Monthly Archives: January 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY – Ash Cooper always fancied himself a world-class hockey player. That’s what little boys dream about while growing up in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. And, truth be told, Cooper was pretty talented on the ice. “I was employed playing hockey, and at the same time, I was playing a high level of  Continue Reading »

Last week I wrote about the Wright brothers doing well in Fort Worth. You can find it HERE. They’ve re-appeared in the news already, with three of the four brothers sitting in the top 15 in the saddle bronc riding world standings. Jesse Wright leads the contingent, sitting No. 2 in the world with $9,688.  Continue Reading »

‘The Wild Child’ brings high-flying fun to ProRodeo’s national championship OKLAHOMA CITY – ProRodeo’s National Championship means a lot to every cowboy and cowgirl who has ever qualified to compete for the coveted title. It means a lot to plenty of others who make their livings on the rodeo trail. Take Troy Lerwill, one of  Continue Reading »

Today we surprised my father- and mother-in-law for their 45th anniversary, and I believe it’s important to tell you about these two wonderful people. Not only did they raise the love of my life, but also they support us in ways that are beyond incredible. As I try to tell stories about rodeo, Rose and  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in the January issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News. Unfortunately the interview that I had hoped to do with Lindsay Sears a week after she’d won didn’t happen, but I hope we were able to tell a good story anyway. For anyone who has ever been in the heated battle  Continue Reading »

Every year, there are a few new names in the hat for the invitation-only Timed Event Championship, a unique event that originated at the Lazy E Arena in 1985 and features cowboys competing in all five timed-event disciplines — heading, heeling, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and steer roping. This year’s list of entrants is field  Continue Reading »

If things don’t change soon, the saddle bronc riding Wright brothers of Milford, Utah, are going to take a lot of money out of the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo. In the first round, Jake and Spencer two pieces of a three-way tie for second place, while Jesse and Cody are in a tie for  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a post for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo blog, which also can be found HERE. The future of rodeo is firmly entrenched in its history. That’s why it’s so awesome that Oklahoma City is hosting another ProRodeo championship event. Great rodeo is home in the Sooner State’s capital, and with  Continue Reading »

While touring the ProRodeo Hall of Fame last weekend, I came upon the exhibit featuring my friend Clem McSpadden, the longtime voice of rodeo who died in July 2008. Clem was the general manager of the National Finals Rodeo when it took place in Oklahoma City, and he was an influential member of the Professional  Continue Reading »

It looks like the roughstock cowboys had a bit of tough luck Wednesday night at the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show Rodeo. Heath Ford posted the highest marked score of the night, an 81-point ride bareback riding on J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Hat. That moved Ford into a tie for second place in  Continue Reading »

It’s been a few years since I witnessed the spectacle known as the Timed Event Championship, a unique event created by the Lazy E Arena staff when it opened its doors nearly 30 years ago. The championship features 20 of the greatest timed-event cowboys in the game, even in the history of the game, competing  Continue Reading »

I’ve never been inside Denver Coliseum, and the only reflections I had of the building that houses the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo were photographs of the historic rodeo throughout the years. I learned a little more today while talking with two-time barrel racing world champion Brittany Pozzi. She has won the Denver rodeo  Continue Reading »

A week ago, I wrote about Clovis Crane qualifying for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo by winning the average titles in both bareback riding and bull riding at the Ram First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo. What I didn’t know at the time was that Crane also earned the right to compete in saddle bronc  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a post for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo blog, which also can be found HERE. Tyson Durfey left Oklahoma City last April with a nice paycheck, a new truck and a coveted title. That was a lot to take from four days of competition during the 2011 Ram National Circuit  Continue Reading »

A lot of cowboys and cowgirls won a lot of money at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo. None of them earned more than Seth Glause, a three-time bull riding qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo from Rock Springs, Wyo. Glause, 23, of Rock Springs, Wyo., placed in all three go-rounds and won  Continue Reading »

Inside the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, there’s a beautiful display of the reigning world champions, filled with biographies of each contestant and, in some instances, other memorabilia. Filled with the 2010 titlists – it has yet to be updated with the recent winners – the one thing that caught my eye was  Continue Reading »

A little more than a month ago, saddle bronc rider Cody DeMoss had to make a tough decision during the pinnacle event of the 2011 ProRodeo season; the veteran cowboy, an eight-time qualifier, realized the pain from an injury to the upper portion of his free arm was too great, so he opted out of  Continue Reading »

I made it to the base of Pikes Peak today, the home of the PRCA and the WPRA and just a few miles north of the home of the PBR. This is the time for family, but I hope to get in some cowboy time, too. It’s only right, don’t you think. What is sad  Continue Reading »

What does it take to be a world-class bareback rider? Will Lowe knows. Ten times in his career, Lowe has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He’s left the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas with a world champion’s Montana Silversmiths gold buckle three times. So what does he have to say? “First  Continue Reading »

When Troy Lerwill was a fledgling clown/barrelman/bullfighter, he worked a rodeo in San Demas, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles. That’s where he kick-started “The Wild Child” act that has made him a household name in rodeo. You see, Lerwill was fighting bulls and clowing at the rodeo there for Diamond G Rodeos, where his  Continue Reading »

Lost in the hubbub of the Ram First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo is the fact that roughstock cowboy Clovis Crane won three titles in Harrisburg, Pa., this past weekend. Crane, 32, of Lebanon, Pa., won the all-around title and $9,719. More importantly, though, he won the average titles in both bareback riding and bull riding.  Continue Reading »

The future of rodeo is strong based on a couple of things I learned today. I just watched a Facebook video from steer wrestler Spud Duvall, who posted a clip of his young son, Treagan, bailing off a toddler scooter onto a stuffed animal and grappling the “steer” to the ground. I suspect it won’t  Continue Reading »

Bareback rider bringing gold buckle talent to Oklahoma City for RNCFR EDITOR’S NOTE: Attached is a feature story about one of the great world champions  who will be part of the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for March 29-April 1 in Oklahoma City. OKLAHOMA CITY – Will Lowe’s resume is extensive and paints a  Continue Reading »

It’s just a two-hour drive from Clint Cooper’s hometown of Lovington, N.M., to Odessa, Texas, home of the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo. But over the course of an 11-year ProRodeo career, Cooper has never won the January rodeo in this West Texas community best known for its high school football legacy. Now living in  Continue Reading »