Monthly Archives: July 2018

Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Steer Roping July 31, 2018 Steer roping: First round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 10.5 seconds, $1,863; 2. Scott Snedecor, 10.7, $1,542; 3. Landon McClaugherty, 11.0, $1,220; 4. Brady Garten, 11.5, $899; 5. Rod Hartness, 11.8, $578; 6. Roger Branch, 12.2, $321. Second round: 1. Rocky Patterson, 9.4 seconds, $1,863; 2. (tie) Ralph Williamsand Jarrett Blessing, 9.8, $1,381 each; 4. Chris Glover, 11.0, $899; 5. Cody Lee, 10.3, $578; 6. Brent Lewis, 10.5, $321. Third round: 1. Tuf Cooper, 9.3 seconds, $1,863; 2. Blake Deckard, 9.6, $1,541; 3. Brady Garten, 9.9, $1,220; 4. (tie) Tony Reina and Ty Herd, 10.2, $739 each; 6. Marty Jones, 10.3, $321. Average: 1. Roger Branch, 35.1 seconds on three runs, $2,794; 2. Brady Garten, 35.3, $2,312; 3. Trevor Brazile, 37.2, $1,831; 4. Marty Jones, 37.8, $1,349; 5. Vin Fisher Jr., 38.9, $867; 6. Ryan Willberg, 39.4, $482.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – The children point to the bright lights and exciting rides on the carnival’s midway. The agriculture folks look at the wonderful lessons and great experiences with all the exhibits and shows. The rodeo fans direct attention to the award-winning and historic rodeo at Jake McClure Arena and the elite contestants that make their way to the area every year to compete for big money. Others, still, are ready for the great concert lineup: Friday, Aug. 3: Polo Urias and Grupo Intocable Tuesday, Aug. 7: Koe Wetzel Wednesday, Aug. 8: TobyMac Thursday, Aug. 9: Aaron Watson Friday, Aug. 10: Easton Corbin Saturday, Aug. 11: Martina McBride But the biggest factor that makes the Lea County Fair and Rodeo such a success and fairgoers’ favorite is the overall value that comes with this amazing entertainment package, set for Friday, Aug. 3-Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Lea County Fairgrounds in Lovington. Adult tickets are just $10, with children 6-12 getting through the gates for just $5; children 5 and younger are free. “We are able to keep our ticket prices low, because the Lea County Commission underwrites the entire fair and rodeo,” said Kathy Welborn, vice chairwoman of the Lea County Fair Board. “In addition to our great ticket prices, our Wednesday night is Faith and Family night, and there is no admission cost. “It’s our biggest night, and it brings in a lot of people.” There is also a big list of local sponsors that help with the financial side of things. Those sponsors are another big reason the ticket prices haven’t risen more than $5 over the last eight years. It’s all about entertaining as many people as possible, which has been the case for more than eight decades. “What makes this event so great is all the planning that goes into it,” Welborn said. “The day the gates open, to see all those kids going through there is amazing. We’re all about the families. “It’s the great food, the great feelings of accomplishment. There are so many people involved in it, and it takes many people to make it happen.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Tens of thousands of people come through the gates of the Lea County Fairgrounds every August. That’s because the Lea County Fair and Rodeo is a big deal. It’s not just folks from the southeastern-most county in New Mexico, but people from all over the Southwest who make the exposition a major entertainment spot. That kind of popularity means it takes a crew of hundreds of people to make things happen at the fair and rodeo, set for Aug. 3-11 in Lovington. It’s a combination of talented staff members working closely with dedicated volunteers. “The fair board is made up of volunteers, and every committee is made up of volunteers,” said Kathy Welborn, vice chairwoman of the Lea County Fair Board. “It literally takes hundreds of volunteers to put this fair and rodeo on. We just couldn’t do it without each of them.” That says so much about the types of people that make Lea County their home. It is a rugged terrain with hard-working individuals who know what it means to put in a day’s labor to make ends meet, then work a little more to help others. “The rodeo committee is completely volunteer,” said Trey Kerby, a fair board member and chairman of the rodeo committee. “They don’t have to show up, and they work all year. They have a meeting every month. Being on the fair board and being chairman of the committee, I’ve chosen to have that responsibility. “These guys show up every month, then they show up to the rodeo that week. With slack starting at 11 a.m. and the rodeo starting at 7 pm., it’s all rodeo all the time for five days.” But it’s not just the rodeo committee that puts in many hours; it’s every committee and sub-committee that is associated with the fair. “They put their lives on hold to put on this fair and rodeo,” Kerby said. “I really appreciate those guys and gals that have the interest to do this for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo.” It’s a collaborative effort. Each volunteer understands he or she has the support of the Lea County staff and the Lea County Commission. “Our commissioners have all worked hard on this,” Welborn said. “Our general manager, Jim Kemp, has worked hard on this. They have made things like this great. We have great cooperation from all around the county.” Kemp has been part of the operation for many years and took over as GM a little more than a year ago. His hard work is just proof of what it takes to produce a top-flight exposition. “Jim is an upright and upstanding man,” Welborn said. “He’s done things the right way. He’s for Lea County. He is a very good manager, and people really like him. “The community is a big part of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. It makes us really proud to have such outstanding commissioners who are for our fair and rodeo and all the things they do for the county.”

