Monthly Archives: June 2012

BIG SPRING, Texas – The Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo has a habit of drawing some of the greatest cowboys in the sport. Some of it’s the history of this grand event, now celebrating 79 years with three performances set for 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 21-23. Some of it is the opportunity to make money at a west Texas rodeo as the summer run kicks into high gear. For bareback riders, it’s about the chance to get on great bucking horses, supplied by Carr Pro Rodeo. Each cowboy who puts his name in the hat to compete inside the Big Spring Rodeo Bowl knows they have a chance to win first because of the type of horses that will be featured. “We want our rodeos to be a riding contest, where the guy with the best spur ride wins,” said Pete Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock company. The best in the business know that. A year ago, the top four finishers in Big Spring had all been featured at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the year-end championship event that takes place in Las Vegas: Wes Stevenson, Tom McFarland, Will Lowe and Matt Bright. Stevenson, a seven-time NFR qualifier, won the rodeo by matching moves with Carr’s Close Call, a horse that features high leaps and long strides. What happened when the chute gate opened is best described as electric. “I knew that horse would be wild and close to the chutes, and that’s what I told Wes,” Carr said. “You always like it when the best guys in the world get on your horses, because they really can make it that much better.” That worked fine for Stevenson, who posted an 86-point ride. “I probably ride better if I don’t try to set a trap or try to have a game plan of what I think I want to do,” he said. “I do my best and let God take care of the best.” McFarland, a four-time NFR qualifier, finished second with an 85 on Back Road, while Lowe, a three-time world champion who has qualified for the finals 10 straight times, placed third on Scruffy with an 83. Bright, who has made the last two NFRs, rode Power Ade for 82 points for fourth. Those scores are indicative of what cowboys and fans want to see when it comes to putting on a great show. Each ride is marked on a 100-point scale, with half the score coming from horse, the other half coming from rider. An 86 means both piece of the puzzle fit together quite nicely. “Pete really strives to have the best horses he can get,” said Heath Ford, a three-time NFR qualifier who also serves as the bareback riding representative. “He spends money on them. He’ has one of the most solid pens going down the road.” Many of the best cowboys in the game feel that way, too. “Anytime I draw a Pete Carr horse, I know I will probably win money,” said Cody DeMers, a four-time NFR qualifier from Kimberly, Idaho. “That’s why I go to his rodeos.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – In his eight-year ProRodeo career, Jared Keylon has missed the regional year-end championship just once. That was last year. The Uniontown, Kan., bareback rider has Destination Duncan on his mind, a return to the Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for Oct. 18-20 at the Stephens County Expo Center. It’s one of many goals the 27-year-old cowboy has for 2012. He’s well on his way. So far this season, Keylon has won seven event titles in the last three weeks. In fact, he won three rodeos last weekend – Garden City, Kan.; Merrill, Wis.; and Gladewater, Texas. He also has added championships at four other rodeos in the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska season – at Bennington and Strong City in Kansas and Claremore and Hugo in Oklahoma. “My goal this year is to definitely make the NFR,” he said of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s championship event for which only the top 15 contestants in each event qualify when the 2012 season concludes the end of September. “My main goal is to just keep eating at them, winning $1,000 and $2,000 a week right now, then work for the $5,000s over the summer when I have to knock heads with all the best guys.” Keylon’s big weekend moved him from 13th to ninth in the bareback riding world standings with $26,769 in earnings so far this year. Of that, $5,600 counts toward the circuit standings – the Arkansas-born cowboy is No. 1 in the region, about $1,450 ahead of the No. 2 man, 2008 world champion Justin McDaniel of Porum, Okla. Of course, it’s critical in that top spot when the season concludes after the circuit finale, but Keylon knows that better than most – he won Prairie Circuit bareback riding titles in 2008 and 2009. “I’m excited about Duncan hosting the circuit finals,” he said. “I like that facility they have down there. It’s small, and they draw a good crowd every time I’ve been down there just for the rodeo. “I liked it when our circuit finals was in Kansas City, but I think if I could’ve picked another place, then I would’ve picked it to be there.” Ty Clearwater is excited to see what might happen in Duncan, too. The LaCynge, Kan., bull rider won the circuit finals a year ago; now he wants to win the championship outright. “I’m living in Texas now, so I’m going to have to hit more rodeos to make the finals,” Clearwater said. “I’m planning on winning the circuit. With as many rodeos I have to go to now, I should. I think if a guy goes to that many rodeos, he ought