Barrel racer kicks off pro debut in Tucson
When Kendall Prall was 9 years old, she told her parents she wanted to be in the Tucson Rodeo.
From then on, the pre-business sophomore went to the rodeo every year, studying from the stands. She watched the events carefully, and when she was in sixth grade, Prall started barrel racing.
Her experience with racing in 4H, junior rodeos and college rodeos came together on Sunday when Prall raced in the finals of the Tucson Rodeo among dozens of other professionals.
To get to Sunday's final race, she and all other competitors had to make it past two other races in the pro rodeo, which she didn't count on.
"I expected to get blown out of the water," she said, after she finished her race in the finals.
Instead, the cowgirl, who always wears pink, rounded the barrels with nervousness and excitement. Though Prall did not place among the top eight in the final race, she did win $490 in the overall competition.
Overall scores are determined by the average of each
competitor's times from all three performances.
Prall competed on the first day of the Tucson Rodeo, Feb. 22. She advanced to the next round on Saturday, and finally raced in the last round of the professional rodeo Sunday.
The young rider stands out in the pro races ÷ and not just because she always wears pink. Among some who have been pros for years, Prall just meets the minimum age requirement.
To be a pro rodeo competitor, besides being 18, a racer must carry a pro rodeo card. The card comes only after a rider can prove her qualifications while she races with a pro rodeo permit. After a competitor turns 18, she can get a permit to participate in pro rodeos.
Prall's parents bought her the permit for her 18th birthday, which is the earliest a racer can get it.
While on the permit, racers are allowed to participate in pro rodeos for prizes.
"Once you win $1,000 in pro rodeos, you can get your card," Prall said.
She had no trouble filling the boots of a pro. She raced in a few pro rodeos in Arizona, then got her pro card.
With the card and her pink boots, Prall can compete in any pro rodeo she chooses to enter. The Tucson Rodeo was at the top of her list.
For a Tucsonan, racing locally is a big deal. That's why Prall was so nervous. Each day, she said, she just wanted to make it to the next, and then she found herself facing the finals.
On Saturday, her only expectation for the final competition was to "be really nervous."
But she says she has to be careful, because when she gets nervous, her horse Lady gets nervous. Prall tries to calm Lady down by talking to her and spending time with her at their trailer before they race.
After the race, she takes Lady back to the trailer and spoils her for working hard. She unsaddles her and gives her water.
"It's a team effort," Prall said, estimating that about 70 percent of each performance can be attributed to the horse.
"It takes a lot to ride them," she said. "Your personalities have to get along."
The pair got along well on Sunday as Prall and Lady rode away with cash.
The overall barrel race winner, Cindy Woods from Oregon, finished her three runs in 51.84 seconds and walked away with $2,574. Prall came in seven spots later, only a little more than a second behind Woods, with a time of 52.80 seconds, and won $490.
Prall spends almost every weekend at rodeos, she said. She competes in college rodeos for the UA as well as other pro rodeos in Arizona.
"I'm gone almost every weekend; I have to plan to stay home," she said.
She also finds it hard to balance her life as a full-time student with her involvement in a professional sport.
"It's ridiculous," she said. "Last semester, I tried to live on campus, but I have to come home and ride."
She said she's been in some tight situations between school and rodeos, which, on at least one occasion, has forced her to drive overnight.
"Last semester, we were going to run in Amarillo, Texas, but I had a class I had to go to," Prall said. "I went to the class, then we drove there. I got there one hour before it started."
This semester, she moved back to her parents' house on the east side of Tucson to cut down on driving between campus and her horses.
"I drive like an over-the-road truck driver," she said.
From her pickup truck, she tows a horse trailer with space in the front for her to stay overnight when rodeos are far away.