C.O. high school grad competing in National Rodeo Finals in Wyoming

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Sisters area athlete heads to Wyoming this month, for the National High School Finals Rodeo.

Competing in rodeo is tough, whether you’re finishing first or last.

For Adriene Steffen, her first-place finishes have her competing with the best in the country, and checking some boxes on her goal list.

“High School Nationals was a goal of mine from being little," Steffen said. "Back in middle school, they had Junior High Nationals, and they did that but I always looked up to the high school kids and wanted to do what they were doing.”

The 2023 Baker Web Academy graduate has been competing in rodeo since the fifth grade.

This year, after competing in 16 rodeos, Steffen finished top 20 and qualified for states.

There, she became a state champion barrel racer, a co-state champion in breakaway roping, and the all around Oregon rodeo state champ.

Now she’ll compete at Nationals in breakaway, barrel racing, cutting and reined cow-horse against the top rodeo athletes from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia.

“It's a really big deal to me," Steffen said. "I like showing people that Oregon kids can do it, because everybody looks at a Texan and goes, 'Yeah , Texans are good.' But its fun when you can come from somewhere not so well known for rodeo, and be able to try and give it your best shot.”

The High School Rodeo Finals is the largest rodeo in the world.

Steffen and the other 1,700 contestants are competing for $150,000 in prize money and $375,000 in college scholarships.

Steffen is starting college at Cal Poly this fall.

She'll head to Wyoming from July 16th to the 22nd.