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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.

Northwestern Oklahoma State University graduate student Emmett Edler earned at least a share of two round wins and claimed the overall steer wrestling title this past weekend in Durant, Oklahoma. (PHOTO BY DALE HIRSCHMAN) ALVA, Okla. – Over the course of the summer, Emmett Edler changed hats. 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. “Hiring Emmett feels like it’s absolutely paying off,” said Griffin, now in her second year as the Northwestern coach. “It shows in our practice pen as well as at the rodeo, because he’s putting in the work and making those guys better. It helps that he gets to rodeo on his grad year, and I’m really happy with what he’s doing.” So does Edler, who quickly moved into the bulldogging lead in the Central Plains Region. He is one of three Rangers among the top five in the points race, but it’s still early in the season. Edler was also one of five steer wrestlers in the championship round, joined by Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Oklahoma, who finished fourth in the final performance and fifth overall; Grady Aasby of Highmore, South Dakota, who placed in both rounds; and Smith and Shilo Glover of Ada, Oklahoma. “Having that many from our team in the short round is how it should be,” Edler said. “We practice hard every day, and there are a lot of people on the team that work hard at it. A lot of people deserve to make the short rounds, so it’s good to see that. I think we’re going to keep working at it the rest of the season.” Team roping had a distinct Northwestern flavor to it, with eight Rangers in the mix. Header Cooper Mott of Kansas, Oklahoma, placed in both rounds and finished third overall while roping with Rydan White of Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College. Header Sage Bader of Kim, Colorado, also scored points in both rounds and finished fifth while roping with Braxton Foster of Western Oklahoma State College. Heelers Smith – roping with Kyree Donaldson of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – and Colter Snook of Dodge City, Kansas – roping with Dexton Hoelting of Western Oklahoma – made the final round, as did the teams of Cory Weir of Dodge City and Payton Blank of Murdock, Kansas, and Sadie Hammond of Avondale, Colorado, and Eli Penrod of Ulysses, Kansas. Weir and Blank finished fourth in the final round and sixth overall. Tie-down roper Kerry Duvall of Oakdale, California, finished fourth in both the short round and the average. “I think we’re going to see more people finishing in those higher spots and winning a lot more points than we did at Durant,” Edler said. The women were led by breakaway roper Kendyll Miller, who placed in the opening round with a 2.7-second run, then won the short-go with a 2.4 to finish second overall. “The key was just being consistent and taking my shot,” said Miller, a freshman from Hennessey, Oklahoma. “The region is tough. Depending on the calves and the setup, you need to figure out what you need to do on the calves you have and just try to make the best of it. Sometimes you don’t draw the best, so you just have to take advantage when you do.” It helps that she has a great partner in Peanut, a 13-year-old gray gelding. “I actually watched him be born, and I rode him all through junior high and high school,” she said. “I got off him for a little bit, but I decided that he was probably the best option for these rodeos.” Dingman understands that as well as anyone. The sophomore, who made the college finals this past June, took advantage of her horse power to finish sixth in the final round of breakaway roping and the aggregate. She also placed in both rounds of goat-tying to finish tied for fourth overall. She and Miller were joined in the final go-round by fellow breakaway ropers Trista Regner of Apple Valley, California – who finished the first round in a four-way tie for fifth with Miller – and River Hamaker of Leon, Iowa. Also competing in the last performance were goat-tiers Trinity Kruse of Pretty Prairie, Kansas – who placed in the short-go and the average – and Bennett McComas of Temecula, California. “Our women’s team is just different in the coolest way this year,” Griffin said. “They truly embody the saying, ‘iron sharpens iron.’ That’s a group of girls that wants to work together and are literally pushing each other, rooting for  Continue Reading »

Durfey fights through chronic ailment to return to rodeo glory Tyson Durfey had no idea what was going on. Full-body rashes, chronic fatigue, pounding headaches and vertigo were some of the symptoms he experienced. There were days he couldn’t get out of bed. “My body was trying to tell me, ‘Hey, there’s something wrong,’ but I wasn’t smart enough to listen to it,” said Durfey, a Cinch endorsee and the 2016 world champion tie-down roper from Brock, Texas. “I thought, ‘Just toughen up.’ “It all hit me one day when I was carrying a water pump on the ranch. As I got to the top of the hill, I couldn’t breathe and had severe chest pain. The walls were closing in. I go to my truck and sat there a minute, then I just got up and went back to work.” It started happening more often. His concerns grew. He talked to his wife, Shea, and explained that he thought he was having heart issues. He went to doctors and had multiple procedures to find out what was wrong. Blood tests revealed nothing but good health, but a cardiologist found something. “He hooks me up to the EKG,” Durfey said of an electrocardiogram, a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. “He asks, ‘How do you feel right now?’ I’m like, ‘Well, I’ve got some chest pain, but it’s not severe. “He said, ‘I’m not trying to scare you, but I think you’re having a heart attack right now. I need to get you in to do a heart catheterization.’ ” The procedure is where surgeons insert a thin, flexible tube into the heart through an artery or vein. It wasn’t a heart attack after all. The doctor found a fragment on the outer layer of Durfey’s heart. It was a leftover from a small incident that occurred in his youth. The relief of no major heart issues was evident, but he still wasn’t feeling well. In fact, he was getting worse. “I had no energy, and I didn’t even want to play with my kids,” he said. “I did what cowboys typically do and wait until you’re literally dying before you tell somebody you need help. I called my best friend and said, ‘Hey, man, this might be it. I’m in really bad shape.’ ” While maybe a last-ditch effort to reconnect, it was the perfect timing. Bart Miller recommended calling Dr. Jason West, a friend of Durfey’s who runs the West Clinic in Pocatello, Idaho. The clinic has been around for more than a century and boasts of natural healing from chronic disease. Miller called West twice late on a Saturday night so the doctor understood the immediacy of the situation. A Zoom call between West and Durfey happened minutes later – West actually excused himself from a convention in Las Vegas to visit with Durfey. As the cowboy read his blood panels and food-toxicology report to West, the doctor had an idea. “He said, ‘I think you have a chronic viral infection,’ ” Durfey said of the interaction. “He said, ‘If you will fly to my clinic, we’ll do a live blood analysis, and we will tell you based on what your blood panel looks like, and I will actually look at the cell itself.’ “I thought it was outstanding, because when you’re at the bottom, you’ll do anything to get better. You could literally see the virus in my blood, and my blood cells were dead or dying or basically zombie cells, and they were globbing together. It was so thick my heart couldn’t pump it through.” Through treatments, he got better. His drive resurfaced. His will to win resurfaced. Durfey had slowed his rodeo career down, focusing his attention toward Shea and the kids, Praise, 9; Risyn, 6; and Tyen, 4. But with his health improving, his hunger for the game returned. “When I went to the health clinic the first time, I thought, ‘When I get healthy, I want to rodeo,’ ” Durfey said. “I flew from the health clinic the day of my 10th treatment to a ranch in Nebraska and bought a horse. I decided I was going to rodeo. I started to get my health back, exercising, roping a ton. Since then, I’ve bought more horses, and we are where we are now.” That place is back toward the top of the tie-down roping standings. A 14-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, he last played on the sport’s biggest stage in 2020, the year the championship took place in a Texas baseball stadium because of COVID restrictions. In a span from 2007-2020, he’d missed the NFR just one time. Now, though, he’s itching to get back to it. He gave it a run this season, winning three of the longest-running rodeos in the world: the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Arizona; the West of the Pecos Rodeo in Texas; and, of course, the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo. He first attended Cheyenne as a toddler, tagging along with his dad, Roy Durfey, a calf roper that has trained many cowboys and tie-down roping horses. Nearly four decades later, Tyson Durfey won “The Daddy of ’Em All” for the first time. “It means a lot to win it,” he said. “I’m very thankful after I dropped the ball three years ago when I was just going to a few rodeos. I came back high man, the last guy out in the short round with the best calf. I messed up. I never thought I would have the chance to win it again. It means a lot to come back at this stage of my life to win it.” A day after his big, Wyoming victory, Durfey bid adieu to his wife and children, who had spent the summer with him. They went back to Texas, and he went to work. “The worst part of rodeo is to say goodbye to your family,” he said. “When you’re in your 20s and 30s  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Rodeo is an important piece of the landscape in this neck of the woods. It’s also a major part of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, set for Sept. 25-Oct. 4 at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead. Over the course of the 10-day exposition, the newly covered rodeo arena will be in high demand while serving as a fortress for intense competition. “We want other fairs to look at us and be like, ‘What are they doing that makes them so successful?’ ” said Bobby Coursey, president of the Waller County Fair Association. “I personally think it’s the passion and dedication that our rodeo chairmen have that’s driven us as an organization to want to be the best.” The festivities actually begin before the fair, with the Next Generation barrel race Friday, Sept. 19, and the Next Generation breakaway and tie-down roping events Saturday, Sept. 20. The opening weekend of the fair will feature the Cowboy Professional Rodeo Association Finals from Thursday, Sept. 25-Saturday, Sept. 27, but it’s just the start. “When we first built the new barn, we had producers come up and tell us, ‘This is awesome, but it would be better if you just had stalls,’ ” said Paul Shollar, who co-chairs the rodeo committee with Clint Sciba. “So, we built a stall barn, and we added a nice wash rack. We rent that facility out a lot. Now that we have the stall barn and the new arena, the cutters are really interested in our facility.” That was the idea behind rebuilding the longstanding arena. It was reconfigured with VIP sections at the north and south ends and covered. “Our elite boxes are important to everything we do with the rodeo facility,” he said. “The people that are part of that experience are a big part of the success of the arena and of the events we produce there.” The rodeo arena is busy year-round, and it’s put to the test every day of the fair. Sydney Arthur Memorial Breakaway Roping, Sunday, Sept. 29 Waller County Team Roping, Monday, Sept. 30 Invitational tie-down roping and WPRA-approved open breakaway roping, Tuesday, Sept. 30 Steer wrestling jackpot, Wednesday, Oct. 1. PRCA rodeo, Thursday, Oct. 2-Saturday, Oct. 4. “We’ve revamped our rodeo committee a little,” Shollar said of the volunteer-based group. “A lot of our guys are also helping with RodeoHouston, so they have a good understanding of what it takes to put on an event like that and know what we need here.” It helps, and the complex has been receiving ringing endorsements. The women who compete in the WPRA recognized the fair association as having the most improved ground in the state of Texas for 2024. “It’s something we never thought we’d get,” Shollar said. “I think that came about just by listening to the ladies and taking into consideration multiple drag and dirt guys and multiple producers, especially those that produce barrel races. We listened to concerns, then we worked the ground until we finally got the right consistency in that arena. “We spent a lot of time with the right materials to get it to that point.” That may be what brings other producers to town, but the nice purse mixed with the calendar change helps bring the top ProRodeo cowboys and cowgirls to southeast Texas. The 2025 regular season will end Sept. 30, so the Hempstead rodeo will be the first of the 2026 season. For those who have earned a qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, it’s a chance to keep their skills sharp. For those that didn’t, they will try to get off the starting blocks early with hopes of making it to next year’s NFR. “It’s a great way to get a head start,” Shollar said. “There are a lot of our sister fair and rodeos going on about the same time, whether it’s Washington County, Austin County or Fort Bend County. At that time, cowboys and cowgirls can come down here and get in multiple rodeos. You can spend a couple weeks in the Houston area and really get a good head start on 2026.”