Hill completes comeback during BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop SALINAS, Calif. – Between them, Ross Hill and Nathan Harp have undergone two surgeries and two years of rehabilitation over the last 14 months. Their persistence paid off this past weekend at the Bullfighters Only Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop at California Rodeo Salinas. Hill won the overall crown by winning the final two nights of freestyle bullfighting, edging Harp by just half a point in the process, 326.5 to the Okie’s 326. “Starting out fresh, I knew by the final round on Sunday that I would have it figured out,” said Hill, a BFO pioneer who has missed the last year and a half of action. “I had to get back into the swing of things, but after the first two rounds, I felt like I could dial it back in like I knew how to fight a bad Spanish bull.” Hill had a serious ACL tear, with the original injury occurring in 2009 and compounding from there. He reinjured the same knee twice in 2016, which caused additional damage to his meniscus. Surgery took place this past January, and he was cleared to compete again last week. “It feels good to know my knee is in good shape,” said Hill of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I have a lot of confidence about my physical condition. My knee feels amazing. This is the first year that I can remember not being sore.” The “Alabama Slammer” won the Salinas title for the third time in his career: He shared the title with fellow BFO pioneer Dusty Tuckness in 2007, then won it outright the following year. Those that have tracked his progress since surgery knew it would be possible. “When he injured it many years ago, then re-did it again in 2016, that was the final straw,” said Keith Skates, the sports medicine coordinator for Fit N Wise Sports Medicine and Bullfighters Only. “When Dr. (Bob) Clifford did the surgery, he noticed that Ross had two bucket-handle tears in his meniscus. To have one was pretty intense, but to have two is an even bigger deal. “The ACL was so ruptured that it started to grow through his PCL.” That was a lot of work to be done on one knee. Harp knows about that. When he was injured in April 2017, his surgeon had to repair the ACL, a torn MCL and torn meniscus. He went back to work in cowboy protection this past December, but Salinas was his first time back in a freestyle competition. “It was great to be back in front of some fighting bulls,” said Harp of Tuttle, Okla. “I’ve fought a lot of rodeos since December, but to nod my head for one for 60 seconds was exciting. I was at the most peace and had the most fun at a freestyle bullfight in a long time. It felt good to be back and enjoying it the way it’s supposed to be.” With the victory, Hill took the lion’s share of the payout, earning $6,400. Harp collected $5,400. Both paydays will come in handy as the men look to qualify for the BFO Las Vegas Championship, which takes place annually at Tropicana Hotel & Casino and featuring the biggest prize money in the game. “The guys at Fit N Wise helped me in getting my physical conditioning back,” Hill said. “I’d go in there every day and do workouts. We’d steadily progress my workouts. As I’d gotten stronger, the workouts were more intense. I was feeling better than I had in a long time.” That’s exactly how Harp felt through the four rounds of tough competition in Salinas. “I definitely wanted to win, but it was awesome to see Ross make his comeback,” Harp said. “I remember how it was when I first came back to work. I don’t know if I could win an event on my first bull back. For him to do that against the competition there, it was pretty awesome to see.” RESULTS 1. Ross Hill, 326.5 points on four fights; 2. Nathan Harp, 326; 3. Zach Flatt, 321; 4. Cody Emerson, 319.5; 5. Weston Rutkowski, 316.5; 6. Toby Inman, 309.5.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Every August, folks all across southwest Kansas have the opportunity to see the greatest stars ProRodeo has to offer. This is a preview of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, only four months early during the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 5, at Roundup Arena. That also includes the Xtreme Bulls, which takes place Tuesday, July 31. Last year’s champions read like a who’s who among NFR qualifiers: Boudreaux Campbell and Steve Woolsey won the Xtreme Bulls, while bareback rider Tilden Hooper, steer wrestler Tom Lewis, tie-down roper Timber Moore, steer roper Vin Fisher Jr. and bull rider Shane Proctor were just five of the rodeo titlists. All have an NFR resume, and Proctor is a world champion. “We take pride in having the kind of rodeo that attracts the top cowboys and cowgirls in the game,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, president of the Roundup committee, a group of volunteers that works year-round to produce the rodeo each August. “We love that they want to come here, and we want them back every year.” Roundup is historic with a fantastic legacy. Over the years, it has been home to the greatest cowboys to have ever played the game. In fact, the rodeo committee was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2012 and continues to be recognized as one of the best events in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “This is a great rodeo” said Hooper, a four-time NFR qualifier from Carthage, Texas. “It’s one of my favorites to come to every year, and I’ve always had good luck here.” Roundup has been selected as the PRCA Rodeo of the Year nine times, and the contestants recognize that. Shade Etbauer became the second generation of his family to win the saddle bronc title; his father, Robert, and uncles, Dan and Billy, all won Roundup through the 1980s and ’90s. “It’s always tough competition and the top guys in the world,” said the younger Etbauer, the 2017 PRCA Rookie of the Year from Goodwell, Okla. “To be able to compete against them is incredible.” Contestants will compete in preliminary rounds, with the top times and scores advancing to the championship round, which takes place Sunday, Aug. 5. That night’s field will include several reigning and past world champions, all of whom had competed at some point earlier in the week. “What we like about the format is that be best of the best in our short round Sunday night,” Trotter said. “It really is an NFR preview. Nearly all the contestants competing that night have been or will be competing in Las Vegas at some point.” The first stop, though, is Dodge City. It’s home to the largest rodeo in Kansas, with the most contestants vying for the largest purse. In fact, Roundup features one of the largest purses in the PRCA, which is another reason it’s so attractive to the contestants. “The committee is so good to us, and we appreciate them,” said Tom Lewis, an NFR qualifier from Lehi, Utah. “It’s nice driving this far and making it pay off.”

California’s Colt Oder stands tall among the Redwoods FORTUNA, Calif. – Colt Oder only thought he’d been to the northern reaches of his home-state before. “I’ve been to San Francisco, but another four or five hours further and I wasn’t sure that I’d still be in California,” he said. Raised in the southern California town of Moorpark, Oder found true north on Friday when he competed in the Bullfighters Only stand-alone event in Fortuna. Not only was it his first time competing among the Sequoia trees and rowdy fans that Fortuna is known for, he also walked away as the event champion. “I had a pretty weak first round and didn’t think I was going to make it out, but the cards played in my favor and I made the short round,” said Oder, who won his opening round with a 79-point fight, then put together an 86-point bout with Costa Fighting Bulls’ Little Foot to claim the top prize and $6,000. “Colt is one of the most persistent people I’ve ever met,” said Aaron Ferguson, BFO’s founder and CEO. “He’s been to five of our Development Camps in two years and is getting better with every bull that he fights. Pair that with his unbelievable toughness, and the kid is going to be a big factor in the sport.” Oder was joined in the Hooey Championship Round by the other three of the BFO’s most promising rookies: Alex McWilliams of Paso Robles, Calif.; Tucker Lane of Oak Grove, Mo.; and Chance Moorman of Lytle, Texas. “I fought Little Foot last year in Lewiston (Idaho), and I didn’t capitalize on it,” said Oder, who also scored his first BFO win in Crosby, Texas, earlier this year. “When I got back to the short round here and I had Little Foot, I knew I had a good opportunity to make up for it. “I was pretty happy to have Little Foot in the short round. He’s a solid, honest bull that will come to you with a lot of head for the whole bullfight. Once you’re in a zone, you’ll stay hooked up with you. I knew I could do a solid flat-foot jump right out of the gate.” The victory propels the California bullfighter ahead in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings with $16,400. The recent windfall should ensure Oder’s berth into the 2018 BFO Las Vegas Championship, held annually at Tropicana Hotel & Casino and featuring the biggest prize money in the game. “This is a huge confidence-booster for me,” Oder said. “It was great to get the win in my home state. The money should bump me up a little bit in the standings, and I was needing it.” RESULTS Round 1: 1. Alex McWilliams, 82.5 points; 2. Miles Barry, 79; 3. Kris Furr, 0. Round 2: 1. Tucker Lane, 85 points; 2. Knox Dunn, 81; 3. Seth Wilson, 0. Round 3: 1. Chance Moorman, 87 points; 2. Justin Ward, 84.5; 3. Justin Josey, 76. Round 4: 1. Colt Oder, 79 points; 2. Beau Schueth, 77.5; 3. Eli Sharkey, 77. Championship Round: 1. Colt Oder, 86 points; 2. Chance Moorman, 84; 3. Tucker Lane, 82; 4. Alex McWilliams, 0.