to win the year-end title. That’s one of my goals.” Clearwater, who won the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Okla., over Memorial Day weekend, leads the bull riding standings with $6,019. His lead is nearly $2,000 over the current runner-up, Chris McCombs of Duncan. Clearwater and Keylon are just two of the leaders in the Prairie Circuit standings through the middle part of June. The others include steer wrestler Sean Mulligan of Coleman, Okla., $4,583; header Nick Sartain of Dover, Okla., $6,432; heeler Kollin VonAhn of Durant, Okla., $6,432; saddle bronc rider Jesse James Kirby of Dodge City, Kan., $3,146; tie-down roper Hunter Herrin of Apache, Okla., $11,495; steer roper Cody Scheck of Ellinwood, Kan., $8,858; and barrel racer Tana Poppino of Big Cabin, Okla., $5,982. Scheck, who won the second round in Ada, posted a world-record time of 7.7 seconds while competing at Fort Smith a few days later. Will Howell isn’t among the standings leaders, but he’s making a big push to move up the money list anyway. Over Memorial Day weekend, Howell won event titles at Oklahoma rodeos in Poteau and Claremore. He’s third in the tie-down roping standings with $4,078. Oh, and he’s competing this week at the College National Finals Rodeo after finishing his freshman season at Northwestern Oklahoma State University as one of the top three tie-down ropers in the Central Plains Region. He’ll be back competing for the circuit title soon enough. “I really like competing on this level,” Howell said. “I’ve had a lot of success. I think I’m gong to make a long-term career out of it.” He’s doing pretty well so far. But there are a number of top level athletes who are making their mark in the circuit. Kirby, who won the average title at the 2009 Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, skipped into first place after a strong finish Memorial Day weekend. He placed in Claremore and won Hinton in that stretch. Since then, he added a paycheck from Ada, Okla. “I think the key is just trying to place consistently and riding consistently throughout the year,” Kirby said. “I think it’s important to have fun, and if the good run comes, it comes. You try to ride every horse the best you can and let the judges decide if I make it or not.”

BIG SPRING, Texas – People in west Texas know what it means to celebrate their heritage. That’s why it’s such a big deal to take part in the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 21-23, at the Big Spring Rodeo Bowl. Of course, it helps when the 79th annual celebration also is a great show. “I think the only rodeo in Texas that’s been running longer is in Pecos, and Pete Carr produces that one, too,” rodeo chairman Ace Berry said, referring to Carr Pro Rodeo. “We know we’ll have a really good rodeo with a lot of excitement.” From the mutton busting to the Santa Rosa Palomino Club’s showcase to the incredible talent and humor of Keith Isley, fans have come to expect great things for their entertainment dollar. That’s just a small taste of what’s on tap for Big Spring, a community of about 27,000 people that will get to see the best in ProRodeo during the three nights of competition. “We’ve been able to have some of the top cowboys come to Big Spring,” said Derek Wash, one of the volunteers who helps produce the event, now in its 79th year. “We’ve also got Aaron Watson coming in performing and a local band, Lenorah, opening for him. We had Aaron here two years ago, and that was one of the things people really liked, so we brought him back.” Carr Pro Rodeo is back to with some of the best animal athletes in the sport. Last year, the Dallas-based livestock producer had 14 animals perform at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s championship event. In addition, the Carr crew handles all the little tasks behind the scenes so each performance seems flawless. “I think the best thing about Pete is his production,” Berry said. “He does have a really good bucking stock string, really nice broncs and bulls. “I think his production is the main thing. He just puts on a really good rodeo.” The fans are the beneficiaries. Between the musings of announcer Mike Mathis and the championship-caliber action inside the Rodeo Bowl, there is plenty going on for those who pack the arena. The Santa Rosa Palomino Club is a 30-member drill team that showcases the yellow horses. The group was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame earlier this year. Isley is one of the most celebrated acts in ProRodeo. He has been named the Clown of the Year, Coors Man in the Can and Comedy Act of the Year each of the past three seasons. “We’ve brought back our parade this year and made it for 10 a.m. Saturday,” said Derek Wash, one of the volunteers that produces the annual event. “That was a longstanding tradition and a way to always kick off our rodeo, but it’s always just so hot. “We didn’t have it last year, but we wanted to bring it back this year and have it on Saturday morning so it was cooler and could be enjoyed by more people. Quail Dobbs has been taking care of that for years and years, and he does a great job with that.” Dobbs, a clown that was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2002, lives in nearby Coahoma, Texas. He brings the experience and understanding of what it means to put on a true showcase of Western heritage, tradition and the world of a rodeo cowboy.

