Meet the Member Rylan Wildeman
story by Linsday Humphrey Making the decision to commit to rodeo as a high school sophomore has forever changed Rylan Wildeman’s life for the better. […]
story by Lily Weinacht
Lauren Meairs from Manter, Kansas, has grown up in the show ring, whether showing steers and pigs in 4-H or competing in rodeo. Now the 18-year-old barrel racer and pole bender is stepping into the world of college rodeo this fall at Fort Hays State University after competing for the last three years in the KHSRA. “My motivation is just the love for the sport—you have this hunger for more,” Lauren explains. “Rodeo is a very humbling sport. You’re either going to be on the top of the world or at the bottom, but you have to believe that the next one is going to be better. When that better run came for me, that was all worth it.”
Lauren and her brother, Lane, are the first in their family to junior high and high school rodeo. She started entering barrel races when she was four, but with her family’s background in cattle ranching, Lauren focused more on showing cattle until she joined the KHSRA as a sophomore. “I just love the rush you get after a good run. You get a rush after showing a steer and winning, but the want to win was greater for me in rodeo,” says Lauren, who admits she is still intensely competitive in showing. “Pigs are all over—you have control, but at the same time, you’re not exactly leading them. You can do a lot with showing steers, and it required more of me. We’ve had several grand champions.”
The Meairs family runs 1,000 cows and 3,000 yearlings, while Lauren’s dad, Daniel Meairs, also trains horses. “It’s always nice having him in the arena. If something isn’t going right, he can tell me what’s wrong. He trained my good barrel horse, Toffee. It wasn’t until I was eight or nine that he threw me up on her and felt I was able to ride her, and we just clicked. I’ve been running barrels on her ever since, and I’m taking her to college.” Lauren also has a 5-year-old mare, Shakem, she picked out of her grandpa’s pasture several years ago and has been seasoning this summer at jackpots. “My dad trained her and we sent her to Ivy Hurst in Ardmore, Oklahoma, who trained her on barrels. That has been so fun to see her coming from a yearling to now when she’s starting to mature.”
Lauren ran both barrels and poles on Toffee in high school and KJRA rodeos, and she’s looking forward to chasing cans with her mare on the Fort Hays State University rodeo team. She’s majoring in marketing with a minor in Ag. business, while she was involved in multiple sports, FBLA, an art club, and the dance team while attending Stanton County High School. “We still have lots going. The ranch takes all hands on deck. I love calving season—it’s definitely a fun time of year watching those babies being born and seeing how God intended everything to be. In our spare time, we play cards. We’re a very close family, and whenever we have a chance to get together, we like playing Pitch.
“One of my main goals is just to be successful in whatever I do, and happy as well. I want to love my job and know that that’s where I need to be. I’d like to keep going with rodeo and see where it goes,” Lauren finishes. “I want to thank my dad for teaching me how to ride and never thinking my dreams were too big to accomplish, and my mom, Kacie, for encouraging me. I thank both of them for keeping that Godly foundation in my brother and I, and my Grandpa Glen and Grandma Patty for supporting me, and for no rodeo being too far for them to come and watch.”
story by Linsday Humphrey Making the decision to commit to rodeo as a high school sophomore has forever changed Rylan Wildeman’s life for the better. […]
story by Lindsay Humphrey “If I’m having fun, I’m already winning so I don’t care where I end up placing,” said 17-year-old Emma Krase who’s […]
story by Lindsay Humphrey “I got a really late start in rodeo, I was 13 or 14 when I started going to jackpots and junior […]
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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
September 27, 2020
BAREBACK RIDING
1 Bryce Eck 68.50
2 Robert Walter 34.00
3 Kacen Smith 26.50
4 Matthew Morrell 18.00
5 Rhett Robbins 10.00
6 Bobby Davis 8.00
BARREL RACING
1 Kiley Slavin 63.00
2 Bella Sauvage 39.00
3 Kate Perschbacher 36.00
4 Prairie Rose Robbins 29.00
5 Aubryn Garriott 28.00
6 Natalie Kinderknecht 25.00
7 Ally Brennaman 24.00
8 Libby Berger 24.00
9 Kennedy Gibbs 24.00
10 Shayla Dees 20.00
BOYS CUTTING
1 Jd Robson 20.00
2 Bobby Davis 18.00
BREAKAWAY ROPING
1 Laci Ast 41.00
2 Carlee Potter 38.00
3 Taylor Raupe 34.00
4 Addie Weil 31.00
5 Kiley Slavin 30.00
6 Marlee Quarles 25.50
7 Bella Sauvage 25.50
8 Reese Greenwood 23.00
9 Libby Berger 23.00
10 Ally Brennaman 22.50
BULL RIDING
1 Tate Pollmeier 59.50
2 Garrett Hathaway 29.50
3 Lane Gilbreath 18.00
CALF ROPING
1 Mason Stueve 53.00
2 Matthew Doherty 48.00
3 Brayden Kunz 45.00
4 Jd Robson 43.00
5 Pax Vogel 37.00
6 Kade Harland 34.00
7 Tanner Meier 33.00
8 Cutter Weil 29.00
9 Trey Adams 26.00
10 Brandt Walton 19.00
GIRLS CUTTING
1 Tylor Todd 20.00
2 Alexus Hatcher 18.00
GOAT TYING
1 Kiley Slavin 55.00
2 Tally Wikum 55.00
3 Lakin Cunningham 52.00
4 Sage Toews 40.00
5 Annsley Vernon 39.00
6 Ally Brennaman 36.50
7 Montana Heller 29.00
8 Hadley Teut 28.00
9 Carlee Potter 21.00
10 Emma Arndt 19.50
POLE BENDING
1 Abby Myers 49.00
2 Marlee Quarles 42.00
3 Aubryn Garriott 38.00
4 Prairie Rose Robbins 36.00
5 Tally Wikum 33.50
6 Lily Henderson 32.00
7 Ally Brennaman 30.00
8 Bella Sauvage 27.00
9 Libby Berger 26.00
10 Carlee Potter 21.00
REINED COW HORSE
1 Tylor Todd 10.00
2 Lakin Cunningham 9.00
SADDLE BRONC
1 Bryce Eck 50.00
2 Clay Shannon 27.00
3 Brody Harrison 18.00
STEER WRESTLING
1 Tanner Meier 38.00
2 Jd Robson 38.00
3 Logan Mullin 28.00
4 Kent Berkenmeier 18.00
5 Ryder Dent 7.00
TEAM ROPING
1 Mason Stueve 52.00
2 Trey Adams 52.00
3 Brandt Walton 42.00
4 Cale Morris 41.00
5 Jd Robson 38.00
6 Tanner Meier 33.00
7 Dylan Gugelmeyer 27.00
8 Porter Hall 27.00
9 Addie Weil 25.50
10 Cutter Weil 25.50
11 Matthew Doherty 25.00
12 Kade Harland 25.00
13 Brayden Kunz 23.00
14 Jaytyn Hash 22.00
15 Payton Blank 21.00
16 Pax Vogel 21.00
17 Rylan Wildeman 21.00
18 Hadley Teut 17.00
19 Bryce Teut 17.00
20 Kiley Slavin 16.00