For Shada Beeson, roping and rodeoing run through her blood. She has been competing in rodeos since she was eight years old. Shada is the daughter of Jackie Beeson, Jeremy Havranek and Travis Beeson. Shada’s is the granddaughter of Mark and Joanie Van Duysen.

This year’s rodeo season saw Shada excel as an 18-yearold senior. She participated in breakaway roping, ribbon roping, pole bending and barrel racing at both high school and 4-H rodeos. This season’s event that Shada exceeded at was breakaway roping. As explained by Shada, the breakaway roping event consists of a small string that loops around the calf’s neck which is connected to the rope barrier on the horse’s saddle horn. The roper then waits for the rope barrier to be broken before starting to chase the calf in order to snag it The rope barrier is broken when the calf runs far enough away from the chute, giving the calf a head start. If the horse breaks the barrier there is a 10 second penalty added to the roper’s time. Once the roper snags the calf, the roper’s horse halts their run, cinching the rope tight. This causes the string attached to the rope on the saddle horn to break which signifies the end of the run, stopping the clock.

Shada has been participating in the breakaway roping event for the past five years. She enjoys working with her horse to rope the calf as fast as the pair can. The best aspect of the breakaway roping event for Shada is when she can accomplish the combination of smooth runs and fast times. Shada’s best time for breakaway roping happened this year at the White River High School Rodeo where she roped the calf in 2.0 seconds. For her breakaway roping event, Shada rides Fancy “Notably Powerful, a nine-year-old sorrel mare owned by the Talsma family. When asked how Shada first got started in roping, she said that her mom, Jackie, helped her get started when she bought Shada and her siblings’ ropes for Christmas when Shada was three years old. Shada has been roping ever since.

Shada’s relationship and love of horses started early. At about one year of age, she rode her first horse and started learning how to ride. To get ready for the rodeo season, Shada put in a lot of time and work. She practiced year-round and in between each rodeo.

In the breakaway roping event this 2024 season at the Geddes High School rodeo, Shada was excited that she won the rodeo after practicing hard and working for it. Her goal for this rodeo season was to make it to the finals in each kind of rodeo association in all four of her events. When asked what her favorite rodeo to participate in and why, Shada said that her favorite rodeos are any amateur or high school rodeos.

Shada attended Wagner Community School from preschool through freshman year. She graduated this year, finishing her high school academics online. When Shada is not busy with school, she enjoys roping, training, breaking horses, ranching, rodeoing, fishing and hunting.

Congratulations on a fantastic rodeo season. Your dedication and hard work in the rodeo world make you a great role model for upcoming high school and 4-H rodeo riders.