By Stephanie Bunker

Moapa Valley Progress

The 2012 Silver State International Rodeo began on Monday July 2. Two students from the Moapa Valley High School entered the rodeo this year. Taylor Schwartz of Logandale and Aspyn Civil of Moapa each packed up their gear and traveled to Winnemucca with high hopes of hitting it big at the rodeo.

Schwartz who has recently graduated, competed in the Bareback Riding event with 11 other contestants. Schwartz split 2nd place in the first go with two other riders and received a belt buckle.

He said that he felt like he would have done better if it weren’t for some equipment malfunctions he experienced.

“There was some good competition, better than I thought,” Taylor said. “There were 4 or 5 pretty good riders.”

Schwartz said his favorite part of the rodeo was meeting a lot of new people and that he had the chance to get on some tough bucking horses.

Schwartz has enjoyed his high school rodeo experience. As he is now a 2012 graduate, he commented about this being his last year of high school rodeo.

“It’s kind of a bummer that it’s going to be over,” he said.

But Schwartz said that he plans on continuing rodeo in college after serving an LDS mission.

Upcoming MVHS junior, Aspyn Civil was very busy competing in many events in the rodeo.

She was incredibly successful. Civil competed in 4 events including Barrel Racing, Goat Tying, Pole Bending, and Team Roping. Because Civil won points in more than one event and earned the most points, she won the prize for All-Around Cowgirl at the rodeo. This is the highest award that can be won at the Silver State International Rodeo.

Civil’s winnings were a new horse trailer and a roping saddle.

“It will be a lot easier to take the new trailer to practice,” Civil commented about her prize horse trailer. “The only other horse trailer we have has a living quarters in it and we would have to drag that to practice.”

Civil was excited about her fully tooled roping saddle as well.

Prior to the Silver State International Rodeo, Civil spent a lot of time practicing. She practiced with a woman that helps a lot of kids in Nevada with High School Rodeo. They focused mainly on barrels and poles with her and her horse.

The competition at the rodeo was stiff with approximately 100 contestants in every event she competed in. Civil didn’t make it to the short round in Barrel Racing so she didn’t earn any points in that event.

The points she earned in each event contributed to the All Around award. She placed 3rd in the first and second go-around in Pole Bending.

“I would have placed in the average if my foot didn’t hit the very last pole!” she said.

Civil placed 12th in Goat Tying in the first go around and in the second go she placed 8th.

Civil could keep up with the boys in the Team Roping event. She was the only girl to earn a belt buckle in Team Roping.

“This is the first time I have won a belt buckle in Team Roping for a few years,” Civil said. “It was kind of exciting being the only girl that got a belt buckle.”

Civil continues to fill up her summer with rodeo competitions. She will be leaving on Thursday for Nationals in Wyoming.

“I’m used to going to a lot of rodeos,” she said. “Every summer we take the month of July and just hit a bunch of rodeos.”