Aryiana Rolling recently won her 2nd national pedal pull title
By Per Peterson
It’s safe to say that Aryiana Rolling is the only 12-year-old who can say she is retiring. That’s because she has no choice because of her age. And the Upper Midwest pedal pulling field is likely mighty glad she is.
Rolling, a sixth-grader at Tracy Area Elementary School, won her second national championship last month at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD, putting an exclamation mark on a dominant run that has included two national titles and a second-place finish in the last four years.
“I just feel happy,” Aryiana said last week. “This year, I just went for it. But I wish I could keep doing it until I’m at least 15.”
Before winning at the national level Aryiana, placed first in Tracy over Labor Day, then took first at State in Redwood Falls on Sept. 11. Although Aryiana, who last year lost to the eventual national champion by 18 inches, is no stranger to the big stage when it comes to pedal pulling, she admitted that she was nervous at this year’s national tournament, but not because she doubted her abilities.
“I was more nervous than usual because I didn’t do it last year,” Aryiana said, referring to the cancellation of the 2020 tournament because of the pandemic. “I was nervous about the people I was competing against. I have stage fright and there was a bigger crowd this year.”
See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.