Headed west to the rodeo

By GREG CALDWELL
Correspondent

Four Lancaster County teenagers are preparing for a trip to Wyoming to compete in a sport that is better known in the western part of the United States.

Christi Wertz, Colleen Hershey and the brother-sister team of Tyler and Emily Weber are headed to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo., from Sunday, July 18, to Saturday, July 24.

The event is conducted by the National High School Rodeo Association, which has 10,500 members from 41 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia.

The local competitors are members of the 14-person team from Pennsylvania.

The Weber siblings and Wertz will compete in the team roping event, while Tyler Weber will also be in tie-down roping. Hershey will compete in pole bending and barrel racing.

Hershey, 18, a 2010 Donegal High graduate, took different paths to qualifying in both of her events.

The top four season scores after combining regular-season events and the state meet, which was held June 4-6 in Perry County, advance to the national competition.

Hershey was in second place headed into the state meet in barrel racing, an event in which competitors ride their horse in a cloverleaf shape around three barrels. She finished third, good enough to qualify for Wyoming.

Her finish in pole bending, which involves cutting sharply around six skinny poles, was an unexpected surprise for Hershey. She was outside of the qualifying points until the state meet, but a strong performance propelled her into a second event at nationals.

"I went into the state meet planning on just competing in barrels, so the pole bending was a plus," said Hershey, who has been riding since she was 7. "I knew I had a good state meet, but it was nerve-racking waiting to find out if I had qualified in a second event.

"I had a trainer who specialized in my events. She showed me how to do this, and it took me four years to get to where I am now."

Hershey has two horses she rides, and will be using Molly in Wyoming. She said she is looking forward to the national meet. Friends have told her it is a great experience, with everyone from Pennsylvania parked together and hanging out throughout the week.

"I just want to go have fun and see what happens," Hershey said.

Lisa Hershey, Colleen's mother, said the high school rodeo season runs most of the school year, with the local team competing across the state and in Virginia and West Virginia.

The Wyoming rodeo has qualifying early in the week.

"Each person runs twice in their event," Colleen Hershey said. "The top 20 qualify for the finals the last day. Competitors can win cash prizes, scholarships and belt buckles."

Team roping involves two riders entering the ring together. A steer runs into the arena, and the header has to wrap the lasso around the horns of the animal and turn it around. The second rider, the heeler, then ropes the two back feet, bringing the animal down to the ground unharmed. A good time in this event is approximately seven seconds.

Tyler Weber, 17, a senior a Garden Spot, and his sister, Emily, 15, a sophomore, just started working together at the start of this season. The two were trained by their father and found chemistry in the ring right away, finishing second in the state.

"We have been roping most of our life, but not together," said Tyler, who will ride his horse Rock for this event. "We are pleased with how we did. The key for a strong performance in Wyoming will be the catch and to be smooth."

 Emily, who will be riding Cougar, said she had no problem working with her brother.

"I thought it would work fine and not be much pressure," she said. "I know we will do this again next year, but I will take the head and he will take the heel."

Emily has been riding in youth rodeos since she was 5 or 6, so she is an old hand at the sport.

"It is not the same every time," she said. "You do your own thing but also need to rely on your partner and horse. Our dad puts on good horses, and we would not win on poor horses. I have roped in front of a lot of people at the Farm Show, so I do not think I will be nervous."

Wertz, 18, a 2010 Penn Manor graduate, will be competing in the team roping with Dylan Marks, from Western Pennsylvania. Wertz did not compete last season and started the year without a partner.

Wertz, the header, went to the team's first meet and found out Marks was a heeler needing a partner. The two did not start working together until halfway through the season, but finished with the third-best score.

"It takes time to get to know each other, but we seem to work together well," Wertz said. "This is my last high school rodeo, so I just want to make the most of the opportunity. I know it will be crazy out there, but others have loved it, and you make so many friends."

Weber's other event, tie-down roping, involves a calf coming out of a shoot. The rider needs to put a rope around its neck, flank it and tie it. Weber will ride Rawhide for this event.

"A good time is eight to nine seconds, and I have already finished with a time in this range, so I am very confident," Weber said.

The National High School Finals Rodeo is held the third week of July every year. Athletes participate in nightly dances, volleyball tournaments, shooting competitions and other events.

More than $200,000 in prizes and $350,000 in scholarships will be awarded.