Jared Keylon has two Prairie Circuit bareback riding championships on his resume, which, I believe, is quite distinguished. He has yet to make that trip to Las Vegas as a qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He’s been close, finishing 16th in the 2009 final world standings – only the top 15 in each event get to play on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. Injuries have kept him out of the hunt each of the last two seasons. This season his mind is on the NFR, and he’s making a pretty good push at it. This weekend, he won rodeos in Gladewater, Texas; Merril, Wis.; and Garden City, Kan. He also placed in Medford, Wis., pocketing $5,212 in the process. That’s a nice weekend. All that money counts toward the world standings, where he was sitting 12th in the standings as of last Monday. I suspect he’ll sit in that spot or even higher when the standings are released tomorrow. He also improved his spot as leader in the Prairie Circuit standings by $1,870, the money he won at the Beef Empire Days Rodeo in Garden City. Keylon has worked very hard over the course of his six-year career. I hope it pays off for him this season and years to come.

Each week, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sends out a release that’s piled with information about the goings-on in ProRodeo. One of the weekly pieces of information is called the “Brazile Watch,” which provides the latest updates on 16-time world champion Trevor Brazile, and for good reason. But the powers that be in ProRodeo – which features card-carrying members of the PRCA and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association – also should consider adding information about Shada Brazile, the nine-time all-around world champion’s wife. Heading into tonight’s final performance of the Beef Empire Days Rodeo in Garden City, Kan., Shada leads barrel racing with a 17.27-second run. She’s ahead of runner-up Jean Winters by eight-10ths of a second – she’s also faster than NFR qualifiers like Tana Poppino and Angie Meadors. I’m not sure if Shada is planning on making a run at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year, but that would make for a great story. Of course, her exploits in western Kansas are worthy of their own watch.

I have to admit it: I’ve never been to the Beef Empire Days Rodeo in Garden City, Kan. Yeah, it’s kind of sacrilege, I know. I am from Leoti, Kan., a mere 50 miles northwest of Garden City, but I have a caveat: I only lived there the first five years of my life. When we moved away, we seemed to always make the trip to see family in western Kansas and northwest Oklahoma in July, usually in time for the Woodward (Okla.) Elks Rodeo in the same community where my Grandma Harbin lived. When my folks retired to Leoti in 1988, I was spending the summer break from college working for an irrigation company in northwest Kansas. After college, the schedule never allowed for me to attend the festivities. When I worked at the newspaper in Dodge City, Kan., our focus was Dodge City Days and Dodge City Roundup in August, not the June activities an hour to our west. The Beef Empire Days Rodeo is taking place right now, and I’m keeping track of the action online. The truth is, I’d love to be there in person. It’s always been one of the biggest rodeos in my home state, and it’s the closest ProRodeo to Leoti. Plus, I think I could help the media coverage and the promotion of the event and all the activities that go along with it. The rodeo’s news not only needs to be in the Garden City Telegram, but also the weekly newspapers in the communities that surround Garden City – the people that live in those towns partake in the Beef Empire Days festivities, too. Eighteen years ago, I began working in Dodge City. That August marked the first time I attended/covered Dodge City Roundup, and it re-ignited the passion of rodeo that was deep inside my soul. I got to see the sport’s greatest cowboys and cowgirls compete on one of the biggest stages in the sport. This year I get to be part of the action in Dodge City, sharing the news and information about the rodeo while promoting one of the best events in the sport. It will be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in July, which is an amazing feat for an event that began just 35 years ago. I’m very excited about the opportunity to be part of Dodge City Roundup again, this year in a much larger capacity. I’m very proud of my western Kansas roots, and I’d like to be able to help all those great events be successful year after year.

