Thrilling Intermountain Icebreaker Offers Young Athletes Chance to Display Talents

The Intermountain Icebreaker has been an amazing event for high school and junior high students hosted in Ogden, Utah for over a decade. While professional rodeo gets constant coverage and prizes to compete at, this event is working for the younger generation.

The National High School Rodeo Association puts on this event with Broken Heart Rodeo Co. in order for contestants to crack back out when the harsh months of winter are over!

It has been held every March for the last 14 years. With over $87,000 in prizes and awards this is a great event for kids to attend. The committee goes above and beyond with their awards. By the end of the event they give out 28 saddles and 296 buckles.

There are families who travel from multiple states in order to be a part of this event. Entries come in from Utah, Colorado, Idaho and more. The fact that this gathering attracts so much attention means that college coaches typically make an appearance looking for new talent.

Each event is two go rounds with the top 10 getting a third run/ride. Awards and checks are given out for each round as well as the average. There is also incentive for the all-around cowgirls and cowboys with a saddle and buckle.

Looking at the all-around champions alone there were four states and another country represented. Oregon, Utah, Idaho, California and Canada each had an all-around or reserve all-around winner.

Ellie Thompson of Utah was the standout all-around cowgirl. After it was all said and done she took home the average title in the goat tying and breakaway which means she took home multiple saddles and buckles on top of the prize money.

Timed event cowboy Sam Saunders, from Idaho, took home the all-around saddle. Saunders had an impressive weekend in both the team roping and the tie-down roping. He took home the average title in the tie-down as well as the reserve average title in the team roping with partner Mason McDaniel.

With opportunities like the Intermountain Icebreaker the younger generation continues to get a chance to compete on a bigger stage. This is a great way for high school and junior high competitors to prepare themselves as they move up into the collegiate and professional world. Rodeo on SI is excited to see what they have in store for their 15th annual event next year.

Full results for the 2025 event can be found here. Congratulations to all of the incredibly talented individuals who took home checks and championships.

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