DRAWN BY HORSE SENSE; GABRIEL, DEWARSKI SHARE THE RIDE.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Special to the Daily News There's an image of a rodeo star: a rural background and a certain ruggedness that only comes from a life lived outdoors. So when Hidden Hills residents Jordan Gabriel and Jill DeWarski, both 16, show up to rodeo competitions wearing Guess jeans and brightly colored shirts and ribbons instead of the traditional Wranglers and bland whites and grays, more than a few take notice. Gabriel and DeWarski are the only representatives from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. on the National High School Rodeo Association The National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) was incorporated in 1961 to promote interest in rodeo sports among high school students, to provide training, and to establish venues for their performances. The overall objective was to keep students from dropping out of school. circuit. ``Most of the people live out in the country and when they hear that we're from Los Angeles, they're like, `Whoa, how did that happen?' '' Gabriel said. ``But I love riding. I wouldn't want to be completely (out in the country), but I do want to own my own ranch ranch, large farm devoted chiefly to raising and breeding cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. The cattle ranch was introduced from Latin America to Texas and the plains of the W United States and Canada. someday some·day adv. At an indefinite time in the future. Usage Note: The adverbs someday and sometime express future time indefinitely: We'll succeed someday. Come sometime. .'' Added DeWarski: ``I think we've kind of introduced a city version of a cowgirl into the scene.'' Gabriel and DeWarski are best friends who've grown up together in the affluent, ranch-style community of Hidden Hills, just off the 101 freeway north of Los Angeles. In Hidden Hills, parents are usually first-generation ``immigrants'' from Los Angeles looking to escape to a quieter lifestyle, who, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. DeWarski, ``don't even know which way the saddle goes on.'' But children in the community don't play youth soccer or Little League. They ride horses. And they start early.Gabriel has been riding since before she can remember. ``It started with a little pony when I was 3,'' she said. ``I started competing when I was 6.'' That little girl on the pony kept riding and today intends to join the Women's Professional Rodeo Association The Women's Professional Rodeo Association(WPRA) is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older. , which includes more than 2,000 members and $2.6 million in prize money up for grabs. Gabriel specializes in barrel racing Overview Barrel Racing is a form of rodeo event that demands some of the most athletic horses and dedicated riders in order to be successful in terms of financial earnings. , a timed event in which contestants ride their horses around three barrels in a clover-leaf pattern. She has also competed in pole bending Pole bending is timed event that features a horse and one mounted rider, running a weaving or serpentine path around six poles arranged in a line. This event is usually seen in high school rodeos as well as American Quarter Horse Association, local National Barrel Horse (another timed event), calf-roping and goat tying Goat-roping is a rodeo event that is similar to cowboy's calf roping. The event starts with a goat on a 10 foot rope at one end of the arena and a mounted rider at the other end. The rider rides toward the goat and dismounts as a calf roper would. . Until now, Gabriel has competed mostly on the high school circuit as the only representative from Chaminade High, where she will be a senior in the fall. ``The kids at school are surprised (when I tell them I do rodeo) because I don't look like somebody who does rodeo. I'm kind of small,'' said Gabriel, who intends to compete in college. DeWarski, who attends Oak Meadows High in Northridge, has a similar story. Influenced early by a grandfather from Nebraska, DeWarski was more philosophical about her sport. ``I think I have a special connection with horses,'' she said. ``Every horse has a different personality and you have to get used to it. If you talk to them a certain way they relax or if you scratch them in a certain place, they calm down. ``It's my dream to work with horses. I want to do it for the rest of my life.'' AT A GLANCE Jordan Gabriel and Jill DeWarski have competed in rodeo events all over California. Here's a look at some of their highlights. Jordan Gabriel: Third place, District 8 barrel racing championships; District representative at '99 state championships; 23rd DaMoorhs Best of the West tournament barrel racing. Jill DeWarski: Fifth place, '98 District 8 barrel racing championships; fourth place, '99 District 8 barrel racing championships; District representative at state championships '98, '99. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Jordan Gabriel, left, holds her horse Irish Bud, while Jill DeWarski gets the horse to smile. John McCoy/Staff Photographer Box: AT A GLANCE (See text) |
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