MILLERSBURG – Garrett Houin, a soon-to-be senior at West Holmes High School, has earned a position on the Ohio National High School rodeo team.
Houin will be traveling with fellow teammates to Gillette, Wyoming July 17 to 23 to compete at the 74th annual National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in the steer wrestling and light rifle competitions.
“This will be my first trip to the National Finals, and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to represent Ohio at a national level,” Houin said.
Last year he qualified for the finals in both the light rifle and trap shooting competitions. However, he was unable to attend due to other commitments with Boy Scouts, 4-H, and FFA.
This year though, Houin says he’s giving high school rodeo his top priority.
“Ohio may not be the first state you think of when you think of rodeo, but we have a deep talent pool of cowboys and cowgirls from the east who are really itching to show everyone what we’re made of on a national level,” Houin said.
“Any one of our steer wrestlers from here in Ohio could lay down a good run and place in a round, and to be honest I’ll be surprised if we don’t have shooters make the final short go of the top 20 contestants from across the country.”
Featuring more than 1,650 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian Provinces, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand, the NHSFR is the world’s largest rodeo.
In addition to competing for more than $150,000 in prizes and over $150,000 in added money, NHSFR contestants will also be competing for more than $375,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named an NHSFR World Champion.
To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20 – based on their combined times/scores in the first two rounds – to advance to Saturday evening’s final round. World champions will then be determined based on their three-round combined times/scores.
In addition to competing in light rifle and steer wrestling, Houin also shoots trap for the team and has recently added saddle bronc riding to his resume.
But in addition to his time in the arena, Houin will be tackling several other responsibilities in Wyoming as well, including running for the office of national student vice president.
“Rodeo is part of my family’s legacy, and I see this as a great opportunity to continue to carry on that legacy,” said Houin, who served as last year’s state vice president for the Ohio High School Rodeo Association and was just elected as next year’s state president at the association’s state finals.
“My grandparents, Butch and Hazel Taft, were founding members of the Ohio High School Rodeo Association. They did that hoping that the association would be there and provide opportunities for their kids. Not only did my mom and uncle get to take advantage of those opportunities, but now I’m part of the rodeo legacy they left here in Ohio, and I think that’s pretty cool.”
The Taft family of Nashville actually hosted the OHSRA State Finals at their farm for the association’s first five years, and Houin still uses that arena to practice and work his horses.
Eventually, the Tafts went on to found their own rodeo stock contracting business, Buckeye Rodeo Company.
Houin works for the family business today, and was selected the Ohio FFA State proficiency winner in outdoor recreation for his work experience with the company. He will compete against other state winners from across the country at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis this fall.
Houin will spend the week meeting fellow rodeo contestants and delegates from across the country in his bid to serve as national student vide president, but he has also been selected to represent some of the association’s national title sponsors.
This past year, Houin has served as a member of the national Cinch team, representing the National High School Rodeo Association, the Cinch brand and the western lifestyle at recruitment events.
The biggest of those events for Houin this year was the Ohio FFA Association trade show, where he and fellow Cinch team member Zoey McBride, from Hillsdale, helped recruit nearly 75 new potential members to their state association.
Houin was also selected by his peers as an Ariat social media ambassador for the national finals. He will be sharing pictures and a behind-the-scenes look at what the national finals experience is like for himself and the rest of the Ohio team.
Again, this year, the Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series on RFD-TV. LIVE broadcasts of each NHSFR performance will air online at www.thecowboychannel.com. Performance times begin at 7 p.m. on July 17 and competition continues daily at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. through July 23.
Make sure to catch the action.
Along with great rodeo competition and the chance to meet new friends from around the world, NHSFR contestants have the opportunity to enjoy volleyball, contestant dances, family-oriented activities, church services sponsored by Golden Spur Ministries, and shopping at the NHSFR tradeshow.
To follow your local favorites at the NHSFR, visit NHSRA.com daily for complete results. For ticket information, visit https://www.cam-plex.com/events/2022/national-high-school-finals-rodeo.
