With a rope in hand and fire in her soul, Reese Todd is trading her cap and gown for a cowboy hat and spurs as she prepares to represent Ohio at the 77th Annual National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming this July.
The recent East Knox High School graduate has been chasing this moment since she was a first grader. Her event: breakaway roping—a lightning-fast contest of precision and partnership between rider and horse. Her destination: the world’s largest rodeo, featuring over 1,800 contestants from across the globe and more than $700,000 in scholarships and prizes.
“I was so excited,” Todd said. “I’ve been working so hard for this, and I finally did it.”
Balancing high school athletics, academics, and rodeo has required relentless discipline. “I try to separate everything—just break it up and focus,” she said. But rodeo, she admits, demands the most. “There’s no team. It’s just you and your horse. After a bad run, you get five minutes to pull it together. That’s the mentality.”
Her mother, Mandy Todd, has watched her daughter’s journey with pride and awe. “She works hard at both school and rodeo. It's certainly a challenge,” she said. “But when she went to nationals in junior high, she set a goal right then—and now, she’s living it.”
The family has traveled thousands of miles and made countless sacrifices. “We've missed birthdays, family events, and it hasn’t been cheap,” Mandy said. “But it’s been worth every mile. The time together, the lessons—it’s a blessing.”
For Reese, rodeo isn’t a sport—it’s a way of life. “It’s year-round. It’s hours of work that no one sees. I just hope people understand how much goes into it.”
In Rock Springs, under the lights, with the pressure on, she’ll rope for more than a title—she’ll rope for every mile, every missed event, every ounce of effort that got her here.