ALVA, Okla. – The first time Kyler Altmiller teamed with Porter Hall came just a few days ago during the intercollegiate rodeo in Colby, Kansas. Altmiller, a senior Northwestern Oklahoma State University cowboy from Canadian, Texas, hadn’t even thrown a practice loop with Hall, who competes for Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “That was the first time he’d ever roped behind me,” Altmiller said. “We talked a little bit before, but we’d never got a steer together, then we ran two in the same day, and it worked out.” Yes, it did. They stopped the clock in 6.9 seconds on their first run to finish second in the opening round, then were 8.5 seconds to finish as the runners-up in the championship. Their cumulative time of 15.4 seconds was the best overall and helped them snag the Colby Community College team roping title. “We both needed a run this year,” said Altmiller, the tandem’s header. “I just reached out to him, and he just happened to need one, too, and we decided to try it out.” Each man now leads his respective discipline in the Central Plains Region standings, and it’s the perfect way to kick off the 2025-26 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association campaign. Based on how they finished in the long round, Altmiller and Hall were the second-to-last team to rope Saturday night. “That short round got a little soft, so we just talked over what our game plan was,” Altmiller said. “We just decided to go catch (the steer). “He’s a phenomenal heeler. I think he could rope behind anybody.” The Texan led the way for the Rangers in northwest Kansas. Team roping heeler Colter Snook – a Dodge City, Kansas, cowboy who switched ends after qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo this past June as a header – snared points in the opening round after an 8.7-second run with his partner, Dexton Hoelting of Western Oklahoma State College. Steer wrestler Grady Aasby of Highmore, South Dakota, utilized a strong finish to move from fifth in the opening round to second overall. He was joined in the points race by Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Oklahoma, who placed third in both rounds and the aggregate, Riley Smith of Poteau, Oklahoma, who was second in the opening round; Tydon Tsosie of Crownpoint, New Mexico, also made the bulldogging short round. Tie-down roper Carter Anderson of Merriman, Nebraska, utilized two solid runs to finish fifth overall, while breakaway roper Kendyll Miller of Hennessey, Oklahoma, placed third in the final go with a 2.5-second run to finish second. Goat-tier Trinity Kruse of Pretty Prairie, Kansas, placed in both rounds and finished fifth in the aggregate, while Payton Dingman of Pryor, Oklahoma, was 7.6 to finish second in the first round. They were joined in the final round by Zoe Chambers of Baldwin City, Kansas. Barrel racer Waci Thomson of Lundbreck, Alberta, found success in the championship round, clocking a 16.64-second run to finish sixth in the final performance. That also propelled her to sixth in the average. Each Ranger found his/her way to Northwestern for both education and the chance to compete. Altmiller, who is majoring in agriculture with an animal science minor, wanted a little familiarity when he made his college choice. “Growing up in a small town, I just liked the small-town atmosphere,” he said, comparing his hometown of 2,169 people to his college home of 4,962. “That’s what drew me here.” Proximity also plays a part in that, and there are similarities between the two communities. Another key is being able to compete in rodeo, and he has the right equine partner to help with that. Cupcake is a 12-year-old bay mare he’s had for four years. “I bought her off some good family friends, and she’s just been great,” Altmiller said. “I’ve been taking her everywhere. She’s been my No. 1 for probably the past three years. We’ve bade a lot of money together.” With her underneath, he has a great deal of confidence as he rolls toward the next event, which is Sept. 25-27 at Durant, Oklahoma. “My goal this year is just to stay sharp, stay aggressive and just keep the ball rolling,” he said. “That was a good way to start the year. With this being my last year, I really want to do good. I will just keep practicing hard and keep going strong.”

SALT LAKE CITY – Don’t mind Kade Sonnier if he’s a little greedy. It comes with men who make rodeo their business. It’s expensive to travel across North America competing in a sport based on history, but it’s more than that. In rodeo, dollars equal championship points, so every cent is more valuable. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event qualify to compete at the National Finals Rodeo, where the season’s top earners in each event are crowned world champions. Titlists have been crowed by less than $100 over the runners-up, so cowboys take full advantage of every opportunity to cash in. “I secured my spot at the (National) Finals probably a couple weeks ago, but the reality is – and I don’t mean to sound greedy – but I’m not trying to be in the middle of the pack when I get there,” said Sonnier, 26, the seventh-ranked bareback rider in the world standings with just 23 days left in the regular season. “I’m trying to be at the top. There’s a long way between me and the No. 1 spot. “If I keep stepping away and knocking off dollars here and there trying to gain a little ground when I can, it makes it a lot easier when we get to the finals.” He chipped off some of the rough edges with an 89-point ride Monday night on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Pillowfight to win the bareback riding title at Utah’s Own Rodeo, adding $3,983 to his season earnings. He’s made almost $160,000 this year riding bucking horses, and his ride in Salt Lake City put a solid exclamation mark on his big season. “I cracked out a new riggin’ today, and that was my primary reason for coming here,” he said. “That horse I had was a judge’s draw, so I found out my draw when I got here.” The match-ups are made by a random, computerized draw, but the circumstances didn’t match for Sonnier’s horse. He found some history on Pillowfight, then took advantage of the situation. He will close out the final weeks of the 2025 campaign, then prepare for his second trip to the NFR – he missed the 10-day finale last year after injuries forced his hand and left him 22nd in the final standings. That’s where the business of rodeo takes over, because it offers the largest prize pool in the sport. Last December, go-round winners pocketed nearly $34,000. “When it pays $30-something-thousand a round, you know you want to be part of that,” Sonnier said. The final night of Utah’s Own Rodeo featured many of the top hands in rodeo, and it showed. Of the seven events, five had champions crowned Monday. Sonnier was joined in the winner’s circle by barrel racer McKenna Coronado, who tied Caitlyn White for the win, making it three years in a row Coronado has won in Salt Lake City; breakaway roper Suzanne Williams; tie-down ropers Haven Meged and Tanner Green; and saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman, who had the highest-scoring ride of the week with a 90-point ride on Vold’s Talkin Smack. Utah’s Own PRCA RodeoSept. 5, 6 and 8Salt Lake CityBareback riding: 1. Kade Sonnier, 89 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Pillowfight, $3,983; 2. Miles Carlson, 87.5, $3,054; 3. Kody Lamb, 87, $2,257; 4. Ben Kramer, 85.5, $1,461; 5. (tie) Dean Thompson and Mason Clements, $797 each. 7. Itie) Wacey Schalla, Mason Stuller and Weston Timberman, 84, $310 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurle 4.1 seconds, $2,437; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2, $2,150; 3. (tie) Coltin Hil and Holden Myersl, 4.3, $1,720 each; 5. (tie) Riley Hamilton, Tucker Allen, Justin Shaffer and Chet Boren, 4.4, $1,218 each; 9. Landris White, 4.7, $860; 10. Hazen Smith and Kyle Irwin, 4.8, $267 each . Team roping: 1. Travis Whitlow/Tyler Whitlow, 3.6 seconds, $3,236; 2. Hagen Peterson/Heath Hammerstrom, 3.9, $2,855; 3. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1, $2,475; 5. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5, $2,094; 5. Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, 4.6, $1,904; 6. Dex Maddox/Chance Moldenhauer, 4.8, $1,713; 7. (tie) Ashton Parker/Chase Pintar and Luke Brown/Trey Yates, 4.9, $1,428 each; 9. Swade Olsen/Preston Olsen, 5.7, $1,142; 10. Casey Thomas/Wyatt Thomas, 6.2, $761.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. Lefty Holman, 90 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Talkin Smack, $3,835; 2. Darcy Radel, 89, $2,940; 3. Ryder Sanford, Allen Boore, Statler Wright and Ryder Wright, 86, $1,278 each; 7. Kade Bruno, 85, $511; 8. (tie) Damian Brennan, Kolby Wanchuk, Cody Faulkner, Carson Bingham and Rusty Wright, 84, $77 each. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Haven Meged and Tanner Green, 8.1 seconds, $3,497 each; 2. (tie) Cole Clemons and Joel Harris, 8.6, $2,623 each; 5. (tie) Waid Dalton and Ty Harris, 9.0, $2,076 each; 7. Justin Brinkerhoff, 9.4, $1,748; 8. Quade Hiatt, 9.8, $1,530; 9. Tom Crouse, 10.2, $1,311; 10. (tie) R.J. Johnson and Cason Kingsbury, 11.1, $437 each . Breakaway roping: 1. Suzanne Williams, 1.9 seconds, $4,117; 2. Madison Outhier, 2.0, $3,294; 3. Zoie Bedke, 2.1, $2,676; 4. Erin Johnson, 2.2, $2,059; 5. (tie) Kash Gay, Aubryn Bedke and Jessi Everett, 2.3, $1,304 each; 8. (tie) Josey Murphy and Josie Conner, 2.4, $875 each; 10. Timber Allenbrand, 2.7, $721; 11. Josie Goodrich, 2.8, $618; 12. (tie) Peggy Garman, Kinlie Brennise and Rickie Fanning, 2.9, $412 each; 15. (tie) Beth Hitchcock and Jessica Brinkerhoff, 3.0, $103 each. Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Caitlyn White and McKenna Coronado, 17.10 seconds, $3,131 each; 3. Kately Scott, 17.18, $2,261; 4. (tie) Sue Smith and Jordan Driver, 17.19, $1,566 each; 6. Krystal Dillman, 17.20, $1,044; 8. Andrea Busby, 17.27, $783; 9. McKale Seitz, 17.28, $696; 10. Joelene Gould, 17.40, $609; 11. Wenda Johnson, 17.52, $522; 12, Terry Wood Gates, 17.53, $435; 13. Kimmie Wall, 17.55, $348; 14. Mackenzie King, 17.59, $261; 15. KariAnn Cross, 17.61, $174. Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance, $4,659; 2. (tie) Koby Jacobson and Billy Quillan, 85.5, $3,318 each; 4. Elijah Mora, 83.5, $2,112; no other qualified rides.  

