When Ken and Heather Cleggtook their little girl to theirneighbors for riding lessons,they probably didn't expectthe outstanding rodeo athlete they got.Their daughter took to horses like most little girls do, but unlike most she had convinced them to get her a horse by the time she was eleven. She started with horse 4-H shows and began her high school rodeo career halfway through her freshman year. She recently purchased her second horse and started roping.

Kasey competes in the barrel racing and pole bending, but occasionally tries her hand at goat tying and is learning to breakaway. So far, she has been the most successful in the pole bending. Her horse, Pearl, is quick on her feet and the two make a good team. This year she is focused on gold buckles and consistent improvement as she gathers points in preparation for the Utah High School State Finals Rodeo.So far, her favorite rodeo was in Nephi when the rain turned the arena into a knee deep mudpuddle. Kasey's horse is good to lift her feet in the mud which makes it easy to get down and dirty at some of Utah's muddy spring rodeos.

The eighteen-year-old senior is about to graduate from Springville High School.Her favorite class is welding. She has taken it all through high school and loves her teacher and welding. She enjoys the challenge of learning knew ways to weld andexpand her craft. She plans to get a college degree in welding and see where the skill takes her. She is a member of the National FFA organization and has competed in the Horse Judging Career Development Event. She works for her father at a car shop in Orem, Utah, a few minutes from her home in Springville.

Kasey is the second oldest of four adopted children. Her older brother Josh,20, is on an LDS Mission in Mexico. Her two younger brothers, Zak and Quin, are both 9 and only a few months apart. Together they enjoy hunting and being outdoors, but especially Kasey and her dad,Ken. Ken is a wildlife biologist and accompanies Kasey to most of her rodeos.

Aside from the competing, her favorite part of rodeo is spending time on the road with her horses, dad, and dogs. She has two dogs, Lelo and Roxy, but she favors Lelo, a mut that she couldn't live without.High school rodeo has taught Kasey a lot of patience and persistence. She has learned to prepare for stressful events and situations by focusing on what lies ahead.She has found the drive to win and to improve, which will help her outside of the rodeo world.

Kasey has a few heroes including her big brother, her father, and Chris LeDoux.She looks up to her dad and brother, and they are some of her closest friends. But even her truck, with its, "Just LeDoux it," sign, is evidence of her liking Chris LeDoux. His love for rodeo and accomplishing attitude reminds her to getthings done. Although Kasey feels that she doesn't always meet her full potential, she has a determined attitude that helps her obtain whatever it is she sets her mind to. If she could give advice to a starting rodeo athlete, she would encourage them to stick to it and don't let anyone or anything get them down. Kasey is a tenacious young athlete, and her attitude refl ects the passion of the entire Utah High School Rodeo Association.