Making it to the national high school rodeo finals is something I will never forget. Nationals is the biggest youth rodeo in the world and is made up of over 1,500 contestants. Each contestant competes in 2 rounds and possibly a short round depending on how well they do. Making nationals had always been a dream of mine and last year I achieved that. I made it in the cutting horse division and to do so I had to be one of the top four girls in the state of Oklahoma. Although nationals didn?t turn out as well as I had hoped it was an honor to have competed against the best in the world. Making it to nationals was not easy. After countless hours of practicing I began to feel confident with my horse and myself but then the unthinkable happened. …show more content…
I had plenty of time to think about my runs considering that Rock Springs is 15 long hours away. Once we got there is when all the nerves started to get me. I found out when I drew up and it just happened to be Sunday night and Saturday morning which meant I had almost a full week to see my competition go. It also meant I only had two days to mentally prepare myself. On Saturday morning I got up early and worked Fancy one last time before the round that night. Saturday seemed to drag on but finally it was show time. Walking into the arena was the most nerve-wracking moment of my life; the bleachers were packed and there were people with big cameras everywhere. It felt as though I was famous! As the announcer called my name the only thing I could think about was making a solid run. My run for the first round was good considering my heart was about to beat out of my chest. When I heard the announce say ?144? I was ecstatic! Then a big wave a relief rushed over me. I had made a clean run, which was my goal. My first round was over with and now it was time to wait and see if my score held up throughout the
With my relay team stretched,warmed up, and ready to go, we headed towards the stadium where we would race against the fastest girls in the nation. Intimidated but not deterred we headed out of Tent City and into the gates of Turner Stadium. Knowing this was my last race I would run with my close friends and relay team, being it 's the last race of the season and we all weren’t going to be in the same age group next year, I had a whole new mind set. I was constantly thinking, “we have to make top ten because we can make top ten.” “We have the times, we have the strength, we have the speed, we just need to have the guts to walk in there like we are going to shred the track into pieces.
Of course, as you'd expect I got fourth place in that race. Bummed from the results I learned to keep my head high and keep working I mean I was just a freshman. In the end track taught me that there's always someone better, or faster you just gotta work harder than them. My final sport that I have a passion for is rugby.
I had been working hard and really felt like a part of the team. The first real challenge I faced was trying to live in the shadow of my older brothers. Who both had success in their running careers. It was the third race of the year and I was running in the varsity race against our conference rival. To me, this race was a chance to prove I was an important member of the team and could possibly lead the team as captain in the future.
In any association or business change is inevitable. Whether it be a good or bad, change is bound to happen. The sport of rodeo is no different, and it just so happens that a big change is happening this year. The Elite Rodeo Association has been formed and is causing a lot of controversy in the world of rodeo. The ERA’s goal is to make rodeo on the same caliber as other professional associations and increase its popularity.
Monday October 3rd I was texting my cousin Teagan Snyder and was talking about rodeo season again and she said that she was going to a Leon rodeo and I asked her to ask her mom if I could go with her. Her mom said yes so I hadn’t practiced at all during the week before the rodeo. The Friday night that I got down there I had to get everything ready for the rodeo in one night and it was really hard.
In life, even though we are told not to do so, a lot of us “count our chickens before they hatch”. We make assumptions on things before they happen because we believe that if something seems so likely, it will happen. Well, that is what my Liberty High School cross country team did my sophomore year. Going into the year, we not only knew we were going to be strong, we thought other teams were going to be weak. The top teams from the state finals the previous year had all lost most of their key pieces.
During my final year of Cross Country around Regionals at Oglethorpe, I ran my final race for my high school career. Banks County was nearly number one in the State, the furthest we had ever ranked in history, and spirit and hopes for State Championship were high. I was nervous, like nobody’s business, I had messed up during my senior night because I was upset for my parents for not showing up and escorting me. And I was scared that I was going to do horribly. But as I ran, I realized that if I let my past mistakes and failures hold me back or get in my way, so I ran, harder and better than I ever had before and apparently even beat a “skinny kid”.
Even though we lost, that final moment that I jogged off the field, every one of my teammates smiled, and gave me a high five. As I gathered my things, I went over to my family. “You did an amazing job for your first time!” They all say in unison. Making it seem like it was rehearsed.
I grew up in a rodeo family, my parents did it, my grandparents did it, even my great grandparents did it. I have been on a horse, well, since before I was born. I have had a rope in my hand since I knew how to walk. I even won my first buckle when I was three, my first saddle when I was five, and won a trailer when I was eight. I was the best around.
The course was muddy and slippery and damp. I knew that the last runners who were going qualify to state were going to run a nineteen-minute race. While other teams were practicing and warming up, my team was playing in the playground. From what I’ve been through this week, I know I wasn’t going to make it to state, but I still wanted to know how close I would be .The teams were called to the starting line and I was nervous.
In life, not everything will go your way, not everyone will like you, and not every day will be a wonderful day, but you just have to get through it, is what I've learned. I've discovered only this year that I won't perform at my best in every event, but that's why we establish objectives. Cross country gave me the opportunity to meet the wonderful young men I now get to call my teammates, but they are more than just teammates. They are family. We share a connection that I've never known on any other team.
This summer was my first time getting to compete in high school rodeo. The reason I like rodeo is because you meet a lot of new friends who share your interests, getting to be with my favorite animal, competing, and getting to spend time with close friends and family. My favorite event is poles and barrels are my least favorite. The poles are a fun event because I have a really fast horse name Kuzco, and he’s really good at
Notwithstanding, her biggest goal was it to the Jr. High National Finals Rodeo in the barrel racing, her eighth grade year, which is her last year in Jr. High Rodeo. Finally, Skylar went to her first Jr High Rodeo and she won the barrel racing the first day. Unfortunately, she did not well in any other of her events, but she was still overjoyed considering she annotate
I should have imagined what to do in this scenario, because it was the only one that actually happened. It was the regional meet in Delta. This was the fastest course in the state, as evidenced by the incredible times run there. This meet was the culmination of over six months of work, physical therapy, and weightlifting. So far throughout the season,
In those two and a half years I started racing. My first time I ever raced I got first place and it was the best feeling ever. I was so proud of what I had accomplished and wanted to keep racing. But after I placed first in that class I got bumped up to a new class that had bigger bikes and faster kids. At the time I was still on the 100 and I was racing kids on bikes twice as big as mine.