Thurston County teen qualifies for National High School Finals Rodeo in breakaway roping

Brooklynn Bell, a ninth grade homeschooled student from Rainier, punched her ticket to the 78th annual National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the breakaway roping competition.

The NHSFR will be held from July 19 through July 25. Bell earned the 2026 Washington state breakaway year-end champion title in her freshman year at the Washington State High School Rodeo Association state finals in Walla Walla last month. She was also named the Rookie Cowgirl of the Year.

Bell was the National Junior High Finals Rodeo breakaway roping reserve world champion in 2025, and she has competed around the United States on the rodeo stage since she was 10 years old. She trains in Tenino at Stickhorse Arena and in Yelm at Stewart's Arena.

Featuring more than 1,800 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand and Guatemala, the NHSFR is the world's largest rodeo. In addition to competing for more than $150,000 in prizes and over $200,000 in added money, NHSFR contestants will also be competing for more than $375,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named an NHSFR world champion.

To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20 - based on their combined times and scores in the first two rounds - to advance to Saturday evening's final round. World champions will then be determined based on their three-round combined times and scores.

This year, the Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series. Live broadcasts of each NHSFR performance will air online at www.thecowboychannel.com. Performance times begin at 7 p.m. on July 19, and competition continues daily at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. through July 25.

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