A decade ago, Trevor Brazile won his first all-around championship in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association; it was the first of the 16 he now owns, nine of which are for being the most versatile. The Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo was the association’s large outdoor event of the year, and 2000 world champion bareback rider Jeff Collins had ridden at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the last time. Great memory? Nope. I’ve been going through more back issues of the ProRodeo Sports News, and I’m loving it. On the cover is a photo of Brazile with his championship saddle wearing a plaid shirt with just one logo emblazoned on it: Wrangler. Troy Lerwill was named the Comedy Act of the Year, and Keith Isley won the Dress Act of the Year for the final time – overall Isley has been the top comedy act five times, just one less than Lerwill. At the 2002 NFR, Sid Steiner won the steer wrestling title in flamboyant fashion, and legendary barrel racer Charmayne James and her main mount, Cruiser, were steady in winning the average and James’ 11th gold buckle. History tells a wonderful tale, and I’m thankful my wife kept these little treasures after all these years.

Yes, I’m a storyteller, and it’s awesome to be such. But one of my greatest joys comes prior to the storytelling, when I’m involved in the reporting and information-gathering. That’s when I get to hear of others’ passions and, in essence, allow them to tell me their stories first. Today I’ve visited with two contestants who own a combined five world championships; I also chatted with a stock contractor, a bullfighter and a committeeman. Not all the conversations involved the same subject, but they were all related, obviously, to rodeo. I learn about what it means to rodeo in Canada, what awards mean to livestock owners and how to deal with all the things needed to produce a June rodeo in west Texas. Over the next few days, I’ll take those conversations and add them to the storylines I’ll produce, and I hope you’ll enjoy them. For now, though, they’re all mine.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in the June issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Over her career, Sherry Cervi has won many of the biggest accolades in ProRodeo. She’s some of the most prestigious titles in the sport, from RodeoHouston to the average championship at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. She’s earned more than $2 million in a ProRodeo career that began more than 25 years ago, and she owns three world championship gold buckles. Over the first weekend in May, Cervi added a championship belt on which to fasten those marvelous buckles. You see, that’s the prize awarded to all the champions of the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo, which has dubbed itself Oklahoma’s Richest Rodeo. “I’m excited to have that belt and to have that win,” said Cervi, who chalked up her first victory in the Oklahoma Panhandle. “I’ve seen other people wear those belts. “It’s been one of those rodeos I’ve gone to for a long time, and it’s cool that Stingray did good there.” MP Meter My Hay has won plenty of titles, and the 10-year-old palomino mare out of Miss Meter Jet by PC Frenchmans Hayday showed just why in her two runs on May 4 inside Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. Cervi and Stingray opened the day during slack, posting a 17.30-second run to finish second in the opening round. Later that evening, the pair rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 17.25, which not only held up for fifth place in the second-go but also the top spot in the two-run aggregate of 34.55 seconds. The format was set up for all the cowgirls to make their first run on that Friday morning, then the top 40 times would be in the performances – all others ran their second one during slack Friday afternoon. In a slowest-to-fastest setup, Cervi was scheduled to run in the final performance Sunday afternoon, but she traded so that she could be in the opening performance. “I just wanted to come home,” the Marana, Ariz., cowgirl said. “It doesn’t bother me to go twice on the same day. If your horse is in shape, then going back-to-back isn’t so bad. Some people don’t like it because of things going on with their horses, but it doesn’t bother me.” It was a significant change in format from previous years, when barrel racing opened the week-long competition on the Monday of rodeo week. Those that were fortunate enough to qualify for the performances then waited at least four days before they could make their second-round runs, and some waited as much as six days. “I thought it worked out real well,” Cervi said of the change. “It was easier for the contestants, because you don’t have to be there just waiting. There weren’t really any other rodeos you could go to while you were waiting. This year we just ran our first one, then we were all done in three days. I like it a lot better. You don’t have to be there four days in advance doing nothing.” The format worked quite well, and Cervi left the region once known as “No Man’s Land” with $4,725. She outlasted second-place finisher Mary Walker by six-hundredths of a second in the two-run average, but Walker posted the fastest time of the rodeo with a 17.14-second run on the final day of competition. In all, Walker, of Ennis, Texas, pocketed $4,002. More importantly, the finish in the Oklahoma Panhandle was a huge moment in Walker’s recovery from a major wreck