Rodeo competitors warm up their horses behind the timed-event arena during the 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyoming. In 2011, 1507 cowboys and cowgirls from the U.S., Canada and Australia competed in the NHSFR—making it one of the largest rodeos in the world.

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Kade Greer scored a time of 8.81 seconds in his steer wrestling run at the 2012 Wyoming High School Rodeo Association state finals in Douglas, Wyo. Greer's time qualified him to compete on Wyoming's National High School Finals Rodeo team.

Casey Breuer rides in the bareback bronc event at the New Year's Eve Buck and Ball Rodeo in Gillette,Wyo. The annual event is a New Year's Eve celebration and the rodeo is followed by a dance with live country western music.

A competitor warms up her horse before a rodeo at the Wrangler Arena in Gillette, Wyo.

Alabama's Cally Stubbs ties up a goat during the second performance of the 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo.

Sydney Allard shows off her collection of 29 autographed rodeo queen headshots while Tennessee rodeo queen Ragan Forrester signs autographs at the 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo. Allard was attempting to collect a photograph from all the rodeo queens at the rodeo, which is an annual tradition for Allard. “She looks forward to that more than the rodeos," Allard's mother Shannon said. "To them, they’re like movie stars.”

Kinson Michel, 10, gets ready for the goat tying event at the Missouri Family Rodeo Association's finals in Springfield, Mo. Goat tying is for younger cowboys that will go on to compete in calf tying when they are old enough.

Preparing for the rodeo queen competition at a 4H rodeo in Gillette, Wyo.

Wes Oldham (right), closely watches his son, Matthew Oldham, 8, as he rubs rosin into his gloves to get a better grip in preparation for his upcoming calf riding event. Calf riding is similar to bull riding and competitors try to stay on the back of a bucking calf for as long as possible before being thrown off. Matthew enjoys his events, but says his favorite part about competing in rodeo is the belt buckles.

Although his bronc almost bucked him off, Oregon's Kenny Hayworth managed to hold on for few more seconds and score a 66 on this ride during the 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo.

Competitors wait for their runs during the cutting event at the 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo. Cutting is an event where a rider and horse are judged on their ability to separate a single cow from a herd.