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Youth Rodeo: Kids star in the arena on Mother’s Day

By Elliott Stern/Sports Editor

Mother’s Day was celebrated in style on Sunday at the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Events Center.

There was a full day of riding, roping and racing at the annual Junior Rodeo with grandmothers, mothers — and a few dads — and children on hand for competitions in Team Roping, Breakaway Roping, Barrel Racing and Stick Horse Racing.

The top six finishers in each event are invited back to do it all again — in front of a packed house of local elementary school children — at the annual Elks Mini Rodeo on Thursday morning, May 29, the opening event of the 65th annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo.

“There is no better way in the world to spend a Mother’s Day than to be here at the Junior Rodeo,” said JoeAnn Whorley. “The kids involved in this are the best kids in the world.”

Whorley is easily an expert on both Mother’s Day and the Rodeo.

Coming from one of the Central Coast’s elite rodeo families, she is a mother to former youth rodeo competitors and a grandmother to one professional rodeo rider and several Junior Rodeo participants.

“My brother John and I were the first ones in our family to compete publicly,” said Whorley. “Then we got our children involved and now our grandchildren our doing it.”

Brother John is John Branquinho — father of former national steer wrestling champion Luke, who is currently number three in the world standings; Casey, who is currently in third place in the California State Rodeo Circuit steer wrestling and All-Around standings; and Tony, the current National Rodeo College Coach of the Year at Cal Poly and, with Casey as his teammate, sitting in 15th place on the California Circuit in team roping.

“We have three generations out here today,” said Whorley. “My daughter Tina Hamer is here with her children. My older daughter Terri was an Elks Rodeo Queen representing Nipomo. She’s here today, too. Tina was the first runner up in the queen contest five years later. Tina also rode in the color guard and competed in rodeo all through high school and college at Cal Poly.

“My son Johnny Barlogio also competed,” Whorley added. “He couldn’t be here today because he had to take his daughter — my 19-year old granddaughter Kayla Barlogio — to a professional rodeo in Sonora where she’s competing in the barrel racing.”

Whorley also had more two granddaughters who stayed in town for Sunday’s Youth Rodeo.

Tina’s daughters Hayley, age 12, and Kassidy, age 10, spent most of their day inside the rodeo arena.

Hayley won the championship in the 10-12 year old Barrel Race, came in second in the 4D Barrel Race, tied for fourth in Breakaway Roping and placed fifth in the Junior Junior Team Roping.

Kassidy came in fifth in her first year of competing in the 10-12 age group in Barrel Racing.

“Hayley’s going to the state finals next week in Plymouth,” said Whorley. “But she’ll be back again in time for the Mini Rodeo and to team rope in the Elks Rodeo.”

“Growing up, I didn’t think there was anything better than the rodeo,” said Tina Hamer. “It’s such a family oriented sport. It’s something you can all do together.

“Our girls just love it. May husband (Dr. Ed Hamer, a veterinarian in Alamo Pintado) and I also have a son, Hayden. He’s just two but he’s already starting to ride. It’s just so good for the kids. It’s helps build their confidence, teaches them responsibility, shows them that they can achieve anything they want to if they just focus their minds.

“Mother’s Day is a great day to be out at the rodeo. It’s a good day to spend with my mom and with my family. As long as I’m with my family, every day is a great day.”

“I’ve been riding since I was a baby,” said Hayley Hamer. “It’s so much fun. I started Stick Horse racing when I was two. Now I’m doing Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Breakaway Roping and Team Roping.

“My cousin Kayla is a professional barrel racer. I’d like to try that, too. I’m just starting to move up but I always try to win. My sister and I compete against each other and I like to root for her. I hope she does well, too.”

The Machado family has been going strong through six generations of rodeo competitors.

John Machado still competes in Elks team roping, taking a second and a third place during Saturday’s team roping event.

“I’ll be back for the Elks Rodeo with my 10-year old son Chance,” said Machado, who is entered in the Open Roping Division in the upcoming Elks Rodeo.

John and his wife Sabrina have four children.

“The kids are the sixth generation of rodeo competitors from our family. Chance and his eight-year old brother Cutter are out here today,” said John Machado. “Chance is entered in the 12-and-under breakaway (where he finished fifth), and junior junior team roping (where, with partner with Jeremy Pineiro, they finished second). Cutter is entered in the age 7-9 barrel racing (where he finished third). Our four-year old daughter, Makenna, entered the 6-and-under barrel race. Chance led her around the ring, that’s what we do with the youngest. The ride their own horse but someone older goes with them (she finished in fourth place).

“We get the kids in the saddle as soon as we can. Our youngest, Cinch, is just 10-months old. He’s already been on a horse. He rides with me.”

Sunday’s Junior Rodeo Results:

Breakaway Roping

Open Division

1. Annie Spur

2. Marcey Teixeira

Breakaway Roping

13-17 Division

1. Tayler Jacobsen

2. Annie Spur

3. Shelby Tuck

Breakaway Roping

12-and-under Division

1. Wyatt Cox

2. Tristan Ruffoni

3. Chance Machado

Junior Team Roping

(header listed first)

1. Ali Bilkey/Taylor Karney

2. Jeremy Pineiro/Chance Machado

3. Annie Spur/Dillon Wingereid

4. Roy Bilkey/Taylor Karney

5. Tayler Jacobsen/Hayley Hamer

6. Shelby Tuck/Dillon Wingereid

Barrel Racing - 1D Division

1. Kelsi Pond

2. Sierrah Madrigal

Barrel Racing - 2D Division

1. Shelby Tuck

2. Becca Boyer

Barrel Racing - 3D Division

1. Tawni Stoneburner

2. Tayler Jacobsen

Barrel Racing - 4D Division

1. Jamie Krystal Beaver

2. Hayley Hamer

Barrel Racing - 13-17 Division

1. Courtney Cline

2. Sara Honegger

3. Shelby Tuck

4. Annie Spur

5. Tayler Jacobsen

6. Tawni Stoneburner

Barrel Racing - 10-12 Division

1. Hayley Hamer

2. Amber Stoltey

3. Lexie Segura

4. Kelsi Pond

5. Kassidy Hamer

Barrel Racing - 7-9 Division

1. Sarah Nance

2. Darbie Pond

3. Cutter Machado

4. Emily Neel

Barrel Racing - Under-6 Division

1. Fallon Ruffoni

2. Kayla Zalesny

3. Emily Ward

4. Makenna Machado

5. Cierra Cowden

6. Haileigh Grant

4-and--Under Stick Horse Race

Five-way tie between Haileigh Grant, Fallon Ruffoni, Sierra Cowden, Emily Ward and Sadie Veino.

q Sports Editor Elliott Stern can be reached at 739-2235 or by e-mail to estern@syvnews.com