By SAMI MCGUIRE
Sports Editor
Rodeo can test anyone.
The tests come mentally and physically. Rodeo requires trust in an animal and requires making the best out of a bad draw.
Taylor Munsell, from Arnett, Okla., has overcome obstacles and proved mental preparation makes a world of difference. She is a junior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. After two years of not doing as well as she had hoped, Munsell has been on a hot streak.
That continued this past weekend at the Garden City (Kan.) Community College rodeo with a first-place finish in both the rounds and the average. With that, she earned enough points to move into first place in the Central Plains Region.
“I’ve always been kind of a chaser, like I was always chasing somebody else and I’ve always been good at chasing,” Munsell said “Now since I’m No. 1, I want to stay there. I’m going to even pick up more on it, focus more on my techniques, rope the dummy a lot, keep my horses legged up and work, hit the gym and a lot more mental toughness to stay on top, not safety up.”
Munsell credits her success this season to her mental preparation and the consistency of her horses. Munsell said she’s worked on her faith in God, her faith in her horses and focusing on positive thinking.
“I read a quote, ‘Whatever you say you are is what you are,’” she said. “So I always tell myself, you’re good enough. You rope good enough, and you can do this.”
Some of her credit lives in Monster, her breakaway horse. Munsell knew coming into freshman year that her good horse wasn’t at the college level so she brought Monster and hauled him.
Monster was bought by Munsell’s family at a sale barn for $200. He was too skinny to even be ridden through the ring, but was guaranteed broke and had good papers. Munsell’s dad said she was going to want to buy Monster from him, and Munsell thought no way she would ever buy that ugly, skinny thing.
Once Monster was fed up enough to ride Munsell rode him, and all Monster wanted to do was lope and drag his butt.
“We come on really, really slow,” Munsell said. “Nobody else could ride him because he was so little. He was deathly afraid of men. So I was the only one that could catch him or anything. He was just kind of tortured his whole life, just headed on, heeled, on and roped on. He was my toy.”
Monster grew to be Munsell’s main rope horse despite her family urging her to sell him. Munsell never got rid of Monster and is so happy she didn’t.
“He’s my blessing and my saving grace,” she said.
Success didn’t come without obstacles. Just before coming to college Munsell was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition where the nerves and blood vessels pinch off in between your top rib and pectoral muscle. She underwent extensive surgery and physical therapy, which she has to maintain.
“I have to go to the gym a lot,” Munsell said. “The trainers here at Alva been great at helping me take care of it because they told me to only ever be about 75 percent.”
Munsell never lets her should hold her back, and with the support of the Alva trainers and the rodeo team, along with her own work, Munsell continues to have success.
“I think our women’s team is very awesome,” Munsell said. “I think everybody’s pretty supportive. I try to be supportive of everybody because everybody on our team has a chance to go 180 a rodeo. We have a very good team, lots of nice horses. Lots of people working super hard and I don’t know how it is at other schools, but from what I hear I think Alva is kind of the place to be.”
The Northwestern women’s rodeo team proved that this past weekend. The team placed second in Garden City and held their spot at the top of the team standings in the Central Plains Region.
Munsell was not the only team member to do well. Melissa Couture placed fourth in the breakaway.
In the goat tying, three women made the short round. Jennifer Massing tied for second in the average. Aundrea Dufrane placed fourth, and Meghan Corr placed fifth.
In the barrel racing, Kayla Copenhaver was the only Northwestern women to make the short round, but she didn’t place in the average.
The Northwestern men’s team also finished second and moved into the No. 2 spot in the region standings.
The men took five spots in the team roping. Ethan Price won the average with Garden City team roper, Ean Price. Grayson Allred placed third in the average with Sam Stamper of Oklahoma State University. Maverick Harper, Tanner Nall and Kass Bittle all made the short round but did not place in the average.
In the steer wrestling, Cody Devers placed second in the average. Devin Olsen placed sixth. Allred also made the short round but didn’t place in the average.
Price also placed third in the tie-down roping. Riley Wakefield placed sixth in the average in the tie-down.
Going into the final three rodeos of the season has many people on edge, but Munsell is not letting the pressure of making the College Finals get to her. Her mental and physical preparation has her prepared for any set-up.
“I’ve got a calmness over me now when I rope,” Munsell said, “I realized every run is a blessing and take every run for what it is.”