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The nice thing about it is both are still cowboy hats, so it wasn’t much of a stretch. Edler, a two-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier from State Center, Iowa, graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University last May. Shortly thereafter, Rangers rodeo coach Cali Griffin hired him as an assistant. Now, Edler not only helps lead the rodeo team as a mentor, but he’s back in competition, earning another year of eligibility to his resume as he continues to battle in the sport he loves. He proved it over the weekend by winning the steer wrestling title at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Durant. “I wasn’t planning on rodeoing again this year, and then I decided to take the job as the assistant coach,” said Edler, who shared the first-round victory with a 4.0-second run, then stopped the clock in 4.9 seconds to win the final round and the aggregate title. “I decided to get my master’s degree and figured if I was going to be going to these college rodeos, I might as well be entered up and give myself one more chance at the college finals.” It’s working, both in the arena and out. He led the team in competition and guided the younger contestants when it wasn’t his time to shine. It paid off with 19 Rangers qualifying for the championship round in 21 positions – Riley Smith of Poteau, Oklahoma, and Payton Dingman of Pryor, Oklahoma, earned short-round bids in two events.

SALT LAKE CITY – Justin Brinkerhoff could feel the energy. A crowd of nearly 7,500 souls electrified the Days of ’47 Arena at Utah State Fairpark on Saturday night, and the tie-down roper fed off it. He roped and tied his calf in 9.4 seconds to move into third place at Utah’s Own Rodeo, and only Monday’s final performance awaits the final outcome of the competition. “I thought it was the biggest crowd that I’ve seen for a few years at that rodeo,” said Brinkerhoff, 33, of Corrine, Utah, a town of 879 people about 60 miles north of the fairpark. “It seems like the rodeo is growing and doing good.” It is, and there’s an added caveat to that. This year’s purse is seeing a major increase, with $30,000 extra infused by local dollars, which are then mixed with the contestants’ entry fees. That means bigger paydays for every cowboy and cowgirl who finish among the leaders, and that’s a valuable circumstance for everyone in the field, especially those from Utah. In Brinkerhoff’s case, he’s hoping it will help propel him into the top 12 in the Wilderness Circuit, a series of rodeos and contestants from Utah, Nevada and much of Idaho. He entered this week of rodeos 14th in the regional standings, so he still has some work to do in the final month of the 2025 regular season. “By increasing that money, it’s got a lot more competitors,” he said, pointing out that bigger numbers also increase the overall payout because entry fees are part of the prize pool. “There are a lot of people from around here that don’t get to go to the Days of ’47 rodeo, because they limit (entries), so I think it helps them feel like they get to compete at a bigger rodeo here in Salt Lake.” Doing well this weekend will help him make up ground. Only the top 12 in the circuit in each event advance to the Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo, which will take place in November at Heber City, Utah. Brinkerhoff is less than $2,000 from that coveted spot and less than $3,000 outside the top 10. “The circuit finals is the main thing