less than a year before – on June 9, 2011, she took a bad fall during a run at the ProRodeo in Crosby, Texas, and suffered a shattered pelvis, two fractures in her vertebrae and two broken toes. “My goal for 2011 was to get him seasoned and to win enough to get qualified for Houston and San Antonio,” Walker told the WPRA’s Jolee Lauteret about Perculatin, an 8-year-old gelding she calls Latte. “Instead, he got six months off.” Walker and Latte got plenty of redemption in Guymon, though. “He slipped at the first and second on the first run, and I told the man that is helping me drive, ‘Watch this second run,’ because he gets mad when he slips,” Walker said. It was a magical moment for Walker, but a lot of the top cowgirls in the sport fared well in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Britany Fleck, who is coming off her first NFR qualification, also placed in both rounds and finished third in the average. But the championship, and the belt, went to Cervi. “I’ve been there several years and never won it,” Cervi said. “It’s a tough rodeo, because they get lots of entries and gets all the top girls. “I thought the ground was really good, and I thought my horse handled it. The committee really wants to try hard and make it good.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in the June issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Tana Poppino had never been to Cheyenne, Okla., before this spring. Of course, not many people have been to the community of about 750 in far-reaching western Oklahoma. But the populous hosts one of the most unique events in ProRodeo, the Old Settlers Reunion Rodeo, a celebration that takes place just once every five years. “The Old Settlers Reunion is just one of many celebrations of Oklahoma history. Rodeo is a natural fit for the celebration that brings visitors to town,” said Poppino, who is part of ProRodeo Team Oklahoma. “It’s always an honor to win an event that means so much to a community, and it kind of makes you feel like you are part of Oklahoma history.” Poppino rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 17.26 seconds to win the barrel racing title and $925, but the bigger prize came in being part of such legendary event. “The people there are really nice and very enthusiastic about the event,” she said. “They are a great group of people.” While it was Poppino’s first experience, ProRodeo Hall of Fame announcer Hadley Barrett has been part of the festivities for 40 years. He loves the flavor of the rodeo and the enthusiasm of the rodeo committee. “I think it’s done the way a lot of us thought rodeo should be,” said Barrett, the 2011 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association announcer of the year. “It’s a good, old country rodeo. It’s not a lot of frills, and it’s a pretty pure rodeo. “We had the Kimzie kids and the Navarre kids, and we had one hell of a good set of barrel racers there.” Dusta and Trey Kimzie, the children of barrelman Ted Kimzie, joined Melissa Navarre and her daughter, Shyla, in a trick-riding exhibition. That seemed to be a memorable part of the experience for everyone involved. “Shyla’s just 5 years old, and she showed her little pony, then we had a full-fledged trick riding with Melissa, Dusta and Trey, who is just 13,” Barrett said. It wasn’t just the youngsters who caught everyone’s attention. Navarre is from a strong rodeo family; her mom is Dollie (Beutler) Riddle, who serves as a rodeo secretary and timer for the stock contracting firm owned by her family, Beutler & Son Rodeo. Riddle, too, was a trick rider who also worked the Cheyenne rodeo, allowing for three generations of the same family to have a hand at the Old Settlers Reunion Rodeo. “Hadley said Melissa started her trick-riding career in Cheyenne,” Poppino said. “It was really neat getting to see that.” The reunion provides a great opportunity for many fans to come out to a great celebration. It’s also a great chance for the contestants to learn a little more about the western Oklahoma berg. “There were signs on all the buildings telling you what they were back when,” Poppino said, explaining that the signs indicated what businesses were in them when the settlers established Cheyenne. “It’s not a very big town, but it was full, and there was a good crowd. It’s kind of like a throw-back deal because it happens every five years. It’s refreshing.” Perryman Star was refreshing, too. “He actually looks better than he did when I bought him,” she said of Amigo, a 17-year-old bay gelding. “He’s healthy, and he’s feeling good. Maybe taking the winter off is what he needed.” If hibernation is working for a great gelding that has helped Poppino to three Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifications, what does a five-year wait do for a rodeo town? “There’s really a fresh feeling, and I think it’s because it is every five years,” Barrett said. “They built a state-of-the-art announcer’s booth and have a new concessions stand. You have a feeling that their not taking it lightly.” Neither is Barrett, who began his ProRodeo announcing career in 1965. In his lifetime, he’s won PRCA announcer of the year four times, has called the action at the NFR five times, has announced the steer roping finals three times and was the television face of rodeo for more than a decade. The WPRA honor is one he cherishes as much as any other he’s received. “It means so much to me to win the award from the WPRA,” Barrett said. “I love the event, and I’ve supported it forever.”

