Hometown cowgirls

The Freedom Open Rodeo will be here before you know it, and there are two Freedom women who will be participating: Robbie Stearns and Keri Nixon. Sterns is entered in women's breakaway roping. Nixon is uncertain which event she will enter but is certain she will enter in something.

This year's rodeo is sanctioned as a WPRA (Women's Pro Rodeo Association) qualifier for women's breakaway roping. That means the breakaway roping participant's results at Freedom Rodeo count toward the participant's overall national ranking.

According to the WPRA, Stearns is ranked No. 12 in women's breakaway roping.

Nixon is ranked 44 in breakaway (out of 86 riders). She is ranked first in women's tie-down roping and is ranked third in women's all-around standings.

However, according to the Kansas Pro Rodeo Association, Stearns is listed first in breakaway roping with earnings over $5,000.

"During rodeo season I practice two to three hours per day if I don't have a rodeo to go to, and I try to go to at least two rodeos a week," Stearns said. She has six horses that she keeps in shape and trained; she also has 20 calves that practice with her. "You have to be physically in shape and mentally prepared," She said. "To mentally prepare I just remember that I can only rope one calf at a time."

Breakaway roping is very similar to tie-down roping. The sport takes a rider, a rope and a calf. Once the calf is released into the arena the aim of the roper (rider) is to throw the lasso around the calf's neck. When the rope is around the neck of the calf, the rider signals the horse to stop suddenly. The end of the rope is attached to the saddle horn by using a string. While the calf moves further, the end of the rope breaks, which marks the victory as well as the end of the game. The rope usually contains a bright colored flag at its end to make the timer see it more vividly. The winner of the event is chosen by the judges based on duration of the run. A rider with least time taken to rope the calf is considered the winner.

Stearns comes from Nebraska and graduated from Arthur High School where she participated in a rodeo team. In 2005 she came to Alva, enticed by a rodeo scholarship from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. As a Ranger she won the region in breakaway and also made the college finals in goat tying and was all-around reserve champion.

Now she resides in Freedom with her two girls, Paige (5 years old) and Paislynn (1 year old), and her husband Colt, who will be participating in the steer wrestling event in this year's Freedom Open Rodeo.