GUYMON, Okla. – The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo has always been the centerpiece to the annual community celebration. It’s a big deal in Texas County, Okla., with thousands enjoying the festivities around town around the first weekend of May. It’s also a huge undertaking, with dozens of volunteers working diligently year-round to make sure event goes off without a hitch. With outstanding weather all week long, the 2018 edition of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame event was one of the best in recent history. Hundreds of contestants made their way to the Oklahoma Panhandle to battle for that prestigious title, and thousands of fans flocked to Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena to enjoy the shows. “If I put a grade on our rodeo this year, I would give it an 85 or a 90,” said Mitch Egger, in his first year serving as chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo. “I think everything went well, and the ticket sales were good. “I think the action was amazing, and everyone really enjoyed the return of the muley team roping. Our stands were a third full for those events during slack, so that says something about having muleys.” Hornless cattle were used in team roping for the first time since 2007. It had always been a staple of Guymon’s rodeo, but there were 11 years that the cattle weren’t available, so the committee utilized traditional corriente steers. After the rodeo struggled financially, Egger made it a point that the committee was to be a good steward of the money it invested into the largest annual event in Guymon. “We’re about $20,000 profitable after the 2017 expenses were paid,” said Egger, who operates a financial planning business. “We had great volunteers. They were absolutely outstanding. “Our sponsorships were up a little, but the biggest thing was that we cut expenses. We made little changes that made a big difference. We streamlined concessions to make it easier.” Sponsors are a key ingredient to producing an event the size of Pioneer Days Rodeo. It’s a marketing opportunity for them: Their brand awareness is increased in front of a large audience, and they show their support for helping produce one of the best rodeos in the country. “The sponsors seemed to be happy, which is what we want,” he said. “We implemented a few changes this year, and we’re already looking to build on that for next near. We’re already looking at some things we want to do next year to attract more people, especially for our two afternoon performances.” Like any building project, each block added to the foundation will just make it stronger. That’s exactly what Egger and the rest of the committee is doing.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Trey Kerby makes no bones about what makes Lovington’s rodeo so great. “Pete Carr and his crew are one of the most important parts of our rodeo,” said Kerby, chairman of the rodeo committee for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11, at Jake McClure Arena; that also includes Lea County Xtreme Bulls, which is Tuesday, Aug. 7. “That’s what keeps this rodeo as big as it is, with the big names and the people that come to town. They will travel a long way to do it. They will turn down a rodeo closer to them so they can get on the stock Pete Carr has.” He’s referring to Dallas-based Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, one of the largest livestock producers in the sport. Carr has been nominated five times as Stock Contractor of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Over the last five years, the Carr firm has had more animals selected to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo than any other stock contractor. Over the last 13 years, the company has had four animals selected as PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year: Real Deal, Big Tex, Deuces Night and Dirty Jacket. “It’s a pretty important role in our rodeo,” Kerby said. “If you’ve just got some stock, you’re not going to get the big names to show up to your rodeo. That’s who our fans come to watch, the best of the best. Anything that can get the best guys and the best girls here is pretty important to us.” The proof is in the firepower that is the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. Last year’s champions read like a list of who’s who of the greatest stars in rodeo: Bareback rider Orin Larsen, a three-time NFR qualifier; steer wrestler Matt Reeves, a six-time NFR qualifier; saddle bronc rider Heith DeMoss, a nine-time finalist; tie-down roper Cory Solomon, a five-timer; and barrel racer Taci Bettis, who earned her first trip to Vegas last year. Larsen posted the highest-marked ride of last year’s rodeo, a 90-point marking on Carr’s Scarlet’s Web, a 16-year-old bay mare that has bucked at the NFR 11 times. “Any win like this, big or small, is huge for me at this point,” said Larsen of Ingles, Manitoba. “That’s just a great horse that I’ve wanted to get on for a long time. “It was pretty cool to get on her here.” He wasn’t the only one who found success on Carr bucking horses. Sterling Crawley, a four-time NFR qualifier, placed on Carr’s Miss Molly in Lovington a year ago. “This is a great rodeo,” Crawley said. “The bucking stock is outstanding. When you go to a Pete Carr rodeo, everybody’s got a chance to win. “This is a good time of year. This rodeo has a lot of money, and the crowd is always good. That’s hard to pass up.” That is the perfect combination for fans who take in the Lea County Fair and Rodeo in 2018.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – For Judy and Bill King, being volunteers for the Lea County Fair and Rodeo has been an important part of their lives. She was the horse superintendent from 2007-17, a position that had her overseeing about 35 youngsters involved in the horse program and their families. That means she and her husband have impacted the lives of hundreds of Lea County residents. “All the youth have been good kids and have a great future ahead of them,” said Judy King of Knowles, N.M. And that, in turn, is what has been the driving force behind the couple’s volunteerism. Whether it involved gathering the sponsorships necessary for the awards or feeding the families, the Kings have been an important piece of the puzzle for all those involved in the Lea County Fair and Rodeo’s horse show. In fact, every year, two saddles and 22 buckles are needed for the awards. During her first year in the position, Judy King found a bit of divine intervention in obtaining the prizes. Realizing she had no money to pay for such items, she began searching for an appropriate saddle-maker to assist. Twister Cain’s Twister Saddle Co. answered the call. The timing didn’t look to be in King’s favor. Cain explained that every saddle was custom made by hand, and there weren’t any in stock. However, the American Junior Rodeo Association had ordered two extra saddles and did not need them, so they were transitioned to work for the Lovington horse show. Cain offered the saddles even though he knew the funds weren’t readily available. He explained that it was “a God thing,” and that King could mail the money to him when she had it. By the end of business that day, the Kings had the money necessary to cover the cost of the prizes, and their faith had paid off. Every year since, the horse show winners have received the prizes they’ve earned. But the work the Kings have done over the years hasn’t gone unnoticed. “They’ve put in a lot of time and effort into making our horse show what it is,” said Kathy Welborn, vice chairwoman of the Lea County Fair Board. “They have been amazing volunteers.” Judy King has established a June horse clinic with a renowned trainer for exhibitors and also helped find sponsors for youngsters who couldn’t afford the clinics. During the horse shows, Welborn said, Judy King was dedicated to the supervision in the horse barn and helped maintain the animals’ well-being. Having Bill by her side has always been a big plus for Judy King, and they handled everything they could for horsemanship and horses in Lea County. “It’s a really big job,” Welborn said. “They deserve a lot of credit for doing a big job they aren’t paid to do.” But that’s the importance of volunteerism, and the Kings have proven it for several years.