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.

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Members of the Waller County Fair Association have come up with a winning formula that helps make the annual exposition so successful every year. Youth is the primary mission, and the youngsters’ triumphs feed the Waller County Fair, which takes place Thursday, Sept. 25-Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead. “Everybody wants to be the winner, but a lot of kids are here for the fair experience and to have fun,” said Sherry Roesner, the fair manager and the association’s secretary. “The parents tell us, ‘We just want our kids to have that experience.’ “They’re not necessarily worried about being the grand champion or the reserve champion, but they come for the friendship and the camaraderie. They may not even go to the carnival, because they’ll be down in the barn with all their friends.” The fun and fellowship are the cornerstones laid years ago by 4H and FFA groups in southeast Texas, and the competition shines because of it, especially in livestock showing. Many of the youth involved in the local expo have been exposed to a variety of experiences. “We have very stiff competition because the majority of our people go to all the major shows,” Roesner said. “Our fair is during the State Fair of Texas, so sometimes people are trying to decide what animal they’re going to take to the state fair. Most people stay here. “Showing is constant, and some of these families travel all over to these shows every weekend. They do it with cattle and pigs and whatever, but it’s pretty big around here. The showmanship is unreal.” That just adds to the level of competition that is featured in Hempstead every fall. “You have to get a quality calf to compete at the level of our fair,” said Bobby Coursey, the fair association’s president. “To add to that, these kids are doing their homework and working with their animals. It goes back to the heritage of our county. We all grew up in Waller County, so it’s a little bit of pride to our county roots. You grew up in livestock, so you’re instilling that into our youth. “It teaches them work ethic and all the good stuff that comes with that.” It’s character-building, and organizers are creating other opportunities with the growth of competition and the development of new projects. One that’s still recent is the Pen of Two show, where a kid will acquire two heifers that match as much as possible. “You want them to look alike, be the same size, potentially be bred to have a calf about the same time,” Roesner said. “They’re wild, just two heifers out in the pasture. They bring them up here and put in a pen, where two judges will score the cattle. There also is a record-keeping judge so you can explain how much you spent, how much were the vet bills, the rent, the feed, etc. “You have to put in a record book everything you can think of that you would have in a cattle operation, then you use that in the interview you do. At a lot of places, it’s called the Commercial Pen of Heifers, but ours is the Pen of Two.” While showing the Pen of Two is a bit different in that the animals aren’t halter-broke nor led into the pen, it’s still a chance for young people to develop skills that should be beneficial to them as they mature. “These kids are putting their hearts and souls into those animals,” Coursey said. “Along with our regular livestock show, it’s hands-down second to none. I would say we’re probably the toughest county in the state as far as the depth of quality that we have. “You could take a steer or heifer out of our regular halter division, haul them to a major show and do well.” The great support the youth receive from the county, sponsors and buyers just magnifies the quality of showing that happens at the fair. “We have very tough competition,” Coursey said. “We have cattle, rabbits, poultry, swine, goats, lambs, and we have families that have showed that are going to start breeding animals. That is the heart and soul of our fair.”

Utah’s Own Rodeo gives kids a chance to participate with mutton bustin’ SALT LAKE CITY – Before they ever climb into the chutes, adrenaline fills their little bodies. Part of it is excitement. Part of it is knowing they are about to ride a wild animal in front of thousands of fans. Just like the men who stand just a few feet away, the competitors want to be part of the spectacle and the thrill of rodeo. They want to hear the crowd scream. They want to feel the explosion underneath them as their mount explodes into the arena. They also want the prize presented to the winning ride each night. Maybe after that, they’ll get some ice cream or maybe a Crumbl Cookie and possibly enjoy the carnival rides at the Utah State Fair. It’s part of a day in the life of mutton busters 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. “Mutton bustin’ is always a fan-favorite in rodeo, and ours is no exception,” said Jacee Lancaster, livestock director for the Utah State Fair and the production manager for the rodeo. “We have a really good rodeo, but I think the loudest ovations we get on any night are when the kids are riding sheep. Everybody is into it, and the kids will do the things kids do. Some will be pretty shy and quiet, but you’ll also get the ones who want to show off. That makes it really enjoyable.” Sign-ups will take place at Tractor Supply stores along the Wasatch Front. There is no age requirement, but mutton busters must weigh less than 50 pounds in order to ride. “We are very excited to partner with Tractor Supply to help us get our mutton busters signed up,” said Nicki Claeys, the fair’s deputy executive director and marketing director. “Having partners like Tractor Supply helps us in everything we do at the Utah State Fair, and we are excited to see how our relationship develops. “Having the sign-ups this way allows anyone who is interested to sign their child up at any of the Tractor Supplies around Salt Lake City and beyond. I think it’s a partnership we can build on.” Unlike other riding events that are marked on an eight-second limit, mutton bustin’ is more about who can ride the longest as well as the best. The Utah’s Own Rodeo formula is also unique with a “shotgun start,” meaning all chute gates open at the same time. “I think that just adds to the excitement of the mutton bustin’,” Lancaster said. “It’s fun to see all these kids who get to compete right along side world champions and other rodeo stars, and everybody always looks forward to it.”

Emergency personnel to be celebrated during Utah State Fair event SALT LAKE CITY – Any time emergency personnel are called, they know they could put their lives on the line.   First responders do it anyway. “They’re heroes, and we need to honor them for their commitment,” said Jacee Lancaster, livestock director for the Utah State Fair and the production manager for Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo. “In light of recent events, we really need to praise the men and women who take those calls, so we’re going to honor them on the first night of our rodeo.” That will be the opening performance of the rodeo, which begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets. Other performances will take place at the same time Saturday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 8. While this is an annual celebration of emergency personnel, fair officials are ramping up their efforts since two Tremonton-Garland police officers were killed and a third and his service dog were injured during a recent shooting in Tremonton, about 70 miles north of Salt Lake City. Sgt. Lee Sorensen and officer Eric Estrada lost their lives in the altercation. “This has to be a tough time for first responders,” Lancaster said. “It’s scary. The officers were just doing their jobs, and then this tragedy happened. It blows my mind to even think about.” Friends, loved ones and law enforcement officers were left devastated. Other first responders were, too. News like this makes everyone in the community emotional. “I know at least three officers that were called out to the incident because of this, so it hits on a personal level with me, too,” Lancaster said. “I think it hits with so many people, because we all know a police officer or a firefighter – or any first responder – that will drop what they’re doing and be on the scene as fast as they can.” Any first responder who wants to attend Friday’s rodeo will be admitted free with the appropriate identification. The invitation also extends to any person in the military with appropriate I.D. There will be an opening to the show dedicated to honoring the heroes who step into harm’s way, those who protect and serve, those who battle blazes, those who triage patients at the scene of something horrific. “Most of us can’t even imagine what it’s like, but every first responder has a calling to do this,” Lancaster said. “We have to honor them. We have to celebrate them for stepping up when others can’t.”

Stuntwomen to showcase talents during Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo SALT LAKE CITY – The pageantry that is professional rodeo is exposed through incredible action and amazing athleticism. Men and women display their talents across various disciplines through competition, and all of that is accentuated by entertainers. They are people like comedian Cody Sosebee and the trick-riding tandem of Shelby Pierson and Bella Da Costa, who showcase their acrobatics while horseback. The trio of superstars will be part of 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. “We just get along real well,” Da Costa said of her relationship with Pierson. “Our families get along well, and it’s really fun being out there with her. We’re very uplifting with each other, which makes it really easy. We know our horses, and we know each other. We know the show we’re going to do.” It’s an invigorating experience for the two ladies from Alberta. While each is independently credentialed, their work together has brought out something spectacular in their performances. “Bella and I have been traveling together, especially the last few years,” said Pierson, a six-time Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Contract Act of the Year, a three-time Canadian trick-riding champion and a nominee for PRCA Dress Act of the Year. “I think we want each other to do well, and we’re having fun while doing it. I think that shows in our act a lot. “We both push each other to be better and try harder tricks and go faster, which is also great. It’s a very positive performing environment.” That zeal will be evident through all three performances inside the Days of ’47 Arena, because both ladies bring that type of energy to the shows. Pierson and Da Costa developed their love for trick riding as youngsters who had an affection for horses. “I started trick riding when I was 8 years old,” Pierson said. “My Grade 1 teacher was actually a professional trick rider, and I grew up on my family’s ranch, so I was always riding and involved with horses. She sparked my interest, and I started doing lessons and performing that same year. “I just love it. I have always loved horses, the Western culture and the way of life. I love it because I get to travel and meet so many amazing people, and it’s a fun job to have.” Her partner echoed those sentiments. “I stated when I was 5 years old,” said Da Costa, also a Canadian champion. “I’d seen it at a rodeo, and I told my mom, ‘I want to do that.’ She thought I was completely crazy and was like, ‘No way in heck am I letting my daughter hang off the side of a running horse.’ “So, we went to move cows the next day, and I started hanging off the side of my horse. She kept giving me trouble, but I wouldn’t listen. Over time, I finally got lessons. I’ve stuck with it the whole way.” It’s not just the two performers who work as partners; they also will share the arena with their horses, which have been trained to work in this capacity. Each lady will have three mounts ready for Salt Lake City. “I have my main horse, and I will use her as much as I can,” Da Costa said. “But if there’s just the slightest thing that doesn’t feel right, I’ll switch to a different horse. They all run different. Some are faster, some are slower. They hold me different in tricks.” It takes great trust to lay off the side of a galloping horse or do just about any trick the ladies do. “You can’t do this on just any horse,” Pierson said. “They’re all specially trained, and they’re all amazing.” It’s taken years of work by both Pierson and Da Costa to get to this level, but their act is something many would love to witness in person. The fans at Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo will have that chance. “I enjoy performing and enjoy getting to meet everyone, and we oftentimes get to meet little kids and see how they react,” Da Costa said. “It reminds me of how I looked up at other trick rider when I was little, and now I get to have people look at me the same way I looked at her.” Da Costa and Pierson not only engage audiences, but they’re sharing their love for trick riding and entertaining others in the process.

