Memory in motion

By Trent Makela / Leader Staff

The pattering from a rainbow of tiny cowgirl boots testified that a barrel racer's daughter is just a barrel racer in training at the Maxine DeSaussure Memorial Barrel Race, held Polson fairgrounds last Sunday.

It is fitting, then, that riders and their families adopted the Mother's Day weekend as a time to laugh and share stories old and new across pick-up beds and saddles. Many of the mothers and daughters will even continue to share hotel rooms and the rodeo spotlight for the remainder of the summer.

Traci Vaile was a typical racer's daughter, staring wide-eyed through the fence as her mother's horse raised a tight sheet of dust around each barrel. She eventually followed her mother into the saddle and they traveled together nearly every weekend from spring until fall.

That is, until Vaile's mother, Pablo's Maxine DeSaussure, passed away from a heart attack six months ago. Facing her first Mother's Day and racing season alone, Vaile began organizing the Maxine DeSaussure Memorial Barrel Race.

"It's Mother's Day and I felt that I needed to be doing something instead of feeling sorry for myself," Vaile said. "So any money we raise is going to a scholarship fund in her name. I thought that was a nice way to give back."

Trailers began rumbling in around the Polson Fairgrounds last Sunday morning, and Vaile learned that her holiday was going to be anything but lonely. Nearly 100 mothers and daughters from around the state entered the event between the junior, open and senior categories. Many more came to watch and share in the conversations along the fence.

"Just seeing all the trailers pull in and all the people here is probably what I'll remember most," Vaile said. "People kept coming up and hugging and thanking me. It's inspiring to know how many friends mom had and that I still have so much support."

Add in a sprinkle of time and luck, and the daughter of a barrel racer simply turns into her competition.

Maxine's long-time friend Kitty Herrin, 55, took home some money and a hand-beaded photo album after winning the senior division races last Sunday. Her mother Molly will turn 82 next week, and was a co-winner of the weekend's "most inspirational" award for her racing performance. She shared her prize with the races' youngest winner - a five-year-old.

"[Molly] hadn't been racing since last October. She's been flying around and visiting great-grandchildren since then," Kitty said. "She'll usually compete at least every other weekend throughout the summer with us."

DeSaussure had always gone out of her way to motivate both new and experienced racers to travel to new races. Vaile continued that tradition by including multiple competition levels within each age group.

"In the rodeo everyone competes in the same group. This way a championship-caliber racer can break in a green horse or somebody can ride for the first time," Vaile said. "It's just a fun way to keep everybody competitive and encourage them to race again."

The races' impressive turnout came despite persistent winds that kept riders in multiple layers of both clothing and dust.

"It was so cold and nobody seemed to care. We had four coats on and hats and it was Mother's Day. It was still a really nice day even though were still shivering," Herrin said. "Once you start going [barrel racing] you end up tough. Once you start going you can't quit."