Summer Konopinski at AFR 42 - Alan Coley

Meet the Member Summer Konopinski

story by Michele Toberer

Seventeen-year-old, Summer Konopinski hails from Sweet Valley, Pennsylvania and fully enjoyed her first season with the American Professional Rodeo Association last year. Mainly competing in barrel racing, and occasionally breakaway roping, Summer appreciated the opportunity to compete in so many great arenas in a professional rodeo association, against competitors of all ages. “All the girls are friendly and nice, and none of them treated me different because I was younger. If someone has something go wrong, they will offer tack or whatever help they need. It’s a cool environment to compete in and I believe it is helping build me up for more in the future.”
Starting out on the back of a horse at just two years old, Summer and her family used to go to barrel races as a family. Her parents, Tanya, a hairdresser, and Kevin, who works for their township, stepped back from entering jackpots themselves, and focused their efforts on giving Summer all the opportunities in barrel racing that they could. Summer has stayed with Jayme and JR Myers of Myers Performance Hoses in Felton, Pennsylvania for the past three years and now travels back and forth between their home and her parents, where her 13-year-old sister, Brynlee, also lives. “My parents have been so supportive to help me get better in my barrel racing career. They have given me all they could mentally and financially so that I could achieve my goals and dreams. I started doing cyber school in 8th grade so that I could study easier while living with Jayme and JR. Being there and working with them helped me get deeper into riding and more knowledgeable and aggressive in the game. They have been a huge part of all this and the success that I’ve had is from them helping me find my horses and directing me.”
Summer’s main horse she has been riding is an 11-year-old bay mare, CR Plays With Hemis, also known as Pepsi. “I bought her in Utah from McKenna Coronado. She was McKenna’s back-up horse, or horse she used in muddy pens. When I got her she was my number one horse and we connected unexpectedly fast. The bond we developed took over for the most part and I started winning on her almost immediately.” Summer ran Pepsi at the 2019 APRA finals, and they placed second in two go-rounds and 2nd in the finals average, finishing 6th in the APRA season. Unfortunately, Pepsi suffered an injury recently that will limit the amount she runs barrels each year, but Summer intends to use her for breakaway roping as well. Just over a month ago, Summer purchased Penny, a 13-year-old liver chestnut mare, and she is hoping to connect with her like she did Pepsi. “She’s a short, stocky, cow bred mare just like Pepsi, but runs a little different than her. Penny likes to free run to the first barrel and Pepsi was push style.”
Most of her days are filled with horses, whether practicing for rodeos, breaking or riding colts for clients, or starting barrel horses. She works at a nearby barn cleaning stalls and feeding. Starting her senior year of high school, still online, Summer looks forward to her math and science classes. She hopes to decide soon on where she will attend college and regardless of what she studies, she would like to college rodeo.

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