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – No tall building stands without beams to support it. The same can be said for the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, a 10-day exposition 45 minutes northwest of Houston. While the foundation is decades old and solid, the key factor for the event’s success is within the beams that surround it – those businesses and individuals that support it. “None of these companies or individuals have any obligations to our fair,” said Susan Shollar, the chairwoman for the auction committee. “They see what we do. They see what type of people these kids turn into because of the fair, and they want to support that.” It’s an ongoing trend for the expo, which takes place Thursday, Sept. 25-Saturday, Oct. 4. Renovations have been made across the complex over the years. Much of that has to do with an impressive capital campaign, but nothing happens at the fairgrounds without people who want to be involved. “Sponsorships and capital campaign are two different things, and the building, the add-ons and all that stuff doesn’t come from corporate sponsorships,” said Dustin Standley, the sponsorship chairman. “There is some crossover with some sponsors who are involved with the capital campaign, but they are separate deals altogether. “I have a hard time determining one sponsor is different than any other. I treat everybody the same, whether you’re a $500 sponsor or a $5,000 sponsor. You’re one of our partners in what we do.” Partnership is an important word to Standley and the Waller County Fair Association. They realize for businesses and individuals to invest in something so magnificent, there needs to be a solid relationship. Partners are valuable to the overall mission, and most have been involved every year for a long time. “We do that by giving them a package, then we deliver on what we’ve promised in that package,” Standley said. “Their expectations of what they want when they come to the event are met so they can have their companies advertised and get to entertain their guests, their customers and their employees. “These partners want to build within the youth of our Waller County organization. They want to put money into our fair and see our kids grow.” The cornerstone of any community event is having people willing to do that. In order to have world-class events at the rodeo arena or great artists during the concerts or commit to helping fund the scholarship program, it takes financial backing. “The level of support we get across the board – whether at the auction or showing up to watch the kids at the sale or event he participants who come through the back gate for the PRCA Rodeo – is incredible,” Standley said. “You have to have that, but we’re also blessed because we have people who are paying their hard-earned dollars to come watch the entertainment and have fun at the carnival, too.” Those are just pieces to the puzzle for the fair association. There’s so much that goes into producing the exposition, and a look at the schedule reveals all the happenings that take place in late September and early October in Hempstead, the seat of the county with roughly 65,000 people. The work for the youth involved in the fair goes well beyond that. Most have been laboring all year to prepare to show their exhibits, and the culmination is the Junior Livestock & Exhibit Auction at noon Saturday, Oct. 4. “Last year, we raised in excess of $1.4 million at our auction,” Shollar said. “In comparison, we were at $402,000 in 2005. In 2015, we were at $707,000. In 2018, we hit the $1 million mark. Since 2021, we’ve been at $1.3 million or higher. Our goal this year is $1.5 million.” That’s a big adjustment over the last two decades, but it’s reflective on the community. One thing that’s stayed the same is the number of lots for sale, which averages at 220. “We haven’t increased our total sale earnings by increasing the number of lots we sell,” Shollar said. “We’ve done it by having the best supporters in the state of Texas.” There are big dollars invested in Waller County youth, but the fair organizers have taken it a step further with a bonus bid that helps raise more funds for the scholarship program. That comes with taking an animal up for bid; when that animal is sold, the price is set by the buyer. The animal is then auctioned off at a decreasing value. “We have a lot of people who want to be involved and want to give back to the kids, but a lot of times the bids for these exhibits are much bigger than they are able to give,” Shollar said. “By doing this, we’re giving them an opportunity to be part of it. Usually we raise $100,000 for that lot, and all that money goes into the scholarship fund.” It’s proof of the supportive nature the folks in Waller County have for the fair, the rodeo and the community’s youth. “The people who support us are very community-minded,” she said. “We also treat our buyers right and let them know we are very appreciative of them. We keep them informed. The individual exhibitors will send letters prior to the auction inviting them, then they’ll send out thank yous after it’s over “We just want our supporters to know that we appreciate them.”

Utah’s Own PRCA Rodeo will feature rodeo champions in September SALT LAKE CITY – There is a grand history of finding gold in the Beehive State. Sure, miners located it around Salt Lake City, but there’s another branch of the element that is prevalent in Utah: Rodeo gold. It comes from being the best in a given task every year, and there’s quite a bit of that across the state. Take the 2024 season, for example. ProRodeo dished out 10 world championship gold buckles, and three of them reside in Utah with bareback rider Dean Thompson of Altamont, saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright of Beaver and bull rider Josh Frost of Randlett. “I was waiting for it to sink in, but when that buckle showed up, that was when I realized that was what I was waiting for,” he said of the wearable trophy, which he has donned since it arrived at his home several months ago with his name engraved on it. In his mind, it’s an award that is meant to be worn. “I go with this theory, which I learned from Robert Etbauer: He said, ‘If I worked my whole life to win this buckle. I’m going to work the rest of my life wearing it every single day,’ ” Frost said of his former coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “That’s where I am. I stuck her on my belt the night it showed up.” Gold is a vital element. It’s valuable, and the shine may dull, but the thrill of earning gold through competition is tough to beat. Ask an Olympic champion or any other athlete that strives for it. The only way to earn it is to beat an elite field. In rodeo, that happens every week. There are 17 world champions – accounting for 38 gold buckles – scheduled to compete 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. From eight-time world champion Stetson Wright, who has returned to action on a blaze of glory after being on injured reserve for the 2024 season, to defending breakaway roping titlist Kelsie Domer, the elite will compete at Salt Lake City in early September. Nearly 500 cowboys and cowgirls put their name in the hat to be part of a proud rodeo. Part of that is the chance to battle with the best, but another deciding factor is the increase in local dollars. Utah State Fair’s rodeo features $10,000 included in each event, and that money is then added to the contestants’ entry fees to make up the total purse. It’s an overall increase of $30,000 to the payout. That’s also why, in addition to the world titlists, there are 80 other National Finals Rodeo qualifiers. This is a major event to kick off the final month of the 2025 regular season. Many in the Salt Lake City field are battling for one of the spots at the NFR, which features only the top 15 contestants in each event when the season concludes Sept. 30. “This rodeo’s such an amazing event,” said Thompson, 23, who is among the top 10 on the bareback riding money list. “It’s one of the last ones where guys have a chance to make that push for the NFR. The competition there is phenomenal for that reason.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – The annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration does more for the community than most people realize. Sure, this is a chance to reconnect with friends and family while also enjoying all the comforts that come with a county fair. Cattlemen’s Days also offers plenty of entertainment, from great food selections to the carnival to the ProRodeo. It’s valuable to the people who live in this Rocky Mountain town or call Gunnison County home. Still, Cattlemen’s Days goes way beyond that. The annual festival is week-long boom to the businesses in town, from full hotels and restaurants to busy fuel stops and vibrant local shops. “In doing the math, we can figure that the economic impact to Gunnison for Cattlemen’s Days is worth millions of dollars,” said Kevin Coblentz, a longtime member of the organizing committee and a local business owner. “The food vendors were making between $2,000 and $4,000 a night just during the rodeo time. “Every dollar that comes from Cattlemen’s Days is spent right here. Sure, we put on Cattlemen’s Days for this community, but the benefit to the community extends a lot further than just what happens at the fairgrounds.” These are building blocks, not only for the celebration but also for the people that support it. When a community thrives, local thrive. There’s a reciprocating effect to it, too. “I’d say per pound, our 4H sale is one of the biggest in the state,” Coblentz said, referring to the total dollars in relation to the number of animals shown. “We’ve always had some amazing support for our Junior Livestock Auction.” The auction is one of the few remaining that sell by the pound instead of by the head.   “We’ve had a lot of our kids that have funded their education by selling livestock,” he said. “They totally paid for their college education from that.” It’s a tell-tale sign of the importance of Cattlemen’s Days. The event is organized by a core group of volunteers who pride themselves on being community-minded. “I’ve asked around, and I believe we are the only stand-alone rodeo – small or medium sized – that is totally funded by our ticket sales, our liquor sales and our sponsorships,” he said. “Other than a city grant we receive every year, we are totally funded by our own hustle.” It also helps that the PRCA rodeo is the only Western event in Gunnison that is nationally televised. Cattlemen’s Days has been aired on The Cowboy Channel and its app for several years. “We’ve also made it to where Cattlemen’s Days has no administrative costs to it. There are no paid employees. We pay an accounting firm to do our taxes. Our officers used to get a stipend to help with general expenses – like postage – that comes our way, but we don’t do that anymore. All of that money goes right back to the community, scholarships and other things that are important to us.” That’s the mindset that has helped festival organizers give back to the county residents and why Cattlemen’s Days is such an asset to the Gunnison Valley.

