Mount Isa Rodeo Backs 13-Year-Old Bull Rider Headed to US Youth World Finals

The Mount Isa Rodeo is directing new resources toward the next generation of outback competitors, committing $10,000 to help a 13-year-old local cowgirl travel to the United States for two international youth world finals. Lareece Daley-Kennedy, a Kalkadoon and Pitta Pitta competitor from Queensland's wild north-west, has received invitations to compete at the Professional Youth Roughstock Association World Finals in Oklahoma and the World Championship Mini Bulls World Finals in Texas.

The financial backing marks the first time the current board of the Mount Isa Rodeo has directly supported an individual young rider in this capacity. According to ABC Australia, the organization is placing a heavier strategic emphasis on nurturing regional talent following the event's revival after entering voluntary administration in September 2024.

Lareece's journey to the international stage follows a series of impressive showings across the North West. Earlier this year, she secured a second-place finish on her initial steer ride. At the recent Mount Isa Rodeo held inside the Kalkadoon Arena—noted as the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere—she came close to the buzzer in the main Mount Isa round before earning a third-place finish in the Indigenous mini bulls category.

Bull riding is a family tradition for Lareece, who was inspired to enter the sport after listening to accounts of her father Nathan Kennedy's days competing in the arena. "I just wanted to follow my dad's footsteps," Lareece explained. The sport has also tested her resilience, including hard landings where she was winded on a steer ride and another instance last year in Cloncurry where she was thrown and landed on her neck.

Before the Mount Isa Rodeo board stepped in with its $10,000 contribution, Lareece's family had aimed to raise roughly $15,000 through local raffles and donations from regional supporters. The unexpected announcement from the rodeo board provided the crucial final funding needed for the trip. Her father admitted the gesture completely overwhelmed him, stating that it successfully got them over the line.

Lareece is not the only young competitor from the region making waves. Cloncurry brothers Dallas and Ashley Murphy, aged 10 and 14 respectively, swept the mini bull titles at the event. Additionally, 19-year-old Cade Ferguson from Cloncurry was crowned the rodeo's all-round cowboy, a distinction arriving just weeks after he captured the bull riding world championship and reserve world championship in saddle bronc at the Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo in Oklahoma.

Mount Isa Rodeo vice-chair Marcus Curr emphasized that fostering youth participation is vital to the organisation's long-term mission. Because children in remote outback areas often lack access to traditional team sports like football and cricket, rodeo culture forms an integral part of their lives, Curr noted. The board currently hosts an annual junior clinic focusing on safety, technique, and competition skills, which drew approximately 50 children this year.

By combining local junior clinics, regional competitions, and direct financial assistance for elite youth qualifiers, the board aims to transform the Mount Isa Rodeo into an institution that actively shapes international rodeo talent. For Lareece Daley-Kennedy, the focus now turns to the upcoming United States competitions, where she will face international pressure with a characteristically straightforward philosophy on what matters most: winning and holding on.