Whataburger's Whatakid: Emmi Lummus of Region X

Congratulations to the Whatakid of the month, Emmi Lummus! This seventeen-year-old senior is a force to be reckoned with and has not let anything drag her down. She plans on competing in barrel racing and calf roping this coming up year. In the past, she has also competed in team roping and pole bending. Barrels are her favorite event.

Emmi rides a sorrel named Cash, who is actually blind in his right eye. With the barrel on the right being the first one they go to, both Emmi and Cash rely on each other tremendously. “It’s a trust thing between us 100%. He has to trust me completely and I have to trust him. New arenas are always hard but we seem to always get it together,” Emmi said.

Even though all of Emmi’s sisters have ridden Cash at one time, Emmi and Cash seemed to get along the best. In fact, the pair ended up going to state together their first year together. “We stuck together and it has been like that ever since. Every ride on Cash is a fun one,” Emmi said.

Emmi has been part of rodeo since before she can remember. With her dad and all her sisters competing before her, it runs in the family. She has also made some of her best friends through rodeo.

When asked about her favorite rodeo memory, Emmi responded, “I don’t know if I can pick out just one.” She went on to explain that she enjoyed traveling around with her mom and dad this summer to a bunch of different rodeos. It was the first time it was just her and her parents because in the past their truck had always been jam packed with her and all of her sisters.

Emmi believes that rodeo is such a humbling sport and that’s why she enjoys it so much. “My best friend, Shelby, and I have been rodeoing together since we were little. We are always competing against each other but you would never know because we are constantly cheering for each other. In rodeo, you don’t want anyone to do badly. Little do we realize that the people we are running against are also the ones we are cheering for,” Emmi explained.

Emmi has qualified for state every year but her junior year.“For a while, I was so down on myself for not making it to state. But then I thought about the fact that it is an accomplishment to make it to state. It’s not easy and not everyone makes it. I had been going since 6thgrade and so not making it junior year hit really hard. But then it hit me, there is competition everywhere. Maybe they deserved it more than I did because they practiced harder,” Emmi said.

Not only does Emmi compete in rodeo, she also competes on the varsity basketball, track, volleyball and golf teams at Orangefield High School. Emmi considers basketball her favorite and was named the district MVP her junior year.

In addition to all her athletic endeavors, she is a member of the National Honor Society, student council, a class officer, and Meet In the Middle, a group that works with the special needs kids at her school. Emmi also volunteers her time to be a Sunday school leader fro the little ones at her church.

Christal Odom, Emmi’s agricultural sciences teacher, has been a major influence on her. “Just the way she approaches people and her positive attitude toward others amazes me,” Emmi said. “She never treats anyone differently. She is just awesome.”

She also looks up to her parents, Hope and JeffLummus, a lot. “I don’t think I could single either one of them out. They balance each other perfectly,” Emmi said.

Growing up in a house of four girls, Emmi and her sisters are extremely close. Her sisters have always been there for her and she counts them as her best friends. Sophomore year, Emmi actually competed with a fractured lower back. “You take the little things for granted like throwing your saddle up on your horse until one day you can’t do anymore. It was one of the things I never thought would happen to me but I got through it,” Emmi said. “It taught me that even the big set backs you can come back from.” Her sisters helped her through everything and made sure her horse was taken care of and fed. She was only able to compete in poles that year due to her injury.

Emmi explained that one thing she always has in her mind are the words be brave. “That’s something I always tell myself. Whether it is sports, rodeo, or schoolwork, I just tell myself ‘be brave Emmi. You got this,’” Emmi said. Another saying that she would count as her life motto is Philippians 4:13, which reads, “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This verse means a lot to her as it has helped her through multiple different trials.

In the future, Emmi plans to attend college and hopefully pursue the path towards becoming a cardiac sonographer. Eventually, she would like to amateur rodeo but wants to focus on her schooling while in college.

“I feel excited and privileged to have been chosen as this months Whatakid. I know that there are a lot of great and deserving candidates out there and to know I was chosen makes me feel extremely honored and special,” Emmi said.