Round Up

With every generation there is groundwork laid to make things better for the next generation and for Nellie Miller it is no different. A Tehama county native, Nellie was born into a family with a rodeo history. Her grandfather Delmer Botts was the first in her family to rodeo in the 1960's and 1970's. Her paternal grandfather Bill Williams was a great horseman, trainer and advocate for rodeo. Followed by her parents Sam and Roxy Williams who traveled and competed with different levels of suc- cess along the way. For Nellie's family rodeo is not just a hobby, but a way of life that starts at the roots. Nellie grew up traveling with her family to watch her father compete. At the age of twelve Nellie started to compete and soon was in action at the rodeos alongside her father and brother. Their father Sam made sure they were always mounted on great horses. Being a team roper and horse trainer Sam raised and trained all of the horses that Nellie rode. She started out on a great mare they called "Reba." Reba later went on to produce two horses that Nellie continued to win on, "Blue Duck" and "Sister." Traveling mostly in California, Nellie got her start in the Cali- fornia Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association aboard Reba. Nellie and Reba won the barrel racing rookie of the year in 2001. She went on to win barrel racing titles in 2004 and 2007, and was the first woman to win the all-around title in 2007 competing in barrels and breakaway roping. She also competed in high school rodeo with state barrel racing championships in 2003 and 2004, and state breakaway roping championship in 2005. She went on to attend college at UNLV and rodeoed on the UNLV rodeo team. She started to ride Blue Duck during this time and won two west-coast region barrel racing championships in 2007 and 2008 along with a national team championship in 2008. In 2007 Nellie decided to enter into the professional ranks. Stepping into the next level came naturally winning many big rodeos her rookie year and making the California Circuit Finals. She climbed the ranks each year getting closer and closer to the top 15, and in 2010 she accomplished her biggest goal yet and made it to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) ranked 7th in the world. For a few years rodeo slowed down a bit as she got married and started a family of her own. Her husband James Miller is the general manager of the Red Bluff Round-Up and they have two daughters Payton (5) and Hadley (3). While she was starting her own family her father Sam Williams was home training horses. By 2016 she was back to competing, now riding the horse they call "Sister." Sister is a half-sister to her great horse Blue Duck, and she quickly excelled in the rodeo arena. In 2016 she had some of her biggest wins including California Rodeo Salinas, Ellensburg Rodeo and the California Circuit Finals Rodeo. 2017 proved to be the best year yet including wins at Reno Rodeo, St. Paul, OR, and Ellensburg, WA for the 2nd year in a row, and winning reserve championship at the Calgary Stampede. The winnings from Calgary through this time of the year were enough to secure her a ranking to go to the WNFR a 2nd time. During the ten days in Las Vegas all of the experience, team- work, knowledge, and horsemanship paid off in the best way possible leaving as the WNFR average champion and the 2017 World Champion Barrel Racer. Though she has accomplished the highest achievement that can be awarded she is far from done. She has many more rodeos to go to and two daughters who will no doubt follow family tradition. Some day she hopes to be walk- ing them down the alley at the Thomas and Mack arena just like her father has done for her. The Chamber, the Round-Up, and the whole County would like to say Congratulations Nellie Miller, Tehama County's Champion! You make us proud! Day Ten SATURDAY, APRIL 21 ST 2018 Red Bluff - Tehama County Chamber of Commerce presents 64 TH Annual Round-Up Parade Downtown Red Bluff, 10am Featuring over 100 colorful entries including over 25 floats, 30 equestrian units, classic automobiles, bands, marching units and much more, takes place on Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m. preceding the second performance of this year's Round-Up. Held in historic downtown Red Bluff, thousands of spectators from throughout Northern California line the parade route to enjoy this key traditional aspect of the total Round-Up experience as announced by three separate announcing stations. For more information call the Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce office at 527-6220 ext. 301 is years theme "Home Town Champions" e Wells Fargo Stagecoach is rolling into town Saturday in the Round-Up Parade Watch a living legend Red Bluff Round-Up Parade Grand Marshal World Barrel Racing Champion Nellie Miller

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