Keeping Stories Alive
Haley Johnson is recognized as a talented breakaway roper and western lifestyle photographer but few people realize how much perseverance and determination brought her to where she is today. Despite the various obstacles that have happened in her journey, she credits God with guiding her and putting kindhearted people on her path to help her along the way.
Chester, South Carolina is home to roughly 5,000 people—and one of them is high school senior Carmen Oates. Carmen has put her name on the map as a powerful breakaway roper and a young lady whose drive and determination are sure to take her far in the rodeo world.
For Jamie Ellsworth, rodeo has always been about relationships. She devotes herself to her horses, her family (especially her nieces and nephews), and her friends. As a third-generation competitor, she carries on a family tradition while also forging her own path in a new location with her own family and friends.
Jenny Lindsey-Wetterstrom is a woman who has found her joy in the world and multiplied it through pursuit of her hobbies. Her life is an inspiring blend of learning and living fully, and every day brings new adventures, from racehorses to sled dogs to bird dogs.
Misty Matthews loves rodeo. A rodeo mom, wife, competitor, and rodeo secretary, she is no stranger to the fastest sport on dirt.
Growing up in Franklin, Tennessee, Misty enjoyed a rural lifestyle. Her father rode bulls when he was younger and their family always had horses. They also kept busy with their farm and side burley tobacco operation.
When you first talk with Daryl Matthews, a few things immediately stand out. He has a pleasant demeanor, he is proud of his family, and he sure loves to rope calves.
This passion for calf roping has been a lifelong journey and has turned into a shared family dream, with his two daughters, Bailey and Kyla both enjoying roping. While Bailey now has a separate career, Kyla continues to pursue breakaway roping and was recently named world champion at the International Finals Rodeo 54 in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Rodeo is in their blood.
Kyla may be the youngest of the Matthews family, but her wisdom and skill set in the breakaway roping far surpass her years. With her mother a barrel racer, her dad a calf roper, and her sister a breakaway roper, she grew up with no shortage of horsemen (and women) to learn from. When she was 3 years old she started riding, and at 5 years old began running barrels. While she was interested in the roping, she had trouble swinging a rope because she was so little, so she stuck with the barrels instead.
Bailey Matthews was born into rodeo. Since she started riding and being involved with rodeo at a young age, she doesn’t remember a time without it. The oldest daughter of Daryl and Misty Matthews of Athens, TN, Bailey is a breakaway roper like her younger sister Kyla. Her dad calf ropes, her mom has calf roped (and barrel raced), and their whole family shares a love and talent for the sport.
Cassie Chapman’s voice is full of love and thankfulness when she speaks about her family, her husband, and her roping. A tough breakaway roping competitor and current Director of Breakaway Roping for the International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA), Cassie is no stranger to the IPRA or the world of rodeo.
In fact, she is a third-generation rodeo athlete, with her grandparents on both sides being involved with horses.
For LaFayette, Georgia’s Zeb Chapman, horses have always been a family affair. From growing up with his dad deeply involved in the horse and roping world, to roping with his sister, and now through continuing the family tradition with his own roping, horse training, and marriage to breakaway roper Cassie Chapman.