for me,” said Brinkerhoff, a 10-time circuit finalist who won the region in 2021. “I do this because I enjoy it, and we’ve got so many good rodeos around here.” A key to his success is Pops, a 15-year-old sorrel gelding he’s had for several years. The two have developed a strong working relationship, and it’s coming in handy at a good time. “I bought him when he was 4 and was pretty green, and we butted heads for a long time,” he said. “For the last few years, my dad’s just been using him on the ranch moving cows. I hadn’t really done much with him in probably three years, just practicing here and again. I needed a horse around July 1, so I took him back out, and he’s been really good. “I actually can’t believe he’s been so good since then.” Horsepower is vital in rodeo. A quality horse can make a contestant’s job easier, and that was the case Saturday. “I think it’s at least 80 percent of it,” Brinkerhoff said. “It’s crazy how much difference it is, and with him, the change of him growing and maturing, he’s even better now. I tried to compete at a professional level on him when he was 7 or 8, and he’s really grown since then. It matters on how good the horse is.” Utah’s Own PRCA RodeoSept. 5, 6 and 8Salt Lake CityBareback riding: 1. Miles Carlson, 87.5 points on Muddy Creek Pro Rodeo’s Suga Boom Boom; 2. Wacey Schalla, 84; 3. Boyce Kraut, 82.5; 4. Kashton Ford, 80; 5. Tyson Hirschi, 79.5; 6. Tristan Hansen, 74.5; 7. Logan Patterson, 74; 8. Gauge McBride, 67. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurle, 4.1 seconds; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2; 3. Coltin Hill, 4.3; 4. (tie) Riley Hamilton and Chet Boren, 4.4; 6. Landris White, 4.7; 7. Hazen Smith, 4.8; 8. (tie) Matt Watson and Dalton Massey, 5.0; 10. Eli Lord, 5.3. Team roping: 1. Travis Whitlow/Tyler Whitlow, 3.6 seconds; 2. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1; 3. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5; 4. Dex Maddox/Chance Moldenhauer, 4.8; 5. Ashton Parker/Chase Pintar, 4.9; 6. Casey Thomas/Wyatt Thomas, 6.2; 7. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 6.3; 8. Devon McDaniel/Chris Young, 9.5; 9. Chaz Kananen/Britt Newman, 9.8; 10. (tie) Pete Jones/Jace Nielsen and Korbin Rice/Cooper Freeman, 9.9.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. Darcy Radel, 89 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool; 2. Kade Bruno, 85; 3. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk, Cody Faulkner, Carson Bingham and Rusty Wright, 84; 7. Warwich Southern, 82; 8. Kaden Horrocks, 80; 9. (tie) Leon Fountain and Mitch Pollock, 78. Tie-down roping: 1. Cole Clemons, 8.6 seconds; 2. Waid Dalton, 9.0; 3. Justin Brinkerhoff, 9.4; 4. (tie) R.J. Johnson and Cason Kingsbury, 11.1; 6. Myles Kenzy, 12.4; 7. Roan Hudson, 12.9; 8. Daston Hill, 13.4; 9. (tie) Paden Bray and Brey Yore, 13.7. Breakaway roping: 1. Madison Outhier, 2.0 seconds; 2. Zoie Bedke, 2.1; 3. Erin Johnson, 2.2; 4. (tie) Kash Gay, Aubryn Bedke and Jessi Everett, 2.3; 7. Josey Murphy, 2.4; 8. Josie Goodrich, 2.8; 9. (tie) Peggy Garman and Rickie Fanning, 2.9. Barrel racing: 1. Caitlyn White, 17.10 seconds; 2. Kately Scott, 17.18; 3. (tie) Sue Smith and Jordan Driver, 17.19; 5. Krystal Dillman, 17.20; 6. McKale Seitz, 17.28; 7. Joelene Gould, 17.40; 8. Wenda Johnson, 17.52; 9, Terry Wood Gates, 17.53; 10. Kimmie Wall, 17.55. Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance; 2. (tie) Koby Jacobson and Billy Quillan, 85.5; 4. Elijah Mora, 83.5; no other qualified rides.

