so we all went out there to watch him,” says Talon. “Luckily with everyone doing roughstock, we can cram into the suburban and travel to rodeos. We play road games to keep us entertained, and time usually passes fast when we’re laughing and having a good time.”
Junior high and 4-H rodeos helped Talon grow in his competitiveness before joining the SDHSRA as a freshman in 2017. “I really got into it from going to all those rodeos with my dad and watching my cousins,” says Talon, who’s watched his dad compete at the WNFR several times. “It’s been fun. I’m starting to figure things out and do things the way I should, and I’ve had a pretty good teacher, so that helps out a lot.”
He also competes in the SDHSRA in tie-down roping and team roping as a heeler, but Talon says he’ll do bronc riding over anything else. “It’s what all my family members do. Riding bucking horses is something you can’t really explain—it’s super fun and once you do it, it’s something you can’t not do. I’m surrounded by great bronc riders who have helped me along the way and made it fun.”
Through the summer, Talon competes in 4-H rodeos and the weekly Heart Ranch rodeo series, and he’s looking forward to the Rapid City practice rodeo and 20X Extreme Showcase this season. He also does ranch work for his neighbor Gary Deering. “I’m working cows and doing all that, and I break colts. I’ve broken quite a few colts for us, and then a bunch of people have asked me to ride their horses and put 30 days or so on their horses,” says Talon. Football practice is also starting, and he’s playing both football and basketball for Sturgis Brown High School, where he’s a junior this year. “We rarely get spare time during the summer, but I like swimming and hanging out with friends, and with the family we play games outside like basketball or football.”
Talon also enjoys traveling to rodeos with his dad, and hopes to soon compete alongside him as well. “I hope to make every big finals there is as I come up—high school and college—and I hope to make the NFR one day and rodeo with my dad. To go to all those big rodeos with him would top it all.”
story by Hannah Crandall Down an eight-mile dirt road near Long Valley, South Dakota, 30 miles from Kadoka, Denton Good lives on his family’s ranch. […]
story by Kristen Sublette 17-year-old Sage Bach is a senior at Florence High School in Florence, South Dakota. A member of the South Dakota High […]
story by Kristen Sublette Colton Shelley is an 18-year-old cowboy residing in Nisland, South Dakota rodeoing for the South Dakota High School Rodeo Association. He […]
Mailing Address: PO Box 303
Baltic, SD 57003
Email: sdhsra@alliancecom.net
Visit Our Website
TERMS:
Rodeo Newstm (ISSN 1934-5224) is published 12 times a year, semi-monthly May-Nov; once in Dec Jan, Feb., March, and April by Publication Printers, 2001 S. Platte River Drive, Denver, Colo., 80223. Iris Ink, Inc., parent company of Rodeo News is located at 3604 WCR 54G, Laporte, Colo., 80535. Subscriptions are $30 per year. Periodicals postage paid at LaPorte, Colo., and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rodeo News, PO Box 842, LaPorte, Colo., 80535.
Canada Post (CPC) publication #40798037. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission. Rodeo News carries advertising and editorials as a service to the readers. However, publication of advertisements and editorials in Rodeo News does not commit Rodeo News to agree with or guarantee any of the merchandise or livestock advertised.
SDHSRA PRACTICE RODEOS:
RODEO DATE ENTRY DEADLINE LOCATION
April 23-25 2021 April 12 New Underwood (at Rapid City)
April 30, May 1-2, 2021 April 15 Triple Crown Rodeos-Burke, Geddes
April 30 & May 1 Burke
May 2nd Geddes Rodeo
May 7, 8, 2021 Three Rivers Challenge – Kadoka, Wall, Philip
May 7, 2021 April 19 Kadoka 1 & 2
May 8, 2021 April 19 Philip (at Wall)
May 8, 2021 April 20 Wall
May 9, 2021 Call in Entries May 2, 3, see entry form for details Faith
May 28, 2021 May 20 White River
May 22, 2021 May 10 Martin 1 & 2
May 29, 2021 May 14 Timber Lake
May 29-30, 2021 May 21 Oelrichs 1 and 2
May 31, 2021 May 21 Clark
May 31, 2021 May 13 Lemmon
All Entry Forms can be found at sdhsra.com, forms, entry forms
REGIONAL QUALIFYING RODEOS:
Entry deadlines April 15th *YOU MUST CHECK IN BY CHECK IN TIME OR STOCK WILL NOT BE DRAWN FOR YOU!
June 4-6, 2021 Huron, Highmore, Wall, Buffalo
June 11-13, 2021 Watertown, Winner, Sturgis, Dupree
JUNE 15-19 – STATE FINALS RODEO – STANLEY COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, FT PIERRE, SD
See sdhsra.com, rodeos, state finals, for detailed schedule and qualifier information. Schedule will be updated if there are schedule changes. You are entered unless you call and say you will not be coming, please do this immediately
*Queen Contest
see sdhsra.com, rodeos, state finals
JUNE 20, 2021, 8:30 AM CDT,
Mandatory NATIONAL QUALIFIER Awards Ceremony and National Meeting
JULY 18-24, 2021 –
NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FINALS RODEO, LINCOLN, NE
***New or Revised Entry information for rescheduled and postponed rodeos is on sdhsra.com, schedule. If any doubt – call that Rodeo Secretary before you enter***