By Keysha Drexel
Journal editor
There will be a new royal at Vestavia Hills High School when school starts next week.
Lizzie Sexton will start her sophomore year on Aug. 11 as the new Miss Alabama High School Rodeo.
She won the title in June at the Alabama High School Rodeo Association Queen pageant, where she also earned a spot on the Alabama National High School Rodeo team with her breakaway roping skills.
At the pageant, Sexton was judged on speech, modeling, personality, horsemanship and personal interviews.
“We were also judged on our answers to impromptu questions, and we had to take a written test on the National High School Rodeo Association’s rulebook,” she said.
Sexton swept the competition, winning every category, including the Miss Congeniality title, which was voted on by the other contestants.
She also competed in barrel racing, girls’ cutting, breakaway roping and team roping at the state contest.
At the National High School Rodeo finals in July in Rock Springs, Wyo., she competed against 44 girls from around the country in the breakaway roping championships.
“I placed fourth out of 44, and I placed ninth overall at nationals,” Sexton said. “I was the first girl from Alabama to place in the top 10 at nationals, so it was pretty exciting.”
While being a rodeo queen is full of excitement, Sexton said she doesn’t think most people realize how much hard work is involved in the sport.
“I train year-round, and if I’m not at school or doing homework, I’m riding and training,” the 16-year-old, who had a 4.0 grade point average in her freshman year at Vestavia Hills High School, said.
Sexton has been riding horses since she was 7 years old and said her enthusiasm for the sport has never waned.
“I’ve loved it since the beginning, and I love it more and more every year,” she said.
When she was in the fifth grade, Sexton expanded her skill set by learning roping and competing in barrel racing events.
“You have to get out there and pay your dues and learn as much as you can and practice as much as you can,” Sexton said.
While Sexton has won several contests during her rodeo career, she said the ultimate satisfaction comes from knowing that she has done her best, no matter if that best comes with a title or not.
“I think it’s the best sport out there because it’s not all about winning–it’s more about pushing yourself to reach goals,” she said. “You don’t have a star player to lean on, and you know that everything you accomplish out there, it’s all you and it’s all because of your hard work. It’s just the best feeling.”
Sexton said she also enjoys the camaraderie that develops among the young riders in the Alabama High School Rodeo Association.
“It’s really like a big family, and we’ve all become close over the years,” Sexton said.
Those close bonds helped Sexton out of a potentially tight spot at the national competition in Wyoming last month.
“My horse got hurt, so I had to borrow a horse from a friend for nationals,” she said. “That kind of thing happens all the time, and people step up to help each other any way they can.”
Sexton rides different horses depending on what kind of event she is competing in, she said.
“My barrel racing horse is Athena, and my rope horse is Zane,” she said. “You have to form a good relationship with your horses, but you also have to be able to jump on a completely different horse if you need to, like I did at nationals.”
Sexton said while she’s not sure what she wants to study in college, she is certain that horses and riding will always have a place in her life.
“I don’t know what I want to do once I graduate from high school, but I know that I definitely want to compete at the collegiate level,” she said.
Having reached her goal of becoming Miss Alabama High School Rodeo, Sexton said she’s setting her sights on an even loftier goal.
“I definitely want to go pro at some point,” she said. “Riding is my whole life.”
