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True Grit: Otero College Ag Scholarship Twins Riatta and Taci Grokett Overcome Early Challenges to Excel in College Rodeo
Description: Pictured from Left to Right: Taci Grokett, Riatta Grokett and Dr. Kari White, lead faculty member of the Otero College Agriculture program. Two recipients of Otero College agriculture scholarships for the past two years are Taci and Riatta Grokett, twin daughters of Gary and Heather Grokett, from Limon, Colo.
Born at 27 Weeks, Twin Sisters Overcome Medical Odds to Thrive in College Rodeo at Otero College
LA JUNTA - Riatta and Taci Grokett were in a big hurry to get into this world, and once here, they have never slowed down. Born at just 27 weeks of development, the identical twins were less than two pounds each. Their parents, Gary and Heather Grokett from Limon, spent the first three months of their twin’s lives shuttling between NICU units at Children’s Hospital and University Hospital in Denver.
Faced with the usual issues of premature birth, the girls had some additional challenges. Shortly after birth, Taci developed a blood clot in her right leg, and at one month old, the leg was amputated just below the knee. Each year since, Taci has been fitted with a new prosthetic leg; keeping up with her annual growth. This past summer she received what she hopes will be her last prosthetic for a while, as doctors believe she has reached her adult height.
Riatta Grokett, an Otero College Ag scholarship recipient, competes in barrel racing for the Otero College Women’s Rodeo Team.
Riatta faced her own set of challenges during those first three months. Suffering from severe respiratory issues, she received a tracheotomy to keep her air passages open. This invasive procedure probably saved her life but left some scaring in her throat and on her vocal cords. Persistent respiratory issues and bouts of pneumonia, likely agitated by the trach, resulted in another surgery at the age of four that expanded her trachea using a piece of rib. Doctors were then able to remove the trach that had been inserted when she was a newborn.
Fortunately, neither girl remembers much about their early challenges and as soon as they could walk, they climbed onto a horse and have never slowed down since. Even when a four-wheeler accident sidelined Riatta for a few months in middle school, she put on a helmet and kept riding her horses.
The girls attended school in Limon, Colorado, where they played basketball and volleyball in middle school, then became very active in FFA in high school. They enjoyed great success in the FFA Horse Judging competitions, competing at the state level for three years.
Never far away from their horses, they became avid competitors in the Colorado Junior Rodeo Association (CJRA) and local gymkhanas and jackpots. According to their mother, Heather, there is rarely a day when the girls are not riding horses, either practicing, training, or helping their dad with the cattle out on the ranch.
When the girls graduated from high school in 2024, their next step, going to college, went smoothly. Otero College Rodeo Coach, Linsay Sumpter, had been watching the girls compete at rodeos and jackpots for several years and recruited them to attend Otero College, offering them both a rodeo scholarship and agriculture scholarship.
Taci Grokett, an Otero College Ag scholarship recipient, competes in breakaway roping for the Otero College Women’s Rodeo Team.
“We felt comfortable at Otero College right away,” said Riatta. “We already knew some people there and it was very easy to make friends. We’ve lived in the dorms for the past two years and have gotten to know students from all over. We also like the fact that it’s not too far away from home,” she said.
“The scholarships we received were very important for us to attend college,” said Taci. “Without the financial support those scholarships provided, our family would have struggled with the financial cost of two girls attending college at the same time,” she explained.
The girls became members of the Otero College Women’s Rodeo team, representing Otero College for the past two years in college rodeo competitions in the Central Rocky Mountain Region. They both compete in breakaway roping, barrel racing, and team roping, where they rope together as a team; Riatta is the header, Taci is the heeler.
With graduation looming in just a couple of months, their vision for the future is starting to take shape. Taci will earn an Associate of Science/Animal Science degree and Riatta will earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Livestock Production. They plan to return home to Limon where they will get serious about developing their horse training business, they hope to build their small cow herd, and expand upon a halter braiding enterprise that has proven very successful over the past few years. Their hand-braided halters have become a steady source of income, helping to fund their rodeo entry fees and travel expenses. They are also members of the Colorado Pro Rodeo Association (CPRA) and the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association (WPRA), and plan to continue competing in the breakaway and barrel racing competition with those organizations after their college rodeo careers end.
“The Grokett girls are two of my most hardworking, focused students,” said Dr. Kari White, lead faculty member of the Otero Agriculture program. “They study hard, they are always prepared and they know how to work. As an example, they both completed the Artificial Insemination Certification program last year during some very bad weather. The weather did not weaken their enthusiasm for the class and while they were students themselves, they were a tremendous help to the other students and instructors because they knew how to work the chutes and how to work cattle slowly and efficiently, said White.
Becky Sporrer, Ag Business faculty member at Otero, has known the Grokett twins since they were young and has watched them grown into the young women they are today. Over the past two years she’s had the girls in several of her business classes.
“The girls have been able to relate everything we’ve covered in class to how they will apply the concepts to their own businesses when they graduate. They’ve built business plans, done financial planning and are very forward thinking when it comes to developing a vision for the future. Knowing them like I do, when I think of the word “grit”, I think of Taci and Riatta Grokett. Those two girls are gritty, they have such great attitudes and they are driven harder than most,” said Sporrer.
“I think the Otero Agriculture program is ideal for students like the Grokett girls,” said Dr. White. “With two years of hands-on education here, students are ready to go back to their family operations or strike out on their own with the knowledge and business tools that are needed for success. Couple that with the financial support we provide through our scholarship program; we can graduate students from our program with very little debt.”
To continue funding its scholarship program, the Otero College Agriculture program will host its annual fundraising campaign for student support with A Night at the Races Ag Gala on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in the Rizzuto Banquet Room, located on the Otero College campus. Doors for the Ag Gala will open at 6:30 pm, with a delicious array of finger foods and cheesecake desserts. The starting gates for A Night at the Races will be open at 8 pm and run until 10 pm.
Sponsorship tables and individual tickets can be purchased at the following link. AG GALA TICKETS
For those unable to attend, but who would like to make a direct donation to the program, click on the following link to donate online: SUPPORT OTERO
For more information, or to sponsor the Ag Gala, contact Otero College Ag instructor Dr. Kari White at (719) 384-6964 or kari.white@otero.edu or Almabeth Kaess, Otero College Foundation Director, (719) 384-6807or almabeth.kaess@otero.edu
Related Content:
Support Agriculture Students at the 2026 Otero College Ag Gala
Image Gallery
Pictured from Left to Right: Taci Grokett, Riatta Grokett and Dr. Kari White, lead faculty member of the Otero College Agriculture program.
Taci Grokett, an Otero College Ag scholarship recipient, competes in breakaway roping for the Otero College Women’s Rodeo Team.
Riatta Grokett, an Otero College Ag scholarship recipient, competes in barrel racing for the Otero College Women’s Rodeo Team.
Pictured on left is Linsay Sumpter, Otero Agribusiness Management instructor and students who participated in last year’s event.
