Tarleton State community remembers rodeo athlete following tragic loss
Tarleton State community remembers rodeo athlete
This weekend, Tarleton State University is remembering sophomore Alejandra Franco, a 20-year-old student who died on Thursday night following an accident during a rodeo competition in far West Texas.
She was known for her smile, her leadership and her love of rodeo. This weekend, Tarleton State University is remembering sophomore Alejandra Franco, a 20-year-old student who died Thursday night following an accident during a rodeo competition in far West Texas.
Franco’s friends say she was the type of person who’d never met a stranger and with her gone, they’re learning to live like Ale.
What we know:
Franco, lovingly known as Ale, had just turned 20 at the end of August.
She was a breakaway roper on Tarleton State’s rodeo team. Franco was competing Thursday night at the annual Sul Ross College Rodeo in Alpine, in the Big Bend region, when she was injured and killed.
Officials haven’t confirmed what exactly led up to her death.
Tarleton State student dies after suffering injuries during rodeo event
A Tarleton State University rodeo team member died after performing at an event in West Texas, the school's rodeo team announced.
Friends remember Franco’s smile and laughter
What they're saying:
The streamers and banners Franco’s friends painted still hang.
"We told her we would keep it up for her next birthday too, so we're never taking it down," said Aubrey Evans, Franco’s friend.
Emily Lonsford, another friend, said Franco was always a light to those around her.
"Just the way that she went through life, she was always just a light to all of us," Lonsford said.
Franco’s friends said she had been excited to see her dad, who came to watch her compete.
"We were just talking about how she was so excited to see her dad, who came down to come see her rodeo," said Sienna Mallory, Franco’s friend.
By Friday morning, her friends were waking up to the news on Instagram.
"I was just like, ‘There's no way! Like this has to be fake. This has to be a prank. Like this is AI. Like this isn’t real,’" said Mackenzie Langley, Franco’s friend. "She’s so young, and we were just with her."
The girls say Franco danced with no music, made strangers feel like friends and could find the good in everything.
"Her smile, yeah, and her laugh. It was just so contagious. She lit up a room with it. She was always smiling and laughing no matter what was going on," Evans said.
Rodeo honors Franco with a moment of silence
Dig deeper:
The rodeo continued this weekend with a moment of silence for Ale.
Every person involved, announcers, people running the event and competitors, also wore purple ribbons in her honor, Evans said.
Franco’s friends said they’ve decided to make another promise they hope others will also make: to live like Ale.
"Live like Allie because her life was just so positive, and I feel like now this world’s so negative," Langley said. "It’s so easy to be so negative so fast. So just trying to learn to live like her and enjoy every moment of life because you never know what’s going to happen."
What's next:
The girls are also selling shirts that say "Live Like Ale" to help raise money for Franco’s family and cover costs.
A visitation was held Sunday, with another planned Monday. A rosary is planned for Monday evening in Stephenville.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Vania Castillo.