Monthly Archives: July 2013

The first-round of competition for Wednesday’s section of Dodge City Roundup Rodeo timed events is complete, and the second round is partially complete. I have posted updated photos HERE. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 31-Aug. 4 Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Casey Martin, 4.2 seconds; 2. Ty Willick, 4.5; 3. Bray Armes, 4.6; 4. Jacob Shofner, 5.0; 5. Cooper Shofner, 5.3; 6. Kyle Broce, 5.8; 7. Dakota Eldridge, 5.9; 8. Ben Shofner, 6.0. Second round leaders: 1. Dru Melvin, 4.2 seconds; 2. Blake Knowles, 4.9; 3. Joe Buffington, 5.6; 4. Kody Dollery, 6.0; 5. Sean Mulligan, 6.8; 6. Gabe Burrows, 8.4; 7. (tie) Sterling Lambert and Kyle Whitaker, 10.9. Average leaders: 1. Joe Buffington, 12.0 on two runs; 2. Sean Mulligan, 13.0; 3. Tait Kvistad, 21.9; 4. Sterling Lambert, 22.6; 5. Kyle Whitaker, 24.9; 6. Blake Knowles, 26.8; 7. Jarret New, 21.4; 8. (tie) Casey Martin and Dru Melvin, 4.2 on one. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Clay Smith/Jake Smith, 5.7 seconds; no other qualified times. Second round leaders: No times yet. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Ben Madsen, 9.4 seconds; 2. Blake Deckard, 11.0; 3. Colby Dorsey, 14.1; 4. Tylen Layton, 15.9; 5. Fred Whitfield, 18.8; 6. Luke Madsen, 21.6; no other qualified times. Second round leaders: no qualified times. Average leaders: no qualified times. Barrel racing: First round leaders: 1. Kelly Waide, 17.34 seconds; 2. (tie) Morgan Figueroa and Carol Chesher, 17.35; 4. Shannon Witcher, 17.45; 5. Lizzy Ehr, 17.48; 6. Ryann Pedone, 17.57; 7. Gretchen Benbenek, 17.60; 8. Katharine Wall, 17.79. Second round leaders: 1. Emily Miller, 17.24 seconds; 2. Sandy McElreath, 17.38; 3. Benette Little, 17.47; 4. Stacey Bailey, 17.63; 5. Kirby Harter, 17.69; 6. Debbie Bloxom, 22.85; 7. Tana Poppino, 22.97; 8. Shanda Suit, 25.94. Average leaders: 1. Sandy McElreath, 35.34 seconds on two runs; 2. Kirby Harter, 35.82; 3. Stacey Bailey, 40.05; 4. Benette Little, 40.21; 5. Shanda Suit, 45.07; 6. Tana Poppino, 46.10; 7. Debbie Bloxom, 46.12; 8. Sherri Lucas, 46.20.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – What started as a family vacation has turned into a nice financial whirlwind for Jason Evans. He left a few weeks ago on a month-long voyage with his family – wife, April; son, Canyon; and daughters, Paisley and Hartley – all while competing on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit. They’ve done all sorts of fun, tourist things along the way, but Evans has roped pretty well, too. He wrapped his second steer roping title in as many weeks on Tuesday by tying down three steers in a cumulative time of 34.8 seconds to win the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo championship and one of the most sought-after trophies in the sport, the Roundup buckle. “I’ve placed in a lot of rounds and placed in the average over the years, but this is the first time I’ve won it,” said Evans, who owns an insurance agency in Huntsville, Texas. “This is one of those buckles that when you see it, you know you want to win it.” Evans placed in two go-rounds – his 11.7 in the second round was good enough for a tie for fifth place, while his 10.7 in the third round earned him third-place money – and earned $4,124 in the process. A week ago, he also earned the championship in Deadwood, S.D., pocketing $3,676 in the process. So what does it take to be successful? “I want to do the things I practice at home and work on and prepare for,” said Evans, who estimates he has won more than $20,000 in the 15 years he’s competed in Dodge City. “This is where you test it. It’s nice to get some success.” Yes, it is. Of course, he doesn’t take all the credit. “My horse is working really good, so that helps a lot,” he said of Choctaw, a 16-year-old bay gelding he got from friend Bill Pearson. “I was focused on just doing the best I can on my steers and not worrying about what the others do on theirs … just go make my runs. If I win first, great; if it’s then, then it’s whatever it is.” Evans began steer roping at the age of 13. Now 30 years later, he is still successful at it when he’s not focused on his business in Huntsville. “I used to calf rope, and I roped steers secondary,” he said. “About 10 to 12 years ago, I started my business, and I have a family now, so I quit calf roping and just rope steers.” Between those two, it’s difficult for a cowboy to be able to earn that coveted trip to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, which is reserved only for the top 15 cowboys on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season. But he would savor that challenge should it ever appear. “I’ll go to the rodeos I can,” Evans said. “If I do good, I’ll make the finals. If I don’t do good, I won’t. I’m OK with that.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 30-Aug. 4 Steer roping: First round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.9 seconds, $1,929; 2. Jess Tierney, 10.4, $1,596; 3. Joe Wells, 11.2, $1,264; 4. Tony Reina, 11.3, $931; 5. Brodie Poppino, 11.4, $599; 6. Brent Lewis, 11.7, $333. Second round: 1. Chet Herren, 10.7 seconds, $1,929; 2. Jarrett Blessing, 10.8, $1,596; 3. (tie) Howdy McGinn and Roger Branch, 11.6, $1,097 each; 5. (tie) Jason Evans and Chance Kelton, 11.7, $466 each. Third round: 1. Dan Fisher, 10.1 seconds, $1,929; 2. Chet Herren, 10.3, $1,596; 3. Jason Evans, 10.7, $1,264; 4. Corey Ross, 10.9, $931; 5. Vin Fisher Jr., 11.0, $599; 6. Mike Chase, 11.1, $333. Average: 1. Jason Evans, 34.8 on three runs, $2,893; 2. Roger Branch, 39.2, $2,394; 3. Jess Tierney, 41.7, $1,895; 4. Randy Wells, 42.5, $1,397; 5. Mike Outhier, 47.2, $898; 6. Howdy McGinn, 48.1, $499.

If you want to check out some of the photos I took from this morning’s action, just go HERE.

