   
For Hancock, rodeo is a family affair
By MICHAEL ALLEN
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
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 Lori Hancock is a true cowgirl through and through.
Hancock, 30, is a professional barrel racer who is one of many participating in this weekend's Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in Conway. She has been riding horses and competing since the age of 7. As a child growing up under parents who also competed professionally, being around animals and rodeos was a way of life for her.
Her mother, Debbie Hancock, is a former barrel racer and her father, Dale Hancock, is the rodeo announcer for the PRCA and is working this weekend, which makes Lori Hancock's situation a little more interesting.
"My parents have had all the influence on me going into doing rodeos," Lori Hancock said. "My dad did barebacking in his professional riding days and now he's announcing. My dad taught me everything I know about riding, along with my riding coach Rosalie Turley, who lived in Little Rock."
Hancock, a 1996 graduate of Conway High, has racked up a long list of accomplishments. She won her first junior championship in 1992 at the Arkansas Rodeo Association Rodeos. While she was in high school she captured several year-end saddles and many buckles for awards.
After graduation she received a full scholarship to North East Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
"After my horse got sick my first year in Texas, I decided to come back home," Hancock said. "I decided that I wanted to go to a four-year university and get a degree."
Hancock graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a BBA in marketing. Now, she works for Fort Dodge Animal Health, travelling and selling animal health products across Arkansas.
Hancock is hopeful that she will be able to win some of the cash prizes this weekend. A couple of weeks ago she took home a pot of $2,700 at a rodeo in Ruston, La.
"I just love to compete," Hancock said. "We're are really excited about this event coming to Conway. We are expecting big crowds. It'll be awesome to perform in front a lot of the local people."
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