Father’s Day

Goods Rely on Strong Father-Daughter Connection All The Way to Winner’s Circle

Ted Harbin

When his daughter made her first appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping presented by Tito’s Vodka, Shay Good was, pardon the pun, in a good place.

“My nerves were not near as bad, because we were prepared,” he said, pointing to the amount of advance work he and Bradi had put in over the days, weeks and months leading up to the grand finale at the South Point Equestrian Center. “You’re already there. At that point, it was just do your job and have fun.”

He knows a little bit about all that. A three-time qualifier to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, Shay Good has made many runs and helped his children do the same. Bradi and her brother, Sage, had whatever advantages they could get with a father that was also a top roping hand. For Bradi Good, her dad was a driving force to that eighth-place finish in the 2023 world standings.

“It was always fun growing up in our family,” Bradi Good said. “My brother and I both rodeoed our whole lives, and my dad is who taught us everything. It was really cool to grow up in that atmosphere and have someone like my dad there to help.

“It’s made me the roper I am today.”

At just 22 years of age, she’s pretty salty. She finished last year’s campaign with more than $112,000. The roper is well on her way to doing that again, if not surpassing the earnings mark, in 2023. As of June 10, she had earned more than $31,000 and sat 12^th in the world standings.

She loved her youth. While Sage has moved on into the world of finance, Bradi loves chasing her rodeo dreams.

“I decided to do this just growing up in the Western lifestyle and being involved with people in rodeo,” she said. “People in rodeo are so fun, and this is what I love to do. It has made me want to do it for the rest of my life.”

When she’s not knee-deep in the middle of the season, traveling around the country following her passion, she’s back home in Abilene, Texas, fine-tuning her skills with her father in the roping box with her. It’s not just practice; it’s building on the talent she has and helping her gain the confidence she needs to succeed.

“I practice with him every day,” Bradi Good said. “When I come home to rope, he’s the one turning calves out. When I’m on the road, I’ll send him videos. Before my run, we’ll talk. He tells me what he thinks my calf will do. It helps to have someone who knows so much about it when I’m away from home.”

Shay Good is a second-generation steer roper who qualified for the finals over three straight seasons, 2015-17. He’s been on the lookout for his next great horse, but he’s maintained a busy schedule with his daughter’s attention to roping and her focus on the tasks at hand.

“Bradi was always self-motivated because she loved to win,” Shay Good said. “She had a passion for winning. She didn’t have a problem practicing, because I explained to her early that we weren’t going to participate if we weren’t prepared. Bradi’s always wanted it pretty bad and always lived the lifestyle.

“She was addicted to winning as a young girl, and it’s never really stopped.”

Dreams of being a champion drive competitors, but work ethic and the right attitude are how it pays off. With Shay Good steering the wagon in the right direction, Bradi Good continues to find a way to the winner’s circle and is on the verge of battling for rodeo’s version of gold.

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