Monthly Archives: November 2018

CHECOTAH, Okla. – Much has changed since Riley Duvall’s first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo two years ago. “I just feel more experienced heading back to the NFR,” said Duvall, 26, of Checotah. “In 2016, I went out there with a deer-in-the-headlights look. I just wanted to do good and not make myself look bad. Now I feel more confident, and I’m ready. I have way more confidence going into it this year.” That’s a good thing. Confidence is key for any athlete, especially those competing on the biggest stages of their sport. That’s the case for Duvall, whose father, Sam, qualified for the NFR in 1987 and ’88. The bulldogging legacy began with his great uncle, Roy, a three-time world champion who qualified for the NFR 24 times, including 21 straight from 1966-1986. Riley’s grandfather, Bill, was Roy’s hazer most years he competed at the finals. Riley’s uncle, Spud, was a two-time qualifier, and their cousin, Tom, has also played on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. “I’ve never felt pressure by that,” Riley Duvall said. “Ever since I first got in the practice pen, I’ve had the best guys in the world helping me out. I learned not to ever be intimidated by those guys. You show up at a rodeo, and you don’t worry about who’s there. It’s just bulldogging.” But he understands the gamble that comes with the game. There are no guarantees in rodeo, and contestants must pay entry fees in order to compete. The only way they earn any money in the sport is by finishing better than most. This season, he pocketed $77,643. In a sport where dollars equal points, he heads to the NFR 12th in the world standings. Now, he has a chance to cash in big time at the world’s richest rodeo, featuring a purse of $10 million paid out over 10 December nights. Go-round winners will earn more than $26,000 each night. Two years ago, he earned just shy of $68,000. “Making it back this year means everything to me,” he said. “After not making it last year, money got really tight. This year was do or die. I haven’t won anything out there yet, but I have the opportunity to go ahead and keep rodeoing.” That’s how he makes his living. He travels the country wrestling steers in order to make ends meet and put food on his family’s table. There have been some lean times, and some came in the 2017 season. He finished the regular season No. 31 in the world standings – only the top 15 on the money list in each event play for the biggest prize money in the game. “It was pretty darn close to where I had to quit rodeoing,” Duvall said. “When you’re broke, it just makes me want to try harder. I know if I don’t do good or find a way to make money rodeoing, it’s going home and getting a job. I know that’s probably inevitable at some point, but I don’t want to do it right now. “After I won Waco (in October 2017 to start the 2018 regular season), I was getting close to not being able to rodeo, then I won that and had a little money behind me.” That’s why he set the goal to stay on the rodeo trail through the end of the regular season on Sept. 30. Some cowboys realize their chances to make the NFR are dashed by late July, so they pack up their gear and return home until they can afford to hit the road again. Duvall found a way to cash in and earn his way to his second NFR in three years. “There are times when hazing for people saved my butt and kept me on the road,” he said, noting that he gets a percentage of the earnings other cowboys make if they ride his horse or have him haze for them as they make their runs. “I have an older bulldogging horse that I used this year. I won the circuit on him in 2011, then I won it on him again this year.” He is a two-time winner of the year-end title in the Prairie Circuit, which is made up of rodeos in the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska region. He’s a three-time winner of the Prairie Circuit Finals average championship, and his most recent twin titles in the region came in October, when he utilized the average win in Duncan, Okla., to win the year-end title again. “That was a tough bulldogging,” he said of the regional championship. “I think there were four NFR qualifiers from this year in that field and eight NFR qualifiers altogether. It was my last rodeo of the year. To go out like that puts a cherry on my fall and really gives me momentum heading into Vegas. “I had one big win this year at the All American Finals, which was in October of ’17. I didn’t win the rodeo, but I won the two-head average at Puyallup (Wash.). I won just under $11,000 there, and that rodeo pushed me up. I technically had the finals made after that rodeo, so that was a year-changer.” Although Duvall is 12th out of 15 men competing for the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. He trails the leader, Canadian Curtis Cassidy, by about $28,000; Duvall can make up that ground by the second round in Las Vegas. “The last time I was at the NFR, it took me six rounds to figure out how fast the start was,” said Duvall, who credits much of his support to his sponsors, Wrangler, Purina, Stierwalt Superflex, Cowhorse Supply and the Mirage. “This year I’m going to try to win the first round. Of course, my main goal is to try to place every night. I gave everyone a head start last time. “My confidence level is so much different this year than it was before. I’ve practiced a lot harder and a lot different this year to  Continue Reading »

MANDAN, N.D. – With a $10 million purse, the National Finals Rodeo offers Ty Breuer a big chance to make some big money over 10 December nights. For him, there’s much more to ProRodeo’s grand finale. “The money’s a plus, but this is what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid,” said Breuer, 28, of Mandan. “When you actually get to go there, it’s a big deal. I know it’ll help that I’ve been there a few times. Those first couple of rounds are a little nerve racking, but that’s what we do it for … to get that feeling.” He battled through the rigors of the 2018 season on the backs of bucking horses, earning $91,558 in the process. He sits No. 12 in the world standings heading to the NFR, set for Dec. 6-15 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. That’s where he can really cash in, with go-round winners earing more than $26,000 per round for 10 nights. “I’m happy to be going back,” he said. “There are a lot of guys that should make Vegas, but they didn’t for whatever reason. I’m blessed to be one of the guys that was healthy all year, and I get to go back for the fourth time.” He’s had a lot of support in the process. Whether it was his sponsors – D Day Trucking, Fort Pierre, S.D.; Long X Trading Co., Morristown, Ariz.; Cattleman’s Club Steakhouse in Pierre, S.D.; Rio Nutrition; Phoenix Performance Products; and B. Tuff Jeans – or his family or his traveling posse, Breuer knew there was a bunch of people who had his back. In the last year, that herd grew by one, when Kayd Lee Breuer was born Nov. 9, 2017. She won’t remember her first NFR experience, which began less than a month after her birth, but her mom, Kelli, and dad certainly will. The Breuers are expecting a second child, due to the family in June. “Life’s been a lot more fun and a lot more interesting,” Ty Breuer said. “It’s a lot busier, but she’s a blessing. Every day is fun to hang out with her, watch her grow up and get bigger. “It’s crazy how you can have one of those bad days, then you come home and see them, and it’s a good day.” He’s had a lot of good days in 2018. In fact, he secured eight victories through the season, including a couple of big ones in Deadwood, S.D., and Burwell, Neb. But to make more than $90,000 in a year, he needed to find his way to the pay window more often than not. That’s not as easy as it seems; only the top few earn paychecks at each rodeo. “I had a good winter, then after that, it just kept rolling; it was probably one of the better winters I’ve ever had,” he said. “One of my goals this year was to make all the short rounds at the rodeos that had short rounds. I did that.” Navigating the rodeo trail can be difficult, too. Cowboys will travel tens of thousands of miles each year in order to compete in the sport they love. Breuer spent this past season on the road with Steven Dent, J.R. Vezain and Tanner Aus, the latter of whom was the only one in the van who didn’t qualify for the NFR – only the top 15 in the world standings make the finale, and Aus finished 18th after spending time on the sidelines with an injury. However, only Dent and Breuer will be able to compete. Vezain was hurt in an accident at a rodeo in Pasadena, Texas, in September when the horse he was riding flipped over and landed on top of the cowboy; he suffered a spinal injury and is still undergoing rehabilitation. “I wasn’t there when he got hurt, but Tanner called me that night and told me about it,” Breuer said. “J.R.’s a fighter, and everyone looks up to J.R. and always will. When I got to travel with J.R. this year, I realized how inspirational he is in bareback riding. He could just pump you up. “We had a really good crew, and we all had a pretty good year. If Tanner hadn’t gotten hurt, he would have qualified, too.” While his traveling partners helped with confidence and the technical aspects that come with the game, his biggest