Mercer County Sisters Compete in SIJRA
Jared Holt
Herald Staff
sports@harrodsburgherald.com
Mercer County sisters Shelby and Savannah Burchett competed in the Southern Indiana Junior Rodeo Association (SIJRA) 2012 season. It was their first time ever competing in a rodeo series and while both received Bronc Halters for their participation, older sister Shelby won Rookie of the Year honors for the 6th – 8th grade division.
The Burchett sisters, daughters of Tonya and Brad Burchett, competed in barrel racing, pole bending, goat flanking, breakaway calf roping and goat tying events against other riders in weekly event rodeos held at Kalmbach Arena in Salem, Ind.
Both sisters were familiar with horses and riding at a young age and Shelby felt that gave her an edge against the other riders.
“Being familiar riding a horse really helped me at my first couple of rodeos,” said Shelby. “As the season went on I began to develop confidence in my skills both on and off the horse.”
Shelby’s success has not only encouraged her to continue her rodeo career, but also inspired her little sister Savannah to work even harder at her skills.
The Burchett sisters hope to repeat their success this spring when they plan to compete in the Kentucky Junior Rodeo Association which will begin having shows in April at the Murray State University rodeo.
