story by Riata Cummings
Taylee Ackerman is the 14-year-old daughter of Khali and Jon Ackerman of Lakeshore, Utah. Her and her older sister Mcklay keep the family running, traveling the state for various rodeos nearly every weekend of the spring and fall. Taylee is an eighth grader at Spanish Fork Junior High School where her favorite classes include math and United States history. When she isn’t rodeoing, Taylee enjoys spending her time snowboarding and helping her Grandpa Kent on the farm.
When Taylee and her family moved to Lakeshore, she competed as a motocross racer. Because of her friends’ love for the rodeo, she decided to give it a try. She began competing in the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association as a sixth grader, and now her events include goat tying, ribbon roping, and breakaway roping. She does it all on a 14-year-old sorrel mare named Tina, whom she has had for three years now. Taylee also serves as the Utah Junior High School Rodeo Association Student President. She is dedicated to her sport, tying goats nearly every day and roping twice a week. Her favorite rodeo so far was the St George junior high rodeo where the weather was warm and the rodeo grounds impeccable. Another distinctive rodeo was the Silver State International Rodeo in 2017, where Taylee won the short-go for the pole bending. She recently won the 1st Go and finished 3rd in the average at the Intermountain Icebreaker in the goat tying. By the end of the spring season she hopes to qualify for the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo is Huron, South Dakota.
Rodeo has taught Taylee to keep moving forward, never letting the rough times bring her down. One of her greatest strengths is her ability to keep a positive attitude, always being kind, happy, and helpful. Rodeo has helped her develop that strength by giving her the opportunity to help others and challenging her to see through the rough times to happier ones. Taylee lives by the saying, “a positive attitude brings positive results,” and she has seen the evidence of that in the rodeo arena. Overcoming her social anxiety was on of the hardest thing for her to do and serving as a student officer has given the opportunity to lead and serve her fellow competitors while conquering her fears. It has also given her the chance to learn the inner-workings and background of the sport she loves.
Taylee’s hero is her mom, who helps her stay positive through the many ups and downs of rodeo. She would like to thank her mom and dad for hauling her all over the state and taking care of her. She is grateful for the opportunity to rodeo and for the people that make it possible.
