story by Ruth Nicolaus
Sadie Fitzgerald is one of her dad’s three “cowboys.”
The cowgirl, a member of the Utah High School Rodeo Association, is the fifth generation of the Fitzgerald family to ranch in the Heber Valley. And since her parents, Ben and Syndi, didn’t have any sons, Sadie and her two younger sisters are their dad’s ranch hands.
But when she’s not out doctoring or tagging cattle, helping with calving and branding, or any of the other myriad ranch duties, she’s competing in the barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, team roping, reining cow horse, and cutting. She competes in nearly every girls’ event there is, just because she loves anything to do with a horse.
A senior at Wasatch High School, Sadie is enjoying her last year of school. Academically, it’s been easier than previous years. She’s taken some college classes, but she’s also kept her work load a bit lighter so she could focus on rodeo.
She is very involved in FFA, serving as treasurer of her school’s chapter. One of her favorite class periods is as teacher’s assistant to her ag advisors and working on FFA projects. She is also on her school’s honor roll.
This fall, she hopes to attend college in Utah and compete collegiately. She may study something equine-related, possibly equine physical therapy, but she’s not sure yet.
She has competed at state finals the last three years and at Silver State the last two years. This year, she has qualified in all seven of her events for state finals.
She is the oldest of three girls: Faith is fifteen, and Kate is twelve. She heads for Faith, and the sisters get along better in the roping pen than when out on the ranch. “In rodeo, we never get worked up with each other,” she said.
She and her family ranch on the Circle Dot Livestock Ranch, right outside Heber City.
