Monthly Archives: July 2012

EAGLE, Colo. – Brian Bain admits he likes to test his talents against rank bucking horses. “I like bigger-, stronger-type horses,” said Bain, a 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bareback rider from Culver, Ore. He got his wish with Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal, and it worked just fine. The two great athletes matched moves for 88 points, helping Bain to the bareback riding title at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo; he earned $2,964 for the feat and moved into the top 10 in the world standings. “I’d never been on Real Deal before,” Bain said of the 12-year-old bay gelding, which was named the 2005 Bareback Horse of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “That afternoon, I got a strong bucking horse in Cheyenne (Wyo.), so I got on two of those kinds of horses the same day. “When I got to Eagle, I was a little nervous because I’d seen Real Deal and I knew all about him. It turns out that horse is just really good. I’d like to get on him every day if I could.” He’d also like to ride in Eagle more often. An avid outdoorsman, the setting around the Eagle rodeo made the victory even better for Bain. “That’s a good rodeo,” he said. “It’s a smaller rodeo overall, but everybody goes to it with it being so close to Cheyenne and having Pete Carr’s stock. It’s really a great rodeo and a neat place to see. I’d love to go hunting around there sometime.” For now, though, Bain is hunting bucking horses. He’d like to continue riding good horses, something he knows is possible with Dallas-based Carr Pro Rodeo. “Pete’s stock is great,” Bain said. “It’s some of the best in the world, and I love going to his rodeos. He has a lot of rodeos down south, and I tend to stay up north. Pete and I have talked before that I don’t go to enough of his rodeos. I wish I could; I think I just need to work on getting to more.” It helps that Carr has some of the animals in the game. In addition to Real Deal, Carr horses have been recognized by the top cowboys in the game over the years. River Boat Annie was named the reserve world champion bareback horse in 2007 and continues to be selected to the NFR each year. In Eagle, Coloradoan Tyler Scales rode River Boat Annie for 85 points to finish in a tie for fourth place. “Pete has a bunch of great horses,” Bain said. “I’ve been dying to get on Dirty Jacket. I’d also like to get on (MGM) Deuces Night one of these days … I’d just like to see what one of them would be like. Those are two world-class horses. “You’d ride a bicycle a million miles to get on them.” Eagle County Fair and Rodeo Eagle, Colo., July 25-28 All-around cowboy: Darnell Johnson, $2,188, team roping and tie-down roping. Bareback riding: 1. Brian Bain, 88 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal, $2,964; 2. Bill Tutor, 87 points on Carr’s Dirty Jacket, $2,272; 3. Will Lowe, 86 points on Carr’s Miss Hollywood, $1,680; 4. (tie) Tyler Scales, on Carr’s River Boat Annie, and Tom McFarland, on Carr’s MGM Deuces Night, 85, $899 each; 6. Casey Colletti, 84 points on Carr’s Step Mom, $494; 7. Caine Riddle, 83 on Carr’s Island Girl, $396; 8. (tie) Seth Hardwick, on Carr’s Black Coffee, Caleb Bennett, on Carr’s Outa Sight, and Kaycee Feild, on Carr’s Sin Wagon, 82, $99 each. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Payden McIntyre, 5.2 seconds, $855; 2. (tie) Theo Federer and Blair Jones, 5.6, $534 each; 4. Hadley Jackson, 5.8, $214. Second round: 1. Tom Osborne, 4.5 seconds, $855; 2. Wyatt Johnson, 4.7, $641; 3. Hadley Berger, 4.8, $428; 4. Cole McNamee, 5.0, $214. Average: 1. Payden McIntyre, 10.5 seconds on two head, $855; 2. Tom Osborne, 12.1, $641; 3. Riley Krassin, 12.7, $428; 4. Kyle Broce, 13.0, $214. Team roping: 1. Calvin Brevik/Kory Bramwell, 4.7 seconds, $1,550 each; 2. Tyler Schnaufer/Shay Carroll, 5.1, $1,283; 3. Manny Egusquiza Jr./Brad Culpepper, 5.5, $1,015; 4. Garrett Tonozzi/Kinney Harrell, 5.6, $748; 5. Quisto Lopez/Ryon Tittel, 5.7, $481; 6. Willow Raley/Gary Rodarmel, 8.0, $267. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Bradley Harter, 85 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Lonestar, $2,713; 2. (tie) Cody Martin, on Carr’s Trail Dust, Jacobs Crawley, on Carr’s Ginger Snap, and Jake Wright, on Carr’s Colt 44, 83, $1,537 each; 5. Sterling Crawley, 81 points on Carr’s Empty Pockets, $633; 6. (tie) Cole Elshere, on Carr’s High Lonesome, Ryan Elshere, on Carr’s Cool Runnings, and Chuck Schmidt, on Carr’s True Lies, 80, $362 each. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Darnell Johnson, 9.4 seconds, $700; 2. Calvin Brevik, 9.6, $525; 3. (tie) Eric Martin and Cody Gerard, 10.2, $263 each. Second round: 1. Juan Flores, 11.5 seconds, $700; 2. (tie) Darnell Johnson and Joe James, 11.9, $438 each; 4. (tie) Kyle Dutton and Joe Dickens, 12.3, $88 each. Average: 1. Darnell Johnson, 21.3 seconds on two head, $1,050; 2. Cody Gerard, 23.4, $788; 3. Eric Martin, 27.3, $525; 4. Britt Bath, 29.7, $263. Barrel racing: 1. Dianne Luark, 17.66 seconds, $1,562; 2. Jennifer Noble, 17.82, $1,339; 3. Kim Schulze, 17.87, $1,116; 4. Brittany Fellows, 17.91, $967; 5. Heather Ratteree, 17.93, $744; 6. (tie) Sarah Kieckhefer and Lexi Bath, 17.96, $521 each; 8. Hayden Segelke, 18.12, $298; 9. Myra Masters, 18.20, $223; 10. Mandi Jo Fox, 18.25, $149. Bull riding: 1. (tie) Trey Benton III, on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Black Ice, and J.W. Harris, on Carr’s Depths of Despair, 88 points, $2,820 each; 3. Scottie Knapp, 86 points on Carr’s Motown, $1,809; 4. Cody Samora, 84 points on Carr’s Comanche, $1,170; 5. Tim Bingham, 83 points  on Carr’s Time Out, $745; 6. (tie) Josh Koschel, on Carr’s Itch N Scratch, and Tony Mendes, on Carr’s The Mexican, 81, $479 each; 8. Dalton Votaw, 78 points on Carr’s Backlash, $319.

