Popko third at CHSRA state finals, qualifies for nationals

Kerry Popko’s high school rodeo career will continue for another month.

Popko placed among the top four in Pole Bending during the California High School Rodeo Association state finals June 17-22 in Bishop, earning her a berth at the National High School Rodeo Association national finals which will be held July 19-26 in Farmington, NM.

“I’m just really excited,” Popko said. “My career’s not over yet.”

The state positions are based on positions in each of the go-rounds, positions in the average (aggregate) at the state finals, and position points carried over from the district standings. The cowboys and cowgirls who place in the top four at the state level in each event earn a berth to the NHSRA national finals.

Popko, who was a senior at Fallbrook High School during the CHSRA District 8 season, placed fourth in the district standings. She placed third, sixth, fourth, and sixth in the go-rounds at the state finals and second in the average.

“I just went in there and tried to be consistent. There was a lot of competition,” Popko said.

Popko finished third in the state, five points behind former Bonsall resident Destri Devenport and one point behind District 4 champion Katie Vest. The district position points cost Popko the state’s second-place status.

The top five finishers in the district point standings for each event are invited to the CHSRA state finals. The CHSRA has nine districts, leading to 45 competitors in each event at the state finals.

Popko and her horse, Banjo, first ran on the morning of June 17. “The ground was horrible,” Popko said.

Popko was the eighth rider out, or the third after the dragging of the ground. “I had really bad draws,” she said.

Popko’s time of 21.032 seconds in the first go-round gave her third place for that run. “That’s good. All you have to do is stay in the top four,” she said.

Popko’s second go-round the night of June 18 resulted in a sixth-place time of 21.307 seconds. “It was just really bad ground,” said Popko, who was the ninth rider out and the fourth after the drag.

Popko was the eighth rider out in the third go-round June 19. Her time of 21.195 seconds placed fourth for that go-round.

The top 15 riders in the average after the first three go-rounds advanced to the short go June 21. “In the short everybody started hitting poles,” Popko said.

Knocking down a pole brings a five-second penalty in addition to the actual time of the run. Popko kept her poles upright and concluded her run in 21.779 seconds to give her sixth place.

“That’s okay for the short go,” Popko said of sixth place. “I was just hoping for a clean run.”

Ironically, Popko drew the 11th position for the short go, making her the first rider after the drag. “It didn’t help me any,” she said.

Popko’s four-run average of 85.313 seconds placed second behind Devenport’s average of 84.997 seconds. Devenport’s time of 20.784 seconds won the first Pole Bending go-round, she finished fourth in the second go at 21.210 seconds, and her time of 21.295 seconds in the short go was worth third place. Devenport’s time of 21.708 seconds didn’t place in the third go-round.

Devenport lived in Bonsall from 1998 to 2003 before her family moved to Temecula. The Devenport family moved to San Pasqual in 2005, and Destri Devenport recently completed her junior year of high school through Julian Charter School. Devenport won the District 8 Pole Bending championship as well as the District 8 Breakaway Roping title. Devenport, who was the District 8 champion All-Around Girl, also finished second in the season Barrel Racing, Girls Cutting, and Team Roping header standings.

Although Devenport will compete in the national finals only in Pole Bending, she also finished seventh in the state in Breakaway Roping despite missing two calves, and her time of 2.35 seconds won the first go-round while her 2.79-second run was worth sixth place in the third go-round. Devenport also placed ninth in the first Barrel Racing go-round.

The trip to the NHSRA national finals will be the second for Popko, who also earned a trip to the national finals in 2006. “I was just really happy to make it,” she said.

While the top four finishers in the state qualify for the national finals, those who finish fifth through tenth are invited to the Silver State championships in Nevada. Popko competed at Silver State in 2007.

The CHSRA state finals also saw Popko receive a $1,000 scholarship based on an essay, an interview, and the information on the application. Popko found out about the scholarship during her week in Bishop.

“I didn’t really know,” she said of winning the scholarship. “I was positive about it.”

Popko had previously received a $500 merit scholarship from District 8 at the district awards banquet May 4, and the California Junior Rodeo Association gave Popko a $750 Zak Family Ranch Scholarship in January. As was the case with her previous two scholarships, Popko’s essay for the CHSRA state scholarship focused on her relationship with her horse and her accomplishments in rodeo. Popko will be attending California State University Long Beach, where she will major in communications.

Popko had been an English rider and had participated in equitation, pleasure, and hunter/jumper competition before her seven years in Junior Rodeo and four years of high school rodeo.

The Popko family moved from Playa Del Rey to Fallbrook when Kerry was in first grade. She attended Maie Ellis Elementary School, La Paloma Elementary School, and Potter Junior High School before her four years at Fallbrook High School.

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