Corlee Massey came to play at the inaugural COJO Championship Breakaway Roping, winning first and third in the first round, the short-round fast time, the average and the youth incentive for a total of $9,200 with a 7.08-second time on three head.
The 15-year-old from Wills Point, Texas, entered the short round Oct. 11 in Belton, Texas, in the high callback position. As the announcer called out that she needed a 3.4-second run, Massey nodded her head and turned in a smoking 2.1-second run to win the short round.
After choosing her roan horse, Captain, instead of Tonka—a horse she recently bought from WPRA World Champion Josie Conner—and using notes on the calves from Hali Williams (the COJO calves were the same ones used at the John Wayne Hampton Memorial Roping), Massey’s plan came together perfectly.
“I just knew I needed to make a good run,” the home-schooled sophomore said of the short round. “I recently bought Tonka from Josie Conner, and I roped really good off of him there at the house. I was questionable about changing to him because I can sneak across the line on him and get them. But I stuck with the one that got me there, and he worked really good.”
Massey took the inaugural roping by a landslide, finishing with a 7.08-second time on three head to win $6,000 for the average. Her average win also secured the youth incentive title, worth $1,200.
“I think the incentive deal is awesome for breakaway up-and-comers like me,” she said. “You can rope against the big dogs and also get a chance to win something in your age group. I was fortunate enough to hang with them and use the calves I got.”
During the first two rounds, held Oct. 7, Massey ran her first calf in 2.4 seconds, then came back on her second run with a 1.98-second time to win the round. In the second round, she was 2.58 seconds, finishing 4.98 on two head before drawing a tough calf in her next run.
Being fast on that many in a row is no easy feat, but Massey credits her consistency to practice and horsepower.
“I have a good practice horse I get lots of runs on, and I’m amateur rodeoing now too, so I just try to take my first shot,” she said. “In the practice pen, I just try to take the first shot I have and go at them like a rodeo run and have a game plan.”
Speaking of horsepower, it was Captain, or Josey Dual Pep—the 14-year-old roan gelding Massey bought from Carly Christian—that carried her to victory. After Josie Conner’s father, Jade, told the Masseys that Captain would be a good fit, the rest was history.
“Jade Conner and the Conner family have played a tremendous role in my roping,” Massey explained. “We bought Pretzel from Josie—the horse she rode growing up—and ever since then, Jade has been in my corner. If he sees a horse he thinks would fit me, he always sends it to us; he knows we’re always looking for the next step. Jade reached out and told us about the horse. We went and tried him, and it went awesome. I took him to a region rodeo, and I won first and second that weekend.”
It was a perfect fit from the start. For the last two years, Captain has been Massey’s go-to mount for amateur rodeos and faster setups.
“I don’t really take him to jackpots anymore; he’s really just my amateur rodeo horse,” she said. “He tends to have more rate than any of my other horses, and he’ll get tight pretty quick. Here at the house, I don’t rope on him anymore—I just score and free him up. He’s solid, he’s honest, he’s easy. He’s got a low head, so he makes it really easy for me.”
At just 15, Massey has already proven she can compete with the best at amateur rodeos and major jackpots. She’s headed to the United Finals Rodeo sitting fourth overall and second in the rookie race—but she’s in no hurry to rush her career.
“I think I am going to take my time,” the young standout said. “I know I’m going to college rodeo. I want to ProRodeo; I want to buy my card. But there’s a lot of girls that just want to go out there and go and do it, like they’re in a hurry. I think I have a lot of years left, but I think I’ll just take my time. Obviously, I’m young, so plans can change. But I think I’ll just college rodeo, buy my permit, figure out what the plan is and then go when I’m ready.”
