By Rich Winter 

605 Sports

BELLE FOURCHE — At the recently completed South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals, Belle Fourche roper Charlie Henwood was fast and flawless. 

Her three runs of 2.26, 2.350 and 2.230 seconds won every go-round in the breakaway roping competition at the state finals. 

“It was all mental,” Henwood said. “I was so prepared and roped every day for regionals and just kept roping through the state finals.” 

The summer of 2022 has seen a bit of redemption for Henwood who just finished her junior year at Belle Fourche. Henwood qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals following her freshman season but came up short last year. 

“I missed every calf last year,” she said. “It has never been physical but always a mental game for me to get it figured out.” 

Henwood was so good at the South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals her 84 points was 26 points better than second-place finisher, Acelyn Brink of Newell, who accumulated 58 points. 

Since the South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo, Henwood hasn’t stopped roping, in fact, she’s upped the degree of difficulty of her practices. 

“I’ve been riding a bunch of young horses,” she said. “They are a little erratic and it forces you to rope a lot better.” 

Pick just about any day of the week and Henwood is spending a good share of the day working with horses.

“I rope and ride from the colts then get on other colts that haven’t been ridden very much,” she said. “After that I ride a few of mine. I have six head of horses and I need to get them ridden every day.”

The Belle Fourche area will be well represented at the upcoming National High School Finals Rodeo. In addition to Henwood, Belle Fourche student Mataya Ward qualified in breakaway roping while another Bronc, ​Rance Bowden won a state title in the tiedown roping at the 2022 South Dakota High School finals rodeo. 

There seems to be a little vein of roping excellence near Belle Fourche and Henwood says she relies on advice and pointers from roping legends JL Driskill, Pat Tibbs, Jerry Golliher and Carole Hollers. 

Henwood and her nine year old horse “Roany” are feeling confident after such a scintillating performance at the South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo. 

“Winning state felt good,” she said. “Coming back from last year and roping how I know I can rope felt great.” 

The National High School Finals Rodeo is in Gillette, Wyoming, on July 17-23.