By Rich Winter

605 Sports

SMITHWICK — Perhaps no other athlete on Team South Dakota is more appreciative of their upcoming trip to Gillette, Wyoming, for the National High School Finals Rodeo than Gabe Glines.

Knee and elbow injuries hampered his high school season last year. Glines rebounded this year to tie for all-around cowboy honors at the South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo. 

“I tore my ACL in the fall of 2021 while playing football for Cody-Kilgore (Nebraska),” Glines said.

At the time Glines was playing six-man football in Nebraska and Cody-Kilgore went on to win a state title that fall. After doctors cleared Glines to participate in rodeo in the spring of 2022, disaster struck again.

“At my first rodeo back I dislocated my elbow while participating in a practice rodeo in Rapid City,” he said. 

Doctors told Glines to take a month off but of course the cowboy was back in the saddle in two weeks. While he was able to participate in the regional rodeos and the South Dakota finals in 2022 the injuries and lack of preparation kept him from doing his best. 

At the 2023 South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals Glines had several breakout performances. He finished third in the boys cutting, third in tie-down roping qualifying for nationals in both events. He also finished sixth in the reined cow horse competition and 21st in steer wrestling competition.

At the South Dakota state finals, Glines was sitting with his fellow Southwest Region athletes and good buddies Eastan West (New Underwood) and Caden Stoddard (Norris) when the announcement for all-around cowboy honors was delivered. 

“It was a crazy coincidence but I was sitting right by those guys,” Glines said. “Eastan and I tied for all-around cowboys and Stoddard was named the reserve grand champion.” 

Glines had a standout National Little Britches Rodeo Association career winning an all-around saddle at the 2019 national finals. He also won a daily ribbon roping world title with partner Trevor Hartshorn. 

Glines’ third-place finish in the boys cutting competition is remarkable in that he had only been  working with his horse for a short time. 

“I rode on a red roan mare named Calie and we just got her about a month before high school rodeo season,” he said. 

Glines feels like an extra month of working with Calie leading up to the national finals will pay dividends. 

“Every time we ride and compete we get just a little bit better,” he said. 

In the tie-down roping competition Glines rode a mare named Salina, a horse he’s been working with for four years. 

“Coming into the state finals I was sixth,” he said. “I had two good runs and was sitting good in the average and knew I had to just make a nice clean run in the finals.” 

Glines points to his older brothers — Levi and Garrett — as being monumental influences in his rodeo success.

“When I was younger we would get home from whatever sport was in season and go to the practice pens,” he said. “It could be 9 or 10 at night and we would go out and rope tons of steers every night.” 

This young man lives the cowboy lifestyle and feels like his home on the ranch has also been crucial to his skill and development. 

“Home is where I get most of my talent,” he said. “You have to go riding every day and you’ve always got a rope in your hand. You learn how to read cows and that helps on so many levels.”

Glines said he has no fear heading to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette on July 16-22, but he admits there will be some nerves. 

“I will dang sure have to put down the best runs I’ve ever had to go down there and get a piece of anything,” he said.