Cord McCoy lets viewers learn a little more about a bull riding legend It’s been more than 24 years since Lane Frost died doing what he loved, suffering a fatal injury during the final round of the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo. Who he was and the legend he has left remains powerfully strong in rodeo, and Cord McCoy shares that lore with viewers in the Aug. 5 episode of “The Ride with Cord McCoy.” “That’s been my favorite show we’ve done,” McCoy said about the 30-minute program, which airs at 1 and 11 p.m. Eastern on Mondays on RFD-TV. “I think this one takes our whole show to the next level. We’re getting to talk to people about the details that they haven’t talked about in over 20 years. “There were at least five of us that cried while we were taping it. I bawled like a baby. It was so touching for me; I could hardly do the interview at the grave site.” That’s just part of the impact Frost’s legacy continues to have on fans. It was the foundation that led to the 1994 movie “8 Seconds,” which chronicled the life and death of the 1987 bull riding world champion. “We taped the show in backward order. I’d talked to Cody (Lambert) and Clyde and Elsie (Frost), then that evening while we were wrapping the show, I walked down and saw the grave for the first time,” said McCoy, a bull rider who has qualified for the PBR World Finals six times and earned a trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2005. “The first thing I did was walk up to the back of the grave, and on the back of it, it said, ‘Lane, I love you, Kellie.’ “I broke down right there.” It’s a touching reminder of Frost, and it’s a story McCoy has wanted to tell. “You definitely get an idea of Lane Frost from the movie,” he said as he opened the episode. “To be able to go back to Clyde and Elsie’s place and to talk about the true Lane Frost is going to be pretty interesting … to be at the place where Lane grew up, to be where Lane practiced and what he was really like.” The show begins with a bull riding and bullfighting school that takes place annually at the arena Lane Frost built on the family’s place near Lane, Okla., with money he’d earned at the 1985 NFR. Viewers get to see world champion bull rider Mike Lee work with newcomers to the sport, while Frank Newsome teaches up-and-coming bull fighters the tricks of that trade. The meat of the story, though, is on Frost, and it leaves viewers wanting to know even more about the man. “God used Lane,” Clyde Frost said of his son. “He made him who he was. Everybody liked him, and they’re still using him. Little kids … we hear from them all the time.” A young Lane was especially taken with his dad’s dear friend, Freckles Brown, who won the bull riding world championship in 1962 at the age of 41. In fact, the two are buried near one another in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Okla. – Brown died in 1987, just two years before Lane Frost. “Freckles died in March of that year, and Lane won the world in December,” Elsie Frost said. “But Freckles was really special to him. When we buried Freckles down there, Lane commented on what a pretty cemetery that was.” The story of the two bull riding champions is more powerful than that. They had a special bond. “Freckles had that cancer, and he was down at Houston” for treatment, Clyde Frost said. “Lane was up at (the) Fort Worth (rodeo), and he flew down to Houston and stayed in the room with Freckles that night and let (Brown’s wife) Edith go. He told me the next time I seen him, ‘I told Freckles I was going to win the world for him.’ “He did, but Freckles wasn’t there.” Lambert, who traveled the rodeo trail with Lane Frost, told of that fateful ride on July 30, 1989, and his words trailed into tears as he repeated the last words his friend ever spoke to him. “No matter how tough you think you are, it’s a touching story,” McCoy said. “You see the effects he made on people’s lives then and still today.” That’s the most telling aspect of the Lane Frost story, and it’s one that needs to be retold again. It’s why McCoy wanted this episode to be such a showcase for viewers of “The Ride.” “It’s an honor that they want to come and be where Lane was,” Elsie Frost said. “That’s so amazing. Lane’s been gone almost 24 years now, and these kids weren’t even born then. It’s still amazing to me that they still know who he is and that they still look up to him. But it’s neat that they do.” With a break in his voice as he looked down upon the gravestone that symbolizes the life and death of one of rodeo’s greatest champions, McCoy provided his thoughts on why Lane Frost’s legacy continues to touch so many people today. “You wonder how many millions of people in the last 25 years have come and paid respects,” he said. “(He’s) definitely a legend … still living on.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Jake McClure grew up roping about anything he could. Like a number of talented cowboys, McClure grew up in Lea County – eventually, he was followed by Troy Fort, Sonny Davis, Roy Cooper and Jimmie Cooper as world champions from the southeastern most corner of New Mexico who are now enshrined in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame – and he carried a rope with him just about everywhere he went the first few years of his life. Born in 1903, McClure set off on the rodeo trail at the age of 16, traveling the world and earning his keep as one of the handiest ropers in the game. In 1930, he earned the world championship and was one of the most dominant cowboys of his era. Sadly, though, he died in 1940, and his resume became the types of stories found in novels. His legacy continues today in Lovington, where the rodeo arena bears his name. Jake McClure Arena is home to one of the most prestigious events in the sport, the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7-Saturday, Aug. 10. It’s part of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour and also features the Lea County Xtreme Bulls event at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6. “We have an outstanding history of the best cowboys in rodeo,” said Greg Massey, chairman of the Lea County Fair Board’s rodeo committee. “When you look at the people from here who have done well in rodeo, you can see it means a lot to us to put on a great event.” That includes some of the brightest stars in the game, from Lovington native Clint Cooper, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier in tie-down roping, to the Monument, N.M., twins Jim Ross and Jake Cooper, a couple of NFR-qualifying team ropers – Jake qualified with his brother in 2007, and Jim returned to ProRodeo’s grand championship each of the past two seasons while roping with Charly Crawford (2012) and Brandon Beers. But they’ll just be a few of the numerous stars that will make their way to Lovington for the annual championship. Just taking a look at previous champions at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo is like reading a who’s who list of ProRodeo’s greatest stars: Trevor Brazile, Kaycee Feild, Will Lowe, J.P. Wickett, Scott Kormos, Scott Kormos, Kanin Asay, Wesley Silcox, Dean Gorsuch, Clay Tryan, Chandler Bownds and Guy Allen. Sure, it takes elite athletes who know how to perform at this level, but there are plenty of others who will chase their rodeo dreams in Lovington. That’s why it’s such an important piece of the ProRodeo puzzle. “I think we have the best stock contractor in rodeo, so we’ll have some excellent bucking horses and bulls to go along with the best cowboys,” Massey said. “We’ve had a very good rodeo for several years, but this one might be better yet.”

The final round of Dodge City Roundup Rodeo steer roping is scheduled to begin at 7:30 tonight at Roundup Arena. Through two go-rounds, 17-time world champion Trevor Brazile leads the average race, posting a 21.2-second cumulative time. He also won the first round with an 8.9-second run, the fastest of the event so far. The first Roundup champion of 2013 will be crowned tonight. Steer roping: First round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.9 seconds, $1,929; 2. Jess Tierney, 10.4, $1,596; 3. Joe Wells, 11.2, $1,264; 4. Tony Reina, 11.3, $931; 5. Brodie Poppino, 11.4, $599; 6. Brent Lewis, 11.7, $333. Second round: 1. Chet Herren, 10.7 seconds, $1,929; 2. Jarrett Blessing, 10.8, $1,596; 3. (tie) Howdy McGinn and Roger Branch, 11.6, $1,097 each; 5. (tie) Jason Evans and Chance Kelton, 11.7, $466 each. Average leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile, 21.2 seconds on two head; 2. Jess Tierney, 22.8; 3. Roger Branch, 24.0; 4. Jason Evans, 24.1; 5. J.D. Yates, 25.6; 6. JoJo LeMond, 27.2.

EAGLE, Colo. – Great athletes and amazing competition are major factors in why professional rodeo continues to grow. The hottest athlete going down the rodeo trail is a 9-year-old bucking phenomenon named Dirty Jacket, the runner-up Reserve World Champion Bareback Horse in 2012 from Carr Pro Rodeo. The powerful, bay gelding has been magnificent each time he’s bucked, guiding cowboys to the top spot in seven of the eight rodeos in which he has performed. The latest gem came this past weekend at the Eagle County (Colo.) Fair and Rodeo, where he and George Gillespie IV matched moves for 87 points in the beautiful mountain setting. “He’s the perfect bucking horse, because he loves what he does and he’s excited when it’s time to buck,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo. “He ready when he gets to the chute, and he stands there until the gate opens; then he has a big leap in the air and bucks hard every time. “When the whistle blows, he lines out with the pickup man and allows the guys to get off without any problem. He’s the kind of horse all the bareback riders want to draw, because they know that as long as they don’t stub their toe, they’re going to win.” The ride with Gillespie marked the second straight time the two have matched up; Gillespie also won the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Ariz., with an 89 point ride. He tied for the Eagle championship with Richie Champion, who rode the Pete Carr’s Classic horse Scarlet’s Web, a half-sister to Dirty Jacket that’s been to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo numerous times. “He had a different trip with me this time than the one he had in Window Rock,” Gillespie said of Dirty Jacket, which was voted the 2012 Texas Circuit Bareback Horse of the Year. “He’s just such a great horse that you know you can win as long as you do your job. That’s what you want to get on.”

