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Article by Michael Mahaffey—Photos by Phifer/RodeoBum.com

jackie dube jatzlau 2 hof ifyr 11

Jackie Dube Jatzlau receives a buckle for her induction into the 2011 International Finals Youth Rodeo’s Hall of Fame. From left to right, announcer Tim Fuller, Jatzlau, 2011 Miss Rodeo U.S.A. Katie Barger and Oklahoma Speaker of the House Chris Steele.

Barrel racer Jackie Dube Jatzlau, of Giddings, Texas, became the newest inductee into the International Finals Youth Rodeo Hall of Fame at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center in Shawnee, Okla., on July 13.

Jatzlau, 31, is a three time IFYR All Around champion, who won the pole bending championship in 1995, the breakaway roping championship in 1996 and the barrel racing championship in 1998. She won a total of $14,547 in her four years at the IFYR. A member of the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association, she qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo twice, in 2003 and 2004.

“It’s an honor to be inducted into any hall of fame,” said Jatzlau, whose mother, husband, Lane, and mother- and father-in law we in attendance, “but to inspire kids that have a future in rodeo is a real honor. This is a huge testament to how I was raised and how much work my parents and I did. It’s still a family affair for us.”

Jatzlau joins bareback and saddle bronc rider Mike Outhier, of Utopia, Texas, and bull riders Jet and Cord McCoy and the late announcer Mark McGee, as the only members of the IFYR Hall of Fame.

Inductees go through a selection process, said Mike Jackson, operations manager for the Expo Center. The IFYR Hall of Fame inducts members every year that ends in an odd number.

“We have a requirement of at least ten years away from the IFYR, and that they are still in the rodeo world in competition,” he said.

Hawaiian Cowgirls Compete at IFYR

lily bertelsen

Hawaiian cowgirl Lily Bertelsen competes in the barrel racing at the 2011 International Finals Youth Rodeo. She and her sister, Grace, have competed in Shawnee two years.

Walk through the campgrounds and parking lots at the International Finals Rodeo in Shawnee, Okla. and you’ll see license plates from around the nation: Georgia, Texas, Wyoming, North Carolina, even as far away as Washington. The 925 contestants at this year’s IFYR travel a long way to compete in Shawnee.

But Grace and Lily Bertelsen won the award for traveling the farthest to compete for their second year at the IFYR. The sisters live in Kamuela, Hawaii.

This year, the Bertelsens loaded three of their mounts on an airplane and had them flown to California, where they were picked up by the girls’ father, Jeff. Jeff lives in Mt. Vernon, Wash., so they hauled the horses to his place for three weeks to acclimate. Then, the girls and their dad took off for the 39-hour trip from Washington to the IFYR.

“I like this rodeo because it’s big,” Grace said. “I like all the noise when you compete. I like the atmosphere, and I like meeting new people. There are a lot of people whose arms are open and they’re welcoming. Everybody’s really nice here.”

But the heat and humidity have not been so easy to get used to.

“It’s cool where we live,” Grace said, of their higher elevation on the Big Island in Hawaii. “We don’t have humidity.”

Grace and Lily have become such good friends of the Segelke family, whose two older daughters, Hayden and Paxton, are also competing at the IFYR, that they spend a month each summer with the family.

“It’s so much fun because of the girls,” Lily said, referring to the three Segelke daughters: Hayden, 18, Paxton, 17, and Quincy, 14. “We love the Segelkes.”

Both girls will compete at the National High School Finals in the barrels. Lily will also breakaway rope.

For more information about the IFYR, visit shawneeexpe.org/ifyr or call (405) 275-7020.

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