By Jill Fedders-Ellefson
Lane Ellefson of Garretson and Tayden Hansen of Baltic teamed up for their second year of team roping in the South Dakota 4-H Rodeo. The pair of cowboys along with other local 4-H members competed in several 4-H Regional Rodeos beginning in Sioux Falls in May to Clark, SD in late July.
Competitors needed to earn 4th place at a Regional Rodeo to qualify for the State Finals. Lane and Tayden punched their ticket in Chamberlain qualifying to go on to the State Finals. The 4-H State Finals Rodeo was held on August 18-20, 2023 in Fort Pierre.
There were over 800 competitors in the Junior and Senior level. Lane the header and Tayden the heeler caught their steer in the first round with both horns and both heels and placed 8th in the round out of 60 teams. They weren’t quite as lucky in the 2nd round and did not receive a time, knocking them out of the running for the average.
The pair also qualified for the State High School Rodeo last spring. They have really improved in their sport since they started in the previous year. It was a successful season for them. Ellefson is a Junior this fall in Garretson High School and Hanson is starting his education at Mitchell Tech.