CROSSETT, Ark. – For many years, the great Jim Shoulders produced the Crossett Riding Club PRCA Rodeo. It’s something quite special to have one of the greatest legends in the game be such an integral part of a community, and it’s an important piece of lore that should forever be remembered in the event’s history. You see, not only was Shoulders a 16-time world champion cowboy, he also was a stock contractor, best known for owning the great bull Tornado, which had gone unridden until ProRodeo Hall of Famer Freckles Brown scored a ride during the 1967 National Finals Rodeo. Shoulders is, and always will be, a big part of rodeo’s history. Now, though, Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo is charged with the production of Crossett’s rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7-Saturday, Aug. 10, at Cap Gates Arena in Crossett. The times may have changed since Shoulders first arrived in town, but the eye for production is a big part of what the Pete Carr’s Classic crew strives for every August. “This thing is great from start to finish,” said ProRodeo announcer Scott Grover, now in his fifth year calling the action. “It’s just a great rodeo that’s steeped in tradition.” That’s a great marriage for one of America’s first extreme sports, which has its foundation laid firmly in the livestock industry. More than a century ago, cowboys tested their skills against one another, whether with a rope or on the back of a bucking horse. Over time, the sport has evolved into the spectacle that it is today. It continues to be one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the country, and events like the one in Crossett are a big reason why. “Our goal is to put on a first-class production that benefits the fans, the committees and the contestants,” said Pete Carr, who owns not only Pete Carr’s Classic but also Carr Pro Rodeo, the largest stock contractor in the world. “We’ve got great crews that work very hard to make that happen.” That’s what it takes to be successful in today’s world of rodeo. By handling the behind-the-scenes details, Carr crew members allow for the happenings in the arena to dictate the action, and that’s something the fans have come to love. “The rodeo is put on by the Crossett Riding Club, which is a huge tradition in Crossett and the surrounding areas,” Grover said. “This is like families that have been here for years on years on years.” It’s one of many traditions for the rodeo, now celebrating its 65th year. Another big one involves the payout of silver dollars to the winners of each event each night of the rodeo. Each year means another dollar added to the kitty, so this year means the winners will receive 65 silver dollars. “That’s one thing the contestants talk about is winning the silver dollars in Crossett,” Grover said. “Another big thing is that there will be 300 to 400 horses every night in the grand entry, and there are riding clubs from all over that are part of it. “This rodeo was nominated as the medium size rodeo of the year last year, so they really do work hard at making everything right.” From a large grand entry to kick start each performance to a rousing conclusion featuring amazing Carr bucking bulls, there’s a lot for fans to experience at the Crossett rodeo.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Brad Weber is an empty-nester, having raised five children at his home on the outskirts of Hobbs, N.M. His children were involved in 4-H and were always involved in the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. For Weber, that meant handling the little details that came with raising livestock and getting things ready for the shows and exhibits. His life was dedicated to it, primarily because he saw it as a great way to teach his kids responsibility. “All my kids are 10 years apart, so we’ve been showing animals for a long time and participating for a long time,” he said, noting that his wife is a 4H leader in Lea County. “We believe in it. We believe it builds integrity in the kids, that it keeps their minds and their bodies busy and keeps them in a better environment.” Now in his early 50s, it’s time for Weber to sit back and relax and enjoy the fruits of that labor. But that’s not exactly how the man is wired. No, Weber continues his involvement in the annual exposition, now serving on the Lea County Fair Board. In fact, he’s the chairman for this year’s event, which this year takes place Friday, Aug. 2-Saturday, Aug. 10, in Lovington. “The community is very supportive of our fair and rodeo, but I think what makes it successful is the volunteers who make it work,” he said. “Because of our county commission, we’ve been able to keep the prices cheap so everybody can go. It’s not an expensive night out. Even folks on a pretty tight budget can go, and that shows that we’re able to give back to the people of the community, too. “It’s a unique event. We’ve got the incredible support from our commissioners. They give us the freedom and support to stretch it further and further each time. They believe wholeheartedly that this is the county’s money, and this is an opportunity for the county to give back to the people.” Volunteers are the backbone of the organization. Yes, it’s great that the county underwrites the fair and rodeo, but there’s no way an event of this caliber is possible without the core group of people who donate their time, talent and financial resources. “We have tremendous volunteers, people who are really dedicated to it,” said Weber, who is right there with them as a volunteer. “It just blows your mind to see people that are so involved, and a lot of them don’t have children involved in it anymore. That’s what really makes it nice. “It’s all about the dedication of these volunteers. When you look at someone like Greg Massey, his dedication shows in the fact that we’ve got one of the top rodeos in the nation, and we keep trying to make it better. I know pretty much it’s Greg Massey pushing for that, and we all benefit from that.” When he’s not doing the fair’s work, Weber owns Lea County Roadside in Hobbs; only the latter pays the bills, because he donates his time year-round to the fair and rodeo. “I’ve been self-employed all my adult life,” said Weber, who moved to Lea County about 30 years ago. “I recently bought a towing business, and it’s the first time I’ve owned a business of value. Before that I was in construction.” All that experience comes into play with the annual expo. “Brad’s knowledge is very helpful,” said Dean Jackson, a longtime member of the Lea County Fair Board. “He’s a good leader. Brad knows a little bit about everything, and there aren’t too many volunteers that are going to do what he does. “That’s what you get with a lot of people on the board, that they are just going to give and give and give. It’s a love. It’s a lot of work, too, so it takes a lot of love for the event to continue to volunteer.” Weber is from White Face, Texas, just northeast of Lea County. Upon graduating from College, he found his way to southeastern New Mexico, and he’s been there ever since. “I didn’t even know where Hobbs was,” he said. “I got out college so broke that I packed everything I owned on a little motorcycle and came on down to work. I found a job and just muddled my way through. I haven’t gotten more than 100 miles from where I started.” He also found a home and finds his passions in his volunteerism and his faith. “I’ve been through a lot of stuff, and the good Lord has tended me the whole way; that’s always amazed me,” Weber said. “I love seeing how much this teaches our kids. They learn better responsibilities. I love seeing that, and you can tell the kids that have worked really hard. “That’s one of the most satisfying things about this for me.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – The men and women who handle all the local logistics of the rodeo side of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo continue to find new and better ways to excite the crowds. They also have leaned heavily on livestock producer Pete Carr to handle the heavy load during the rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7-Saturday, Aug. 10, at Jake McClure Arena. Carr owns the largest stock contracting company in the world, having acquired Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo earlier this year and mixing it together with his own Carr Pro Rodeo. Now he’ll bring even more power to Lovington just as he has done at the other 33 rodeos he produces in 2013. “Pete Carr is at the top of his game,” said Greg Massey, chairman of the Lea County Fair Board’s rodeo committee. “He has outstanding stock, and he wants it to be the very best it can be. I think we’re very fortunate to have Pete at our rodeo.” For a number of years, many of the greatest animals in the game have led cowboys to victories in Lovington. Over the last two years alone, cowboys have been crowned champions in southeastern New Mexico on broncs like Real Deal, the 2005 world champion bareback horse; Dirty Jacket, the 2012 runner-up reserve world champion bareback horse; and Miss Congeniality, a saddle bronc that has been chosen to buck at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2011-12. With the acquisition of Pete Carr’s Classic, this year just got that much better. At last year’s NFR, seven of those animals guided cowboys to go-round victories: Kattle Katie, Scarlet’s Web, Bipolar, Lori Darling, Gold Coast, River Boat Annie and Cool Runnings. Also in that magnificent herd is Big Tex, the 2010 Bareback Horse of the Year that is being considered as a contender for the 2013 Saddle Bronc of the Year. “Pete just brings us a first-class rodeo,” Massey said. “He has National Finals Rodeo-quality bucking stock, and he brings a lot of professionalism to our rodeo. Pete always delivers a lot more than he promises. He has a genuine interest in the rodeo, wanting to make it the best it can be. I appreciate that.” So do contestants, and it’s not just the guys that ride bucking beasts that are talking about the significance of Carr rodeos. “To me, Pete Carr is one of the new wave of stock contractors as much about one end of the arena as he does the other,” said Trevor Brazile, a 17-time world champion who owns a record 10 all-around gold buckles. “There have been stock contractors that don’t really have a complete rodeo. In my opinion, Pete puts on a complete rodeo. “Pete has the best livestock there is to offer at both ends of the arena,” he said, referring to timed events and rough-stock events. “That’s something most stock contractors don’t have to offer … mostly that they don’t care enough to go the extra mile to do what Pete does. It costs him a little more for him to put on a rodeo because he wants it to be right.” Brazile is just one of many who look at the hard work done by the Carr crew when they consider where they’ll go to compete. “If I’ve got a tossup as to one rodeo or another and I see that Pete Carr has one rodeo, I know that if I go to Pete Carr’s rodeo I’ll have a better chance of winning money because the field’s fair,” Brazile said. “I know Pete’s doing his part. I know he’s going to have the best timed-event cattle. Those cattle are going to give everybody an even shot, and fans can learn to appreciate what they’re seeing. “When you allow the contestants a shot at the best cattle, it brings the best out, which, in turn, makes for the best show for the fans.” Carr’s crew works closely with local organizers to make the Lea County Fair and Rodeo a prestigious event each August. “We’ve put in a lot of things to make our rodeo a better experience for everyone involved,” Massey said. “We want the contestants to talk about our rodeo all year long, but that’s just part of it. We want our fans talking about the rodeo, too.”