support system was back home in central North Dakota. “I wouldn’t be where I am without Kelli,” he said. “She also works and leaves about 4 o’clock in the morning to drive 50-some miles on the other side of Bismarck. She works hard all day, then comes home. I know it’s hard on her when I’m gone all summer, but she knows what it’s about and makes it work. “With her, she takes care of all the business when I’m gone. She’s so supportive. There are times when I’m thinking about coming home, but she assures me that she needs me out on the road. That helps a lot, too.” And having a toddler at home makes life on the road a little bit of a struggle. “It gets harder to leave every time,” he said. “I love riding bareback horses, and as long as I can, I’ll do it. It helps that I travel with guys that are dads and are in the same boat. It just seems easier that everyone’s going through the same thing.” The goal, of course, is to end the season atop the leaderboard and leave Las Vegas with the world champion’s gold buckle. To do that, cowboys need to earn the right to compete in Sin City. Breuer has confidence heading into the 10-day affair, having just won the Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo title for the second straight year. “It’s a good boost for Vegas, and I just got on some nice horses just to get tuned up for Vegas,” Breuer said. “My  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – The last time Ross Hill fought a bull in Sin City, it was an anomaly for the Alabama man. Hill suffered a devastating knee injury at the BFO Roughy Cup in December 2016, and it kept him out of action for a year and a half as he recovered. Now, Hill returns to the Nevada desert for the first time in two years, eager to get the 2018 Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship at the Tropicana Las Vegas under way. “Vegas has always been a spot where I’ve shined,” said Hill of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I’ve always performed well there, and for me to have this opportunity of a lifetime at 36 years old to compete against these boys is a thrill, not to mention that I’m still in contention to win a world championship.” Before the creation of Bullfighters Only, he was one of the top bullfighters in the game competing at almost any freestyle bullfight that offered the opportunity. That was a decade ago, when the Thunder EquiGames was held in Las Vegas to showcase the top bullfighters at the time. “I’m the only Thunder EquiGames bullfighting champion,” he said, noting that he won the titles in both 2008 and 2009. “This is a 10-year plunge; a blast from the past for me. I get to relive the best years of my life and have the opportunity to do it better.” The veteran bullfighter has played a major role in the development of Bullfighters Only, which was founded in 2015. In that three-plus years, BFO has become the premier freestyle bullfighting organization in the world, developing a true “action sport” in the Western industry. The BFO Las Vegas Championship offers the largest purse in freestyle bullfighting. The event winner will pocket $25,000, which counts toward the crowning of this year’s world champion – money equals championship points. The bullfighter with the most earnings at the end of the season will be the world champion and will earn an additional $50,000 bonus. Hill is fifth in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings with $18,666, trailing the two-time reigning world champion Weston Rutkowski by $19,000. The money that’s available in the City of Lights offers Hill and others the chance to move to the top by the end of the 10-day festivities. “This year is offering a good chunk to win the world title, so I sat down and did the math,” Hill said. “I’ve got to sweep the finals, but I have the focus to do it. The only guy I can focus on out there is me, but I know what I’ve got to do to get it done.” He also maintains the youthful confidence that led him to past success Las Vegas. “I’m floating on the moon right now as far as my confidence goes,” said Hill, who didn’t start competing until mid-July and quickly moved into the top 5. “My workouts are going great. Basically, Kris Furr and Weston and I are working out twice a day. We have our travel trailers parked together in Decatur (Texas), so we work out at Fit N Wise together. “Those guys at Fit N Wise really take care of us. The train us like we’re LeBron James.” That’s important for the athletes in the BFO.   “The most successful freestyle bullfighters in the BFO train like any other world-class athlete.” said Aaron Ferguson, BFO’s founder and CEO. “They’re matching moves against notoriously unforgiving Spanish fighting bulls, and one small mistake can lead to big-time consequences.” No matter the place, the BFO brings a noteworthy atmosphere with every live-show, and it is amped up even more under the bright lights of Las Vegas. “It’s definitely an action-packed show,” Ferguson said. “We have as much intelligent lighting as a Metallica concert; it’s the best bullfighters in the world competing for a lot of money. More importantly, they’re going for the title belt.” That attitude is the perfect fit for the Las Vegas Championship. “We don’t do it for the money; it’s the title belt we’re all looking for.” Hill said. “The NFR is a marathon rodeo, and it’s a marathon of bullfighting at the Tropicana. We’ll fight more bulls over these coming 10 days than anyone, anywhere in the world.”

INGLIS, Manitoba – Orin Larsen knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know just how to fix it. A conversation with his wife, Alexa, and another with his former coach, Cody DeMers, made all the difference in the world. Now the 27-year-old bareback rider from Inglis will return to the National Finals Rodeo for the fourth straight year, this time No. 4 in the world standings with $130,665 in earnings. “I was getting in my own way,” said Larsen, who lives with his wife in Gering, Neb., a community of 8,300 people in the state’s panhandle. “I was trying to make a better mousetrap when the mousetrap was already perfect. “Once I went back to the basics, it was a night-and-day difference.” Now he returns to the place he’s supposed to be – the world’s richest 10-day rodeo with a $10 million purse and the 100 greatest bareback horses in the world. He knows what it takes to play on ProRodeo’s grandest stage, and he’s excited to be there again. “Yes, it’s expected at this point in my career,” he said. “I remember back to the first year I made the finals; I was looking at Bobby Mote and Kaycee Feild and their NFR jackets. They said they were eight- and nine-time qualifiers. “I thought, ‘It would be cool to have more than three.’ Now that it’s happened, it’s pretty special. I feel like I belong in that arena, and I hope to perform the best I can in that arena.” He’s proven himself to be in that category. Over the past four seasons, Larsen has earned more than $635,000 riding bucking horses, with $130,655 coming through the rigors of the 2018 regular season. But here’s the kicker: the winner of each go-round will pocket more than $26,000 each round for 10 nights. He has the opportunity to really cash in, and he’s done so before. Just at the last two NFRs, he has earned more than $150,000. That’s just 20 nights of work. Better yet is that he is as confident as ever as he heads to Las Vegas for the championship, set for Dec. 6-15. “I believe I’m better this year than before,” he said. “I believe that I get better year after year, this year especially. I learned something about myself and my bareback riding that I needed to change. That’s where DeMers came to me, changed me back to the normal things that I know to do.” DeMers was an NFR veteran before he began coaching at the College of Southern Idaho. His experience was one of the key reasons Larsen won the college bareback riding title while attending school there in 2013. Larsen repeated that feat a year later while competing at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He takes that experience back to Las Vegas, thanks in large part to an outstanding regular season. He won seven rodeos, three of which were large events: Hermiston, Ore.; Strathmore, Alberta; and Pendleton, Ore. He won just shy of $20,000 between those three rodeos alone. “Winning Pendleton was probably the biggest of the season,” said Larsen, who credits his sponsors, Rieta Creek Scoreboards, Tim Cooper Custom Hats, Soleterra d’Italia and Rodeo Tax, with helping him on the rodeo trail. “That’s one I’ve always wanted to win since my first year there in 2011. That’s just a rodeo with a large, rich history. It’s a unique, old-school rodeo. To wear a buckle that says you won it means so much to me.” It also came toward the end of the season, so it was the perfect momentum-builder as he rolled toward another qualification to ProRodeo’s grand finale. But he had another big stop to make, and that came the first weekend of November in his birth-province of Alberta. Larsen won the average at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, the year-end championship in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association that took place in Red Deer, Alberta. Born and raised in Canada, that championship was one the most magical of his career victories. “It’s been a huge goal of mine to win the