rope. She’s been involved in team roping since she could walk and been horseback long before that. She finally decided to forego travel ball by the time she was 12 and focus her athletic and genetic talents on roping. Last season, she finished 28th in the final world standings and fourth in the race for Resistol Rookie of the Year. “Whatever we did, we were all in,” Hali said. “If you did it, you had to strive to be the best at it. That’s something both of my parents have instilled.” That’s probably why she found success in so many facets of her young life. She had hoped for a better first year, but that’s how the wagon rolls down the path sometimes. She learned to overcome challenges and what it’s like being on the road. Those have all been put into perspective in this sophomore campaign. In March, she’d earned just $3,750 while qualifying for the Championship Shootout at NRG Stadium in Houston. After posting a 3.6-second run, she added $50,000 to that and propelled to the breakaway roping mountaintop. “That win has essentially changed my career,” she said. “The winter rodeos were really good to me. They taught me a lot along the way. When it happened, I realized, ‘You got your ticket punched to the
I didn’t make my kids rope, but I made it fun. If the kids don’t have fun and enjoy it, they’re going to find something else to do.” The apples didn’t fall far from a very respected tree. Hali is taking 19 years of lessons with her from one rodeo to another, and her season was presented a nice exclamation point with her victory at RodeoHouston in March. That shot her to the top of the money list, a position she won’t give up any time soon. Meanwhile, the Comanche, Texas, teenager is trying to build on that status in just her sophomore season on the rodeo trail. In all his years of battling for gold buckles, all Speed wanted was a chance. From that point, it was all on him if he succeeded or not. He wants those opportunities for the next generation. “As a young child, she asked me if she could make a living roping,” Speed said. “In the team roping world, for a girl that wins, it just raises your number. It’s hard to make a living as a young child roping. For all the hours we have spent practicing, for all the hours I’ve spent to get her to swing a rope and do the things the way I feel needs to be done, she’s getting the opportunity in life that breakaway roping has presented. “Now, she has a chance to control her own destiny.” She’s trying to do that and has been for a long time. When she was 7 years old, Hali tried her hand at gymnastics and found success. She was a member of the Junior Olympics team. When Gabe was 5 and started peewee baseball, Hali fell in love with the sport. She dropped gymnastics and traveled the world playing softball. Back at home, there was always a horse to ride and something to Hali Williams has a number of buckles in her collection already but would love nothing more than to add a gold buckle to go alongside her dad’s eight that he won in team roping. Afte winning RodeoHouston she is definitely in the driver’s seat as the summer run of rodeos gets underway. Photo courtesy Hali Williams
NFR.’ I didn’t realize the effect it would have on my career. “It’s ironic, because I finished third at both San Antonio and Fort Worth. When you win something like that, your phone just blows up. It’s crazy the difference in the opinions and sponsors we’re seeing. Everybody tunes into the final short round at Houston. I was naive at what it meant, but it was a blessing in disguise and opened a lot of doors for me this year.” Those doors were agape decade and a half ago when her dad focused his attention to his kids. Like many little girls, she had big eyes for the big man in her life. She was and is a “Daddy’s Girl;” he outfitted the tractor with a seat just for her when he was in it, and she’d ride her Hali Williams has always enjoyed riding horses and having her dad, Speed, there by her side. Although both have had a few birthdays since this image was taken, they still enjoy riding through life together. Photo courtesy Hali Williams
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JUNE 2023 WPRA NEWS 15
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