Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68Winter / Spring ‘17 34 Ty Lopshire; Team and Tie-Down Roping, Trinitie Lopshire; Team Roping & Breakaway, Gracie Stickler; Barrel Racing, train and compete together. The three teens are members of the Spikers Rodeo Team. Traveling throughout Utah to rodeo, Ty, Trinitie, and Gracie work to build enough points to qualify for Nationals or even the Silver State International High School Rodeo in Nevada. Not an inexpensive sport to say the least, with seven-thou- sand-dollar-plus horses, feed, fuel, entry fees, hotel costs, train- ing facilities, and even wardrobe (always need a good hat, and it’s the rules) adds up. Ty spent the summer on a farm driving a tractor earning money to help offset immense costs. When Ty was asked to give advice to parents of kids who want to rodeo, his re- sponse was, “save up your money.” Winnings, in the form of cash, aren't earned in High School Rodeo. If you are lucky enough to win first place you might go home with a belt buckle. High School Rodeo life only awards those that take first, no participation tro- phies here. The big prize money doesn’t come until much later if the cowboys and cowgirls are lucky enough to make a living in ro- deo at all. It becomes about the passion and love of the sport. Rodeo stars like Trevor Brazile and Fallon Taylor help inspire youth competitors, but it’s personal drive and ambition that gets these kids on their horse every day in all kinds of weather just for a shot at Nationals. To say rodeo builds character is an understate- ment. But to ensure good sportsmanship, organizers have imple- mented rules awarding fairness in competition. For those unfamiliar with the sport of rodeo, terms and instruc- tions like, “rope the dummy,” “don't miss the header,” and “don’t lean” are explained in the podcast. Gracie’s coach and longtime barrel racer, Kyle McEntire, helped ask probing questions about rodeo to the three teens, but Trinitie, Gracie, and Ty mostly re- sponded with brief humble answers and giggles. The ability to produce short and to the point remarks is an endearing trait un- less you’re an interviewer. The Spikers next big rodeo is in April at Golden Spike Arena and is open to the public. Listen to the full podcast at mountainluxu- ry.com/spikers and get to know three of the personalities chasing points on their home dirt and help support local rodeo. Rope the dummy, don't miss the header, & don't lean… Trinitie Lopshire Ty Lopshire Gracie Stickler