Personal Narrative: Junior High Rodeo

I grew up in a rodeo family, my parents did it, my grandparents did it, even my great grandparents did it. I have been on a horse, well, since before I was born. I have had a rope in my hand since I knew how to walk. I even won my first buckle when I was three, my first saddle when I was five, and won a trailer when I was eight. I was the best around. Key word there... Was.
When I started Junior High Rodeo in sixth grade, I still was the best. I was the state Champion in all my events, such as Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Goat Tying, Breakaway Roping, and Ribbon Roping, all three years! And that’s just at the state level. There was one girl who I met through Junior High Rodeo, her name is Amber. In sixth grade, she was T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E. Terrible.

I was still the best cowgirl around. Well…. untill she won the National title in Girls Cutting, Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, and was Reserve Champion Team Roper. She was even the National Champion All Around Cowgirl! Talk about outshining me. I may have been the front page story in junior high, but in my last two years of high school, she took up the whole newspaper. Amber basically repeated her wins her senior year, but added a National Title in Team Roping and a state title in the all around race. She even went on to college and won National titles in Barrels, Team Roping, and the All Around. She turned out to be very successful in the sport of rodeo. She was so looked up to, not just for how she did in competition, but because of her sportsmanship and ability to stay humble. Sadly, she was even looked up to by my little sister! My little sister always claimed, “Amber’s the best around! Someday she will be in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame!” That’s what broke me. I set my mind to being the best again, but I didn’t know how to work hard. So I gave up, before I even really tried. Amber may have started out being the joke, but in the end, it turned out to be