average there,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of goals I wanted to do this year. It’s pretty special to me not only to compete against the best bareback riders in Canada and the U.S., but to win that rodeo against them was a confidence-booster for me.” While there, he also competed with his two brothers: Tyrel qualified in saddle bronc riding, and Kane earned the right to compete in bull riding before an injury took him out of the mix. “Having the three of us there was a very special moment,” Orin Larsen said. “I don’t really think we were all at one rodeo riding at the same time since high school. To do it at the CFR and help root each other on definitely tops all.” Most importantly, it was the perfect transition for him to make before he rides in Vegas against the greatest bucking horses in the game today. “I definitely feel like I’ve got momentum on my side,” he said. “The first three rounds (in Red Deer), I drew in the middle of the pen. The last three rounds, I drew really good and the best I could. Hopefully I can use that momentum to carry me through Vegas.” He had family time in Canada, but he’ll also get that during those magical 10 days in the Nevada desert. In addition to his parents, Kevin and Wanda, and brothers, Larsen also has a sister, Cassie, and all are supportive of one another. From their time in youth rodeo to seeing them excel on the sport’s biggest stage, family has always meant a lot to the Larsen clan. “It’s something we all take for granted when we’re younger,” Orin Larsen said. “The sacrifices my parents have made for Tyrel, Kane and me … you don’t see that until later in your career.” He shares that with Alexa and her family. They understand the rodeo bug, and  Continue Reading »

ZWINGLE, Iowa – Tim and Sami O’Connell are more than husband and wife, more than parents to 9-month-old Hazen. They are business partners, and their business is rodeo. “She’s the business owner, and I’m just the employee of the month,” he said with a laugh. “She’s always been my rock, and she takes so much off my plate to where all I have to worry about is doing my job.” He’s pretty good at it. Tim O’Connell is the reigning two-time world champion bareback rider who returns to the National Finals Rodeo for the fifth straight year. Over the last three years alone, he has earned more than $900,000, with $187,250 of that coming through the 2018 regular season. That means of the $1.3 million he’s earned in his ProRodeo career, most of it has come it has come in the last 35 months. That also means he has a big target on is back, but he’s OK with that. “The last two years, I’ve had the same goal in mind, and that’s to be the world champion at the end of the year,” said O’Connell, 27, of Zwingle. “That hasn’t changed. I think it’s become a bigger factor in driving me. I have my little guy, my wife and my village of people, which has pushed me even more. “The challenges are greater, but I feel like I’m up to it now more than ever. I have the dream to win six gold buckles and be known as the best bareback rider to ever compete.” That’s a big goal, but O’Connell has proven that he has all the capability to make it happen. He also has a renewed vigor to his job. That came the day Hazen was born. “I have even more responsibility on my plate right now,” he said. “We added one more mouth to the table, and I take that responsibility very seriously. As the man of the household, my job is to provide for my family, and I provide by being the best athlete I can be. “My workout regimen is going well. I feel prepared physically and mentally with a couple weeks to go.” Over the course of the regular season, O’Connell won at least a share of 23 titles. From big rodeos to small payouts, it all added up to an amazing year for the champ. He didn’t have quite the success early in the season as he would have liked, but that changed in April, when he shared the victory at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo with Mason Clements. In all, O’Connell pocketed nearly $27,000 in Kissimmee, Fla. That was a huge boost to his place on the money list and to his confidence. “My winter was really off for me,” he said. “I didn’t perform how I expect to. We were waiting on Hazen to be born, and I think that played a bigger role on me than I wanted it to. I didn’t have the killer instinct that I have when I get on the back of a horse. I had the whole family in Florida with me: my brother was picking up at the rodeo, and my dad was on the back of the chutes. “I showed up there and was ready to win. That win brought me back into the race. The season-leader race was starting to get out of hand; Caleb Bennett had a $50,000 lead over the top of me, and I was ready to do the work that needed to be done to get back in the driver seat. When I made that move, my swagger came back, and it took off from there. That was my first rodeo win of the season, then it just kept rolling.” Yes, it did, but it took O’Connell until the end of July before he reclaimed his spot atop the world standings. He has stayed there ever since and now owns a lead of less than $15,000 over Bennett. While he knows the purpose of riding bareback horses is to bring money into the home while playing the game he loves, it keeps him away from the people he loves. When he can’t be home, he, Sami and Hazen talk several times a day, and they always make time for daily video chats. O’Connell also makes sure to get home as often as possible. “I always like coming home and recharging my batteries and spending time with my family,” he said. “It’s tough being gone. I like hanging out with my little buddy and wife. When we leave, we make our wives into single moms. But Sami reassured me that I needed to go out and do my job and not be worried about what’s going on around the house. “It gets easier the longer you’re gone. Once you get out there and start performing, you just have to get into a rhythm. It’s bittersweet. You can’t imagine how these kids can change so fast.” Another helpful part of being on the road is having incredible sponsors: 12 Gauge Ranch, Polaris, Panhandle and Rock and Roll Clothing, Justin Boots, Windham Weaponry, Veach’s Custom Leather, Ortho Equine, Capri Campers, Twin Cities Featherlite and American Hat Co. “When you grow up, you want to be that guy that people want on their team,” O’Connell said. “When they call you and ask you to be an endorsee, it really is an aw factor. I’m humbled that these companies wanted me to be part of their brand.” All that support – whether it’s from sponsors, his family or fans – is encouraging for O’Connell as he makes this way through life one bucking horse at a time. He knows just how special it is to compete at the NFR and be among the very best in the world. Las Vegas in December is a different city. It becomes a cowboy town for two weeks, and the vibe is much different than it is the other 50 weeks of the year. The  Continue Reading »

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The best part of Richmond Champion’s year came early. “The ring was burning a hole in my pocket,” he said of his near-New Year’s Day proposal to his fiancé, Paige Lawrence. “We were on a ski trip with her family in Kimberley, British Columbia, and I wanted to ask her dad and her brothers for their blessing. I needed to figure out a way to ask without her knowing.” He and Lawrence’s father were on a ski lift when Champion got the permission. He found her brothers throughout the day, so the only ones who didn’t know about the proposal were Lawrence and her mother. He dropped to a knee inside the family’s condo on that Jan. 3 day, and the rest is history. “We were in Canmore (Alberta) for New Year’s Eve, and I really wanted to do it then, but I hadn’t talked to her dad and brothers yet,” Champion said. “Her family’s really important to her. It would’ve been nice to have a romantic setting with fireworks going off, but that’s not her nor me. It was cool to be able to do that with all of them there.” That was just the fire that ignited a terrific season in rodeo. A bareback rider from The Woodlands, he earned more than $230,000 riding bucking horses, with $119,819 coming in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association – he also won $115,000 by claiming his second straight title at the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede. Now he enters his fourth National Finals Rodeo sixth in the world standings and has the opportunity to cash in even more. ProRodeo’s grand championship features a $10 million purse with go-round winners earning more than $26,000 a round for 10 nights. “It’s awesome to be going back,” he said. “You expect it because you believe in yourself, but you never take it for granted. You’re still proud of it. Being excited and being proud of that accomplishment never goes away.” Though the money didn’t count toward his NFR qualification, the win in Calgary was the biggest of his season. Who wouldn’t be excited about winning $100,000-plus? “That place is special, and you can’t compare it,” Champion said. “The feeling you get when you show up at the Stampede and you run out into the arena before you ride is just amazing. They love that rodeo. To win it once, nonetheless two times in a row, is a tremendous blessing. “It doesn’t count as far as the standings go, but it is momentum. You