Ciera Romanow, 16 yrs, and her horse Yanky, made their last performance at the Arcola Rodeo August 10 after a previous injury to the riders ankle turned out to be serious enough to inhibit her from performing stunts again.
It was Romano’s fourth year in a row doing a “show” at the Arcola Rodeo. “Arcola was my last show, my ankle just can’t handle it,” said Romano. “Last summer on June 25 I broke my ankle in seven places and tore all the ligaments and tendons around it. I was goat tying at a rodeo, and when I jumped down off my horse; my foot landed funny in the sand, and rolled my ankle back and snapped it.”
Romano spent two months in a cast but it didn’t stop her from competing at the rodeo with her broken ankle. “I just had to have a doctor’s note, I still barrel raced.” But her injury will have a long term affect on other aspect of her life as well. “It’s disappointing because I’m also really into volleyball, and I was on the track and field team at school again this year, I like hurdles a lot, but sometimes my ankle just gives out, and I trip a lot.”
Romano had taken a trick riding clinic with Niki Flundra, a stunt woman for the T.V. series Heartland, and a few lessons, then practised for 1.5 yrs before she gave her first rodeo show. “I think I will miss the “show” part. Now I will just focus on barrel racing, High School Rodeo, and CCA’s (Canadian Cowboy Association Rodeo’s). “When I trick ride my foot is in straps, that’s what’s putting too much pressure on my ankle. If I’m barrel racing my foot is in a stirrup and basically sits with without too much pressure.”
Despite her injury Romano will continue in sports. “My ankle still bothers me quite a bit; it took me a really long time to build the muscles back up around my ankle. It’s still not 100%. But I think you’ve got just fight through it.”
