Meet the Member Libby Berger
story by Lindsay King Third generation rodeo competitor 13-year-old Libby Berger from Udall, Kansas, has a need for speed. “Barrels or breakaway roping is my […]
story by Kyle Eustice
Eighteen-year-old Leon, Kansas native Sharrah LaClef grew up in the rodeo world. Her grandparents, Terrill and Lynda LaClef, parents Shelby and Scott LaCelf, and sister Shannon LaClef all participate in the sport, which made it an easy transition for the high school senior .
“I’ve been riding since I could walk,” said Sharrah.” I started competing in barrels at 6. My grandparents are one of the big reasons I’m able to have the horses I do to be able to compete in rodeo. They raised horses and loved giving us talented horses they could watch us win on.”
In addition to being a student at Bluestem High School, the ambitious Sharrah joined the CePRA in 2011, but has popped in and out of membership over the past six years.
“My parents were always members and my sister was too,” explained Sharrah. “It was something we did as a family.”
Sharrah devotes the majority of her time to competing in barrels—her sole event. “I’ve just never got in to any other event because I like to spend all my time working on barrels and trying to get to where I want to be,” said Sharrah.
In 2011, Sharrah made the CePRA finals, one of her greatest accomplishments. Along with one of her beloved horses, Pistol, she delivered some of her best runs.
“We placed in all three rounds and placed in the average,” said Sharrah. “This year, I took my young mare Spook and have been seasoning her at rodeos. She did very well. It was really fun to set a goal and achieve it on a young horse that you’ve worked hard on.”
For now, Sharrah is focused on becoming a better rider to extend her career in rodeo well into the future. In fact, she doesn’t do any other sports—just rodeo.
“I think to be a great contestant, it takes a lot of patience and hard work,” said Sharrah. “You have to be okay with not always winning or getting a pat on the back. Sometimes you work really hard and you’re still not where you want to be, but you can’t give up. It takes a lot to get to the next level.”
In the summer months, she and her family travel constantly. They go to barrel races and rodeos all the time, so they’re gone most nights of the week, especially when trying to break a young horse.
“I ride my horses everyday to keep them in shape,” said Sharrah. “I don’t necessarily work on the pattern all the time—maybe only once a week I’ll take my horses to the arena. But I’m always riding them and doing something with them.”
In addition to Pistol and Spook, Sharrah is also working with a third horse, Dusky, however, Pistol has a soft spot in her heart.
“I don’t think I could pick a favorite horse, but Pistol is pretty close to it,” admitted Sharrah. “I’ve ridden her for 11 years and she’s definitely had the biggest impact on my life. She taught me everything. Her personality is one of my favorite things. She’s awful, she hates everybody and couldn’t care less about you unless you’ve got food, but she always tried so hard and she did her job so good no matter what. She’ll always be one of my favorites. This last summer we retired her to have a baby, so I’m really looking forward to April.”
Sharrah is also excited about her next competition, where she can see the countless hours of practice finally yield good results.
“I love when I can feel how much my horses want to work,” said Sharrah. “Your hard work pays off when you put it all together.”
story by Lindsay King Third generation rodeo competitor 13-year-old Libby Berger from Udall, Kansas, has a need for speed. “Barrels or breakaway roping is my […]
story by Lindsay King Concordia, Kansas, transplant Layne Lagasse is a tried and true team roper. “Rodeo is about the only hobby I am good […]
story by Lindsay King A little later to the rodeo road than others, team roper Aaron Paul from El Dorado, Kansas, has not missed […]
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Rodeo Life Magazine™ (ISSN 1934-5224) is located at P.O. Box 93598 Southlake, TX 76092. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rodeo Life Media, P.O. Box 93598 Southlake, TX 76092
August 9, 2019
Bareback Riding
1 Danny Weil 3015.55
2 Ty Pope 665.36
3 Dakota Procobio 331.82
4 Mike Fred 253.8
5 Colt Eck 167.63
Sadde Bronc Riding
1 Tim Williams 1457.4
2 Luke Rush 735.44
3 Sage Dierks 371
4 Cable Wareham 324.3
5 Bryce Eck 248.16
Bull Riding
1 Cash Toews 2649.83
2 Brylen Dees 1194.97
3 Richard Schleicher 998.75
4 Ivan Gutierrez 916.5
5 Jackson Ward 472.82
6 Luke Mast 161.91
Team Roping Heading
1 Jake McCullough 5416.64
2 Kelton Hill 4240.63
3 Cole Pearson 3761.53
4 Curry Kirchner 2400.83
5 Tyler Hobert 2316.61
6 Nick Becker 2069.97
7 Layne Lagasse 1724.48
8 Cole Remington 1707.04
9 Brett Christensen 1528.41
10 Troy Boone 1526.31
11 Zane Leftwich 1160.9
12 Billy Peters 1091.6
13 Ethan McDowell 812.25
14 Justin Brown 699.12
15 Kass Bittle 630.38
Team Roping Heeling
1 Linden Stueve 4647.14
2 Raylen Stueve 3761.53
3 Jaydon Laubhan 3648.96
4 Dawson McMaster 2069.97
5 Derrick Jantzen 1910.78
6 Taylor Schotte 1724.48
7 Tyler Mahlandt 1709.91
8 Mitch Murray 1707.04
9 Chase Boekhaus 1528.41
10 Tanner Nall 1526.31
11 Toby Mentzer 1369.59
12 Kyle Pontious 1160.9
13 Troy Gaston 769.5
14 Aaron Paul 699.12
15 Shawn Hollenbeck 182.4
Steer Wrestling
1 Brandon Volker 2458.88
2 Tyler Garten 1336.42
3 Ryan Swayze 963.68
4 Hunter Crawford 647.66
5 Scott Schaefer 532.98
6 Riley Westhaver 522.87
7 Joby Allen 485.74
8 Logan Mullin 355.32
9 Kyle Van Doren 155.4
Calf Roping
1 Tyler Garten 1357.38
2 Taylor Donaldson 752.89
3 Joe Macoubrie 718.16
4 Kyle Winslow 689.1
5 Zane Arnold 638.73
6 Jerome Schneeberger 611.82
7 Bryce Loyd 503.72
8 Kelly Wood 446.5
9 Travis Tetrick 384.22
10 Luke Blanton 267.9
11 Kelton Hill 142.02
Barrel Racing
1 Sarah Johnson 1379.28
2 Shauni Leftwich 1178
3 Libby Berger 1053.07
4 Amber Scales 967
5 Toni Shaw 893.55
6 Marsha Nelson 742.83
7 Cheyenne Larson 681.13
8 Jacey Bair 647.96
9 Ashley Forred 616.64
10 Katie Larson 498.31
11 Prairie Rose Robbins 474.7
12 Deb Massey 462.48
13 Britt Widrig 386.82
14 Kim Harland 344.44
15 Melissa Wanger 272.62
All Around
1 Kelton Hill 3158.77
2 Tyler Garten 2693.8
3 Joe Macourbie 1316.26