‘The Ride with Cord McCoy’ allows cowboy, minister to discuss his passions Joe Howard Williamson is a cowboy, a minister and a storyteller, and he’s the perfect fit for the July 29 episode of “The Ride with Cord McCoy.” Williamson owns Switchouse Ranch near Henrietta, a small north Texas community tucked just southeast of Wichita Falls, about a stone’s throw from the Red River that borders Oklahoma. He’s proud to carry on the legacy of being a cowboy, and he wears the hat as well as anyone could. “I met him at a bull riding when he was preaching,” said McCoy, a reality TV star, bull rider and, now, host of the show that airs at 1 and 11 p.m. Mondays on RFD-TV. “We just kept running into each other and became friends. I was asked to give my testimony at a PBR cowboy church, and he was the preacher that day. I went to Fort Worth and did a celebrity cutting that served as a fund-raiser, and he was also there. “I just thought he was a pretty diverse, interesting man. I had heard a lot about his ranch. After becoming friends and knew what kind of guy he was, I wanted to go spend more time with him.” The good thing is he lets the viewers in on the comfortable visit with Williamson. “I think with any man like that, if you just sit down with them and visit a little bit, you can definitely tell what’s important to them real quick,” McCoy said. “With him, he wanted to talk about the gospel, and he wanted to talk about cutting and ranching. It’s neat to go into somebody’s place and showcase what they do.” The updating editing of the show does just that. Since the show re-launched July 1, the enhanced presentation tells a wonderful tale. In this case, editors and producers of “The Ride” allowed Williamson to weave his magical tones. “We run around 1,200 cows here in Archer County,” Williamson said in the show. “We do everything horseback.” What else would viewers expect from a traditional cowboy who reads his Bible and shares the testimony of his faith? “One summer when I was in junior high, I got to drinking,” he said. “I loved the way it made me feel. I drank quite a bit through high school. When I got off to college, I drank bad. I got married the first time (and) had trouble in my marriage because of my drinking and drug use. “The Lord took her home in a car wreck. (It) just broke my heart.” Distraught and ashamed that alcoholism and drug addiction were ruling his life, Williamson leaned on an old childhood acquaintance. “I went back to church, and I heard the gospel,” he said. “I was really contemplating if that’s what I needed to do, give my life to the Lord. I went to a treatment center for drugs and alcohol. I quit drinking and drugging, but I still didn’t have any peace. In 1988, I made the decision to trust Christ as my Savior.” He began working with Dawson McAllister, a prominent youth minister from Nashville, who encouraged Williamson to consider horse ministry. It was an amazing combination of things Williamson loves. He developed Horsemen for Christ in 1994. “I knew it was important for me to become a winner,” he said. “I knew if I could get competitive and be good at it, it would be a platform to share the Lord with a lot of people.” So he became competitive and began qualifying for the National Cutting Horse Association World Finals in 1996 – he’s been back every year since. He won titles in 1999, 2004 and 2006 in the non-pro division. It all enables Williamson the opportunity to live a life he loves and share his passions with others, including a little one-on-one time with McCoy in the cutting pen. “When you get on someone else’s horse, that the horse is a contender for a world title, you feel like a sponge for information,” McCoy said. “You feel like you’re about 90 percent concentrating on the cow and 10 percent on what Joe Howard is going to say next. You’re all ears trying to pay attention.” And that’s what viewers will be during the next episode of “The Ride with Cord McCoy,” a showcase for cowboys who love what they do.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Clay O’Brien Cooper owns seven world championships and has competed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 26 times in a career that began 35 years ago. He also owns four ruby-filled buckles as champion of Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, his most recent coming a year ago. They fit quite nicely with Cooper’s ample trophy case, but he’s not yet done chasing his rodeo dreams and the titles that come with them. That’s why he’ll be one of nine of ProRodeo’s greatest stars defending their titles at this year’s event, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 31-Sunday, Aug. 4, at Roundup Arena. “It was a pretty significant win for us because it’s a very good paying rodeo,” said Cooper, a heeler from Stephenville, Texas, who roped last season with eventual world champion header Chad Masters of Clarksville, Tenn. “It provided us with enough money to clinch the finals for us. It was also a tour rodeo, which gave us points that we were able to capitalize on at the end of the year because of the tour bonus, which also counted toward the NFR and the world championship points.” The money is a big reason cowboys make Dodge City a destination point each season, but there are many others. Roundup offers the largest purse of any rodeo in Kansas, and it’s one of four in the Sunflower State that week. There’s also great hospitality, which is a western Kansas staple. “They make an effort to put on one of the best rodeos of the summer,” said Cooper, who finished No. 2 in the world standings last season, pocketing $6,770 in Dodge City. “It’s not only prize money-wise, but just the way they treat the cowboys. I’ve been going there for years and years. I enjoy that time of year, and Dodge City is one of the best rodeos in the country. “That’s a big weekend, and Dodge City is the biggest one of the weekend. That’s the one where you want to do good.” He and Masters shared the distinction of Roundup champions with all-around champion Cody DeMoss of Heflin, La.; bareback rider Steven Dent of Mullen, Neb.; steer wrestler Billy Bugenig of Ferndale, Calif.; saddle bronc rider Chuck Schmidt of Keldron, S.D.; tie-down roper Justin Maass of Giddings, Texas; barrel racer Kaley Bass of Kissimmee, Fla.; and bull rider Trey Benton II of Rock Island, Texas. “It’s pretty cool if anybody can beat Trevor Brazile out of anything,” DeMoss said, referring to the 17-time world champion who owns 10 all-around gold buckles. “The all-around, I think is a prestigious deal anywhere you go, and I’m just happy to have one from Dodge City. “It’s an old historical rodeo and will probably be around forever. Whenever you can tell your kids and your grandkids that you won the all-around title at Dodge City, it’s pretty cool.” DeMoss is best known for saddle bronc riding, for which he is a nine-time qualifier to the NFR, ProRodeo’s grand finale. But he won most of his money ($2,192) by placing second in the second round of team roping while partnering with header Kaleb Driggers of Albany, Ga. He earned the remainder of his $4,041 riding broncs, where he finished fourth overall. “I like the fact that it’s got some history there,” DeMoss said. “It’s an old cowboy town.” Like Cooper, this wasn’t his first Roundup buckle. In fact, DeMoss won the 2010 bronc riding crown when he scored a Roundup Arena-record 92-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman. Owning multiple Dodge City titles looks good on a resume and gives contestants an advantage as they close out each season the end of September. “Dodge City is one of my favorite rodeos of the year,” said Maass, who rode into Las Vegas as the No. 1 tie-down roper in the world before finishing second at the NFR’s conclusion. “That’s the second time I’ve been fortunate to win it. Being a tour rodeo and with that much money, it’s pretty important to win for us. “It’s one of the premier rodeo’s we’ve got and one with the best traditions. It’s a pretty special one to win.” Now it’s time to add a third title to his resume. “That rodeo’s been good to me over the years; I’ve won quite a bit at it,” Maass said. “I’m not sure if it’s that rodeo or that setup fits my style or what, but I like it. I think I’ve won the first round six or seven times; that’s a pretty good percentage. “I’ll keep going back as long as I’m rodeoing.” So will hundreds of others who are part of ProRodeo’s elite status.