Female bull rider's spirit honored with Try Award

(Photo by Hammer Photo) Alyssa Vanderhoff's family was presented with the first Try Award at a rodeo held New Year's Eve in Madison, Neb. The award, which will carry the late teenager's name, will be presented annually to the junior bull rider who shows the most initiative and gives the most. Pictured from left to right are Jennifer (Vanderhoff) Wipperling, Elisabeth (Vanderhoff) Russell, Patty and Brian Vanderhoff, Colby Crase, Miss Teen Rodeo Iowa Hannah Hilsabeck, Extreme Princess Abby McDonald, 2009 National Federation of Professional Bullriders Queen Rachel Burton, Ryan Skillet and Todd Crase. [Click to enlarge]

The 15-year-old's spirit -- and passion for bull riding -- was honored recently during a special tribute at the Extreme Bullriding Tour's finale. The finals championship hosted New Year's Eve in Madison, Neb., celebrated the conclusion of the 2009 season for the Extreme Bullriding Tour.

It also marked a presentation of the Try Award, established in honor of Vanderhoff's memory. Received by her parents, Brian and Patty Vanderhoff, and older sisters, Jennifer Wipperling and Elisabeth Russell, via a standing ovation, the Try Award will carry Vanderhoff's rodeo name -- AJ Vanderhoff -- and be presented annually to the junior bull rider who shows initiative in the profession.

"Because Alyssa was competing in a man's world, it was a battle for her," her father said. "She'd had some injuries this year, but she overcame them and kept right on going, no matter what. She loved the sport."

Vanderhoff: The rider with heart Alyssa Jo Vanderhoff, the daughter of Brian and Patty Vanderhoff of rural Marathon, was born Sept. 30, 1993, in Spencer. She attended South Clay Community School from kindergarten through fourth grade, continuing her education at Sioux Central Community School District, where the 15-year-old was a member of the sophomore class. Alyssa enjoyed playing softball, basketball and volleyball. In school, she enjoyed agriculture and speech class. She was also a proud Sioux Central FFA Chapter member who showed horses and other livestock at the Clay County Fair as a 4-H member. The well-known bull rider also traveled extensively throughout Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska with the Extreme Bullriding Tour. [Click to enlarge]

One of a few women bull riders in the Midwest, the teenager had become a fan favorite on the Extreme Bullriding Tour last year, where she competed regularly in the Double S Bull Company junior bullriding category.

The country girl at heart was raised with the belief that girls can do anything guys can. She began riding bucking horses at the age of 14.

At the goading of a friend who said girls couldn't ride bulls, Vanderhoff promptly replied at a rodeo, "Oh really? Put one in the shoot and we'll find out."

The 15-year-old who'd soon ride on the semiprofessional level was hooked. Snow Bull, held March 12-14 in Burlington, was her first official rodeo as a bull rider.

"After that, we just kind of followed the tour along. We made as many of the rodeos as we could and basically spent the whole summer traveling," Brian Vanderhoff said. "We were at a rodeo every weekend. The only weekend Alyssa knew she couldn't ride was the weekend of her sister's wedding. We'd actually contemplated going to the wedding, making a run to the rodeo (in South Dakota) quick and then heading back to the reception. That's what she wanted to do."

But Vanderhoff, who'd competed days before in the Extreme Bullriding Tour's Dodge Champsionship Bullriding event in Sedalia, Mo., died Thursday, Aug. 27, after losing control of her truck on a gravel road near her hometown of Marathon. She'd recently been welcomed into the Women's Professional Rodeo Association and notified that she'd been accepted as a member of a four-girl bullriding team.

"Alyssa pushed it to the limit when she decided she wanted to ride bulls. But, she loved it. She took a couple of pretty good beatings this last year," her father said of the broken arm, two broken ribs and numerous bruises and sore muscles she experienced as a result of what Vanderhoff deemed her 8-second addiction. "But, like she said, 'That goes along with it. The thrill isn't the ride; the thrill is getting away after you get off.'"

"The promoter and the contractors all said she was getting better," he added. "She was really showing signs of improvement and she was riding some really, really ranked bulls. Alyssa rode a couple of bulls that have actually been to the pro circuit."