Story & Photo By Emery Mask/Texan Mosaic Staff
Halley Guthrie, a sophomore at South Plains College, is no stranger to the rodeo world. Growing up in Idaho, she was raised around the equine industry thanks to her parent’s passion for horses.
The Shelley, Idaho native is an all-around cowgirl, competing in breakaway roping, goat tying, and barrel racing. At home, you can also catch Guthrie practicing in the team roping arena.
She made her way down to SPC courtesy of a college tour. Guthrie initially came to Texas via a tour of Western Texas College in Snyder, because that is where her sister attended. While she was in the area, she decided to make her trip worthwhile by touring some of the surrounding schools in the region.
“I had heard it was a really good college from peers that I had high school rodeoed with,” Guthrie said. “I had also talked to Kerry over the phone, and he sounded like a really good coach.”
After touring SPC, she concluded that she enjoyed SPC the most and thought that she would be happiest here in the nursing program. The rodeo team and her friends are what Guthrie enjoys most about SPC. But she also loves how convenient the campus is, along with the comradery.
“I love the rodeo team. I also love the academic aspect,” Guthrie said. “The professors really care about how we do.”
For Guthrie, rodeo is a way of life. She loves her horses more than anything. Guthrie chose rodeo over other sports because she loves how rodeo is an individual sport. Not having to rely on anyone else’s work ethic for good results is more appealing to her than team sports.
“I chose rodeo over team sports because I love how rodeo is an individual sport,” Guthrie said.
The Southwest Region Rodeo experience introduces Guthrie to new friends from places far and wide, gives her travel experiences across West Texas, and stout competition that pushes athletes to better themselves and their rodeo programs.
Guthrie plans to receive her ADN in Nursing in the Spring of 2024. After that, she wants to jump right into the work force, working at a hospital before pursuing her BSN and her CRNA in nurse anesthesiology.
She may not want to go the professional rodeo route, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other avenues to keep her biggest passion alive. This way, Guthrie can have the best of both her worlds after leaving college.
Photo Courtesy of SPC
“I picked nursing as a career because of the financial freedom and flexible schedule it can provide me to be able to pursue my goals in rodeo,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie is excited for the gates to open for rodeo season this spring and she cannot wait to see what the next year and a half of college has to offer her.
“I am excited for the spring rodeos to start and to see where next year leads me,” Guthrie said.
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