SPEED KILLS Guillory Garners Breakaway Roping Title at Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo By Ted Harbin
W hen she played softball at Louisiana College, Cheyanne Guillory knew the advantage she held was her speed. “For me because I was a short stop and an outfielder, baserunning was one of the things I was best at,” said Guillory, originally from Lecompte, Louisiana, but now living in Kingston, Oklahoma, a stone’s throw from the Red River and smack dab in the middle of quarter horse country. “I always say, ‘Speed kills.’ “At my positions, I had to be fast. When I moved that over to breakaway roping, the fastest person wins.” It was never truer than during the tournament-style Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo inside Dickies Arena. Guillory shined all the way through, and her star was brightest on the final day of the rodeo during the Feb. 4 championship go-round, when she stopped the clock in 1.9 seconds, just a tick faster than Ashley Goforth, to win the title. “It feels really neat to win a rodeo like that, one that’s just in its third year of having breakaway roping,” she said. “It’s always exciting to win a big rodeo, but to be one of the few to win a rodeo like that makes it extra special.” She knows a thing or two about performing well on ProRodeo’s biggest stages. She earned more money than any other competitor at the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping, presented by Teton Ridge this past December, pocketing $27,037 over two days at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center. That was during breakaway roping’s grand finale, and she almost matched that feat in Fort Worth. She placed high in both her preliminary rounds – she tied the arena record with a 1.7-second run to win the second round in Bracket 4 – to advance. At the semifinals, she posted
Cheyanne Guillory was firing on all cylinders at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo tying the arena record with a 1.7-second run in preliminary rounds en route to the overall title. She won the final round in a time of 1.9 seconds. Photo by Rodeobum.com, James Phifer
a 2.1 to finish second. In all, Guillory earned $25,860.
“To have that much money won at the beginning of the year is huge,” she said. “It’s a great start to the season. Last year I didn’t have very much won after the winter rodeos. I had to win some big rodeos at the end of the year to make the finals.” As of Feb. 6, the Fort Worth title propelled Guillory to the top of the world standings. That’s all well and good, but the goal is to be sitting on the mountaintop when the 2023 campaign comes to a close. That means there’s more work to be done, and she has most of the season ahead of her to make that happen. “My plan for the year hasn’t changed,” said Guillory, who has qualified for the breakaway finals each of the past two seasons. “My game plan is to get to the rodeos and do the best I can. “ Of course, a key piece of her puzzle comes in the form of Hawk, a smaller-sized 9-year-old sorrel gelding. “I think my horse really helped me be fast in that setup,” she said. “I have a lot of confidence in him in fast setups. One of my favorite things about being a competitor is when we get to compete in front of big crowds. That venue and that arena were great. There were a lot of people, it was a cool setup, and it gets really loud in there. “That makes it a lot of fun when you compete in that kind of atmosphere.” Winning the title inside Dickies Arena made it even better.
Cheyanne Guillory was all smiles after winning $25,860 in Fort Worth to move to No. 1 in the WPRA ProRodeo World Standings. Guillory is eyeing a third trip to the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping and gold buckle in 2023. Photo by Kenneth Springer
MARCH 2023 WPRA NEWS 13
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