The name Quincy Sullivan has become pretty notorious in team roping and breakaway roping circles, but the 19-year-old proved her diversity in the most elite crowds with a ProRodeo win at Rodeo El Paso this past weekend.
Sullivan and her 6-year-old dancing partner, Judge JB Cash went 14.52 seconds to earn $1,911 and the title at the rodeo, which took place in El Paso, Texas, June 16-17. Sullivan is a college student at Clarendon College, but hails from Peralta, New Mexico.
“This was kind of a big deal for him to win,” Sullivan said. “He’s green and has mostly ran in outdoor pens in New Mexico, so we’re still figuring out how to adapt, read the angles and learn how to stay clean and smooth inside. I knew it would be deep and I’d have to really drive him.”
Sullivan’s win moved her within the top 10 of the Resistol Rookie race in the barrel racing, but that isn’t even the teenager’s most impressive career achievement. She came on the national stage in 2020 when she became one of only three women to ever win the National High School Finals Rodeo in the team roping.
In 2022, she won the reserve NHSFR championship in the breakaway roping, then made her presence known once again in spring of this year. She pulled out wins at the Resistol Rookie Roundup, the Windy Ryon and the inaugural USTRC Breakaway Championship in a matter of weeks before hitting the road with another young roping talent, Kenzie Kelton. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing outside of the arena for the ladies.
- Read about Sullivan’s 2020 NHSFR team roping win
- Quincy Sullivan Makes History AGAIN with First-Ever Win at USTRC Total Feeds Open Ladies Breakaway
- Quincy Sullivan Slides into Resistol Rookie Roundup Championship
“We’ve been busy, but I got to come home and practice for a few weeks with my dad,” Sullivan said. “This past week was kind of crazy, though. I left El Paso and went to Big Springs (Texas) and my generator caught on fire on top of my trailer. I was coming through Midland and got l got lucky because I was in construction and some oilfield workers were behind me. They saw the smoke and had the fire truck called and their extinguishers out to get it controlled as I was pulling off the exit.”
One thing that Sullivan’s gelding, “Judge,” has done is kept things fun as they navigate the seasoning process. The 2017 grey that runs in a Neil Merrill bit is an own son of Judge Cash and out of Bevs AA Whiz Kid, by PC Bar Dox Frost. Judge was raised by Jeff Butler that the Sullivans purchased as a 2-year-old.
“He’s actually an outstanding head horse,” Sullivan said. “He’s super special to us. He’s been easy to train, he’s so kind-hearted, just wants to please. He loves his job and never wants to mess up or get in trouble.”
Sullivan’s grandfather, multiple-time NFR tie-down roper Larry Cohorn, will be keeping Judge fit for Sullivan as she bounces around between rodeos. He plans to meet her at select rodeos like Santa Fe, New Mexico, before she heads north over the Fourth of July. Sullivan’s focus in the barrel racing is on the Turquoise Circuit Finals in the barrel racing, while she plans to hit the road harder on the national stage in the breakaway roping.
For the young cowgirl, transitioning to rodeos wasn’t a hard adjustment—she’d been prepping for it since her earliest days. She noted that she’s had ProRodeo on her mind since she could compete and has been grinding so that she could come out with her guns blazing, purchasing her permit as soon as she turned 18 so she could get in the mix. After barely missing a CNFR qualification this year, Sullivan has a plan of attack in all three of her events—barrels, breakaway and team roping—for next year’s season, but she’s already found that the ProRodeos suit her style best.
“College rodeos are a whole different atmosphere,” Sullivan said. “A lot of people are just there to have fun, and you stay in one place the entire weekend. Out here, it’s professionals who are doing it to make a living. They’re there to win and they’re constantly traveling. I’ve started to make friends with the girls and it’s gotten more fun out here, too. It’s really nice knowing people who are doing the same thing and have the same struggles.”
Follow along as BRM tracks the Resistol Rookie race through the end of the season, thanks to Equinety.
I would tell girls who are thinking about starting in ProRodeo to just do it. Being on your permit limits you so much—you can enter bigger and better rodeos on your card. I’ve worked my whole life to get here, so I figure I may as well use those skills and go for it. When you’re competing against the best in the world, you can only get better.”
Quincy Sullivan.
WPRA Resistol Rookie barrel racing standings
From WPRA.com, updated June 19, 2023
| Name | Hometown | Money Earned | Rodeo Count | |
| 1 | Kalli McCall (R) | Lufkin, TX | $16,559.97 | 31 |
| 2 | Victoria Procter (R) | Ledbetter, TX | $15,688.02 | 25 |
| 3 | Acey Pinkston (R) | Stephenville, TX | $9,354.70 | 25 |
| 4 | Rainey Skelton (R) | Llano, TX | $8,015.16 | 19 |
| 5 | Sophie Nolen (R) | Stephenville, TX | $7,977.89 | 18 |
| 6 | Kaycee Killingsworth (R) | Thrall, TX | $6,042.22 | 18 |
| 7 | Miley Bunting (R) | Red Bluff, CA | $5,996.59 | 8 |
| 8 | Jetti Lorenz (R) | Madisonville, TX | $5,838.68 | 12 |
| 9 | Quincy Sullivan (R) | Peralta, NM | $4,549.65 | 10 |
| 10 | Karli Cowie (R) | Mankota, SK | $4,453.26 | 10 |
| 11 | Maren Powers (R) | Occidental, CA | $4,230.94 | 19 |
| 12 | Karsen Jackson (R) | Cornville, AZ | $4,180.48 | 12 |
| 13 | Julia Johnson (R) | Tenino, WA | $4,106.22 | 8 |
| 14 | Grace Gardiner (R) | Paradise, TX | $4,064.77 | 36 |
| 15 | Makala Pierce (R) | Stephenville, TX | $3,529.64 | 22 |
El Paso Rodeo Barrel Racing Results
1. Quincy Sullivan, 14.52 seconds, $1,911; 2. (tie) Abby Pursifull and Sandra Raulston, 14.69, $1,501 each; 4. Katelyn Scott, 14.83, $1,183; 5. (tie) Kaylee Barker and Shacie Marr, 14.85, $819 each; 7. Jordan Kircher, 14.86, $546; 8. Sara Winkelman, 14.92, $364; 9. Tyra Kane, 14.98, $273; 10. Martha Smith, 15.08, $182.
