story by Riata Cummings
Maddison Fitzgerald is a 13-year-old eighth grader at South Summit Middle School. She likes her math and science classes especially but works hard to be a good student across the board. She lives in Kamas, Utah, where she enjoys the close community and small-town seclusion. Maddie has an older brother, Larell, who is a junior this year. Their parents are Cory and Angie Fitzgerald, Angie having passed away a few years ago. Maddison’s hobbies include helping on the ranch, playing volleyball and basketball, and playing with their two dogs, Tipper and Roxy.
Maddison’s father has run cows and owned horses for as long as she can remember, and his dad and grandfather ran sheep before that. Cory competed in high school rodeo when he was younger, and thanks to his encouragement the kids took up the sport. Maddie’s first rodeo was the local horse show when she was just a tot and she has loved the sport ever since. Maddison now competes in the breakaway roping, barrel racing, pole bending, and goat tying, her favorite being the breakaway. She loves the challenge presented by a moving target and has always thrived in the roping box. She uses her bay gelding, Moon, for all her events. She is proud of his versatility and the two have an unbreakable bond. Maddison tries to practice every day, exercising her horses at the gravel pit or working her events at the arena.
Maddie finished second in the state when she competed in the 5th-and-under division, and last year she was finished 12th in the breakaway, qualifying for the Silver State International Rodeo. So far this season, she is second in the standings. At a recent Jr. High Rodeo, she finished 2nd Friday and 3rd Saturday. She hopes to keep the streak going and wants to qualify for the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo in Huron, South Dakota. Rodeo has taught Maddison a lot of responsibility, caring for her horses and making sure the details are in order. She has learned to develop a partnership with her animals and show them and her family compassion and gratitude.
Maddison is different than a lot of her rodeo peers because most of her improvement is found on her own. Since her mother passed away, Maddie has had to step up and take on a lot of responsibility, in the house and on the ranch. She has become better at helping people, filling the gaps when her dad or brother are busy. Like many rodeo athletes, she sometimes struggles with believing that she is capable of winning or catching, but Maddie tries to keep her chin up and remind herself that she can do hard things.
Her hero is her mother, who was always kind to everyone and supportive of Maddie’s dreams. One day, Maddison hopes to exemplify that kind of compassion. One of her motto’s is, “roll with it”, and she knows the value of letting things happen the way that they will, even if it goes against our stubborn will. Maddison would like to thank her father, her Grandpa Steve, as well as the rest of her family and sponsors for their support and dedication to her happiness. She is grateful for the opportunity to compete in rodeo and pursue her dreams.
