Every rodeo starts with the singing of the national anthem and a prayer. It makes sense that Jolee Alvey, a 17-year-old high school senior and a Region 4 Texas High School Rodeo Association athlete, favorite place to be is with her church youth group when she is not on the road going to rodeos.
“I don’t have much free time outside of rodeo because I high school rodeo; I am in the Lone Star High School Rodeo Association and hit every jackpot in between,” said the Lindale, Texas cowgirl. “I am always roping and always rodeoing, but I am also very active in my youth group at church. “We go to an event every year called Leadership Training for Christ,” she added. “It’s held every year during Easter weekend in Dallas.”
Alvey said North Texas Leadership Training for Christ (NTLTC) is an event she looks forward to attending every year. She said it helped her develop close relationships with all the church youth group members. According to the NTLTC website, the purpose of NTLC is to plan, organize, promote, and execute programs that assist young Christians in developing their knowledge of the Bible and biblical principles, enhancing their communication and leadership skills, and orienting their energies and abilities to areas of Christian Service.
Jolee Alvey proudly rides for Team Cavenders. Photo Courtesy of Twisted C Rustic Shots
“I really became close with everyone over this last year and a half because before then, I was always gone and rodeoing,” she said. “I got baptized the night before my birthday, and that experience brought me much closer to God.”
The young cowgirl decided to transition to homeschool classes. Now, she will have more time to focus on her multiple rodeo events. She said she competes in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, and team roping and is a former rodeo queen.
“I went in person to school my freshman year, but when I went back my sophomore year, I decided it was not really for me,” she said. “I went to homeschooling for my junior year. Now, I can focus on rodeo more.”
Alvey said the homeschool program simplifies juggling schoolwork and rodeo because there are no set due dates throughout the semester. “As long as I have everything turned in by the nine-week mark, I am good to go,” she said. Taking time to focus on rodeo has paid off for Alvey. She was crowned the 2023 LHSRA Breakaway Average Champion.
Alvey, who also won the “Raye” of Sunshine award in the THSRA in 2023, said it was an honor to carry on the legacy that Bailee Raye Ackerman Byler left behind when she and her husband died in a helicopter crash leaving their wedding in 2018. The award is presented to a THSRA member who displays exceptional character, leadership, and sportsmanship.
-Article Courtesy of Charity Pulliam