SILVERTON, Texas – A great bull ride is equal parts bucking beast, equal parts athletic cowboy. When it comes together, fans walk away from the arena mesmerized, and they’ll talk about it for weeks to come. That’s what fans expect when they get to Silverton’s Buck Wild Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16-Saturday, Aug. 18. Jacob O’Mara knows what it takes to be a great bull rider. The Louisiana cowboy qualified for this first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last year; just a month ago, he won the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Ariz. He knows he can expect to get on great bulls in the Navajo Nation; Lovington, N.M.; and Silverton. Why? Carr Pro Rodeo brings the bucking beasts. “I’ve always tried to get the best animals I can get, whether they’re bulls, horses, calves or steers,” said Pete Carr, owner of the livestock company. “Everybody thinks I’m a horse guy, and I am; but I want to be known as a bull guy, too.” O’Mara knew he had something special when he was preparing to ride Carr’s Morning After, a young bull he’d never seen buck. And while none of his traveling buddies knew anything about the bull, O’Mara had an idea there was something electric in the young animal. “They told me they were going to save me for last,” said O’Mara, 20, of Prairieville, La. “That’s when I first thought this bull might have something to him. I knew they were trying to sell the show with the best stuff, so I figured it’d be great.” The result? O’Mara and Morning After matched moves for 89 points to win Window Rock, earning the young cowboy $4,119. “That bull was great; he just went out a couple (jumps), then turned back,” O’Mara said, describing how the animal began more of a spinning motion. “Anything you can score 89 points on is pretty good.” For years, bull riders have seen Carr as a stock contractor that works hard to improve his herd. This year, Carr even admits he stepped up his game a little more. “The bulls are awesome,” said Chandler Bownds, the 2011 rookie of the year from Lubbock, Texas. “Pete brought in some great subcontractors to juice up his great pen of bulls, and there were a bunch of bulls that bucked really hard.” Carr does what it takes to reach out to bull riders, from talking about great animal athletes to bringing in sub-contractors to rodeos so the cowboys get the best chance possible to win money. Jarrod Craig of Hillsboro, Texas, rode the bull Itch N Scratch for 87 points to share the win with Chris Roundy of Panguitch, Utah; Roundy rode Carr’s The Mexican, and each cowboy earned $3,097. “That bull bucks hard,” Craig said of Itch N Scratch. Roundy had similar comments for The Mexican. “He was really good,” Roundy said. “I had seen him a bunch of times before, so I knew what he was going to do. That helped, but he was definitely good.” The Carr bulls have been gaining plenty of acclaim throughout this rodeo season. Trey Benton III won the Mercedes, Texas, rodeo in mid-March after scoring 91 points on Missing Parts. “He was really good,” said Benton, of Rock Island, Texas. “He just stumbled at the five-second mark, but I think he was even more after he stumbled. He got after it. “You have to have a good bull to score 91, and Pete’s got one there.” Carr knows he’s got some special athletes that will be part of the excitement in Lovington, just as they have been at rodeos leading up to the August extravaganza. “I’ve got some good ones in addition to Missing Parts,” Carr said. “I’ve got some great bulls in The Mexican, Black Ice, Black Powder, Morning After and Hot & Ready that went to a lot of the winter rodeos. I have some more outstanding bulls that I haven’t bucked just yet, but I think all of them have a lot of potential.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – When Jimmy Wheeler walks into the barn at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo this year, it won’t be much different than the first time. Oh, sure, the times have changed. There are more modern conveniences than he experienced that first year. But the reality is, he’ll be inside that show barn, holding on to a twinge of nervousness as he watches the action. You see, 2012 marks the 50th year a Wheeler has shown livestock at the local fair. This year, it will be his grandchildren, 19-year-old Blain Wheeler and 17-year-old Kylie Wheeler, and his great-granddaughter, 10-year-old Addison Marquez. They’ll be showing cattle, but that’s something in which the family has taken great pride since Dickie Wheeler first showed a steer in Lovington in 1963. “It’s a family oriented project that actually builds families,” Jimmy Wheeler said of showing livestock. That it is. Dickie remembers 1963 quite well. He also remembers what motivated him. “It’s always been in our family history,” Dickie said. “My dad showed steers when he was young. When I was old enough, he got me showing. My kids … they all showed the whole time they were growing up.” So when Addison walks into the ring during this year’s fair, set for Aug. 3-11, she will represent four generations of Wheelers who have shown livestock, three of which have done so in Lea County over the last five decades. “There’s a lot of responsibility learned there,” said Larry Wheeler, Jimmy’s baby boy and the father of Blain and Kylie. “When they’re younger, it’s a family project. When they’re younger, you have to do more with the kids and for the kids, but as they get older, you turn more responsibility over to them.” And the cycle continues. Jimmy Wheeler instilled that with his four children, which included daughters Connie and Jan. “It’s just a great teacher,” Jimmy said. “It’s the greatest thing that family can do. That’s just the way it is. The kids always liked it. Every afternoon at 5 o’clock, we knew where they were. We had the steers tied up, and the kids were out there taking care of them.” That type of commitment comes with a little sacrifice, too. “The commitment is primarily monetarily, because it’s going to take some of your disposable income you might have,” said Wayne Cox, the Lea County Extension agent. “The other is the time commitment it takes from other activities. “I think the big thing everybody gets out of it is very valuable, like the aspect of the sheer responsibility that something is dependent on you, other than the way it seems society is going. We don’t eat until the animals area fed. We take care of the animals first, because they are dependent on you.” Cox, too, has been very involved in showing livestock. He knows its importance and what it takes to have a great animal led around the ring. “You have to treat them as if they’re a finely tuned athlete getting ready for the Olympics,” Cox said. “If you want to be competitive, we just treat them as if they’re athletes.” The Wheelers have seen plenty of success over the past half century doing just that. Jimmy said youngsters get a chance to be on both sides of any competitive scenario. “They learn you win some, you lose some,” he said. “They learn how to work the finances. Lea County’s sale is wonderful; it’s got the best support of any county I’ve ever heard of.” Of course, it helps to always be competitive. Over the years, the Wheelers have reeled in 11 grand champions and 10 reserve grand champions at the county fair. “We’ve bought calves over the years, but for the most part, we’ve raised our own,” Larry said. “I’ve told my kids from an early age that we were competing against some high-dollar steers. If we can raise our own and compete at that level, then I’m happy with that.” There’s a lot of pride in what the Wheelers do in the show ring, but it’s nothing compared to the work it takes leading up to the annual fair. That’s something the family hopes remains for decades to come. “We’ve been around this a long time, and it’s a big thing to us,” Dickie Wheeler said. “We’ve always really enjoyed the fair. I still do. “It’s coming up, and I’m looking forward to it.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – On a warm July evening in the Navajo Nation, Austin Foss got to see first-hand what all the fuss is about with Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket. It paid off quite handsomely for Foss, of Terrebonne, Ore., who posted an 89-point ride on Dirty Jacket to win the rodeo in Window Rock, Ariz., and collect nearly $4,000 in the process. “He was a pretty fun horse to get on,” Foss said of the 8-year-old bay gelding. “He’s the horse everybody wants to get on, and for good reason.” Now the 20-year-old cowboy would love another shot at Dirty Jacket, and he might just get it during the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11, at Jake McClure Arena. “It had just rained in Window Rock, and the arena was a bit damp,” Foss said. “He did his job, and I did mine, and it worked out for 89 points. He got in the air and definitely bucked. I was pretty happy, but then after I left the arena, I thought, ‘Man, one more point, and I would’ve been 90.’ That would’ve been great.” The ride was just a week removed from Clint Cannon’s 90-point marking on Dirty Jacket in Pecos, Texas, a ride Foss got to see up close and personal – he and Cannon have been traveling down the rodeo trail together this year. When I saw that I had Dirty Jacket, I thought, ‘This could be the one that could help me break out of that slump,’ ” said Cannon, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Waller, Texas. “I made an awesome ride, and the horse bucked. “He bucks every time I’ve been on him. He’s one of those horses you can win on every time if you ride him right. What’s great about that horse is just how electric he is. When the gate swings open, I think he kicked the back of the bucking chute three times before he got to the end of the gate. He’s just so showy and electric. He bails out of there and just keeps cracking them.” Foss’ win in Window Rock marked the fourth time this season a cowboy has won a rodeo after riding Dirty Jacket. Reigning world champion Kaycee Feild of Payson, Utah, scored 89 points in the short go-round en route to winning in Fort Worth, Texas; Wes Stevenson of Lubbock, Texas, won in San Angelo, Texas, after scoring 87 points in the short round; and Jeremy Mouton of Scott, La., posted an 84 to win in Bridgeport, Texas. “When he leaves the chute, he’s trying to kick the flankman off the back of the chute,” said Kaycee Feild, the reigning bareback riding world champion who won the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo after riding Dirty Jacket for 89 points in the championship round. “He’s so fast, and he bucks so hard. “There’s no way you can muscle up on him. You’ve got to be fast and aggressive, or he will get you out of shape and might get you bucked off.” Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo, has a dozen animals selected to the finals each year, a couple of which are bucked in the fifth and 10th rounds. Carr owns some of the greatest bucking animals in ProRodeo, including Real Deal, the 2005 Bareback Riding Horse of the Year, and Riverboat Annie, the 2007 reserve world champion bareback horse. “This is the best I’ve seen Dirty Jacket,” Carr said. “He’s been phenomenal.” He’s been pretty good since he first started bucking in May 2008. In addition to Feild’s win in Fort Worth, three other cowboys earned titles on the horse so far this year: Wes Stevenson of Lubbock, Texas, won in San Angelo, Texas, after matching moves with Dirty Jacket for 87 points in the short round; Jeremy Mouton of Scott, La., posted an 84 on him to win in Bridgeport, Texas; and Austin Foss of Terrebonne, Ore., scored 89 to win in Window Rock, Ariz. “That horse has just gotten better,” said Stevenson, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “I think he may have stepped it up from what we’ve seen.” Dirty Jacket is always electric, which is why the top bareback riders in the game have selected him to buck in the elite rounds at the NFR each of the last three years – the TV pen features the “showiest” bucking horses, and the moniker comes from the days when only the final round of the NFR was televised. The “TV pen” animals buck in the fifth and 10th rounds, which provide a great touch to the halfway point of the championship and the season’s final go-round. “That horse is in his prime,” Stevenson said. “He could be having one of the better years he’s had, and that’s saying a lot. The first time he was bucked was four years ago in Guymon (Okla.), and they won the rodeo on him.”

