story by Ruth Nicolaus
Hannah Giger lets her actions speak for her.
The Wilburton, Okla. cowgirl may not be much of a talker, but she lets her competition do the talking for her.
Hannah, an Oklahoma Junior High Rodeo Association member, competes in the breakaway, goats (her two favorite events), the barrels, poles, and ribbon roping, and last year, at National Junior High Finals, finished fourth in the world in the goat tying.
For the pole bending, she rides a fourteen year old palomino named Firecracker. For the barrel racing, her mount is a six year old sorrel named Ruby, and for the goats and breakaway, she rides a thirteen year old sorrel named Dollar, who carried Briar Teague, 2016 National Junior High School Rodeo Association goat tying champ to a win; Hannah lent her horse to Briar after his horse was injured. Of all her horses, Dollar is her favorite; she’s been riding him since she was six years old.
Hannah is an eighth grade student at Wilburton Junior High, where she is second in her class, is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, FFA, and plays basketball. She loves pre-algebra class.
Last year, she competed at the National Ropers Supply (NRS) timed event, and won the girls’ junior division all-around title. She, along with the junior boy and senior girl and boy winners, were given a key to see if it would unlock a trailer; her key fit! She won a year’s use of a four-horse trailer with living quarters.
Her mom and dad, Amy and Dusty, are very proud of her, and enjoy watching her compete. “She’s real competitive, and she doesn’t like to lose,” Amy said. “She’s her own person. She doesn’t follow the crowd at all, and she is very responsible.”
She’s a tomboy, Amy said. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I had a girl.”
The Giger family has four dogs: a catahoula named Pepper, and three border collies: Molly, Pete and Hoss.
Hannah competed at state both her sixth and seventh grade years and went on to Nationals in sixth grade in the goat tying and in seventh grade in the breakaway and goat tying.
