McAllister places 37th at women’s only rodeo in Reno
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RONAN – At the tender age of ten, Jill McAllister began doing something few girls at the time did: roping cattle in a rodeo. As time passed, the sport gained popularity enough to boast its own rodeos worldwide. In June, McAllister was invited by fellow roping enthusiast Sandy Suter to join her in the Reno Rodeo Women’s Only Invitational, one of the largest women-only rodeos in the world.
Of the 125 teams that were competing, Suter and McAllister placed 37th. It was one of the largest events McAllister had ever been to.
“I thought we did pretty good for our first time,” McAllister said.
Suter, who resides in Prince George, British Columbia, met McAllister two years earlier through a rodeo in Arizona, and was the header in the competition, while McAllister took the role of heeler.
“She called me up one day and invited me,” McAllister said. “She must have had faith in me, so I figured I should give it a try.”
After agreeing to join Suter, McAllister began a grueling three month training, during which she and her husband Buck put in long hours in their arena west of Ronan.
“We practiced through snow and hail often,” McAllister laughed.
As the event neared, McAllister loaded up her trusty 17-year-old horse “Jess,” along with her husband and daughter Lexy and headed for Reno.
“At first it was overwhelming to be there, I was so excited,” she said.
According to McAllister, the rodeo was unique in that there were no restrictions on who could enter the contest, allowing for a wide range of competition.
“We competed against amateurs and professionals,” she said. “It was a lot of fun.”
“I really want to thank the sponsorship and encouragement from friends that told me to give it a whirl,” she said. “They helped pick me up whenever I was doubtful of myself.”
Her strong performance at the rodeo was a confidence booster , and McAllister says she would like to return to Reno for future women only rodeo events.
Locally, the McAllister family competes in ten rodeos a year, which is a considerably lower number than past years, as they’ve gradually slowed their involvement throughout the years.
“We used to do it a lot,” McAllister said. “We stay closer to home now.”
McAllister, who’ll turn 40 later this year was unsure in the beginning whether or not she should compete. Her strong performance at the rodeo was a confidence booster , and McAllister says she would like to return to Reno for future women only rodeo events.
“There is a lot of up-and-coming talent out there,” McAllister said. “I’d like to return.”
