A pair of Grant County athletes qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo in their final competition as high schoolers at the Oregon High School Rodeo Association state finals at the Crook County Fairgrounds in Prineville June 12-15.

Prairie City’s Frankie Beam rode Gold Coast to a second-place bull riding finish at the state rodeo with a score of 70 points to punch his ticket to the national high school rodeo.

Grant Union’s Bailey McCracken competed in two events, qualifying for the national rodeo in both. McCracken left Prineville with a state title in pole bending and a fourth-place finish in barrel racing.

McCracken will look to improve on her 25th-place finish in barrel racing at last year’s national high school rodeo while trying to turn in a strong showing in pole bending.

The National High School Finals Rodeo is set to take place in Rock Springs, Wyoming, from July 14-20 with participants from 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand. The top four athletes in each event at the state finals qualify for the national rodeo, with a chance to win a national championship and over $375,000 in scholarship money.

McCracken’s strongest advocate is her mother, Didgette. Didgette McCracken said her daughter’s return to nationals is simply the result of hard work.

“She worked hard all year, and it paid off at the state finals,” she said. “Bailey and her horse are a good team, and it was a cool way to finish off high school rodeo.”

The National High School Finals Rodeo is a massive event with around 1,500 competitors. Didgette McCracken said having experience at the event under her belt from last year is an advantage for Bailey.

“It is good that we know what to expect when going to an event with 1,500 contestants. There is a lot going on,” she said. “Just having the opportunity to compete at the national level is huge. Representing Oregon and Grant County is awesome. All you can do is just have fun and do your best.”