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some talented people. Here’s a video produced by a company now called Advantage Pro, whose technicians did an awesome job with this particular spot for the 2006 Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoy reflecting on it. Oh, and that young man holding the bronc reign near the end of the sport is Shade Etbauer, the youngest son of two-time world champion Robert Etbauer. The background image was that of Shade’s uncle, Billy, who won the last of his five world titles in 2004. Both the older Etbauers were inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame just a couple weeks ago; Shade Etbauer won the Little Britches Rodeo Association’s saddle bronc riding national title this past weekend.  

I was in Jefferson City, Mo., Saturday on a little family get-away before I take a two-week rodeo trip to Dodge City, Kan., and Lovington, N.M. Nine of us were enjoying time together in the state’s capitol when the texts about Broc Cresta’s death began coming in. The 25-year-old cowboy, who had qualified for the last two Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, died of unknown causes in his living quarters at the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo. I didn’t know Broc, though I wish I had. We visited for about five minutes during the Timed Event Championship this past March, but that was my only opportunity to get to know the young man. That few minutes, though, revealed an energetic, excited cowboy who seemed to love what he does. He was a tremendous all-around hand who was going to be a real contender for the Timed Event title for many years. Based on posts I’ve seen on various social media sites, he was much more than a rodeo hand. Broc Cresta was a rising star in and out of the arena. He will be missed.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Jacob O’Mara found Morning After to be more tonic than toxic. It happened July 6 in Window Rock, Ariz., when O’Mara prepared to test his skills on the young Carr Pro Rodeo bull. He’d never seen the bull buck, nor had any of his buddies, but O’Mara grasped a sense of good things before he even nodded his head. “They told me they were going to save me for last,” said O’Mara, 20, a 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Prairieville, La. “That’s when I first thought this bull might have something to him. I knew they were trying to sell the show with the best stuff, so I figured it’d be great.” The result? O’Mara and Morning After matched moves for 89 points to win the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo, earning the young cowboy $4,119. “That bull was great; he just went out a couple (jumps), then turned back,” O’Mara said, describing how the animal began more of a spinning motion. “Anything you can score 89 points on is pretty good.” It’s one of the many great Carr Pro Rodeo bulls that will be featured at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11, at Jake McClure Arena. A number of those bulls will be part of the Lea County Xtreme Bulls tour event set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7. “I’ve always tried to get the best animals I can get, whether they’re bulls, horses, calves or steers,” said Pete Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock company. “Everybody thinks I’m a horse guy, and I am; but I want to be known as a bull guy, too.” Cowboys are seeing that, too. “The bulls are awesome,” said Chandler Bownds, the 2011 rookie of the year from Lubbock, Texas. “Pete brought in some great subcontractors to juice up his great pen of bulls, and there were a bunch of bulls that bucked really hard.” Carr does what it takes to reach out to bull riders, from talking about great animal athletes to bringing in sub-contractors to rodeos so the cowboys get the best chance possible to win money. Jarrod Craig of Hillsboro, Texas, rode the bull Itch N Scratch for 87 points to share the win with Chris Roundy of Panguitch, Utah; Roundy rode Carr’s The Mexican, and each cowboy earned $3,097. “That bull bucks hard,” Craig said of Itch N Scratch. “He had a good trip, and it worked out.” The Carr bulls have been gaining plenty of acclaim throughout this rodeo season. Trey Benton III won the Mercedes, Texas, rodeo in mid-March after scoring 91 points on Missing Parts. “He was really good,” said Benton, of Rock Island, Texas. “He just stumbled at the five-second mark, but I think he was even more after he stumbled. He got after it. “You have to have a good bull to score 91, and Pete’s got one there.” Carr knows he’s got some special athletes that will be part of the excitement in Lovington, just as they have been at rodeos leading up to the August extravaganza. “I’ve got some good ones in addition to Missing Parts,” Carr said. “I’ve got some great bulls in The Mexican, Black Ice, Black Powder, Morning After and Hot & Ready that went to a lot of the winter rodeos. I have some more outstanding bulls that I haven’t bucked just yet, but I think all of them have a lot of potential.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – For Clint Cooper, it’s very simple. “Even though I was born in Texas, I’m a Lea County boy,” said Cooper, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier who graduated from Lovington High School. “I think it’s more than Jake McClure’s arena. I know my dad and my uncles all roped in that arena, and I’ve been blessed to have roped in that arena, so there’s a lot of history there in Lovington. It’s awesome.” Cooper will return to his roots for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11 at Jake McClure Arena. He is one of the elite tie-down ropers in the game, just like McClure in the 1930s and his father, Roy “Super Looper” Cooper, in the 1980s. You see, rodeo is a big deal in the Cooper family, from his grandfather, Tuffy, to his father, an eight-time world titlist, to his half-brothers, Clif and Tuf, both NFR qualifiers – in fact, Tuf is the reigning world champion tie-down roper. There are also cousins who have excelled in the sport, and they, too, make Lea County their homes – world champion Jimmie Cooper and his twin sons, Jim Ross and Jake; all three have played on the biggest stage in the sport, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “It’s great if you love it, and I love it,” Clint Cooper said. “It’s got lots of ups and downs, especially with the traveling, but I’m fortunate to have my family on the road with me.” He’s talking about his wife, the former Amber Rodie, and their sons, Casen, 4, and Canden, 10 months. Amber, too, is from Lovington, and her father, Don Rodie, was a longtime football coach at Lovington High School. He is now coaching in Jacksboro, Texas, near Clint and Amber’s home in Decatur, Texas. “It’s awesome to come back to your roots,” Clint said, referring to the annual fair and rodeo that has driven nearly 100,000 people to the community of about 10,000 in just 10 August days in 2011. “All the people’s support is great. It’s just like any time, you get to come