SALT LAKE CITY – Toward the southeastern side of Queensland rests the tiny hamlet of Injune, a community of less than 500 inhabitants about 350 miles from the state’s capital city of Brisbane. It’s home to Darcy Radel, who moved to the United States three years ago to chase his rodeo dreams. His first stop was Snyder, Texas, where he met up with Greg Rhodes, the rodeo coach at Western Texas College. That’s home, too, except for these summertime months when home is wherever he rests his head at night. On Friday night, he’ll sleep a little easier after posting the highest-marked ride of his career with an 89 on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool to take the lead at Utah’s Own Rodeo during the Utah State Fair. “I was 88.5 points on The Black Tie at Fallon (Nevada) this year, so, yeah, I was a half-point better tonight,” Radel said, his Australian accent building with his excited breaths. “(Cowboy Fool) is another great horse I’ve been pretty lucky to get on. I’m just loving life, getting to rodeo and having a great time. “I’d seen him in Castle Rock about a month ago, and he was just awesome. I’ve seen him that exact trip with a couple of the Wright boys; with Ryder, he just jumped out there and stalled out so nice. When I saw (the draw) last week, I’ve been excited about it for five days. It doesn’t get any better than that.” It’s a stepping stone for a young cowboy trying to make his mark in a sport he loves. He entered this week of rodeo’s 39th in the world standings with nearly $48,000 in earnings. That’s $20,000 more than he earned all of last season, when he was third in the Resistol Rookie of the Year Race. His hope to follow in the footsteps of some of his countrymen, cowboys like Damian Brennan, who is about to embark on his third qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. It takes a big dream and a classic style to earn the way to ProRodeo’s grand finale. “I think I might have missed the boat this year,” said Radel, 25. “I hurt my knee, so I took a couple weeks off in August. I’m hoping next year, if I can put the rides together like (Friday) and doing my part, then I have a chance. Getting on these good horses is unbelievable.” Utah’s Own PRCA RodeoSept. 5, 6 and 8Salt Lake CityBareback riding: 1. Wacey Schalla, 84 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Hillbilly; 2. Boyce Kraut, 82.5; 3. Kashton Ford, 80; 4. Tristan Hansen, 74.5; 5. Logan Patterson, 74; 6. Gauge McBride, 67; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurley, 4.1 seconds; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2; 3. Landris White, 4.7; 4. (tie) Matt Watson and Dalton Massey, 5.0; 6. Joey Haslam, 5.7; 7. Tad Williams, 14.7; no other qualified runs. Team roping: 1. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1 seconds; 2. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5; 3. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 6.3; 4. Brodi Jones/Brian Roundy, 16.6; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Darcy Radel, 89 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool; 2. Kade Bruno, 85; 3. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk and Cody Faulkner, 84; 5. Leon Fountain, 78; no other qualified rides. Tie-down roping: 1. Cole Clemons, 8.6 seconds; 2. Myles Kenzy, 12.4; 3. BoDell Jessen, 15.0; 4. Weston Milner, 23.8; no other qualified runs. Breakaway roping: 1. Zoie Bedke, 2.1 seconds; 2. Kash Gay, 2.3; 3. Kaitlyn Andersen, 12.7; 4. Libby Winchell, 13.5; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing: 1. Sue Smith, 17.19 seconds; 2. Krystal Dillman, 17.20; 3. Sarah Atchison, 17.62; 4. Nicole Knowles, 17.74; 5. Amy Bush, 17.90; 6. Kylie Martinez, 17.91; 7. Leia Bluemer, 25.63; 8. Makenzie Mayes, 28.40; no other qualified runs. Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance; 2. Koby Jacobson, 85.5; 3. Elijah Mora, 83.5; no other qualified rides.

Utah’s Own Rodeo to feature sport’s elite during final performance SALT LAKE CITY – Steer wrestler Cash Robb understands the ups and downs that come with being a rodeo competitor. Most of his summer has been spent away from his Altamont, Utah, home, while traveling across the country to do his job. He’s seen good runs that turn to bad and days when he expected nothing and came out with a nice paycheck. He’s driven a truck and trailer thousands of miles with little sleep, only to get straight out of the vehicle in time to saddle a horse and grapple a farm animal. It’s a hectic schedule. There are more than 25 events this week alone, from Puyallup, Washington, to Levant, Maine. A big one on that list is Utah’s Own Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5; Saturday, Sept. 6; and Monday, Sept. 8, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets. Robb is making sure to be part of the Utah State Fair’s rodeo, and for good reason. “We entered for that Monday, because we’ll be up in Puyallup those couple days before competing at the Cinch Playoffs,” Robb said of the rodeo that’s 850 miles northwest of Salt Lake City. “We’ll make the all-night drive Sunday to be there Monday, then we’ll turn right back around that night to be in Pendleton, Oregon, on