Local partners team up for one last competition
Sports reporter
This past spring high school seniors Ryan Gaines and Leann Thomas were a big part of the Marion-Florence/Peabody-Burns baseball and softball teams' success.
Thomas pitched and played first base for the 10-9 Warriors and Gaines hit .333 as the starting catcher on the 4A regional runner-up Warrior baseball team. Each had their eyes on their respective state championships
This weekend however, they are teaming up with their eyes on the same prize.
The duo will compete Friday in Kansas High School Rodeo state finals at Topeka's Expo Center.
They will take part in the team-roping competition, which has roughly 42 teams, and Thomas also will participate in the breakaway event. If they do well enough, they will participate Saturday in the finals.
Thomas, a 2005 Marion High School graduate, and Gaines, a 2005 Peabody-Burns High School graduate, became partners about a year ago.
The two knew each other from the practice pit east of Eisenhower Drive in Marion. Every Sunday night ropers would head up to hone their skills and have fun, similar to pickup basketball games.
Gaines, who has been competing in high school rodeo for almost five years now, had the same partner since he started. He needed a new partner this year, and he asked Leann.
"It started out almost as a joke," Gaines said. "But it worked out."
The two began practicing in August, and took part in roping contests when they could.
Thomas is the header, (she ropes the horns), and Gaines, the heeler, goes for the feet.
For Thomas, who had been roping for fun for about five years, this is her first crack at high school rodeo.
However, horses are nothing new to Leann. She has grown up on the same farm her whole life.
"I can remember coming home from swimming at the pool and jumping on a horse in my swim suit," she said. "I wish I would have gotten into [rodeo] sooner, it just takes up a lot of time I didn't have."
Like playing softball, basketball, volleyball, and other school activities that pretty much kept Thomas busy as long as she wasn't sleeping or studying.
Growing up on a farm is what propelled Gaines into the sport as well.
Matt Entz, a good friend of Gaines needed a partner five years ago and Gaines said OK.
"I've always been big on the farm," Gaines said. "So we just put two and two together."
Gaines hasn't slowed down since, and this fall he will attend Pratt Community College on a rodeo scholarship.
His first love is football, but he said rodeo isn't far behind.
"Now I just let the horse do all the running," he joked.
Thomas will attend Colby Community College this fall, but she won't be roping on the rodeo team.
"It's a hassle keeping a horse at school," she said. "But I'd like to continue roping as a hobby."
This will be the last go-around for the duo, and they plan to make it a memorable one.
It will be hard for them to win the event, because they haven't participated in enough competitions during the season to have previous points that are necessary to be champions.
However, you have to qualify for state by making at least one catch during the season, and they did that.
In fact, Gaines pointed out they actually did even better.
"We caught a few," he said. "It's pretty easy to qualify, but we did more than we had to."
Not being able to win the event doesn't matter to the duo.
"We're kind of heading into it for fun," Gaines said. "But we can still place high."
The weekend event should draw a large crowd, and both Thomas and Gaines said they will enjoy the experience.
Thomas enjoys the different atmosphere compared to the traditional sports she also plays.
"It makes it more interesting because you go out and meet of lot of people you didn't know," she said.
Although both ropers are looking to have fun, their competitive natures will probably still show up.
"I think we'll do all right," Gaines said. "We want to show people we can hang with state competition."
