Cowboys and cowgirls from all over Louisiana descended upon the Jena Rodeo arena this past weekend as the annual Jena High School Rodeo was held Friday and Saturday, March 22 and 23.
The rodeo is part of a series of rodeos held throughout the year across the state serving as qualifying rodeos for the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association’s State Finals set for May 27-June 1 at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
On Friday night, a misting rain caused members of the LaSalle Riding Club board to work extra hard but their efforts paid off with great arena conditions to allow the rodeo to get underway and the contestants to compete.
Members of the LaSalle Riding Club, with members from Jena High School and beyond, competed in events Friday and Saturday, with two athletes finishing in the top ten in their events.
Kanely Cooper tied for eighth place in the Barrel Racing event with a time of 17.855. The winning time for the weekend was recorded by Ava Nunez with a time of 17.271.
The Jena duo of Andrew Paul and Carter Huffman won tenth place in Team Roping with a time of 18.43. Had they not had a penalty for a barrier break, they would have placed in the top five. The winning team for the weekend was Turbo Baxter and Jayden Nunez with a time of 9.36.
Other LaSalle Riding Club cowboys and cowgirls competing were Brooke Meredith, Emma Girod, Kandence McMillin, Ayla Belle Stapleton, Brielle Smith and Kennedy McCann in Barrel Racing and Pole Bending and John Wade Hoffpauir and Luke Butler in Team Roping.
Hundreds of people attended the Jena Rodeo with many volunteers working the event to ensure its success.
The LaSalle Riding Club and its Board thanked the many sponsors (see ad on this page) who helped make the rodeo possible and for the public for attending both nights.
With one of the largest rodeo teams in recent years, the La-Salle Riding Club looks forward to supporting its members as they continue to travel the state acquiring points to make the state finals in May.
