By JANE HOUIN
Ohio Correspondent

BYESVILLE, Ohio — They may be small in stature, but there’s nothing small about their talents. Rocky Fork Rodeo Company, an Ohio-based youth rodeo association, recently honored their year-end rodeo champions at the association’s annual year-end banquet at Meadowbrook High School in Byesville, Ohio.

Taking home top honors of the association’s overall All-Around Cowboy and All-Around Cowgirl championships were Sami Straits and Russen Beegle. This is the fourth time Straits has taken home this award. Both were awarded all-around championship trophy saddles for their accomplishments. The all-around championships are awarded to the cowgirl and cowboy who earn the most points throughout the season in six different rodeo events across all of the association’s age divisions. Both Straits and Beegle participate in the grade 6-8 rodeo age division.

Also earning all-around championship titles in their respective age divisions were grades K-2 all-around cowgirl Aubree Houin and all-around cowboy Klark Howes. In the grade 3-5 division, the all-around cowgirl was the 2009 Junior Rodeo Queen Gretta Howes and all-around cowboy was Connor Johnson. Straits and Beegle earned their age-division all-around titles as well, with the grades 9-12 all-around cowgirl championship going to Stephanie Schwab and the all-around cowboy championship going to Austin Cain.

In addition, the association also awarded a special service award to Steve Rickly for his assistance in helping association members develop their roping skills and for serving as a team roping partner to many of the contestants throughout the season.

Kathy Grant was also named the association’s most improved member, and Heidi Scwab, a former RFRC member, was named as the first recipient of the association’s new Jim Black scholarship award. Black, who passed away this summer, has been a long-time supporter of the association.

The association banquet also provided the opportunity to officially crown the association’s queen and junior queen for the new season, who were selected at the association’s finals in September. Kaylee Rickly will be serving as the association’s new queen with Bella Pendola taking the role of junior queen.

In addition to these special awards, year-end championship buckles and awards were also given in each of the association’s age divisions and events.

In the grade K-2 sheep riding, Klark Howes captured the year-end championship in the boys’ division. Ethan Sharpe won the boys’ grades k-2 calf riding championship, with the grade 3-5 calf riding championship going to Austin Ward. Steven Smith won the boys’ grade 6-8 steer riding title, with Justin Gorey earning the grade 9-12 junior bull riding championship.

Aubree Houin took home the girls’ grade K-2 goat tail-tying championship title with Jarod Simms earning the boys’ championship in that age division. Brieanna Schwab won the grades 1-4 girls’ advanced goat tail-tying title with Cody Venham earning the title in the boys’ division. The grade 4-5 goat tying championship went to Mary Baker in the girls’ division, with Adam Villard earning the boys’ division title. Straits won the girls’ grade 6-8 division with Luke Billman winning the boys’ title in that age division. Taylor Swain won the girls’ grade 9-12 goat tail-tying championship.

In the dummy roping events, Taylor Hlad won the girls’ grade K-2 championship with Simms capturing the boys’ title in that division. In the grades 3-5 advanced dummy roping, Pendola won the year-end championship for the girls with Venham winning the title for the boys. The grade 6-8 advanced dummy roping titles went to Kathy Grant in the girls’ division and Beegle in the boys’ division.

Barrel racing champions were Houin in the girls’ grade K-2 division, Rhett Beegle in the boys’ grade K-2 division, Gretta Howes in the girls’ grade 3-5 division, Johnson in the boys’ grade 3-5 division, Lacritia Oberrath in the girls’ grade 6-8 division, Russen Beegle in the boys’ grade 6-8 division, Stephanie Schwab in the girls’ grade 9-12 division and Alex Tullius in the boys’ grade 9-12 division.
In the pole bending, Houin won the girls’ grade K-2 title with Rhett Beegle winning the boys’ grade K-2 title. In the grade 3-5 division, Gretta Howes won the girls’ championship with the boys’ championship going to Adam Villard. Straits won the girls’ grade 6-8 title with Russen Beegle winning the boys’ grade 6-8 age division. Stephanie Schwab won the girls’ grade 9-12 pole bending title with Evan Tipple winning the boys’ title in that age division.

Down and back year-end champions were Houin in the girls’ grade K-2 division, Rhett Beegle in the boys’ grade K-2 division, Gretta Howes in the girls’ grade 3-5 division, Johnson in the boys’ grade 3-5 division, Straits in the girls’ grade 6-8 division, Billman in the boys’ grade 6-8 division, Stephanie Schwab in the girls’ grade 9-12 age division and Tipple in the boys’ grade 9-12 age division.
Billman also won the grade 6-8 boys’ chute dogging championship, with Stephanie Schwab winning the grade 9-12 girls’ chute dogging championship and Jarod Hoopes winning that title in the grade 9-12 boys’ division.

In the steer daubing event, Gretta Howes won the grades 3-5 girls’ championship with Johnson earning the grades 3-5 boys’ title. Straits won the grade 6-8 girls’ championship in steer daubing with Billman winning the title in that age division for the boys. Taylor Swain won the girls’ title for steer daubing in the 9-12 grade division.

Johnson also won the breakaway roping championship in the grade 3-5 boys’ division, with Kaylee Rickly winning the grade 6-8 girls’ championship in that event. In the grade 9-12 division, the girls’ champion was Myria Bolton and the boys’ champion was Dalton Cusick.

In team toping, Straits won the grade 6-8 girls’ heading competition with Rickly earning the heeling championship in that division. Johnson won both the heading and heeling in the boys’ grade 6-8 division. Bolton won the girls’ grade 9-12 heading championship, with Hoopes winning the grade 9-12 boys’ heading title and Cusick winning the boys’ heeling title for that age division.

Rocky Fork Rodeo Company is a youth rodeo association for cowboys and cowgirls in preschool through high school, where the focus is on developing life skills and self-confidence along with rodeo skills. Rodeos are held biweekly throughout the summer at the Rocky Fork Recreation Center (www.rockyforkrec.com) in Kimbolton, Ohio. For more information, including a membership application and rodeo dates for the 2010 season, visit www.rockyforkrodeo.com