Tuesday morning. “We’re going to have some driving to do, but it’s a good rodeo, so we need to be able to make those drives and get that money.” It’s not just about making a living one steer at a time. In rodeo, dollars equal points, so only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event at the end of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo. As of last week, Robb was 20th in the bulldogging world standings, so every penny counts. He pointed out that Utah’s Own Rodeo will feature $10,000 per event in local dollars, which will then be added to the contestants’ entry fees to make up the overall purse. “It’s awesome, especially since they went up in added money,” said Robb, the 2023 Resistol Steer Wrestling Rookie of the Year who won the NFR aggregate title last December in his first qualification. “The first year I went, it only added about $5,000 (per event), so that’s a huge jump. Having that extra money is big for us. “That’s a lot of money for that committee to round up. Kudos to them for wanting to get bigger. It’s awesome to see committees do everything they can to improve their rodeos so they can be one of those events guys want to go to.” Robb is just one of 40 NFR qualifiers competing in the final performance of Utah’s Own Rodeo. That evening’s field includes six world champions – three-time saddle bronc riding titlist Ryder Wright, five-time bulldogging champ Tyler Waguespack, tie-down ropers Marcos Costa and Haven Meged, team roping-heading winner Aaron Tsinigine and reigning bareback riding world champion Dean Thompson. The largest contingent of superstars is in saddle bronc riding, which features nine NFR qualifiers, including three Utahans, Ryder Wright, Statler Wright and Allen Boore. Robb and Waguespack lead the pack of steer wrestlers into ring, and it doesn’t hurt that the two travel the rodeo trail together. In fact, Waguespack is the defending champion at the state fair. “My goal is to take that win back from him,” Robb said. “I’d love to win that rodeo. I like that arena, and I love being there, so hopefully we’ll get it done this year.” Just one month remains in ProRodeo’s regular season, he has earned just shy of $85,000. He’s officially on the NFR bubble, meaning he needs to work his way up the money list to secure his bid for Las Vegas in December. That’s where competing in Salt Lake City can be most beneficial. “The season is winding down,” he said. “Everyone’s tired, and a lot of people want to go home. If we can just capitalize on these next few weeks and grit it out and do our jobs, I think it’ll pay off in the end.”

SALT LAKE CITY – Kelsie Domer is scrambling. Heading into this week of rodeos, the reigning world champion breakaway roper is on the outside looking in. She’s 18th in the world standings and needs to move up at least three places if she’s going to defend her gold buckle during the National Finals Breakaway Roping this December. She’s taking every opportunity available to secure her spot among the top 15 by the end of the regular season, which concludes Sept. 30. It’s just one of the reasons she’ll be at Utah’s Own Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5; Saturday, Sept. 6; and Monday, Sept. 8, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets. It’s number-crunching time for rodeo’s elite. The top cowboys and cowgirls are all battling for those cherished 15 positions that compete for rodeo’s gold. Every dollar counts, and the purse at Utah’s Own Rodeo is a big reason why there are nearly 500 contestants who have entered the competition. Local organizers are throwing in $10,000 an event, an increase of $30,000 over last year. Those dollars are mixed with contestants’ entry fees to make up the overall purse. The winners in each event should win about $4,000, and that could mean all the difference between competing in Las Vegas in December or staying home. Domer is a 10-time titlist in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association; all but the 2024 championship came before breakaway roping joined the sport’s mainstream. She’s a versatile cowgirl, having also won gold buckles in tie-down roping and the all-around. Her focus in recent years has been on breakaway, though. The discipline has been around for decades, but it burst onto the ProRodeo scene in 2019. The first breakaway finals – which takes place in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo – occurred in 2020. It’s been growing ever since. This is a huge step for the WPRA. When Domer won her first world championships in tie-down roping and the all-around in 2012, she earned just less than $7,000 … for the year. When she claimed gold last season, she pocketed more than $168,000. That’s a significant pay increase over a dozen years. Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, the 2023 world champ, owns the breakaway roping single-season earnings record with $197,706. She and Domer are just two titlists expected to compete in Salt Lake City. They will be joined by Sawyer Gilbert, who won in 2021, and Erin Johnson, a three-time winner. They understand it’s a big opportunity at some big-time Utah cash with just weeks left on the 2025 schedule.