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By Colin Becht
Hollie Kucera’s mom was grocery shopping nine years ago when she saw a poster for a roping clinic conducted by Eddie Cohen. She called him and asked if he would teach her three daughters, including the youngest, 8-year-old Hollie.
Cohen had one question: “Are they well-behaved?” Heidi Kucera responded, “If they’re not, you can yell at them.”
That clinic turned out to be the introduction to rodeo for the three Atherton girls, two of whom — Kirsty and Heidi — are now on the professional rodeo circuit. Meanwhile, young Hollie, now 17, just won first place in the girls all-around competition at the California high school rodeo finals in Bishop, California.
Hollie also was elected captain, for the second year in a row, of the Wrangler All-Star Team, made up of the winners of each event at the state finals.
Now, Hollie and her three closest competitors in the state finals will represent California at the National High School Rodeo Finals in Farmington, New Mexico, from July 18 through 27. It’s the world’s largest rodeo, says Hollie, with about 2,000 contestants from 40 states, as well as Canada and Australia.
Six events
In rodeo, there are six events: goat tying, breakaway roping, team roping, cutting, barrel racing, and pole bending. The six combine to make up the all-around competition.
Breakaway roping involves a rope with a thin string that connects the rope to the horn on the rider’s saddle. The rider must rope a calf around the neck, causing the string to break from the saddle. According to Hollie, a typical breakaway round lasts just two to three seconds, so quickness and exactness are vital.
Cutting involves using a horse to separate a cow from a herd. The rider uses the horse to keep the cow separated, but must not use the reins to position the horse; the rider relies on feet and leg cues only. “You have to be more of a talented rider for that [event],” said Hollie.
Barrel racing is a speed event in which the horse races around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern.
Pole bending is another speed event, where a rider maneuvers a horse between six poles, a total of 21 feet apart, weaving through them twice.
All these events are timed, with quickness being essential, except for cutting, where points are awarded for degree of difficulty, herd handling skills, and minimal use of the reins. Points are taken away for scaring the cow herd or not mirroring the movement and direction of the cow with the horse.
“They judge you on a lot of different things and that’s what makes it so difficult,” said Hollie, who will be a senior at Palo Alto Prep in the fall.
She braved 100-to-105-degree heat June 15-23 in Bishop, California, at the northern edge of Mojave Desert to win the state finals. Though she does not actually know what her winning score was in the finals, she was told by an official at the competition that she had won by the largest margin the official had ever seen.
She qualified for the finals by placing in the top five in each of the six events in her district, one of nine districts in California. There were about 80 competitors in each district.
At the state finals, Hollie placed in the top 15 after the first three rounds of competition, earning her a spot in the final round. Her score in the final round, combined with her earlier scores, won her the competition.
Hollie was not the only victor at the state finals. Her cutting horse Cici Slippin’ was named the American Quarter Horse Association horse of the year for California.
Among her prizes for winning the state finals: a $500 scholarship and a horse trailer, which she said is worth about $13,000.
Though she only qualified for two events in the nationals and will therefore be unable to compete in the all-around category, she is optimistic about her chances in cutting and barrel racing.
This will be Hollie’s second year competing in the nationals for cutting, which she said she almost won last year, “so I definitely have a chance in the cutting.”
As for barrel racing, she predicts a top-10 finish, though “those girls have really fast horses” and Hollie is “still trying to figure out [her barrel racing horse, Chivas].” She has ridden Chivas for only a year.
Though Hollie said cutting and barrel racing are her two best events, breakaway roping is actually her favorite.
She said she owes much of her success to her sisters, Kirsty and Heidi, and the help they have given her. Kirsty “has taught me basically everything I know about riding,” she said. Heidi “has taught me how to keep a level head when competing,” which Hollie says is essential when she competes in multiple events that are scheduled close together.
“When you’re competing in that many events in the all-around, it’s hard because you mess up in one event and you’re up in about 15 minutes in another event, and that mess-up is still going through your head,” she said. “You just got to push it aside and move on to the next event. [Heidi] really helped me with that.”
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