CNFR: BREAKAWAY ROPING Farkas Finishes Atop the Leaderboard in Casper By Joe Kusek E ach morning, Makayla Farkas goes to the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee then makes her way to the living room. In the middle of the room sits a nice shiny keepsake from her time in Casper, Wyoming. But it represents so much more. “It shows all the hard work you put in. That it paid off,” said Farkas.
The California cowgirl relishes that first cup of coffee with her breakaway roping championship saddle from the College National Finals Rodeo. “I drink my coffee next to it every morning,” said the friendly Farkas. Competing for West Hills College, she was a picture of metronomic consistency, clipping off times 2.5, 2.8, 2.9 and 2.7 during the CNFR, June 11-17, at the Ford Wyoming Center. Her total time of 10.9 seconds earned her the national collegiate title by four-tenths of a second over Kennedy Buckner of Blue Mountain Community College.
Makayla Farkas returned to California with some extra hardware after winning the breakaway roping title at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. She finished with a total time of 10.9 seconds on four head edging Kennedy Buckner by four-tenths of a second. Photo by Jackie Jensen
“It’s kind of surreal,” Farkas said. “It didn’t hit me until I got home honestly. I knew I won when I pulled the saddle out of the trailer and put it in the middle of the living room.” Farkas, of Leona Valley, California, entered the CNFR with a simple game plan. “I wanted to rope four calves,” she said. “I wasn’t worried about winning the rounds. The big thing was being consistent. That is the main thing. Be sharp and consistent. It’s score, ride your horse, rope the shoulder.” The 21-year-old kinesiology major placed fifth, 16th and 14th in the first three rounds. She was in third place entering the championship round. Her final throw tied for second in the finals. “I was not nervous for the final round,” said Farkas. “My coach (Justin Strickland) talked to me and kept me cool. That helped a lot. It
was, ‘Oh, another calf to rope.’ I was calm.” Farkas was aboard Rooster, her 12-year-old bay gelding. “He’s just the easiest horse to be around,” she said of horse registered as Shiny Little Rooster. The sire is Shiny Knight and the dam is Rode A Rooster. “He’s so athletic. For the first round I made sure we got there early … to get him used to the noise. “Rooster has a personality. He’s always in your pockets. And he is insane about his grain. He will reach through a fence to take grain from another horse.” Leona Valley is a community of 1,700 between Los Angeles and Bakersfield. Her father Robert is a retired lieutenant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office, while her mother Robin is a nurse. “My mom ran barrels as a teenager,” said the daughter. “I was around five when I got into rodeo. I just kept going and my parents were super supportive.” Farkas learned to breakaway rope in fifth grade but didn’t begin competing in earnest until eighth grade. Farkas’ CNFR was a long way from where she was a couple of years ago. She began her collegiate rodeo career at Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, winning a Rocky Mountain Region title, but struggled finding her way in and out of the arena. “I struggled with confidence,” she said. “I was in a bit of a slump the last couple of years. It was, ‘Maybe I don’t belong here.’ Toward the end of Mesa, it seemed like a chore. It’s nobody’s fault but my own. I was burned out. I needed to step back and regroup. To give me a chance to figure it out.” Farkas was also wavering on her life plan. “I was in pre-nursing, but it wasn’t working out,” she said. “I was thinking of going into physical therapy, maybe sports medicine.” A certified nursing assistant, Farkas took some time away from
Makayla Farkas, who was competing for West Hills College, was the picture of consistency during the College National Finals Rodeo en route to the title. She clipped off times of 2.5, 2.8, 2.9 and 2.7 to take home the championship saddle. Photo by Jackie Jensen
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JULY 2023 WPRA NEWS 15
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