They’re off.

And if the finish is anything like the start, it will be one heckuva summer.

The 2026 season for the Northern Rodeo Association and Northern Women’s Rodeo Association started with Whoop-Up Trail Days, the traditional opener in Conrad.

The long line of competitors included former champions from all levels, current champions and those with goals of being a future champion.

The top 10 in each event at the end of the regular season qualify for the NRA Finals presented by nuWest Builders, Oct. 22-24 at Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell.

The Conrad entry list included some of the most decorated cowboys and cowgirls in NRA history, a former Indian National Finals Rodeo champion making room in his trailer for his daughter’s horse and a PRCA world champion who has switched ends of the arena.

How tight was the competition in Conrad?

Only one point separated the top four bareback riders, less than three-tenths of a second for the barrel racers and half-second among the top four team roping pairs.

The margins will shrink as the summer heats up and the stakes get higher.

The competition pool will deepen as the Montana state finals and the College National Finals Rodeo come to a close.

The NRA and NWRA have long been stepping-stones for the next generation.

Rigs and trailers head to northeast Montana for rodeos in Culbertson and Poplar.

Culbertson Frontier Days are Friday (6:30 pm.) and Saturday (7 p.m.)

Everybody will load up and head 33 miles west on Highway 2 for Poplar Wild West Days on Saturday for a 1 p.m. performance.

The two long-standing rodeos annually attract competitors from North Dakota and South Dakota.

The month of June closes with a flourish with six rodeos the final two weekends.

The run starts with Gardiner (June 19-20) and Wilsall (June 20-21) and finishes with Bozeman (June 25-26), Polson (June 26-27), Big Timber (June 26-27) and Opheim (June 28) before Cowboy Christmas.

Conrad winners: Bareback: Ty Owens, Trapper McAllister, Leighton LaFromboise 79. Saddle bronc: Koy McAllister, 82. Bull riding: Chase Royal Blue, 78. Steer wrestling: Justus Peterson, 7.3. Tie-down roping: Nolan Conway, 9.9. Team roping: Gavin Beattie-Sam Levine, 9.6. Barrel racing: Taylour Watson, 18.5. Breakaway roping: Ellie Meeks, 2.4. Junior barrel racing: Sylvia Eash, 18.21. Junior breakaway roping: Addison Conway, 2.9,