Louie Ivie

story by Terry Rhodes

Louie Ivie, heading at the NLBFR, 2013, with his dad, Chip making sure it all went good.
– jenningsrodeophotography.com

Louie Ivie has been in the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association for the past three years and says that he enjoys the competition, the friendship, and number of rodeos that the association offers to its members. “It’s a fun association to be in and there a lot of good ropers there; if you want to be successful there, you have to be consistent.” His events are team roping and tie-down roping. Besides the RMPRA, Louie is a member of the High School Rodeo Association and the Little Britches Rodeo Association.
Rodeo roots run deep in Louie’s family and he is a third generation rodeo competitor. “My grandpa (Dale) and my dad (Chip) both rodeoed, so I’ve been around it all of my life. My dad helped me the most to get started. He let me ride all of his horses and takes me around to all my rodeos. He’s probably one of the best dads around. He’s helped me out with everything.” Louie began serious competition in Junior High Rodeo and went to the Finals finishing 7th in the world.
When the 17-year-old roper backs in the box, he has a confidence gained through practice and mental conditioning. “I just concentrate on everything I’m doing. My dad says, ‘Just keep your head up, go have fun with it, and don’t get all knotted up.’ I always keep my head up and I try harder every time.” He is grateful for the unconditional support from his family and his sponsor, Frontier Ropes.
Even though Louie is only a junior at Emery County High School, and has another year to go before graduation, he’s already thinking ahead to the time when he will start college. “I’m planning on going to college somewhere in Texas, but I don’t know where just yet. I’ve heard there a lot of good schools with good rodeo teams down there. I’d like to get a rodeo scholarship to cover the cost of school.”
He lives with his family in Huntington, Utah where he was born and raised. “Mom used to rodeo and competed in breakaway, goat tying, and ran barrels and she was really good at it. My sister, Kielie runs barrels. Dad and Grandpa, Bill Ivie rope, so I really do come from a rodeo family.” His parents are Kip and Brandi and he has three sisters, Kielie, Kammi, and Nichole.
Louie is out of school for the summer now and works on a ranch doing fencing, changing water, chasing cows and the normal daily ranch work. “It’s just a daily ranch life and I’m working eight or nine hours a day.” Any leisure time that can be found is spent hanging out with family and friends. Yes, girls, Louie is single and unattached and says that he plans on keeping it that way. “I don’t have a steady girlfriend and like playing the field.”
Louie’s goals for the future are to go to college and eventually begin competing in the PRCA. “I’ll probably concentrate on team roping. I’m a header in team roping and I think that is my stronger event.”