SIDNEY — Halee Cummings’ father said his daughter would have critiqued his barrel race performance Sunday afternoon pretty hard.

“She would always say there were no excuses, and she’d never let us slack off,” Hardy Cummings said. “Her work ethic was unmatched, and she was just an amazing equine athlete.”

Hardy Cummings holds a flag with a photo of his late daughter before the start of the Halee Cummings Memorial Barrel Race in Sidney on Sunday. Jeff Pouland/Kennebec Journal

Hardy Cummings rides his horse Sin at the Halee Lyn Cummings Memorial Barrel Race at the Silver Spur Riding Club in Sidney on Sunday to honor his late daughter. Halee Cummings, 18, of Sidney, died in an ATV accident last year. Photo by Jeff Pouland

Tammie Cyr, of Hermon, rides her horse Roan Hopper at the Halee Lyn Cummings Memorial Barrel Race at the Silver Spur Riding Club in Sidney on Sunday. Halee Cummings, 18, of Sidney, died in an ATV accident last year. Photo by Jeff Pouland

Cummings was the first rider during the final day of the event honoring his daughter, Halee Cummings, who died at 18 in September in an all-terrain vehicle crash that left her family and friends crushed.

“It was a devastating blow to the family and to the community, and it still is,” said longtime family friend Spencer Wright, a tattoo artist from Augusta. “Honestly I’d rather not be here, because I want Halee to still be here standing next to me.”

Hundreds of people, young and old, came to the last day of the first annual Halee Cummings Memorial Barrel Race at the Silver Spur Riding Club. The competition, which kicked off Friday with a pig roast attended by more than 400 people, featured over 70 riders racing under sunny skies for prizes including belt buckles and cash.

But mostly everyone was riding for Halee.

“We all wish she was here, but I know she’s there riding alongside all of us,” Cummings said. “We were so proud of her, and we’re trying to make her proud of us.”

Cummings, aboard Sin, crossed the finish line with a time of 17.5 and Halee’s boyfriend, Nick Gagne, new to the sport of timed maneuvering racing, completed his run in 19.9 seconds. Jami Paquette, Halee’s mother and the event’s main organizer, did not receive an official time because she knocked over one of the three barrels. Halee’s two grandfathers also raced, as did nearly 70 others from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Halee’s father was introduced first during the grand entrance before the competition, and he rode a sleek, tall black horse while carrying a flag with a photo of his daughter.

“That was the hardest part of the day,” Cummings said. “But it was also the proudest moment I could have.”

Cummings said his daughter had a passion for horses and racing and racked up championships from Virginia to Georgia.

“We have our moments, I suppose, when sometimes I just don’t want to get out of bed,” Cummings said. “But we’ve found by staying busy and doing (stuff she loved), it’s therapeutic.”

Paquette, Halee’s mother, and Cummings were overwhelmed by the support the family has received even from people that never knew Halee.

“It’s pretty mind-blowing to see the community and family get together like this,” Cummings said. “We give thanks to all the people who’ve come from far and wide to support our family through this tragedy.”

This weekend, far-and-wide included Vermont where Teresa Randall and Sue Tice saw the event on Facebook and wanted to participate.

“The horse community is close and supportive of everyone, even if we don’t know somebody,” Randall said. “This is what we love.” The pair said they would be back next year and there’d be even more Vermonters joining them.

“It’s what we love about the horse community,” Tice said.

Gagne, 23, said the weekend has been very emotional, but he’s received so much support from Halee’s family since September and has been with them “almost every single night since the accident.”

“She would’ve loved this event, but she’s probably (upset) that she couldn’t be here racing with all of us,” Gagne said.

Paquette said they have $6,500 in prizes for this weekend’s competition and hope to have $10,000 next year.

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