Story by Siri Stevens
Reno Scribner is the 2022 Tie Down NJHFR Champion. The 14-year-old is from Edgewood, New Mexico, a small town between Albuquerque and Moriarty. Reno just started competing last year, partially due to Covid. “My sixth-grade year was cancelled and I roped in jack pots. I was doing it for fun. The year I made Nationals, I went to Des Moines. I saw it was competitive and that’s when I started taking it seriously.” Reno has been around rodeo and horses his whole life. “My mom and dad (Lisa & Robert) and grandparents rodeoed; I was born into it.” Reno has an older sister, Leighann, who competed and is now pro rodeoing as a breakaway roper and barrel racer.
Reno devoted his younger years to baseball, and still continues to play as a catcher. “I enjoy it – my dad was a catcher and that’s what he knew and he taught me.” Reno has been roping his whole life, just not competitively. “My dad had a friend, Sylvester Mayfield, who helped me – mainly about my flank and tie is what he worked on with me. Roping the calf wasn’t my problem, it was getting down the rope and flanking and tying. It was more the knowledge of each run and how to handle it.”
His workouts with the baseball team transfers to his roping. “I do bench press, dumbbell curls, shrug shoulders for shoulder, ladders, and agility drills.” Reno competes in chute dogging, ribbon roping and boys goat tying. His agility in all these events landed him Reserve All Around. He’s moving up to high school this year and is savoring his win at Nationals.
He came back to the short round in 5th place. “Before the short go, I knew I had to make a run that would pressure the guys behind me. I was four seconds behind the first call back. I had to make a good run – I mentally prepared – throw the first shot I get, rope quick, and do everything a little bit quicker. I did two wraps and hooey. I’d rather my calf stay down.” He roped that one in 9.18. The fourth high call back was a 12 – second call back was an 11, high call back missed. “New Mexico runs the stripping chutes at Finals, so we were watching. We all looked at each other and went ‘Oh my God – New Mexico hasn’t won since 2005’.
“It does feel good – I’m going to take this on to other rodeos and keep that confidence with me – it might push me to be a little bit faster now.” Reno plans to take rodeo as far as he can. “If I have to get a job, I don’t know what that would be right now. My sister is a realtor and I find that job interesting. That might be an opening.”
