Braydee Bourdet, a 15-year-old Hollister resident, won more than $18,000 in calf roping competitions at Wrangler BFI Week in Guthrie, Okla.
Bourdet roped three calves in 11.56 seconds to win the 18-and-under category for a $1,400 prize, and went on to win the main Charlie 1 Horse Breakaway, according to a spokesperson for the Bob Feist Invitational. Bourdet took home a total of $18,100 in winnings. BFI Week took place March 26-April 1.
“I prefer long scores,” said Bourdet, who also competed in Guthrie in 2025. “I guess this is the biggest paycheck I’ve ever won, so I’m putting it away.”
Bourdet is a sophomore who is homeschooled in Hollister through the Yosemite Valley Charter School. Her family raises horses and cattle; and Bourdet’s younger brother also competed at BFI, said Julie Mankin of BFI.
Parents Wayne and Lacey Bourdet raised the horse Braydee rode for her 2026 win. The Bourdets traveled to BFI with a group of families from California whose children also compete in rodeo events, Mankin said.
Braydee competed alongside—and against—the best competitors in the world at the Oklahoma event, which awarded more than $5 million in prize money throughout the week.
“Yes, there were a little bit of nerves, but I’d been standing around taking notes and talking to them all day,” Bourdet said. “They’re nice people and easy to compete against and that makes it a lot easier.”
