Rodeo drive

Listen to any country music song about rodeos, and you'll likely hear how hard life on the road is for a cowboy.

When Garth Brooks sings "This ol' highway's getting longer, seems there ain't no end in sight" or George Strait pipes "I know this rodeo's been hard on us all, but I'll be home soon…" their lyrics are pretty accurate.

One local cowgirl and two cowboys are living those songs. They're on the road again this month at rodeo events.

Alexandria Skipworth, a 15-year-old from Central, is competing in the Wrangler Junior High Finals Rodeo in Gallup, N.M., this week. Morgan Jones and Mitch Dixon, both recent graduates of Muscle Shoals High School, will represent the local rodeo scene at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Springfield, Ill., later this month.

"Probably the first run is going to be nerve-wracking, but we'll be ready," said Skipworth, referring to the two-person team of her and her horse, Gray Goose.

Skipworth qualified for the national event in barrel racing and pole bending, while Jones and Dixon -- who also qualified in bulldogging -- compete in team roping. The two, however, are not roping partners.

Although they're excited about the upcoming events, each one can attest that being away from home can be tough at times.

"It's tough, you know," Jones said, "but I like to be gone as much as possible."

"Real tough," echoed Dixon. "Yeah, we run out of diesel sometimes."

For Skipworth, who travels with her mother, tough times are usually a bonding time.

"It's actually just me and her (on the road)," said Melanie Skipworth, Alexandria's mother.

"We've learned a lot together. We had to learn how to hook the gooseneck trailer up. We have to load all the stuff up -- like feed, maps and water for the horses."

Times don't get any easier once the competitors enter the arena.

Just ask Jones, who said he's disappointed himself the past three times at the national rodeo.

"I've never really done as good as I've expected to do, so I'm hoping I can do a little better this year," said Jones, who's qualified for this event three of the past four years.

Dixon is making his first appearance. He's caught on quick in bulldogging, an event he took up only two years ago.

"It was pretty rough when I first started out. I didn't catch like the first 20 steers. I would just hit the ground or take a horn to the face or get run over by horses," he said.

"It was tough to deal with, but I finally got a hold of it. It's been a blessing I haven't been hurt really bad."

Jones was on the bubble for qualifying for the national finals, but he caught his last steer at the state level to send him to Springfield.

Skipworth also had to overcome some struggles at state. Her horse became ill before the competition but she still managed to finish first.

"The state was pretty tough, especially since my horse was almost deathly sick. But she's going to be running well," she said.

"I'm pretty confident in Gray. If you buy the best horse in the world, it doesn't matter. You have to have that special bond."

In a sport that arguably requires a bigger level of commitment than your most stick-and-ball sports, these three athletes are doing what it takes to excel. Times can certainly be hard, but it's only part of the game. They seem to prefer it that way.

Cody Whitlock can be reached at 740-5727 or cody.whitlock@timesdaily.com