GILLETTE, Wyo. — It’s a 550-mle haul from Provo, through Wyoming’s badlands, to the sprawling arena complex that is home to the 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo.
But Dustin Pace is feeling quite at home.
That certainly wasn’t the case last year, when a bad case of the “ninth-grade jitters” got the best of the young cowboy, who lost a cow in the second go-around of the boys cutting competition and left the contest in 52nd place.
“I had a lot of nervousness,” the Lehi Rodeo Club member admitted.
This year? Not so much.
“The experience I have from last year, having been through this all once before, it’s made things a lot better,” the 16-yearold cowboy said.
He’s also not the only one carrying the family’s flag. His older sister, Danielle Pace, also qualified in cutting this year.
“That makes it different than last year,” Dustin Pace said.
“We’ve both been riding together since we were little kids. It’s a lot of fun having her here with me.”
The younger Pace will find out today if his newfound comfort will translate into a trip to the championship round. After a pair of strong go-arounds on Monday afternoon and Friday morning, he was tied for seventh place heading into the final day of competition. One final group of riders will perform this morning and the top 20 will ride again in the afternoon’s short round.
“It’s looking pretty good that I’ll make it through,” Pace said.
It’s looking good for his sister, too. Not apparently afflicted by the same first-time jitters that unnerved her brother, last year, Danielle Pace’s score of 217 put her just one point behind first place after the first go-around.
She’ll perform again this morning and — barring any significant mistakes — will likely advance to the finals this afternoon as well.
“I’ve just got to ride like I did the first time,” she said.
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