Caitlin and Brandon Pott on their horses Five and Rusty coming out of the box after the roping dummy during practice. “I’ve fallen off a couple of times. Mostly just rope burns and bruises,” Caitlin said.
Caitlin and Brandon Pott on their horses Five and Rusty coming out of the box after the roping dummy during practice. “I’ve fallen off a couple of times. Mostly just rope burns and bruises,” Caitlin said.

Pott siblings become rodeo duo

April 28, 2017

There are few students who would think of joining high school rodeo as their choice of sport. Maybe it is the thought of riding animals three times their size for fun that scares them away. That is not the case of siblings junior Caitlin Pott and freshman Brandon Pott. They have embraced the old frontier thrill of riding horses and roping cows.

The National High School Rodeo Association is an organization that puts on rodeos for high schoolers grades 9-12. The junior high division is for grades six to eight. Rodeos are in both spring and the fall with the state finals and nationals in summer.

Caitlin and Brandon got into rodeo at a young age, but their family has owned horses since before they were born. Their neighbors, the Weirs, have been roping a long time, which sparked their interest in it.

“In third or fourth grade I was introduced to horse shows by a friend of mine. I went over to Jed Weirs house to practice,” Caitlin said.

“When Caitlin started, I went to a few rodeos to watch and I decided to try it,” Brandon said.

Rodeo events range from barrel racing to bull riding, but the Pott siblings chose roping as their skill of choice. The timed events involve team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying, which they both do quite well.

“My first year I only did breakaway roping, goat tying, barrel racing and pole bending. The second year, I started team roping with a girl named Molly but after her I team roped with a guy named Devin Olsen. Then after that I started with my brother Brandon and it’s been a year and a half since then,” Caitlin said.

When Caitlin started, I went to a few rodeos to watch and I decided to try it.

— Brandon Pott

The Pott’s friends have been a huge support for them, going out to watch and cheer them on. But it is difficult to go out and watch sometimes; not because rodeo is hard to watch, but because sometimes rodeos can in places up to 5 hours away like the Winona or Marshall rodeos.

“It’s fun watching them. You want them to do good. It’s almost like watching yourself out there cause you’re so close,” junior Sophi Jensen, a life long friend of the Potts, said.

The High School Rodeo national finals rodeo is a goal for most-if not all, cowboys and cowgirls in both junior high and high school. Brandon went to the junior high national finals for goat tying. Caitlin and Brandon also hope to go again this year as a team in the team roping.

“I got to compete with kids from all over the U.S., some from Canada and Australia,” Brandon said.

View Comments (5)

The Pony Express • Copyright 2024 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in

Comments (5)

The Pony Express intends for this area to be used to foster healthy thought-provoking discussion. Comments are expected to adhere to the standards of the Pony Express and to be respectful and constructive. Furthermore, we do not permit any of the following inappropriate content including: Libel or defamatory statements, any copyrighted, trademarked, or intellectual property of others, the use of profanity and foul language or personal attacks. All comments are reviewed and approved by staff to ensure that they meet the standards of this publication. The Pony Express does not allow anonymous comments. We require a name and valid email address submitted. This email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. Online comments that are found in violation of these policies will be removed as quickly as possible.
All The Pony Express Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • T

    Teagan AndrewsMay 8, 2017 at 8:16 am

    I really liked reading about this because it’s not the usual soccer, hockey, etc that we write about. very well written and you know what you’re talking about.

    Reply
  • A

    Andrew WilcekMay 7, 2017 at 10:15 pm

    Really well written story about how to two siblings share a similar passion. I also liked how you talk about the friends you share and where they take place when they compete.

    Reply
  • A

    Andria BarrettMay 5, 2017 at 7:43 pm

    I like how you captured both of the sibling’s perspectives about rodeo. This article is informative, but also has quotes which show how the siblings really feel about rodeo.

    Reply
  • A

    Allison HeintzMay 5, 2017 at 10:56 am

    I really like this story because it is not a sport you hear about all th time but it is really interesting to be informed with. I also think their goals and the way they talked about them here was expressed really well.

    Reply
  • R

    Ryan ShepardMay 1, 2017 at 4:06 pm

    I liked when you put what their dreams are for the future near the end and also what they have already accomplished in rodeo the sport. I also thought adding who their supporters are was a good idea because it expanded on why they enjoy their sport.

    Reply
5