Manjimup nine-year-old Kade Eames set to head to National Rodeo Finals in Tamworth

A Manjimup nine-year-old has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo that will be held in regional New South Wales later this month. Strong performance in local rodeos has seen Kade Eames finish among the top 15 competitiors in the country in the under-11 steer ride, punching his ticket to head to Tamworth on January 25. Steer ride is a rodeo event designed for juniors, with competitors riding more docile cattle rather than bucking bulls. Kade said he was “very excited” to head to the finals and he hoped to “do my best”. “I’ve been doing it for a year and a bit,” he said. “It feels really good ... I get nervous (when I’m about to enter the ring).” Kade’s mother Kristin said he did not pick up the passion for rodeo from the family. “He took a liking to it when he was quite young, watching it on YouTube,” she said. “We let him have a go, we thought that would be it, he’d be scared and never wanted to do it again, but he loved it.” Kade and his three siblings will embark on their first ever plane trip to head to the finals.