Spanish Fork’s Beckstrom sisters excelling in barrel racing at high school rodeo
Spanish Fork's Morgan Beckstrom, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the barrel racing during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Spanish Fork's Morgan Beckstrom, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the barrel racing during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Spanish Fork's Gracie Beckstrom, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the barrel racing during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Spanish Fork's Gracie Beckstrom, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the barrel racing during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Hallie Bennett, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the breakaway roping during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Peter Haas, representing the Wasatch Rodeo Club, competes in the steer wrestling during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Beretta Bradford, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, and Wyatt Rindlisbacher, representing the Juab Rodeo Club, compete in the team roping during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Oaklee Giles, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the barrel racing during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Jason Betancourt, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the bull riding during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Dane Haas, representing the Wasatch Rodeo Club, competes in the steer wrestling during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Peter Haas, representing the Wasatch Rodeo Club, competes in the steer wrestling during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Cedar Valley's Joey Dansie, representing the Lehi Rodeo Club, competes in the tiedown roping during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Austin Maughan and Cottar Deveraux, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the team roping during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Alex Beckstead, representing the Sanpete Rodeo Club, competes in the pole bending during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Trace Redd, representing the Spikers Rodeo Club, competes in the bull riding during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Saydee Davis, representing the South Utah County Rodeo Club, competes in the pole bending during the fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber on Friday, June 11, 2021.
Since many rodeo events are timed, speed is always a key for top performers.
The one where it matters the most, however, is barrel racing.
“It certainly gives you an adrenaline rush,” Spanish Fork sophomore Morgan Beckstrom said. “You get nervous but walking down the alley (before starting the run), it’s just a good feeling.”
Beckstrom proved once again that she and her horse, Slingshot, are two of the best in the state during Friday morning’s fifth performance of the 2021 Utah High School Rodeo Finals at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber.
After winning the first go-round with a time of 16.388 seconds on Wednesday evening, she came back to go even faster and stopped the clock at 16.363.
“I knew that I had to keep my barrels up to stay in the average,” Beckstrom said. “My horse is really honest. I just know she’s always going to do her job every time I go in the arena.”
Since she is confident in Slingshot’s ability to quickly cover the ground, Beckstrom — who competes for the South Utah County Rodeo Club — said her focus is always on avoiding the penalties.
“I just think about one barrel at a time,” Beckstrom said. “Just get through this barrel, then the next, then the next and then you are good.”
Beckstrom’s older sister, Gracie Beckstrom, is also a talented barrel rider. She finished in third place on Friday after getting a time of 16.565.
Morgan Beckstrom explained that Slingshot and her sister’s horse Earl are also from the same family.
“The two horses are half brother and sister,” Morgan Beckstrom said. “They’re out of the same stud, one we own. They usually run the same times. Earlier Gracie had a slip on the second and hit the barrel, but she did good today. She had a good run.”
Morgan and Gracie Beckstrom are part of a dynamic group of barrel racers from the area.
Coming into the state finals, Morgan Beckstrom was second in the state, while Gracie Beckstrom (who just graduated from Spanish Fork High) was sixth. South Utah County Rodeo Club also had riders in the third (Maklee Larsen) and fourth (Oaklee Giles) spots, while Lehi Rodeo Club’s Kiara Elegante was in first.
Morgan Beckstrom said she loves competing with her sister.
“It’s great always having someone there to talk to you if you’re nervous or ride with you if your horse is freaking out,” Morgan Beckstrom said. “It’s fun to have someone with you.”
She grinned when she was asked if she gets bragging rights when she has a faster run than her older sister.
“We just talked about our runs and then we look at our videos and see what we’ve got to work on together,” the Don sophomore said. “We both ride just about every day, and we ride a lot of colts every day. We tell each other what we’ve got to work on if we see something. It’s pretty fun.”
Even though this will be the last year the two sisters compete together in high school rodeo, Morgan Beckstrom said she is confident that she will still have her sister’s help in the next couple of years.
“I know that she’ll come to most rodeos, like all of them, pretty much,” Morgan Beckstrom said. “I just I know she’ll be down there with me, helping me. We go to a lot of barrel races together so I know she’ll be there with me, so it’s good.”
Now Morgan Beckstrom is preparing to close out the state finals in the short-go competition on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m a little nervous but I think Slingshot will do her job,” Morgan Beckstrom said. “I’ve just got to keep my barrels up.”
The high school rodeo finals will conclude with the short-go on Saturday afternoon, which will take place at the Wasatch County Event Complex in Heber.
For more details, go to http://UHSRA.org.