FIRST FRONTIER CIRCUIT: BREAKAWAY
LOVE WHAT YOU DO Chamberlain wins First Frontier Circuit Breakaway title and earns first NFR Open qualification. By Josie Fladager T he 2022 First Frontier Circuit breakaway champion Cheyenne Chamberlain has a simple message for anyone wanting to rope. “You just have to put in the work and love what you do.” The Fort Ann, New York, cowgirl won the average as well in the second year for the First Frontier Circuit to host breakaway roping in their finals.
Chamberlain got to catch a glimpse of the year-end saddle earlier this summer. Having only ever ridden older saddles, she immediately set her sights on the rough-out saddle with tooled pommel, cantle, and stirrups. Some good wins earned her as high as second in the circuit standings throughout the year, but tough competition had pushed her to third going into the circuit finals in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. But thanks to the growing support of breakaway, the First Frontier ropers raised over $10,000 in added money for their finals to give anyone a fighting chance for the year-end. “We have a lot of proud supporters locally that believe in us, and that alone is pretty much what gave me an opportunity to bypass these girls,” Chamberlain said. “Going into the finals with the added money we had, it was anyone’s game.” Chamberlain caught a leg in her first loop (resulting in a no time), while the two ropers ahead of her in the standings both placed. Chamberlain attacked the next two rounds for day money, thinking she was out the average money and would need to capture the year-end for that saddle. Chamberlain came back strong to place second in the second round with a time of 3.1 seconds. She earned $1,529 while the two girls in front of her failed to record a time. Just like that Chamberlain had another chance to win it all. “It really all came down to the third night for all of us,” Chamberlain noted. A run of 2.6 seconds was winning the final round when Chamberlain backed into the box. Knowing she was not a notoriously quick roper, Chamberlain wanted a good, solid catch to finish out her finals —
the prize money or the round buckle. It was getting to do a victory lap on ol’ faithful “Tequila,” the 23-year-old sorrel gelding she had roped on all year. She chose to ride him rather than her new 5-year-old she had gotten earlier in the year. “He’s the one who won me all my pro-rodeo points, so I figured he earned it,” Chamberlain said. Even though Tequila probably wasn’t the most popular horse in the field, he has worked for Chamberlain for nearly 12 years now. His runs may not be the prettiest, but they are effective. “He is not your top horse-of-the-year type horse,” Chamberlain said with a laugh. “He has a really quirky stop; he’s not a hind end dragging elevens, he is a pop stopper. Not everyone can ride them, but I’ve just always made it work.” Chamberlain attributes most of her roping ability to the “make it work” mentality. She says she and her sister grew up riding the horses they had available and had to be scrappy to get the shots they needed when a horse didn’t exactly set them up. “I think it’s important for anyone to know that you don’t have to have all the money to be able to achieve something like this. I currently drive a 20-year-old pickup and I’m not anything fancy,” Chamberlain said. “I just hope anyone reading gets the message that they shouldn’t not try just because they don’t have the big fancy rig.” Chamberlain will also get to make her first appearance at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado this July. Joining her in representing the First Frontier Circuit in the breakaway roping will be Kelsey King. “It’s great to be a part of this association [the WPRA] because it gives us this great opportunity,” noted Chamberlain. “With the northeast there never has been this kind of opportunity. We had a lot of added money, and the prizes are amazing.” Chamberlain is excited about the future of breakaway roping in her circuit. Cheyenne Chamberlain earns her first NFR Open qualification after winning both the year-end and average title in the breakaway roping in the First Frontier Circuit. Photo by Casey Martin
while trying not to put too much pressure on herself. Score good. Ride hard. Rope smart. “If I can think of those things, it just all lines up for that nice run,” Chamberlain said. She won the final round with a time of 2.4 seconds. She earned another $2,038 to add to her standings total. But the sweetest part of winning the round was not
Cheyenne Chamberlain (center) is excited about the future of breakaway roping in the First Frontier Circuit and will be looking to defend her year-end and average titles at the 2023 First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo. Photo by Casey Martin
MARCH 2023
WOMEN’S PRO RODEO NEWS 17
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