By: Kendra Santos
Texas breakaway roper Tacy Kay Webb is a National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association champ whose parents raised her to rodeo as a hobby. So she works three days a week as an ICU nurse, and ropes after work “for fun.” But she had a blast being all business here in Salt Lake City at the $562,500 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo Wednesday night, and with a sizzling 2.40-second run will now advance to Saturday night’s Gold Medal Round.
“Thank you so much, WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance), for letting the breakaway ropers come be a part of this,” said Tacy Kay, 23, who lives in Madisonville, Texas, and works in the ICU at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan. “This is so cool.”
Tacy Kay rode her 12-year-old sorrel sidekick Hondo, who’s been a father-daughter project since he was 3. Tacy Kay’s dad is Wrangler National Finals Rodeo tie-down roper Dan Webb.
This is the first year Tacy Kay has thrown her name in the hat at the pro rodeos, and she just also advanced to the performances at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo.
“Working three days a week and my team at work being super supportive is what lets me make it work and balance my job at the hospital with rodeo,” Tacy Kay said.
She has a pretty special cheering section here in Salt Lake City. When young Lisa Hensarling (Tacy Kay’s mom) served as Miss Rodeo Texas in 1982, the Miss Rodeo America Pageant had her room with 1982 Miss Rodeo Utah Joanie Thompson, because T and U are next-door neighbors in the alphabet. Thirty-nine years later, Lisa Webb and Joanie Robinson made a best-friends reunion out of the 2021 Days of ’47 Cowboy Games & Rodeo.
“Mom and Joanie are who I was waving at during my victory lap,” smiled Tacy Kay. “It’s really fun for them to get to see each other here, and I can’t thank my parents enough for all they do for me. With the parents I have, it wasn’t really a question about whether or not I’d rodeo. Getting to do it as a family makes it so much fun.”
