Kirbee Spire likes to play sports like any teenage girl.

She likes to hang out with her friends like any teenager does.

Spire is just like any other teenage girl ... until she gets on a horse.

There she's in a league of her own.

Spire, a 13-year-old Maryville native, proved she is among the nation's best on a horse when she took first in the girls breakaway roping event at the 2008 Wrangler Junior High Finals Rodeo in Gallup, N.M. It's tough to understate how big of an honor it is to win an event at the WJHFR.

"Not too many people get to say they can be a national champion," Patty Spire, Kirbee's mother, said.

Although plenty people give it their best shot.

In order to qualify for nationals a person must finish in the top four in an event out of the entire state. Spire qualified in three events in Iowa; girls breakaway, goat tying and barrel racing.

The top four from 40 states, Canada and Australia then travelled to Gallup to test their skills against the best of the best. To narrow the competition down further, there are two qualifying rounds. The times from these two rounds are averaged. The top 20 averages get to go onto the finals.

In the breakaway finals, Kirbee recorded the fastest time and walked away with the title.
People took notice of this small-town girl from Missouri making a splash in a rodeo dominated by states like Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Kirbee was the only participant from Missouri to take away a title.

"They have a big advantage when they live in those warmer states," Patty said. "They rodeo year round, outside in the pen. They don't have the weather conflicts, and their horses don't get fat and hairy like ours do."

So, how does a teenage girl that plays junior high sports while living in a town constantly plagued by bad weather stay competitive? She finds a way to practice.

"We just have to make time for it," Patty said. "It's not a sport you can just lay off for four or five months. You've just got to keep going."

When Kirbee can't practice at home, she's using the barn of a family friend to get her repetition in. Still it's a marvel she can find the time and keep up with her other extracurricular activities.

"She would practice her stuff at school and then she'd come home and practice," Patty said. "She practices roping and goat tying all year round. We rodeo all winter too."
It doesn't hurt that the rodeo is a family affair.

"Ed and I both rodeoed when we were kids," Patty said. "It's just something we like to do as a family.

"You spend a lot of time in the truck."

Kirbee's siblings also rodeo.

"My older kids still rodeo," Patty said. "They're just going off on their own now. We'll keep doing it as long as we can, as long as the kids have an interest."

Rodeoing as a family means a lot of time on the road together. Most families would be at each other's throats having to spend that much time stuck in a vehicle together. Not so for the Spires, rodeo is a family function they all enjoy.

"We have a lot of fun," Patty said. "You get to meet a lot of really nice people. And you'll meet them again down the road because more than likely their kids are rodeoing too."

After winning a national championship, an achievement most kids can only dream about, what's next for Kirbee? There's always winning the whole thing. Patty said Kirbee has one more shot to win the All-Around Cowgirl award at the WJHFR before she has to move into the high school ranks.

It's a realistic goal. Patty said Kirbee just needs to place a little bit better in her other events. Also, Kirbee's got a lot of talent underneath her. Her horse Larry finished fourth in the horse-of-the-year competition.

As for making a career out of rodeo, that's still up in the air.

"She just turned 13," Patty said. "It's hard to think about what you want to do when you turn 20 when you're 13. She loves to do it.

"As long as it's fun and she continues to be competitive, I think it'll be something she'll keep doing."