Behind The Scenes

SportsCenter crew wrangles together story on nine-year-old Chayni Chamberlain

ESPN’s coverage of one of Sunday’s more unique sporting events – nine-year old Chayni Chamberlain of Stephenville, Texas competing for the $1.1 million first prize in the barrel racing championship of the American Rodeo Finals at AT&T Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas — includes a production team with similar backgrounds but different experiences.

Producer Malinda Adams grew up on a farm in Alabama, reporter Marty Smith was raised on a beef cattle farm in southwest Virginia and producer Rachel Pineda grew up in Mercedes, Texas, which hosts a rodeo and livestock show every year.

Adams: “My family went to the rodeo every chance we got when I was growing up, and my sister, Cynthia, had the best steer in our district and when she showed it at the Alabama State Rodeo in the late 1960’s she won.”
Pineda: “I was about six the first time I rode a horse and I’ve always wanted to be a cowgirl.”
Smith (who now owns that beef cattle farm): “I’m quite ignorant about the intricacies of the rodeo. But I’ve long been intrigued by it based mostly on my passion for country music and its history.”

Then there’s producer Luke Williams who will use his lack of rural experiences to his advantage: “I grew up in the northeast and went to school in Atlanta so I have zero farm/rodeo experience. But honestly it’s exciting to work on a subject/sport you’re not as familiar with since you’ll have a bit more of a critical eye when producing content. I always ask a lot of questions but at least now I know what a bridle is used for.”

Their efforts will result in a piece debuting on Saturday’s SportsCenter, with Smith also reporting from the event Sunday. (The American Rodeo Finals air live 3 p.m. ET Sunday on RFD-TV.)

Smith, best known for his NASCAR reporting, said of this weekend’s assignment, “I’m the house ‘country boy’ at ESPN, so it was a natural fit, I reckon. Chayni Chamberlain is a very special young lady, athletic and mature far beyond her years. There is a certain captivation in our country about wunderkind talents — if kids have adult-level excellence we invariably marvel at it. And if Chayni wins the million Sunday, she wants to donate some to charity. What nine-year old says THAT?”

Cowgirl wannabe Pineda said, “For me, there is a sense of authenticity to this story about a girl and her horse, and when I heard how fast Chayni and FloJo [a male horse] were rounding the barrels, I knew it was something that had to be seen. Barrel racing is my favorite rodeo event — it’s fast, it’s graceful, it’s exciting! The skill and coordination involved with the sport isn’t like mainstream sports in that it’s not a ball or a puck one is trying to manipulate to reach a goal, but rather a living, breathing animal.”

Of his subject matter, Smith said, “She’s a wide-eyed, 9-year old, third-grader who just goes and rides, chases her passion and happens to be world-class at a tender age. Her parents have a much broader-stroke view of her considerable talent and her father told me, ‘I think she’s gonna change the sport dramatically. She’s gonna have little kids that didn’t wanna ride — they’ll wanna ride now. It just gives hope to a lotta people in the rodeo industry’. Think about that. A nine-year old offering hope. What a story.”

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