University View Academy (UVA) alumnus Rylee Jo Maryman, class of 2025, placed first in barrel racing at the National High School Rodeo finals held in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Maryman’s horse was also named the top barrel racing horse of the event and placed fourth in horse of the year.
Rodeo, particularly barrel racing, is Maryman’s life. 2025 was her fifth year competing at nationals, and she attends smaller competitions year-round.
“It’s an adventure,” Maryman shared. “I’ve done rodeo my whole life, and my parents do it too. It’s all I know.”
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider run a cloverleaf pattern around three preset barrels in the fastest time. Tight turns, high speeds, and racing on loose sand or dirt make it a very demanding sport, and winners are often decided by fractions of a second. Maryman works hard at being the best. She goes riding every day of the week, and training and caring for the horses often necessitates rising early in the morning and finishing late in the evening.
“I spend most of my life at the barn,” Maryman said. “I trained the two mares I ride. Rodeo isn’t like other sports, because winning depends on the horse, not just you.”
A resident of West Feliciana Parish, Maryman enrolled at UVA her freshman year. The flexible learning environment helped her commit the necessary time and effort to her rodeo training.
“Rodeo is why I do UVA,” Maryman shared. “It’s been a very positive experience. It feels great to graduate high school.”
Maryman plans to attend Baton Rouge Community College in the fall to become an X-ray tech. She is off to even greater things.