back and see people you know. For me, I get to visit with my grandparents there, my mom and my stepdad. It’s good to see everybody in the family.” It’s also a time he gets to reflect on the local support he receives, and it’s not just family. Tate Branch Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Hobbs, N.M., provides him vehicle needs to chase his rodeo dreams, while McVay Drilling has been a major piece of the puzzle to help with all the expenses that come down the rodeo trail. “Even though I’m from there and go all over the world, that’s where my biggest supporters are right there in Lea County,” he said. “They’ve believed in me from the start.” The son of a rodeo legend, Clint Cooper’s got his start at birth in January 1982. Over the course of his career, Cooper has had plenty of supporters, from sponsors or even those who supported him through youth rodeo and high school basketball. “I think Clint brings great rodeo tradition to our rodeo,” said Dean Jackson, chairman of the Lea County Fair Board. “When you think of the Coopers, you think of Tuffy and Betty Gale, but Clint did graduate from Lovington, and his mom still lives in Hobbs. Everybody wants to see the hometown boy do good. “I’m happy for Tuf and Clif, but when Clint wins a rodeo, it means a little more.” That sentiment can be found all over Lea County. “He follows the Cooper family tradition,” said Greg Massey, the chairman of the rodeo committee. “It goes back to his granddad, Tuffy Cooper. The Cooper family has been known for their talent in roping, and the county’s honored to have them part of our legacy. We’re very proud that they come back to Lea County and compete every year.” That’s almost a given for Cooper and his brothers. While it’s home, Lovington also is a hot destination for ProRodeo’s top contestants. The Lea County Fair and Rodeo is part of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, so it’s a big stop for the sport’s greatest stars. “It’s awesome that it’s a big rodeo,” Clint Cooper said. “It’s always been a big rodeo and an honor to Jake McClure. But especially now, everybody’s going to be there. Now that it’s a tour rodeo, it’s awesome. “I’ve been there every year since I could go to it, and to see how much it’s grown since 2009 when it joined the tour, with the concerts and the people they’re attracting there, it’s crazy. The people aren’t just coming from right around there; they’re coming from all over.” It’s quite a reflection of the people of Lea County, especially those who volunteer their time to benefit the fair and rodeo. “My family members have been on the board for years, and I know everybody on the board and the sacrifices they’ve gone through to do this for us,” Cooper said. “We’ve always had a carnival there, but now we’ve got the concerts of this magnitude coming it. Everything’s just bigger and better than it’s ever been. “It’s so much more than you’d think, and it’s harder than you think. They’ve done a great job for Lea County.”

Thumbing through old issues of ProRodeo Sports News has become a fascinating hobby of mine recently. Yeah, I’m nostalgic, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Just the other day, I remember that I was quoted in one of the stories published in the May 16, 2001, issue. There, on Page 14 in Troy Schwindt’s story about Mark Gomes’ victory in Guymon, Okla., are the two words I recited to Schwindt moments after Gomes said them to me. “ ‘Redemption time,’ he told one reporter,” Schwindt wrote. Yep, I was that one reporter. I remember where it happened on the east side of Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena that Sunday afternoon in early May. Gomes had drawn Harry Vold Rodeo Co.’s Sheep Tick, the same horse that had smashed him in the chutes in Cheyenne, Wyo., breaking Gomes’ pelvis in three spots. The wreck happened in July 2000, just a few months before the Arizona-raised cowboy tested his talents – and his fears – on the bucking horse. The revenge ride was just two and a half years from Gomes’ world championship, earned in 1998 after he won the average championship at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That was my first year covering Pioneer Days Rodeo, and I wrote about the Kansas cowboy’s big win. He and Sheep Tick danced across the dirt for a then-Hitch Arena record 87-point ride, and the move bolstered Gomes’ opportunity to make the NFR again after missing the 2000 championship because of the injury. The PSN story included a photo of Gomes with his sons, Conor and Colton, the latter of whom was an infant when Gomes won the world title in 1998. Much has changed since that May afternoon in 2001. Mark Gomes no longer rides rank bareback horses, and Conor Gomes will be a senior in high school starting this fall. But I still like reading nostalgic stories, even telling a few along the way.

NEOSHO, Mo. – D.V. Fennell knows what it takes to win. From a high level of competitiveness to having the right friends in the right places, Fennell has been getting it done on the rodeo trail. A two-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the Oklahoma cowboy leads the bareback riding standings in the International Professional Rodeo Association, the American Cowboys Rodeo Association and the Cowboy Rodeo Association. “I’m not traveling quite as hard as I once did, but I figure if I’m going to ride bucking horses, then, shoot, I’d better do it to the very best of my ability,” said Fennell, a long-time Neosho resident. “The way I look at it is if I’m going to nod my head, I may as well try to win the rodeo.” He’s done that more often than not. In fact, Fennell has competed in about 30 rodeos this season. Of those, he’s won bareback riding titles at more than two-thirds. “I actually won three rodeos in a row this weekend,” Fennell said Sunday, July 22. “I actually had an equipment problem, but my buddy, Eric, helped me out a ton with that.” Fennell is talking about Neosho State Farm Insurance agent Eric Norris, who is Fennell’s primary sponsor. When Fennell returned from a recent rodeo trip that was hampered by a worn bareback rigging, a replacement awaited him. “Eric made sure I had that when I got home,” Fennell said. “He’s been a great friend, and I am very thankful that he’s been on board with me, not only with my insurance, but with my rodeo career, too.” In fact, Norris and several others who follow the sport have made their presence felt at rodeos across this land. They will be out in full force when Fennell competes Aug. 9 at the event in Carthage, Mo. “The fans have been awesome everywhere we go,” Fennell said. “I love riding bucking horses, but the fans are why I love to do this. I appreciate each and every one of them.” Whether he’s riding in a small rodeo in eastern Oklahoma or in Las Vegas, Fennell wears the Norris’ State Farm brand wherever he rides. “I can’t say enough about Eric, because he’s stuck by me no matter what trouble I’ve had,” Fennell said. “He understands the nature of the game, and he’s OK with it. That’s a real friend.”