Veteran bullfighter has regained his place in time for BFO bullfights in Salinas Ross Hill didn’t really want to take a break from freestyle bullfighting, but his body was demanding it. A knee injury originally suffered in 2009 reared its head twice in 2016, sidelining the Bullfighters Only pioneer and forcing Hill to re-evaluate his career, his passions and his life. “I just needed a break from bullfighting,” said Hill, 35, of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I had done it for money all my life. There comes a time when it’s got to be worth more than money. I went until I couldn’t go any further; 2016 was my final year on that knee. It was the start of the BFO and the last of the Mohicans for the old ‘Alabama Slamma.’ “I had an ACL replacement surgery, and they cleaned up a couple of meniscus tears. It was a pretty horrific surgery. The second time I hurt it in 2016 did it in. I just have to say to any kid out there to never go that long without surgery. Get that thing fixed.” But it wasn’t the end of a brilliant career. In fact, Hill returns to action this week at the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop in Salinas, Calif., one of the most storied events in freestyle bullfighting history. The bullfights run four straight days, taking place Friday, July 19-Monday, July 22, in conjunction with the California Rodeo Salinas. “I don’t know what it’s like to sit out and come back, but the time I took off has all added up to this one moment in Salinas,” Hill said. “It was so worth it to be here and be healthy. Just to know I took the time to work out and took the time to get my knee fixed and took the time to heal myself. “I’ve been eating better stuff, working out hard and doing some personal growth work. It took me a year of personal growth work and seeing what it is that makes me great to get me ready for this moment.” It’s not the only big event for this weekend. The next BFO stand-alone event will feature 12 of the top bullfighters in the game Saturday, July 20, in Fortuna, Calif. It will feature four 3-man rounds, with the winners advancing to the Hooey Championship Round. Though he’ll still be in Salinas for that five-man, four-round bullfight, Hill knows how special the BFO is to the game he’s loved most of his life. “The thing about the BFO is it’s the best bullfighters in the world, and I have yet to win that title,” he said. “Now that we’ve started the BFO, it’s like a whole new set of goals.” In Salinas, Hill will be matched with Weston Rutkowski, the reigning two-time world champion from Haskell, Texas, and Toby Inman, the No. 1 man in the BFO Pendleton Whisky World Standings and the defending Salinas champion. Hill will know quickly if he is up to par; also in the mix are Nathan Harp of Tuttle, Okla., Cody Emerson of Marble Falls, Texas, and Zach Flatt of Fittstown, Okla. “Salinas is a magical place,” Hill said. “It’s in the valley between two mountains. The weather is always 50 degrees at night and 75 in the daytime. I think it has a lot to do with the people, the community and the rodeo. It’s just a good rodeo with a long history.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – This is the type of concert lineup fairgoers have come to expect at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. “I think this year’s artists are some of the best that we’ve had in quite a while,” said Kathy Welborn, vice chairwoman of the Lea County Fair Board. “We have TobyMac on Faith and Family Night (Wednesday, Aug. 8), and he’s absolutely amazing. What he brings to our fair and rodeo is awesome. “The fact that it’s on Faith and Family Night, which is one of our biggest nights because we open our gates to everyone at no cost.” But that’s just one night featuring a six-time Grammy-award winning artist. The other five nights are outstanding, including the final night of the fair, which features another award-winning artist, Martina McBride. Even when it’s not free, the Lea County Fair and Rodeo offers a great entertainment value: Adult tickets are just $10, with children 6-12 getting through the gates for just $5; children 5 and younger are free. “We’ve just got some great shows set for our community,” Welborn said. “It’s actually more than our community, because we advertise all over the region. We have a big draw, and a reason is a concert lineup like this.” Friday, Aug. 3: Polo Urias and Grupo Intocable Tuesday, Aug. 7: Koe Wetzel Wednesday, Aug. 8: TobyMac Thursday, Aug. 9: Aaron Watson Friday, Aug. 10: Easton Corbin Saturday, Aug. 11: Martina McBride The opening two groups are the perfect place for Hispanic Heritage Night and to kick off the fair in rodeo in New Mexico’s southeastern-most county. Wetzel is from Stephenville, Texas, and is best known for playing Texas rock ’n’ roll. Watson has been on the scene for nearly two decades and is well known in rodeo circles for his haunting song, “July in Cheyenne,” about the death of bull riding legend Lane Frost. Corbin has had some chart-toppers and in 2010, he won three American Country Music awards: Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Single by Breakthrough Artist and Video by Breakthrough Artist. McBride has the longevity and award-winning legacy to go with her beautiful voice. The south-central Kansas woman. She has multiple nominations for Female Artist of the Year and has earned nearly 20 national honors for her music. “I’m so impressed with our lineup this year,” Welborn said. “It’s been amazing to see our concert lineups over the years. The kids love to get out there and dance. For me, that’s what’s really fun: Seeing our kids having fun.” The adults join them, especially with the top acts performing for six of the exposition’s 10 nights.

Schueth earns 2nd straight Colorado Springs title; Josey takes Vernal crown Colorado Springs sits at the base of Pikes Peak and is home to the United States Air Force Academy. It’s also been the perfect place for Beau Schueth to showcase his talents as a freestyle bullfighter. For the second straight year, he won the Bullfighters Only Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. “Colorado Springs has been good for me, that’s for sure,” said Schueth of O’Neill, Neb., who outscored Schell Apple and Brooks Forsythe in the final round. “It has been a really good few days, and I definitely needed it. I was sitting a little further down in the standings than I wanted to be, so I had to start doing good again.” He won the first-round last Thursday night with a 77-point bout, then returned Saturday for the championship round at the Norris Penrose Event Center, where he put on a strong 87-point fight with Hookin’ A Ranch’s Lamborghini to win the crown and $4,500. On top of that, he also competed Friday night at the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal, Utah. Schueth scored 86 points to finish third behind Justin Josey and Weston Rutkowski. “I just want to keep the ball rolling heading into Fortuna (Calif.), Burlington (Colo.) and Dodge City (Kan.),” he said of the next three BFO stops in which he will be competing. “Keep it rolling all the way into Vegas in December.” Based on this past weekend’s push, he is making the moves necessary. By pocketing $6,100, Schueth has pushed his season earnings to $13,327 and moved from sixth to fourth in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. “Of the three bulls out in the short round in Colorado Springs, I’d fought two of them and didn’t know the other one,” he said. “They said somebody had won a bullfight on him but that he was probably the weaker one in the pen. “I knew I’d have to keep on him a little bit if I wanted to have a shot at winning. He was a pretty good bull, just a little slower than the other two, so I had to stay in his face.” While he had the best weekend of all BFO competitors, Josey wasn’t too far behind. He produced an 89-point fight on Saturday night in Vernal while being matched with Manuel Costa’s Black Jack. “He was a good little bull that just does his thing,” said Josey, who earned $3,000 for his win and moved to sixth in the standings. “I had to push off on him a little bit, but he was still close to me the whole time. I didn’t have a good sell, but I think the fight went pretty well.” The judges marked the bout 89 points, which remains one of the top scores of the season. “This gives me some pretty good confidence to know I can get a little bit closer to a bull and still get away,” he said. “I know I can beat them. I just want to keep fighting the bulls the best I can and let the cards fall where they may at the end.” The busy schedule continues this week with two events taking place in California. Five men will battle over four days at the Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop at the California Rodeo Salinas, one of the most historic sites for freestyle bullfighting in the nation, while a dozen others will compete Friday, July 20, at the BFO stand-alone bullfight in Fortuna.

