by Kyle Eustice
As a member of the ACRA, 37-year-old Amanda Shirley loves her position as a time keeper. The Indianola, Oklahoma resident is able to balance family life with her passion for rodeo at the same time, which she’s been doing for the past several years. Born in McAllister, Oklahoma to Jimmy Allen and Susan Littlejohn, Amanda grew up with sisters April and Melissa, and brother Roger. She settled in Indianola 16 years ago after meeting her husband Justin in 2001. He led her to her path in rodeo.
“He used to team roped, and still goes to jackpots and that sort of stuff,” said Amanda. “We have a 15-year-old daughter and when she was 3, we were taking her to junior rodeos. My husband is friends with guy that owns the rodeo company I work for, Big Horn Rodeo Company. He had just called me and asked if I was interested. The rest is history. I didn’t grow up riding horses or was even around horses until I met my husband.”
Amanda has held her position as a time keeper for five years. Her daughter Mackenzie barrel races and her son Clayton, 9, enjoys working behind the scenes, as well. He likes pushing bulls out to the bull rider and just being a part of the event, something Amanda looks forward to every time.
“For me, it’s about my family being together,” explained Amanda. “I’ve just always loved it. It’s a neat community. I’ve seen how the people in the rodeo world take care of each other. Now if we didn’t get to do it, it would just be weird. Sometimes on the weekend I think it would sure be nice to sleep in or get to bed early, but then I think, ‘Nah, I’d rather do rodeo.’”
When rodeo season starts back up in the summer, she will be at a rodeo every weekend, where she looks forward to getting to see all of the events and meeting new people. At this point, she’s used to the travel requirements, but makes sure not to go too far away from her home base.
“If it’s one that’s going to be far away, we get everything packed up make sure we have everything ready for the weekend,” said Amanda. “My husband works on an oil field. I’m responsible for getting everything ready and do all the driving. About the farthest we’ve gone is two hours. My kids are big enough that they can unload their own things.”
As soon as she gets there, she helps the secretary get everything ready. Depending on how many contestants they have, that determines how long she will be there. She’s stayed as late as 4 a.m., a testament to her work ethic. Watching her kids blossom, however, is at the core of her motivation to get up and do it even when all she wants to do is sleep in.
“I love getting to go watch my kids go do what they love,” said Amanda. “As long as they’re happy and getting to do it, I’m happy.”
