2008 Woodie Awards
Barrel racer Blaine: MSU needs rodeo team
Melissa Meador
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Sports
Junior Christy Blaine is not just a regular student majoring in real estate.
She is a ranked college rodeo barrel racer.
Barrel racing is a sport in which three barrels are set up in a rodeo ring, and the person who can get around them the fastest in a particular pattern wins the event.
"It's really not as simple as it sounds," Blaine said. "There's a lot of factors in being good at barrel racing. It's all about the speed and agility of the horse and its bloodline. Just like there are good bloodlines of dogs, there are good bloodlines of horses as well."
Blaine said that the horse is the essential element in being good at barrel racing.
She is currently searching for a backup horse, as her primary horse has been plagued with injuries.
"He's got bone spurs and joint problems," Blaine said. "I really need another horse. It's good to have two horses, a small one and a large one for the different types of arenas we compete in."
While Blaine competes in rodeos for MSU, she is a self-supported racer. She pays her own entry fees, to have her horse lodged and for all her own travel.
"It's really expensive, and the money you win depends on how many people enter," Blaine said. "I'm currently looking for business sponsors."
Sometimes a good finish in a meet can pay well though. Blaine made $1,100 in her second place finish in the second meet she competed in last semester.
"Despite the money, it's worth it," Blaine said. "I love the adrenaline rush you get from competing and the camaraderie of all the people who compete in rodeos."
Blaine counts the people she has met as one of her favorite parts about rodeos.
"Everyone is so trustworthy," she said. "They're all always willing to lend a helping hand.
"Like if I'm in Texas and need a place for me and my horse to stay for the night, I have plenty of friends that I can call up who will say, 'Yeah, come on over.'"
Blaine has achieved many different things in her almost 12-year career in barrel racing. She finished in the top five barrel racers in the state for three years in a row in high school and compete in the National High School Rodeo Finals her senior year, placing in the top 20.
She is a ranked college rodeo barrel racer.
Barrel racing is a sport in which three barrels are set up in a rodeo ring, and the person who can get around them the fastest in a particular pattern wins the event.
"It's really not as simple as it sounds," Blaine said. "There's a lot of factors in being good at barrel racing. It's all about the speed and agility of the horse and its bloodline. Just like there are good bloodlines of dogs, there are good bloodlines of horses as well."
Blaine said that the horse is the essential element in being good at barrel racing.
She is currently searching for a backup horse, as her primary horse has been plagued with injuries.
"He's got bone spurs and joint problems," Blaine said. "I really need another horse. It's good to have two horses, a small one and a large one for the different types of arenas we compete in."
While Blaine competes in rodeos for MSU, she is a self-supported racer. She pays her own entry fees, to have her horse lodged and for all her own travel.
"It's really expensive, and the money you win depends on how many people enter," Blaine said. "I'm currently looking for business sponsors."
Sometimes a good finish in a meet can pay well though. Blaine made $1,100 in her second place finish in the second meet she competed in last semester.
"Despite the money, it's worth it," Blaine said. "I love the adrenaline rush you get from competing and the camaraderie of all the people who compete in rodeos."
Blaine counts the people she has met as one of her favorite parts about rodeos.
"Everyone is so trustworthy," she said. "They're all always willing to lend a helping hand.
"Like if I'm in Texas and need a place for me and my horse to stay for the night, I have plenty of friends that I can call up who will say, 'Yeah, come on over.'"
Blaine has achieved many different things in her almost 12-year career in barrel racing. She finished in the top five barrel racers in the state for three years in a row in high school and compete in the National High School Rodeo Finals her senior year, placing in the top 20.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Amy
posted 4/06/07 @ 11:51 PM EST
I would love to rodeo for MSU...you definitely need more support. Colleges much smaller have WAY more to offer...that's a shame!!! It takes soooo much money to go down the road and other universities/colleges are making it happen!!!
Justin Ball
posted 4/23/07 @ 1:07 AM EST
I would love for MSU to have a rodeo team. Im a Jr. in high school and im thinking about going to state and i ride bulls so if state gets a rodeo team I will be a member of the bulldog family!!!!!!!
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