story by Lily Weinacht
“Rodeo’s not like any other high school sport. It’s more fun with the agriculture involved, and it takes so much time to be great. No matter where you’re at, there’s always someone better than you, and with four kids in my family, you always want to be the best no matter where you go,” says Danny Goold. “I look over the travel and the price of everything, and I know a rope costs fifty dollars, but that rope can make you so much more.”
The 18-year-old from Douglas, Wyoming, started roping in fourth grade, following after his dad, who rodeoed through high school and qualified for the NHSFR. Danny is working hard towards his own Nationals qualification to cap off his senior year in the WHSRA. He’s currently fifth in the steer wrestling, and also competes in tie-down roping, and team roping with header Shelby Peterson from Douglas. “Technically, calf roping is my favorite because it’s all on me, and bulldogging is my second favorite. It’s fast and there’s no room for you to think—you’d better be ready because it’s coming.”
Danny also competes in jackpots and plans to join the Wyoming Rodeo Association this summer. He practices with fellow steer wrestlers Garrett Henry and Payden McIntyre at the state fairgrounds in Douglas, and in the winter, they set up a chute and alley at a friend’s arena and haul their calves and horses over to practice. “It’s lots of travel,” says Danny. “I look up to Jim Baker—he was a multiple-time qualifier for the NFR in steer tripping. I tied steers with him and his stories made you want to do it like he did. I really look up to Troy Pruitt. I’ll go practice with him, and he and Riley Pruitt are both really cool guys. Fred Larson from here in Douglas is a heck of a bulldogger, and just talking about it with him can help you out a lot.”
Danny and his 14-year-old brother, Thomas, often travel to junior high and high school rodeos with their parents, Matt and Laney Goold. “We have a freightliner with a bunk bed in it, and a stock trailer, so we scoot to rodeos and scoot home.” Danny and Thomas also have two sisters, Kari, 20, who is a student at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Carlee, 16, who will be a foreign exchange student in Iceland next year.
The Goolds also manage a ranch near Douglas. “We’re calving right now, and I want to go into AI-ing,” says Danny. “I have my certificate to AI, and I farm a lot. We’re finishing miles of fence every year, and irrigating. There’s always something to do.” Danny also stays busy riding his horses. He steer wrestles on a 22-year-old bay, Buzz, ropes calves on an 8-year-old buckskin, Buck, and heels off a 14-year-old sorrel, Hank. “They all know their jobs and I couldn’t ask for anything more. They are pretty top-notch horses in my opinion.”
A senior at Douglas High School, Danny enjoys science, particularly plant and animal science. He played football and wrestled, but wanted to focus more on rodeo and starting colts. “I haven’t signed on anything yet, but I’d like to college rodeo, and major in aviation with a minor in business. I’d like to go to Nationals in bulldogging this year and hopefully continue my career into college and the pros,” Danny finishes. “I’d like to thank all the guys who helped me with my horsemanship—Kevin Meyers who is a horse trainer here in Douglas, and Troy Brandemuehl. And I’d like to thank my family, who supports me in everything.”