Tenino teen competes in his first Roy Rodeo

From the zoomed-out view of a spectator, Jace Harris has the calm, confident look of a rodeo veteran: dark sunglasses underneath a checkered cowboy hat, denim blue jeans and a matching jacket covered in sponsor patches.

Up close, the self-assured expression remains, but any illusion about a grizzled Roy Rodeo veteran vanishes when Harris speaks — and removes his shades.

After all, Jace Harris is only 14 years old. This fall, he’ll be a freshman in high school.
That’s not to say Harris is a rookie. The young rider is in his second year competing in Northwest Professional Rodeo Association (NPRA) events. He also participates in high school rodeos.

In fact, Harris finished first in the tie-down roping, ribbon roping, goat tying and all-around categories for 2024-25 in the junior high division of the Washington State High School Rodeo Association.

For the past couple Roy Rodeos, Harris watched as a fan in the stands. This time, he was a contestant.

“This is my first time competing (at the Roy Rodeo),” Harris told the Nisqually Valley News after taking part in the calf roping and team roping events at the Roy Pioneer Rodeo on Saturday, May 31.

“Calf roping is my favorite event, but I do team roping on the side a little bit.”

The Tenino local said he had to borrow a horse for the team event, since he didn’t expect to compete in it initially. Harris ended up pairing with Nick Hardy.

“I didn’t do so well there, I missed my steer,” Harris said.

Harris was, however, proud of how his gelding performed in the individual tie-down event.

“I had a pretty good solid run in the calf roping,” Harris said. “I’m really glad about my horse, Jonny. He’s coming along really well.”

Harris has been training with his sorrel Quarter Horse for about eight months.

Despite a competitive showing, Harris did not place among the top six in the tie-down roping event. The winner, Blake Sofich, won with a time of 8.6 seconds, earning him $1,209.59.
Still, Harris knows he’s just getting started, and the teen cowboy is bullish on his future.

“I’d like to win the NFR one day, the National Finals Rodeo, in the tie-down roping,” Harris said. “That’s my main goal.”