Winning can be decided in less than a second in rodeo.
For Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, her first-place finish at the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in goat tying was decided by 0.62 seconds.
In breakaway roping, Thompson won by 0.54 seconds.
Thanks to these times, the teenager earned the coveted title of girls’ all-around champion at the 2025 NHSFR in Rock Springs last weekend.
“I love winning, there’s nothing I love more than winning,” Thompson told Cowboy State Daily. “I sleep and breathe rodeo. That's it. That's my life.”
NHSFR spokesman Gary Hawkes said the event is the pinnacle for high school rodeo athletes. More than $200,000 in scholarships and $350,000 in jackpots were paid out over last weekend in Sweetwater County.
“We had 1,779 contestants this year with a little over 2,300 horses on the grounds,” Hawkes said. “It's just a fun week of four competition arenas running at one time, and over 13 or 14 different events that take place.”
For Thompson, she credits winning the girls’ all-around title to her family’s encouragement and hours of grueling training.
It’s also just the beginning of her rodeo career. Thompson has expressed a desire to go pro.
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. She also won the individual breakaway roping competition. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo) 
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. She also won the individual goat-tying competiton. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo) 
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. She also won the individual breakaway roping competition. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo) 
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. She also won the individual breakaway roping competition. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo)
The Practice
Thompson spends her time in Yoder as a devoted athlete, practicing goat tying and breakaway roping from early morning until dark.
Her family of nine can usually be found either practicing for rodeo or driving all over the countryside to compete.
“My siblings and parents all push me every single day,” Thompson said. “They do everything they can to make me the best I can, but most importantly, my parents are giving me the opportunity to be able to do it.”
Hawkes said the Thompson family is known to be devoted to the sport.
“The whole Thompson family in general has been heavily involved in high school rodeo,” Hawkes said. “Her dad, Thorpe, is the junior high national director, and her mom, Shelly, is the state secretary at both levels, junior high and high school.
“We've seen her older sister Hayden come through and a bunch of her other siblings as well.”
Thompson, who has voiced aspirations to go pro, said that her parents have put her in front of some of the best people on the rodeo circuit who have coached and helped her whenever she needs it.
She also said she feels extremely blessed and leans into her Christian faith to keep going even when it is hard.
“There's just a lot of people in my corner,” Thompson said. “I can go to them whenever I feel like my roping isn't great or I need a little tune-up.”
She often turns to her older siblings for advice and learns from her parents. They review her techniques and break down videos, showing her the best way to compete. Neighbors also coach her along and help with her mental game.
Growing Up In The Saddle
Hawkes said that the Thompsons are examples of what makes rodeo a family sport.
“Everyone always quotes God, family, rodeo and those three things kind of go hand-in-hand through our association,” Hawkes said. “We're grateful that we can see big brothers and sisters helping out little siblings. For families like the Thompsons, rodeo is ingrained into every single day.”
Thompson said she lived on a working ranch until she was 12, which is when her family began rodeoing full time.
She does her schooling online through the Western Christian Academy and fits her homework in between days full of training for herself and her horses.
Thompson loves the rodeo life and can’t imagine doing anything else.
“All my older siblings did it, and I just kind of grew up in the environment,” Thompson said. “When you grow up around it, that's just what you do. I wouldn't change it for nothing.”
Each day she works her colts and helps coach her younger sisters.
“I rope on five to 10 head horses a day,” Thompson said. “It’s just kind of nonstop. The days are always busy.”
The family also has a small herd of goats, and Thompson practices her goat-tying on them daily, looking for ways to improve her times.
Getting a good score relies on the other athlete she works closely with: her horse. She rode that horse, Salty, to victory in both the goat-tying and breakaway competitions. Salty is a 6-year-old that Thompson personally broke.
“I put the first ride on her when she was 2 years old,” Thompson said. “She's always been a really good horse and I’m lucky to have her.”
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo) 
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. She also won the individual goat-tying competiton. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo) 
Hadley Thompson of Yoder, Wyoming, won the National High School Finals Rodeo women’s all-around title last weekend. She said her passion for the sport comes from hours of practice and a family dedicated to rodeo. She also won the individual breakaway roping competition. (Courtesy National High School Finals Rodeo)
Goat Tying And Breakaway
Thompson won the all-around championship by getting the best overall score for goat-tying and breakaway roping.
“Hadley is pretty unique,” Hawkes said. “Especially being able to come back as high call in two events into the short round championship night on Saturday. It's been a long while since that's happened, and since someone has won two world titles and able to clinch the all-around as well too.”
Goat-tying is a sport not seen at professional rodeo, but a common event at the youth, high school and college levels. Generally, it is considered a women's event as the boys, from age 12 on, compete in calf roping.
To win at the national goat-tying short-go, Thompson burst from the box on Salty, bearing down on the goat.
She dismounted at full speed with the string secured between her teeth. She called it getting sling-shotted off the horse with the momentum carrying her to the goat, which she flanked and tied three of its legs with one wrap and a hooey (tie).
She raised her arms to signal she was done and the goat remained tied for the required 6 seconds to qualify for completed time.
In the opening round, Thompson’s 6.54 seconds was the fastest. The second round was tougher for Thompson when she ended up with a goat that wasn’t as good as the first. Her time was 7.17 seconds, which gave her 11th place.
Her third round was completed in 6.31 seconds and gave her an average of 20.02 seconds. This secured the win over her Iowa competitor with less than a second to spare.
In the breakaway competition, Thompson used her hours in the practice pen to win with an average of 7.24 seconds.
Thompson spurred Salty out of the roping box at a run. The pair raced toward the calf across the arena, lassoed it and completed her catch in 2.05 seconds.
“I just try to just go out there and do my run,” Thompson said. “I try not to think and just let my muscle memory take over.”
As Thompson celebrates her win at the NHSFR, she is already heading back to the practice pen to prepare for the next competition.
“She's a pretty talented gal,” Hawkes said.
Grit and determination run deep in her veins, and she is nothing to be messed with for sure when it comes to rodeo.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