feel good about it because the best guys in the world are there, and you’re getting on the best bucking horses.” How much momentum did he have this year? Champion competed at several rodeos that count toward qualifications for both the NFR and the Canadian Finals Rodeo. He won in Ponoka, Alberta; Rocky Mountain House, Alberta; and Williams Lake, British Columbia, and all that money counted toward both the PRCA and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association standings. So far, he’s made the most of those victories and placing along the way at other rodeos. He competed at the CFR the first weekend of November, then walked away from Red Deer, Alberta, with the Canadian title. “It’s the first time I’ve ever won a season-long title,” he said. “It means a lot to win that title, and to have that momentum going into the NFR is even better.” Oh, he has momentum and has had it much of the season. He acknowledges part of that to traveling with Caleb Bennett, the No. 2-ranked bareback rider from Tremonton, Utah. “Caleb had a phenomenal year, and he stayed hot,” said Champion, who gives much credit to his sponsors, Yeti, Hooey and Nocona. “When you have someone that has had that much luck, you have to focus on them and not let what’s happening to you get in the way. You want to feed off his positivity. As long as someone in the rig is winning, you have hope. “I’ve really enjoyed traveling with him the past two years, and we make a good team and push each other. I’m excited to get to Vegas and butt heads with him for a title.” Now that he’s heading the Nevada desert for the fourth time, he knows what to expect when he gets there. There is a lot of pomp and circumstance that surrounds the NFR. It’s home to only the top 15 contestants in each event, so there’s reason for the fanfare. For two weeks in early December, Las Vegas becomes a cowboy town. It has become the biggest showcase in rodeo, and the atmosphere in the City of Lights just adds to it. A year ago, Champion placed in seven of 10 go-rounds, finished second in the average and pocketed $167,314. That pushed his 2017 earnings to $268,511, and he finished second in the world standings. Counting his earnings in Calgary, he has earned more than $600,000 on the backs of bucking horses in the last two years alone, and he’s got 10 more nights left in the 2018 rodeo season. “My biggest thing is that I want to get in the locker room and get Round 1 started,” he said. “Once you get that first one knocked out, it brings you back and puts you in a state of mind that I’m comfortable with. You get there and feel the energy in the arena, that energy in the locker room, then you are excited for the rest of it.” He’s also excited about the rest of his life. Champion and Lawrence will marry next May in her hometown of Kennedy, Saskatchewan. For now, though, he knows he can lean on her any time the occasion merits. “She’s a rock star,” he said of Lawrence, who was raised around rodeo and also is a world-class figure skater who qualified for the 2014 Olympics in pair skating for Canada. “Any step of the way, she has the mindset for the competitive nature  Continue Reading »

ROBERTSDALE, Ala. – Kyle Irwin had grand plans to finish out his 2018 season and be home in time for the birth of his daughter. He had to alter them in a big way. “When I first found out Randa was pregnant, I developed my plans to have the (National) Finals made by August and be home when the baby comes in mid-September,” said Irwin, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Robertsdale, now living in Westville, Fla., with his wife and their two children, Tripp and Ellie. “I flew home Sept. 30, right after I got done with my run in Stephenville (Texas). I got home at 11-something (p.m.), and we left for the hospital at 4 the next morning and had the baby by 7 (a.m.). I had a serious case of whiplash that weekend. I’d come from California to Texas to Florida, then, boom, here’s your new baby.” It was a mad dash on the final weekend of the regular season. Several cowboys were on the bubble to qualify for the NFR, and Irwin was one of them. He heads into ProRodeo’s 10-day championship No. 14 in the steer wrestling world standings, having finished the 2018 campaign with $75,333 in earnings. But he was helped out by his baby girl. There were a lot of what-ifs that went into every scenario, because Ellie was due two weeks before she arrived. She showed, too, weighing 10 pounds at birth. “I don’t know who waited, but they waited as long as she could,” he said. “She’s everything we hoped and dreamed for. She’s healthy, she’s happy. “Tripp is adjusting to it. He’s still the king of the castle, but he’s started showing some affection for his sister.” Tripp is 22 months old, so the Irwins have to kids under age 2. Maybe a life spent wrestling steers is the perfect training for being a dad. But Irwin has been one of the best for several years. He’s been a regular at ProRodeo’s grand finale for all but one year since 2014 – he spent the 2016 season focused down another path. Once he returned his focus, he’s made sure to play on the sport’s grandest stage, set for Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. Even though he trails the world standings leader, Curtis Cassidy, by more than $30,000, Irwin can make up ground quickly in the Nevada desert. Go-round winners earn more than $26,000 per round for 10 December nights, so the money can add up in a hurry. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and the contestants in each event with the most money won at the conclusion of the season are crowned world champions. Irwin knows how special that moment is. A year ago, he was riding right beside Tyler Pearson when Pearson won the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. Their celebrational hug after the final night of the season was proof of their relationship. But they share even more with Scooter, a 13-year-old sorrel gelding the two co-own and compete on throughout the year. Scooter has been named the AQHA/PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year each of the past two seasons. “Tyler and I have been so blessed just to own him, and we’re thankful for Jason Reese for selling him to us,” Irwin said. “I think horses get better every day. Even when I didn’t win, (Tyler) Waguespack and (Ty) Erickson were winning on him, and that pays me.” Both Pearson and Irwin earn a percentage of what others make when they ride Scooter. That’s why owning the animal is such a valuable resource. “He helped with this new pressure I was in this season, being on the bubble and wanting to be home when my baby was born,” he said. “Worst-case scenario was me not making it to the finals, you’ve still got three guys that made the NFR and are going to ride him. Those are more chances at making money. You’re not guaranteed a check, but Scooter was so crucial. He gave me confidence. “I’m in a situation where I’m better financially than I have been. He’s been an asset to my career and where I am now. He has changed a lot of the way I do things.” Much of that was proven through the season. Irwin didn’t have many big wins, but he found a lot of positives along the way. As a detailed person, he has notes from his previous seasons that reveal his earnings through each month of the season. Every step along the way, he realized he was ahead of where he’d ever been before. He’s found great benefit in his team of sponsors – CINCH, RCI Oilfield Services, 12 Gauge Ranch, Zesterra, Seminole Feed, Resistol, Foy Reynolds Cattle Co., Anipro Xtraformance Feed, Classic Equine and Coats Saddlery – that help him get up and down the road. They all are a major part of the team returning to Las Vegas “Even though I finished the lowest I’ve ever finished as far as going into the finals, I think the consistency has guided me,” Irwin said. “With the positive attitude I kept all year long kept pushing me and driving me to have a good year. This is a business, and I need to have a good-running business.” There’s still business ahead. The NFR boasts of a $10 million purse, and he wants to get as much of that money as he can. Even though he’s behind 13 other bulldoggers, he knows there are 10 opportunities to cash in. “You can’t give up,” he said. “My cousin, Quinn Campbell, has always told me, ‘We’re riding animals chasing animals, so things are going to happen. Just enjoy what you do.’ I’ve had two good NFRs and one that was just OK. I’m in the green as far as a business perspective, but anything can happen. You’ve got to stay alert and stay aggressive, and it’s not over until Round 10.” He knows his hands are full. There are 14  Continue Reading »

