Hailey Hansen and Logan Sullivan
Ropes thrashing through the air. One loop aiming for the steer’s head, and one for its feet will determine the time that would place two seniors of PRHS at the top of the leaderboard.
Seniors Hailey Hansen and Logan Sullivan make up the team roping pair in District 7 that ranges from the top of San Luis Obispo County, approximately 162 miles, to the bottom of Ventura County. Although they have worked side by side for the last four years, they each started out in different ways.
Sullivan began competing in rodeos before the start of his freshmen year. Having the COVID pandemic the year prior, he began to be more involved in roping because of his exposure.
“Most people are born into it, but because of where I live and COVID, it just gave me something to do with my neighbors,” Sullivan said.
Roping is something Sullivan believes to be an intricate and difficult competition. From when the initiating start buzzer sounds, to when it ends, there are many different components that each partner must contribute to be able to have a successful run. Sullivans main job is to rope the steer around the neck while Hansen ropes the feet.
“You want to do this as fast as possible. The time stops when the feet are heeled and we face our horses,” Sullivan said.
The constant exposure of being around a rodeo environment has led Sullivan to value the people he’s met and skills he’s gained.
“Because it's a year round sport, it's shown me the importance of worth ethic because you have to work so hard all the time,” Sullivan said. “I also appreciate the friends I’ve made.”
Friends are something that is really nice to have in this activity. It gives you all something in common that you can have fun doing, -Logan Sullivan
While Sullivan started out in the last four years, Hansen has been competing ever since she remembered.
Hansen began riding horses when she was five years old. Competing in rodeos was something that her mom did locally, and growing up in the rodeo environment made her want to start competing on her own. Her main competition areas are barrel racing, pole bending, breakaway roping, team roping, and raining cow horse, with her favorite being team roping.
“Being able to succeed with a partner is so much more rewarding than on your own,” Hansen said.
Hansen recently had her personal best rodeo on Feb. 4, 2024. She competed in the King City Rodeo where she placed 1st out of over 80 competitors with a time of 19.75 in pole bending.
“Running a 19 is very rare and at the time my personal best was a 20.4, so cutting off that much time was such a reward after being in a slump,” Hansen said. “It felt like all of my hard work truly paid off.”
Hansen's dedication to the sport shows as it’s something both her and Sullivan want to do long term. Both seniors practice over four times a week which has made them able to enhance their skills as they race to the top.
In the near future, both Sullivan and Hansen hope to continue competing in college. Cal Poly has won over 44 national titles making it the seniors top choices after high school.
Before the end of the school year, both Sullivan and Hansen hope to qualify for Challenge of Champions and State Finals in March and June of 2025.