For more than six decades, the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) has stood as the pinnacle of the sport often called the “Super Bowl of rodeo.”
First held in 1959 by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the NFR crowns world champions and represents the highest level of competition.
This December, Junior National Finals Rodeo celebrated its 10th anniversary in Las Vegas, featuring two standout competitors from Burnet County.
Austyn Shell of Marble Falls and Haven Huffstuttler of Bertram earned their places among the nation’s top youth rodeo athletes, competing against qualifiers from across the country in events held in conjunction with the professional National Finals Rodeo.
Haven Huffstuttler, 11, a sixth-grader at Burnet Middle School, has been riding for about three years un- der the coaching of Eddie Shell. She qualified for the Junior NFR by earning enough points throughout the season, officially clinching her spot at the final qualifying rodeo on August 31, in Waco, Texas.
“I was super excited to find out that we were going,” Haven said, describing the moment she learned she had earned her trip to Las Vegas.
Riding her horse Vegas, Haven posted a 14.296 in Round 1 of junior barrel racing, placing 11th. She followed with a 14.462 in Round 2, maintaining her position and securing a spot in the finals.
In the final round, a tight turn at the third barrel resulted in a downed barrel, setting her back in the standings.
Even so, Haven finished 17th overall out of 60 qualifiers of the top 12-and-under barrel racers in the country.
Ten-year-old Austyn Shell, a fifth-grader at Colt Elementary in Marble Falls, qualified for the Junior NFR World Finals in two events – pole bending in the 17-and-under division and barrel racing in the 12-and-under.
She has been riding since she was five years old with her grandfather, Eddie “Big” Shell, as her coach.
Simply qualifying for the world finals was a major milestone for Austyn and her family.
While Austyn competed in Las Vegas, support reached all the way back home.
Her classmates at Colt Elementary watched her compete during the school day, following her runs live in the classroom on the TV and projector. “My school watched it,” Austyn said. “They put it on the TV, the projector in the room.”
In barrel racing, Austyn faced an unexpected challenge when her rein snapped on the backside of the first barrel. “I only had one rein around the first barrel,” Austyn said. Despite the break, she finished the run with all barrels standing. “Then the question was how I was going to stop,” she added, describing the moment after crossing the timer.
She advanced to the short go and finished 14th overall in the event.
Austyn also delivered two strong pole bending runs in the preliminary rounds, advancing to the short go.
There, she placed third in the final round and finished fifth overall in the average while competing against older riders in the 17-and-under division.
Both girls spoke about the intensity of competing in Las Vegas. “When I first saw all the people in the crowd, I was like, ‘Holy Toledo,’” Haven said. Austyn shared advice she followed while preparing for her runs.
“There’s a big screen in the arena,” she said. “You cannot look at the screen. If you look at the screen, you’re gonna go to the screen.”
Qualifying for the Junior NFR required months of dedication, frequent travel, often four or five competitions a month and long drives across Texas and neighboring states.
Haven earned her qualification through season-long point accumulation, while Austyn qualified with a win at Levelland.
On one occasion, after competing at the Marble Falls rodeo, the family loaded up and drove through the night to reach a qualifying event.
Looking ahead, both competitors are already focused on returning stronger. “Not lose a rein,” Austyn said when asked about next year.
Haven added, “I think I’ll be more mentally prepared for it, because I’ve done it before and it won’t be as nervewracking.
I’m not going to hit a barrel next year.”
From daily practice sessions to the national stage, their journey reflects the discipline behind youth rodeo success. “We wouldn’t be here without practicing every day with Big,” Haven said.