EAGLE, Colo. – Oftentimes, a group of five people has a difficult time coming up with a consensus. But the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo’s advisory board does that more often than not. When Loyd Gerard, Ed Oyler, Brent Scott, Earn Mooney and Hanna Albertson gather on a monthly basis, they have a way of working things out, and that’s a benefit to the county’s exposition, set for Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28, at the Eagle County Fairgrounds. “With the collaboration of the fair staff, we garner sponsorships, plan our specialty acts and work on ticket pricing, among other things,” said Albertson, the council’s chairwoman. “Our monthly meetings take about an hour and a half, and we all have our specialties that take our time. “But the thing that separates us is we take all of our pieces and bring them together as a group. I think that’s what makes us special.” It is, because they work for a common cause: Making the best county fair possible for the thousands that pass through the fairgrounds gates. “They’re the ones that select everything that takes place at the fair and rodeo,” Fair Manager Tanya Dahlsied said. “We, as the staff of Eagle County, works as a huge team with the advisory council. “The advisory council is very hands on, and I think that’s good. There are a handful of employees that average 75 to 80 hours that week. The council, which is made up of volunteers, put in a good 60-plus hours that week. It takes a lot of work, but they’re not afraid of it.” The benefits come through the smiles on faces and the large crowds that take in the nightly rodeo. In fact, all four performances of the rodeo are typically sold out. But there are so many facets to making the fair and rodeo successful, and all five members of the council work with the staff to make it happen. “We all have different personalities and different passions,” Albertson said. “But we all really respect each other, which is the key to why we’re successful as a group. We take what we’re all good at, and we just use them to make a better fair and rodeo. “At the end of the day, we all want the absolute best for the fair and rodeo. We’ll put millions of ideas on the table, and we don’t always agree, but we always come up with a solution in the end.” This will be the last fair week for Oyler and Scott, whose terms end this year. That means the advisory board will be looking for two more to add to the mix to begin planning for the fair and rodeo in the future. “I am very proud of this group and to have the opportunity to work with each of them,” Dahlsied said. “They have really good insight, and they really care about the event.” That’s the meaning of a collaboration, and the fair and rodeo’s advisory council is the epitome of it in Eagle County.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The high-flying spectacle that is the Wisconsin Freestyle Motocross made an impression on rodeo fans in southwest Kansas three years ago. It was such a message that members of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo committee have asked WI-FMX to return for this year’s rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 5, at Roundup Arena. “People really liked them,” said Elaine Gall, Roundup’s office manager. “We like that they’re completely different from most Western events. It’s an exciting thing to watch. People stayed around to watch them. “Those boys will sign autographs until the last kids leave. They’re just cool guys, and the people enjoyed their personalities.” WI-FMX brings its own ramps and sets them up inside the arena right after the bull riding each night. Then they will have two members on dirt bikes and one on a four-wheeler doing tricks and jumps that are amazing to see. “One of the things that make our show unique is that quite a few of us can ride motorcycles and jump four-wheelers,” said Cody Cavanaugh, the founder of WIFMX, based in Neenah, Wis. “I like the way we’re diverse in that way. “It’s a different form of cowboy entertainment without a horse.” That’s what makes WI-FMX unique. The overall entertainment of Roundup Rodeo is already a great value, but the X Games mentality that is motocross gymnastics makes it even greater. “There is a small crashing curve that comes with learning new tricks,” Cavanaugh said. “If you’re going to push yourself, it can sometimes not end well. With a lot of practice, our confidence grew. “I tell people all the time that we’ve been allowed to do these cool jobs of just riding motorcycles. Find something you like to do and do it all the time.” That has paid off for the men involved in WI-FMX and for the fans that get to watch them do their work. “Everybody in Dodge City loves the rodeo, and they get to see a really good rodeo,” he said. “The fans make it a good rodeo, along with the people that put it all together.”

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Kynzie McNeill reflects on her youth in southeastern New Mexico with great adoration. She should. She’s awfully proud to be from Lea County, where she’s done some brilliant things. But the biggest piece of her life came in June when she claimed the barrel racing national championship at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. “I hope I remember this forever,” said McNeill, who also was the driving force behind Texas Tech winning the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association women’s title. “It’s something that I can look back on when I’m struggling or in a slump. I can reach the top. It just takes more effort and time.” And like anyone who is from this community, she is looking forward to being part of the the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 11, at Jake McClure Arena. “My great-great grandparents were on the board and started to help with all that,” she said. “We’ve had a box at the rodeo forever. We usually go every year and watch a few performances, and I’ve entered it. It’s a big deal for our community. It’s a really good rodeo.” Yes, it is, and it’s a big deal for the community that has a strong rodeo background. Lea County is home to rodeo greatness, where gold buckles are forged with sweat dispensed through hard work passion. It’s where Jake McClure developed his tremendous talents and where Troy Fort set the ground work for world titles and Sonny Davis battled through a ProRodeo Hall of Fame career. “We’ve always had lots of locals,” said Trey Kerby, a Lea County Fair Board member who serves as chairman of the rodeo committee. “It says a lot about the local girls and guys. For them to come back and show up at our rodeo means a lot. Kynzie comes from a ranching family. She knows how to work hard and get things done. “Like a lot of ranch kids, she’s always ready to accept the challenge and do the best you can with the opportunities presented to you.” That’s exactly how McNeill grabbed the top prize in college rodeo. She struggled through the regular season and didn’t qualify for the CNFR as a barrel racer. But since the team finished atop the Southwest Region standings, she made the trip to Casper as part of the four-person team. From there, she placed in all four rounds and won the title. “I’m actually the first one in my family that’s ever rodeoed,” she said. “We’ve always ridden horses because of the ranch. I started going to the playdays in Lovington when I was little, and things just escalated from there.” The escalator reached the top of the college world a month ago, and now she’s going to show her hometown and her friends in southeastern New Mexico just how much she loves the game when she arrives in Lovington for the ProRodeo.

