By Rich Winter

Memories of the 2021 South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo will stick with Tommie Kay Martin for a long time. 

With her pole bending trip to the National High School Finals Rodeo all but secured, Martin made a mistake on the very last pole of the short-go of those 2021 finals. 

“It was heartbreaking,” Martin said. “I worked so hard last year and I thought I was there but I tipped the very last pole over.” 

That missed opportunity drove this Hayes cowgirl, giving her something to think about, and work for, leading up to the summer of 2022. 

“Knowing that you are so close to something like that was hard,” she said. “I wanted to be really solid this year so I could make the trip to nationals.” 

Martin qualified for the state finals in barrel racing, breakaway roping, goat tying, pole bending and team roping. She qualified for the short-go in barrel racing, goat tying and pole bending. 

She admits that pole bending is her favorite event but she received an unexpected result in the barrel racing, finishing second and punching her first trip to the National High School Finals Rodeo. 

Tommie Kay Martin finished second in the barrel racing at the South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo in Fort Pierre. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

“That was really rewarding,” said Martin, who attends Stanley County High School. “I knew I made it in barrels before poles and that took an awful lot of stress off me.” 

Martin and her nine-year-old horse “Berrie” were a model of consistency throughout the state finals. Their barrel racing times were 17.556, 17.629 and 17.879 for a total score of 73 points. 

“I just wanted to make good consistent runs,” she said. “We will be doing a lot of drills to make sure Berrie knows where her feet are and  try to get closer to the barrels without tipping them over before we head to nationals.” 

Martin entered the state competition with 20 points in pole bending. She was second in the first go-round (20.841), won the second-go (20.476) and won the short-go (20.468). Her final point total (79) pushed her past Wall’s T. Merrill (76) for the title of state champion in her favorite event. 

“I think I get a bigger adrenaline rush in pole-bending,” she said. “I think we rode pretty well at state and Berrie likes poles more than barrels.” 

The daughter of Rebecca and Chantry Martin knows consistency will be key as the family heads to Gillette, Wyoming, for the National High School Finals Rodeo on July 17-23. 

“My only goals for nationals are to do 20-second runs and keep all the poles up for all three runs,” she said.