You could say that winning is just in Spanish Fork, Utah’s, Morgan Beckstrom, and her 9-year-old mare, Slingshot Lane’s blood. However, they may just be blazing their own trail in the record books. The duo just won the National High School Rodeo Association World Championship in Gillette, Wyoming, on July 17-23, 2022.
Beckstrom, who is just 16 years old, was a 17.362 to finish 10th in the first round, but she nearly didn’t get the chance to run “Slingshot,” at all at the event.
Around the Fourth of July, Slingshot began fighting with an abscess that didn’t blow out until she arrived in Gillette. Although the mare wasn’t in pain during her run, her time off running and the memory of the pressure in her foot had the mare low on confidence.
“She was a little unsure during that first round,” Jodi, Morgan’s mom, said. “After that, she took off once she knew she wasn’t going to hurt. It was amazing for me to watch.”
Running on a standard barrel pattern, the duo turned in a 17.097 in the second round, just a nose behind round winner Rachel Ward. They drew for a random position in the short go, and Morgan, who ran ninth in the group of 20, got the crowd on their feet after turning in a 16.892-second run—not only the fastest time of the short go, but the fastest time of the entire rodeo. It was enough to earn her an aggregate time of 51.351 seconds on three, and the NHSRA World Championship with a nearly three-tenth lead over No. 2 finisher Rayne Grant.
“They told me to get in the Polaris in case I won it, but I had to watch 10 more girls,” Morgan said. “They could have bumped me right until the last girl. Then, when she ran it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I was just sitting there trying to catch my breath.”
Her mother was equally as excited from the stands.
“When I heard the time, I jumped off the bleachers,” said Jodi, who has been a highly competitive Women’s Professional Rodeo Association barrel racer herself. “It was a little embarrassing. The whole thing was so exciting.”
Slingshot, who earned her name thanks to a signature white mark on her forehead, is by a stallion that is owned by Beckstrom’s family. If you’re familiar with barrel racing, you might know him—The Goodbye Lane.
“My family owns The Goodbye Lane,” said Morgan’s mom, Jodi. “Slingshot was born here, we raised her and trained her. She and Morgan grew up together.”
Morgan’s dad, Mike, older sister, Gracie, little brother, Kaiden, Jodi and Morgan all live near Jodi’s sister, Marcie Wilson.
Read about Sharin Hall’s Hello Stella, who is also a daughter of The Goodbye Lane.
Wilson trained and ran Slingshot her futurity year. After winning the Amateur Futurity at the 2018 Pink Buckle, Wilson noted that the mare went her entire futurity year without hitting a barrel, a testament to her honesty that would prove to be helpful in her rodeo career.
Following her futurity year, Gracie took Slingshot’s reins at high school rodeos and later, a select number of ProRodeos. The Utah High School State Finals is notoriously one of Slingshot’s preferred venues, and she has had success with both sisters there.
“That mare has won nine go-rounds at our state finals in three years, and won the average twice,” Jodi said. “That’s just crazy to me.”
Although the family has enjoyed success with Slingshot, it can’t be denied that there is something special about her relationship with Morgan.
“When Morgan got on her, they just clicked,” Jodi explained. “Slingshot really likes her, I think she fires harder for her. They won the KK Junior World Finals in 2021, and were second at the Jr. Patriot and second in the Open there. They’ve hit over $100,000 in lifetime earnings together. Last year they won about $82,000 of it. It’s just been crazy, what she’s done.”
Slingshot seemed to be nearly as excited as the Beckstrom family about her wins.
“We went and showed her all her buckles as soon as the awards got done,” Jodi said. “She loves to smell and see her buckles and things.”
“Oh yeah, she loves to see her prizes,” Morgan added.
Morgan had an extensive support system in Gillette, including her grandpa, Mark Jarvis.
“I still get nervous before I run,” Morgan explained. “My grandpa will come up to me and remind me to breathe. He knows I get nervous.”
Although Slingshot and Morgan both come from winning bloodlines, they are off to a great start at carving out their own name in the industry. Beckstrom, who attends public school, rides daily with her family as soon as she gets home from school. She hopes to follow in her aunt’s footsteps and become a professional trainer, plus compete in ProRodeo when she is old enough.