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Everybody needs a reason to celebrate. Whether you run a ranch near Jal or work 9 to 5 for a business in Hobbs, there’s a need to get away from the grind, spend time with friends and honor one another together. The Lea County Commission knows that as well as anyone, which is why the governing body puts in the time and money to fund the annual Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for Aug. 2-10 in Lovington. “Our fair and rodeo is a quality-of-life deal for the county,” said Dale Dunlap, now in his fifth year on the commission. “It brings in outside people and brings in a lot of contestants and vendors. It provides a lot of economic impact to Lea County. “It’s something we’ve always done, and it’s always something that keeps getting bigger and better.” How much does the county put toward the annual exposition? The event boasts of six outstanding concerts, including headliners like Sara Evans and Josh Turner; a PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour event; a Wrangler Million Dollar Tour rodeo with elite rodeo stars and world-class animal athletes; a respected livestock show; and a host of other activities for patrons of any age. Oh, and the admission price is just $7. “We want to show the people that we’re interested in giving them entertainment,” said Dunlap, who previously had spent six years on the Lea County Fair Board. “We want to give back to the public and show them that we spend their tax dollars wisely.” Dunlap moved to Lea County with his family at the age of 1. In the mid-1980s, he developed D&T Backhoe Inc., and continues to run it today. He said his service on the commission is his way of representing his community. “I sought out to represent the whole county,” he said in explaining why he’s serves. “There were some things that I wanted to voice my opinion on, and the best way to do that was to run for office. I enjoy trying to make things happen and trying to make our county a better place to stay.” One of those things is tying all the strings together to make the fair and rodeo a special event for the county’s 65,000-plus residents. “Our commission is behind us 100 percent,” said Dean Jackson, a member of the fair board. “They underwrite this whole thing. We’re all on budgets, but they are very generous with the budget they provide us. When you look at the lineup we have at our fair, it’s unreal. “There aren’t too many places that can do this.” The fair has been recognized statewide as one of the best in New Mexico, and others in the region have taken note, too. None of it is possible without the county’s support. “We’ve been blessed that we’ve had commissioners that understand about our fair and rodeo,” Jackson said. “They’ve had kids involved, and the county does a great job of taking care of this place. We have a facility that is awesome.” Dunlap said he enjoys many of the events that take place during the expo, but he holds a special fondness to one major aspect. “The thing I really enjoy is the sale,” he said. “If you’re a member of the fair board and you’ve put in more than 100 hours that week alone, when the sale comes, you know that’s what it’s all about. “Our sale teaches the young folks the responsibility and that it could pay off in the long run. You see business owners and others that live in the county, and they all come out and support it hard, and they never look back. That tells a youngster we’re behind you. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – The livestock industry has long been a way of life for many folks in southeastern New Mexico. The beauty of the Plains is in the way hard-working people raise their animals, whether it’s to feed the world or to work the landscape the best way possible. There’s tender, loving care that goes into each beast, and respect comes with it. That just might be the biggest reason residents have a love affair with the bucking horses and bulls that are highlighted annually during the Lea County Fair & Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7-Saturday, Aug. 10, at Jake McClure Arena. “We’ve been very blessed to have a great relationship with our producer, Pete Carr,” said Greg Massey, the rodeo chairman for the Lea County Fair Board. “Pete comes in here every year and tries to make each rodeo better than the one before, and he’s got some of the best bucking horses and bulls in rodeo.” That has been true for many years, but the 2013 version looks as though it’s taken a heap of steroids. Earlier this year, Carr acquired Classic Pro Rodeo, a company that’s been in business better than 20 years and has also featured some of the greatest animal athletes in the sport. Now Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo will bring a massive storm of bucking thunder to Lovington. All told, Carr owns 31 animals that were selected to perform at the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In all, he has owned three PRCA Bareback Horses of the Year: Real Deal in 2005, Big Tex in 2010 and MGM Deuces Night in 2012. Those are just the cream of a very talented crop that includes Dirty Jacket, the runner-up reserve world champion bareback horse, and River Boat Annie, the 2007 reserve world champion bareback horse. For each of the four performances of Lea County’s rodeo, top-notch NFR bucking talent will be part of the equation. That’s something pretty special for rodeo fans in Lovington that only Carr provides. “When you look down at the list of livestock, it’s just exceptional what we’ll have at our rodeo,” Massey said. “With Pete bringing Classic on board, that’s just going to make our rodeo and every other rodeo Pete does that much better.” The contestants not only know that, but that’s one of the reasons they make sure Lovington is on their annual to-do list. For years, cowboys have chased good bucking stock all over the country. Throw in the fact that the Lea County Fair and Rodeo offers a large purse and is part of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, and there are significant factors contributing to the very best athletes in the game competing in Lovington every August. Last year, two-time reigning world champion Kaycee Feild matched moves with another world champ in Real Deal. The combination was 89 points to win the rodeo and nearly $4,500 – that all came back in the long run when Feild claimed his second straight gold buckle with $276,850. “That’s what I ride bucking horses for is to get on the rankest, baddest horses,” Feild said, acknowledging that Real Deal has quite a reputation, one that has him as part of the eliminator group of broncs at the NFR every December. “I can prove, not only to my friends but also to myself, that I can spur anything and that I can spur the bad ones. “It’s definitely a confidence booster when you can get on a bad one and spur him every jump.” True Lies, an NFR bronc, has guided cowboys to the winner’s circle two of the past three seasons. Last year it was veteran saddle bronc rider Travis Sheets, while Louie Brunson won the Lea County title in 2010. In between, two-time NFR horse Miss Congeniality helped Cody Angland to the top spot and also helped Alex Wright to a second-place finish in the two times she performed in Lovington. This year, the chances for record-breaking scores have increased. Big Tex is now in bronc riding, and in the three times he performed in the late winter and early spring, he helped cowboys to event titles: Tyler Corrington won in San Antonio, Wade Sundell won the $50,000 round in Houston and Curtis Garton won the national title at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. “We got to be with Pete last year after Deuces Night was named the bareback of the year, and we got to see how much pride he has in those great animals,” Massey said. “I think the cowboys see that, too, and it’s why they want to come to Lovington and get on his horses and his bulls. “What Pete’s got now is pretty dang special.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – The Lea County Fair and Rodeo has a powerful history of amazing entertainment. From the top-name acts that put on outstanding concerts every year to the carnival rides to the daily entertainment, fair-goers get a lot for their $7 admission price. There aren’t many places where a person can watch pigs race, be enthralled by a two-person acrobatics show and experience the comedy and talent of a ventriloquist. 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. 2-10. This year’s lineup includes ventriloquist Kevin Johnson, the Equilibrium Circuis and the Ham Bone Express Pig Races. “We try to find the things that will please the crowds,” said Dean Jackson, a member 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, so we wanted to bring that back,” Jackson said. The tandem of Paz and Leah present the ancient circus art of hand-to-hand with quirky twists as they perform a number of tricks and stunts that may not be seen anywhere else. They also add a little heat to the equation in the form of fire. The Equilibrium Circus features the award-winning duo, who show off their athletic talent and creativity. With more than 30 years of combined experience, they have appeared in film, television, theater, street performance and live events. 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.” 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.