GUNNISON, Colo. – Like any rodeo cowboy, Peydon McIntyre would love to take his shot at making the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. For now, though, other priorities don’t make that possible. He operates an information technology business in Douglas, Wyo., and he must take care of his clients before he can focus on his side job, a steer wrestler in ProRodeo. “I’m in a position in life where rodeoing full time isn’t really an option for me,” said McIntyre, a five-time qualifier to the RAM Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo. “The circuit system has been great for us cowboys that maybe want to rodeo hard for one month out of the year. If you win the circuit finals, you could go to Florida for the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo and maybe be able to ride for the National Finals next year.” That’s why Saturday night’s 4.3-second run on the final performance of the Gunnison Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. He won the steer wrestling title, $1,745 and a $200 bonus from the rodeo committee. “It’s pretty awesome for a committee to go above and beyond for us cowboys,” he said. “It’s been a real slow seek, so it’s real nice to come down here and have a lot of people appreciate when you do well.” McIntyre has been to Cattlemen’s Days a handful of times in his rodeo career, but 2018 marks his first championship. “This is an awesome community, and it’s a good place to relax and hang out,” he said. “The hospitality has been great, and they’ve taken care of us. We haven’t won a lot of money the last few weeks, so if somebody will feed you for free, you can’t complain about that.” He travels with Coltin Hill and Stetson Jorgensen of Blackfoot, Idaho, and Coltin Hill of Browning, Mont., and they share expenses to make sure the rodeo trail pays off as much as possible. They also work with one another, and Jorgensen helps by hazing for McIntyre, helping keep the steer running straight to give the bulldogger the best chance to win. “He’s hazed for me all winter and quite a bit this summer,” McIntyre said. “You get a guy on a good horse that knows what he’s doing, and you get in sync together. It’s like a quarterback and a receiver working together. “This is a circuit rodeo for me, so it will make competing in the circuit a little easier for me.” Cattlemen’s Days Gunnison, Colo. July 12-14 All-around cowboy: Wyatt Imus, $1,130 in tie-down roping and team roping. Bareback riding leaders: 1. Craig Wisehart, 85 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan’s Kicking Feathers, $1,480; 2. Casey Colletti, 83, $1,121; 3. Jake Springer, 78.5, $807; 4. (tie) Tyler Ferguson and J.C. Hester, 77, $426; 6. Hunter Brasfield, 73, $224. Steer wrestling: 1. Payden McIntyre, 4.3 seconds, $1,745; 2. Tom Littell, 4.6, $1,444; 3. Riley Krassin, 5.2, $1,143; 4. Trevion Fox, 5.7, $842; 5. Chisum Docheff, 6.4, $541; 6. (tie) Trey Jackson and Laine Herl, 7.7, $150 each. Team roping: 1. Brye Crites/Buddy Hawkins II, 4.9 seconds, $2,162; 2. Bubba Buckaloo/Tyler Worley, 5.0, $1,880; 3. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.2, $1,598; 4. Brit Ellerman/Marcus Banister, 5.6, $1,316; 5. Tyler Shnaufer/Trevor Schnaufer, 5.7, $1,034; 6. (tie) Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis and Lee Kiehne/Tyler Getzwiller, 5.8, $611 each; 8. (tie) Wyatt Imus/Reno Gonzalez and Wade Kreutzer/Clancey Kruetzer, 5.9, $94 each. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Mitch Pollock, 84 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan’s Jet Trails, $1,718; 2. Joaquin Real, 81.5, $1,302; 3. Lefty Holman, 79, $937; 4. Trayson Antonick, 78, $625; 5. Parker Kempfer, 75.5, $365; 6. (tie) Dean Wadsworth and Tyler Turco, 73.5, $130 each. Tie-down roping: 1. Bo Pickett, 10.9 seconds, $1,581; 2. Ryan Belew, 12.7, $1,308; 3. Wyatt Imus, 20.1, $1,036; 4. Reno Gonzales, 20.6, $763; 5. Colton Farquer, 21.0, $491; 6. Wes Mack, 21.4, $273. Barrel racing: 1. Nicole Waggoner, 17.64 seconds, $1,518; 2. Brittany Fellows, 17.90, $1,301; 3. Kelley Schnaufer, 17.91, $1,084; 4. Taryn Boxleitner, 17.97, $940; 5. Kelly Yates, 17.98, $723; 6. Chris Gibson, 18.03, $434; 7. Dolli Lautaret, 18.08, $434; 8. Kari Boxleitner, 18.09; 9. Jolee Lautaret-Jordan, 18.17, $217; 10. Ronnie Will, 18.20, $145. Bull riding: 1. Brody Yeary, 82 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Little Party, $4,474; 2. Jimy Marten, 79.5, $3,691; 3. Eli Vastbinder, 73, $3,021; no other qualified rides.

GUNNISON, Colo. – Brye Crites and Buddy Hawkins have roped together many times over the years. That happens when team ropers live close to one another. Now they’re on the rodeo trail together and finding their ways to the pay window. On Friday night, the two stopped the clock in 4.9 seconds to take the team roping lead at the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. “I had to stay home for a couple of weeks to deal with some family matters,” said Hawkins, a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Columbus, Kan., who had been roping with Lane Ivy of Dublin, Texas, for a couple of years. “It was the toughest time to leave a guy hanging or look for a new partner. “Brye and I practice together quite a bit. He lives about 50 or 60 miles from me and ropes real good. I asked if he was interested in going, and he was happy to come out here with me. He is a rooking, doing a real good job for me.” That he is. Not only are they winning in Gunnison, but they are secured a spot in Saturday’s championship round in Casper, Wyo. They will remain partners for another two weeks. “It’s been a heck of an opportunity,” Crites said. “A lot of guys don’t get this opportunity to know every time you turn a steer, he’s going to catch two feet.” That’s what happens with a heeler as talented as Hawkins. “Matt Sherwood and I are going to start roping together in Dodge City, and we plan on roping together indefinitely,” Hawkins said of the two-time world champion from Pima, Ariz. This was both cowboys’ first time to compete in the Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “This is a super neat facility,” he said. “I’ve been to 44 rodeos this year, and when we got here, they gave us hay and helped us park and were as friendly as they could be. It couldn’t be any better, and they gave us a cash bonus for winning the performance. “That money will help us get to Casper’s short round tomorrow night.” It all comes in handy. Hawkins is 21st in the world standings and has hopes of moving up the money list. Sure, returning to the NFR would be great, but he ropes to help make ends meet. “I like paying bills, with or without the finals.” Cattlemen’s Days Gunnison, Colo. July 12-14 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Craig Wisehart, 85 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan’s Kicking Feathers; 2. Casey Colletti, 83; 3. Jake Springer, 78.5; 4. Tyler Ferguson, 77; 5. Bryton John Buyert, 70; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Krassin, 5.2 seconds; 2. Chisum Docheff, 6.4; 3. Miguel Garcia, 14.4; 4. Brian Snell, 15.5; 5. Brady Buum, 20.1; no other qualified runs. Team roping: 1. Brye Crites/Buddy Hawkins II, 4.9 seconds; 2. Bubba Buckaloo/Tyler Worley, 5.0; 3. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.2; 4. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.8; 5. Wyatt Imus/Reno Gonzalez, 5.9; 6. Garrett Tonozzi/Joe Mattern, 7.1. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Joaquin Real, 81.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hoppin’ Tom; 2. Trayson Antonick, 78; 3. Parker Kempfer, 75.5; 5. Dean Wadsworth, 73.5; 5. Dalton Davis, 73; 6. Justin Lawrence, 72. Tie-down roping: 1. Bo Pickett, 10.9 seconds; 2. Ryan Belew, 12.7; 3. Wyatt Imus, 20.1; 4. Reno Gonzaels, 20.6; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing: 1. Nicole Waggoner, 17.64 seconds; 2. Brittany Fellows, 17.90; 3. Kelley Schnaufer, 17.91; 4. Kelly Yates, 17.98; 5. Chris Gibson, 18.03; 6. Dolli Lautaret, 18.08; 7. Jolee Lautaret-Jordan, 18.17; 8. Ronnie Will, 18.20; 9. MacKenzie Scott, 18,21; 10. Kathryn Hawkins, 18.27. Bull riding: 1. Jimy Marten, 79.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Gunsmoke; 2. Eli Vastbinder, 73; no other qualified rides.

