Sportswoman of the Year: Barrel Racer Britany Fleck

Lou Babiarz, Tribune Sports Editor, story from Farm & Ranch Guide

When Britany Fleck describes her first trip to the National Finals Rodeo, the adjectives flow – stressful, nerve-racking, at times discouraging.

And she can’t wait to go back.

 “It was a really great experience,” Fleck said. “I’m glad I got to live my dream.”

For becoming the first North Dakota cowgirl to qualify for the NFR – rodeo’s premier event – Fleck has been chosen as the Bismarck Tribune’s Sportswoman of the Year.

Fleck tops an impressive list of finalists that includes Brianna Flynn (Bismarck hockey; Century softball and golf); Maddy Gendreau (Bismarck hockey, St. Mary’s soccer); Jessica Herauf (Dickinson track, volleyball and basketball); A.J. Jacobs (Century volleyball, basketball and track); Kayln Schneider (Linton-HMB volleyball, basketball, track); Melissa Walker (U-Mary track); and Dakota Wolf (U-Mary cross country).

For Fleck, who had to finish among the top 15 in the barrel racing world rankings to qualify for the NFR, getting to compete on the big stage in Las Vegas was a thrill.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “You don’t really understand it until you’re there. I had watched it on TV, but the arena is bigger and the people are louder. It’s a whole different experience.”

The NFR didn’t go exactly as Fleck had hoped. She ended up taking 13th in the average standings and finishing 14th in the world rankings.

But Fleck improved as the 10-day event went on.

She even finished in the money in the seventh round, placing sixth to win $2,884.62.

“I always wanted to be there, but to actually pull a check was great,” Fleck said. “I was kind of disappointed that it took until the seventh round, but it was exciting.”

Fleck wasn’t the only one who had to deal with the stress. The NFR presented a very different environment than her horse, Dasher Dude – a.k.a. Rootie – was accustomed to.

On the first night, the riders were tightly squeezed into a holding pen as nearby another group of horses prepared for a flag presentation.

“Rootie doesn’t like flags,” Fleck said. “She got worked up. Then a chuck wagon went by. As she got more nervous, she got me more nervous.”

The riders had to come down a long runway which added another level of difficulty to the proceedings.

“The first barrel was blind. You couldn’t see it until you got in the arena,” Fleck said. “You went right from the dark into the bright lights and loud noise.”

Fleck hit her first barrel, drawing a five-second penalty. For the first several nights, it didn’t get any better.

She hit a barrel in each of the first four rounds, never finishing better than 12th.

“At that point, it was so difficult,” Fleck said. “I’ve had a lot of bad rodeos, but when you do, you get to leave that place and you don’t have to go back until next year. This time it was 10 rodeos in the same place. It was kind of discouraging.”

But before the fifth round Fleck had an experience that helped put her struggles in perspective. She was one of many NFR competitors who participated in the PRCA Exceptional Rodeo for special needs children.

“I was paired with a boy who had been blind since he was born,” Fleck said. “He got to ride and get on the horse. It was a great experience. … I realized that hitting a barrel isn’t that bad.”

As Fleck’s mindset improved, so did Rootie’s physical condition. Fleck said the mare had been a little bit muscle sore from the trip.

She got a horse chiropractor to massage Rootie, which helped loosen everything up. Fleck also exercised Rootie through the barrels, getting them both more comfortable with the course.

The work paid off. Each of Fleck’s next four rounds were clean. It all culminated in the seventh round, when Fleck’s time of 13.99 was good enough for a sixth-place finish.

Now that she’s had her first taste of the NFR, Fleck can’t wait to get another.

“It was so rewarding after all the time and money I put into this,” Fleck said. “I would love to get back.”

Tags: barrel racing, Britany Fleck, National Finals Rodeo, PRCA Rodeo, Sportswoman of the Year

This entry was posted on Monday, January 16th, 2012 at 3:39 pm and is filed under NCTA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.