story by Lily Landreth
Eli Penrod competed in his fifth NLBFR in 2019 and came home the NLBRA World Junior Team Roping Champion alongside his partner Jaytyn Hash. “We just had to go out there and make good runs. We won the average and that put us up into the world standings, and that won it for us,” says the 13-year-old header from Moscow, Kansas. “They had nice cattle and we could handle really well on them.” Eli also competed at the Finals in goat tying, flag racing, breakaway roping, and ribbon roping with Ally Brenneman. Competing in the goat roping jackpots and cheering on the other contestants were also highlights during his trip to Oklahoma.
A love of roping runs through several members of Eli’s family, including his dad, Wade; granddad, Dale Carter; and several uncles. Eli started rodeoing when he was 7 and joined the NLBRA soon after. Over the years, roping has remained a fast favorite. “My favorite events are team roping and breakaway. I like going fast and trying to beat my record,” explains Eli. “In team roping my record is a 6.2, and that was at a Young Guns rodeo.”
He and Jaytyn have team roped together for four years and are roping together again this season in the NLBRA, though it’s Jaytyn’s last year as a junior boy. They qualified for the Finals competing in the Southwest Kansas NLBRA, where Eli also won the all-around and goat tying at the Lakin rodeo last year. Additionally, he competes in the Young Guns Timed Events Rodeos, Northwest Oklahoma Junior Rodeo Association, and Kansas Junior High Rodeo. He and Dawson Tullis finished fourth in the state in the KJHSRA team roping last year.
“I try to practice every day if I can,” says Eli. “My dad and granddad help me with the roping side and my mom (Shelly) hauls us to all the rodeos, and she and my dad pay our entry fees.” Eli rides with his 9-year-old brother, Luke, who also competes in the NLBRA, and ropes with his dad, granddad, and uncle, Tom Peterson. “A lot of friends and family have helped me,” he adds. “It’s just awesome to know you practiced hard and you won because you put in the effort.”
Another integral part of Eli’s rodeo team are his horses. “Rooster is the head horse I won the world championship on. He’s a big horse and a really good head horse—he’s 20,” says Eli. “I do breakaway, goats, ribbon roping, and flags on Gonsito, and I can team rope on him. He’s an all-around horse. We trained him as we went but he was a team roping horse when we got him.” Eli’s family has other horses, along with roping stock, beef cattle, chickens, and dogs, which he is in charge of feeding. In his spare time, Eli also enjoys coyote hunting, but it’s more likely he’s out in the arena roping with his uncle Tom while his dad watches them.
A seventh-grade student at Moscow Middle School, Eli particularly loves playing sports, especially football and baseball. He was the center nose guard on his football team and is a catcher in baseball, which starts in May. Rodeo is still his favorite sport, however, and Eli plans to spend his summer rodeoing as much as possible. “I’m going to try to win the junior high finals, and the Little Britches Finals again. I want to keep on roping, and I want to college rodeo and someday pro rodeo.”
