We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
14-year old Anna Getten is currently a freshman at Chinook High. Last June she competed in her last National Junior High Rodeo. This year was her second trip to the nationals. After winning the requisite points in the Montana rodeo circuit and finishing among the top four finishers at the Montana state rodeo, she moved on to the nationals held in Lebanon, Tennessee. There she joined the 1,000+ junior high contestants who made it to the top level of their sport.
The Lebanon region, always hot and humid in late June, posed an additional challenge to the competitors this year... mud. In the grips of the aftereffects of an early season hurricane further south, the rodeo grounds received nearly three inches of rain during the week of the rodeo. Anna said, "The mud was so deep and sticky that competitors who had to get off their horses as part of an event were duct taping their boots to their jeans to keep their boots from being pulled off in the mud." Anna's mom, Tanya, said she's still dealing with removing the red mud stains from the clothing they wore during their time in Lebanon.
Lead up to the nationals began in Montana
Junior high rodeo competitors begin their season in the fall, which runs from mid-August to early October. The second part of the rodeo season begins in mid-March and runs to mid-May. Anna made about 10 weekend trips during the combined season. Mom Tanya said, "Many of the events are scheduled so that two separate competitions occur on a given weekend. That allows the kids two opportunities to gain points to qualify for the Montana state rodeo in June." To participate in the state rodeo a competitor must earn at least one point (earned by a top place in an event) in a regional rodeo.
At the state rodeo every participant does two "long go's," meaning everyone makes two runs in their events. State-level winners are determined by a combination of points from regional rodeos and times from the two long go's during the state rodeo. The four top finishers in each event move on to the national rodeo.
During the 2017 Montana state rodeo, Anna won first in goat tying, second in barrel racing, third in breakaway and fourth in pole bending. All those places, at the state rodeo, qualified her for the same events at the national rodeo. She also won first All Around (earning the most combined points from several events). The recognition for the All Around win included a custom made saddle by Tod Slone Saddles.
Anna's second trip to the national rodeo at Lebanon
Anna, and her mom, said last year they believed having made one trip to the nationals at Lebanon would be an advantage in 2017. They had learned about the effects of the "heat index" (a measure of the high temperatures and humidity in that part of Tennessee), how the events were organized and run and how to cope with living with 1,000+ other contestants and families who attend the event.
The Gettens took two horses this year. They lived the week in their horse trailer that also has living quarters. Tanya said, "Each state has a designated place for campers and trailers so we were with the other competitors from Montana." She added that even competitors who don't have to bring horses lived in campers during the week on the 267-acre ag center owned by the county. With 50,000 attending the event, it was simpler to stay right on the rodeo grounds.
Anna said, "After being at the nationals last year I felt more relaxed. I knew how things moved along with the events. I had fun." Still, last year's hot and dry weather didn't prepare her for hot and muddy weather this year. She said, "The mud was just unbelievable. We had only one day when it didn't rain. The people preparing the arena tried to remove the mud and stack it around the arena. The mud was a big problem for horses and riders." (The Gettens had to explain their use of the term 'good ground.' In Lebanon that meant "no mud with underlying hard pan that could cripple a horse.")
At the national event each competitor does their event twice, then the top 20 with the best average do a short go. Averages of the three runs determine how each competitor places. Anna was recognized for placing in the top five in several of her short go's. The placement she was most proud of was 9th in the world for barrels, which puts her among the best of the best.
What's next?
I asked Anna when she began riding horseback. I could tell by the look on her face she'd never, ever thought about a time when she didn't ride horses. Mom Tanya said, "She started riding as soon as she could sit up. Her dad (Eddy) nicknamed Anna and her older sister, Larissa, 'Chase and Race.' Anna was too small to make her horse go so Eddy would chase her to make her horse go. Larissa was old enough that all she wanted to do was race her dad on her horse."
With the culmination of her junior high rodeo career, Anna is thinking about the high school rodeo season. She and Tanya are looking to the high school nationals which will be in Rock Springs, Wyoming for the next two years. Tanya said, "After getting webbed feet this year in Tennessee, we're looking forward to future nationals in a region where we know what to expect as far as conditions." Read that, "hopefully, no mud and low humidity."
