Marana, Arizona native cowgirl Sherry Cervi followed in her parent’s footsteps regarding rodeo. Her parents, Mel and Wendy Potter, were both members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Cervi, 49, began her professional rodeo career at a young age. She began competing in rodeo at age six.
During high school, Cervi even focused on basketball due to her height, but eventually, she followed her heart and made a career as a professional rodeo cowgirl.
Her professional career began in 1993 in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Within a year, Cervi qualified for the National Finals Rodeo.
She became the World Champion in 1995, the same year she tied the knot with Mike Cervi.
Cervi has four Championships under her belt and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
A celebrated name in her community, Cervi’s Youth Championships draw large crowds annually.
This year, the legendary cowgirl hosted her “The Sherry Cervi Youth Championships” in Buckeye, Arizona, instead of Tucson, Arizona.
Speaking on her Youth Championships, Cervi said she was paying it back to what the Western industry had done for her and her career.
The Time When Sherry Cervi Almost Quit Rodeo Altogether
In 1995, Sherry Cervi tied the knot with Mike Cervi Jr.
He was a stock contractor, and the couple spent much of their time in Marana, living on a ranch about a block from her childhood home.
The two crossed paths for the first time at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
They dated long-distance for several months, meeting up at rodeos across the country.
Mike’s mother, DeAnne Garibaldi, was fond of Sherry and once said, “She was my kind of woman.”
Tragedy struck in 2001 when Mike was killed in a private airplane crash, leaving Sherry widowed at only 26.
Speaking on her husband’s demise, Sherry said,
I was going along thinking, ‘I’ve got it good, everything is working out, I’m going to be taken care of. And when he passed away, my whole world came crashing down.
via: Western Horseman
Sherry rode the year Mike passed, but according to her previous interviews, she doesn’t remember much about what happened that year.
In 2002, Sherry quit rodeoing and didn’t know if she would ever return. But horses forced her to move forward.
Sherry said, “You can’t ignore them. They still have to be taken care of, they have to be ridden, they have to be taken place to get better.”
In 2003, she entered the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and eventually made the NFR for the ninth time.
The Cowgirl Sherry Cervi Is Now Married To Cowboy Cory Petska
In 2013, Sherry Cervi tied the knot with Cory Petska. On December 5, 2014, she announced on her Facebook handle.
Cervi wrote,
We officially tied the knot and we will be the only husband and wife team to compete at NFR 2014. I am so happy to share with all of you that tonight I will be competing alongside my husband and best friend, Cory Petska.
via: Facebook
Like his wife, Cory comes from a rodeo family. His mother, Gail Petska, was a two-time world champion barrel racer who holds the NFR record for rounds won in a single NFR.
His father, Paul Petska, team ropes and reached the NFR three times. His uncle, Monty Joe, made it to the NFR 14 times.
Cory’s sister, Tye, qualified for the NFR barrel racing in 1994 but chose not to make it her professional career.
Cory has qualified for NFR 15 times and, in 2017, became the PRCA World Champion Heeler.
The cowboy has $2.3 million in career earnings, and in recent years, he has shifted his attention to training running-bred head horses.
In a 2023 interview with The Team Roping Journal, Petska said he trained the horse he rode to win the Legend roping during BFI Week in 2023.
During the interview, Petska said he doesn’t claim to be a head horse trainer.
He also revealed that he planned to train four barrel-racing-bred horses in the summer.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- In 2010, Sherry had become the first cowgirl in history to have over $2 million in earnings. That same year, she also won her third World Championship.
- Cervi has qualified to compete at nineteen National Finals Rodeos, which ties her for the most NFR qualifications alongside Charmayne James.