The three-week run of rodeos in the Prairie Circuit is at its midway point with events scheduled this week. It began last week in Woodward, Okla., and Pretty Prairie, Kan. This week there are rodeos in Burwell, Neb.; Wahoo, Neb.; Manhattan, Kan; Hardtner, Kan.; and Mitchell, Neb. The big run of high-dollar rodeos closes out next week at events in Dodge City, Kan.; Hill City, Kan.; Phillipsburg, Kan.; and Abilene, Kan. It’s an important run for contestants vying to qualify or the Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, which will take place Oct. 18-20 at the Stephens County Expo Center in Duncan, Okla. More importantly, next week’s run is a major player for those cowboys and cowgirls hoping to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo is the only event on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour scheduled for next week, so it’s an important place for ProRodeo’s elite to be. That means the other events in the region will benefit. That’s good for all those events, from the Jayhawker Roundup in Hill City to Sidney (Iowa) Championship Rodeo. It’s good for the cowboys, too.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Mary Trotter’s recent heart surgery did nothing to diminish her support for the Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign that works alongside the annual Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. In fact, the procedure might have stoked a bigger fire for Trotter’s passion for the Circle of Hope, a Dodge City organization that gives back to cancer patients and their families; it is the beneficiary of the rodeo’s Pink Night fund-raiser. Roundup Rodeo is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 5, and the Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 4. “It’s pretty important to me because what we do goes right into the community,” she said. “The Circle of Hope had no funding before this, and they’re able to help people with groceries, transportation, rent … just about anything they might need. We just got a web page up, but before that, all the information about the Circle of Hope was just word of mouth.” Now that the word is getting out, people are learning more about the organization, a self-help non-profit group for cancer patients and their caregivers. “The support group was formed by Jack and Jane Dalton and Ray and Pat Shrader of Dodge City,” reads a statement on the site, www.circleofhopedodgecity.com. “Both Jane and Pat were diagnosed as having cancer at approximately the same time in 1992. Being very proactive in seeing that they would receive the best treatment available, the best oncologists associated with each ones type of cancer, and the best care during their time of recovery, they were determined to fight their cancer with a passion and see that everything was being done to give them the opportunity to survive this dreaded disease.” The Circle of Hope provides financial assistance, resource information, sharing and caring group meetings and free mammograms for women ages 35-64 that have no insurance or might have a high premium. The group also encourages early detection and prevention programs. Over the last six years, Roundup Rodeo’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign has raised more than $126,000 for the Circle of Hope. “It’s kept that pace since we started,” Trotter said. “This thing just keeps going and going, and we’ve had other things hop on the bandwagon. The local Knights of Columbus got ahold of us so they could have a fund-raising breakfast for Tough Enough, and they’re looking to do a horseshoe pitching contest to raise money for Tough Enough. “We have sponsors who give, and we pass the pink hats for four nights of the rodeo. We also sell pink products – we have some cool new clothes this year – and all the proceeds go to the Circle of Hope.” While fans, contestants, personnel and the arena will be decked out on Saturday night, there are plenty of opportunities to give beyond that particular night. “We will pass the hat Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with Saturday being that grand finale,” Trotter said. “We will be at the parade, at the barbecue and at our booth at the rodeo. We’re just trying to raise as much money for them as we can.” To that end, anyone can give at any time, but it’s quite a site to see the rodeo arena “pinked out.” For those who wish, they can also donate through the Circle of Hope’s website. “I think our Tough Enough fund-raising going to the Circle of Hope is important to the people here because it’s local,” Trotter said. “Some groups send their stuff off to other organizations, but ours just keeps going in the community. Before Tough Enough, Roundup didn’t have that much to give back to the community other than entertainment and the rodeo. “I think that has a lot to do with it. People are proud to give locally. We had a farmer from Sublette who wanted to be a sponsor for Tough Enough. I don’t know whether he had cancer in the family or what, but he just takes care of it out there. It’s interesting when it takes off and keeps evolving.”

EAGLE, Colo. – Cort Scheer has worked his way up the saddle bronc riding world standings. That’s no easy task, even for the best in the game. It’s a tougher task for Scheer, who missed a good portion of the 2011 ProRodeo season after suffering a torn knee ligament, just a few months removed from his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification. Scheer is firmly in the top 10 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s saddle bronc riding money list, and he has a chance to move up this week at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28. You see, Scheer is matched with Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cool Runnings, a Carr Pro Rodeo horse that is quickly becoming the talk in saddle bronc riding. In fact, Jake Wright recently matched moves with Cool Runnings to win the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Ariz., posting an 88-point score worth $3,437. “That horse has been pretty good all year long,” said Pete Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock firm that provides the bucking animals in Eagle. “Cort’s got that horse on Wednesday night, but Ryan Elshere has Cool Runnings on Friday, and I think they’ll both do well.” Wright, one of four brothers that are scheduled to compete Saturday night, has drawn Miss Congeniality, a mare that has been selected to perform at the NFR each of the past two years. Before she became of the Carr string, she was selected as the horse of the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Other bronc riding matchups include Deuces Wild vs. Cody DeMoss and Sam Spreadborough, and Corner Guard against Rusty Allen. The Carr bulls will be tested by some of the top cowboys in the game. Black Ice will be matched against Trey Benton III, a top-five bull rider who leads the PRCA rookie standings, and Kanin Asay, a four-time NFR qualifier. The Mexican will be tested by Tony Mendez, who has been atop the bull riding game for many years. Other bull riding matchups include Morning After and Cody Rostockyj – Jacob O’Mara rode Morning After for 89 points to win in Window Rock on July 6 – and Craig Jackson vs. Missing Parts. Tom McFarland leads a list of top-flight bareback riders who are scheduled to compete in Eagle. McFarland, a four-time NFR qualifier, is matched against Carr’s MGM Deuces Night, one of the most recognized broncs in ProRodeo. So far this year, MGM Deuces Night has guided cowboys to event titles in Houston, Texas; Guymon, Okla.; and Pecos, Texas, and contestants have had soaring scores – reigning world champion Kaycee Feild scored an arena-record 93 points to win RodeoHouston in March; Steven Dent had a PRCA-best 91 on the 7-year-old bay/paint mare west Texas in late June; and J.R. Vezain was 89 in Guymon in early May. Other key match-ups include Real Deal matching moves with 2011 NFR qualifier Brian Bain; Miss Hollywood vs. Vezain and three-time world champion Will Lowe; PRCA rookie standings leader Richie Champion will try Grass Dancer, the horse that guided Ryan Gray to a world record-tying 94 points in Eagle just three seasons ago; and Caleb Bennett vs. Outa Sight, a 7-year-old paint mare that hasn’t bucked in more than a year – she was selected to buck at the 2010 NFR.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Over the course of two weeks from the end of June into July, Steven Dent won $25,685. He was the big winner during ProRodeo’s Cowboy Christmas, the time of year around the Fourth of July holiday that features some lucrative rodeos with great payouts. When it all came together, Dent had catapulted into the lead in the bareback riding world standings. And it all started on July 30 in Pecos, Texas, where he matched moves with Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Deuces Night for 91 points to win the West of the Pecos Rodeo. He collected $3,491, and the string of great rides began. “If we could vote on the most desirable horse in the world to draw, I would say everybody would probably pick Deuces Night,” said Steven Dent, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bareback rider from Mullin, Neb. “If you had one horse, one ride to win any rodeo, I’m pretty sure everyone would say Deuces Night.” MGM Deuces Night, along with a number of other elite bucking beasts from the Carr ranch, will be featured at Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11, at Jake McClure Arena. Dent’s ride in Pecos was the highest-marked ride on the 7-year-old bay/paint mare at a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event in her three years bucking in ProRodeo and the second highest marked ride on her ever – reigning world champion Kaycee Feild of Payson, Utah, posted a 93-point, arena-record ride to win the $50,000 round at