Four Helena high school rodeo contestants are going the National High School Finals Rodeo together next week, but then they’ll all go their separate ways from there.

Annie Novotny, Cassidy Nordahl, Brett Poe and Tyler Erickson will try to go as far as a high school rodeo cowboy or cowgirl can get beginning this Sunday in Farmington, N.M., from July 20-26.

There will be 13 performances and each contestant will run twice in long go-rounds then the top 15 in average will advance to the short go-round.

Poe, who is from Townsend, is in steer wrestling and will make his runs on Monday morning and Friday night. He finished second in the state in the event. He plans on joining the U.S. Army after the rodeo, but says he expects to continue to rodeo depending on where he’s stationed.

“I’ve always wanted to serve my country,” he said. “I’m glad to be finishing off my high school career by going to Nationals.”

The recent Broadwater High School graduate has a good outlook on what to expect in Farmington.

“It’s just another rodeo,” he says. “There’s no sense in getting too hyped up about it, so you just need to go have a good time and let it play out. As long as you have a chance, if you do good, you do good. If not, then you don’t.”

Erickson, the Montana high school all-around champion, will compete in three events n team roping, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. He makes his first run in the team roping on Monday morning, then makes a tie-down run on Tuesday night, both of his steer wrestling runs on Wednesday, then another tie-down on Thursday morning, and finally his second team roping run on Friday night.

He still has another year left at Capital High, so he could end up at the Finals again next year. Erickson also starts on the boy’s basketball team.

“The level of competition is going to be better, so I’ll have to step up my game,” Erickson said. “Some of these kids can really rope.”

Nordahl is a Helena High graduate and will compete in the goat tying and pole bending. Her first run in goat tying occurs on Tuesday night with the second coming on Thursday morning. She makes both of her pole bending runs on Wednesday.

“It’s a major honor just to go to the Finals,” she said. “Making it makes all the extra time and work I put in worthwhile.”

Nordahl has had a tough time keeping her skills honed since statewide high school rodeos ended.

“I’ve just been working around the house, because the NRA doesn’t have pole bending and just a few have goat tying.”

Novotny, who recently took third place in barrel racing at the East Helena Rodeo, is in that same event at the Finals and will run on Monday night and Friday morning.

She graduated from Capital High this fall and will attend Sheridan (Wyo.) College on a rodeo scholarship. The Montana chapter of the PRCA Hall and Wall of Fame gave her a $3,000 scholarship. Her sister Bailee is also on scholarship at Sheridan College and competes on the rodeo team.

Novotny is the reigning NRA Finals average champion and is currently in second place in the NRA barrel racing standings.

“I know my horse can do it,” Novotny said of her chances in Farmington. “I just need to stay calm and relaxed, because if I don’t then my horse (“Kiss”) will get excited.”

The competition can be tracked at the National High School Rodeo Association’s Web site at nhsra.com.