GOODING, Idaho – It’s only fitting that the final night of the 100th celebration of the Gooding Pro Rodeo featured an arena-record-tying ride by possibly the winningest cowboy of this generation. Eight-time world champion Stetson Wright rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool for 90 points Saturday night to tie an arena record established 12 years earlier … by his father, Cody Wright. The result was the saddle bronc riding victory at the Gooding Pro Rodeo. “I didn’t really get to rodeo with my dad,” Stetson Wright said. “That was something Rusty and Ryder did, so the closest thing I can do is try to tie records and do what he did and try to do it better. He set the bar pretty high. To be able to tie an arena record with him is pretty awesome, especially one that’s been held for that long. “You don’t get too many rodeos these days where the record’s held for that long, and just to top it off and have it be with my dad, that’s super special. In and out of the arena and every aspect of my life, he’s my hero, my idol, what I look up to. I’m going to cherish this moment forever.” He made it memorable for many reasons. When he was awarded his championship buckle, Wright went directly to Summit Pro Rodeo’s J.D. Hamaker, then handed the livestock producer the trophy after autographing it. “He just liked the horse and was 90 on one of our horses, and he thought enough of it to give the buckle to me,” Hamaker said. “He could have taken it home and put it in his trophy room. “He’s just a quality guy.” Wright has a lot of trophies. The whole family does, but Stetson Wright owns five all-around world championships, two bull riding gold buckles and a saddle bronc riding title. The family is synonymous with rodeo excellence: brother Ryder is a three-time bronc riding world champ, dad Cody has two and uncles Spencer and Jesse also have reached that elite status. There’s no pressure to follow in their footsteps, but there’s the stress they put on themselves to excel. If they need any motivation beyond that, they just look at one another. “I rodeo with the top-end guys,” Stetson Wright said. “I know they’re my brothers, but Ryder right now is riding with a back injury, and it’s kind of crazy what he’s done with it. Rusty’s riding with a torn up knee, and he’s got a femur bruise. Then Statler, he’s had some bumps and bruises all year long, and they seem to be adding up. “When them guys are ahead of me in the world standings, I just look over there and think, ‘Dude, you’ve got to be a cowboy; you’ve just got to cowboy up, because they’re not complaining about it.’ “Every little injury I’ve had, it seems like it’s not even a big deal because you’ve just got to ride through it. You don’t hear them talking about it. I’ll brag on them and tell you how tough they are because I get to see it every single day. They give me no option other than to get better.” Gooding Pro RodeoAug. 13-16All-around cowboy: Wacey Schalla, $1,031 in bareback riding and bull riding. Bareback riding: 1. Richmond Champion, 87.5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Nicks, $6,874; 2. Cooper Cooke, 87, $5,270; 3. Sage Allen, 86.5, $3,895; 4. (tie) Mason Stuller and Jess Pope, 86, $2,062 each; 6. (tie) Wacey Schalla and Clay Jorgenson, 85.5, $1,031 each; 8. (tie) Jacek Frost, Donny Proffit and Tanner Aus, 85, $229 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 3.4 seconds, $4,746; 2. Will Lummus, 3.6, $4,188; 3. Riley Westhaver, 3.7, $3,629; 4. (tie) Cody Devers and Rowdy Parrott, 3.8, $2,792 each; 6. (tie) Tristan Martin, Landris White and Talon Roseland, 3.9, $1,954 each; 9. (tie) Jacob Edler, Trisyn Kalawaia and Garrett Oates, 4.0, $1,117 each; 12. (tie) Don Payn and Darcy Kersh, 4.1, $279. Team roping: 1. Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, 4.0 seconds, $5,272; 2. (tie) Kolton Schmidt/Chase Tryan and Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 4.3, $4,393 each; 4. (tie) Brodi Jones/Cody Burnside, Cory Kidd V/Will Woodfin, Clint Summers/Jade Corkill and Dustin Egusquiza/J.C. Flake, 4.5, $2,987 each; 8. (tie) Kavis Drake/Denim Ross and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 4.6, $1,933 each; 10. Korbin Rice/Cooper Freeman, 5.0, $1,406; 11. (tie) Dylin Ahlstrom/Dan Scarbrough, Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham and Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 5.1, $996 each; 14. Riley Kittle/Landen Glenn, 5.5, $427; Cyle Dennison/Lane Mitchell, 5.6, $351. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Stetson Wright, 90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool, $6,768; 2. Mitch Pollock, 89, $5,189; 3. (tie) Statler Wright and Zac Dallas, 88.5, $3,158; 5. Tanner Butner, 87.5, $1,579; 6. (tie) Damien Brennan, Lefty Holman and Ben Andersen, 87, $902 each.   Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Aubryn Bedke, Kash Gay and Brooke Bruner, 2.1 seconds, $5,531 each; 4. (tie) Maddy Deerman, Beau Peterson and Hali Williams, 2.2, $2,709 each; 7. (tie) Jessi Everett and Rylee George, 2.3, $1,609 each; 9. Shayla Hall, 2.4, $1,355; 10. Bradi Good, 2.5, $1,185; 11. (tie) Martha Angelone, Erin Johnson, Taylor Raupe and Kinlie Brennise, 2.6, $762 each; 15. Brittany Truman, 2.7, $339. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) John Douch and Riley Webb, 7.4 seconds, $5,067 each; 3. Cody Craig, 7.7, $4,343; 5. 4. Bryce Derrer, 8.2, $3,619; 5. (tie) Seth Hall, Shad Mayfield, Bo Pickett and Chet Weitz, 8.4, $2,714 each; 9. Shane Hanchey, 8.5, $1,810; 10. (tie) Tyler Calhoun and Brushton Minton, 8.6, $1,357 each; 12. Hagen Houck, 8.8, $1,086; 13. Tom Crouse, 8.9, $734; 14. (tie) Justin Brinknerhoff, Britt Bedke and Chase Webster, 9.0, $302 each. Barrel racing: 1. Summer Kosel, 16.66 seconds, $6,740; 2. (tie) Halyn Lide, Kassie Mowry and Anita Ellis, 16.72, $4,381 each; 5. LaTricia Duke, 16.74, $2,696; 6. (tie) Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Tayla Moeykens, 16.75, $1,853 each; 8. Jordan Driver, 16.78, $1,516; 9. Caitlyn White, 16.87, $1,348; 10. Katie Halbert, 16.88, $1,179; 11. Katelyn Scott, 16.90, $$1,011; 12. Julia Johnson, 16.93, $842; 13. Carlee Otero,  Continue Reading »

GOODING, Idaho – The bleachers shook. The thousands inside Andy James Arena created an explosion of sound, and it was all directed at a local cowboy. Mitch Pollock still lists his hometown as Winnemucca, Nevada, but he’s been a southern Idaho bronc busting fan-favorite for the better part of the last decade. His Friday night 89-point ride on Korkow Rodeo’s Joker Poker to take the lead at the Gooding Pro Rodeo. “A lot of bronc rider say, every time we go to a rodeo this time of year, it sounds like Mitch’s hometown,” said Pollock, 32, a 2019 National Finals Rodeo qualifier who has finished among the to 50 in the saddle bronc riding world standings each of the last seven years. “I’m so lucky, and I’ve surrounded myself in such a great community. “I’m part of the Magic Valley, so we have Filer; that’s a hometown rodeo. I go to Burley, and my wife’s family is from that area, so that’s a hometown rodeo. I’m a Caldwell ambassador, so that’s like a hometown rodeo. Then I come to Gooding, and I went to school with a bunch of kids from Gooding and know a bunch of these farmers from up here; they treat me like one of their own. I’m very fortunate to be part of such a great state.”  There’s a lot of pride in those words. There was also a lot of excitement. Word around rodeo is the Korkow’s red-roan bucker is growing into a superstar. Pollock knew that, and when the random draw chose Joker Poker as his match-up, he knew it was time to go to work. “It’s a great feeling,” said Pollock, who sits 27th on the money list, about $45,000 behind the No. 15 man in the world standings. “I like that nervous. It’s not a bad nervous feeling; it’s good. It means I have a chance to win, but at the same time, I have to be able to slow things down, get my mind right and just know that what I’ve been doing and preparing for will go through and be worth it.” It was valuable both mentally and fiscally. Organizers in Gooding have increased the local dollars mixed into the purse, so the payout should be substantial. “That could be a game-changer for me,” he said. “I’m winning money in Burley, sitting second there. I’m winning money in Caldwell, and I’m going to pull a fairly good check here. All of the sudden, I can have a $15,000 week, and now things are changing because of the tour standings. “There’s a lot that can happen, so that’s why I say never count me out. I’m a stubborn Basque, so you can never count me out.” His family me have originated from the Basque Country in southwestern Europe, but he’s quite at home in southern Idaho.  Gooding Pro RodeoAug. 13-16Bareback riding: 1. Richmond Champion, 87.5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Nicks; 2. Cooper Cooke, 87; 3. Sage Allen, 86.5; 4. (tie) Mason Stuller and Jess Pope, 86; 6. (tie) Wacey Schalla and Clay Jorgenson, 85.5; 8. (tie) Jacek Frost, Donny Proffit and Tanner Aus, 85. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 3.4 seconds; 2. Will Lummus, 3.6; 3. Riley Westhaver, 3.7; 4. (tie) Cody Devers and Rowdy Parrott, 3.8; 6. (tie) Tristan Martin, Landris White and Talon Roseland, 3.9; 9. (tie) Jacob Edler, Trisyn Kalawaia and Garrett Oates, 4.0. Team roping: 1. Brye Crites/Tyler Worley, 4.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Kolton Schmidt/Chase Tryan and Tyler Tryan/Denton Dunning, 4.3; 4. (tie) Brodi Jones/Cody Burnside, Cory Kidd V/Will Woodfin, Clint Summers/Jade Corkill and Dustin Egusquiza/J.C. Flake, 4.5; 8. (tie) Kavis Drake/Denim Ross and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 4.6; 10. Korbin Rice/Cooper Freeman, 5.0. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Mitch Pollock, 89 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Joker Poker; 2. (tie) Statler Wright and Zac Dallas, 88.5; 2. Tanner Butner, 87.5; (tie) Damien Brennan, Lefty Holman and Ben Andersen, 87; 8. Kade Bruno, 86.5; 9. Tegan Smith, 86.5; 10. (tie) Sawyer Eirikson, Logan Hay, Reed Neely and Brody Cress, 85.5.   Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Aubryn Bedke, Kash Gay and Brooke Bruner, 2.1 seconds; 4. (tie) Maddy Deerman, Beau Peterson and Hali Williams, 2.2; 7. (tie) Jessi Everett and Rylee A George, 2.3; 9. Shayla Hall, 2.4; 10. Bradi Good, 2.5; 11. (tie) Martha Angelone, Erin Johnson, Taylor Raupe and Kinlie Brennise, 2.6; 15. Brittany Truman, 2.7. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) John Douch and Riley Webb, 7.4 seconds; 3. Bryce Derrer, 8.2; 4. (tie) Seth Hall, Shad Mayfield, Bo Pickett and Chet Weitz, 8.4; 8. Shane Hanchey, 8.5; 9. (tie) Tyler Calhoun and Brushton Minton, 8.6. Barrel racing: 1. Summer Kosel, 16.66 seconds; 2. (tie) Halyn Lide, Kassie Mowry and Anita Ellis, 16.72; 5. LaTricia Duke, 16.74; 6. (tie) Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Tayla Moeykens, 16.75; 8. Jordan Driver, 16.78; 9. Caitlyn White, 16.87; 10. Katie Hlbert, 16.88; 11. Katelyn Scott, 16.90; 12. Julia Johnson, 16.93; 13. Carlee Otero, 16.96; 14. Tricia Aldridge, 1697; 15. Julie Plourde, 16.99.. Bull riding: 1. Ky Hamilton, 87.5 points on Korkow Rodeo’s 883; 2. Trevor Reiste, 87; 3. Jordan Spears, 86.5; 4. Cutter Kaylor, 86; 5. Luke Mackey, 85; 6. Billy Quinlan, 83.5; 7. Qynn Andersen, 83; no other qualified rides.

