Things are greening up at the historic 1887 Double Rafter Ranch near Parkman, Wyoming, and the little baby chicks are at that stage where they get mighty hungry overnight. That means an early morning for seventh grade Wyoming cowgirl Raelee Warner. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, or what else she’s got to do on any given day. Rain or shine, state championship or not, there are no days off when you’re a Wyoming cowgirl. Take last weekend. Warner was out in the yard by 6 a.m. feeding those hungry chicks their daily grain while her cousins rounded up a pack of horses for a four-hour cattle drive. Later that day, Warner had a state gymnastics meet about an hour away in Sheridan. She would bring home not just one, but two championship titles from that meet. But first, before anything else —even state championships — the chores. Always the chores. “Practice is four hours long three days a week, so there is a little bit of grace on those days for what she has to get done around the place,” her mom Chelsie Warner told Cowboy State Daily. “But living out on the ranch, it’s a family affair. So, everyone kind of has to chip in and help out, and she still has to do the same.” So, the morning of the state championship, that meant full motion at the crack of dawn, feeding chickens and helping tack the horses. Warner started with her own horse first, hoisting a heavy saddle shoulder height, positioning it just so on a blanket on the horse’s back, and then cinching everything down tight. Then she moved on to helping some of her younger cousins, who aren’t quite strong enough yet to lift their own saddles, a process that took about an hour. After that, it was up on the horse and away. Time to trail about 100 pregnant cows, some of them literally having babies along the way, home.
What Grace Looks Like For A Cowgirl
Raelee did get to drop out of the cattle drive at 1:30 p.m., about one-half hour early, so she could make it to the state championship on time. That was what grace looked like on this particular Saturday. As soon as she dropped out, there was a quick, presto-change-o into her leotard, and then an hour-long car ride to get to the gymnasium in Sheridan. Was she just a little bit tired after all that? You bet. “I took a nap on the way,” she admitted. “I slept most of the way, OK.” When she awoke, there was a nice surprise waiting for her. Her grandparents had decided to come watch the meet and cheer her on. Warner also got to hang out with her friends for just a little while before the meet. Though not too long. There was warming up and stretching to do, and then it was time to get serious. She Loves The Floor Routine, And It Shows
Sixty competitors were on the field of battle, each required to perform on the bars, the beam, and the vault, which uses a springboard to propel the gymnast into the air, where they perform aerial maneuvers before landing on the mat. Last of all is a floor routine to showcase all of their gymnastic abilities in one stylish and creative routine. The floor routine is Raelee’s favorite, and it shows. “You have these floor routines with music, so you can like, kind of show off,” she said. “And the music is supposed to represent your personality and stuff.” For Raelee that means constant motion, with flips and handstands and cartwheels. Sure, there’s a few of the quieter, more fluid moments in between, with a flourish of hands and feet, and she clearly loves it all. Performing Saturday, there was no outward sign that Raelee had done almost five hours of ranch work on the farm before arriving to the competition. Her routine was flawless, and, from the video, it’s clear she was throwing her entire spirit into this dance, which she’s been practicing for almost an entire year. Her flawless performance earned cheers from the crowd, as well as first place amongst 60 competitors. She also won first on the bar, and then third on both vault and beam, giving her second place all around. That qualifies her for the regional championships which will be in California later this year. Post-COVID, that no longer means a physical trip. She’ll get to do her performance virtually. If she does well, then she could then go on to the national competition in Virginia Beach. After the chores are done, of course. All In A Day’s Work
If Raelee does make it to Virginia Beach, it won’t be the first time for this Wyoming cowgirl whose family affectionately calls her their “Ginger Beast.” She took fifth place at nationals the very first year she competed in gymnastics, and she’s been working diligently on new skills since then. Not only does Raelee earn top marks in gymnastics competitions after finishing all her chores, she’s also a straight “A” student whose favorite subject is math. Raelee isn’t sure yet what she wants to do for a career. But she’s already got quite a skill set, and an amazing work ethic. “She’s tough,” her mom Chelsie Warner told Cowboy State Daily. “Not just physically, but mentally. She’s got an injured ankle. She trashed it last year. And you’ll see her in pictures where her hands are just completely shredded and bleeding from (friction) on the bars. I mean it just looks almost Biblical.” But Raelee doesn’t complain about it, her mom added. “She just put some moleskin on it and slap on whatever that is she puts on it, some magic stuff, and then goes about and does it anyway.” The horses on the Double Rafter Ranch know who’s the boss, and that’s why Raelee rides the orneriest horses. But if you see her doing a few handstands or cartwheels across the ranch, don’t be surprised. That’s just her way of getting all the things done in a day that’s still only 24 hours. It’s all in a day’s work if you’re a true Wyoming cowgirl.
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