Rodeo Success Ties Friends Together

LORIDA -- Friends that ride and rope together will always be friends.

That sage advice was never more true than for two Sebring Middle School students on the crest of the biggest junior rodeo competition in the country.

For 14-year-old Bailey Vickers and 12-year old Loni Damboise, the dream of competing on the biggest rodeo stage has come true, as the two friends, along with Hardee resident Dalton Boney, will represent Florida in the Wrangler Junior High Rodeo Finals in Gallup, NM beginning June 30.

"I'm so excited that Loni and I get to go to nationals together," Vickers said. "The competition is going to be intense, and we'll both have to be on the top of our game.

"I'm so honored to be and proud to represent Florida at nationals."

Vickers punched her ticket to nationals with a state championship in the ribbon roping competition and a third-place finish in the breakaway roping event, while placing in the top 20 in three other events at the Wrangler state finals.

Damboise took second in the breakaway roping competition -- one spot ahead of Vickers -- to mark her first time at nationals.

Boney, 14, will be participating in the tie-down roping competition.

The two Sebring Middle School students have a friendly rivalry going when on their horses, but Damboise is quick to add that the rivalry only takes place during a rodeo.

"We're really good friends and are always encouraging each other on," Damboise said. "But when the rodeo begins, we know that we're both trying to win. When we're at a rodeo, we don't really talk much just because we're trying to stay focused. But when the competition is over, we're the first to congratulate each other.

"We want to be the best but not for the sake of our friendship."

It's also no surprise that Vickers has thrown her hat into the rodeo ring three years ago, as her father Ed rode bulls and earned a college scholarship to Sulross State University in Alpine, Texas.

"My father has really helped me and encouraged me to give it my all," Vickers said. "I'd love to duplicate my father's accomplishment and go to college on a rodeo scholarship."

With a win at the national finals, Vickers and the others might have their opportunity, as they'll be vying for more than $75,000 in prizes and also more than $50,000 in college scholarships, along with a chance to be named the Wrangler Junior High Finals Rodeo National Champion.

To earn the title, competitors must finish in the top 15 after two go-rounds before advancing to the championship final performance.

Vickers and Damboise both have their eyes set on that national title and are preparing accordingly.

Vickers, who qualified 28th out of 150 in the breakaway event, practices roping two-to-three times per week with the guidance of coaches Jimmy Carter, Mike and Myles Ashton. Under their tutelage, Vickers won her first event (goat tying) in 2005 and was recently named to the Wrangler All-Star team and elected co-captain by her teammates.

"Bailey is very dedicated and driven," said Bailey's mother, Kim Vickers. "She's been hooked since seeing her first rodeo and she just keeps getting better with every competition."

Damboise, who grew up on a cattle ranch, has been riding horses for eight years, and not long after, she started to compete in little rodeos. Her training regimen consists of roping calfs twice a day and her dummy 50 times a day to get her ready for the intense competition that she'll face at nationals.

"I'm roping and riding every day to get myself ready for what I'll face [at nationals]," Damboise said. "I'm not going there with the mindset of just making a good showing. I'm going there to win."

Breakaway roping, the event both Vickers and Damboise will compete in at nationals, features a calf and one mounted cowgirl.

The calves are moved through narrow pathways leading to a chute with spring-loaded doors. A 10-foot rope is fastened around the calf's neck which is used to ensure that the calf gets a head start. On one side of the chute will be the breakaway roper, who will attempt to rope the calf.

The breakaway roper is behind a taut rope fastened with an easily broken string which is fastened to the rope on the calf. When the roper is ready she calls for the calf and the chute man trips a lever opening the doors. The suddenly freed calf breaks out running. When the calf reaches the end of his rope, it pops off and simultaneously releases the barrier for the roper. The roper must throw her rope in a loop around the calf's neck.

Once the rope is around the calf's neck, the roper signals the horse to stop suddenly. The rope is tied to the saddle horn with a string. When the calf hits the end of the rope, the rope is pulled taught and the string breaks. The breaking of the string marks the end of the run.

The fastest run wins.

Vickers' other event, ribbon roping, is a unique event that involves a team consisting of a cowboy and cowgirl.

Either gender can be the Roper or Runner.

The calf rope is tied on hard-and-fast like in calf roping. After the calf is roped, the Roper gets off to help the Runner get the ribbon that is tied to the calf's tail. The Runner takes the ribbon and runs across the finish line which is 30 feet in front of the roping chute. The Roper must at least touch the calf before the runner crosses the finish line.

The nationals attract riders from all 50 states, Canada and Australia and being a part of such a big event has Damboise and Vickers eager to get out to New Mexico.

"I can't wait to be around riders from all over the world," Damboise said. "Even though we're from different areas of the world, we all have riding in common.

"I also can't wait for the dances that take place during the week."

But no matter the outcome, the two riders will come back friends and share their passion for riding.

"We'll always have riding," Damboise said. "I'll be Bailey's biggest supporter during the ribbon riding event and cheer her on. I feel we're both winners already just for making it this far.

"It's now time to get on our horses and prove we belong with the best."