GOODING, Idaho – Things are coming together nicely for Nevada team ropers Brodi Jones and Cody Burnside. They just started competing together in ProRodeo this year, though they’ve been friends most of their adult lives. But this is different, and the smiles on their faces revealed their 4.5-second run to put them atop the leaderboard during Thursday’s performance of the Gooding Pro Rodeo after making.    “We knew that steer was slow, so to take a fair shot at winning money, it’s always a question,” said Cody Burnside, 28, of Mesquite, Nevada. “I knew when (Jones) got out and had him stuck we had a chance. I just had to do my job and finish the run. Anytime we go 4.5, that’s the run we try to make. “We’re grateful we drew a good steer and my partner was able to get a good start. When they go left that good, I have a real good chance to finish the run and hopefully win the money.” The bulk of teams were yet to run, but Jones and Burnside set the standard to beat. In fact, that was the winning time in the Gooding arena a year ago. Getting a good start is imperative That job sits on the header, and Jones made the best one. “I called the guys that had that steer back in Castle Rock (Colorado), and everybody was telling me it was real slow,” said Jones, 29, of Wells, Nevada. “I knew I was going to have to see my start and keep the steer in front of me. I tried to the best job for my heeler that I could do.” To be that fast, it all had to work well. A key to the success was the horsepower both men. Coincidentally, both have ties back to Jones. “This is actually a horse I bought from Brody 12 years ago,” Burnside said of Denny, a buckskin gelding. “He’s 17 years old and is Hollywood Dun It-bred horse. He’s just been super good since Day 1.” Jones knows a few things about equine flesh. He’s likes what he has in Nala, a 13-year-old bay mare. “She’s amazing,” Jones said. “She’s pretty special to me, and I’m hoping she’s bred this year and hoping to get a baby out of her.” This is the phase of life the cowboys are in. They know while in Gooding that they are competing against the sport’s elite, men who have competed at the National Finals Rodeo and have won world championships. Their friendship goes well beyond just being partners, but their enjoying the tandem they’ve put together. “This is our first year, but we high school rodeoed together and kind of grew up together,” Burnside said. “It’s been a long time coming for us to ProRodeo together.” Gooding Pro RodeoAug. 13-16Bareback riding: 1. Richmond Champion, 87.5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Nicks; 2. Sage Allen, 86.5; 3. (tie) Mason Stuller and Jess Pope, 86; 5. Wacey Schalla, 85.5; 6. (tie) Jacek Frost and Tanner Aus, 85; 8. (tie) Mason Clements and Tilden Hooper, 84. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 3.4 seconds; 2. Will Lummus, 3.6; 3. Riley Westhaver, 3.7; 4. Cody Devers, 3.8; 5. (tie) Tristan Martin and Landris White, 3.9; 7. (tie) Jacob Edler, Trisyn Kalawaia and Garrett Oates, 4.0; 10. Don Payne and Darcy Kersh, 4.1. Team roping: 1. Brody Jones/Cody Burnside, 4.5; 2. Riley Kittle/Landen Glenn, 5.5; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zac Dallas, 88.5 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Big John; 2. Tanner Butner, 87.5; (tie) Lefty Holman and Ben Andersen, 87; 5. Kade Bruno, 86.5; 6. (tie) Sawyer Eirikson, Logan Hay, Reed Neely and Brody Cress, 85.5; 10. (tie) Cash Wilson and Q McWhorter, 85.   Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Aubryn Bedke,Kash Gay and Brooke Bruner, 2.1 seconds; 4. (tie) Maddy Deerman, Beau Peterson and Hali Williams, 2.2; 7. (tie) Jessi Everett and Rylee A George, 2.3; 9. Shayla Hall, 2.4; 10. Bradi Good, 2.5; 11. (tie) Martha Angelone, Erin Johnson, Taylor Raupe and Kinlie Brennise, 2.6; 15. Brittany Truman, 2.7. Tie-down roping: 1. John Douch, 7.4 seconds; 2. Bryce Derrer, 8.2; 3. (tie) Seth Hall, Shad Mayfield, Bo Pickett and Chet Weitz, 8.4; 7. (tie) Tyler Calhoun and Brushton Minton, 8.6; 9. Hagen Houck, 8.8; 10. Tom Crouse, 8.9. Barrel racing: 1. Summer Kosel, 16.66 seconds; 2. (tie) Halyn Lide, Kassie Mowry and Anita Ellis, 16.72; 5. LaTricia Duke, 16.74; 6. (tie) Hayle Gibson-Stillwell and Tayla Moeykens, 16.75; 8. Jordan Driver, 16.78; 9. Caitlyn White, 16.87; 10. Katie Hlbert, 16.88; 11. Katelyn Scott, 16.90; 12. Julia Johnson, 16.93; 13. Carlee Otero, 16.96; 14. Tricia Aldridge, 1697; 15. Julie Plourde, 16.99.. Bull riding: 1. Trevor Reiste, 87 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Carharts and Lac; 2. Jordan Spears, 86.5; 3. Cutter Kaylor, 86; 4. Luke Mackey, 85; 5. Billy Quinlan, 83.5; no other qualified rides.

