As a young kid, Carly Diss remembers daydreaming at her brother Cody's national finals.

"I wanted to be out there someday," she said. "I looked up to him."

This weekend, she will be.

The Diss family camper is on its way to Gillette, Wyoming for the National High School Rodeo Finals. The junior at Ottawa Township High School earned a position on the Illinois team in breakaway roping and goat tying. She finished third place in goat tying and fourth in breakaway at the state finals. In fact, her average times for breakaway were the best in the state.

Featuring more than 1,500 contestants from 41 states, Canada and Australia, the National High School Rodeo Finals is the world's largest rodeo tournament. Participants will be competing for scholarship money.

When Diss rears the rope back from her saddle at the center circle in Wyoming, it will be a dream realized.

"I'm excited," she said. "This is my first trip to nationals. I'm hoping Ican make the Top 20 cut."

Diss was immersed in the rodeo culture since she started in first grade. Her parents Tom and Shelly participate in rodeo, her brother Cody reached nationals twice and her sister Cally competes in tournaments.

"She started running the chutes, then riding ponies and then trying out the events," said Tom Diss, Carly's father. "It's a lot of fun. All of my kids got involved themselves. They were never pushed into it."

The adrenaline rush from the events was enough to entice Diss, who competes eight to 10 times a year in the high school rodeo circuit.

"I've met so many new people from all over the world," said Diss, who lives in rural Grand Ridge.

Along with meeting her peers, much of her time is spent with family on rodeo trips. If its not Carly going to a tournament, its her sister Shelly.

"It's nice to spend a couple of nights a week practicing together, then all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday at shows,"Carly's father said. "But it has its down side ..."

That is when Carly or Shelly are disappointed with their performance.

"Those can be some quiet rides back,"Tom Diss said. "That's teenagers, though. For the most part we have a good time."

Diss is hoping the ride back from Wyoming is one of those good times.

In rodeo, belt buckles are handed out like trophies.

Diss admits there are a variety of buckles that catch her eye. She will be wearing her favorite — the one she won for logging the best average time in breakaway roping at the state finals.

"It's nice," Diss said. "It's the nicest one Iown."

If Diss performs the way she wants, it may be just one of the nine to 10 buckles on her shelf.