RodeoHouston, a non-sanctioned event. “I’d never been on that horse, but I’d been on Pete’s Dirty Jacket before,” Dent said. “Actually a couple years ago I finished second on him; Chris Harris won on Deuces Night before anybody knew about that horse. I’ve been wanting to get on Deuces Night ever since. “It felt really good. She left the chute really hard. She feels like she stalls out and leaps six feet in the air. If every horse felt like that, there would be 500 more bareback riders in the world.” The mare has a pretty strong resume. Of the four times she’s bucked at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, she’s helped cowboys to three go-round victories and one runner-up finish. Some experts might say she just likes that arena. Well, that can be said for just about any rodeo pen. “She’s been pretty electric just about anywhere we’ve taken her,” said Pete Carr, the man who owns MGM Deuces Night and Carr Pro Rodeo. And the cowboys love it. “That’s just a unique horse, and she gets real high in the air,” said Feild, who rode her for the 10th-round win during the 2011 NFR. “That horse tries really hard to buck really good. She gets high in the air and gives you a lot of time to set your feet and crank your toes out. You’ve got to have quick feet and set them high in the neck. With that horse, it seems easy to set them high in the neck. “She’s that way every time I’ve been on her. She’s a pretty cool horse.” Feild has seen her quite a bit. He won the NFR’s 10th round on MGM Deuces Night in 2010, too, then scored 90 points to share the final-round win in April 2011 at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. Of course, Feild isn’t the only cowboy to have success on the young mare. “When I heard callbacks, I was screaming out loud and running around like a little girl,” said J.R. Vezain of Cowley, Wyo., who rodeo MGM Deuces Night for 89 points to win the rodeo in Guymon, Okla., earlier this year. “I had my highest marked ride on that horse last year with an 87 at San Antonio, and I was going for the record this year. “I was going for 90; I knew it was going to be good.” That’s what Ryan Gray of Chaney, Wash., got when he matched moves with the horse during the fifth go-round of the 2011 NFR. It was worthy of the round victory, just like Kelly Timberman of Mills, Wyo., did in 2010, when he scored 88.5 points. Not bad for a horse that was raised by bareback rider Wes Stevenson. “I knew she’d have a really good shot to come to the finals,” said Stevenson, a seven-time NFR qualifier from Lubbock, Texas. “I knew she was that good, so part of the reason I sold her to Pete is that I knew she’d have a good shot to go to the finals. I bought her from Jim Zinser as a brood mare, but she bucked so good, I didn’t want to waste her sitting at my house. I wanted her to have a chance. “She has a lot of heart. I was the first one to get on her with a rigging, and from the first time we ever bucked her, I knew that little filly has a lot of heart. She’s a very electric horse.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – A tour system was established in ProRodeo more than a decade ago to showcase some of the greatest events in the sport. It continues today and is a major drawing card for cowboys and cowgirls who make their livings traveling the rodeo trail. The Wrangler Million Dollar Tour features 25 rodeos that offer lucrative payouts. More money means more big named contestants, so it’s a win-win for everyone involved. Enter the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11 at Jake McClure Arena. It is one of three tour rodeos taking place that week, joining Hermiston, Ore., and Sikeston, Mo. “For us being so far away from all the other rodeos this time of year, I think it’s a big draw for us to get most of the top 15 contestants in here,” said Greg Massey, chairman of the rodeo committee. “There are a lot of rodeos that weekend, and there aren’t many in our area. With today’s economy, contestants are trying to travel as little a distance as possible and still make as much money as possible.” With Lovington nestled in southeast New Mexico, the bulk of ProRodeos take place in the Northwest. But the tour is a major drawing card for the contestants. “We wanted the best cowboys and cowgirls to come to our rodeo, not just consider it,” said Dean Jackson, chairman of the Lea County Fair Board. “We were having problems with contestants turning out, and we wanted to remedy that.” A turn-out happens when a contestant enters the competition, then opts out. The tour provides the incentive for the contestants to be in Lovington. “Since we’ve become a tour rodeo, we’ve seen a significant decrease in turn-outs,” Jackson said. “Part of that has to do with having Carr Pro Rodeo as our stock contractor, and he brings the animals the guys want to get on. The other thing that’s helped is that we’ve got the back-to-back format, where the timed-event contestants can get in and get out in the same day. If they can come in and do both their runs and leave, they’re happy. “We’ve had good contestants. We’re getting most of the top guys, and you can’t complain about that one bit.” The top guys don’t complain about making it to Lovington, either. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and the contestant in each event who finishes the season with the most money earned is crowned world champion. The tour is built around rodeos with big-money payouts, so it’s all very attractive to the sport’s biggest names as well as its rising stars. “I won this rodeo two times before, in ’04 and ’07,” said Clint Cooper, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier who graduated from Lovington High School. “It’s real important for me to win this rodeo. Now it’s part of the (Wrangler Million Dollar) tour, so that’s a big deal, too. There’s only one more tour rodeo left, so this rodeo is going to draw all the top guys, that’s for sure.” A year ago, Cooper finished second at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, earning almost $3,200 in the process. Those dollars helped him get to Las Vegas, where he won a go-round and placed in four others. In all, he earned $48,269 at the 2011 NFR. How big was New Mexico’s only tour stop last year? Of the 10 event champions crowned (including ties) in Lovington last August, seven qualified for the NFR – bareback riders Brian Bain and Will Lowe, steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch, team ropers Clay Tryan and Travis Graves, steer roper Trevor Brazile (who won the steer roping and all-around titles last year) and bull rider Chandler Bownds. “I like to make money, but to win a rodeo is something special,” said Bain, who parlayed his Lea County title into his trip to Vegas as a qualifier.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Mercedes Benz knows what it takes to manufacture some of the world’s greatest automobiles. Pete Carr knows the manufacturing is much different, but he’s got a pretty good idea what it takes to produce the world’s greatest animal athletes. That’s why the Carr Pro Rodeo breeding program is such a big deal and while fans in Lovington will get to see its rewards during the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11, at Jake McClure Arena. The foundation is on the Carr Pro Rodeo ranch southeast of Athens in east Texas. It’s where bucking horses and bulls are pampered and where trees align pastureland to provide shade and cover. It’s where established athletes are matched to create the next generation of stars. “We definitely take care of the animals,” said Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock firm. “Jeff Collins is our ranch manager, and he takes care of everything as if it were his own. That means a lot. We know we can trust everything he does.” From the right feed to the acres of grassland, the ranch is a great place for great animal athletes. Right now, mares that have performed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – from River Boat Annie to Black Coffee – are providing the TLC to their weeks old colts, fathered by NFR bucker Korczak. Yes, it’s more than 500 miles from Lovington to the Carr ranch, but the fans who pack the Jake McClure Arena get to see the result of great breeding when they watch the animals in action. For instance, River Boat Annie was named the reserve world champion bareback horse in 2007 and has been to the NFR every year since. She has three colts that are being prepared for their trips to Las Vegas. “She’s got a 3-year-old colt that we just bucked with a dummy,” Collins said about one of the first arena experiences for young horses. The device is controlled by a remote control that, when clicked, releases a lock on the dummy so it feels as though the dummy is bucked off. In order to give the young buckers confidence, Collins hits the remote trigger at three seconds. “When River Boat’s colt bucked, it was so cool and so electric that it took everything I had to push that button,” Collins said. “You hope to see that kind of action every time that horse bucks.” That’s what Carr is hoping and why he’s invested into the breeding program as much as he has. Korczak bucked at the NFR in both bareback riding and bronc riding, which makes him a valuable portion of the breeding program. The paint horse’s genetics flow quite easily among many of the colts on the ranch. “I’m excited by what we’re seeing as far as our breeding program,” Carr said. “Over the years, I’ve gone out and acquired great animals, both horses and bulls. I want to produce great rodeos, entertaining rodeos. To do that, you have to have the best contestants. To get the best contestants, you have to have good livestock. “I’m happy that our breeding program is contributing to that.” The foundation for a great rodeo lies on an east Texas ranch, but the benefits are found in Lovington.

