Jace Helton, 16, a junior with Springs’ KEYS program, is a roper on the rodeo circuit. He loves the competitiveness of rodeo, and after finishing school he plans to participate in rodeos professionally.
He was first exposed to rodeo through his mother, who was an equestrian, and his uncle, who worked on a Utah ranch. He started riding and roping at the ranch; he and his father then attended a roping school. He now has an arena at his home.
Jace practices up to six days a week. He participates in a variety of rodeos, with the largest being the Junior High Nationals when he was in the 8th grade. Participants in the Nationals must be top 4 in their state to quality; he won the state championship that year. He has taken home many awards and prizes, including seven saddles and 50 belt buckles.
Jace has been a part of the KEYS program since his freshman year. He likes the program because its flexibility allows him to travel and compete, and “the teachers and ES’s are awesome.”
Possibilities for college include Tarlton State University in Texas, where he’ll be involved in rodeo and earn a degree in finance. Jace’s brother, Hunter, a student at Springs’ Murrieta Student Center, is also a rodeo roper.
