Zack Puckett earns a trip to the national high school rodeo

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

By the time this story hits the newsstands on Saturday morning, Zack Puckett will have arrived in Farmington, New Mexico, to prepare for the national high school rodeo finals.
Puckett, a 2008 graduate of Rural Retreat High School, was reached on a cell phone on Thursday afternoon as he was traveling west to New Mexico in a vehicle with a friend and his friend’s father.
Puckett qualified for the national high school finals due to his recent performance in the bareback competition in the Virginia High School League state rodeo finals held in Dublin.
Puckett said he is scheduled to compete in the national finals in New Mexico on Monday and Friday nights of this coming week.
This is the first time that Puckett has competed in New Mexico, but it’s his third time being in the nationals. The other two times he traveled to Illinois for the nationals.
The Virginia High School League allows its athletes to participate through the age of 18, but Puckett’s days of rodeo riding are far from over. He will continue competing in other rodeo organizations which have no age limit.
Puckett said he also competes in bull riding. In both events, the rider has to remain on the animals back for eight seconds.
When asked which one was easier, Puckett replied they’re “about the same.”
Puckett began competing in rodeos when he was in the seventh grade. He said he went to a rodeo when he was in elementary school to see a friend of his compete. He was hooked after that. “I thought it was pretty cool,” he said.
He’s also competed in steer wrestling (a rider must get off his horse and throw a steer to the ground) when he was a freshman, but he now concentrates on bareback and bull riding.
While he doesn’t own a horse, Puckett said he keeps in riding shape by practicing on a spur board. He said he helps keep his legs strong, which is very important to remain on a wild animal. Other than his legs, a rider has just a thin rope to hold onto with one hand as the horse or bull tries to send him hurtling into the air. He described the rope he holds as similar to a suit case handle.
Puckett said he enjoys competing in the nationals because “it’s a rush. I enjoy competing against the best in the country.”
He said there were about 1,200 competitors at least year’s nationals.