By Rich Winter

605 Sports

SMITHWICK —- After winning the 2023 South Dakota High School All-Around Cowboy title, Smithwick’s Gage Glines heard the whispers, however faint they may have been, that he got lucky. 

Those whispers were put to bed for good as Glines backed up the 2023 title, repeating as South Dakota All-Around Cowboy champion at the 2024 state finals. 

“I was pretty fired up about that,” Glines said. “Getting that second one showed everyone that it wasn’t luck that got me the first one.”

 Since 1949 when high school rodeo in South Dakota was sanctioned as a sport, only nine people have won back-to-back All-Around cowboy titles, the last coming from Colome’s Linkyn Petersek in 2020 and ‘21. Glines becomes the 10th, and puts his name on a rare-air list that can never be taken away.

“Being on that list is something I’m proud of and something that is pretty amazing,” he said. 

At the 2024 SDHSFR’s Glines won the steer wrestling, finished second in boys cutting, ninth in the reined cow horse, 21st in team roping and 31st in tie-down roping. 

Not completely satisfied with his performance, Glines felt he could have done better. 

“I definitely feel like I should have done better in team roping and tie down roping,” Glines said. “I missed in the first round of calf roping and it kinda went downhill from there. In team roping I felt like Taten Hill (White River) and I should have been state champions but it just didn’t happen.” 

A year ago Glines failed to qualify for the NHSFR in steer wrestling. Last summer, he was just getting familiar with the horse he now rides, ‘Ice’.

“Ice is a 16-year old mare we got from the Byrne family in Martin last year,” Glines said. “I feel like we worked together pretty well last season and that we’re even better in our second-year together.”

A true All-Around Cowboy Glines readily admits he is most passionate about steer wrestling.

“There is something about the adrenaline of sitting in the box and then jumping off the horse and getting on that steer,” he said. “It takes some nerve and you have to be big and strong to be good at it and the only way to get better is practice, practice, practice.”

Gabe Glines won the steer wrestling competition at the 2024 South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals - Courtesy Photo

At 5-feet-11 and 220 pounds, Smith has the perfect build for a bulldogger and has been spending any of his free time honing his craft. His expectations heading into the NHSFR steer wrestling competition are to win it all and he promises there will be no holding back in any of his runs. 

Glines had to deal with some injury problems to his normal cutting horse, ‘Calie’ during the regional rodeos. He jumped on another horse for the remainder of the regional rodeos and entered the state competition with just 27 points.

“It was good to rest Calie for a bit,” he said. “We won the second go-round at the state finals and I think we were top-three in the short-go.” 

As Calie’s health continues to improve, Glines is optimistic about the boys cutting competition next week. He said there are several keys to being good at cutting which include having a good horse, paying attention to the pen before you compete and paying attention to what the turnback guys are saying. 

Next fall Glines is planning on attending Black Hills State University where he will pursue a degree while also competing in rodeo.