NJHSRA member Aluxyn Hollenbeck – JJJ Photo
story by Siri Stevens
Aluxyn Hollenbeck, from Valentine, Neb., is going to be an 8th grader. She goes by Lux, a short version of Aluxyn. Lux competes in breakaway, goats, poles, barrels, ribbon roping, and team roping. “My family ropes, so I like all the roping events,” she said. She just added team roping to her events and she is a header. “Breakaway didn’t come easy at first, but team roping is one of the hardest ones I’ve had to learn.”
When the Hollenbeck family gets together, there are a lot of people. “I don’t know how many of us there are ” she said. “But I have a lot of help with my rodeo. My dad, grandpa, cousin, and sister all help me.” Glen Hollenbeck, a former tie down roper, is her grandpa, and still ropes. Her dad, Jay, competed in tie down, steer wrestling, team roping. He still tie down ropes in Mid States, and Nebraska Rodeo Association, and now gets to enter with Lux and her sister. Mom, Jody, didn’t rodeo, but she lived on a ranch and was around horses. Her sister, Jaydn, is 18, and she competes in breakaway, barrels, goats and poles. Her cousin, Brandi Hollenbeck from Kansas spent some time with them this summer and practiced and traveled with them to some rodeos.
Lux goes swimming at the Niobrara River in the summer – it’s about a mile away from her house. She also spends time in the arena practicing. When the swimming is done, the gang heads to Frosty, where she gets the mini sandstorm. She started rodeoing when she was four. “I don’t remember, but my mom says I won my first buckle in the stick horse barrel race.” She has switched from stick horses to real horses and she competes on two – Shooter and Maya. She belongs to the Nebraska Junior High Rodeo Association, this is her last year. She is hoping to make it in several of her events to the NJHFR, which is going to be in Lebanon, Tenn. “I think it would be awesome to make it there,” she said.
School starts the 14th and Lux is not very excited. “I don’t want summer to end,” she said. “ We had a lot of fun this summer. While my sister competed for the Bloomer Team at the IFYR, I stayed with my cousin’s Brandi and Blair Hollenbeck in Kansas. .” Another thing she did this summer is get baptized. “I’m glad that I did and that everyone was there to support me. I wanted to give my life to Christ and be more involved in my faith.” Her family goes to the Methodist Church. When she grows up, she wants to be an ultrasound tech or a photographer. “I’d like to shoot rodeo,” she said.
