MANSFIELD — This isn’t Raelyn Todd’s first rodeo.
The 12-year-old Mansfield Christian student has been riding horses for as long as she can remember and began participating in junior rodeo competitions about three years ago.
“I was like, ‘let’s just give this a try and see what happens,’ and I ended up falling in love with it and doing really well,” she said. “It’s still kind of a new thing.”
Nevertheless, she’s been able to make her mark, earning the laudable title, “All Around Cowgirl” during her first year competing for a spot on the National Junior High rodeo team.
“That was just kind of like the big starting point for me,” she said. “It showed me that I can do more than I thought I could do.”
Raelyn, the daughter of Luke and Mandy Todd, is one of approximately 1,000 youngsters from 43 states, five Canadian provinces and Australia who will compete at the world’s largest junior high rodeo, which will take place June 18-24 in Lebanon, Tennessee. She qualified for five events: barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, and ribbon roping.
One of her favorite events is goat tying — which she demonstrated during a school talent show alongside her younger sister, Reese, who also participates in rodeo competitions and hopes to follow in Raelyn’s footsteps. In this event, a participant rides to a tethered goat, dismounts, catches, throws, and ties any three of its legs together.
“It kind of sounds funny, but it’s really hard,” Raelyn said.
She has been able to learn from friends, videos and high school students, she said.
“The high school kids are really good at helping the younger kids,” Mandy said. “It’s the only sport I’ve been involved in where you actually help your competition beat you.”
In addition to competing for more than $80,000 in prizes, National Junior High Finals Rodeo contestants will also be vying for more than $200,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named a National Junior High Finals Rodeo World Champion. To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20 — based on their combined times/scores in two rounds — to advance to Saturday evening’s final round, according to a press release.
The Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series on RFD-TV. Live broadcasts of each NJHFR performance will also air online at NHSRATV.com. Performance times are 7 p.m. on June 18, and 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day thereafter.
“I’m really excited about seeing what the other kids can do there because it kind of shows me what I can become,” Raelyn said. “I know I’m not the best, but I would like to see what other kids can do and what I can learn from them.”
Throughout the week, contestants will have the opportunity to enjoy shooting sports, volleyball, contestant dances, family-oriented activities, church services sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, and shopping at the NJHFR tradeshow, as well as visiting area attractions.
“I think I’m really going to have fun with just hanging out with my friends there,” Raelyn said. “It’s going to be like a huge fair.”
