Monthly Archives: June 2011

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appeared in the May 2011 issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News. Uncertainty crept into Tana Renick’s mind on the final day of the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo. It’s not that she didn’t believe in herself or in her partner, a 13-year-old bay mare named XV Wildchild; Teddy helped Renick win  Continue Reading »

I left Reno, and I didn’t have a good horse in Prescott (Ariz.), so I had three days off. I got to come home and check on my cows. I ride in Springfield tomorrow night, and we’ll be gone until September, so it’s good that I got to spend some time at home. Now it’s  Continue Reading »

When we arrived in Guymon, Okla., on Monday afternoon, we were greeted with open arms and open doors. Our friends, Ken and Sherry Stonecipher, have opened their doors to us for a couple of days while we take care of some personal business and while I do some work from the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles.  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – Chris Harris must like west Texas. He definitely likes Deuces Night, one of the up-and-coming great bucking horses from Carr Pro Rodeo. For the second straight year, Harris matched moves with Deuces Night to win bareback riding at the West of the Pecos Rodeo; this year he earned $3,278 for his win  Continue Reading »

I’ve got some good horses lined up for the Fourth (of July, the series of lucrative rodeos referred to as Cowboy Christmas). I’ve got (Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s) R.D. Mercer in Springdale (Ark.), and I’ve got a good horse in Prescott (Ariz.). I’m just looking for good things. The Fourth is seven days of non-stop  Continue Reading »

For several years, header Turtle Powell and heeler Jhett Johnson have proven themselves as elite ropers in their respective categories. Now that they’ve joined together, they’re setting a healthy standard in team roping. This past week is as much proof as anything. Powell, a five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Stephenville, Texas, and Johnson,  Continue Reading »

Rodeo cowboys and cowgirls spend much more time on the highways than in arenas. It’s just the nature of the beast for contestants who work their tails off for just a few seconds of time in competition at a time. I’ll get a sneak peak at their life on the road when I head to  Continue Reading »

For much of the last three years, I’ve been a regular contributor to Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official magazine of of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. I’m very fortunate to have met some outstanding women and tell their stories, and I plan to share some of them on TwisTED Rodeo. If you don’t subscribe  Continue Reading »

I love seeing a passion for rodeo develop among those who have never experienced it. Oftentimes I work with neophyte reporters who know little, if anything, about the sport. I show them the athleticism involved and liken it to sports they might understand better. I explain the lifestyle and the no-guarantees competition, and I can  Continue Reading »

While going through things in our storage area, my wife and I came across the television broadcast of the 1998 Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo. It’s definitely interesting to see the telecast, hear the voices of Hadley Barrett and Curt Robinson and see a much younger set of friends. It’s also interesting to see the  Continue Reading »

BIG SPRING, Texas – Even rodeo cowboys need to celebrate. Bareback rider Wes Stevenson did that from June 16-18 when he won the title at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo with an 86-point ride on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Close Call, collecting the $1,102 that came with the victory. “The crowd that was there  Continue Reading »

I’m blessed. That’s the reality. Not many people get to do what they love, and I lived that life for a long time. But that’s not the case now. I’m chasing my gold buckle dreams, just like the contestants about whom I write. A few days ago I got to visit with a couple of  Continue Reading »

I believe firmly in the impact of strong media relations; I’d better, huh. But in an effort to promote rodeo as well as I can, I want to entice great coverage. I hope the pieces that are in this PDF file did just that in Big Spring, Texas, last weekend. BigSpringHerald

I just finished the first night in Carthage, Mo., and I think the rodeo went quite well. The crowd was the best and most responsive I’ve had in awhile. The people came out to get away from their day-to-day and just enjoy themselves. I’m pretty sure the old cliché works very well: A good time  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – If a bucking horse can announce its presence with authority, Deuces Night did it last June at the West of the Pecos Rodeo. The 6-year-old bay/paint mare out of Night Line by Night Jacket bucked snappily across the Buck Jackson Arena dirt, guiding Texan Chris Harris to an 88-point, rodeo-winning ride. That’s  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – When it comes to rodeo, folks in Far West Texas know their stuff. A good portion of residents have done it in some regard, whether in the arenas across the landscape or across the dusty pastures of the Rolling Plains. They’ve definitely been around it, and they’re the biggest supporters of the  Continue Reading »

JMac (2008 world champion bareback rider Justin McDaniel) and I missed out flight to Sisters (Ore.) and had to turn out the best horses in the bunch, the ones that could’ve won it for us. We went up to Tulsa the night before, and we were staying right there by the airport. We woke up  Continue Reading »

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Whether he was racing around the world as a reality TV star or chasing elusive world championships, Cord McCoy has always reached out to others. Things won’t be any different when he returns to southwest Iowa for the second annual Cord McCoy PBR Challenge, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, at  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – The West of the Pecos Rodeo wasn’t the first event saddle bronc rider Jace Garrett has won in his three-year ProRodeo career. It wasn’t even his first victory of the 2010 season; the Alliance, Neb., cowboy had a couple of key victories under his belt before he arrived in west Texas last  Continue Reading »

ProRodeo Live’s Steve Kenyon is also a ProRodeo announcer, and he works several events each year in that capacity. One we’ll be working together is the Crystal Springs Ranch Rodeo in Clear Lake, S.D., an event I’ve been going to for much of my bullfighting career. He called Wednesday morning to do an interview, so  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – Bryan Richardson is quite proud to be a Texan. Dallas born and raised, his grin displays the type of statehood pride that could compare to the Lone Star flag. To Richardson, a bull rider who has qualified three times to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, being a cowboy in Texas is just  Continue Reading »

PECOS, Texas – One of the greatest all-around hands in ProRodeo has never won the gold buckle worn by world champions. That’s OK for Paul Peterson, a member of the Carr Pro Rodeo team and pickup man who will be on hand inside Buck Jackson Arena during all four performances of the West of the  Continue Reading »

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Jacob O’Mara knows what it takes to compete at the elite level in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The bull rider from Prairieville, La., burst onto the national scene last year, when he finished runner-up in the race for the Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year. This year, he’s taken it  Continue Reading »

Most of the time, being on the road means I’m away from my family. That’s not the case right now. In fact, I’ve had a good time with my wife and children the last couple of days. We spent the day at Adventureland in Des Moines (Iowa) and had the time of our lives. I’m  Continue Reading »