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Molokai Youth to Compete at National Rodeo

Kahiwa Augustiro competed in bull riding at the Maui District rodeo. Photo by Emy Ferguson.

By Catherine Cluett Pactol

Molokai’s Kahiwa Augustiro, an incoming freshman at Molokai High, earned a spot to compete at the world’s largest rodeo with the Hawaii rodeo team at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma July 17-23. Augustiro qualified for the event, along with two Maui County teammates, while competing in bull riding and team roping at the recent Hawaii High School Rodeo Association Maui District show.

Rodeo runs in Augustiro’s family. His older brother, Chevy, was also a rodeo star and football player. He trains with his uncle, Sale Sproat, who is a professional cowboy. Augustiro’s roping partner for the national competition, Daniel Miranda, is a rising junior on Maui. They rarely get to practice together for the event, which is a showcase of teamwork, Miranda told The Maui News. But they make the most of their time to perfect their timing and chemistry whenever they see each other at Hawaii and mainland rodeos.

Augustiro has competed at the national competition in the junior division but this will be his first time attending as a high school cowboy. The event draws nearly 2,000 competitors from around the country and internationally.

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