Gloria Roles of Springdale was sitting at her desk at work one day when she noticed she had a missed call from Beverly Hills, Calif.
The leader of the SkyHigh Angels rodeo drill team returned the call out of curiosity.
She was shocked to find the call was from a movie producer who wanted her team to do the riding for a movie. The SkyHigh Angels went on to perform as the Sweethearts of the Rodeo in the 2012 movie "Cowgirls 'n Angels" and the 2014 sequel "Cowgirls 'n Angels Dakota Summer."
Roles personal horse Hank was also chosen as the equine star of "Cowgirls 'n Angels," playing the role of Prince.
Roles told about the experience during a special viewing of "Cowgirls 'n Angels" and a performance by the SkyHigh Angels, held at the Siloam Springs Rodeo grounds on Sept. 20. Afterward the team greeted and signed autographs for children and adults. Kids even got a chance to have their picture made sitting on Hank's back, surrounded by drill team members.
The free event was sponsored by the Element Christ Riders, a branch of the Element youth group from First Assembly of God Church in Siloam Springs.
Organizer Jessica Thompson has two daughters on the SkyHigh Angels drill team. She knew the team needed to practice for an upcoming rodeo and suggested the event as a way to incorporate their preparation with a fun movie night for the public.
Thompson helped start the Element Christ Riders because many of the students in their youth group love horses.
"Why not have Christ in everything we do?" she said.
SkyHigh Angels meets for practice at Isuba Valley Horse Park near Siloam Springs, Roles said. The 18 team members come from all over northwest Arkansas, northeast Oklahoma and southwest Missouri -- from Hindsville, Ark. to Kansas, Okla.
Team members range in age from 14 up into their 40s and 50s. The whole team was featured in the two movies and four girls were selected as extras to make other appearances in the movie.
The team was founded in 2005 and performs at six to eight rodeos each year. They were featured performers at the Siloam Springs Rodeo in June.
The movie producers found the team through word of mouth. SkyHigh Angels had performed at a rodeo in Tulsa and some riders from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., noticed them. When the movie producers were making calls to the university looking for a team, the riders suggested the SkyHigh Angels.
The team was in Stillwater for about six weeks filming "Cowgirls 'n Angels."
Bailee Madison, the actor who plays the lead role of Ida Clayton in the movie, fell in love with Roles' black and white paint horse Hank and picked him to star in the movie with her. The old roping horse had to learn to wear a trick saddle and do stunts, Roles said.
Team captain Cheryle Roles, 21, has been a member of the SkyHigh Angels since she was 12 and participated with the team in both movies. She was also one of the extras.
During the filming, the team worked 16 hour days and traveled to rodeos all over Oklahoma and Louisiana.
"It was a lot of hard work," said team member Brandy Bilderback of Farmington.
The team got to watch the premier of "Cowgirls 'n Angels" at the 2012 International Film Festival in Dallas. "Cowgirls 'n Angels Dakota Summer" premiered at the 2014 film festival in April of this year.
More information about the SkyHigh Angels is available online at www.skyhighangels.com.
Information about the church youth group is available on the Element Christ Riders Facebook page.
General News on 10/01/2014