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Prep Roundup
Columnists Brian Meadows Brad NormanMembersLocal Connection› Iredell County Young Athletes Association› South Iredell Athletics Association › SHS athletics › WIHS athletics › NIHS athletics › SIHS athletics › LNHS athletics Syndicate RSSAP NASCAR NASCAR Features A look at this year's schedule A look at this year's drivers Differences between stock car and open-wheel racing NASCAR Research & Development Petty Enterprises splitter testing Aerodynamic testing in Concord's wind tunnel Top 10 moments in Daytona history Site StatisticsThis page has been viewed 773972 timesPage rendered in 0.3136 seconds Total Stories: 2136 Total Comments: 34 Most Recent Entry: 08/15/2008 01:53 pm Most Recent Comment on: 04/17/2008 11:54 pm Most Recent Visitor on: 02/09/2012 01:35 pm |
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2008 Jul-05
Iredell teen continues to excel when she saddles upBy Brian Meadows Kristi Johnson lassoes with the best of them, but occasionally she gets thrown for a loop. Not long ago, during a goat-tying competition at a rodeo in Salisbury, she experienced one of those caught-off-guard moments. The determined goat managed to escape from the rope, which was tied to a stake, before Kristi completely dismounted the charging horse to string up its legs. While humorous to her, the incident reminded Kristi of a valuable lesson regarding her sport. “You have to expect the unexpected,” she said. Ironically, Kristi has become fairly predictable. The talented 17-year-old Troutman resident qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) for the third straight year. Counting her performance in the Wrangler division as an eighth-grader, this will be Kristi’s fourth consecutive year competing on the premiere stage. Kristi leaves Thursday for Shawnee, Okla., where she will compete in the International Youth Finals Rodeo before reporting July 20 to the NHSFR in Farmington, N.M. Featuring more than 1,500 contestants from 41 states, five Canadian Provinces and Australia, the NHSFR is the world’s largest rodeo. Kristi punched her ticket thanks to 11 months of hard work, culminating with an impressive showing in the North Carolina High School Rodeo Association (NCHSRA) finals. A rising senior at Forsyth Country Day School, Kristi placed first in breakaway roping, first in goat tying and third in barrel racing, in addition to being recognized as the NCHRA’s All-Around Cowgirl. The journey to nationals started much, much earlier than that, her mother, Pam Johnson, pointed out. “Horses have been her lifelong love,” Pam said as she watched her daughter make a few practice runs Wednesday in the ring below their house. Seriously, it dates back to birth. “When we came home from the hospital, her Dad went and got our Appaloosa horse, Bo, and he held Kristi in his arms and just rode around with her a little bit.” When she was 2 years old, Kristi saddled up and rode trails with her father, Curtis Johnson. At 3, she had her first horse, Shorty. Kristi began her rodeo career when she was 9. Now she travels the state, doing about 20 rodeos from August through June. Her fervor for the sport has taken her outside the Tar Heel State, as well. The previous two years, nationals were in Springfield, Ill. As a Wrangler, Kristi competed in Gallup, N.M. She has logged a lot of miles, and Kristi praised her father’s commitment to her passion. “He has taken me across the United States and back,” Kristi said, grinning wide. Kristi practices diligently in the two round pins on her parents’ property. She barrel races and pole bends on Charm, her American paint horse, in one location. At the other, she hones her skills in goat tying and breakaway roping on Midnight and Hollywood, a pair of quarter horses. On school days, she gets home at 4 p.m., heads to the barn, saddles the horses, herds a few calves for breakaway roping purposes and rides until dark. “Then it’s time to do homework,” Kristi said with a noticeable sigh. Kristi, who admitted goat tying is her favorite of the five timed events she competes in, has aspirations of going to college and studying to become a veterinarian. Her rodeo abilities could help her fund such an endeavor. In addition to competing for a chance to be crowned national champion, NHSFR contestants will vie for $200,000 in prizes and approximately $325,000 in college scholarships. Kristi’s goal is to be part of the “short-go” round, which features the 20 finalists who survived the opening two rounds and remain eligible for the title. “That would be very nice,” she said, eyebrows raised to signify her respect for such a feat. She knows it won’t be easy, and that several variables influence success. Not the least of which is, “I have to do my job, just like he’s gotta do his job,” Kristi said seated atop her sturdy palomino companion, Hollywood. “It’s a two-partner deal.” Bookmarkz |
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