EAGLE, Colo. – Ask any contestant what makes the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo special, they’ll talk about the setting, the crowds and the great bucking animals. Whatever it is, the annual event is quite successful, and it’s just getting better with age. “It’s awesome for a lot of reasons, but partly because it’s Colorado,” said Casey Colletti, one of the top bareback riders in the game from Pueblo, Colo. “It’s beautiful there. It’s by the river; it’s in the mountains. It’s Colorado in July.” The Eagle County Fair and Rodeo is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28, and it provides a picturesque showcase of outstanding rodeo talent. Take Colletti, who is on pace to qualify for a second straight Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. A year ago, he rode Carr Pro Rodeo’s Grass Dancer for 86 points and a share of third place in Eagle. The $1,300 he earned helped him qualify for the NFR. “I have one of the rankest pictures of my life from that rodeo,” he said of the Greg Westfall photograph of him and Grass Dancer from last July. “Pete Carr is there, and he brings all the great horses that we all want to get on. The cool thing about Eagle is that everything bucks so well there that you never know what’s going to win.” That just adds to the excitement. Take Grass Dancer, for example, the 11-year-old buckskin mare has been to the NFR each of the last four years. At Eagle in 2009, she matched moves with Ryan Gray for a world record-tying 94 points. “Eagle is a pretty special place, even if we’re just talking about the atmosphere,” said Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock firm. “The animals just love the weather there.  It’s really cool for us as well when you figure we’re a Texas livestock company. Getting to go to Eagle in July from this kind of heat in Texas is a nice change for all of us.” It worked out quite well for Louie Brunson, who won saddle bronc riding at Eagle a year ago. He and Carr’s Trail Dust matched up for 85 points, worth $2,800 for Brunson. “That was my first time on that horse, but it seems like everything bucks good in Eagle,” said Brunson, 26, of Interior, S.D. “It’s just kind of a cool rodeo. It has a neat background and good stock. “When you ride, they get awesome crowds. They packed that thing full. I couldn’t believe it.” Why? “It’s a good rodeo,” he said. “It’s a tough rodeo to get into, because there are so many guys who enter it. It seems like everybody shows up because you’ve got a chance to win on everything.” Colletti agrees. There are only so many spots available in each of the roughstock events – bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. “It would mean a lot if I could win that rodeo,” said Colletti, who won $82,644 during his 10 days in Las Vegas for the 2011 NFR. “I’ve always wanted to win that rodeo. I’ve seen that buckle, and I’ve always wanted one. Plus it’s close to home. “I’m not the local guy, but I’m the Colorado guy.” And he’d love to make a big move on the back of a Carr horse. “Those animals get out of the hot Texas heat, and they get in the mountains and that cool air, and it makes them feel better,” Colletti said. “When they feel that good, they show it. That’s pretty cool.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Jerry Norton is a world champion, a motivational speaker and a doting father. He also has been a fixture every summer in Dodge City, where he serves as a bullfighter and ambassador for Roundup Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 5, at Roundup Arena. The 2012 edition of Kansas’ largest rodeo will mark the end of Norton’s 23-year ProRodeo bullfighting career. “I’m moving on,” Norton said. “Bullfighting doesn’t thrill me as much as it used to. I’m also realizing I’m not a young pup. I want to quit before they say that I should have to. Plus I’m getting very busy working as a barrelman and rodeo clown. Dodge City is the only rodeo I’ll be fighting bulls this season.” It’s a transition phase for Norton, but it’s befitting of a grand celebration. Norton first arrived in Dodge City to serve in cowboy protection during the rodeo’s bull riding, but his main purpose was to battle for the coveted title in the Wrangler Bullfights, a freestyle bullfight that was a longtime feature at Roundup and several other rodeos across this land. In fact, Norton won the Wrangler Bullfighting Tour’s world championship at the 1998 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “Dodge City’s really the only rodeo I get to work with Jerry, and it’s always good to see him and his family and share what’s gone on with our lives throughout the year,” said Lance Brittan, the 1999 Wrangler Bullfighting Tour’s world champion originally from Scott City, Kan. “We’ve become good friends over the years, and we call each other a couple of times a year, but I really enjoy getting the chance to sit down and visit with him.” They also get to use their athleticism during Roundup’s bull riding to keep everyone in the arena out of harm’s way. This year they will be joined by rising star Wacey Munsell, also a freestyle bullfighting world champion who won titles in association with the Professional Bull Riders tour and the World Championship Rodeo Bullfighting, an event that is designed specifically for freestyle fights. “It will be pretty cool personal feeling to look around that arena and seeing that level of ability that’s not matched very often,” Norton said. “I’m sure each one of us is going to be stepping it up. “With Wacey taking over for me after this year, there will be a seamless transition. He’ll take the shots that need to be taken. Basically this is his hometown crowd. He has wanted to work this rodeo since before he got into the PRCA.” Munsell, a third-generation bullfighter from Ulysses, Kan., is looking forward to the opportunity that awaits him in Dodge City. “It’s a goal I’ve long awaited to accomplish,” he said. “I grew up going to that rodeo. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been to that rodeo. I can remember back when I was 8 years old going to that rodeo, and it was Jerry, Lloyd Ketchum and Rowdy Berry. That was when the Wrangler tour was big. I’ve wanted to fight bulls there since then.” That happens when one is raised around bullfighting. Norton wasn’t, but he has taken to it quite well. In fact, he’s worked some of the biggest events in the sport since turning pro in 1990. He’s most proud, though, of working Roundup for 20 years. “I went in knowing that the only bullfighter Dodge City brings back every year was the one that won the bullfighting,” Norton said. “I knew I had to do that. “One of my biggest memories is being asked to come back the second year. I didn’t win the bullfight, and they asked me back. That was pretty special to me.” That euphoria continued year after year. “What’s best is the people involved,” he said. “It’s the people of Dodge City, not just the rodeo committee people. Some are the rodeo’s sponsors, and some are just people from the community. We’ve got some really good friends there. That’s the one rodeo that’s a gimme for my wife to attend, because she loves Roundup Rodeo that much.” Why? Over the course of two decades, even April Norton has learned what her husband appreciates about Roundup. “I’m blessed beyond what I deserve to go to a rodeo like Dodge City for so long,” Jerry Norton said. “That has allowed me and my family to develop relationships like we have.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – The Lea County Fair and Rodeo has become known as a place that draws the very best contestants in ProRodeo. It’s about to get even better. Forty of the top bull riders in the country will take part in the inaugural Lea County Xtreme Bulls, set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, at Jake McClure Arena. Money earned in Lovington that night will count toward the Xtreme Bulls standings and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s bull riding world standings and a chance to qualify for the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I think it’s a good thing that Lovington’s having an Xtreme Bulls, because last year with just the rodeo pen, it was a good rodeo and an important rodeo because it was part of the tour,” said Jacob O’Mara, a 2011 NFR qualifier from Prairieville, La. “What a better way to make it even bigger than to throw an Xtreme Bulls in there. I think you can draw even more of a crowd, and I think you’re going to see even more of the top bull riders. “I think it’ll be a great turnout all the way around.” The main factor for the Lea County Fair Board was offering another entertainment package for fairgoers. “We’ve been trying to work on this for some time,” said Greg Massey, chairman of the rodeo committee. “We thought it was an event that would go well with our fair and rodeo. We think the people in this area would really enjoy it. Xtreme Bulls is a high-energy event that people in this area would turn out for. “With the price of our fair and rodeo being just $6 for admission, we felt like it was an outstanding event we could give to a family for a very affordable price.” That it is. More than half the field of entrants have qualified for the NFR, including three world champions, Shane Proctor of Grand Coulee, Wash. (2011), Wesley Silcox of Payson, Utah (2007) and J.W. Harris of Mullin, Texas(2008-10). Also scheduled to compete are the top four cowboys in the world standings: No. 1 Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas; No. 2 Cody Samora, Cortez, Colo.; No. 3 Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo.; and No. 4 Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas. “What’s big is you get a chance to ride for a lot of money,” said Cody Whitney, a three-time NFR qualifier from Sayre, Okla. “If you do good and you win, it’s going to pay close to $15,000. Not only do you want to win that kind of money, but it shoots you far enough in the standings so that you can take a deep breath and relax; you don’t have to stress so much about making the finals. “I think it’s good for Lovington because not only will it help their numbers in bull riding contestants, but it will really help their crowd grow for the Xtreme Bulls and the rodeo, too.” It looks to be a win-win for contestants and fans. In fact, the Lea County Xtreme Bulls will be featured on the nationally televised package on Great American County network. The program is scheduled to air the first time at 8 p.m. Mountain time Tuesday, Sept. 11. “We wanted to give the people something more to see,” said Dean Jackson, the fair board chairman. “We’re always trying to update our venue, and everybody loves the bull riding.”