COMANCHE, Okla. – Barrel racer Kylie Weast wasn’t born when her mother, Renee Ward, competed at the 1985 National Finals Rodeo. She was a seventh-grader the first of three years her older sister, Janae Ward Massey, qualified for ProRodeo’s grand championship in 2001 and a freshman in high school when Janae won the world title 15 seasons ago. She comes from a barrel racing family, and now she’s earned her first NFR qualification thanks in large part to Hell on the Red, a 6-year-old sorrel mare that has literally carried Weast through the 2018 regular season. “Probably the greatest experience was seeing how far my mare has come in a year,” said Weast, 30, who lives in Comanche with her husband, Jay, and their 2-year-old son, Marcus. “It’s just now starting to sink in that I’m going to the NFR, so I’m trying to get everything ready.” From making sure she and Reddy are on the same page to gathering her clothes for the two weeks she will be gone from home, there are a lot of little details that come with playing the biggest event in the game. The NFR offers a $10 million purse, with go-round winners earning more than $26,000 per round for 10 December nights. Weast is also the fourth person in her immediate family to have earned an NFR bid. It all traces back to her grandmother, Florence Youree, who qualified for the championship in its first year in 1959. If great aunt Sherry Johnson is added to the mix, then five members of the clan have earned the right by finishing the season among the top 15 in the world standings. For her part, Weast and Reddy raced through the 2018 season at 60 rodeos and earned $101,750. That works out to about $1,700 per event, which is a pretty good rate. It is, by far, her best season in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Of course, it’s also the first season she’s ever competed at that many rodeos across the country. She, her mom and Marcus hit the road and figured out the route to the NFR, set for Dec. 6-15 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. “Janae and Mom are constantly telling me that Reddy is going to be OK, that she’s hunting barrels, and that’s what we want,” Weast said. “Janae told me that the first time I go down the alleyway, I’m not going to be prepared for what I’m going to experience. Mainly my preparation is going to be what I’ve done all year.” The NFR is no regular rodeo. This is the World Series and Super Bowl wrapped up into a 10-day package. The closest she’s ever been to that situation was when she watched her big sister in her first run in Sin City. “I was young, so it didn’t really mean a whole lot to me then,” she said. “I remember the atmosphere. I couldn’t believe she was there. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I’m not sure I had the entire grasp of what it meant.” She knows now, and she’s about to experience it first-hand. “I’m looking forward to the experience and the memories I’m going to make,” Weast said. “It’s never certain if you’re ever going to get to go again. I have a good set of futurity colts this next year. I don’t know if it’ll be in the cards for me to go again, so I’m going to take it all in.” She should, because the NFR is quite an experience. Las Vegas becomes a cowboy town for two weeks, far different than it is for the other 50 weeks a year. And she’ll have her family with her the whole time. Jay and Marcus will be with her, while her parents, Renee and James, will help take care of the horses. In fact, part of Weast’s success was because family was part of the 2018 experience. With her mother and son in tow, life on the road was much easier. She didn’t have time to be homesick. “Having Marcus with me was the saving grace to everything,” Weast said. “He slept with me every night in the trailer. If I would have had to leave him at home, I don’t think I would’ve done it. Maybe that’s why this isn’t in the cards in the future. There are things I will not miss. “There are people who are out on the road three months at a time. I don’t know how they do it. I’m one of the better ones off, because I could always come home.” Family has always been important. She is part of Youree Barrel Horses, and the family raised Reddy. She’s carrying on an amazing family tradition. “Oh, yeah, I feel pressure, but not from my family,” she said. “The truth is this is our business. To continue to win and put out good horses and sell good horses, that’s where the pressure comes from. “It’s pretty stinking cool to have this legacy. The bottom line is, I’ve got a twin sister (Cassie Ambrose), and two out of us three girls has made it. We’re already thinking of what horses we’re going to get ready for her in a couple of years.” Some of that was joking, but there was a considerable amount of seriousness to her statement. The family knows what it means to produce a solid horse, so there shouldn’t be shock to see Ambrose inside the Thomas & Mack in the years to come. “That would be our family’s dream to get all three girls there,” said Weast, who credits her sponsors – Tres Rios Silver, Oxy Gen, Deanna Harrison Essential Oils, Namgus Quarter Horses, Youree Barrel Horses, PHT, M Sport 6, Schneider Pads and EAC Inc. – with helping her reach her NFR dreams. “It’s surreal. Just in the interviews and everything coming up to this, I’ve been aware of the legacy that my grandparents have  Continue Reading »

RAMONA, Kan. – As a youngster, Tanner Brunner wanted to be a saddle bronc rider, testing his skills atop wild bucking horses. It wasn’t the right fit for the athletic cowboy who grew up near Ramona, a community of 179 people tucked inside the Kansas Flint Hills. “I’m a little too big for that,” said Brunner, 25, who is 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds. “I thought steer wrestling was the event that fit me best.” He’s followed in the family footsteps left before him. Both parents, Tracy and Yvonne, competed, as did his older sister, Cat. It was a natural part of his life growing up, and now he’s playing on the biggest stages of the sport. After having a magnificent 2018 regular season, Brunner earned $84,527 and sits sixth in the world standings; he has qualified for the first time to the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand championship set for Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. It’s home to the best in the business from this season, and all 119 competitors will be battling for world championships in their respective events. “You grow up watching on TV and watching those guys that are your idols,” he said of the NFR. “You move up through the ranks and get to know them a little more, then you learn from them. To make it with them is pretty exciting. “It’s a dream come true.” It’s also the best season of the young cowboy’s career. His previous best was two seasons ago, when he finished 28th in the world standings with $37,753. “I think part of it was that I was riding better horses and trying to stay positive all year round, change a few things here and there with my bulldogging, and they really helped out,” said Brunner, who credits sponsors Coats Saddlery, Cow Camp Ranch, SportsZone, Animal Health International and the Outpost Western Store in Manhattan, Kan., to helping him find success this season. “A lot of it is consistency and getting the same runs from the horses every time. That made it a lot easier on my part.” Horsepower is always key in rodeo. Steer wrestlers not only need a good horse to get them to the steers as quickly as possible, but they need a well-mounted hazer riding along the other side of the steer to keep the animal in a straight line. Brunner primarily rode a couple horses owned by fellow bulldogger Sean Mulligan. In fact, Brunner will utilize Mulligan as his hazer during the 10 rounds of the NFR; in addition to his four qualifications, Mulligan has hazed countless times inside the Thomas & Mack Center. “Those horses really fit my style,” Brunner said. “When you’re bulldogging, you’ve got to think less and react more. They make it pretty easy. “About every year, Sean’s out there hazing for someone. There’s a lot of trust with Sean. I feel 110 percent comfortable with him on the other side, what’s underneath me and what’s underneath him. I think we’ll have one of the best teams there.” That comes in handy at the NFR, the world’s richest rodeo with a purse of $10 million paid out over 10 December nights. Go-round winners will earn more than $26,000 every night. Even though Brunner is sixth, he trails the world standings leader, Canadian Curtis Cassidy, by less than $22,000 – he can make up that ground in just go-round in Sin City. But he’s a bulldogger, which regularly is one of the toughest races at the NFR. But it’s been that way all season. Only $31,303 separates the Nos 1-15 as they head to the Nevada desert to battle for the most cherished prize in the game, the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. “There are a lot of great guys, and a lot of guys that deserve to be there that didn’t make it,” Brunner said, noting that only the top 15 contestants on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the NFR. “Just getting to run 10 steers and compete every night against 14 other guys that have worked their tails off to be there is a thrill to me. “We’re all great friends, but it’s the level of competition that some people crave to step up their game and do the best they can.” His success isn’t just from a year of hard work. It’s a lifestyle he’s understood through a lifetime of working cattle on the family’s ranch in rural Kansas. Part of it, too, is the support and training he has received in the game from a family that has competed in it even before he was born. “I grew up junior rodeoing, then did the junior high and high school deal,” he said. “My mom still barrel races a little bit. My sister rodeoed as well. She was on the rodeo team at Kansas State (University), and both my folks were on the rodeo team at Kansas State. I just followed in their footsteps. “My dad started off riding bulls, then moved over to steer wrestling. He set the foundation for my bulldogging, got me to practice and taught me to keep at it and have a good work ethic.” He also got some assistance from Chancey Larson, a veteran bulldogger from Manhattan. Larson’s teachings helped Brunner perfect his game and become more consistent. He also learned how to win. “I’ve always had decent horses, and my parents really helped a bunch by hauling me all over the place to rodeo and helping me in whatever way they could,” Brunner said. “It’s hard to be on the road so much and away from my family, but they tell me not to worry about things at home, and they’ll take care of things. I couldn’t ask for a better family.” He has taken every lesson to heart, and that’s another reason for his success. He plans to compete for several years to come; when that time is over, he hopes to return to  Continue Reading »

