*Being a Black cowgirl hasn’t been easy for Staci Russell, who has worked hard to become a rodeo competitor.
Russell, 39, and her 20-year-old horse, Reese’s Cup, finished in first place during the women’s barrel racing competition for the Midwest Invitational Rodeo held in Russell’s hometown Belleville, USA Today reports.
Some of the nation’s most talented African American cowboys and cowgirls participate in this rodeo. It’s one of the few times Russell’s family gets to see her compete in person, as she often travels to rodeos around the nation.
“I had to establish myself as a competitor,” said Russell, who works as an instructional technology coach for Van Buren Public Schools.
39-year-old Staci Russell has worked hard to establish herself as a competitor in rode, but being a Black cowgirl hasn’t been easy, she said. https://t.co/xK4wA7UCij
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 14, 2023
When she first started out as a rodeo competitor in 2012, Russell recalled her experience with one particular announcer.
“He announces me and says, ‘We’re going to go down to the city of Detroit where they just filed bankruptcy.’ That was my announcement. But now it’s definitely not like that anymore.”
In 2017, she became the Cowgirls Barrel Racing Year-End Champion for the Mid States Rodeo Association. The following year, Reese’s Cup was out for six months due to an injury. Russell ultimately missed a shot at being the first Black female in the finals of the International Professional Rodeo Association in more than 15 years.
“It was a tough pill to swallow,” she said.
In 2018, she was ranked in the top 25 for the International Professional Rodeo Association. She also placed in the top 10 for three years in the Mid States Rodeo Association.
Having to compete in rodeo as a Black woman comes with unique challenges. In addition to finding sponsors to help cover the costs of taking care of her horse, the trailer, and travel expenses, Russell still has to deal with occasional racism.
“I literally had one crowd where, as I circled the arena, it just got quiet,” Russell said. “It was weird.”
As she continues to collect awards and accolades, people now say, “Oh, that’s Staci from Detroit. She has a really good horse,” Russell shared.
“That horse is my kid,” Russell said of Reese’s Cup. “God sent him to me for a reason, and I’ll probably have to go to grief counseling if something happened to him. He gives me 100%. He’s slowing down a bit, but he’s faster than some of the other horses.”
Eventually, Russell hopes to open a school for kids in Detroit that aims to inspire and teach them about horses.
READ MORE: Black Cowboys Saddle Up in the South African Western ‘Five Fingers for Marseilles’ (WATCH)
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