story by Lily Weinacht
Jentry Schell of Wymore, Nebraska, lives just six minutes from the Kansas border. She and her family load up every weekend and turn south to rodeo in Kansas, where the KJHSRA and KHSRA gives them the opportunity to rodeo together. Jentry, 14, competes in barrel racing and pole bending, and her 17-year-old brother, J.W., competes in team roping in high school. This is their first year of junior high and high school rodeo, and Jentry loves traveling. “I like the Cowboy Church every Sunday morning, and I get to go to a lot of new places I’ve never been before. I liked Garden City because it was challenging. It rained and most of the events were moved into a small building. I like meeting the new people along the way. They’re really nice, and I like getting advice to better myself in life and rodeo.”
Jentry also loves the challenge of barrels, the event that inspired her to start junior high rodeoing. “I was doing 4-H pleasure and speed events, and I started getting into barrel racing and wanted to do more of that,” she explains. “I’d gotten a new horse, Cowboy, and he taught me so much and boosted me up to that next level. I like the thrill of running barrels every time and there’s so much that goes into each run—it’s very challenging.” Jentry, who continues to do 4-H, is also expanding her skills to the roping box, where she’s learning to breakaway and team rope. “Steve Milam is a family friend and a great role model. He mentored my brother in roping and has started giving me roping tips. He gives great advice and he’s not afraid to tell it like it is. Right now he’s fighting cancer. He’s very encouraging to a lot of people.”
Jentry fought her own battle against cancer when she was diagnosed with leukemia four years ago. She went through two and a half years of chemotherapy and is now cancer free. “The first three months I couldn’t ride because my platelets were low. I couldn’t wait to ride again,” Jentry recalls. “I spent a lot of time around my horse Cowboy. He and my dog Frosty helped me through it, along with my family.”
Casino is Jentry’s newest horse in the barrel racing and pole bending. “We’ve done a couple of barrel races, and I can’t wait to see how we do in rodeos. We have an arena at home, and on the days that it’s nice out, we ride there, or we ride in the pastures. My little sister, Jazlyn, is 9 and she rides and does a lot of the barrel races. Our parents (Jon and Jennifer Schell) are out there helping us and giving us pointers. We help each other and cheer each other on.” Jentry’s Australian Shepherd, Frosty, also travels with the family, and is known for his tricks, including playing dead and leading Jentry’s horse with the lead rope in his mouth.
When she’s not with her animals, Jentry can be found at Southern High School. An eighth-grader, she enjoys social studies and recently studied the American Revolution. She also played volleyball and basketball this school year and plans to continue volleyball in high school. “When I get home from school and the weather permits, I ride, do chores, and then I do homework. Coming into high school, I want to get honor roll all through high school, and in rodeo, I want to make it to the National (Junior High) Finals.”
