story by Riata Christiansen
Twin sisters and best friends Emma and Erryn Hodson live in Hooper, Utah. They are seniors at Fremont High School. Erryn’s favorite subject is math and she is currently going to school to become a cosmetologist. Emma enjoys her anatomy classes and is working on becoming a medical assistant. Both are high honor roll students and have proactive attitudes for learning and success.
Their mom and dad, Karen and Brad, are the proud parents of five girls. Twenty-four-year-old Jessie, twenty two year old Megan, the 17 year old twins, and Kenna who is 7. Both parents rodeoed, as did the older sisters, so it was only natural for Erryn and Emma to join in the tradition. They have loved riding horses and competing since they were young, and now it takes up most of their time.
Other than the actual competing, their favorite part of rodeo is the friendships. They enjoy meeting new people at nationals, as well as getting to know their fellow competitors in Utah. Rodeo provides life-long friendships and irreplaceable relationships that leave an impact on all those blessed enough to compete. The twins recognize and appreciate the life skills that rodeo teaches, like hard work and persistence.
So far, they are very successful competitors. Erryn was the All-Around Cowgirl two years in a row for a local rodeo club. She competed at the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo, and has qualified for the high school finals twice in her high school career. Similarly, Emma has won many breakaway roping and goat tying titles locally. She, too, went to the NJHSFR twice. They are currently sitting first and second in goat tying, and both are top ten in the breakaway roping. Both are working hard to qualify for the National High School Finals this year.
The two share a goat horse named Kallie. Kallie has an attitude, but with two state championships and a state arena record, the 25-year-old horse has earned a little sass. Their breakaway horses include Reggie, a small but mighty horse who gets the job done; and Boom, a big-hearted mare who loves her job.
The two push each other in practice, but at the rodeo they are completely loving and supportive. If one of them has a bad run, they still cheer for the other and celebrate each other’s victories. They are proud of the way they can help each other through things and keep positive attitudes. They both look up to their older sisters who push them to be better. Having them for examples, mentors, and friends is something the girls both cherish.
Emma believes that if you put God first, you will never be last. Erryn knows that to be number one, you have to be a little odd. The two of them do everything together, and have a tendency to use their twin telepathy to finish one another’s sentences and speak simultaneously. When all is said and done, the best part of being a twin is knowing there is someone to catch you when you fall and someone to back you up when your backs against a wall.