Otto, Corbin were part of TETWP concert, auction that raised more than $340k GUNNISON, Colo. – The Gunnison Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign has provided an impact on the local community, but it touches people well beyond the Gunnison Valley. “I think they do amazing work,” said James Otto, one of the artists who was part of the TETWP Songwriter Concert and Auction on Tuesday, July 10, in Mt. Crested Butte. “They are giving back in a way to find a way to help folks who are going through the toughest points in their lives. “I’m honored to be part of it.” Otto shared the stage with legendary songwriter Dean Dillon, who serves on the TETWP board and helps organize the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, and Easton Corbin, a last-minute replacement for an ill Tyler Farr. “It was a great event,” Corbin said. “My buddy, Tyler Far, got sick. Our manager called me and told me what the event was, so I was happy to come. “In some way, shape or form, everybody’s been affected by cancer. They’re taking that money and putting it in the local hospital and taking that money and using it locally. It’s being used for what it’s for.” This year’s concert and auction raised more than $340,000, said Heidi Sherratt Bogart, executive director of Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink. Over the 13 years the organization has been in existence, it has raised more than $2.6 million, all of which is used locally. That made it fairly easy for the country artists to join Dillon on stage. “My family has a long history with breast cancer,” Otto said. “My grandmother had breast cancer and ended up passing away after battling it for a long time. My mom has been through breast cancer; she is a survivor. My mother-in-law just this last year went through stage 3 breast cancer. It’s something that means a lot to me. “If I can help raise funds or raise awareness in any way, then that’s what I want to do.” That mindset, along with the giving of so many special donors that take part in the concert and auction every year, has been big for the local TETWP community. “You make friends and connections out here,” Corbin said. “You meet people who have personal ties to this, and it solidifies why you’re here. It makes you feel good, because you’re going to help impact people’s lives.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The greatest cowboys and cowgirls in a given season battle throughout the year to compete in Las Vegas in December. What has worked for decades for professional rodeo has been passed down to the next few generations of ropers, bulldoggers, barrel racers, bull riders and bronc riders with the development of the Jr.NFR, which takes place in conjunction with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has always been a huge stopping point for NFR qualifiers, and this year it will be a qualifying stop for those hoping to compete at the Jr.NFR. The event takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29, at Roundup Arena. “This will be a direct qualifier to the Central Region Finals that take place in September in Liberal (Kan.),” said Jeff Louderback, a livestock producer and event organizer from Liberal. “From there, the top kids will go to the Jr.NFR.” There will be four age groups for the competitors: 8-under, 9-11, 12-14 and novice, which is for youth ages 15-18. For the event at Roundup Arena, the competition will feature youth in bareback riding and saddle bronc riding. Louderback will be providing the bucking stock, which includes animals of various sizes to be matched with each age division. “I love these kids events,” said Joel Redman, vice president of the Roundup Rodeo committee. “I feel good seeing how excited these kids get and their determination to compete.” That’s exactly why Louderback got involved in producing events nearly eight years ago. “I used to ride broncs, and we enjoy working with kids,” he said. “This will be our third year being associated with the Jr.NFR.” That’s because the championship in Las Vegas was created in 2016. While the Dodge City event will focus on youngsters riding bucking horses, the Jr.NFR will feature all other rodeo events. “We’re going to have kids coming to Dodge City from all over the nation to try to qualify for the Jr.NFR,” Louderback said. “This is really a cool way for us to look at tomorrow’s champions. “To say you get to see them now and could very well see them at the NFR one of these days is pretty special.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – When Craig Wisehart left his Texas home, he left a few things, including his pink shirt. That was a bit unhandy Thursday night during the Tough Enough to Wear Pink performance of Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, which offered a $1,500 bonus to the highest scores and fastest times in each event. “My buddy, Tyler Ferguson, told me there was a pretty good bonus for wearing a pink tonight,” said Wisehart, who lives in Stephenville, Texas, but still calls Kersey, Colo., home. “I told him, ‘I was silly and left all my pink shirts in Texas.’ He told me there was a Tough Enough to Wear Pink booth on the other side of the arena and to get one. “I ran over there, and they fit me with one, and here we are.” He then put on a magical 85-point ride on Smith, Harper & Margan’s Kicking Feathers to take the lead in bareback riding and earning the $1,500 – $250 from Wrangler, $250 from a local sponsor and $1,000 from a local donor who is part of the Cattlemen’s Days TETWP program. “I knew it was a colt, but we can call a bunch of people who know what it is or have been on that horse,” said Wisehart, the assistant rodeo coach at Tarleton State University. “A good buddy of mine, Jake Brown, knows horses like nobody’s business. When Jake says he’s a hopper, I take it.” A “hopper” is considered a horse that makes a straight motion as it jumps and kicks with few moves in between. “When I showed up here tonight, everybody told me I was going to love it,” he said. “It was reassuring.” Because of his coaching schedule, Wisehart focuses on the rodeos he knows and likes. He’s qualified eight times for the RAM Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo, where he has won the average twice and won the outright circuit title once. Part of that is familiarity, but another is having a strong rodeo legacy at a lot of rodeos in the region made up of stops in Colorado and Wyoming. “It’s just the atmosphere,” he said. “The rodeo heritage, and the guys in Colorado and Wyoming are true rodeo cowboys. I was born and raised here in Colorado, so I’ve seen all these kinds of rodeos all my life. “I love this rodeo. The hospitality and the committee is great, and the stock is amazing. Just driving in, you see the black cows out in the pasture and know this is cowboy country.” The pink program also paid off for barrel racer Chris Gibson of Windsor, Colo. She posted an 18.03-second run to earn the $1,500, then donated $300 back to the Cattlemen’s Days TETWP committee. “That’s one thing I love about this rodeo, and I’ve wanted to do that,” she said. “After I came here the first time, I knew I didn’t want to miss this rodeo again because of their pink campaign.” Cattlemen’s Days Gunnison, Colo. July 12-14 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Craig Wisehart, 85 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan’s Kicking Feathers; 2. Tyler Ferguson, 77; 3. Bryton John Buyert, 70; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Krassin, 15.6 seconds; 2. Miguel Garcia, 14.4; no other qualified runs. Team roping: 1. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.2 seconds; 2. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.8; 3. Garrett Tonozzi/Joe Mattern, 7.1; 4. Robert Reed/TW Wilson, 11.2; 5. Garett Chick/J.W. Borrego, 15.2; 6. Corey Whinnery/Robert Murphy, 15.6. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Trayson Antonick, 78 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Deep Water; 2. Parker Kempfer, 75.5; 3. Dean Wadsworth, 73.5; 4. Dalton Davis, 73; no other qualified rides. Tie-down roping: No qualified runs. Barrel racing: 1. Chris Gibson, 18.03 seconds; 2. Emily Dudley, 18.33; 3. Amy Smith, 18.98; 4. Trixie Carlstrom, 19.45; 5. Amanda Devencenty, 27.96; 6. Shali Lord, 44.83. Bull riding: 1. Eli Vastbinder, 73 points on Smith, Harper & Morgan’s bull 410; no other qualified rides.

