For Cody Huwa, a senior at Wiggins High School in northeastern Colorado, tying thousands of calves in preparation for collegiate level competition paid off. Huwa, of Roggen, Colo., was awarded a full ride rodeo scholarship to South Plains College in Levelland, Texas.

South Plains College is noted for the strength of their timed event cowboys and cowgirls and stand out among the competition as one of the strongest teams in one of the most fiercely competitive regions of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA). The school’s rodeo team competes in the Southwest Region of NIRA and boasts athletes from all over the U.S. and Canada. Huwa will be one of four Colorado athletes in the fall wearing the blue and red Texans vest.

Coach Kerry Doster, recently named Western Junior College Athletic Conference Women’s Coach of the Year, is looking forward to adding Huwa to the roster.

“It’s a good program,” Doster said. “We’re really strong in calf roping, team roping, bull dogging, all the timed events. It’s the toughest region in the nation and he’ll have to step up and be competitive and I think Cody can do that.”

“Everything we’ve heard about Cody is that he’s dedicated to rodeo and I think he’ll take care of the school side as well,” Doster said. “We’re excited to have a guy who gets his mind set and his dedication to the sport makes him a lot easier to coach.”

Huwa competed in the Colorado High School Rodeo ranks throughout his high school career, roping calves and team roping. His senior year was spent turning steers for Colton Reed from Lamar, Colo., though Huwa typically heels. With only a handful of regular season rodeos remaining prior to the Colorado State High School Rodeo Finals, Huwa and Reed are in third place and Huwa is sixth in the tie down roping.

Intense, Huwa said is the best way to describe a practice session at home.

“We mostly rope calves at home to keep our horses working and free,” he said. “We also tie from the post a lot and I push myself pretty hard.”

Team roping, in contrast, is more relaxed in the practice pen and Huwa rides three or four horses per night to keep them in shape and working well.

Roping is something Huwa’s grandpa and dad both did and something he did periodically until he began moving up the ranks from Colorado Junior High School rodeos, gymkhanas, Colorado Junior Rodeo Association rodeos, and into Colorado High School, and open rodeos. Huwa’s summer goals include filling out his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association permit and competing from behind the long score at Cheyenne Frontier Days.❖