Jun. 12—MITCHELL — For the most part, rodeo is an individual sport.
And for high school competitors from Mitchell and Ethan, a new venture is putting a focus on building a team.
This is the first season of the Davison County Area high school rodeo team, which was created by Mitchell High School rising senior Rylee Jennings. She said she noticed that other surrounding towns have rodeo teams at the high school level and felt that it could be done at MHS, as well.
Jennings approached school leaders at MHS in order to get the sport recognized as a club and allow students to earn a letter. In 2026-27, Kernel students will be able to do exactly that in rodeo.
“In terms of school, I feel like Mitchell is not really as well known with rodeo as other towns,” Jennings said. “I think that was why I put it together because there’s multiple people in Mitchell and Ethan that rodeo. I think people should know that we do this.”
Mitchell’s Walt Moody, who is one of the team’s coaches, said the focus is on getting the club up and running and then continuing to give local athletes the best chance to have success.
“The great thing about rodeo is that it’s always testing you, and always challenging you to be the best you can be,” Moody said. “It’s definitely a sport where you see hard work pay off.”
The team has 16 members, and about half of those are at the high school level with members from both towns. It’s believed to be the first high school-level athletic co-op between the towns of Mitchell and Ethan.
“It’s just like anything, there’s a lot of power in numbers,” Moody said. “We’ve got the Davison County name but it’s broad enough that we don’t have to leave anybody out if it works for this to continue growing.”
During a recent practice session at Stampede Park on the north edge of Mitchell, coach Chelsie Cunningham is working with the barrel racers. Each rider takes a few runs around the barrels at close to full speed, but just as important is the slower, technical practice working with the horse to learn how to go around the barrels.
Cunningham has trained and run clinics for young riders for 14 years, but this is her first time in a true “coaching” role.
“I love it more than winning or being able to ride on my own,” she said. “Just to be able to help a kid that’s been struggling and they can go out there and qualify for a bigger rodeo or just had a clean, nice run when they’ve been struggling, that’s a great feeling.”
Moody gives Jennings the credit for creating more chances for students to be a part of a team and experience high school sports through rodeo. Team has at least one participant in nearly all of the regular rodeo events at the high school level.
“Rodeos, other than a couple events, it’s all individual, but you can also have a team of people that are interested in working towards the same goal,” Moody said. “You can bounce ideas off each other and you can practice together. There’s a lot of different things that come with being a team that makes you better.”
Jennings has no shortage of athletic activities. She plays soccer and softball for the Kernels, and during the summer, she primarily balances rodeo and softball. In rodeo, she competes in barrel racing and pole bending.
“My grandpa had horses, so I’ve been riding all my life and doing rodeo all my life,” she said. “I would say doing poles is probably my favorite. It’s just a fun event.”
