Mel Hasler rode laps around the arena as her farewell speech as national high school rodeo president was played over the public address system.

It was an emotional farewell for Hasler, an incoming senior at Hauser who has spent the past year making trips to the western part of the country for meetings and other rodeo business.

"Being a three-time national officer was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made," Hasler said. "I made a lot of great friends and had the time of my life. I’m kind of bittersweet about it. I’m not going to be seeing the other officers year-round, but I’m glad that I served my time."

Last week, Hasler compete in her next-to-last National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming. National High School Finals rodeo is the world’s largest rodeo, with the top four finishers from each of 43 states, five Canadian provinces, Mexico and Australia.

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Hasler was running in the top 20 in goat-tying until her last performance and finished 32nd. She also came in 38th in barrels, only four-tenths of a second out of 20th. The top 20 in each event make the finals, known as the "short-go."

"I wasn’t super happy on how things came out, but this year was super competitive," Hasler said.

Hasler had won the state all-around saddle at last month’s state finals at the Hoosier Horse Park in Edinburgh. She won team roping with Clay Yadon from West Lafayette and was reserve champion in goats and barrels and third in poles.

Hasler and her older sister Grace have competed at the National High School Finals Rodeo for several years, but this was Mel’s first year competing without Grace, who just finished her freshman year at Purdue. Mel, who earned a $500 national president’s scholarship, has one more year of high school rodeo before heading to college.

"I’m really happy with the way my horses worked for me," she said. "They’re really good to me. I’m just going to come back next year and end it with a bang."

Michael and Nikolette Clark used to run Pine Grove Riding Center at their home in southwestern Bartholomew County, so it only made sense that their kids Dillon and Madelyn grew up riding horses.

When Madelyn was in kindergarten, her parents began taking her to Southern Indiana Junior Rodeo Association in Salem. Madelyn, who will be an eighth-grader at Central Middle School, has been doing rodeo ever since.

"My family has always ran horses," she said. "My brother started showing (horses), but I wasn’t really into the slower kind of stuff, so I started doing barrels at the fair. I started liking that a lot more."

Last year, Madelyn competed in the National Junior High Finals Rodeo. She said that didn’t go too well, but that the experience she gained helped her this year when she competed in the event last week in Huron, South Dakota.

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The National Junior High Finals Rodeo features competitors from 43 states, five Canadian provinces, Mexico and Australia.

Madelyn qualified at the Indiana Junior High State Finals to compete at the national finals in barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying. She was in 10th place after the first two runs in goat tying, and finished 14th after the finals, known as the "short-go."

"My first two runs, I was extremely happy after I ran them," Clark said. "Then with my last run, I was really angry. But I still placed in the short-go, so I was happy."

Madelyn has been back practicing since returning from the national finals. She plans to compete in rodeos Aug. 10-11 in Connersville and Aug. 24-25 at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. She also has a couple events coming up at the Southern Indiana Junior Rodeo Association.

"Normally, when rodeos are happening, I’ll ride at least every day and practice," she said.

Michael and Nikolette still have an arena on property and are planning to build new and bigger one. Madelyn is hoping to go back to the National Junior High Finals Rodeo next year, then the National High School Finals Rodeo when she is in high school.

After that, she hopes to possibly land a rodeo scholarship.

"I want to have something to do with animals when I get a job," she said.