NHSFR Results
Go 1
1. (TX) Devin Young, Rosanky, Texas, 17.193
2. (OK) Dessa Hext, Canadian, Texas, 17.223
3. (CO) Loralee Ward, Fort Lupton, Colo., 17.228
3. (TX) Spring Pennington, Stephenville, Texas, 17.228
5. (WY) Rayne Grant, Wheatland, Wyo., 17.236
6. (ND) Faith Heim, Bismarck, N.D., 17.237
7. (ID) Meg Fillmore, Rexburg, Idaho, 17.264
8. (MO) Merrin Frost, Baldwin City, Kan., 17.321
9. (MT) Rachel Ward, Philipsburg, Mont., 17.351
10. (UT) Morgan Beckstrom, Spanish Fork, Utah, 17.362
11. (ID) Anneliese McCurry, Nampa, Idaho, 17.369
11. (MT) Lacey Lawrence, Jordan, Mont., 17.369
13. (CO) Savannah Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo., 17.398
14. (WI) Sierra Steele, Tomah, Wis., 17.403
15. (AB) Aubrey Ross, Botha, Alberta, Can., 17.412
16. (WY) Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, Wyo., 17.437
17. (AR) Lanie Cornelius, Mount Pleasant, Ark., 17.446
18. (OR) Teegan Hill, Klamath Falls, Ore., 17.449
19. (MT) Lexi Murer, Bigfork, Mont., 17.486
20. (WV) Taylor Eastridge, Beckley, W.V., 17.514
Go 2
1. (MT) Rachel Ward, Philipsburg, Mont., 17.024
2. (UT) Morgan Beckstrom, Spanish Fork, Utah, 17.097
3. (AZ) Sofia Borowski, Queen Creek, Ariz., 17.149
4. (MT) Lacey Lawrence, Jordan, Mont., 17.184
5. (IA) Carli Stuva, Fontanelle, Iowa, 17.192
6. (SD) Piper Cordes, Wall, S.D., 17.235
7. (OK) Hazlee McKenzie, Muldrow, Okla., 17.264
8. (GA) Rachel Kittle, Woodland, Ala., 17.325
9. (ND) Mika Guty, York, N.D., 17.348
10. (ID) Anneliese McCurry, Nampa, Idaho, 17.36
11. (OK) Kenna McLemore, Gracemont, Okla., 17.397
11. (UT) Maklee Larsen, Genola, Utah, 17.397
13. (OK) Dessa Hext, Canadian, Texas, 17.401
13. (WY) Sydney Oedekoven, Gillette, Wyo., 17.401
15. (WY) Rayne Grant, Wheatland, Wyo., 17.403
16. (AZ) Bailey Girvin, Flagstaff, Ariz., 17.404
17. (WY) Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, Wyo., 17.406
18. (AZ) Ashlyn McCleve, Gilbert, Ariz., 17.409
19. (NM) Shaeden Marr, Tularosa, N.M., 17.419
19. (OR) Katie Ayres, Canby, Ore., 17.419
Short
1. (UT) Morgan Beckstrom, Spanish Fork, Utah, 16.892
2. (TX) Spring Pennington, Stephenville, Texas, 16.93
3. (WY) Rayne Grant, Wheatland, Wyo., 17.003
4. (OK) Hazlee McKenzie, Muldrow, Okla., 17.031
5. (MT) Lacey Lawrence, Jordan, Mont., 17.09
6. (UT) Maklee Larsen, Genola, Utah, 17.118
7. (SK) Olivia Parsonage, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Can., 17.147
8. (WY) Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, Wyo., 17.189
9. (MO) Merrin Frost, Baldwin City, Kan., 17.21
10. (IA) Carli Stuva, Fontanelle, Iowa, 17.221
Average
1. (UT) Morgan Beckstrom, Spanish Fork, Utah, 51.351
2. (WY) Rayne Grant, Wheatland, Wyo., 51.642
3. (MT) Lacey Lawrence, Jordan, Mont., 51.643
4. (TX) Spring Pennington, Stephenville, Texas, 51.647
5. (MT) Rachel Ward, Philipsburg, Mont., 51.745
6. (OK) Dessa Hext, Canadian, Texas, 51.881
7. (OK) Hazlee McKenzie, Muldrow, Okla., 51.942
8. (ID) Anneliese McCurry, Nampa, Idaho, 51.955
9. (MO) Merrin Frost, Baldwin City, Kan., 52.028
10. (WY) Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, Wyo., 52.032
11. (UT) Maklee Larsen, Genola, Utah, 52.068
12. (IA) Carli Stuva, Fontanelle, Iowa, 52.156
13. (SD) Piper Cordes, Wall, S.D., 52.191
14. (SK) Olivia Parsonage, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Can., 52.202
15. (ND) Mika Guty, York, N.D., 52.362
16. (MT) Lexi Murer, Bigfork, Mont., 52.377
17. (CO) Loralee Ward, Fort Lupton, Colo., 52.413
18. (OR) Teegan Hill, Klamath Falls, Ore., 52.509
19. (CO) Savannah Roberts, Colorado Springs, Colo., 52.54
20. (AB) Aubrey Ross, Botha, Alberta, Can., 52.716
