25 contestants qualify for nationals at Junior Rodeo State Finals

DECATURVILLE, Tenn. — Young men and women between 6th and 8th grade competed in two different rodeos Sunday.

Boys and girls from kindergarten through eighth grade compete in Tennessee Junior Rodeo Association rodeos between August and May of each year.

Boys can compete in steer bareback and steer bronc riding, breakaway roping, team roping, ribbon roping, chute dogging, goat tying, and bull riding. Girls compete in barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, team roping, ribbon roping, and goat tying.

Cowgirls and cowboys from Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee participated on the 23rd and 24th.

Organizers said rodeo teaches these kids important life skills.

“Try hard and just have fun doing it,” Trip Carter said.

Owen Gibson is in 7th grade and started roeing a few years ago. She qualified Saturday for nationals in breakaway. “(It teaches you) to have fun no matter what and to never give up,” she said.

Johnson Yarbro is a 7th grade bull rider, and also qualified for nationals in two categories.”It teaches you responsibility because you gotta take care of your animals and your livestock like you can’t have nobody do it for you. You’ve got to do it on your own,” he said.

Zane White in the Cinch Division Team Captain. He is in 8th grade and has been competing for nearly his whole life. “It teaches you to work hard because there is no substitute for working hard,” Zane said right before he qualified for three categories at finals.

Delaney Thomas is in 8th grade and got into rodeo because of her dad. She is this year’s Miss Tennessee Junior Rodeo and qualified for two categories at the National Finals. “Everybody is there for you and like even if you do bad at a rodeo they’re gonna be there for you and tell you good job and you have it next time,” she said.

Around 25 different contestants qualified today for the national finals which will be held this June in Lebanon, Tennessee.