Helen Panzella
Helen's Story (as told by Angelo Iodice)
Helen Panzella was born and raised in the Bronx, New York . Every year as a child, her father would take her to see the rodeo at Madison Square Garden . Her favorite part was the trick riding. Her head must have been spinning, because she was always treated to the best of the best. I can only imagine what it must have felt like to watch all the greats-Dick Griffith, Nancy Bragg, Buff Brady, Bernice Taylor Dosey and Faye Blessing to name a few.
It is no surprise that Helen caught the trick riding bug and she realized she would never be happy unless she became one herself.
She had never ridden a horse (except for pony rides) but did not let this get in the way of her dream. She saved up enough money and bought a trick saddle without her parents knowing and hid it in her room. She would then bring it to the local stable on Pelham Parkway and rent a horse for trail riding. She talked them into letting her use her saddle, and while on the trail she would practice all the daring moves she saw in the arena at MSG.
She then met, fell in love with and married a young bull rider (later turned steer wrestler) Nick Panzella, and together they hit the rodeo trail. Helen would work with all the greats and learned all the tricks of the trade. She especially had a close relationship with Rex Rossi and J.W. Stoker.
Helen was a beautiful and athletic woman. She had a large repertoire of tricks and had her three favorite runs.
1)A pommel roll into double vaults and when on the second side she would vault to her knees and spring onto her feet and flip a cartwheel
2)Horn spin into continuous splits to the neck.
3)Her signature -a Hippodrome stand inspired by Edith Happy
Helen had so many great stories about her rodeo days . One involved Rex Rossi. He injured himself and could not perform his roman riding act . He asked Helen if she roman rode? She said no, but told him she had all afternoon for him to train her. That he did and Helen performed the act that night and the rest of the contract, high jump and all. Rex was grateful as she did not except any pay for the performances. She said that's what friends are for.
Helen’s dream came true when she was hired to perform in the rodeo at MSG, the place where it all started. However her first contract there was bittersweet. The first day she was riding for the horse catches in the trick roping act. The horse she was riding (unknown to her) was green to the act and when they were caught the rope slipped under the horse's tail and he went to bucking like a bronc. Helen was thrown and could not move. She was rushed to the hospital and missed trick riding in the first performance. She ended up with a sprained back, bruised ribs and black eye. She was told she had to rest for a few weeks. She said no way! The next day she took some horse painkillers and trick rode in Madison Square Garden . :-)
I met Helen when I was eleven years old. Like Helen I was also bit by the trick riding bug at MSG. At the time Nick was the farrier at the stable where I kept my pony. He saw me trying to trick ride and told me about his wife and that she might be willing to give me some tips.
Well, not only did she give me some tips, she became my mentor. We trained everyday after school and on weekends. At the time Helen had taken a break from trick riding to work as a nurse and she was glad to be back in the saddle. At the age when most trick riders had retired, Helen decide she wanted to work on some new tricks. What a roll model for a young trick rider! I watched Helen learn and perform high cruppers, reverse cruppers, tail stand, full shoulder stand into cartwheel, and even a hippodrome falling back into a tail drag and finishing with a crupper. All on a fast running horse.
Helen was a great coach especially since she knew how to teach ground work. She was encouraging and always expected 100%.
One of my favorite stories was learning double vaults.I was finally tall enough to work on vaults and it was time to learn doubles. Now, I was not a natural! I remember vaulting on the left and clearing the saddle and making it to the right side. Then I would freeze and usually get drug and face plant in the dirt. Helen told me to get up and try again. I must have tried twenty times, crashing after every attempt. I finally asked why are you making me do this? It is obvious that I can't do a double vault. I said why don't you teach me something else? She said that there was no such thing as a trick rider who could not do double vaults. If I did not want to learn them, then I was just wasting her time. She said that was enough for the day and if I wanted to come back she would be there the same time tomorrow. I rode away with my head hung down, crying the whole trail ride home. When I got back to the stable the thought of being a failure was too much. I took my horse into the arena and took him to the far end, I turned him and we took off at a gallop and I swung off and vaulted from the left to the right back over to the left side. I did it! The next day I surprised Helen by showing her my double vaults. From that day on, it was my easiest run. It was also then that I realized I had a coach and Helen realized that she had a student who would give 100%
Helen and I started to perform our trick riding and roping in local rodeos and horse shows. However Helen injured her back (she slipped on her rope while practicing her Texas skip) she continued to trick ride, even though it was painful just to sit on a horse. Eventually she realized she had to quit .
This did not slow her down, she continued to ride and trick rope she also worked out in the gym, went hiking, kayaking, clogging, singing and writing poetry .
To say the least she was an incredible woman who touched many people with her loving personality. She considered herself a trick rider to her death. There was nothing that could compare to her love for it, except her love for Nicky.
People will always remember her smile and long blonde braid. I will never forget how she changed my life!
She will always be loved and missed!
