M-SRA member, Shaley Davis – Susan Hoover
story by Terry Rhodes
Some people have more than their share of adversity to overcome in their lives. So it is with Shaley Davis. She lost her father to leukemia in 2003. Her mother passed away in 2008 from a brain aneurism. Shaley, the youngest of three sisters and then 17 years old, found caring and loving people around her. “Jim and Susan Wakefield have taken me in as a family member. They are just awesome people. Jim has helped with rodeo, with my faith, and life in general.” The Wakefield’s have sons that rodeo and they have helped Shaley as she has built her skills. Her parents were Linda and Larry Davis.
Shaley is starting her third year in the Mid-States association competing in the mixed team roping and she has taken on the role of event director. Shaley’s regular roping partner is Dallas Carson. “I just started roping two years ago and I do the heading.”
She enjoys being part of the Mid-States organization and has lots of praise for it. “The people are so willing to help you with anything in rodeo or in life in general. It’s just a great organization. The rodeo family has helped me to overcome a lot of the things. It is truly a rodeo family and I can’t say enough about that.” She focuses her competition on the rodeos that have mixed team roping and will get to 10 or 12 each year. Shaley has made the Mid-States Finals all three years that she has been a member.
Shaley started to compete in rodeo growing up on her parent’s ranch south of Chambers, Neb. “I rodeoed all four years of high school and competed in the poles and barrels.” She credits Jim Wakefield as the one that started her roping and states emphatically that he has taught her everything she knows about team roping.
She says that her competitive nature kicks in when it comes time to rope. “I am competitive in everything and I hate losing. So I do a lot of practice to be prepared. I go to the gym every day and workout and I do a lot of walking with Susan.” Her equine partner is a big part of the team. “Everybody knows Dan. He’ll nudge you just to be petted, and he has a great personality. He’s a big, big horse and I’m really short so it’s a chore for me to get on him sometimes. Anyone can hop on him, he’s a kid’s horse, and he just does his job. I got him from my cousin, Talli Pokorny. Dan was her old breakaway horse. ”
Shaley now lives in O’Neill, Neb. “I live in town now and just bought a house a year ago.” Shaley has three sisters, Concy (Ramold), Shonna (Owen), and Chanda that rodeos with her husband, Jason Schnoor who is the event director for Mid-States team roping. During the week Shaley works at Waste Connections. Leisure time spent with friends and her sisters. Long term goals are to continue to rodeo and at some point, get married and start a family. “But for now I like my freedom.”
Shaley has learned that even with adversity there is good that follows. “With my life, I have been through a lot and I have been able to overcome those problems. I know that there is always a ray of sunshine just ahead.”
