story by Lily Weinacht
KC Gail Churchill is a roper to her core, competing in the AJRA in ribbon roping, team roping, and breakaway roping, which she’s leading in the 13-15 age division. The cowgirl from Elm Mott, Texas, has also flanked her share of calves, entering the tie-down roping at Ultimate Calf Ropings. Her dad, Damon, competed in tie-down roping, and her mom, Melanie, ropes breakaway. They inspired KC Gail to rodeo, and at just 13 years old, she’s already backed into the box at the AJRA finals, the NJHFR, Cody Ohl Junior Calf Ropings, and open breakaway events.
Simply put, KC Gail says her motivation is “practice to win,” but she also has the encouragement of roping legends such as Edd Workman, Fred Whitfield, Rich Skelton, and JoJo Lemond to spur her on. “I have lots of support in and out of the arena. Edd Workman is like a grandpa to me. He’s helped me through roping and can give me a lot of knowledge that makes me a better horseman and roper,” says KC Gail. “Fred Werneck helps me with my saddles and tack, and one of my good horses came from him. He’s from Brazil and he owns HW Leather. I’ve been using his saddles since I was 5 years old and started competing in the roping events. His saddles keep you in the front, and they’re comfortable and fit the horses good. I have just begun to team rope, and Rich Skelton has helped me a lot,” she adds. JoJo Lemond has also coached her in roping and trained one of her horses, while her parents are her greatest supporters.
Practice is part of the daily routine for the Churchills, with KC Gail’s parents helping run chutes and Fred Whitfield joining her when he’s available or passing through to a rodeo. “We’re about nine miles away from the town of West. We’re pretty much in the country, and it’s fun, but not many kids rodeo around here. But we have a bunch of people come over and rope—we always have someone coming over to practice,” says KC Gail. She has six horses that she can practice and compete on, and usually hauls the three that she thinks fit her the best. “Cowboy is the horse I got from Fred Werneck, and you can head and rope calves off him. I’ve won a bunch on him, and I qualified for Nationals on him. JoJo helped us train Elwood, and I use him in the calf roping. He’s really fun to ride, but you have to ride him right.” KC Gail is also riding a 5-year-old mare, Jazzy, who can heel steers, rope calves, or cut cattle. She was trained by JoJo, and KC Gail plans to haul and season her this summer.
KC Gail is finishing seventh grade, but school doesn’t take her far from her horses since she attends White Horse Christian Academy two days a week in Stephenville, Texas. This is her second year at the school, and she loves having more time at home. She enjoys history, and once school is finished, KC Gail also likes hunting and fishing. “We’re pretty much always roping or driving, but sometimes we’ll have people over and we’ll go fishing. A neighbor lets us go fishing at a pretty good spot, and I like hunting birds around the house.”
One of her goals for the summer is to qualify for the NJHFR again in breakaway. She broke out to win a round last year at Nationals, but the experience, which included racing golf carts on her bike and riding with friends, was a highlight of her summer. “My goals are making it back to Nationals the rest of my junior high and high school career,” says KC Gail, who also welcomes the travel opportunities and tough competition in the AJRA. “I hope to win the 13-15 breakaway this year, but I’ll have to rope pretty good to get that done!”
