Written by: Siri Stevens

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Nicole Reeves is always on the go, never sitting still. The Longville, La. cowgirl loves to be moving and doing things. She competes in the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association in the goat tying, breakaway and team roping (she heads for Torey Little), and her favorite event is whichever one she’s doing well at, at the time.

She has three horses for her rodeo competition. Rudy, a six year old, is her heading horse. She shares him with her younger brother. He’s laid back till it’s show time. Gin, her goat tying horse, is a six year old gray who is a “fun horse,” she says. “He’s small, fun to ride, and laid back, so you can do pretty much anything on him.” Her breakaway horse is a twelve year old gelding named Cowboy who the family has owned since he was two. He’s stubborn, Nicole says. “He has a mind of his own, but when it comes to breakaway roping, he actually does something right.”

She is a senior at South Beauregard High School in Longville, and physics, her first hour class, is fun. The teacher is really enjoyable, and the class works in partners, doing fun things. Right now, they are building canoes out of cardboard that must hold two people and float from one end of a swimming pool to the other, for the students to get an A. The worst part of school is English class, because “I don’t like sitting still and reading,” she says. “I’m supposed to sit still in English and pay attention and actually listen.”

Nicole has taken some stress off herself lately, when she decided where to go to college. This fall, she’ll attend Panola College in Carthage, Texas. She’ll compete in the goat tying and breakaway roping and major in elementary education. Someday, she’d like to teach elementary school, because she enjoys working with kids. She’d prefer third and fourth grade students, because at that age, “they have the yes, ma’ams and no rudeness,” she says.

In her spare time, Nicole helps her goat tying coach, Stacey Elisa, with chores, helping care for goats and cleaning stalls. She also helps with clinics. Her favorite thing to do in her spare time is to chill out with family and friends. Her Uncle Ronnie Reeves loves to cook for them, and Nicole’s favorite meal he cooks is crawfish with corn, and “a lot of sweet tea,” she laughs. Nicole has two brothers: Justin, who is 22, and Jayce, who is twelve. She is an honor roll student, and is the daughter of Quintin and Janice Reeves.