Next stop: Nationals

With a first-responder escort out of town, Belfield High School graduates Rubi Johnson and Shane Stroh rolled out of town on Friday, July 17 as they were headed towards the 2026 installment of the National High School Rodeo Finals in Lincoln, Neb. It was the first such trip for Stroh – whose family members have appeared in the event more than 20 total times – and the second for Johnson, who last earned a spot at Nationals during her sophomore year.

“I mean, it feels good, I’m really excited to get down there and start the week,” Johnson said. “I went when I was a sophomore, so It’s my last one and I feel more confident.”

Stroh expressed similar sentiments, and while his Dad, Shaun Stroh, went to the national finals on five different occasions he also had numerous family and friends travel to Lincoln to watch him ride bucking horses on the national stage for the first time in his career.

“I’m pretty excited, and I think the atmosphere is going to set me up good for college,” Shane said. “There’s a lot of people that go to every single performance, so just seeing the atmosphere and all the other good bronc riders back there, I’m pretty excited to just engage myself in that situation.

“It’s just the atmosphere, and I’m pretty excited to see it. I’ve never had anything like this before, although I rode one time down in Cody, Wyo. with a good atmosphere, but nothing’s going to beat this.”

In the meantime, Mrs. Stroh is excited for her son and watching him compete on a larger stage and in a bigger arena.

“It’s his first finals, and it’s his last finals, so we’re going to make the best of it, and tomorrow (Sat. July 18) is his birthday, so I’m going to just celebrate – I thought, ‘They had it just the right time, didn’t they?’” Mrs. Stroh said. “This is our 17th trip to national finals for the kids, in both junior high and high school, and Shaun went five times to the national finals, so the tradition is strong in our family.”

Rubi’s Mom, Amanda Johnson, said she was anticipating her daughter’s second trip to Nationals as a sendoff to Rubi’s future position on the rodeo team at South Dakota State University in Brookings.

“It’s fun, and it’s probably a little more fun this time because my sister and her family will be there, and they rodeoed in North Dakota this year; they’re from South Dakota, but they rodeoed up here,” Mrs. Johnson said. “So, it’s just always a lot of fun because a lot of the parents are old friends, and it feels like a little bit of a reunion for us and a lot of people we’ve rodeoed with in college and high school. We get to spend the week with them, and it’s fun to see their kids and get to know them again.”

The two 2026 graduates were among more than 1,700 competitors fighting not only for world championship titles but also college scholarships across a wide range of events, including bull riding, saddle-bronc riding, barrel racing, team roping, and cutting.

The Stroh family has a strong rodeo tradition in general, and with Shane headed to compete for the Dickinson State University rodeo team starting in the autumn, he’s also looking forward to one final go-round with his longtime friends.

“I’m pretty excited to see all my buddies ride, and that’s going to be cool for me; I’m excited to see Chase Kling, Bleu Wanner and Cooper Martin, because all three of those guys have a really good shot at winning the world, so I’m really excited for them,” Shane said. “I mean, I could go out there and do whatever I do, but I’m just more excited for them because those are some good bronc-riders, so I’m excited to see all my friends succeed too.”

The event got under way on Sunday, July 19 and lasts through July 25, so the Billings County Pioneer will have all the local results for area athletes in the July 30, 2026 edition of the paper.

For more information about Belfield Public School and South Heart Public School, and all their activities, please keep reading the Billings County Pioneer and/or visit their websites at www.belfield.k12.nd.us or www.southheart.k12.nd.us. Please see the Billings County Pioneer’s Facebook page for more photo-galleries and videos.