Matched with a pair of lucky earrings and an aggressive desire to win, 16-year-old Rodeo Results star, Ali Armstrong, is storming through the barrel racing world and setting a new standard for young competitors across the country.
From Perry, GA, where she won the NBHA Youth World title in 2014, to Shawnee, OK where she won IFYR for two successive years in a row, this Noble, OK native is creating a name for herself in the industry. She not only has racked up numerous accomplishments throughout the years, but she was also the first contestant to win six consecutive go rounds at an IFYR.
“BARrEL rACING…It’s all I do.”
– aLI aRMSTRONG
“It’s all I do,” is how Armstrong replied to a question I asked about other hobbies she does outside of rodeo. I was hoping to get a glimpse of her “normal” high school activities, but it quickly became apparent to me that this girl is not only incredibly gritty, but she is uncommonly focused on her sport, as well. “It takes a lot more effort and preparation behind the scenes than you would think,” she says. Instead of going to soccer practice or catching up on missed episodes of Gossip Girl, which is how I remember my high school years, Armstrong spends her evenings and weekends training barrel horses and keeping her rodeo horse in top shape. She credits her role model, NFR barrel racer, Angie Meadors, and her ornery bay roan gelding she calls “Panama” for helping her stay motivated.
This sweet (and fierce) duo is busy entering high school rodeos and barrel races at the moment, but Armstrong hopes to compete at the collegiate and professional levels in the next few years. While the lucky earrings she wears while running will hopefully withstand the speed and dust of the arena, her determination and devotion are the real reasons why she already has so many achievements under her belt. It is a rarity to meet young people that act upon their passions as does Armstrong, and although you won’t be seeing her run barrels in Las Vegas this year, keep your eyes open, because there is high likelihood that she will be tearing down the Thomas and Mack alleyway in the future.