EAGLE, Colo. – Carr Pro Rodeo has been an established piece of the pie for the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo for several years. The pie just got a little tastier. “Pete Carr has been bringing the best animals in the world to Eagle for a long time,” said announcer Andy Stewart, now in his second year calling the action of the rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 24-Saturday, July 27, at the Eagle County Fairgrounds. “Now that he has Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo along with Carr Pro Rodeo, rodeos like Eagle get that much better.” Carr acquired Classic this past April and has been atop the rodeo world as the largest livestock producer in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. All told, he owns 31 animals that were selected to perform at the 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The greatest of those will be in Eagle. “I’m combining two of the best crews in rodeo to form one of the greatest rodeo companies,” said Pete Carr, the owner of the outfits. “I’m excited about the new opportunities that are ahead for the company. I want committees to know we have a lot to offer them. We’re going to have unprecedented resources for all the rodeos, which will benefit everyone involved: committees, sponsors, contestants and spectators.” Nearly 400 of ProRodeo’s most decorated contestants are scheduled to be part of this year’s championship. The numbers continue to grow, but that’s because they know they can expect great things to happen in the mountain air. “Pete Carr is there, and he brings all the great horses that we all want to get on,” said Casey Colletti, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Pueblo, Colo. “The cool thing about Eagle is that everything bucks so well there that you never know what’s going to win.” In 2013, the firms will produce 34 rodeos in 13 states and have some of the greatest animal athletes in the sport. That’s a big reason the big names in the sport will find their way to Eagle in July. “Pete’s got a heck of a string put together,” said saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell, a four-time NFR qualifier from Boxholm, Iowa. “There are not a lot of people that can match him anymore.” Sundell has earned more than $55,000 on Carr livestock this year, including the $50,000 top prize for winning the championship at RodeoHouston, riding Pete Carr’s Classic’s Big Tex for 90 points. “It’s awesome when you have a good horse underneath you, because you know something good is going to happen,” he said. If history tells a tale, it should be an outstanding rodeo again. Great bucking beasts just add to the excitement. Take Grass Dancer, for example, the 12-year-old buckskin mare has been to the NFR four times. 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,” Carr said. “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.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Some of the greatest athletes in bull riding will converge on southeastern New Mexico in early August. Some of the world’s top cowboys will try to ride them for one of the most coveted titles in the sport during the Lea County Xtreme Bulls, set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Jake McClure Arena. This is the second year the bull riding tour has made Lovington one of the biggest stops of the season, and the bull power and big-money purse are key reasons why the top bull riders in the game will come to town. “We have a tremendous lineup of bulls,” said Pete Carr, owner of Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo and the livestock producer for the bull riding and the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. “It’s going to be amazing with the caliber of bulls we have coming this year.” That’s why world champions and others from ProRodeo’s elite will take any means possible to be in Lovington for the event. The list of entrants reads like a who’s who of bull riding, from reigning world champion Cody Teel to 2011 champ Shane Proctor to three-time titlist J.W. Harris. “With the Xtreme bull riders in Lovington, it should be something people will talk about for a while,” said Carr, who has invited three other contracting firms to town to provide a banner list of bucking power. “I think this is something that will draw a lot of fans to town, because it’s going to be that good.” Of the 60 bulls that are scheduled to be part of the festivities, many of them bucked at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this past December. Having top-notch stock is one drawing card for cowboys, but the money is another. “What’s big is you get a chance to ride for a lot of money,” said Cody Whitney, a four-time NFR qualifier from Sayre, Okla. “If you do good and you win, it’s going to pay well. 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.” A year ago, during the inaugural Lea County Xtreme Bulls, veteran Kanin Asay won the title and nearly $8,000. He went on to win the Xtreme Bulls Tour year-end championship and qualified for the NFR for fifth time in his career, finishing the season seventh in the world standings with nearly $130,000. It was just another reflection of why the Lovington event is so valuable to the contestants. “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,” Whitney said. When it comes together right, it’s a win-win for everyone – from the contestants to the fair board to the fans who flock to Jake McClure Arena to witness the incredible action.

‘The Ride with Cord McCoy’ offers a look at the creation of a champion animal Why does a bull buck? It’s a natural movement the animal uses to try to remove things off its back. Calves like to buck and kick while playing in a pasture. It’s a sign of exuberance. It’s a sign of athleticism. Why do some bulls buck better than others? That comes from genetics, and in the July 22 episode of “The Ride with Cord McCoy,” the host shows viewers just how the best bull owners in the sport are developing herds of phenomenal athletes. The show airs at 1 and 11 p.m. Monday on RFD-TV. “You’ve seen it in the horseracing business for years,” J.W. Hart, a Professional Bull Riders legend, said during an interview on the show. “The bull business is no different.” Champion racehorses have been bred to other champions, and the legacies of those genetics have been documented in various registries. The same is happening with bucking beasts, in the form of the American Bucking Bull Inc., an organization that tracks the DNA of bucking bulls and cows that produce great offspring. Over the last few years, artificial insemination has helped in producing more top-flight bulls that can be seen in the PBR and other bull riding and rodeo organizations. During the episode, McCoy works with veterinarians in showing how artificial insemination and embryotic transfers are changing the face of raising bucking bulls. “The original idea of this show is that a little redheaded Okie like myself would have a way to get champion genetics,” he said, noting that he and partner Tim Dougherty purchased straws of semen from three champion bulls: Bushwhacker, the 2011 PBR Bull of the Year; Asteroid, the 2012 PBR Bull of the Year; and Shepherd Hills Tested, the 2012 ABBI Classic Champion. “Technology is why a guy like me can go online, click and own a straw of semen from Bushwhacker.” McCoy and Dougerty hand-selected three cows they wanted to artificially inseminate with the three straws. “It was just for a chance to raise the next world champion bucking bull is the reason we did it,” McCoy said. “We took the cows to the vet clinic 30 to 45 days before we wanted to breed them and start adapting those cows for their surroundings and to get them settled in. “Seven days after they were bred is when we flush those embryos out of the cows, and it gives you counts on what you’ve got as far as the embryos.” The embryos from one cow were then placed in reset cows, surrogates that will carry the calves through the remainder of the pregnancy – once flushed from the producing momma, each embryo is then placed into the uterus of the surrogate. Fortunately, the episode features veterinarians who explain the process clearly while keeping it fun for the viewers. “Flushing … takes your best dams or your best cows in your herd and multiply them multiple times,” said Dr. Matt Barker, DVM. “You can take three or four cows, reproduce them multiple times and let other cows carry the embryos. You’re taking your odds of producing higher quality stock.” Dr. John Shull, DVM, an embryologist, said animals with bucking genetics are a little more difficult to work with because they’re a high-stressed animal; it is best to deal with a cow that is calm. “You’re dealing with an animal that essentially needs to be as wild as possible to do her job, but that’s exactly the opposite of what I need,” Shull said. “Normally a cow has one calf a year. My goal is to get more than that production out of that cow and still let her have one calf a year. We manipulate her cycle and give fertility drugs to the cow so that more than one egg can go to maturity and ovulation during that cycle.” It’s all quite fascinating, and it’s how the bull industry has changed over the years. “With a flush, you’re rolling the dice to take the chance of getting five calves, not just one,” McCoy said.

