Warrenton barrel racer Nikki Ervin has bragging rights — she and her barrel racing squad recently beat a team of professionals.Ervin took part in 2014 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo champion Fallon Taylor’s Squad Tour barrel race Sept. 11 at the St. Clair Saddle Club.Taylor, a member of the Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA), hosts barrel racing clinics across the country that typically coincide with an ERA event.On a live broadcast on Facebook, Taylor said due to conflicts with the football season there wouldn’t be any more ERA events until the finals in Dallas in November. She said she came up with the idea to hold her own events so people could not only see her and her horse, Baby Flo, run but they could also compete against her.For her first in the series of squad races, Taylor, who was holding a clinic in St. Louis that same weekend, chose St. Clair as the venue, but the saddle club and would-be participants were only given a few days’ notice. Saddle club officers’ were not allowed to announce the barrel race until 10 a.m. the Friday before.Barrel racers from all over the area and even from Illinois jumped at the chance to team up and compete against Taylor and Baby Flo.Once the word was out, racers were buzzing about it on Facebook and putting together squads. There were 28 teams, including Taylor’s squad of five.Team barrel racing, or squad racing, works like a typical barrel race. Riders on each team consecutively run the cloverleaf pattern around three barrels and are each timed.According to the rules of Taylor’s Squad Tour, the entered time is an average based on the number of riders in the squad. If a rider knocks over a barrel, they receive a one-second penalty. There also is a 30-second penalty if a rider is unable to complete the pattern for any reason.Ervin joined a team that included Lindsay Leverington of Troy, Shelby Huber of Moscow Mills, and Paige Essenpreis of Lebanon, Ill. Their team, Double E, ended up winning first place, and the four riders each took home $525.“It was very exciting and nerve racking running with my team, but yet so rewarding in the end of course,” she said. “When we all made it out with clean runs I new we had a really good chance of taking first but we were all so glad the pressure was off.”Ervin said it was a different experience because it “wasn’t just a one-man show.”“If you messed up you not only let yourself down but the team as one,” she said.Leverington also said she thought the event was a lot of fun.“It was great seeing so many people team up and get excited about barrel racing,” she said. “While I think we all cheer and support each other at other races, it was fun to come together and truly work as a team. I’m thankful I was able to be a part of such a great event.”Tyler Wyatt of Robertsville, was on the second-place team, which collectively won $1,260, split among four riders.“Not a bad payout (for an event) that was organized in a little over 48 hours,” she said.Wyatt was her team’s captain and said she convinced each member of her team, which they called “The Monster Mares,” to join her. She said it was nice to compete as a team and not have to run against her friends.“I’ve known these women for 15-plus years,” she said. “We have competed against each other for that long, and it’s what made us friends in the first place.”Wyatt said it felt good to beat a team of professional barrel racers.“Fallon’s team was third,” she said. “Missouri girls showed that we are a force to be seen. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. They truly carried me.”Essenpreis said running against professional barrel racers was “a confidence booster” for many of the riders who didn’t place.“A lot of the horses were close to her time,” she said. “It’s definitely something to be proud of. It was a very fun experience being able to run on a team, and root for the girls you are usually competing against.”Essenpreis said she thought it was great see something different in the sport of barrel racing.“I think you could ask anyone who attended the barrel race and they would tell you they appreciated a change in the sport,” she said. “We’re just hoping they have it next year.”Huber said running on a team was a “rush.”“Usually, it’s just you and your horse,” she said. “But having a whole team relying on each other to make clean, fast runs made me want to work harder. The event overall had a fun atmosphere.”Taylor has been a member of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) since 1990. She was recently banned from running in WPRA events because she owns stock and is on the board of the ERA.“Unfortunately, that means I won’t be able to run at rodeos next year unless I give up my shares,” she said. “I’m not willing to do that. However, what I’m willing to do is revolutionize this sport for the better.”Rodeo