By VICKI AYRES-McCUNE
HUTCHINSON, Kan. —  Loper McCune, a recent graduate of Goodwell High School won the Kansas State High School Rodeo Steer Wrestling Championship. Although McCune didn’t have the kind of finals he wanted, he had worked hard enough throughout the year to keep a strong lead heading into the finals which helped him secure his championship. “Last year I ended up Reserve Champion and I knew I wasn’t about to let that happen again,” said McCune.  “I’ve been practicing every day and trying to keep an edge on the competition.”
McCune who lives in Oklahoma actually started his first year of high school rodeo steer wrestling as a sophomore in the Texas Tri-State organization, where he won the Tri-State Steer Wrestling Championship his first year. Due to the close proximity of the Oklahoma Panhandle to Texas and Kansas, a lot of high school kids choose to rodeo in one of the other states to help on the drive time to the rodeos. McCune liked Texas, but found the drive times to be shorter in Kansas.
He is a member of the Wrangler National All-Star Rodeo Team and is competing this week at the International Youth Finals Rodeo in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He will leave there and head to Gillette, Wyoming where he will be competing July 18-24th at the National High School Rodeo Finals. Last year McCune qualified for the short round at the National High School Finals held in Farmington, NM and ended up in the top 15 out of 150 steer wrestlers from across the United States, Canada and Australia.
From Gillette, he will travel to Pueblo, Colorado for the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo where he won the televised short round and ended up 3rd in the World in 2009.
McCune was offered seven full-ride rodeo scholarships from several surrounding states and universities.  After touring several of these communities and colleges, he came home to sign with local rodeo coach, Craig Latham at Oklahoma Panhandle State University.  “OPSU has always had a strong rodeo team, winning tradition and great community support. I also have a lot of family and friends here that are great supporters, it’s a win-win for me,” said McCune.
Keep an eye out for McCune on RFD-TV for the televised rounds of the National High School Rodeo Finals and the National Little Britches Rodeo Finals.