After months of practice, Grassland Ranch is gearing up to send 15 students to the All-American Youth Barrel Race in June.

In addition to weekly practices and riding whenever time allows, the group is working their tails off to raise the money to help get them there.

“It’s kind of like a booster team for a sports club,” Grassland Ranch owner and head trainer Andy Blalock said. “We come up with the funds to pay for their entries, room and board, transportation, things like that.”

All told, the cost is about $800 per student. They hope to raise at least half of that cost through fundraising events and sponsorships.

“In years past, we’ve been successful and raised about $500 per student,” Blalock said. “Any donation is appreciated.”

Blalock said many of the riders learned to ride at the ranch on Airport Road in Athens. Once they learned to ride, they learned how to barrel race, and they gained additional experience at local shows.

He compared the June event to basketball’s March Madness. Eight hundred students from across the country will travel to Jackson, Mississippi, for the five-day event.

Marybeth Sayne will be one of those. This year is her second at the competition after just more than two years riding.

“Mostly I was nervous,” Sayne said of last year’s event. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

Despite the nerves, she and her horse made it into the finals, or top 250 of the event overall.

“We did good until we hit the third barrel,” Sayne said. “We kind of went into it too early.”

Amy Sayne, her mom, said if Marybeth had a clean run, she would’ve placed fifth for her division, winning a belt buckle and a check for $1,000. Marybeth said she looks forward to going back this year for another shot.

But before then, the funds have to be raised. Blalock said the group does Kona Ice sales at a lot of its shows, and they’ll also host a silent auction 1–4 p.m. Saturday at 2-S Arena on Thach Road. Items on the list include candles, Western clothing, home decor and more.

“We didn’t say it had to be horsey-related, but it kind of happens that way,” Amy Sayne said.

To sponsor a student or learn more about Grassland Ranch, visit grassland-ranch.com or email grasslandranch@gmail.com.