DUNCAN, Okla. – The Prairie Circuit has been home to rodeo’s top players since its inception in 1975, and its countdown of champions reads like a who’s who list for the sport’s greatest stars. Names like Ferguson, Etbauer, Cooper, Duvall, Frost and MacBeth have been recognized in the greatest halls of fame in the sport. But the circuit system also is home to some of the greatest rising stars in the game. Take Sage Kimzey. He’s 18 years old and competing this season on his ProRodeo permit – in order to be members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, contestants must compete on their permit and meet a minimum requirement of $1,000 in earnings. Kimzey’s done that and more. In fact, the bull rider from Strong City, Okla., leads the Prairie Circuit bull riding standings with $12,894. He’s well on his way to Destination Duncan and home of the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for Oct. 17-19, at the Stephens County Fair and Expo Center. “Qualifying for the circuit finals is one of my goals this year,” said Kimzey, who earned his money in Beggs, Okla.; Bennington, Kan.; North Platte, Neb.; some co-approved rodeos in other states; and at the Chisholm Trail Stampede, which took place in Duncan in May. “It would definitely be really cool.” Kimzey knows cool when he sees it. His father, Ted Kimzey, is a ProRodeo clown and entertainer who has served as the barrelman at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Rodeo is a way of life and has been since the day he was born. “My family has rodeoed forever, and I was just brought up in it,” Sage Kimzey said. “Bull riding was always my favorite event, so that’s kind of how I got into it.” Kimzey’s siblings, older sister Dusta and little brother Trey, are part of Tricked Out, a trick-riding group that performs at rodeos and other Western related shows throughout the country. To say rodeo is in the family’s blood would be quite an understatement. Sage Kimzey just completed his freshman year at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, where he qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo – yeah, he reached another one of his goals. He’s taken the lessons learned from former world champion Gary Leffew and tied them into a nice little bow that makes up a solid start to his bull riding career. “I went to his school when I was a sophomore in high school, and he taught us pretty much everything wrapped into one,” he said, referring to Leffew’s mental approach mixed with the technical skills it takes to ride bulls as well as possible. “Gary has just a really positive attitude. You think you could ride Goliath when you come out of his school.” It’ll take that to win in the Prairie Circuit. Kimzey has about a $4,000 lead over the No. 2 man in bull riding, Tate Stratton. Other leaders are barrel racer Tana Renick, steer roper Rocky Patterson, tie-down roper Bryson Sechrist, saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell, team roping brothers Andrew and Reagan Ward, bareback rider Jared Keylon (who is injured and has less than a $2,000 lead over past circuit champ Caine Riddle), steer wrestler Stockton Graves and all-around cowboy Trell Etbauer, who also is in a tight race with Sechrist and Cole Wilson in tie-down roping. Now Kimzey has a shot at winning the year-end championship. “That didn’t start out being one of my goals, but I’ve had a pretty good permit year,” he said. “Now it’s one of my goals, and it’s definitely possible.” With about two months remaining in the season, a lot of things can happen. There are a lot of big-money opportunities out there in a sport where dollars equal championship points. That means the cowboys and cowgirls who want to be in Duncan competing for circuit titles will need to do well over the remaining few weeks to secure their spot among the top 12. “I’ve been around rodeo all my life, and my family does a lot in rodeo,” Kimzey said. “There’s just one focus in my life right now, and that’s riding bulls as well as I can.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – There’s a reason why the Lea County Fair and Rodeo is considered one of the very best expositions in New Mexico: local organizers work hard to put as much action into the 10-day event as possible. The 2013 edition promises to hold up to that standard, if not set a new one. You see, the six-night concert lineup is exquisite, and other expo organizers will be plenty envious of the Lea County Fair Board because of it. “This may be the best concert lineup we’ve had,” said Dean Jackson, now in his eighth year on the fair board. “We’ve had some good ones, but I’m really excited about this year’s lineup.” From the Texas Jamm Band featuring members of George Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band on Aug. 2 to Josh Turner’s show closing the fair on Aug. 10, there will be great music each day. “We’ve expanded our concert area this year because we’ve just needed to for some time,” Jackson said, noting that the concerts will begin at 9:30 p.m. each night. “We tore out the restrooms that were right on the west side of the bleachers, and we built a new big rest room and concession stand on the south fence. That allowed us to open more room. “It was getting to the point where we didn’t have any more room.” For most of the exposition, there will be incredible musical tones reverberating from the concert area. The Texas Jamm Band featuring members of George Strait’s Ace in the Hole Band began as a jam session and turned into a successful honky-tonk band with seasoned musicians. This past December marked the sixth straight year the group has played in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. They will kick start the celebration at 9:30 p.m. the first Saturday. The other five concerts will begin around 9:30, shortly after the conclusion of the rodeo. Morgan Frazier will rock the concert stage with the Randy Rogers Band on Tuesday, Aug. 6, following the Xtreme Bulls Tour event at Jake McClure Arena. “We thought that would be a great night for the bull riding, Morgan Frazier and Randy Rogers,” Jackson said. “Morgan is a new artist that we heard in Vegas, and she was awesome. Plus her brother lives in Hobbs.” The opening performance of the ProRodeo will be part of the fair’s Family Night, and Christian artist Jeremy Camp will perform Wednesday, Aug. 7. “He’s been hot for a while,” Jackson said. “When we finally got booked, everyone was really excited about it.” The Josh Abbott Band, a group highlighted by the singer-songwriter, will bring a little Texas country to the stage Thursday, Aug. 8, opening the weekend for nationally known artists Sara Evans on Friday, Aug. 9, and Josh Turner on Saturday, Aug. 10. “We’re sticking with a country lineup this year, and I think it’s something the people of Lea County are going to love,” Jackson said. “Having Sara Evans, with her years of great music and her time on ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ is just great. “Having Josh Turner to close the fair is just incredible. After last year, I didn’t think we could improve our concerts, but I think we have.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – There are a lot of reasons thousands of people flock to this southwest Kansas city every summer to take in the annual Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. The event has long been considered one of the best in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Nine times it has been honored as the Rodeo of the Year; last July, Roundup was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. It takes great community support to produce such a prestigious event, but there are a lot of superior things that happen in order to make it an annual spectacle. “I think we have some of the greatest people involved in our rodeo, and that makes a huge difference in the product we put out before our fans,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 31-Sunday, Aug. 4, at Roundup Arena.. “We’re the richest Silver Tour rodeo on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour and the richest rodeo in Kansas. “We’re part of the Boot Hill Casino Championship Rodeo Series, which consists of 14 Kansas Rodeos. The people at the Boot Hill Casino have been great to work with, so that’s very special to us.” Those are high credentials, but there also is a personality that is involved with every rodeo performance. That’s where committee members lean on the experts in the sport to handle the heavy lifting: stock contractor Harry Vold Rodeo, chute boss Art Alsbaugh, secretary Linda Alsbaugh, announcer Boyd Polhamus and sound technician Benje Bendele. “Art and Linda were recognized last year for their contributions to rodeo,” Trotter said, referring to the Alsbaughs being named the winners of the PRCA Donita Barnes Contract Personnel Lifetime Achievement. “They handle so many things around here that really make our event work. We’re very glad they are part of Roundup.” Bendele is the premier soundman in the sport and works most of the major rodeos in North America, including the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Polhamus has been named the PRCA’s Announcer of the Year four times and has announced the NFR 17 times, including the last 14 in a row. “Boyd is an integral part of Roundup Rodeo and has been for a long time,” Trotter said. A key reason why Polhamus has found success in Dodge City and other major events is because of the passion he brings to the arena. “Boyd is a true rodeo fan, and he wants the people who buy a ticket to understand his excitement about a match-up,” Bendele said. “He puts his own excitement out there, and he pulls the fans into that excitement.” Bendele has seen it as closely as anyone. Not only does he work closely with Polhamus during the rodeo, the two have been friends for better than 20 years. Bendele understands his role in how each performance is played before the fans. “Benje has been here for a long time, and there’s a good reason: He’s the best there is,” Trotter said. “Roundup is a very traditional rodeo; for a long time, we had a brass band that accompanied our rodeo. But what Benje does is so much more than providing music. The reason he works the biggest events in rodeo is because of that.” The Harry Vold Rodeo Co. has been a fixture in Dodge City for decades; moreover, the Vold name has been a fixture in rodeo for more 50 years. Vold has been named PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year 11 times, and he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1994; he received the Legend of Rodeo honor in 2009. Now the operation is managed by his daughter, Kirsten. “I have absolute faith in what the Volds bring to Dodge City every year,” Trotter said. “They bring great stock themselves, and they’ve reached out to other stock contractors to make sure we have the best livestock possible at Roundup. “We’ve got the best of the best when it comes to our personnel, but I think that’s what our fans have come to expect.”