GOODING, Idaho – Zac Dallas had a little taste of what it takes to win a world championship when he qualified for last year’s National Finals Rodeo. It was his first trip to ProRodeo’s grand finale, and he’s trying to make sure it’s not his last. He entered this week No. 8 in the world standings with $144,434, and he stands a great chance to add to it. He rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s Big John for 88.5 points Wednesday night to take the saddle bronc riding lead at the Gooding Pro Rodeo. “I had that horse at the same exact (performance) here at Gooding last year, and I was 87.5,” said Dallas, 23, of Las Cruces, New Mexico. “Last year I got behind one jump, but this year I stayed ahead of it, and it felt a lot better. It felt better, and I think the horse was just as good today. I just rode it better.” It showed, but it also helped Dallas to be familiar with the bronc. “John Forbes raised that horse, and he’s a buddy of mine,” he said. “J.D. Hamaker has him, and he’s a good bronc.” The key for success as an athlete is to make sure the fundamentals are strong. “That’s what gets you to the top for the bronc riding,” Dallas said. “Make a good spur out, lift on your rein, stay back and set your feet. It doesn’t matter what horse you have or where you are; if you do things, you’re probably going to get a score and win money.” That’s the name of the game. This is what the cowboys and cowgirls do for a living, and dollars equal championship points. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event when the regular season concludes advance to the NFR. That’s where the world champions will be crowned and handed gold buckles. “Since I started riding broncs, my goal is to win a world title,” Dallas said. “That was my goal last year. That’s my goal this year. I’m getting close as I can during the regular season to get me in range to win that at the NFR.” Richmond Champion has been to the NFR nine times in his career. He’s been in that battle for rodeo’s gold, and he’s been matched with some of the greatest bucking horses over his 11-year career. One of those is Macz Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Nicks, which has been recognized as one of the most electric bareback broncs in the sport. The two matched for the third time Wednesday, and Champion posted an 87.5-point ride to take the bareback riding lead in Gooding. “It’s anybody’s game, but anytime you can get on Stevie Nicks for 87.5 to kick off a rodeo, you’re feeling good about your chances at a good check,” said Champion, 32, a nine-time NFR qualifier from Stevensville, Montana. The Gooding rodeo features three livestock producers who bring some of their top bucking animals to town. Many have been featured at the NFR. “That’s the beauty of everything we’re seeing in these rodeos that get so good and the scores get so good,” Champion said. “It’s not one guy trying to make it with what they have. They’re reaching out and letting everybody bring their better stock in, and that makes rodeos like Gooding great.” He has seen rodeo evolve over time. He first qualified for the NFR in 2014, and the money is definitely greater than it was a decade ago. He sits 19th in the world standings, so every dollar he can earn right now is important. The Gooding rodeo has a big purse, which is attractive, but there are other reasons cowboys arrive in southern Idaho. “The community is in it from the time you show up to the time you leave,” he said. “You know the crowd’s into it. I’ve been seeing the ‘Beer Worthy’ girls for a decade now. “Just this week, there are so many big rodeos a guy can go to, but I don’t think anybody chose not to come to Gooding. I can think of other rodeos where they could have been, and the cowboys chose to be here. They should be proud of that.” Gooding Pro RodeoAug. 13-16Bareback riding: 1. Richmond Champion, 87.5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Nicks; 2. Sage Allen, 86.5; 3. Mason Stuller, 86; 4. Tanner Aus, 85; 5. (tie) Mason Clements and Tilden Hooper, 84; 7. (tie) Taylor Broussard, Cole Reiner and Waylon Bourgeois, 84; 10. Nick Pelke, 81.5. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 3.4 seconds; 2. Will Lummus, 3.6; 3. Riley Westhaver, 3.7; 4. (tie) Tristan Martin and Landris White, 3.9 each; 6. (tie) Jacob Edler, Trisyn Kalawaia and Garrett Oates, 4.0. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zac Dallas, 88.5 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Big John; 2. (tie) Lefty Holman and Ben Andersen, 87; 4. Kade Bruno, 86.5; 5. (tie) Sawyer Eirikson, Logan Hay, Reed Neely and Brody Cress, 85.5; 9. Q McWhorter, 85; 10. Layton Green, 84.   Breakaway roping: 1. Delaney Kunau, 3.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Kaydin Finan and Talia Seaward, 3.1; 4. Roanie Kasel, 3.3; 5. Oakley Crane, 4.4; 6. Olivia Wosnik, 4.6; 7. Kallie Roeser Foust, 12.3; 8. Summer Williams, 12.5; 9. Danielle Lowman, 12.6; 10. Haley Sage, 13.2.  Bull riding: 1. Trevor Reist, 87 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Carharts and Lac; 2. Jordan Spears, 86.5; 3. Cutter Kaylor, 86; 4. Billy Quinlan, 83.5; no other qualified rides.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – When Q Taylor and Tanner Butner left southeastern New Mexico earlier this week, they had to like their 88-point rides sitting atop the saddle bronc riding leaderboard. When the dust cleared Saturday night at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, they finished tied for fourth. It got a bit Western in Lovington on the final night of the nine-day exposition, with Stetson Wright and Brody Cress sharing the victory with 91-point rides. “Oh, yeah, I’m having lots of fun,” said Wright, 26, an eight-time world champion from Beaver, Utah. “These last couple of weeks, I’ve seemed to hit my groove in bronc riding again. The bull riding clicked was fast coming back, but the bronc riding was so slow. I finally just started creeping up, winning and getting on horses like that.” Wright matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Northern Exposure to set new standard. Two rides later, Wells scored big during his rematch with Carr’s Larry Culpepper – he was 90 on the red roan at Pecos, Texas, in June. “Larry is a legendary bronc,” Wells said of the bronc that’s bucked at the National Finals Rodeo six times. “I probably watched Cort Scheer win a round at the 2019 NFR on that horse a thousand times when I was younger. It’s an honor to put your saddle on him. A bronc like that doesn’t come around too often. He’s a special horse.” Each man pocketed $7,299, big earnings with less than two months remaining in the regular season. Wright entered this week 14th in the world standings with nearly $115,000 in earnings. He’s atop the money list in both the all-around ($366,668) and bull riding ($299,521). In Saturday’s bull riding, Wright was bucked down by Carr’s Hostel Take Over. He suffered a concussion. Before he wrapped his hand to the bull, he was happy with his bronc ride. “That was everything that I wanted,” Wright said of his matchup with Northern Exposure. “I didn’t have high expectations on that horse coming in. It’s a young one. They’ve had some low scores, and most of the guys buck off. I just gave him a little more rein, and I was hoping it would help. It looks like it did. I’m just pumped up to be here.” He sat out all of the 2024 campaign with a hamstring injury. It was the first time in five years that someone other than Wright had earned the PRCA all-around world title. He’s back in the hunt for a sixth, and being back on the rodeo trail has been the perfect medicine. “I got super hungry (to compete again),” Wright said. “I got so deprived of it, I couldn’t even think straight. Everybody told me that I should be done that I should hang it up and find a new career. I couldn’t wrap my head around that. I just kept dreaming I’d be back in these situations, these moments. This was everything. “A ride like that is what I shoot for every day. That’s what all these guys are out here doing. I’m just glad to be part of it.” While he competed at his first NFR a year ago, Wells understands the sentiment. Having the opportunity to test his skills on a horse he’s already found success was just icing on the cake. While he was 90, Wells finished second to Tanner Butner. Larry Culpepper, however, guided Zeke Thurston to 92 points to win Oakley, Utah, and Sage Newman to 88.5 to win the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City. This was the bronc’s third victory in a row. “To have him here in Lovington where they’ve got a pile of money up in a one-header, you want to have a bucker like that,” Wells said. “I just showed up trying to be aggressive and glad to hang out. He actually bucked a lot harder than the first time.” Lea County Fair and RodeoLovington, N.M.Aug. 7-10All-around cowboy: Coleman Proctor, $8,749 in team roping and steer roping. Bareback riding: 1. Cole Franks, 87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pink Smoke, $8,037; 2. (tie) Roedy Farrell, Bradlee Miller, Waylon Bourgeois and Dean Thompson, 86, $3,885 each; 6. Richmond Champion, 85, $1,340; 7. Jayco Roper, 84.5, $1,072; 6. (tie) Toby Deudney and Orin Larsen, 84, $402 each. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Gary Gilbert, 3.7 seconds, $2,879; 2. Riley Duvall, 4.0, $2,503; 3. Jacob Daniell, 4.1, $2,128; 4. (tie) Bray Armes, Trevor Duhon and Grady Payne, 4.4, $1,377 each; 7. Brandon Harrison, 4.6, $626; 8. Tucker Allen, 4.7, $250. Second round: 1. (tie) Gary Gilbert, Jacob Edler and Tyke Kipp, 4.0 seconds, $2,503 each; 4. Justin Shaffer, 4.2, $1,752; 5. (tie) Jake Shelton and Garrett Oates, 4.4, $1,189 each; 7. (tie) Marc Joiner, Cole Walker and Jacob Daniell, 4.6, $292 each. Average: 1. Gary Gilbert, 7.7 seconds on two runs, $4,318; 2. Jacob Daniell, 8.7, $3,755; 3. (tie) Jake Shelton and Grady Payne, 9.4, $2,010 each; 5. Chance Howard, 10.0, $2,065; 6. Marc Joiner, 10.2, $1,502; 7 Jacob Edler, 10.4, $939; 8. Colt Honey, 10.9, $375. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Blane Cox, 9.0 seconds, $3,052; 2. Ryan Thibodeaux, 9.2, $2,654; 3. Tyler Calhoun, 9.4, $2,256; 4. (tie) Chet Weitz and Marty Yates, 9.5, $1,658 each; 6. (tie) Paden Bray, Tyson Durfey and Austin Lawrence, 9.7, $663 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Kincade Henry and Quade Hiatt, 8.2 seconds, $2,853 each; 3. Marty Yates, 8.3, $2,256; 4. Ty Harris, 8.7, $1,857; 5. Monty Lewis, 9.4, $1,459; 6. Cade Wallis, 9.5, $1,061; 7. (tie) Lane Livingston and Brody Stallard, 9.6, $464 each. Average: 1. Marty Yates, 17.8 seconds on two runs, $4,577; 2. Kincade Henry, 18.4, $3,980; 3. Blane Cox, 18.9, $3,383; 4. Ty Harris, 19.3, $2,786; 5. Cole Clemons, 20.2, $2,189; 6. Paden Bray, 20.3, $1,592; 7. Pecos Tatum, 20.58, $995. 