PERKINSTON, Miss. (WLOX) - The Coast Life has turned into the rodeo life for a cowgirl from Stone County, as Summer Williams is quickly roping her way up the ladder of professional rodeo.
“Roping means so much to me. I can’t imagine doing anything different,” Williams said.
Williams’ roping skills have caught the attention of the rodeo world. She was named the 2024 WPRA Breakaway Roping Resistol Rookie of the Year.
“That means more to me than anything else I’ve ever accomplished,” Williams said. “That’s a huge deal, and very difficult to get.”
The journey to professional rodeo all started on her family farm in Perkinston.
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“We have a lot of cows and a lot of horses,” Williams said. “My little brother loves chicken and ducks; we honestly have a funny farm.”
While her sisters were playing softball, Williams only wanted to do the activity her father loved.
“My dad always took me with him to roping,” Williams said. “He gave me horses to ride, and I fell in love with it ever since I was a baby.”
Roping calves as a child turned into an opportunity. Williams headed to Texas for college, where she competed for the Cisco College rodeo team and just graduated last month.
With a degree in hand, she’s now focused solely on the rodeo and traveling to events all over the country.
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“There’s usually between 200-300 girls entered at each rodeo. You have to be on your A-game at every single one of them. There’s no easy rodeo, or easy day, so you have to give it all you’ve got every single time.”
Although she’s spending most of her time in Texas and on the road now, Williams is always looking forward to her next trip back to her South Mississippi home.
“Coming home means so much to me, it makes me feel like a little kid again. I definitely enjoy my time there and soak it all up.”
Williams will have the lessons she learned on her family’s farm with her wherever life takes her.
“I wish everyone could experience it. It’s amazing learning the importance of hard work and having responsibilities when you’re younger, taking care of animals that rely on you.”
Even though Summer has already racked up plenty of belt buckles and accolades, she’s not going to stop working towards becoming the best at what she does.
“This is my job, but it’s also what I love to do. I’m going to take it as far as God wants me to, so we’ll see. Hopefully, I’ll get a world title and try my best.”
Williams hopes to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo later this year in Las Vegas.
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