The Calgary Stampede concluded today, with $1,018,800 paid out on Showdown Sunday alone. Six contestants earned the coveted $100,000 first-place prize for posting the highest score or fastest run during the final round of competition. That was nice, but so was the $25,000 for second, $15,000 for third and $10,000 for fourth. The big-money winners were tie-down roper Bradley Bynum, bareback rider Caleb Bennett, steer wrestler Wade Sumpter, saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer, barrel racer Jean Winters and bull rider J.B. Mauney. Scheer posted the highest-marked ride of the rodeo during the final round, scoring 93.5 on Spring Planting. But the biggest prize goes to Winters, who will see $50,000 of that $100K go toward the world standings. That, combined with other earnings from Calgary, will move the Texline, Texas, cowgirl firmly into the top 10 on the WPRA’s money list – the WPRA agreed to count money won in Calgary toward the world standings, even though the PRCA does not. So with two and a half months left in the 2013 season, Winters should sit somewhere near the No. 5 spot when the standings are released Monday. Three-time world champion Sherry Cervi, who placed third, earned $32,000 in Calgary and pushed her earnings past $102,000. She has been the standings leader, and she’ll continue that streak. Reigning world champion Mary Walker, who placed second on Sunday, earned $40,000 in Alberta cash, sits second in the world with just shy of $95,000. Fallon Taylor, who placed fourth on Sunday, earned $23,000 and pushed her WPRA earnings to nearly $90,000. Of course, that’s a journalist’s math, so take it for what it’s worth. The accountants will have a better handle on things tomorrow, but it surely is interesting in the race for the 2013 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a story that appears in the July edition of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of the WPRA. As oftentimes is the case, ProRodeo’s elite tend to be atop the leaderboard. There’s a reason why many of the same ladies return to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo every December. Such was the case during the June run of WPRA Qualifying Tour events, where two-time world champion Brittany Pozzi continued a torrid streak and six-time Wrangler NFR qualifier Lisa Lockhart collected a large check in addition to a key victory. Pozzi, who leads the tour standings with 42 points as of June 17, won the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte, Neb., in mid-June with a 17.40-second run, more than two-tenths of a second faster than runner-up Wanda Brown. Pozzi added to her points with a third-place finish at the Daines Ranch Rodeo in Innisfail, Alberta, the same week, posting a 15.668, just a breath behind Lockhart and runner-up Cheryl Daines. Pozzi, a nine-time Wrangler NFR qualifier from Victoria, Texas, also earned tour points with a second-place finish in Guymon, Okla., the first weekend in May. In North Platte, she bested a talented group of cowgirls and collected $2,284 – she also won $5,530 at Innisfail. By mid-June, she was the fifth-ranked cowgirl in the WPRA world standings. Lockhart is No. 3 in the world standings, and the $8,507 check she earned by winning Innisfail is a good reason why. “It was a very tough barrel race, cut that so often is the case when you get so many girls,” said Lockhart, of Oelrichs, S.D. “It’s a tough set up when you consider that first barrel in there. It’s a smaller to mid-size arena, and sometimes that tightens some things up.” It was especially tight. Lockhart’s winning time of 15.611 was just ahead of Daines’ .640, while Aimee Kay posted a .691. Then-world standings leader Fallon Taylor of Whitesboro, Texas, posted a 15.915 to finish 15th. The pay in Innisfail also was an attractive feature; Taylor’s take for finishing in the bottom money position was $425. It’s all very important when it comes to those who make their livings on the rodeo trail. “I think the numbers were down a little bit, because last year I won $8,300 for second at Innisfail,” Lockhart said. “But it’s a great rodeo, and to win that and win that kind of money this year is amazing. I was doing hand springs, figuratively, not literally.” Lockhart has been racing Fast An Gold, a 15-year-old chestnut gelding she calls Chism. He was the guiding force behind her run for a long time, but she’s also got An Oakie With Cash, a 10-year-old buckskin gelding she calls Louie. She’s leaned more on Chism recently while Louie recovered from some health issues. “He’s feeling good,” she said of the older gelding. “I’ve had to run him quite a bit this year, but he’s not really my backup; he’s equally part of the team. I typically don’t run him outdoors or in bigger pens, so he’s my guy in the winter. With Louie being hurt this year, Chism’s had to step into both categories.” It seems to be working quite well. The win in Innisfail is key for Lockhart because points earned count for both the Wrangler NFR and the Canadian Finals Rodeo qualifications. Lockhart is a three-time Canadian champion, so making the trip to Edmonton is quite valuable to her. “My goal is to qualify for the Canadian Finals again,” Lockhart said. “It’s been a huge part of my life, and it would be great to have an eighth CFR qualification.” The first time she qualified for the Canadian Finals, Lockhart became the first cowgirl from the United States to win the coveted championship. Returning to Edmonton is definitely a goal, just as is qualifying for Las Vegas. “I’m going to go where I want, and what will be will be,” she said. “I’m not real good about chasing some of the extra things that come along. I’ll go to the same places that I like and that my horses like. I try to stay within that mindset. If it’s somewhere typically I don’t like or my horse doesn’t like, then it probably wouldn’t be a good outcome anyway.” The rodeo schedule is tough, especially on a family. The miles on the rodeo trail equal time away from home and from some of the other activities that come along. When you’ve got a couple teenagers and one just a few years away from his teen years, there is great potential to miss quite a bit more. Lockhart and her husband, Grady, have three children: Alyssa, 15; Thane, 13; and Cade, 10. The Daines Ranch Rodeo win meant so much to Lisa Lockhart that she adjusted her schedule a little bit. “Part of the deal when I left was that if I did well at Innisfail, I would come home,” she said. “Chism held up his end of the deal, and I did, too. That enabled me to be home for all of my daughter’s high school finals rodeo instead of just part of it.” Family is important to the Lockharts, and so is being there for one another. That’s why she turned out of a couple other co-sanctioned rodeos in Alberta to spend quality time with Grady and the kids. “We take it year by year,” she said, referring to how long she plans to continue to chase the qualifications to the season-ending championships. “I like to stay closer to home for a lot of reasons, but as each new year starts, it’s a family decision. “I think if we can continue to do this the way we’ve done it, then I don’t see myself slowing down that much. It’s difficult to miss things; I want to miss as little as possible, but if we can do it and have success going minimally, I’d be crazy not to.” After all, she’s got  Continue Reading »

EAGLE, Colo. – How good is Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket? “I was so nervous before the ride,” said Taylor Price, whose 88 on the 9-year-old bay gelding earned him the bareback riding title at the West of the Pecos (Texas) Rodeo in late June. “That’s the horse you don’t want to screw up on because so many people won on. You don’t want to be that guy that messed up that horse.” Of the seven times Dirty Jacket has performed so far this year, he’s guided cowboys to first place six times. From Ryan Gray’s final-round ride in Fort Worth, Texas, to J.R. Vezain’s big-money ride in San Antonio, the storied bronc has been the driving force for many of the world’s best bareback riders. They’ll all hope for a shot to ride him at the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 24-Saturday, July 27, at the Eagle County Fairgrounds. “That’s the best bucking horse I’ve ever been on in my life,” said Price, the No. 2 cowboy in the Rookie of the Year race from Huntsville, Texas. He’s not the only cowboy who feels that way. “There’s not another one like that horse,” said bareback rider Jared Keylon, a 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Uniontown, Kan. “Just the sheer ability to stand flat-footed and jump that high in the air is incredible. Just his athleticism alone is so impressive.” Keylon and Dirty Jacket matched moves for 87 points to share the final round win at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo this past April in Oklahoma City. “That horse is as good an athlete as any cowboy going down the road,” Keylon said. “When I nodded my head, it felt like we leaped 10 feet off the ground. That was the coolest horse to mark out in the world, because he shoots straight up. The way he’s built, he almost cradles you, almost saddles you up under the rigging. He almost spurs himself with the way he bucks. It was awesome.” The highest-marked ride of the season is Dirty Jacket’s most recent trip. George Gillespie, one of the top 15 bareback riders in ProRodeo this season from Placerville, Calif., scored 89 points to win the title in Window Rock, Ariz., in early July. Of course, it wasn’t without a little anxiety; having just arrived moments before the rodeo, Gillespie hurried to for one of his biggest rides this season. “The horses were loaded, and everybody was standing there with their riggings already on their horses,” he said. “I couldn’t miss getting on that horse. “I was obviously excited when I saw that I’d drawn him, because I knew it was a chance to win the rodeo. Window Rock was a priority on my Fourth of July trip because of that.” He’s atop the priority list for the best in the business in bareback riding. “I had always wanted to get on him, but I seemed to draw around him a lot of times,” Gray, of Cheney, Wash., said while explaining the random draw that matches cowboys vs. livestock in rodeo. “I was pretty tickled to have him, especially in the short round at Fort Worth. “He’s electric and explosive. He’s pretty rider-friendly, but he’s also fast and electric at the same time. He’s a pretty impressive horse. He’s just gotten stronger, which makes him even better now.” That’s what makes him one of the most desirable horses in the ProRodeo and another reason all the cowboys follow Carr Pro Rodeo around the country.