The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino has a rich winning history, hosting marvelous events – from belt-defining boxing matches to country music awards and everything in between. It has even hosted one of the tour finales in ProRodeo a decade ago. Proximity places it in a direct line to the Thomas & Mack Center, just a few blocks west of the home of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the nearly 18,000 fans who pack the arena for 10 straight nights each December. For several years, rodeo fans packed other resorts along the strip, even at smaller hotels off Las Vegas’ main thoroughfare. Now the cowboy hats and leather boots are packing the MGM Grand, because the resort is doing the right things to attract them. From the Gold Buckle Zone – which provides entertainment and a chance to rub shoulders with the biggest names in ProRodeo – to the eateries and discounts for that two-week stretch, the MGM Grand is quickly becoming the place to be during the NFR. Of course, it is the Home of the Champions, from boxing’s greatest to the 79 gold buckles that reside their during ProRodeo’s championship event to many of the other great cowboys and cowgirls who have qualified for the NFR. The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino is the home of the greatest, from 16-time champ Trevor Brazile to one-time titlists like Wesley Silcox. There are so many great storylines involving Team MGM Grand throughout the year that TwisTED Rodeo will feature them throughout the rodeo season. You can find them on the main page and also HERE. If you’re looking for more information about what you can experience at the MGM Grand during the NFR, just go HERE or click on the ad on the right-hand side of the page. You won’t find a better deal. You won’t find a place where you can have a better time.

ALVA, Okla. – There is a lot of individualism in the world of rodeo; the man-vs.-beast mentality calls for it. But college rodeo has a distinct team atmosphere, and all individual accomplishments can benefit the group. Sometimes team titles can be won or lost on a single ride or run. That’s what Stockton Graves is considering as he prepares six cowboys for the College National Finals Rodeo, set for June 10-16 in Casper, Wyo. “Obviously it’s important to have a good showing, but I’m pretty excited to have a whole team,” Graves said, noting that the Rangers have six cowboys who have qualified for the finale: steer wrestler Kyle Irwin, tie-down roper Will Howell, saddle bronc rider Cody Burkholder, header Collin Domer and heelers Dustin Searcy and Tanner Braden. The top two teams in each region are allowed to take six men to Casper. Northwestern finished fourth in the Central Plains Region; circuit champion Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College and runner-up Oklahoma Panhandle State University will have six competitors to count toward the team standings at the CNFR regardless of how they finished in the final region standings. But Northwestern’s set of cowboys earned the right to be there by finishing in the top three of their respective events. Domer is the lone holdout; he finished 10th among Central Plains headers, but he gets into the competition because he’s the region’s student representative. “I’m pretty excited about getting them qualified, because that gives us that many more opportunities to get points,” said Graves, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier who returned to his alma mater as coach in November 2011. “I’ve got a good feeling about it. We’ve got some talented kids going. Hopefully we’ll go do well.” Searcy, a freshman from Mooreland, Okla., and Irwin, a senior from Robertsdale, Ala., won the regional titles in their events, while Burkholder, a senior from Clarksville, Iowa, finished second in saddle bronc riding. Braden and Howell each finished third in the Central Plains. “Alva’s been real good, and Stockton’s been real good,” said Howell, a freshman from Stillwater, Okla. “He’s been helping us out a lot, flanking and tying with us every day. He’s been a good help for the team.” Braden, a senior from Dewey, Okla., will compete with Clay Pianalto of Bacone (Okla.) College. He likes the idea that two of the three heelers who qualified out of the Central Plains are attending Northwestern. “It showed people that our school and our team rope pretty good,” Braden said. “It feels good to make the college finals. We went all year to try to get there, and we succeeded.” Many of the Rangers saw success through the season. Burkholder, the only roughstock cowboy on the team, closed out a successful final season at Northwestern by winning the bronc riding title the Southwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Weatherford, moving up into the top three in the standings. Then at the