WAIMEA — The stakes were high on the final day of the Hawaii Junior High School Rodeo State Finals at Parker Ranch’s Paniolo Park, with national rodeo berths on the line for some of the state’s best youth riders.
Events including barrel racing, bull riding, team roping and goat tying were on tap Saturday and fierce competition filled nearly every division.
“I go up to the mainland for the national competition and a lot of people say, ‘You have rodeo in Hawaii?’ They just don’t make the connection,” Hawaii High School Rodeo Association National Director Tom Richmond said. “But when these kids go up there, they can compete with anybody. The competition out here this weekend has been intense.”
The state champions will be revealed today at an awards celebration, and qualifiers will decide whether or not they will travel to the National Junior High Finals Rodeo, scheduled June 22 to 28 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Hawaii has had great showings on the national level in recent years, proving the Aloha State can hang with Texas and other mainland powerhouses, Richmond said.
The junior high division was created in 2004 to bring the excitement of the sport to a new age group and serve as a feeder system into the high school ranks. The division currently has more than 2,500 members competing nationally.
Kaohu Haalilio, who attends Konawaena Middle School, has been competing in rodeos since first grade. Haalilio said he can’t imagine life without rodeo.
“The adrenaline and competition really keeps me coming back,” Haalilio said. “There is nothing like going top speed out there.”
Waimea served as the perfect venue to hold the event and help instill the deep-seated paniolo culture in the youth.
“We had the CEO of Parker Ranch, Dutch Kuyper, come and give the kids a motivational speech before they headed out to compete,” Richmond said. “It is all about bridging that gap and letting the kids know about the tradition this sport has in Hawaii and where it comes from. The families and the kids help that tradition grow more and more.”
It was difficult to find a frowning face around the Parker Ranch grounds during the event, and keiki often sat in bunches along the surrounding fence, cheering on fellow participants.
“The competition is tough, but the camaraderie and friendship is also a huge part of the weekend,” Richmond said. “This is a time for the kids to make friends on the outer islands that they may not see as often. Some of these kids will go home with a buckle, but all of them will go home with a ton of new friendships.”
The Hawaii High School State Finals will be held June 12 to 15 at Parker Ranch’s Paniolo Park in Waimea.