Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Kenzie Kallenberger, Havre youth rodeo

With the return of the Great Northern Fair after a year without it in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so comes the return of the Great Northern Fair RAM Rodeo and Havre Jr. Rodeo. One rider who looks forward to the return of rodeo at the fairgrounds is Kenzie Kallenberger who is happy to get the chance to get back out there.

"It's really good because last year was so hard and nobody could do anything and we were all stuck at home," Kallenberger said. "Now we can go back and we're all together and we get to see people that we didn't get to see last year and there was lots of good energy."

At both the junior rodeo and RAM Rodeo, Kallenberger hopes to showcase her skills throughout the week. In the junior rodeo Wednesday, she competed in goat tying and breakaway roping. In the RAM Rodeo tonight, she will compete in the junior barrel racing and junior breakaway roping events. Kallenberger has had a strong year in junior barrel racing as she is third in the category in the Northern Rodeo Association with earnings of $475.20.

"I attribute my success to my mom because she's helped me so much and she's taught me a lot," Kallenberger said on her success this season in junior barrel racing.

Kallenberger's family has been a huge influence on her becoming a rider. In addition to her mother, her father Doug Kallenberger is an experienced cowboy and is the head coach of the Montana State University-Northern rodeo program. Not only did her parents help her become the rider she is, but they helped her appreciate and respect the sport.

"I've had such amazing role models that it's just improved me to be really good and they helped me so much," Kallenberger said. "It's a very humbling sport and it influences you to be a good person and not have a big ego because you win some and you lose some and you're not on top of the world every day."

Kallenberger has competed in many rodeos throughout her career. Her favorite rodeo memory came when she qualified for the national finals and placed in the top 15 against the best riders from other states. At all the other rodeos she has participated in throughout the years, she has enjoyed meeting new people and having new experiences.

"(I enjoy) going to rodeos and probably seeing the people and feeling the energy from the crowds," Kallenberger said. "(I enjoy) going to different places and just meeting different people and being a part of different places and seeing different cultures."

After competing in the junior rodeo Wednesday night, Kalleneberger will now prepare for the RAM Rodeo. While the rodeo will began Thursday at the Great Northern Fair, she will compete in junior barrel racing and junior breakaway roping tonight starting at 7 p.m. at the fair's outdoor arena. In between her competitions, the Havre Daily News got the chance to catch up with Kallenberger and ask her a few questions.

HDN: What do you enjoy about barrel racing?

Kallenberger: "Barrel racing is fun because it's not just a me sport. I'm with my horse and I have to be part of him and we're just like one person when I'm on him and it's a very together sport and I really like that."

HDN: What do you enjoy about breakaway roping?

Kallenberger: "I really like breakaway because it's just like barrel racing. I get to be a part of my horse and I get to rope and roping is harder than that so you have to work much harder to breakaway rope."

HDN: What do you enjoy about goat tying?

Kallenberger: "Goat tying's fun because you can go down and you can get off and you can go really fast and you can wipe out sometimes but it's pretty fun."

HDN: What other hobbies do you have outside of rodeo?

Kallenberger: "I play basketball and I'm going to be a freshman this year so I've been playing basketball since I was in second grade and I focus on school a lot."

HDN: What do you enjoy about basketball?

Kallenberger: "I really like basketball because it's a team sport just like rodeo with my animal so I really like team sports. I don't really like being individual and basketball's fun because it's something that I can do besides rodeo in the winter."