Chelsea gets a wildcard in the US

COOROIBAH teenager Chelsea Bartlett has been granted a wildcard entry into the Barrel Racing World Championships in the US later in the year.

Chelsea Bartlett puts on a show at the Barrel Racing Youth World Championships. Picture: Kenneth Springer

WHEN Cooroibah teenager Chelsea Bartlett looks across the line at the Barrel Racing World Championships in the US later in the year, she will see riders she has long considered heroes.

Chelsea, 15, has been granted wildcard entry into the event, to be held at Georgia in October, following a stellar showing at the Youth World Championships in July.

After defying the odds to become the first overseas competitor to qualify for a youth world final, she finished with a flourish to take fifth place in the field of 1070 competitors.

As well as breaking down barriers, her results caught the eye of some of the best riders and coaches in the US.

As a result, she will take her place on the world stage alongside riders of the calibre of world champion Brittney Pozzi.

Chelsea said the prospect of going head-to-head with Pozzi – someone who she grew up watching and idolising – was both daunting and a dream come true.

“When I was over there (for the youth world championships), my trainer said I think too hard before I compete,” Chelsea said.

“He said, ‘just relax and just go’. I tend to over-think things when I’m competing. But I managed to settle down as the rounds went on. I just kept on getting better and better.”

Chelsea said regardless of the outcome at the world championships, she had her heart set on returning to America and qualifying for the prestigious National Finals Rodeo series.

Following her success at the youth world finals, Chelsea stayed on in the US to train with renowned horseman Talmadge Green – also known as the $2 Million Cowboy – and compete at a prestigious event called The Mega.

Chelsea once again proved her ability to punch above her weight by qualifying for the finals of the $40,000 event.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of her string of US performances was that they were achieved on a horse she had not ridden before.

“The horse was a great horse – he helped me out a lot,” she said. “He was just really co-operative ... some people say it’s a disadvantage to have a horse you’ve never competed on, but I wasn’t nervous at all.”

Originally published as Chelsea gets a wildcard in the US