CIRCUIT FINALS: WILDERNESS BREAKAWAY ROPING CRAVING COMPETITION
Rookie Eryn Maddock earns her spot in the NFR Open during first Wilderness Circuit Finals Appearance By Josie Mac Fladager E ryn Maddock wasn’t too happy with her husband, PRCA team roper Dex Maddock, when he went to the photographer and bought all Eryn’s
pictures before she even backed in the box to rope her first calf at the Wilderness Circuit Finals. But Dex believed that his wife would do exactly what she did. The nurse and mother of two girls, Acee (3) and Indee (1), roped three calves in 9.7 seconds to take home the average title and secure her trip to the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Maddock grew up riding and showing quarter and paint horses, but never did swing a rope until her senior year of high school. With the encouragement of friends, she rodeoed for Central Arizona College where barrel racing was her main event. She roped breakaway some but didn’t pursue it as there were not many opportunities to at the time. After college, Maddock mainly team roped with Dex while a sorrel, grade gelding Dex had traded for as a 2-year-old began to show his potential as a calf horse. Fast forward to 2021, “Skid” was doing well, and Eryn began to get the itch to swing a breakaway rope again. After 10 years, all it took was backing into the box with the sound of the electric crowd at the Red Bluff (CA) Round-Up to hook Maddock. “Getting back into it and going to Red Bluff
Eryn Maddock has a been a quick study in the world of breakaway roping and has now earned a chance to compete for a share of the $1 million purse up for grabs at the NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Maddock will be representing the Wilderness Circuit. Photo by Amanda Dilworth
Maddock placed second in the first round with a time of 2.9 seconds. A tough draw in the second round held her in the average but missed the round money. Going into the third round Maddock had two clean runs but wasn’t sure she was still in the running to win the average after the longer time in the second round. “I was calm, and I didn’t want to be off the barrier since my last calf was slow. My next calf I knew I could see a little bit of a start, so I just wanted to be aggressive and not lose focus — just put it on the neck and let it play out,” stated Maddock. Maddock roped her third calf in 2.6 seconds. She tied for fourth in the round and ultimately secured her name on the program at Colorado Springs. But Maddock said the NFR Open wasn’t even 1-percnet on her radar. “It seems like somewhere Shelby Boisjoli [Meged] and Jackie Crawford and those people get to roped. It didn’t even cross my mind,” Maddock said. “I’m so excited.” Maddock gave Skid and herself a break after the circuit finals ended in early November but is craving the opportunities that are coming in 2024. The Adrian, Oregan cowgirl is under snow at the moment and is ready for winter to be over to start roping toward her goals in 2024. Dex has been instrumental in Maddock’s success, and she is thankful to be able to take her young family with her as she and Dex both rope at circuit rodeos.
that first time and seeing how big [breakaway] was and that it was growing, and now that we’re out entering a lot of other events, it’s so exciting,” Maddock said. She fell in love and quickly filled her permit in 2021. In 2022, she became pregnant with Indee and then came back for her rookie year in 2023. “Last year when I bought my [rookie] card, I was craving it,” Maddock said. “I got to do it for a year and then had to sit out for a year, so I was antsy to get to any rodeo I could get to.” Maddock’s main goal for her rookie year was to make the circuit finals — but winning the finals was never on her radar. She was ready to rope and knew she wanted to do the best she could, but with her main goal for the year already checked off, she was ready to go have fun. “My game plan was to go work hard, rope my dummy, make sure my horse is scoring good and just go in and do what I did throughout the year,” Maddock said.
FEBRUARY 2024
WPRA NEWS 23
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