Bristow’s own Brook Banks recently won the Oklahoma State Champ in Ribbon Roping, along with her partner JLuke Wickett of Sallisaw.
Brook is a member of the Oklahoma Junior High School Rodeo Association with other rodeo athletes in 5th thru 8th grades. Athletes who compete in this sport must maintain passing grades and participate in a minimum of four rodeos per semester. In order to go on to compete at the state championship level you must finish the rodeo season in the top 15 based on points earned at the rodeos you competed in during the year. Once the athlete makes it to State, they must place in the top four in order to go on to compete at the national level. Brook and J-Luke placed first with a time of 9.1 and are the Oklahoma State Champs in ribbon roping and will compete at Nationals June 18-24 in Perry, Georgia. Brook also was a State Finalist in barrels riding her horse Rollo and goat tying while riding Sally.
The Lemonade Stand will be coming again soon. Competing at rodeos in other states is expensive and while Brook has a few people and companies who sponsor her, she has also always had a Lemonade Stand that she sets up to earn money herself too. Brook just finished her 6th grade year at Bristow, and maintained a 4.0 GPA this last year, while also finding time to play basketball and rodeo, but the rodeo life is where her heart is, and what she wants to do as she continues to grow up and as an adult. Brook started riding before she could walk; her mom Susan Banks said “she has been riding her whole life”.
Brook started competing at rodeos at the age of five and since then has won many, many prizes and awards. It is fairly safe to say she could start her own saddle and buckle shop with all of the saddles and buckles she has won… .but I know she’s hanging on to
See Brook, Page Three many prizes and awards. It is fairly safe to say she could start her own saddle and buckle shop with all of the saddles and buckles she has won….but I know she’s hanging on to those hard earned prizes! I asked Brook what she thought was her most special win so far and she and her mom both said Oklahoma Richest Breakaway Roping which she competed in last October, and the hardest competition she has faced has been in 2021 when she earned the right to compete at the Vegas Toughest in Las Vegas in both barrel racing and breakaway roping.
Brook has competed in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Nevada, Missouri and soon Georgia. While she has a lot of special people who have helped her along the way and are good role models, when I asked who her best role model is, she simply said, “myself ”, and if you have the chance to talk to her about roping and riding and rodeoing – you know that wasn’t said in a conceited way, but just in a way that comes from knowing the hard work and effort it takes to compete at rodeos comes from within. It is a daily exercise of practice and caring for your horses. It is knowing that when you are in that arena competing it all comes down to you and your work and what you put into it. Brook credits Audie Wickett as one of her best supporters, and Jaxey Wickett as her loudest supporter, but I can tell you this little Cowgirl has a huge rodeo family that supports her, starting and ending with her mom and dad.
Riding and rodeoing are a way of life for Brook and her family and she will soon be a proud aunt. I asked her if she planned to teach her nephew how to ride when he was old enough and she said “he should already know how to ride”! I guess it’s just in the DNA.
When asked to tell me a little about her Ribbon Roping partner J-Luke she said “well, he’s tall, and we are both good”. Mom Susan said, “he is a fast roper and she is a fast runner”! Good luck at Nationals Brook Banks! Bristow supports you and will be cheering for you, and when you get your Lemonade Stand set up we will be buying from you as well.