story by Riata Cummings
Hailing from small-town Torrey, Utah, Kate Torgerson is a 13-year-old rodeo athlete and cowgirl. Kate is an eighth grader at Wayne Middle School and her favorite class is P.E. She is the daughter of April and Tyler Torgerson, and has three siblings: Burgan, Tylee, and Trey. As a family they enjoy hosting jackpots, traveling to rodeos, and taking trips to Lake Powell. Kate would eventually like to attend college in Texas and compete in college rodeo before becoming a teacher.
Kate’s father, Tyler, competed in rodeo when he was in high school. His influence, as well as the encouragement from some friends, helped Kate and her older sister Burgan to start competing in the sport. Kate initially competed in the barrel racing and pole bending on her father’s old rope horse during sixth grade. Now Kate rides a horse named Cat, a 12-year-old cow bred bay mare. Kate has also started competing in the ribbon roping, but her favorite is the pole bending. She loves the “slalom of rodeo”, and the adrenaline she finds in the arena.
Last year, Kate won the state finals short-go in pole bending as well as finishing in the top 10 in both events and qualifying for the Silver State International Rodeo. This year, Kate has set a goal to qualify for the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo. One of her favorite rodeos so far has been the Jr. High rodeo hosted in Nephi, Utah. The weekend show kicks off the season and starts contestants down the road to success.
Rodeo has taught Kate to value and develop a good work ethic. It has demonstrated the principal of deposit and return, pushing her to put more effort and time in in order to see more improvement. Rodeo has also helped Kate to discover and develop one of her greatest strengths as she strives to befriend those around her and meet new people. Kate’s father is her hero. She looks up to his work ethic and is grateful for all his help and patience. Kate lives by the saying “full send or no send”, which basically means give it your all or not at all. The quote reminds her to try her hardest, no matter the situation.
Kate would like to thank her sister Burgan for motivating her to practice and pushing her to succeed. She would also like to thank her parents and grandparents for supporting her and helping her improve. Kate is grateful for the opportunity to pursue her rodeo dreams, and that attitude of gratitude will help her be an exemplary competitor of the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association.
