POCATELLO — The Idaho High School Rodeo Finals are being held in the Gate City this week and the common thread shared between many competitors is the importance of the rodeo family and the bonds they all share.

For Quinn and Kade Romrell, a father and son from Idaho Falls, that connection runs deep and the trials and tribulations they face together only serve to strengthen their bond and draw them closer together.

Serving as the second vice president in the state for the rodeo finals and as the District 8 president, Quinn Romrell’s job is to ensure these rodeos run smoothly and that the youth participating in them can compete to the best of their ability.

Quinn has the opportunity to watch his son Kade compete this year in tie down roping, team roping and steer wrestling with a complete understanding of just how much hard work they’ve both put into this moment.

“As a father it’s a very, very big accomplishment when you see your kids succeed because we see the time, the effort, the determination and the skill he puts in behind the scenes,” Quinn said. “It’s the work he puts in when nobody else is looking. You hurt for him when he doesn’t do well, but when he does do well, success is there. We’re there as cheerleaders to support him and cheer him on. As a father, that’s a very proud moment.”

Kade grew up on a ranch and started his commitment to rodeoing when he was around 8 years old and even though he excelled at sports like baseball, his desire was to learn to rope and compete in the rodeo circuit.

“It got passed down through the generations,” Kade said. “I love it and it’s what I decided to do. I definitely want to level up in my roping. I love perfecting the way the ropes feel and the way I can compete.”

Kade continued, “I had some good runs (so far). I had a good run in the steer wrestling, ended up getting some points there and then had some good success in the calf rope in the first round and ended up winning the second go. I actually got some points in the team roping as well in the second go. I plan to continue to practice every night and get ready and go make the runs that I know I can make.”

With so much time spent together traveling to events, the pair have had numerous opportunities to further develop their relationship and share their cowboy connection. During the hours when they’re traveling to events in his truck, Quinn said they often bounce things off each other and share what they are both going through. From likes and dislikes, they’ve opened each other’s eyes to music new and old.

But like any relationship there is turbulence, ups and downs, victories and defeats. That bonding time spent in the truck, or the many hours spent together training and preparing, serves only to deepen the ties that bind them together.

“The time in the practice pen getting to know each other and getting to know the limits of each other has really helped us come closer together,” Kade said. “The time spent working together for the common goal — is really awesome. All that time and that hardship together has really made us more like best friends than a parent and a son. He’s somebody that I’ve always looked up to, he’s the man I want to be.”

Quinn echoed his son’s sentiments, adding, “Rodeo is a family sport and we get to do it together through the hard times and through the good times. We share in that love for the sport of rodeo.”