Tech Equestrian Center hosts early FFA event
Many of the horses at the Texas Tech Equestrian Center on Saturday carried two ponytails - one in the rear and one under a cowboy hat up top. More than 60 cowgirls flocked to the equestrian center with their spurs and lassos, eager to compete in this year's rodeo portion of the Texas FFA Convention, which Lubbock is hosting this week.
The girls participated in three types of rodeo events Saturday: barrel racing, goat tying and breakaway. The other women's event, team roping, is scheduled for today at the center. The 10 best participants in each event will qualify for tonight's rodeo show and the rodeo competition finals on Tuesday, after which thousands of dollars in scholarships will be awarded to the top participants.
Girls also are allowed to compete in many of the men's competitions, but not vice-versa.
Barrel Racing. And the boys had better watch out. "If you ask me, a girl can out-rope a guy any day," said Brooke Russell, a 16-year-old from Cypress who competed in the barrel racing and breakaway competition. Russell may be right. The barrel races were fast. The calf-tie calves weren't going anywhere.
And, during the breakaway competition, not many calves escaped the lasso.
Clara McBane, an FFA participant from Muleshoe, said she began riding horses when she was 4-years-old. "(Barrel racing) is a rush," she said. "For like two seconds, you just stop breathing and it's kind of ... nerve-wracking, I guess is the word."
Get Dirty. McBane said she has female friends whom also compete in rodeo events, but most girls aren't cut out to be a cowgirl. "I think a lot of girls are - what's the word for it - clean," she said with one hand on Romeo, her horse. "They don't like to get dirty or whatever, and if you want to do something like this, you have to be able to get in the mud and play like a boy."
McBane said Russell was right: When it comes to rodeo competitions, cowgirls make cowboys look like city slickers. "Some people were playing some game with a rope down there by the practice arena, and the guys missed, like, probably three out of four times," she said, "and the girl got it every single time."
Regular Practice. Mastering rodeo competitions isn't easy, however, Russell said. Like anything else, regular practice is an essential fact of life for cowgirls. "You practice, just like that," Russell said, pointing to the competition arena, where the breakaway competition was under way, "but everyday - make it muscle memory, I guess."
Holly Crenwelge said she couldn't remember why she began riding horses and participating in rodeo events. "Why did we get into rodeo?" the 15-year old from Fredricksburg asked a nearby friend.
"Yeah," Crenwelge said shortly after, echoing her friend's reply. "Because it's fun."
Written by Matt Mcgowan | Avalanche-Journal | Monday, July 14, 2008
Link to: http://lubbockonline.com/stories/071408/loc_303503572.shtml
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