MHS volleyball standout ropes in college rodeo scholarship

Maricopa High School volleyball player Cori Teller will be going to college next fall, but, unlike most incoming freshmen, she will have three of her best friends making the trip with her — her horses.

Teller will be entering Odessa (Texas) College on a rodeo scholarship. After Odessa, a two-year school, she hopes to continue with rodeo at Tarleton (Texas) State. Rodeo is not the most common sport on the intercollegiate scene, but, in the west, it is far more popular than many realize.

A senior outside hitter in volleyball, Teller helped Maricopa double the number of victories the team posted in 2010 by going 8-10 during the 2011 season.

"My entire family eats, sleeps and breathes rodeo,” Teller said after the Rams’ Senior Night victory over South Mountain.

Originally from Queen Creek, Teller moved to Maricopa in fourth grade and lives in the Thunderbird Farms area south of town. She has competed in rodeo most of her life, as has most of her family.

In fact, along with her three horses, she will have another familiar face greeting her nearby – her older brother, Cullen, who attends Howard College. He is a former MHS basketball star and won the Texas Southwest College Regional championship and placed sixth in the nation in team roping.

Teller competes in barrel racing, team roping, breakaway and goat-tying.

She showed off her skills recently at the state fair. She also has competed all over the state, and, by finishing in the top four in her event, earned the opportunity to participate in nationals in Wyoming.

For the uninitiated, Teller explains a couple of the events.

“In goat-tying, you’re on your horse and you run down 100 feet. There’s a goat staked at the end of a rope. You flip it on its side and you tie three legs,” she said.

The event is judged by the fastest time.

“In breakaway, you have a rope and it’s attached to your saddle horn with a nylon string,” she said. “You rope a calf and you stop your horse while the calf keeps going. When the rope pops off your horn, that’s the end of your time. You want to be the fastest.”

Does she have a favorite among the three that will travel with her to Texas? “No, I don’t. I love all three of them so much. They all do something very different for me.”

After college, Teller hopes to become a physical therapist and open her own practice.

“Or I might like to join the Justin Sportsmedicine Group,” she said. Justin is a cowboy boot maker that sponsors a group of physical therapists who work with rodeos nationwide.

***ADVERTISEMENT***Volleyball and rodeo are not two sports that are generally mentioned in the same breath, but Teller feels that athleticism, in general, applies to both. “You have to be in shape to ride.”

Julia Jefferson, head coach of the Rams’ volleyball team, has high praise for Teller.

“Cori is an amazing young woman, both on and off the court,” Jefferson said. “I have enjoyed coaching her these past two seasons. She is a true example of a student-athlete. Cori excels in the classroom, on the court and in her extracurricular activities. She is a true leader. She demonstrates postiveness, dedication and determination in everything she does.”

Teller, and her three close friends, will have many more chances to excel, this time on the collegiate level.