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Junior Southern Rodeo Association (JSRA)
Phone: (704) 578-3753
Mailing Address: 15700 Ewart Rd., Huntersville, N.C. 28078
Email: jrsrarodeo@gmail.com
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Members
Meet the Member Eli Woodyard
February 16, 2018
story by Jet Toberer Second-generation team roper, Eli Woodyard, of small town Max Meadows, Virginia, has been roping since he was 8 years old, and loving every minute of it! The 14-year-old, ninth grader has been competitively roping as a header for the past two years, and doesn’t plan to quit. Eli lives in a with his 18-year-old sister Taylor, and his parents, Tana and Darrel. His sister was a past rodeo competitor, but found…
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Meet the Member Addison Overman
January 19, 2018
story by Michele Toberer Addison Overman is an 8-year-old, All-Around Champion Cowgirl competing in the Junior Southern Rodeo Association. Competing in rodeo is not new to the 3rd grade, Bennett Elementary student, as she has been entering rodeos since she was just four-years-old; but this year she was on a mission that she successfully completed. At the beginning of the season, Addison expressed to her mom, Angela Overman, that she wanted to win the all-around…
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Meet the Member Sienna Ricciardi
December 22, 2017
story by Michele Toberer Don’t tell me the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the moon,” a saying that fuels twelve-year-old Sienna Ricciardi to keep pushing herself towards her rodeo aspirations. The sixth grade, Forsyth Country Day School student, began her rodeo career on a borrowed horse just three years ago, but her tremendous passion for the sport led to her buying her first horse, a tall, 19-year-old palomino quarter horse gelding…
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Meet the Member Clay Livengood
October 19, 2017
story by Michele Toberer Although Clay Livengood is only fourteen years old, he has spent more hours at the rodeo arena than most adults. Rodeo has become a part of who he is and what he dreams about as he has grown up watching his family compete in and produce rodeos. Clay Livengood has quite a list of accomplishments of his own since he began his rodeo career with the Junior SRA at just five…
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Meet the Member Bobby Trey Mills
September 21, 2017
story by Lindsay King The 14-year-old bull rider jumped off after the ring of the buzzer, the judges told him he was short but then realized he made the ride. Trey Mills’ hands flew in the air when he heard he made his first eight-second ride. “I tried bareback and saddle broncs but I liked bulls better. I get more of an adrenaline rush from them,” said the Easley, South Carolina, native. The first bull…
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Meet the Member Jackson Rymer
August 31, 2017
story by Lindsay King One of the best aspects of rodeo is growing up with all your friends doing what you love, this holds true in the JSRA for Jackson Rymer from Campabello, South Carolina. A long-time calf roper, it is easily his favorite event but heels in the team roping also. “I have always liked heeling but I grew up around calf roping ever since I can remember. It is all I have been…
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Meet the Member Jake Toberer
August 18, 2017
story by Lindsay King “They call me Jet at rodeos, those are my initials. I learned how to write them in kindergarten and asked my mom to enter me as that,” said 14-year-old Jake “Jet” Toberer from Mount Ulla, North Carolina. A bull rider through and through but Jet is also an accomplished chute dogger, breakaway roper, ribbon roper, and team roper, on both the heading and heeling side. “I started riding calves when I…
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Meet the Member Taylor Kuntz
August 3, 2017
story by Lindsay King Not many people can rope with a sibling but 14-year-old Taylor Kuntz from Johns Island, South Carolina, does just that. “He always knows his partner is going to show up and they can practice together,” said Katherine, his mom. Taylor’s 16-year-old sister, Bailey, is the reason everyone got back into roping in the first place. “Chris [their dad] was roping a lot when Taylor was about five and he took the…
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Meet the Member Sally Poteat
July 20, 2017
story by Lindsay King Fourteen-year-old Sally Poteat from Spartanburg, South Carolina, traded in her English saddle for a barrel saddle as soon as she got the chance. “When I was growing up I always wanted to ride, for my fifth birthday our neighbors down the street brought horses for us to ride in the yard. I started taking riding lessons not long after that when I got into the first grade.” Sally runs barrels, poles,…
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Meet the Member Lexi Sewell
June 16, 2017
story by Lindsay King Bad luck does not keep 12-year-old Lexi Sewell from Lawndale, North Carolina, out of the rodeo game. A pasture injury left Kiss, her 18-year-old, black Quarter Horse gelding, with a slab fracture in April 2016. She borrowed Sosie, a 20-year-old Quarter Horse mare, from her godmother. “We just really clicked from the start.” They ran barrels in the Junior Southern Rodeo Association for half the season, winning two rounds of the finals. Due to…
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Meet the Member Levi Johnson
May 19, 2017
story by Kyle Eustice At just 15 years old, Grayson County High School sophomore Levi Johnson already has his life path carved out. The Independent, Virginia native discovered his passion for rodeo at the ripe age of 4 and wholeheartedly decided to pursue it. “My dad used to bull ride when he was younger,” explained Levi. “I would watch him when I was little and went from there.” Levi lives with his parents, David and…
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Meet the Member Etta Merritt
April 10, 2017
story by Kyle Eustice For 4-year-old Etta Merritt, rodeo is a family affair. Her older sister Ruia Merritt rodeos in the JRSRA and mother Bonnie is a past junior and high school rodeo champ in North Carolina, who still competes today. Her father Matt is the exclusive entertainer for the PBR Velocity Tour and works numerous PRCA rodeos annually. As one of the JSRA’s youngest members, Etta has quickly gravitated towards events like barrel racing,…
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