Days of '47 Rodeo athlete explains why she likes competing in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah counts down to Pioneer Day on Thursday, one of the big events this week is the Days of '47 Rodeo. It brings in some of the best rodeo athletes from all over the world.

Roughly 400 of some of the top rodeo riders and racers throughout the world are in Salt Lake City this week. That includes professional barrel racer Ari-Anna Flynn, from Stephenville, Texas.

She's not only competing at the Days of '47 Rodeo; she also raced this week in Ogden and is competing Wednesday night in Spanish Fork. Earlier in her career, she placed in the Top 20 of barrel racers worldwide, and during rodeo season she travels the country competing at rodeos nationwide.

Utah loves rodeo

She said she loves coming to Utah because Utah loves rodeo.

"It's so fun to come to performances because the crowds are just incredible, and I feel like the committees are always really great," Flynn said. "We love coming out here especially this week because they're so many good ones right here within a two hour radius."

And there's another reason that people like competing in Utah — when you win, the cash prizes are among the best you can find. The top prize for barrel racing at Days of '47 is $19,495.

If a barrel racer is lucky enough to be among the Top 15 cash winners in the country, they can qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.

That's Flynn's goal. Both her parents are athletes too, and have gone to the finals multiple times. She's hoping if she can win big in Utah, she'll get there too.

If you want to watch athletes like her compete, the Days of '47 Rodeo runs the rest of the week.

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