SPRINGVILLE, Utah – Mason Clements takes the right approach to his everyday life: One can learn from every situation, good or bad. That’s come in handy for the 26-year-old cowboy from Springville, who will take every lesson learned from his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification a year ago into this year’s 10-day championship, which takes place Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. “I know what to expect and am not just going into it blind,” said Clements, who finished the regular season with just shy of $100,000 and enters the NFR No. 10 in the bareback riding world standings. “When you go for the first time, you don’t really get the full logistics of what’s going to happen when it’s going to happen. “This year I can regulate what’s going to happen. I know where I want to be at specific times for a performance.” Clements was born in Las Vegas and grew up primarily in Utah. He graduated from Alta High School in Sandy, Utah, and has been on the rodeo trail ever since in some form or fashion. As a youngster, he wrestled steers and rode bulls. At age 20, he turned his attention to riding bucking horses, and he’s found a passion. It’s also been the avenue to great success. He’s been among the top 20 bareback riders in the game for each of the past three years, but only the top 15 advance to the NFR. That’s why he returns to Las Vegas this December, and he’ll have a chance to compete for that elusive world champion’s Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. “I can train and visualize the NFR specifically now,” he said. “Being there, seeing it, smelling it, hearing it … I can visualize everything that’s going to happen. I can visualize the types of horses for the specific rounds, and I can train for those moments that ultimately make or break a world champion.” It’s something he’s been working toward for the last six years with the support of his sponsors – Cinch, Long X Trading Co., BEX Sunglasses, Barstow and Axcess Accident Center in Provo, Utah – and his family: Mom, Tracy Pledger; dad, Doug; brothers, Tyler and Colin; and sister, Sarah. They may not have always understood his love for the game, but they were always supportive. Meanwhile, his passion drove him to the College of Southern Idaho, where he competed on a rodeo scholarship. He won the intercollegiate Rocky Mountain Region title in 2014, just a year after taking up the sport. Of course, he had two great coaches in Kelly Wardell and Cody DeMers, both of whom rode bareback horses at the NFR. While the similarities are there for both of his NFR qualifications, many things are different for Clements heading into the 2018 finale. “For starters, I’m going into it with a torn ACL” in his left knee, he said. “I’m not 100 percent, but I can still do my job.” This marks the second time he’s torn that ligament in his left knee; the first time happened three seasons ago. He also tore his right knee in 2016 and still finished 18th in the world standings. His latest injury occurred this past July, so he took a month off the rodeo trail to heal and rehabilitate his knee, then returned to competition. Now he heads the City of Lights with a brace he’ll attach to his left knee every night and a strong mind. “I have confidence in my training, more confidence in my riding and my ability to adapt through different horses,” Clements said. “I wanted to adjust so I could get on a bunch of easier-to-ride horses one week, then get on a bunch of hard-buckers the next and nothing would change. “Earlier in my career, I’d overcompensate or not do enough. Being able to adapt has played a big role.” That’s no easy task. Bareback riding is the most taxing event on the body. Clements wedges his hand – covered by a glove with binds on the outside – into a rigging that is strapped tightly to a bucking horse. Every jump, kick and twist are felt by the cowboy that is attached. Even with a bum knee, the Utahan finished out the season well. “I feel very strong,” he said. “I competed at big rodeos the rest of the season, even after I tore the ACL, sat out a month, rehabbed and started back riding. I’ve finally gotten back to how I was before the injury. I’m confident in what’s to come.” What’s next are 10 straight nights of bucking horses. As one of the top 15 cowboys, he will be matched with the greatest animals in the game, all chosen by the bareback riders themselves. But he’s ridden them all season, so that’s nothing new; they’re just packed into a week-and-a-half of ProRodeo’s grand finale, which features a $10 million purse. And Clements knows just what that kind of money can do. A year ago, he left Las Vegas with more than $80,000 in his Cinch jeans. He knows he’ll have great opportunities before him when it’s time to battle for gold in the Nevada desert. “One of the other things that changed for me this year was my finances from the NFR last year,” Clements said. “It changed my life. This year was a big eye-opener for what it could do for me and what it has done for me. IT took me out of all my debt and helped me enjoy not worrying about money. “I’ve had amazing support from my family and my girlfriend, and that’s been huge. That’s probably made a big difference in the way I’ve performed all year. I’m not worried about things gone on at home. I’m focused 100 percent on my business.”

BLANCHARD, Okla. – From the time he was little, Blake Mindemann knew he was going to be a steer wrestler. “I can remember watching my dad and his friends practicing,” said Mindemann, 33, of Blanchard. “There would be guys out there throwing steers down. I roped all the way through college, but I knew I was going to bulldog. My dad did it, my uncle did it and my brother did it. That’s all I wanted to do.” After a lifetime of competing, Mindemann has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his 14-year ProRodeo career. He is 11th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings, having earned $78,092 through the regular season. It is, by far, his greatest season, but his mindset toward the game changed in the 2017 season while traveling the rodeo trail with NFR veterans Stockton Graves and J.D. Struxness. “I learned a lot from Stockton last year,” Mindemann said. “I was always worried about money and being broke, so I didn’t go as hard as I have the last two years. Stockton said that you can’t worry about stuff like that; you just go out and get it done, and it will pay off. “That’s what I’ve done since then, and it seems to be working.” He finished last year with more than $31,000 and 40th in the world standings. That helped propel him to this magnificent run through the 2018 campaign. The significant change from last year to this was traveling with two-time world champion Hunter Cure. “He is the same way,” said Mindemann, who grew up in Apache, Okla. “We’ve got a job to do, so just do your job, take care of business and the rest will take care of itself. He said to just work hard, don’t ever complain or give up. You just need to keep grinding.” That mindset has formed the Blanchard cowboy into a formidable foe when he arrives at the NFR, set for Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. Only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event earn the right to compete for the biggest pay in the game through those 10 December nights. The key, though, has been Mindemann’s consistent performance over the regular season. