New Town teens earn spots in national rodeo competition
New Town teens earn spots in national rodeo competition
By MARVIN BAKER
EDITOR
Three New Town teenagers have earned spots in the 61st annual National High School Finals Rodeo to be held later this month in Farmington, N.M.
Brothers Eric and McCrae Danks and Morgan Hauge will all attend the prestigious rodeo in separate events, which will be held July 16-25.
Eric Danks, 17, will be in the saddle bronc competition while McCrae Danks, 15, will compete in saddle bronc and bareback competition. Hauge is a contestant for the National High School Finals Rodeo queen and will also be in the cow cutting competition.
“This is the first year they’re in high school rodeo,” Carol Danks said of her sons. “They’ve been in youth rodeo, but this is their first year in high school rodeo.”
Danks attributed her boys’ competitive edge to their work ethic, as well as their father Tyke coaching them to be better horsemen. They fix fence, they brand calves and they both wrestle during the winter.
“These kids are around horses all the time and that helps them,” Carol Danks said. “They start in the spring, go to rodeos and will go again in the fall.”
Hauge, the daughter of Bert and Tami Hauge, lives on the family farm northeast of New Town. She started riding horses at age 8 and started high school rodeo as a sophomore. In North Dakota, she has competed in barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping and cow cutting.
