Amy Lisenbe/Nevada AppealElyse Heberger, 17, practices barrel racing with her horse Ruby at her home in Washoe Valley Monday.
The Carson-Douglas Rodeo Club figures it's going to have to do a lot of fund-raising in a short time this summer.
That's because if this summer's Nevada State High School Rodeo Finals go as expected, the club should have several competitors making the trip to the National High School Rodeo Finals.
Many of the club's competitors look to take another step closer to nationals this weekend when the club hosts its annual rodeo. Boys and girls cutting will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Gardnerville's Corley Ranch while the rest of the rodeo will be held on Saturday and Sunday at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Saturday's events begin at 9 a.m. and Sunday's events begin at 8 a.m. Admission is free. All of the state's top high school rodeo competitors will compete in the event.
The state finals will be held from June 14-17 in Winnemucca. The top four overall finishers from the state event will qualify for nationals to be held in July in Farmington, N.M.
"We have many contenders for nationals," said Sue Heberger, the mother of Galena junior Elyse Heberger, whose among those who are in strong contention to make nationals.
Elyse, though doesn't like to know where she is in the standings and won't even look up the standings on the internet. "I won't look at it," she said. "I don't want to know."
Heberger competes in barrel racing, breakaway roping, goat tying and pole bending. Since she's placed in virtually every rodeo this year in goat tying and has won many times, it's obvious she's in contention to go to nationals in the event.
"I get nervous," said Heberger, commenting on why she doesn't want to know where she is in the standings. "I just like to keep myself focused. I don't want to worry about it. I've had a really successful year."
Cody Kiser, a Dayton High junior, is fourth in the standings in bareback riding and doesn't mind to know that he's fourth in the standings.
"It doesn't really bother me to now where I'm at or anything," said Kiser about the standings.
"I'm creeping up in the points. I don't think I'll get up to first but I'm trying for second right now."
Kiser is in a three-way battle for second and among those he's competing for second with is his teammate, Silver State High School junior Cory Hershkowitz. Kiser currently trails Hershkowitz, who's in third, by nine points.
"I know we're both definitely going to nationals, which is nice," Kiser said. "I think most of us are going to go to nationals."
As a freshman, Kiser began as a bull rider. But a 1,700-pound bull stepped on his face and even though he was wearing a helmet, he still has the plates in his jaw from that incident. "So I switched to bareback," Kiser said.
Kiser said he doesn't remember the incident. "I just remember waking up in the hospital," he said.
Hershkowitz finished second in the state last year in bareback to qualify for nationals. He along with Douglas High senior Jonathon Glocknitzer came into this year as Wrangler All-Stars based on their second place finishes last year at state. Glocknitzer took second at state last year in boys cutting.
While qualifying for nationals is obviously important, Herskowitz said he wants to at least finish second again this year. He was in second until a recent slump.
"I don't like to get worse," he said. "Going to nationals is a good plus, but to get lower than second would be getting worse in my eyes which I don't like."
"It was going good, but I got into a slump and missed a lot of horses out," Hershkowitz said about his season. "I missed four in a row out."
Because he didn't make a clean exit from the chute on those four rides, Hershkowitz was disqualified on all of them. Three of the four rides would have been scoring rides.
"I'm three horses behind where I should be. I think I'm breaking out of it now," said Hershkowitz about his slump.
Hershkowitz admitted it's a little more important to do well at his club's rodeo. "It's definitely an incentive to try harder," he said.
Glocknitzer is fourth in the standings. "I feel pretty good," said Glocknitzer about his season. "I really want to win this year." But he did say the goal is "just make it to nationals."
Other Carson-Douglas competitors are Byron Kreck, a Silver State Charter High junior, who is ninth in boys cutting and still within striking distance of making nationals in the event.
Spencer Osterling, a Carson High sophomore, competes in bull riding and was a junior national qualifier in the event. There's also Becca Glocknitzer, a Pau-Wa-Lu ninth grader, who competes in girls cutting, and Nick Nadler, a Douglas junior, who competes in team roping and calf roping.