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had some solid stretches throughout the season that made a big difference. “I split the win in Sheridan (Wyo.) and won a round there, then I was second across the board at Casper (Wyo.),” he said, referring to finishing as runner-up in both rounds and the average. “That was a big week. Then I won $9,000 in Cheyenne (Wyo.). I won $30,000 in July. That month was good.” Yes, it was. But that is a drop in the bucket compared to what the NFR offers. It features a $10 million purse, and go-round winners will pocket more than $26,000 each of the 10 nights. A year ago, Tyler Pearson earned more than $155,000 in Las Vegas and walked away with the world championship. While he’s an NFR rookie, Mindemann will have an advantage over the others. Not only will a world champion like Cure be in his corner, but the Oklahoman is leaning on experienced hazer Matt Reeves to help keep his steer heading in the right direction inside the Thomas & Mack Center. Reeves has not only hazed hundreds of runs in Vegas, he also is a six-time steer wrestling qualifier. “Matt’s got two really good hazing horses, and they’re as good as you’re going to get in the PRCA,” Mindemann said. “He’s hazed for a lot of others out there. To me, it’s a no-brainer to get him. Knowing he’s over there just allows me to focus on my job every night and try to be 3 seconds every run.” He’ll also have Django, a 16-year-old gray horse that he plans to ride in Vegas. That’s been his main mount for about a year and a half. “He belongs to Johnny Asher out of Tennessee,” Mindemann said of the gelding. “He sent that horse to me three years ago to start, and the horse got pretty good. Johnny’s been really good to me and lets me keep that horse like he’s mine.” But there’s a lot more support behind the talented cowboy. Besides his sponsors – Best Ever Pads, Todds Hotshot & Oilfield Service, Panhandle and Rock and Roll Denim, 5D Hats and Leather, MDsave and Coil Chem – he also leans on his wife, Cynthia, and their three sons: Tyler, 16, Tucker, 9, and Brodie, 5. “They mean everything to me,” he said. “They are easily No. 1. I met my wife at the Cody (Wyo.) Night Rodeo when I was up there working one summer. We’ve been together ever since. “They love it, too. They’re just as part of it as I am. If she didn’t do what she does for me, I couldn’t think of making the finals. She holds the fort down.” That’s important, because rodeo cowboys are on the road for weeks – even months – at a time. This year marked the most he has ever been gone from the family for a stretch of time. “I was home for maybe four days over four months,” Mindemann said. “It was pretty tough to stay away from the family for that long, but we grinded it out. Everybody in the family knows what’s at stake, so that helps us, too.” Of course, winning seems to make the time go faster, and Mindemann did his fair share of that. “I was gone for four months, and there were just two weeks in that time that I didn’t win anything,” he said. “I was consistently picking up some money and placing along the way. Being able to win something is always good, because it helps keep your mind right.” In rodeo, cowboys must have all the physical attributes necessary to compete at a high level. Mindemann has them, something he  Continue Reading »

CLEMENTS, Calif. – Clayton Biglow had a great year riding bucking horses. Over the course of the 2018 regular season, he pocketed more than $135,000 and finished the campaign as the No. 3 bareback rider in the world standings. He returns to the National Finals Rodeo for the third straight year; that’s not to shabby for 22-year-old cowboy from Clements. But Biglow didn’t look at his earnings to determine his success this year; he looked at how he rode. Sometimes recognizing a certain feel is a better sign, and that was the case for the northern California cowboy. “It’s been a better year,” he said. “I paid attention to how I felt all year long, and I felt great until the last few weekends. I seem to finish the years out strong. This year, I didn’t seem to finish as strong as I’d like, but it’s something I can work on now.” He’s hoping that work will be completed by the time he arrives at the NFR, ProRodeo’s grand finale set for Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas, where go-round winners earn more than $26,000 a night for 10 rounds. He is $52,000 behind the leader, reigning two-time world champion Tim O’Connell, but that ground could be made up in two nights inside the Thomas & Mack Center. A year ago, Biglow placed in just three rounds, but they were big payouts; he won the sixth round and placed second in both the seventh and eight rounds. In all, he pocketed $72,403. “I really learned a lot last year,” said Biglow, who is supported through the year by his sponsors, Bloomer Trailers, Resistol, Wrangler and MY Chevrolet in Salinas, Calif. “I had a rough start, and I wasn’t drawing great. I had a better finish, but I had a lot of riding problems. “I learned some little things about my riding that helped. There were times I got a little excited. I had a chance to win the world title, and a lot of that was on my mind. I let that get in the way.” So, he’s redirected his focus as he prepares for those magical 10 December nights in Sin City. “I’ve never felt like this before,” he said. “I’m not changing anything about my riding but thinking differently and knowing what I have to do ad preparing myself to do it. I’ve always been excited to go to the NFR, but now I just can’t wait to be there. “I’m going into it differently than I have the last two years.” Having his mind in the right place is a big help. For as physically demanding as bareback riding can be, most of what happens is because of the mental approach to the game. “I think I’ve gotten better at competing in high-stressed situations,” Biglow said. “Rodeo is 90 percent mental. Bareback riding is a very physical event, but it’s more mental than anything. You have to use your head and be so reactive on what you do. “If your head is not in the game, there’s no way you’re going to be able to perform to the best of your ability.” Some of that goes back to a life lived in rodeo and around horses. His father, Russ, is a team roper who used to ride bareback horses, and his mom, Jessie, trains jumping horses; his older sister, Taylor, is a barrel racer and breakaway roper, and younger sister, Maddie, competes in jumping and virtually all girls rodeo events. “My dad was the biggest and still is the biggest influence in my career,” he said. “Before I got on my first bareback horse, I already knew what to do. My dad was tremendously helpful.” And as he has matured mentally, his riding has improved. He showed this year by earning at least a share of the title at 14 rodeos; when he wasn’t winning, he was placing among the leaders enough to catch some big checks along the way. But his biggest accomplishment happened at a rodeo where the money earned didn’t count toward the world standings because it is not associated with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Still, the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede is one of the largest rodeos in the world with a very large purse. “It wasn’t even a win; I finished fourth at Calgary, and it was awesome,” Biglow said. “I didn’t draw good in my pool and didn’t advance out of my pool. That was a big deal to me, because I was riding fairly good at the time. I got into the wild-card round, then got past the wild-card. Whenever that happens, it fires you up because you were basically out of it and got back in it.” Only four contestants advance out of two pools into the championship round. Biglow was not among the top four in Pool A. He then had one of the two highest scores in the wild-card round to advance to the final day. “I did what I needed to do,” he said. “That’s a tough rodeo. That is, by far, the toughest rodeo I’ve ever been to. It’s like a round at the NFR every time.” That is just a taste of what he’ll expect over 10 rounds in Las Vegas. It’s not just the town; it’s  more the excitement that happens each December when rodeo comes to Sin City. It’s flying fur and moving spurs, all in rhythm that can be likened to a punk-rock dance. “It’s the biggest stage where every kid that wants to be a bareback rider wants to be in Vegas,” Biglow said. “It’s the NFR, the yellow bucking chutes and a bunch of money to be won. “Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be there. Each year I go, it feels like the first time going. It’s the World Series, the Super Bowl. That’s what makes it exciting. The money has nothing to do with it. I do this because I love it, and  Continue Reading »

COMANCHE, Okla. – On the final day of ProRodeo’s regular season, Ryan Jarrett was 15 hours away from home in Kingman, Ariz. A tie-down roper from Comanche, he was trying to scrape together enough money to earn his 12th qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that takes place Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. “I won the rodeo,” said Jarrett, who pocketed $902 and edged out Blane Cox by just $456 to finish 15th in the world and return to the Nevada desert for the 11th time in his career – he also qualified in steer wrestling in 2005, the year he was crowned ProRodeo’s all-around world champion. “This year I took it better, but I’ve been there at the bottom several times trying to get the finals made. “The last 30 days of rodeo were pretty tough on me mentally.” He understands that part of the game. Rodeo’s regular season is a grind, 12 months in the making; at its conclusion on Sept. 30 every year, only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event advance to the NFR, the world’s richest rodeo with a $10 million purse paid out over 10 December nights. He’s fallen short, too. In 2007, a knee injury sidelined Jarrett for much of the year, and he missed that year’s championship. A year later, he finished 16th in the world standings – just one spot out of the honey hole. In 2014, the Georgia-born cowboy finished 18th, but not after a mad dash at the end of the regular season left him just short. But more often than not, Jarrett has been among the best in the game. He proved that in his sophomore season in ProRodeo, when he went to Las Vegas in two events and left with rodeo gold. Although he is 15th