A quick learning curve

LARAMIE – Kelsey Lensegrav comes from a rodeo family.

Father Ken was the all-around and bareback riding champion at the 1988 College Nationals Final Rodeo.

Sister, Katie, twice competed at the CNFR at Blacks Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.

And Kelsey has her sights set on being the next Lensegrav to make a mark in rodeo.

The University of Wyoming freshman will compete in barrel racing for the Cowgirls at this week's CNFR, which starts today in Casper.

The Interior, South Dakota, product qualified for nationals in her first season in Laramie while also competing in breakaway roping during the regular season.

Kelsey Lensegrav finished second in the Central Rocky Mountain Region in barrel racing with 525 points, 35 more than Rickie Engesser of Gillette College and 75 better than Riley Addington, also of Gillette.

"It's been pretty crazy, but I've loved it all," Lensegrav said of her first college season. "I came from South Dakota where we only had two regional rodeos and state (in high school).

"It's nice to be able to go 10 rodeos like we had this year. It keeps you sharp all year long."

Like most freshmen, Lensegrav started slowly. Her only placing during the fall half of the schedule was a sixth-place effort at Sheridan College.

Things started to click during the spring.

She was third at Laramie County Community College's Shawn Dubie Memorial Rodeo, second at Colorado State and won Casper College's Ropin' and Riggin' Days. Lensegrav ended her regular season with a sixth-place finish at UW's Laramie River Rendezvous, which was good enough for her to hold on to second place and a spot in the CNFR.

"I feel like I've kept a really cool head in barrels throughout the season," Lensegrav said. "At the last rodeo here I got really nervous before the start, but then just figured it would go as it would go. For the most part I've been pretty confident all season.

"It's what my dad did and what I saw my sister do, also. It's always been there for me."

Lensegrav will have a part of the family with her when she runs in barrel racing this week. She'll ride the same horse Katie rode in the CNFR, meaning the horse will have more experience inside the Casper Events Center than the rider will.

Her first two go rounds come during slack Monday and Tuesday and her third run will be in the Thursday night performance. The finals are set for Saturday.

So what's the biggest thing for Kelsey to do this week in Casper?

"Just feeling my horse and how she's running that day and adapting to what she's feeling," she said. "If she's running that day, I've got to get myself down (in the saddle) earlier.

"If she's not running as fast, then I have to get aggressive with her on the turns. It's all about reading her."

UW interim rodeo coach Lydia Coe felt Lensegrav had a chance to be a top barrel racer in the region from the beginning.

"I've seen potential in Kelsey ever since she has gotten here," Coe said. "She has a very strong mind. Being a freshman, it's always a lot to take in. She has handled all that really, really well.

"I think growing up around a rodeo family has helped her a lot. It helps you control your thoughts and how to think through things and control your nerves."

Lensegrav's 525 region points weren't enough to list her among the top 30 in the nation. But the freshman is wise for her years and knows it will come down more to how the horses run than how the cowgirls ride.

"There's so many horses that have such great potential at the CNFR," she said. "Some horses will run amazing and some might not. It's just about being together with your horse on that run to get the best time."