Photos by Steven Wright | Greene County News
Noah Spracklen of Cedarville was the only local competitor during the bull riding portion of Tuesday’s Rough E Rodeo event at the grandstands during the 2024 Greene County Fair.
Aubrey Duncan of Xenia was the youngster competitor in the barrel racing event on Tuesday and had the crowd behind her as she completed the course.
Darby Decker of Fairborn competed in the barrel race and had a time of 18.845.
Finishing with a time of 19.667 was Isabella McGowan of Xenia on the barrel race course.
Kayla Gephart of Xenia rode the barrel race in a time of 16.005 and had a five second penalty added on.
XENIA — It was roughly a year ago when Noah Spracklen decided he wanted to give bull riding a go.
The Cedarville native was the only local competitor in the bull riding portion of Tuesday’s Rough E Rodeo show at the grandstands of the fair.
“I would always watch [Professional Bull Riders on TV, so I was always kind of curious what it would be like,” Spracklen said. “I went to a rodeo school, got on two or three of them and loved it and I’ve just kept doing it ever since.”
His first attempt saw him last under two seconds as the horse quickly bucked him off. His second try later in the evening saw his bull head straight forward while trying to buck him off, allowing Spracklen to not have to worry about moving side-to-side as he nearly stayed on for close to four seconds before the bull ran into a barrel in the ring.
“Still happy I did it, but there’s a lot of things I wish I could have corrected,” he said.
He said he has not been able to stay on for the full eight seconds yet, but while that would be nice it’s not his main goal. Winning a buckle as rodeo champion would be a bigger deal for Spracklen.
It nearly goes without saying that it takes a particular kind of personality to want to ride and stay on top of a animal that could weight more than 1,000 pounds and has a mean attitude, but Spracklen said there’s nothing that matches the rush of participating.
“The adrenaline rush, the crowd and everything, it’s just an amazing sport,” he said. “I’ve met so many great people doing it with a lot of amazing friends and memories I’ve already made. It’s a lifestyle.”
Duncan has the need for speed
Aubrey Duncan just loves going fast.
She said as much following her run during the barrel racing portion of Tuesday’s show. It’s why she wanted to compete in the event.
“Because we have to go fast,” Duncan said.
The 6-year-old was the youngest entrant in the barrel racing of the 27 contestants. She officially did not set a time, although the electronic timer had her listed around 30 seconds.
Her horse wasn’t fully cooperative as it drifted toward the edge of the ring rather than attempt to curve its way around the three barrels the called for by the course design.
“I was just trying my best to get her to run around fast in circles,” she said.
The crowd gave a loud applause as she made the final turn and sped toward the finish line.
It had to be the most exciting part for Duncan as well, as that’s when the horse could run at its fastest heading in a straight line.
And what was her thoughts after she finished?
“My legs are tired from kicking,” Duncan said.
Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on X (formerly Twitter) @Steven_Wright_.
