CALIFORNIA CIRCUIT: BARRELS
BACK ON TOP Miller and Sister Win Average Title at California Circuit Finals By Kristen M. White I t was just like riding a bike for Nellie Miller. Only in her case, it was a barrel horse. Miller won the average at the Ram California Circuit Finals (Dec. 29-31), finishing in 41.17 seconds on three runs, beating out runner-up Payton Schoeppach in 41.82.
And the victory was a welcome one for Miller, who hadn’t run her horse Sister since July. The duo fell right back in step, putting together three solid runs at the circuit finals. “I do try to make the circuit finals every year. I think it’s a good thing to do, and we have a lot of springtime rodeos here, so it’s nice that I can go close to home and be home during the week,” Miller said. “We run there (Red Bluff) a lot, and Sister hasn’t really excelled there much in the past, so I wanted to make sure I was smooth and clean, no downed barrels. And it worked out good!” Miller said last summer, she was kind of on the bubble, not really having enough to keep going, and Sister got sore, so she decided to go home and rest. She said the time off was good for human and equine. “She got several months off. I rode my younger horses, including her brother that I took to some rodeos,” Miller said. “When we went to the circuit finals, Sister felt good, like she was happy to be there and happy to do her job, so it was a really good end to the year.” Not knowing exactly what to expect in the first round, Miller said she was very conscious of making a smooth run. She finished the pattern in 13.75 seconds, good enough for third place in the round. Tonia Forsberg and Meghann McNulty tied for the round win in 13.67 seconds. “No matter how many runs you’ve made together, after that long of a break, your timing is still off,” Miller said. “So it felt good to get the
timing and get back to where we left off.” In the second round, Miller and Kathy Petska tied for third in 13.76, with Madison Camozzi winning the round in 13.56. Miller said she felt personally like it was a bit more of a wild run, but noted that Sister took good care of her and clocked well. In the third round, Miller and Sister were on the same page and put together a run of 13.66 seconds for second place, behind McNulty. Miller, who has been to the Dodge or Ram National Circuit Finals several years, is excited to have a berth to the now-named NFR Open this summer. “Colorado Springs is always a fun place to run and a fun arena to be at,” Miller said. “I’m pumped that they took the circuit finals there, in more of a central location for more people, plus it’s during a lot of other good rodeos so I think it’ll fit nicely with the rodeo schedule.” As for the rest of the 2023 season, Miller said she’s sticking closer to home during the winter, and is looking forward to spring circuit rodeos to start up. Her daughters are now 10 and 7 and getting into riding, which she said is really fun, and of course also makes life busier. They travel with Miller often during the summer. Also representing the California Circuit at the NFR Open will be Petska. Megan Champion would have been the year-end winner, but wasn’t able to compete at the circuit finals, so as a result she forfeited the title and it went to Petska instead. Nellie Miller and Sister put on a clinic at the California Circuit Finals winning the average in a total time of 41.17 seconds. Although the duo hadn’t competed together since July, they fell right back in step putting together three solid runs. Photo by Crystal Amen
Kathy Petska will join Nellie Miller at the NFR Open representing the California Circuit. Although Petska was second in the year-end standings to Megan Champion, she earned the spot after Champion failed to compete in the circuit finals therefore forfeiting the title. Photo by Crystal Amen
68 WOMEN’S PRO RODEO NEWS MARCH 2023
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