Many area riders compete in Sikeston Bootheel Rodeo

Thursday, August 7, 2003
Sikeston's hometown representative, Carrie Potashnick, stands with her mare Wednesday afternoon (Photo by Scott Welton, Staff)

SIKESTON - Among the 350 contestants competing at the 51st annual Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo will be top-ranked competitors in their sports, local heroes and some who are both.

Carrie Potashnick, Sikeston's only competitor in the rodeo, is slated to ride in the barrel racing event Saturday. "Barrel racing is the only event women can do in pro rodeo," she explained. Potashnick has been barrel racing "about 12, 13 years," she said. "Ever since I was 13."

Barrel racing is a timed event. Contestants race their way through one lap of a cloverleaf pattern around three barrel in roughly 15 seconds, depending on the length of the course.

"Arena size and ground conditions are the major factors for the timed run," Potashnick said. "It also depends on the horses."

Times for the event in Sikeston are typically around 16 seconds. "Most of the girls on Great Lake Circuit think Sikeston has the best ground," Potashnick said.

Another local to compete in barrel racing was Amanda Clayman of Poplar Bluff who rode Wednesday. "We consider it our home town rodeo," said Clayman.

Poplar Bluff is well-represented at the rodeo: Also competing from Poplar Bluff will be her husband, Phil, and her sister and brother-in-law, Amy and Troy Amos. "We're weekend warriors," said Clayman. "We work during the week and rodeo on the weekends."

Also listed to compete from Poplar Bluff are Chris Randall Rahlman and Erika Whiteley.

Both Clayman, a 10-year veteran of the sport, and her sister are highly rated on the Great Lake Circuit. "I'm number one and she's number two or three I think," Clayman said. "We've all ridden horses our whole lives."

Clayman's husband, a third generation rodeo competitor, is signed up for the steer wrestling competition. "Phil, he's a good ol' bulldogger," Clayman said. "He won the circuit in '94 and also in '98."

Rodeo competition is a family event for the Claymans with their 10-year old daughter, Anna Cate, always going along. "It's a family deal," said Clayman. "She's started to compete in the last year."

Both Potashnick and Clayman noted one significant change to the barrel racing competition. In previous years, Sikeston had been the only rodeo on the Great Lake Circuit hosting two-run barrel racing events, which some of the girls found to be a refreshing change. This year it will be a single-run event. "They're just trying to make it better," said Clayman.

Although the entry fee is twice as high, in two-run event's cash prizes are awarded to around 10-12 contestants in each of the two rounds along with 10-12 contestants with the lowest average times. A single-run event may mean fewer chances for prize money but larger prizes.

"There are more entries in the barrel racing than there's been in the past few years," Potashnick said, suggesting it may be because of the chance for larger cash prizes.

Also, the money added to competitor entry fees for the prizes has gone up to $12,000 per event instead of the $10,000 like previous years, Potashnick said.

With or without the larger prizes, local participants agree the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo is as good as it gets.

"It's like my favorite one, I guess because I'm from here," Potashnick said. "It's a really big rodeo - you can win a lot of money." Her mare, which she has ridden for the past four years, typically does well here as well, she added. "Hopefully she'll do well this year."

"People like to come to Sikeston because you get the stars - it's an event," said Clayman. "The Sikeston rodeo is much more than competing for us."

* Other competitors from this area to watch include: Amanda Presson of Charleston; Chris Evans of Benton; Eric Ankelman of Perryville; Courtney Barnfield of Wappapello; Cimarron Boardman, Kadin Boardman, Tonya Crites and Cindy Robbins of Jackson; Jason Griffin of Advance; and Dustin Ogelvie of Oak Ridge.

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