story by Lindsay King
An animal science graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jamie Molesworth now owns a chiropractic clinic in Burwell, Nebraska, the town she grew up in. “My dad rodeoed so it was a family affair from the beginning. My parents started taking my brother and I to junior rodeos when we were little. We both have always done it essentially,” said the NSRA barrel racer. Jamie tied goats in college while also barrel racing. “I bought a breakaway horse, so I am hoping to back get into that this year. Barrel racing is my favorite event at the moment, because I have a really nice horse.” Jamie was supposed to ride and season a mare for Ruppel Performance Horses and then sell her but they got along so well she bought her. “Her name is Bernadette, just like the girl off The Big Bang Theory. She is not real big, but she is really feisty making Bernadette the perfect name for her.”
Jamie said her last good year of rodeo was in 2000, when she was the goat tying champion in both the Great Plains region and M-SRA as well as the all-around cowgirl in the mid states. “My proudest moment was winning the all-around in the Great Plains region in college. That was the first time I had won a year end saddle, in the goat tying, and then the all-around title with it was just incredible.” Jaime was the 2017 year-end champion barrel racer in the M-SRA and runner up in the NSRA. “It was an accomplishment to win the barrel racing because it seems to be such a tough event. People have really great horses and that was the first year I was running Bernadette. I did not expect to do that well so it kind of shocked me.”
Part of her success has come in the last few years as Jaime has worked on her mental game. “I have gotten better about visualizing what I wanted to accomplish and setting goals. There are so many external factors that come into play with rodeo that having a mental plan makes all the difference.” Now a director for barrel racing in the NSRA, Jaime develops her game plan but still makes time to answer questions before her event. “I try to focus on two things in my run that I need to do. When things go wrong I just go back to my game plan and try not to let the little things get to me. Essentially, I focus on having a good run for that day, whatever that might look like.”
A NSRA member since her senior year of high school, 1996, Jamie has been in and out of the association ever since. “After I graduated from UNL I went to Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota for chiropractic school.” Graduating in April 2005, Jamie started her clinic in Burwell that June. “I like setting my own hours, so I am flexible enough to still rodeo. I help people with a lot of different things; I do nutritional counseling to help people develop healthier lifestyles.” Jamie takes an adjustment table with her to rodeos, so she can help fellow competitors on the road as well. “It is important to stay healthy and at the top of your game, especially in this sport.”
Living in Burwell puts Jamie within a two-hour drive of almost every NSRA rodeo in the state. “Our board is amazing this year and our secretary is incredible at her job. She is always on top of everything going on in the association.” With the association making changes for bigger and better events, Jamie thinks it is headed in the right direction. “They definitely pay better than they used to when I first started. But most of the changes have to do with promotion and finding out what the competitors want and need done. It is a great association to be a part of, that is for sure.”
