The spring semester at Northeastern Junior College ended just about a month ago and most students headed home. However, two members of the NJC rodeo team have some unfinished business to complete this school year.
Mitch McAdow and Kyle Broce both qualified to represent NJC at the College National Finals Rodeo June 14 to 18 in Casper, Wyo.
To qualify for the CNFR these young men finished in the top three in their respective events. In Casper, both two- and four-year colleges from all over the nation will compete head to head. The regular season slate is wiped clean, and everyone will duke it out for a national college rodeo championship based on how they perform during these few June days in the Cowboy State.
Mitch McAdow is a sophomore agribusiness major from Conifer. He has much experience competing at a national level and the CNFR is another step on the ladder for him. Last year at the finals, Mitch finished second in the nation in the tie-down roping.
He had experienced a great season and at last year’s finals, he capped his freshman year off with a winning run in the short round. Monday morning, Mitch was focused on the goal of bringing a national championship home to NJC.
“Mitch has all of the ability in the world, along with a lot of experience competing on the big stage,” says NJC Rodeo coach Brian Cullen. “He has a great opportunity to go all the way this year.”
NJC’s second CNFR qualifier is Kyle Broce, a business/accounting major from LaJunta. Kyle qualified for the finals in the steer wrestling. This is Kyle’s first trip to the college finals, but not his first time competing against national competition. Broce is a frequent competitor on the professional circuit and qualified for the Mountain States Circuit Finals in the PRCA in 2009. Broce, who was named one of NJC’s top business students for the year, is an honor roll student and an all-around stand-out, academically and athletically. His horse was named Horse of the Year for the Rocky Mountain Region in April.
“Kyle is a great athlete, rides great horses, and most importantly he is a fearless competitor. He uses his head and is a super solid cowboy,” says Cullen.
Monday was also an important day for another NJC cowboy. Tim Malm, a freshman animal science/ag business major from Albin, Wyo., just missed qualifying for the CNFR in the tie-down roping. Tim was named the top academic student of the NJC team this year, earning a 4.0 grade point average in spring semester. Monday marked the eighth day since he was involved in a serious horse accident.
On Sunday, June 7, while practicing roping at home, Tim’s horse fell on him, knocking him unconscious. He was transported to the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center where he remains admitted with a serious brain injury.
“We are just praying and believing that Tim is going to be OK. He is a very strong kid and a fighter,” said Cullen. “Each day that goes by is making a huge difference for Tim in his healing process.”
The CNFR performances will be held nightly at 7 p.m. The final championship performance will be held Saturday at 7 p.m. All performances will be held at the Casper Event Center.