If I need a loan, all I have to do is check in with the Bank of Kaycee Feild. In the last eight months, Feild has won three of the most prestigious bareback riding titles in the sport: The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, RodeoHouston and the Calgary Stampede. In those three rodeos alone, Feild has pocketed $350,977 – $179,327 during 10 days in Las Vegas, $53,650 in Houston and $118,000 in Alberta. As of July 16, 2012, Feild sits in the top five in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings with $53,638. Throw that in, and Feild has pocketed more than $400,000 since Dec. 1, 2011. That’s a CEO’s salary; maybe Feild would consider a TwisTED grant. Hey, Kaycee, let’s visit.

Sometimes we don’t give nearly enough recognition to those who make our jobs easier. First and foremost, I have to take my hat off to Jim Bainbridge with the PRCA, who does yeomen’s work as the association’s media director. If I ever need anything – and I’m always in need of something – I just reach out to Jim. He has been awesome to work with. Jim is just one of many underappreciated members of the staff that helps promote the sport and the association. The same can be said for his predecessor, Ann Bleiker, who is now the editor of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s publications and who serves as Shawn Davis’ right-hand woman before, during and after the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Just yesterday I leaned on a good friend, Steve Kenyon, who owns and operates ProRodeo Live, the radio broadcast of so many events. I was in need of some information mid-evening, so I listened to one of Steve’s Rodeo Profiles reports. It made the difference in what I needed at that particular moment. Steve is a past winner of the PRCA Media Award for Broadcasting Excellence, and he deserves much more credit than he gets. It’s because of his work that more and more people are logging on to learn more about our sport. So thanks to all of you for the work you do. We appreciate you more than you might ever know.  

This week folks in south-central Kansas will have the opportunity to experience a wonderful tradition: The Kansas Largest Night Rodeo. It’s better known as the Pretty Prairie rodeo, and it’s nestled near bigger Kansas cities Wichita and Hutchinson. It’s a great event in small community, and I was blessed to be associated with it for more than a decade. I covered the rodeo as a sportswriter with The Hutchinson News, then continued to return to the area every July for a number of years after I’d moved to Oklahoma in 1999 – I volunteered to be the event’s media person, helping promote and increase coverage of the rodeo every year. Does that sound familiar? The work I did on my vacations is the foundation for my business, Rodeo Media Relations, and I still hold tight to those basics today. It’s been four years since I’ve been to the Pretty Prairie rodeo. I had hoped to continue working the wonderful gem after I’d established Rodeo Media Relations and even offered to donate my time and talent in exchange for a little gas money to get me back and forth. Unfortunately, the committee didn’t like that idea, and I haven’t been back But I miss my friends, and I miss a wonderful little event that remains a big part of what I do today. 

EAGLE, Colo. – Much has changed in the world of rodeo since Paul Peterson first saddled a horse and stepped on. As the world evolves and time passes, the Western lifestyle follows suit. Every July, he’s been a fixture as a pickup man in Eagle. In fact, he was one of very best at his job and has been recognized as such in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. His role is changing, though; now he’s the main flankman for Carr Pro Rodeo, the primary stock contractor for the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28. “Everything’s for the better,” Peterson said. “I really enjoy it.” Pete Carr has served as the flankman for several years, but as owner of the Dallas-based livestock firm, Carr has numerous other responsibilities that need his attention. Therefore, having a veteran like Peterson handling the flanking responsibilities is a benefit to the operation. “Paul has been a valuable part of our team since our first rodeo,” Carr said. “Paul is one of the most versatile guys you’ll ever meet, and in rodeo, he can do just about everything. He knows these animals, and that plays a lot into what he’s done with us from the very beginning. “I want to surround myself with the best people possible, and that’s what I get with Paul.” How important is it to understand the animal athletes? “Every horse is going to take a different kind of flank,” Peterson said. “Those older horses, the ones that have been around a long time, they need a little bit more of a flank, but the colts will need less. You’ve got to figure out what’s going to be the best flank for each of the animals to perform at their best. You can ruin the horse or get him to the NFR.” Peterson knows a little bit about that. As an all-around cowboy competing in the PRCA, he just missed qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo a few times in saddle bronc riding. As a pickup man, he was chosen by the bareback riders and bronc riders to work the NFR three times. Whatever he’s done, he’s excelled. That means he’ll take to the task of flankman with the same gusto. “You’ve just got to know the animals,” Peterson said. “I think I’ve watched most of Pete’s horses a long time, so I know what they need and when to be at the top of their game. So far it’s worked. “You take into consideration where the horse come from and what they’ve done to him in the past and if you’ve raised him. It helps to know a lot about what their mom is and what she was like; a lot of time they’re going to be just like her.” The NFR is an annual showcase of the very best in ProRodeo, from the top 15 contestants in each event and discipline to the best personnel.  John and Sandy Gwatney have worked the NFR for several years and are a big part of Carr Pro Rodeo’s success. Bullfighters Chris Kirby and Clay Heger not only help protect fallen bull riders, but also they handle many of the behind-the-scenes tasks that go on at each rodeo, while Josh Edwards and Matt Scott will serve as pickup men. “I think the key to any success we have had is the high caliber people that we are fortunate to work with everywhere we go,” Carr said. “You can have the best animals in the world, but you’re not going to be very good without great people on your team. I feel like I have those types of people on my team.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – There aren’t many places where a person can watch pigs race, be enthralled by magic and experience the comedy and talent of a ventriloquist. There are even fewer places where they can do that all for just $6. But that’s the reality of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, which will have daily entertainers from 5 p.m. to closing every night of the fair, from Aug. 3-11. This year’s lineup includes ventriloquist Kevin Johnson, Robert Smith of Street Magic Live and the Ham Bone Express Pig Races. “We try to find the things that will please the crowds,” said Dean Jackson, chairman of the Lea County Fair Board. Ham Bone Express is operated by the Borger family, and they bring their action and comedy show to Lovington from northwest Arkansas. It’s funny, fun to watch and fast-paced, and the Borgers claim to have “The Swiftest Swine Off the Line.” It has four races with four pigs in each race, and the master of ceremonies keeps the crowd involved by assigning cheering sections, with each section having a designated “rooter,” or cheerleader. The special cheerleader of the winning pig is awarded a prize at the end of each race, while the winning animal receives a treat. “They loved the pig races last year, so we wanted to bring that back this year,” Jackson said. While most acts focus on performance, Smith puts his focus squarely on the audience and the relationship he builds with the people in the crowd. “For other magicians, it’s all about the trick,” said Smith, who has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Eastern New Mexico State University. “They just ramble until they get to the ‘ta-da’ moment. That’s why there are so many bad magicians out there, because they worry about the trick and not about the people in their audience.” That’s the flavor he brings to Lea County, and that’s why Smith’s family-friendly act has been celebrated at Walt Disney World Resort, Sea World of Orlando (Fla.) and the New Mexico State Fair, just to name a few. Johnson, who started ventriloquism at age 9, has a pretty good pedigree, too. He was self-taught, but he was drawn to entertaining quite naturally – his grandfather, Harley Noles, performed magic shows throughout Colorado and offered a spot in his lineup should Johnson develop his act well enough. When Johnson was 13, he opened for his grandfather, performing for five minutes with a wooden puppet that his grandfather made him. Since then, he has appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “America’s Got Talent.” The fair begins its 10 days of entertainment with a show from country artist Easton Corbin beginning about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. It is part of a sponsorship appreciation program. “We’re really looking forward to that and giving our sponsors something special,” Jackson said. “The public is welcome to join us for the concert, which is a great kick off to this year’s fair.” When it all comes together, it’s just another reason why the Lea County Fair and Rodeo is one of the most happening places to be in New Mexico each summer. Of course, great entertainment at a great price always is attractive.