While most folks watched the Super Bowl with friends Sunday, nearly 20 girls gave up chicken wings and cheese dip in support of their team: the Rodeo of the Ozarks Rounders. As they do every Sunday evening, the Rounders practiced for their performance at the Springdale rodeo July 1-4. The indoor arena of Isuba Valley Horse Park near Siloam Springs and the body heat from the horses provided warmth for the girls before the temperature plummeted into the 20s and snow fell outside.
"This makes the difference between being good in Springdale and being great in Springdale," said Kelly Morris, the Rounders director.
"The Rounders are a high-speed precision drill team," said Kent Morris, Kelly's husband and co-director. What Kent didn't say is that these girls go through their paces from the back of a horse. "There's no need to say 'horseback' because the venues we're in, it's assumed."
"They are volunteers and ambassadors for the rodeo," Kelly said of her team. The girls are involved in some way with every rodeo event.
But the Rounders are more than just the Rodeo of the Ozarks, Kent insisted. They perform at rodeos around the region: Lincoln, Siloam Springs, Sallisaw, Okla., Cassville, Mo., and more. They also attend community events on behalf of the rodeo, such as the Autism Involves Me walk last spring in Bentonville. The final event of their year is the Christmas Parade of the Ozarks in late November.
"When we make an appearance, we always wear our hats and shirts and look the part," Kelly said. "Kids are drawn to the girls."
To be a Rounder, a girl must be at least 14 years old and pass a tryout. But the Rounders are inclusive, Kent said, noting that Letausha Ahrents of Gentry doesn't want to ride, but she instead takes pictures and promotes the team and the rodeo on social media. Some of the younger team members will not ride during the routine, but they will run the team's flags into the arena before the dance. "Flag carriers are just as much a part of the routine," Kelly said.
The girls' backgrounds vary. Some are in high school, some in college, some home schooled, some working in jobs such as riding teacher, dental assistant, office assistant and veterinary assistant. Their horses are just as varied, but they must be "trained and finished," Kelly said. "We've got a calf roping horse, a team roping horse, a trail riding horse, some reining horses, barrel racing horses, some cutting horses, a horse they use to teach riding lessons ... ," she said.
"These girls are eat up with horses," Kent Morris said. "These girls do this because they love it."
The work for the Rounders wasn't over when practice finished. The girls still had to unsaddle the horses, cool down the horses to dry the sweat, brush the horses, load them in their trailers, put their blankets on, drive home, feed the horses and turn them out to pasture -- and Lacey Mounce of Springdale noted she had no heater in her truck. A similar to-do list was completed before practice, too.
Rachel Lee of Grove, Okla., said she would get to bed about 10:30 p.m. "But it's well worth it," she said.
Miranda Sims of Fort Smith estimated her bedtime to be 2 a.m. She had to return her horse to her farm in Lavaca before heading home.
Sunday night, Kelly Morris and her partner Lori Perdue led the girls and horses through some drills, similar to any horse-training program. The loud upbeat music of their summer performances wasn't played, and the pace wouldn't earn anyone a speeding ticket, but girls walked their horses through steps they would run in the routine. The horses must get acclimated to running straight at another horse, Kent Morris said.
"It's a very dangerous sport," said Tex Holt, a member of the Rodeo of the Ozarks Board of Directors. "And they've got to get their horses in shape to go at that tempo for eight or nine minutes. They practice every week and every week and every week. And they get better and better."
Kent said each girl demands perfection of herself. But during this third practice of the season, plenty of laughter was heard when a horse would decide to bolt out of line and do its own thing. The practices also allow the horses to get acquainted with one another and the leaders to determine each horse's personality, Kent noted. For example, in a wagon wheel pivot, the outside horse must be quick enough to keep up at the end of the spoke, while the inside horse must get used to being bumped and pushed.
"You're asking a horse to do something he's never done before," Kent said. "And after a few times, he might say he's had enough."
"We're not dealing with 12 minds," Kelly said. "We're dealing with 24."
NAN Our Town on 02/05/2015