Rodeo youngsters turning heads at Wrangler Rodeo Assoc.
by Andrew Manuel

A couple of young rodeo competitors are turning heads at Wrangler after being selected for the Team Alberta Junior High Rodeo squad.
14-year-old Laramie Hollingsworth is making her second straight appearance on the team alongside 13-year-old Levi Lloyd. Hollingsworth will be competing in pole bending while Lloyd will be competing in team roping, breakaway roping and chute dogging.
After a successful season last year, Hollingsworth has qualified for the Wrangler Junior High Finals Rodeo in Gallup, New Mexico for the first time this July. After qualifying as one of the top point earners in the province last season, Hollingsworth will join over 900 contestants from 44 states, Canadian provinces and even Australia in the world’s largest junior high rodeo.
“It will be really hard competition,” said Hollingsworth.
As an added bonus, she was also selected as one of four student delegates to represent the province in the rodeo and will have a vote to cast in the election of the president of the Wrangler Junior High School Rodeo Association. She said it was quite an honour to be picked and was very happy the Wrangler team board chose her as one of the delegates.
“I wasn’t sure whether I’d get picked.”
Though she’s headed to the biggest rodeo of her life, Hollingsworth said she is not planning on special training. She stated that since she’s already qualified for the rodeo, she must be doing something right so will just continue with her usual routine in hopes of racking up some good rides and hopefully some winnings as well. She said one of the great bonuses of being part of the Wrangler team is eligibility for many scholarships and hopes to continue on in her rodeo career.
“There’s a lot that can come out of doing this,” said Hollingsworth.
Levi Lloyd narrowly missed out on qualifying for the WJHFR last year placing fifth in the points standings at the end of the season.
“I almost made it in the junior bull riding,” said Lloyd.
“The top four go down and I was fifth.”
Lloyd will be hard at it this year in the hopes of qualifying for the big event in 2008. Lloyd, who has been roping since he was nine, will be competing in team roping, breakaway roping and chute dogging, which is similar to steer wrestling. He said he got into rodeo competition after watching his dad compete and joined many of his friends on the rodeo circuit.
“Lots of my friends do it.”
Lloyd stated he competed in around 15 rodeos last year and is looking to hit a similar number again this year with the support of his parents. He said his goal is to make it to the National Finals Rodeo and is hoping to someday turn professional.