July 29, 2025
Sumter County Teens Win 2025 National Junior Team Roping World Championship
By Kyle Coppola
Sumter County Teens Win 2025 National Junior Team Roping World Championship
Two Sumter County students roped in a major victory at the 2025 National Junior High Finals Rodeo, taking home top honors in the Team Roping World Championships.
Carter Walsh and Ryder Cruciger, both ninth graders, emerged as world champions in the team roping event at the NJHFR held this month in Des Moines, Iowa. Carter competed as a header while Ryder served as a heeler the two distinct roles in the roping duo.
Despite stiff national competition, the pair secured the championship title and earned $1,500 each in prize money, for a total of $3,000.
The NJHFR is one of the premier events in youth rodeo, attracting top middle school competitors from across the United States and beyond. We are very proud of both Carter and Ryder on this massive accomplishment! Way to go boys!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
