Tri-City Ledger -

Briana Stuckey will be leaving Flomaton today (Thursday) for a trip to Gillette, Wyoming, to show her talents at the High School Rodeo National Finals, scheduled for July 17-23, with a goal of adding more hardware to her rodeo trophy case,

Stuckey, 17, will be a senior at Flomaton High School this year, and hopes rodeo riding will be her ticket to attend college.

Stuckey will be competing in the breakaway roping and goat tying events while at the national finals.

She said she started in junior rodeo when she was in the fifth grade and fell in love with the sport.

This marks the second time Stuckey has qualified for the national finals. Through the years she has won three goat-tying saddles and more than 25 buckles as various stages of the rodeo circuit.

"I love it," she said. "I've done it since I was little and wouldn't do anything else."

She said last year during the national finals in Lincoln, Neb., there were competitors from 42 states including Hawaii.

Stuckey mounts for competition

She finished in the top 15 with 180 ropers and won a jackpot during the competition.

She said she will be taking two horses to Wyoming for the finals and is hoping to continue being a rodeo rider and possibly get a college scholarship.

Stuckey practices at home on two arenas and she has calves and goats to practice with.

While rodeo may be her true love, Stuckey participates in basketball, varsity track, volleyball and softball at Flomaton High School.

She has announced, that in an effort to raise money for college, she will begin giving rodeo lessons on the weekends to teach students how to ride, rope, barrel race, pole bend or goat tie. Lessons start at $25 per session. For more information, text Stuckey at 251-727-2718.