in the rankings, he is less than $60,000 behind leader Shane Hanchey – at the NFR, that differential can be made up in three go-rounds. “You know you can’t be late on the barrier or you won’t win anything, so you focus on getting that start down,” he said, referring to the head start calves are given. If a roper is late, it will take him longer to do all the essentials to stop the clock in the fastest time. If the roper breaks the barrier, then he is saddled with a 10-second penalty. The set-up at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas is meant for being at the right place at the right time. “You want to get you a go so you don’t jerk the calf down (which would result in a no-time), and you want a get a go from your horse so everything happens fluidly so you can leave your calf in the best place when you get down the rope to him,” he said. “The NFR is an experience. You need to live it up while you can. If you think you’re capable of making the NFR, you better get at it, because you’ll look up and won’t be able to anymore.” Jarrett was just 21 years old the first time he qualified for the NFR. In Vegas 13 years ago, he pocketed $263,665 in 10 days competing in both tie-down roping and steer wrestling. He won the tie-down roping average in the process, finishing with the fastest cumulative time in 10 runs, and became the third-youngest all-around world champion in the sport’s history behind Ty Murray and Jim Shoulders. Now 36, Jarrett has finished among the top six in the tie-down roping world standings five times. “It’s hard to be consistent at the NFR,” he said. “It can all change in one run. You’ve just got to hope things go your way, that you get on the right end of the drawing.” Contestants are matched with the animals on which they compete via random draw. The cowboys have the say in what 60 calves will be in Las Vegas, and they are separated into three herds to make each pen as even as possible. But there are some calves that will be better than the others, which is why the draw can be a factor in the game. The key to surviving Sin City is to take advantage of the good calves while being smart with the animals that aren’t so hot. “What makes it hard is that one minute you want to rope for the average, then the next minute you want to rope at the go-round win,” said Jarrett, who explained that roping for the rounds constitutes taking more risk, which could result in a no-time. “You get stuck in a hard situation there.” But with go-rounds paying more than $26,000 per night for 10 rounds, it’s imperative that contestants consider all options. That’s something that happens through the season, too, even if it means roping for less than $1,000. Any win, as he proved in Arizona on the final day of the season, can help. When times were tough, he relied on his experience and a call to his wife, Shy-Anne, to keep him grounded and somewhat sane with the rodeo world got a bit crazy. “After I missed in the short round in Nampa (Idaho in July), I did not win a good check for a while,” he said. “I came up empty-handed every time, and I went to some good-paying rodeos. One part of your body tells you that you don’t need to be entered anywhere and just sit out for a few days, then show up when you’re craving it more. “The other side of your body tells you to keep grinding. You’ve got a lot of things running through your head constantly. It gets intense and a little aggravating. I call home, but it gets hard on you. You’ve just got to bear down and do what you know how to do.” He also leans a bit on his horse, Snoopy, a sorrel gelding he used in Vegas  Continue Reading »

Bullfighters Only to add seating and activities during Las Vegas Championship   LAS VEGAS – In less than a month, Bullfighters Only will once again award a $50,000 bonus to the 2018 BFO world champion upon the completion of the company’s Las Vegas Championship – scheduled for Dec. 6-15 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Las Vegas. “It’s all about showcasing the sport’s very best athletes,” said Aaron Ferguson, founder and CEO of Bullfighters Only. “By sticking to that model, our Vegas event has become something that fans crave all year long.” The 10-day Las Vegas Championship alone pays out more $65,000. Of that, $25,000 goes to the event champion – a big win that could propel at least five of the BFO’s top bullfighters to a world championship. The results of the event will also be utilized to seed competitors for the 2019 competition season. “BFO Vegas is also important for a lot of the guys to get qualified for the 2019 BFO Tour,” Ferguson said. The event venue will return to one of the Strip’s busiest intersections – Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. With the addition of 600 seats and a reconfiguration of the venue layout, fans can expect an explosive and innovative production. “We have been building up to this event since last year,” Ferguson said. “The talent pool is deeper than ever. The race is tight, and I know the bullfighters are excited. The competition will definitely be heated.” The 2018 BFO Las Vegas Championship schedule is as follows, with all performances starting at 2 p.m.: Thursday, Dec. 6: Roughy Cup – Stand-alone competition featuring the top nine athletes in the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour. The event has become a staple for BFO fans. Friday, Dec. 7-Sunday, Dec. 9: Qualifier Rounds – The sport’s rising talent take get their opportunity to prove themselves at the elite level. Nine of the 27 bullfighters competing will advance to the Preliminary Rounds. Monday, Dec. 10-Thursday, Dec. 13: Preliminary Rounds – The top 9 athletes in the Pendleton Whisky World Standing are joined by the Qualifier Round winners and split into Pool A & Pool B. After 2 bulls, the athlete with the highest aggregate score from each flight will advance to Championship Saturday. Friday, Dec. 14: W-W Wild Card Round – Bullfighters will get one final chance to advance to Championship Saturday. Saturday, Dec. 15: The 2018 BFO world champion will be crowned at the completion of a 9-man semifinals, followed by the 3-man Hooey Championship Round. The winner of the BFO Las Vegas Championship will receive a check for $25,000 and a custom Bullfighters Only title belt. The 2018 BFO world champion will earn a $50,000 bonus. Come early to enjoy the RAM Ride ‘n’ Drive and OtterBox Tailgate Party – featuring music, food, drinks and games. Plus, hang out with the BFO bullfighters after the show during the Hooey Jam followed by the Pendleton Whisky NFR Watch Party at Robert Irvine’s inside the Tropicana. Tickets and information are available at www.BullfightersOnly.com.

DALLAS – In the last month, the rodeo community has come together strongly for J.R. Vezain and his wife, Shelby. Now Pete Carr Pro Rodeo and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association are calling on rodeo committees across the country to give to the Vezains. The PRCA has created a link to giving so committees and individuals can support the six-time National Finals Rodeo bareback riding qualifier. “If every PRCA committee, most in which J.R. has competed over the years, could look into their hearts and give a couple hundred bucks, that would be a wonderful start toward his hospital bills and a new path for the Vezains,” Carr said. Vezain was injured in late September when a horse reared and fell backwards on top of him at a rodeo in southeast Texas. He suffered spinal fractures and has suffered from a lack of mobility issues from the waist down. He was undergoing therapy at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston and has seen progress in the weeks since his surgery. He is now transferring to a rehab hospital in Salt Lake City and hopes to walk again. A number of benefits have popped up since Vezain was injured to help offset medical costs, and there is a call for more to happen. Pete Carr, owner of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, has been working with the PRCA to develop another fundraising opportunity for PRCA committees. “Because rodeo is a big family, we wanted to reach out to all of our family members, including the 700-plus committees that produce rodeos every year,” Carr said. “We wanted to provide an outlet for those committees to donate as much as they can or as much as they wish to benefit J.R. and his family.” Carr and his team will produce a benefit rodeo for the Vezains at the Stampede at the Ike rodeo, scheduled for Jan. 11-12 at West Monroe, La. “As a stock contractor, committeeman and contestant, I understand what can happen in the rodeo arena,” Carr said. “This hit me pretty hard, so I want to do as much as we possibly can to help J.R. He’s got a long road ahead of him, and he’s going to need all the help he can get.” PRCA CEO George Taylor echoed those sentiments. “The rodeo community is a tight-knit group that takes care of its own,” Taylor said. “The PRCA appreciates the initiative of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo to reach out to the committees and the community within rodeo in hopes of doing what we know they are capable of to help care for J.R.” This is an opportunity for anyone who is interested to donate to get on board and help Vezain and his family as he moves forward in his rehabilitation can do so by clicking on this link.