Panhandle State rodeo in Guymon, Okla., Burkholder moved up another spot. “This is huge,” he said of making the CNFR. “Going into Guymon, I was kind of worried I’d even make the short-go, which is what I needed to do to have a chance at going to Casper.” He did, finishing the first round in 12th place. Once in the championship round, Burkholder fought through the pressures that accompanied the back-against-the-wall format. “Sometimes under pressure, I’m not the greatest,” he said. “But when I’ve got something I’m going after, I tend to do what it takes. Instead of staying third, I wanted to be the reserve champ. That’s what I was going for going into that rodeo.” Domer didn’t quite have the finish he wanted, but he doesn’t mind the automatic qualification that comes with being the region representative. “Any way to get there is fine with me,” said Domer, who competed throughout the season with his brother, Ryan, a cowboy that will transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M to Northwestern in the fall. At the CNFR, Collin Domer will rope with Cody Carlin, the fifth-ranked heeler in the Central Plains this season. “Only the top three go, but the all-around champion girl in the region will rope with the fourth-place heeler as her extra event, and I get the fifth-place heeler. It works out pretty well, because it gives us more bullets in our gun.” Still, it takes competing at a top level if contestants want to make a move in Casper. “If you want to win, it takes just catching every one clean,” Braden said. Sometimes that’s better said than done. Irwin, who finished as the runner-up at last year’s CNFR, hopes to get over the hump this June by winning the coveted title. He’s been through the battlefield before; not all the qualifiers have that experience, but they carry their own pedigree into the finale. Howell, for example, won the national title in tie-down roping as a freshman in high school in 2008. He’s also been one of Northwestern’s hottest ropers through the spring portion of the season. “I feel 100 percent,” he said. “I’ve already won a national title before, so I know how it is. I think it’s like a building process: high school, college pro. It’s all a stepping stone to get to the top, and I’m right there between college and the pro deal knocking on the door.” Of course, a college championship would look pretty good on any resume.

There are a lot of great teams who will compete for the men’s national championship next week at the College National Finals Rodeo. I’ll step out on a limb and say I like the chances of teams from the Central Plains Region during the week-long competition in Casper, Wyo. You see, in addition to the top two schools – Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University – the fourth-place team also had six cowboys qualify for the CNFR. That means Northwestern Oklahoma State University could be a big player. The reality is that everything has to go well during the CNFR for any team to walk away with the championship, but having three teams field full rosters in Casper is a big bonus. I’m sure there are other regions that have that type of coverage, but I’ve been paying attention to the Central Plains Region all season. Fort Scott dominated the men’s race this year, winning the title by more than 1,100 points. Panhandle State’s contestants have all fought through a heavy heart while their coach, Craig Latham, has undergone cancer treatment. I look for all three teams to make a statement in Casper. It’s quite fitting.

A few weeks ago, my mother-in-law toted a box out of her storage area, returning it to my wife because, well, it belongs here, not there. I hauled the box to our basement, which also serves as my office, and I’m glad I did. The box contains several dozen magazines, most of which bear the title of ProRodeo Sports News. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been going through the magazines page by page. Right now, I’m deeply engrossed in the 2001 season, having flipped through the coverage of the Copenhagen Cup Finale, the season finale that was part of the Texas Stampede and took place in the American Airlines Center in Dallas. So many things have changed in the last decade, some for the better. The world of rodeo has been progressive on some fronts, backwards on others. Nostalgia has me looking at the standings and the storylines. Remember, this is when Cody Ohl was the all-around and tie-down roping world champion, before Trevor Brazile ever work PRCA gold. This was when Guy Allen dominated steer roping and Blue Stone was winning on the backs of bulls and Speed and Rich were household names. I’ll continue to read the features and reflect back on what I recall, but I’ll also continue to push for greater promotion for our sport as we look for the future. It’s how we grow.