George Ferguson
Havre Daily News sports editor
gferguson@havredailynews.com
The Havre High rodeo team will make its 2006 home debut Saturday when the Ponies host the annual HHS Rodeo at the Great Northern Fairgrounds.
The rodeo will actually be a double rodeo with the first rodeo getting under way at 9 a.m. The second rodeo will begin shortly after the conclusion of the last event in the first rodeo.
The HHS rodeo team is composed of high school students from across the Hi-Line.
The team includes Big Sandy's Stacy Weaver and Chelsea Brown. Weaver is a sophomore at Big Sandy and her main event is barrel racing, but she also competes in pole bending. Brown competes in breakaway roping, pole bending and barrel racing and plans on adding cutting and team roping to her resume in the near future.
North Star High School also has two of its students on the HHS team. Jourdan Han is a junior at North Star and is in her third year in high school rodeo. Han is a barrel racer and also competes in pole bending for HHS. North Star sophomore Whitney Kline has been participating in high school rodeo for two years and has been doing NRA rodeos for the past six years. Kline also competes in barrel racing and pole bending and shines in breakaway roping, too. Kline hopes her experience will eventually take her into college rodeo and onto the pro circuit.
The Havre contingent on the HHS team is led by senior Kailee Bickford, who is in her fourth and final year of high school rodeo. Bickford is a top-rated barrel racer and in her freshman year at HHS she qualified for and placed in the top 30 at the Silver State International Rodeo in Fallon, Nev. Bickford has also competed in goat tying and pole bending for HHS.
Freshman Cortlan Bickford is in his first full season of high school rodeo. He competes in team roping and plans on competing in calf roping in the future.
HHS junior Jade Nystrom is in his second season on the HHS team and is a quality team roper. Nystrom has been a mainstay at jackpot and junior rodeos for several years now. Sophomore Tisa Seiler is another in an outstanding group of barrel racers for HHS and she also competes in pole bending as does sophomore Katie Borst.
Sophomore Cody Wood is the teams lone saddle bronc rider and freshman Phillip Sutherland competes in team roping and calf roping in his first season on the HHS team.
Rounding out the Havre High roster is barrel racer Emily Allison. Allison is a senior at HHS and has been an active member in 4H for the past seven years.
The 2006 Havre High Rodeo will get under way at 9 a.m. at the Great Northern Fairgrounds in Havre. Chinook will also host a double rodeo on Sunday.
