honeymoon. We were both nice and fresh going into the summer. I had so many friends and family that came down to the wedding from Canada that it was crazy, but it was a great chance to see all of them.” She found success when she needed it and has added some nice hardware to her trophy case. Those silver spurs will ride with her from one rodeo to another this summer, a trinket to prove just how she made her way into the top two in the world standings when August rolled around. Shelby Boisjoli competed at seven rodeos over the Fourth of July week, earning money at five of them including the Greeley (CO) Stampede (shown here). With her summer run of rodeos Boisjoli took over as the No. 1 breakaway roper in the world standings on August 7. She surpassed Hali Williams who had held the top spot since March of 2023. Photo by Tanya Hamner
NFR OPEN - BARRELS continued from page 18
NFR OPEN - BREAKAWAY continued from page 19
off Missy she could, including some strategic use of baby wipes (“The mud gets everywhere !”), threw on a clean saddle and focused on what it would take to finally be the NFR Open Champion. Routier employed a slight change in strategy this year by having Missy walked down the alleyway into the arena by a helpful pickup man. This prevented Missy from taking off too soon and blowing by a first barrel that is a long way down the arena. Once in the arena and the proper position, Missy is released to make her run. The result of their Finals run was identical to their run in the Semis in every way: another 17.69 for another first place. Only this time it was to earn the title of NFR Open Champion. After coming so close, so many times, it was finally theirs forever. “It felt really good,” said a proud Routier. “Missy’s done really well there every time we’ve ever gone, but we were second place the first two years we went. We were third place once, and fourth place once. We’ve been really close to first at that rodeo several times, and to finally win it was very exciting.” With the round checks, the average win, and wins in the two short goes, Routier and Missy added $24,553 to their war chest for the year, and brought them significantly closer to a sixth-straight NFR qualification. Running as well as they are right now, the NFR Open Championship might not be their only breakthrough win of 2023. Jessica Routier has qualified for the circuit finals (RNCFR and now NFR Open) over 10 times during her career but 2023 was the first time she left as the champion. She and her horse Missy took the title and added $24,553 to their 2023 earnings as they eye a sixth-straight NFR qualification. Photo by Brian Gauck
Prior to the NFR Open, Deerman had just competed at WPRA events in Pecos and Big Spring, Texas in June. She also entered Odessa in January. She got to double her celebration when long-time boyfriend Garrett Jacobs, of Bosque Farms, New Mexico, won the NFR Open tie-down roping title. Jacobs hit the rodeo road hard this summer, while Deerman worked on a project to find more oil reserves in the Permian Basin. Her internship will end on August 11 and she will return to school on August 24. “I joke I have it harder. I’m working and he’s out playing rodeo,” said Deerman of her summer. “I still want to try and rodeo hard someday. But I’ll go about it differently than other people. I want to have an income, a nice-paying job before I rodeo hard. “Roping is something I can do for the next 30 years.” Maddy Deerman had to take time away from her internship to compete at the NFR Open and the only request by her employer was to win the title. Deerman did just that and is hoping the win and money will help her qualify for the big winter rodeos in 2024. Photo by Brian Gauck
AUGUST 2023 WPRA NEWS 21
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online