Barrhead Elementary School (BES) student Levi Schmidt might only be in Grade 6, but even at his young age he has done something that many people can only dream of, qualifying for the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo (NJHRF).
The NJHRF is the world’s largest junior high school rodeo, featuring close to 1,000 contestants from 43 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia. This year takes place in Lebanon, Tennessee June 19 to 25.
Schmidt, who along his partner, Grade 8 student Cooper Resch, will be competing in the team-roping event. The two met when Resch was living in Fort Assiniboine. He since has moved to the Stettler area.
In the team-roping event a steer is released from the chute and a team of two ropers on horses both attempt to rope the steer.
The first roper, known as a header, ropes the front of the steer, usually around its horns, but sometimes as low as its neck. Once the steer is caught, the header then wraps his rope around the horn on his saddle and then uses his horse to turn the steer to its left. While the header is doing this the heeler attempts to rope both of the steer’s back feet.
The pair (Schmidt is the header) qualified for the event by finishing in the top four at the Alberta High School Rodeo Association Provincial Championships, which were held in Nanton on May 3.
However, Levi said during an interview he and his father Ronald had with the Leader, that in order to qualify the duo had to place in the Top 20 in the overall point standings into the provincial championship. Levi’s team, who were seeded No. 1 going into the competition, finished second.
“Going to provincials was a really cool experience, but to qualify you really have to prove that you earned it and that you are all into the sport. You can’t be half in and half out,” he said, adding he is definitely all in.
Although Levi has been rodeoing for the last seven years, Ronald said, according to the Alberta High School Rodeo Association where he is competing in the Jr. High School division, he is a rookie.
“He actually won Rookie of the Year along with finishing in first place overall in team roping (with Resch),” he said.
As for how Levi got into the sport of rodeo, he said he wasn’t sure, but it is something that runs in his family. Both his brother Kolton and sister Taylor compete competitively in rodeo. In fact, Taylor is currently preparing to compete in Grande Prairie in the Alberta High School Rodeo Association’s Senior High School Provincial championships where she will be competing in the team roping (with her cousin Kagen Schmidt), break away roping and the pole bending events.
In fact, Taylor and Kagen also qualified for NJHRF in 2011, when they were both Grade 6 BES students.
As for Kolton, readers might remember reading a story in the July 7, 2015, issue about how he and his partner had won the National College Championship in team roping. Currently, Kolton is on the professional rodeo circuit where he is on top of the team roping division.
“It’s the first time a Canadian has ever been on top of the team roping standings,” Ronald said.
Levi and his family will be making the 33-hour - three-day journey sometime late next week.
Until then, Levi said he hopes to be able to get in a few practice sessions with his partner.
When asked about how he feels about being able to compete in such a large event, Levi said he had mixed feelings.
“I’m kind of nervous, but at the same time I am really excited,” he said, adding he believes his experience of going the NJHRF and watching his brother and sister compete will put him in good stead.
Levi also wanted thank not only his partner, and all of his family who have helped him get to this point in his career, but the staff at BES who have been very helpful, which has allowed him to miss time from school to attend the rodeos.
