By Megan Alley
Sun staff
An eighth-grade student at Goshen Middle School will compete in the 12th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Lebanon, Tennessee from June 19-25.
Chase Forman will compete in the NJHFR as part of the Ohio National Junior High rodeo team; he’s entered into the goat tying, tie-down calf roping, chute dogging, ribbon roping, team roping and light rifle shooting competitions.
“I feel very proud and a little nervous, but I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Chase Forman said.
The NJHFR is the world’s largest junior high rodeo. The event brings together about 1,000 contestants from 43 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia, according to a press release.
Contestants will compete for more than $75,000 in prizes, more than $100,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named a National Junior High Finals Rodeo National Champion.
Chase Forman took up riding and roping when he was 4 years old. He learned from a group of friends he made at church.
“They team roped and trained horses, so I always went over there and practiced at their house; they got me riding horses and roping,” he explained.
Chase Forman has been a member of the Ohio Junior Rodeo Association for nine years and the Ohio Youth Rodeo Challenge for three years; this was his first year in the Ohio High School Rodeo Association’s Junior High Division, according to his mother Karyn Forman.
He has traveled throughout Ohio, West Virginia and Indiana to compete and has won eight All Around and Reserve All Arounds in the past nine years. He’s also earned more than 30 buckles, a saddle and numerous other prizes.
Chase Forman was named the 2015-2016 Ohio Rookie of the Year for the Junior High Division and the 2015-2016 Reserve All Around.
In preparation for the NJHFR, Chase Forman travels to a training facility every Tuesday and Thursday night to practice roping; he also practices on his family’s 1,7000-acre farm during weekdays and weekends.
“It takes a lot of practice to be able to do so many skills all at once and to remember what you have to do,” Chase Forman explained. “Because, if something little is off, then your whole game is off that day.”
In addition to competing in rodeos, Chase Forman is a member of the student council and National Junior Honor Society and he’s very active in 4-H Club.
“We are extremely proud of him,” Karyn Forman said of Chase Forman’s rodeo achievements. “He works so hard at it so we are very proud of him.”
Karyn Forman also attributes her son’s success to great mentors.
“Besides the hard work, it’s the people he has surrounded himself with,” she added. “Our rodeo family is a tight knit family; they encourage him every step of the way.”
She added, “We’re so fortunate to have great mentors and friends.”
Looking ahead to the competition, Chase Forman shared his thoughts on the important relationship he as with the animals he works with.
“I can tell you right now that cowboys love their animals,” he said. “The horses definitely help because they get you to places, and if they do their job, and you do your job, everything turns out pretty good.”