Cadee Williams was top 10 money earners across Cowboy Christmas with just two checks—one at Cody and another in Red Lodge—before heading to Calgary and qualifying out of her pool to the finals.
The 2022 National Finals Breakaway Roping average champion won $7,442 at the Cody Stampede, another $3,539 at Red Lodge and $14,417 in Pool A at the Calgary Stampede for a total of $25,398 won in just three spots.
“I’m really happy it went so good because I only went and took three rodeos because I was up in that first set in Calgary,” Williams said. “So we kind of had to do good where we went. We had to make it count.”
With her first set at the Calgary Stampede falling right in the heart of Cowboy Christmas, Williams only entered three rodeos: Oakley, Red Lodge and Cody. That meant missing other major playoff rodeos, including St. Paul and Mandan, but Williams capitalized where she did go.
Cody came with less-than-ideal conditions, and Williams was in the first performance, meaning there wasn’t much of a read yet on the calves or the start. She split the win four ways with Joey Williams, Hali Williams, and Summer Williams.
“Cody was very cold and windy, and we were up that first perf,” Williams said. “Sometimes first perfs can be a little different because you don’t really have a feel for the calves and you don’t really have a feel for the start. Thankfully, I drew a little red bald calf that was good when he was in the chute, so I was just planning on him being good and seeing enough of a start, and it went good.”
Williams’ mare did her part, too.
“My horse is working phenomenal—the best she’s ever worked,” Williams said. “I’m so thankful for her because she’s my No. 1 that I ride most everywhere. She worked great and drew great.”
The mare mentioned is Scandal, registered as Dropit Liteitz Hott, is the 11-year-old mare who got Williams to 5 of out 5 short gos in the Texas Swing.
From Cody, Williams went to Red Lodge, Montana, where she again stopped the clock in 2.1 seconds to split the win three ways for $3,539 with Millie Greenwood and Audrey Kremer.
“Red Lodge, again, I drew one of the best ones on them,” Williams said. “We maxed out the barrier, too, so that helped. We drew a great calf at Red Lodge, and it just felt like a solid run and it ended up being fast enough.”
Williams carried that momentum into the Calgary Stampede, where the setup asked for something entirely different.
Williams opened Pool A with a 3.5-second run for fourth and $3,250, then came back with a 3.1 in Round 2 to finish second for $5,500. In Round 3, she tied Jenna Dallyn and Celie Salmond for the win with a 3.4-second run, worth $5,667. Her $14,417 total placed her second in the Pool A qualifier standings and moved her through to the next round.
The Calgary Stampede marked Williams’ first time roping in the big arena after previously competing in the indoor setup. Being in the first pool meant she didn’t have much to go off of before backing in the box.
“We were in that first set, so we didn’t really know what to expect,” Williams said. “It seemed like, ‘Man, these calves seem like they’re moving.’ And then when I went to run one, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ It was full contact. These calves are flying, absolutely full contact. And they’re so little, so you’ve got to be really precise with your loop. But it was so much fun—It was a blast.”
That kind of setup fit Williams, who said she likes runs that force you to use the animal you have underneath you.
“I like those better where you kind of got to use your horse versus the slinging matches,” Williams said. “It’s good to have a combo of everything, but it’s definitely fun to run the little babies down in there because it feels different than anywhere.”
Williams said Scandal is better when she’s fresh, and that has shaped how Williams is approaching the summer. After Calgary’s first pool, she skipped Estes Park, Casper and Sheridan to give the mare a break and spend time with her family while her kids had junior rodeos.
“I feel like she’s very rare in the fact that I never hardly practice on her,” Williams said. “Honestly, the fresher she is, the better she is, which is kind of why I’m giving her a week off right here.”
For Williams, a strong winter and a well-timed Cowboy Christmas have allowed her to be more selective through the summer.
“I think it’s huge for me personally,” Williams said. “I have three little kids, and we go to their junior rodeos up here. I try to take some time, too. There are so many good rodeos, you’ve got to go hard no matter what. But I kind of try to be a little more choosy.”
For now, Williams turned three Cowboy Christmas rodeos and one Calgary pool into one of the biggest weeks of her season.
“We can only do what we can do in the summer,” Williams said. “So runs like that are very, very important for me.”
