Local duo competes in high school rodeo finals

Representing Boulder City in the high school rodeo scene, Aiden Brown and Alyvia Madsen competed in the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Lincoln, Neb. from July 19-25.

A prestigious honor, Brown, a bull rider and Madsen, a barrel racer, were each one of four athletes to represent the state of Nevada at the NHSFR, which features participants from all 50 states, including five Canadian provinces, Australia, Guatemala, Mexico and New Zealand.

“I’m so proud of my horse and of myself for qualifying for a spot at nationals,” Madsen said. “I couldn’t be in this position without all the people who have helped me along the way. From coaches, to friends, to rodeo parents, they have all played a part in this journey. I can’t thank my special horse enough and I’m so thankful I have a teammate as awesome as him.”

Trending in different directions, Brown, a prominent rodeo competitor on the boys high school scene, is just starting his journey, while Madsen, a recent graduate, just concluded hers.

Competing at nationals for the first time was the culmination of four years of hard work and dedication for Madsen, who got a late start to the sport.

While other competitors grow up in the sport, Madsen started as a freshman in high school, first taking lessons and falling in love with the sport.

Facing adversity heading into the state finals in Winnemucca, Madsen came into the event on the outside looking in, sitting in seventh place, before the amazing happened.

Putting in her best effort in her last state event, Madsen jumped from seventh to fourth place in the state standings to grab the last qualifying spot, after performing a clean sweep.

Riding her horse, Rr First To Vegas, or who she likes to call Jalapeño, Madsen won all three barrel racing rounds at state, earning a perfect 105 points.

“My horse worked great and I think he knew what we needed him to do,” Madsen said. “I am very hopeful for my future with my horse. I’ve only had him since August and he has turned out to be pretty dang cool. We have started to click and I know we have a very bright future ahead of us. I am so excited to see what the future brings.”

Despite not placing at nationals, the ride is far from over for Madsen, who plans to compete at Southern Utah University this upcoming season, with the plan to work toward a degree in Animal Science and become a veterinarian.

Hoping to continue to progress in the sport, Madsen has already achieved so much in a short amount of time.

Along with a trip to nationals, Madsen also placed first at both the 2025 and 2026 Humboldt rodeos, along with the Fallon, Nevada rodeo this past season.

“She has been competing against girls that have been doing this since they were little,” said Andrea Madsen, mother of Alyvia. “She got a late start in the sport, so it’s really cool that she’s keeping up with girls that have done it their whole life.”

While Madsen’s high school journey is complete, Brown is just getting started toward what looks to be a promising career.

Despite not placing at nationals, Brown made it as a freshman after finishing his high school season as the Nevada state champion in bull riding.

“I was super excited to compete at national finals, especially since it was my first year in high school national finals,” Brown said. “I don’t think my performance at nationals was the best that I could’ve done, especially for the first bull I had. He was tough and he was a good bull to get a high score on, I just didn’t get my feet down after the first two spins.

“My second bull that I had was decent, unfortunately I wasn’t able to get up on my rope due to the chute gate opening before I was ready. I gave it my all to try and cover him. But was overall a great experience knowing what I’m gonna come back to.”

A two-time junior high national finals qualifier, Brown has high aspirations moving forward.

“I hope to accomplish winning a world champion title and want to be a four-time high school state champion bull rider,” he said. “I have three more to go now. I want to move into the pro circuit after high school competing in PRCA rodeos, and hopefully one day make it to the NFR.”

With practice making perfect, Brown is back at it the right way with his sophomore campaign looming. He will compete in Eureka, Nev. on Aug. 25.

With a big milestone for Brown coming up, he will compete in the JR NFR in December this year during the NFR, after winning a qualifier in Fallon back in April.

A big scene for rodeo, JR NFR will take place from Dec. 4-12 at the downtown Las Vegas Convention Center.