By Lindsay Whelchel
Some of Kinzie Alexander’s fondest memories are attending rodeos and similar events with her parents from the time she was young. Rodeo has been in Kinzie’s life from the start, her dad David is a team roper and mom Deb rides horses as well, but it was her parents’ investment in fostering Kinzie’s interest in the sport that rooted the love of the lifestyle strongest into a young Kinzie.
“They’ve helped me a lot, and I’ve gotten a lot of my love [of rodeo] from just going to different events with them whenever I got my start,” Kinzie says, adding that she grew up riding horses, helping around the family ranch in Logan Kansas and helping with the work her family does on neighboring ranches.
Eventually Kinzie took up roping and competed in junior high rodeo for two years before going on to high school and competing in the Kansas High School Rodeo Association.
Now, she’s a senior and is still totally immersed in the Western lifestyle. She competes in team roping as a header and breakaway roping.
“I’m not a speed event girl,” she laughs.
When she’s not rodeoing, Kinzie is actively involved in 4-H showing cattle and hogs. “I definitely grew up around cattle,” Kinzie explains of being drawn to show them competitively, but Kinzie doesn’t stop there with her extra-curricular endeavors. She’s also the FFA president, the class president, Kansas Association of Youth Secretary, and she plays basketball and works at a local pizza place.
Perhaps being involved in so much is the result of Kinzie’s motto to always live life to the fullest every day.
And living fully means working hard.
There are rewards to the hard work, especially when Kinzie talks about team roping.
“Team roping is very addictive. You get to work with somebody, but you also have to do your part and hope they do their part. It’s just one of those events you can do anywhere,” she says.
Next year she plans to go on to college and hopes to continue rodeoing while she obtains her degree, because as Kinzie would likely agree, nowhere can she embrace her motto to enjoy life more than while at a rodeo swinging her rope.
