When it comes to women's athletics, Stacy Dragila is about as revolutionary as they come. The 31-year-old claimed the first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's pole vault at the 2000 Games in Sydney. She also became the first and only women's pole vault world champion with victories at both the 1999 and 2001 World Championships. On top of that, Dragila is the current world record holder in pole vault by virtue of clearing 15 feet, 9.25 inches in 2001. As if those accolades aren't enough for her to stake her claim as pole vault queen, she has also won five U.S. Outdoor championships, six U.S. Indoor championships and is a two-time Jesse Owens Award winner.

However, long before she took hold of a pole and began clearing unprecedented heights, Dragila participated in a slightly different type of competition: goat roping. Growing up on a farm in Northern California, Dragila was a member of the local 4-H club and gained an interest in the rodeo after watching her older brother participate. She quickly developed a love for goat roping, a sport that requires a rider on horseback to gallop alongside a running goat, hop down, catch the goat and tie its legs together in a matter of seconds. It's a very exact discipline and takes hours of practice to develop the skills necessary to be successful. Dragila took time to offer a few tips on how to maximize your goat roping potential.

Keys to Goat Roping

Tip #1: Find a fast horse that you can work well with.
"It is important to have a fast horse that runs straight. The rider and the horse must work well together to make this happen."

Tip #2: Execute a quick dismount off the horse.
"A quick dismount is probably the most important thing, as this is where you can cut time. You must be daring enough to jump off the horse while it is running as fast as you can manage!"

Tip #3: Focus on the goat.
"You must focus on the goat once you hit the ground. The goat is tied in such a way that it has slack to run, so you must follow the rope up the center in order to catch it."

Tip #4: Tie the goat in such a way that it doesn't have a prayer.
"The last thing is you must tie the goat with a precise and tight wrap around three legs so it cannot escape."