8. Bryce Derrer, 20.7, $398. Breakaway roping: First round: 1. Taylor Munsell, 2.2 seconds, $2,566; 2. (tie) Cheyanne McCartney and Hali Williams, 2.3, $2,016 each;  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – If there were a time machine, it may have appeared at the Lea County Fair during Friday’s third performance of the PRCA rodeo. In the mid-2000s, a young mare named Riverboat Annie was making a name for herself as one of the elite bucking horses in ProRodeo. She was the 2007 reserve world champion bareback horse and was selected to buck at the National Finals Rodeo for 10 straight years. She didn’t retire; she just changed jobs. Now 24, she’s the matriarch of the Pete Carr Pro Rodeo breeding program and has raised a herd of bucking babies. One of them is the spitting image of Momma, right down to the way the two perform in the arena. “That horse is really cool,” said Cole Franks, who rode Pink Smoke for 87.5 points to take the bareback riding lead in Lovington. The first time they ever bucked that horse, it was for a gender-reveal for (fellow bareback rider) Anthony Thomas. They bucked it with a dummy, and it was awesome. “From that moment on, I just couldn’t wait to get on that thing. It was fun, but a little bit harder than I expected.” It worked in Franks’ favor, and even he recognized the similarities between the two generations of buckers. “Riverboat wasn’t real tall, but she was built like a tank,” said Franks, a three-time NFR qualifier from Clarendon, Texas. “That’s about how he is, too. He’s built really well.” A red roan gelding, Pink Smoke is just 6, so he’s got some room to grow, both physically and mentally. The instinct is there. Of course, Riverboat Annie was just 6 years old when she was recognized as the second-best bareback horse in the sport 18 years ago.   The high-marked ride came at a good time for Franks, who entered the week ninth in the world standings with $116,626. He needs to keep adding to his totals if he wants to remain in the hunt for the world championship. Only the top 15 in the world standings at the end of the regular season advance to the NFR, where the gold buckles are handed out to the titlists. “As good as this rodeo pays, finishing second would be just fine with me,” he said. “Sure, I want to win, but a check’s a check.” Every dollar is vital, but so is performing well. That can be a struggle with less than two months remaining in the season, especially for bareback riders. They’ve been on dozens of bucking horses over he last few weeks alone. “Everybody’s hurting a little bit,” Franks said. “My forearm huts. My neck hurts. My hip hurts. Everything hurts. “If I don’t have much of a chance of winning money this time of year, especially when I’m hurting like I am, I’ve just got to take a day off. It’s no use getting on a bucking horse for free.” He’s sore, but he toughed it out Friday night. The rewards outweigh the pain any day. Lea County Fair and RodeoLovington, N.M.Aug. 7-10Bareback riding leaders: 1. Cole Franks, 87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pink Smoke; 2. (tie) Waylon Bourgeois and Dean Thompson, 86; 4. Richmond Champion, 85; 5. Jayco Roper, 84.5; 6. Orin Larsen, 84; 7. Zach Hibler, 83.5; 8. (tie) Jacek Frost and Jacob Lees, 82. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 3.7 seconds; 2. Riley Duvall, 4.0; 3. Jacob Daniell, 4.1; 4. (tie) Grady Payne, Trevor Duhon and Bray Armes, 4.4; 7. Brandon Harrison, 4.6; 8. Tucker Allen, 4.7. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Gary Gilbert, Jacob Edler and Tyke Kipp, 4.0 seconds; 4. Justin Shaffer, 4.2; 5. (tie) Jake Shelton and Garrett Oates, 4.4; 7. (tie) Marc Joiner and Jacob Daniell, 4.6. Average leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 7.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Jacob Daniell, 8.7; 3. (tie) Jake Shelton and Grady Payne, 9.4; 5. Marc Joiner, 10.2; 6. Jacob Edler, 10.4; 7. Colt Honey, 10.9; 8. Riley Westhaver, 11.4 Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Blane Cox, 9.0 seconds; 2. Ryan Thibodeaux, 9.2; 3. Tyler Calhoun, 9.4; 4. (tie) Chet Weitz and Marty Yates, 9.5; 6. (tie) Paden Bray and Austin Lawrence, 9.7; 8. Joel Harris, 9.8. Second round leaders: 1. Kincade Henry, 8.2 seconds; 2. Marty Yates, 8.3; 3. Ty Harris, 8.7; 4. Monty Lewis, 9.4; 5. Cade Wallis, 9.5; 6. Lane Livingston, 9.6; 7. Blane Cox, 9.9; 8. Cole Clemons, 10.3. Average leaders: 1. Marty Yates, 17.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Kincade Henry, 18.4; 3. Blane Cox, 18.9; 4. Ty Harris, 19.3; 5. Cole Clemons, 20.2; 6. Paden Bray, 20.3; 7. Pecos Tatum, 20.58. Tanner Green, 23.8; 8. Tom Crouse, 23.8. Breakaway roping: First round leaders: 1. Taylor Munsell, 2.2 seconds; 2. (tie) Cheyanne McCartney and Hali Williams, 2.3; 4. (tie) Timber Allenbrand and Madalyn Richards, 2.4; 6. (tie) Jessi Everett and Macy Young, 2.6; 8. (tie) Shacie Marr, Jackie Crawford and Tibba Smith, 2.7. Second round leaders: 1. Haiden Thompson, 2.3 seconds; 2. Cheyanne McCartney, 2.7; 3. Hali Williams, 2.8; 4. (tie) Taylor Munsell and Bailey Bates, 3.0; 6. Neelley Armes, 3.1; 7. Madalyn Richards, 3.3; 8. Ariana Varischetti, 3.9; 9, Taylor Raupe and Kayce Edwards, 4.1. Average leaders: 1. Cheyanne McCartney, 5.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Hali Williams, 5.1; 3. Taylor Munsell, 5.2; 4. Madalyn Richards, 5.7; 5. Neelley Armes, 6.0; 6. Ariana Varischetti, 6.7; 7. Kayce Edwards, 9.5; 8. Taylor Raupe, 9.7; 9. (tie) Haiden Thompson and Bailey Bates, 15.5; 5. Maddy Deerman, 15.7; 6. Timber Allenbrand, 2.4 seconds on one run; 7. (tie) Jessi Everett and Macy Young, 2.6; 9. Janae Todacheenie, 3.2; 10. Jayden Rodriguez, 3.3.  Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. (tie) Tanner Butner, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Chilly Winds, and Q Taylor, on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Roots, 88 points; 3. Ben Andersen, 86.5; 4. Isaac Diaz, 86; 5. Zac Dallas, 85; 6. (tie) Shorty Garrett and Cooper Thatcher, 84.5; 7. Weston Patterson, 83.5; 8. Lefty Holman, 82. Team roping: First round  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Horsepower is vital for every cowboy, but it’s a major component to success when it comes to rodeo. Ask Marty Yates. He’s had his share of top horses, which have helped guide him to 10 National Finals Rodeo qualifications over the last 11 years. He’s got another one in Snoop, a 6-year-old gelding that helped push him into tie-down roping’s top spot with two big runs Thursday at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. “This brown horse is the key,” said Yates, 31, of Stephenville, Texas. “I scored good, but he just gave me a great throw and gave me a good go from the stirrup. He’s just so easy to rope on. He’s going to be a lot of fun.” Snoop is a bit of a prodigy, still young but able to do some amazing things. Speed is vital in the timed events, and the brown bombshell made things happen quickly. Yates is tied for third place in the first go-round after posting a 9.5-second run Thursday morning. He followed that with an 8.3 in the nightcap and has a six-tenths of a second lead on the field with two days remaining at Lovington’s rodeo. “I’ve placed here and there, whether it be a round or in the average,” Yates said. “I’ve almost always left with some money out of the Lea County Fair.” Those dollars are important. Only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event when the season concludes Sept. 30 will advance to the NFR, the sport’s Super Bowl that takes place over 10 days in Las Vegas. A year ago, for example, Yates won the second round and finished fifth in the aggregate race in southeastern New Mexico to pocket $5,300. He returned to the finale after missing it in 2023. Yates is 10th in the world standings with $105,155. That seems like a lot, but it’s relative. Two cowboys – Riley Webb and Shad Mayfield – sit 1-2 on the money list but have also earned $100,000-plus more than Yates. It just takes more money than it used to in order to play for the biggest pay in the game, so taking advantage of good calves and cashing in when opportunities allow “I didn’t know a whole lot about that calf,” Yates said. “This is just the second time these were ever even roped. They were fresh this morning. “I got a really good start. My horse worked really good and gave me the advantage.” It all comes back to the equine partner. The better the horses are, the better the runs can be. Even at just 6, Snoop is proving to be an asset. “We’ve been seasoning him on our way to Vegas,” Yates said. “We’ll get to do some more seasoning out there on him. “It’s cool to be able to have a year like this. The last couple of years were kind of a struggle. I made the finals once out of the last two years, but I was just never confident about any of my roping. I’ve finally got a horse that actually wants to do it, and I can be competitive again.” Lea County Fair and RodeoLovington, N.M.Aug. 7-10Bareback riding leaders: 1. Richmond Champion, 85 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Cat Ballou; 2. Orin Larsen, 84; 3. Jacek Frost, 82; 4. Weston Timberman, 81.5; 5. Cole Reiner, 78; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 3.7 seconds; 2. Riley Duvall, 4.0; 3. Grady Payne, 4.4; 4. Brandon Harrison, 4.6; 5. Tucker Allen, 4.7; 6. (tie) Jake Shelton and Riley Westhaver, 5.0; 8. Zane Cline, 5.2. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Gary Gilbert and Jacob Edler, 4.0 seconds; 3. Justin Shaffer, 4.2; 4. Jake Shelton, 4.4; 5. Marc Joiner, 4.6; 6. Shane Frey, 4.8; 7. Grady Payne, 5.0; 8. Colt Honey, 5.1. Average leaders: 1. Gary Gilbert, 7.7 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Jake Shelton and Grady Payne, 9.4; 4. Marc Joiner, 10.2; 5. Jacob Edler, 10.4; 6. Colt Honey, 10.9; 7. Riley Westhaver, 11.4; 8. Ty Cochrane, 13.8 Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Blane Cox, 9.0 seconds; 2. Tyler Calhoun, 9.4; 3. (tie) Chet Weitz and Marty Yates, 9.5; 5. (tie) Paden Bray and Austin Lawrence, 9.7; 7. Joel Harris, 9.8; 10. Cole Clemons, 9.9. Second round leaders: 1. Kincade Henry, 8.2 seconds; 2. Marty Yates, 8.3; 3. Ty Harris, 8.7; 4. Monty Lewis, 9.4; 5. Cade Wallis, 9.5; 6. Lane Livingston, 9.6; 7. Blane Cox, 9.9; 8. Cole Clemons, 10.3. Average leaders: 1. Marty Yates, 17.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Kincade Henry, 18.4; 3. Blane Cox, 18.9; 4. Ty Harris, 19.3; 5. Cole Clemons, 20.2; 6. Paden Bray, 20.3; 7. Tanner Green, 23.8; 8. Tom Crouse, 23.8. Breakaway roping: First round leaders: 1. Taylor Munsell, 2.2 seconds; 2. (tie) Cheyanne McCartney and Hali Williams, 2.3; 4. Timber Allenbrand, 2.4; 5. (tie) Jessi Everett and Macy Young, 2.6; 7. Shacie Marr, 2.7; 8. Weslynn Reno, 3.1; 9. (tie) Janae Todacheenie and Codie Harmon, 3.2. Second round leaders: 1. Haiden Thompson, 2.3 seconds; 2. Cheyanne McCartney, 2.7; 3. Hali Williams, 2.8; 4. (tie) Taylor Munsell and Bailey Bates, 3.0; 6. Jade Mitchell, 4.8; 7. (tie) Martha Angelone and Maddy Deerman, 12.3; 9. Shacie Marr, 15.4. Average leaders: 1. Cheyanne McCartney, 5.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Hali Williams, 5.1; 3. (tie) Haiden Thompson and Bailey Bates, 15.5; 5. Maddy Deerman, 15.7; 6. Timber Allenbrand, 2.4 seconds on one run; 7. (tie) Jessi Everett and Macy Young, 2.6; 9. Janae Todacheenie, 3.2; 10. Jayden Rodriguez, 3.3.  Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Tanner Butner, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Chilly Winds; 2. Isaac Diaz, 86; 3. (tie) Shorty Garrett and Cooper Thatcher, 84.5; 5. Bryan Huey, 79; 6. Levi Mines, 77; 7. Jake Finlay, 76; 8. Gus Galliard, 74. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Cody Snow/Hunter Koch and Roan Oldfield/Jake South, 5.1 seconds; 3. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 5.3; 4. Jeff Flenniken/Buddy Hawkins II,  Continue Reading »