Second Trip to Breakaway Finals Has Up-And-Coming Cowgirl Eager for Redemption

After a significant injury forced Hali Williams to limp through the season-culminating event last year, the breakaway standout is ready for her next visit to Las Vegas.

After powering through pain at last year's National Finals Breakaway Roping, Hali Williams is relatively healthy and ready for her second appearance at the event this December. / Jackie Jensen/For PRCA

Hali Williams wanted her first visit to the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping to end almost as soon as it started. 

Last year, the Comanche, Texas, product qualified for the event. It was supposed to be a happy moment for the daughter of ProRodeo Hall of Famer Speed Williams. Instead, it was an agonizing ordeal as Williams limped around on a busted ankle. She sustained the injury in October when a horse stepped on her, resulting in significant damage, including ligament tears. 

The whole experience was a mix of excruciating pain and intense focus, two things not known for blending well. 

“I don’t really remember much about last year. It’s kind of a black out,” Williams admits. “I remember by the second day, I talked to the doctor and I was like, ‘Can I get a doctor’s release? Because I don’t even feel like I ride well enough to stay on.’ My dad’s like, ‘Well it’s up to you.’ I talked to the doctor and he’s like, ‘I don’t think you’re going to hurt anything running five more calves.’ I think I won like $300, so I don’t know if it was worth staying in it and not just doctor releasing, because I dang sure could not walk.”

Williams won or tied to win two rounds at NFBR while only catching four of the 10 calves she ran. She finished 14th in the average. 

A year later, Williams is heading back to the South Point Arena for the event from Dec. 3-4. This time around, she’s in a much better place, even if she’s not entirely pain free. 

Over the course of the 2024 season, Williams amassed enough winnings to earn another trip to breakaway roping’s culminating moment. She finished the regular season with nearly $85,000 in prize money after competing at 76 rodeos, placing her 12th overall in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s Breakaway World Standings. 

Throughout that journey, Williams had to navigate the lingering effects of the injury. She never fully came off the road or had any medical procedures to address anything. 

“The summer was really tough. You’re driving constantly and it’s my right foot, and I cannot drive to save my life with my left foot – I tried,” Williams joked. “My mom pulled up a lot of the slack on the back roads and I mainly got the interstates. I tell everybody that beside the roping part, my mom essentially went by herself this year because I couldn’t do anything else. But my health is getting a lot better. I’m starting to be able to move good.”

Ironically, a turnaround moment might have been when she suffered another injury.

Following the West Texas Fair and Rodeo in Abilene in early September, Williams headed home for a bit. This time, she took a tumble while making a practice run, resulting in some significantly bruised ribs. 

“It was like instant relief on my foot – but my ribs hurt worse. It was like a catch-22. If you can’t breathe, you can’t really do anything, but man I could walk,” Williams said with a laugh. 

Weeks later, the ankle is still doing well while the ribs have healed. It’s allowed her to feel the best she’s felt in nearly a year. 

Now, she hopes to carry that momentum over to the NFBR. 

Last year’s berth was overshadowed in misery. It makes her runner-up finish in the World Standings seem like a faded memory. 

This time around, Williams is planning to enjoy the experience – and hopefully make some noise along the way. 

“I’m really excited. It feels like the first time I get to actually make runs at the NFR. I’m having to get my ‘go fast’ game up because I’m going to be going at the rounds,” she said.