EAGLE, Colo. – There’s so much beauty that surrounds this town of just 6,700, the Eagle County’s seat and home of the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo. That just adds to the flavor of this Rocky Mountain community and the reason hundreds of thousands of visitors make their way to the picturesque location. It’s also an attractive piece of the puzzle for the talented team from Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. “There’s no other rodeo setting like Eagle, tucked among the mountains with the Eagle River right behind it,” said Clay Heger, a bullfighter who has been in the middle of the action for several years at the rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28, at Johnette Phillips Arena on the Eagle County Fairgrounds. “That time of year makes everyone and every animal feel great waking up on a cool 60 or 70 degrees in the middle of the summer is amazing.” Heger is just one of a couple dozen Carr staff that will make the trip from the firm’s east Texas ranch. The Eagle County Fair and Rodeo has been a big stop for the team for the last decade. “We’ve been on the rodeo trail all year, and we’ve been to some beautiful places,” said John Gwatney, the livestock superintendent for Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. “We just got done with Big Spring (Texas) and Pecos (Texas), which are two fantastic rodeos, but there’s a lot of heat. “To go from there to the beautiful setting of the mountains and a crowd that is so captive and responsive is amazing and makes Eagle a wonderful rodeo.” How wonderful? All four performances are typically sold out, and the crowd of several thousand fans is usually loud and boisterous, making for a great experience for all involved. In fact, the members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association think so much of the Eagle event that they nominated it for Medium Rodeo of the Year in 2017. It was the first time it has received an honor – with the nomination, Eagle was recognized as one of the top 20 rodeos in North America, and the PRCA has more than 650 annually. “We have a lot of great history in Eagle,” said Pete Carr, president and CEO of the livestock firm, which has five straight nominations for PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. “The horses and bulls love it up there, and the mountain climate adds to that. There are usually a lot of high scores and great rides in Eagle because of that.” In fact, Carr bucking horse Grass Dancer was part of a world record-tying 94-point ride when she matched moves with bareback rider Ryan Gray in 2009. There have been numerous other high-scoring rides inside the arena that sits just beneath the mountains. “I think one of the keys to making the rides so memorable is the crowd,” Gwatney said. “The energy of the crowd electrifies the whole place. The night that record ride was made, there was lightning in the background, and the crowd was just as into it as if there wasn’t weather around us. That’s the electricity that place brings.” And that atmosphere is why the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo is one of the best in the game.

ESTES PARK, Colo. – It’s been a week of record-breaking performances at the 2018 Rooftop Rodeo, and that theme played through the final performance Tuesday night. Team ropers Tyler Wade of Terrell, Texas, and Tyler McKnight of Wells, Texas, stopped the clock in 4.0 seconds to win the Rooftop Rodeo title, $4,440 and a pair of spurs each. That beat the record of 4.1 that was shared by three other teams, and the last time it was shared was in 2016 by Clint Summers and Dustin Egusquiza. “Before we roped, he had done a little research on the steer, and they told us it loped, went dead straight and that he was really good,” said McKnight, the heeler. “I tried not to overhaze him, that way we were in the middle of the arena and could come tight faster, and he did an awesome job and made it easy.” The header starts a team roping run by roping the horns, while the heeler runs along side the steer to keep it straight, which is called hazing. Putting too much emphasis on hazing the steer would force the animal left, thereby making it more difficult to stop the clock by taking the slack out of the ropes and having both horses facing one another. It turned out to be not only the fastest run of the rodeo but the fastest run ever inside Granny May Arena at the Estes Park Fairgrounds. “We’ve roped for several years together on and off, whenever we could,” Wade said of the partnership. The tandem live just a couple of hours away from another, so they’ve competed together much of their lives. They seem to make it work well. But they had some motivation to close out their Cowboy Christmas, a series of lucrative rodeos that are around the Fourth of July holiday – Rooftop Rodeo is the final event of this year’s Cowboy Christmas. “We needed that run and that paycheck,” Wade said. “I flew out of St. Paul (Ore.) five days ago and made him drive the rig all the way here so I could see my 2-week-old baby. He got his 2-month-old kid here tonight, so that may have been our good-luck charm. “I hadn’t swung a rope in five days, so I was a little nervous on where my rope was going to fit.” While Weston Cash Wade didn’t make the trip to the mountains, Curtis Jay McKnight did, and both cowboys were happy to have it. Both have been regulars at Rooftop Rodeo for years. “I love it over here,” Wade said. “The mountains are awesome. There are a lot of committees that don’t take care of their contestants quite as good as I think they should, but they do here. We appreciate every bit of it.” Wade and McKnight were joined as record-breakers in Estes Park by steer wrestler Will Lummus, who tied the arena record of 3.2 seconds Friday night, and barrel racer Ari-Anna Flynn, who set a new standard of 17.04 seconds Tuesday. She was one of six cowgirls who bested the previous record of 17.36, set last year. Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Brody Cress of Hillsdale, Wyo., won the saddle bronc riding with an 87.5-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Bath Bubbles, pocketing $7,057. With that, he pushed his season earnings to $88,754 and moved to No. 2 in the world standings. Rooftop Rodeo Estes Park, Colo. July 5-10, 2018 Bareback riding:1. J.C. Hester Jr., 86.5 points on Cervi Championship’s Dream Machine, $6,021; 2. Steven Peebles, 86, $4,615; 3. (tie) Jake Brown and Kaycee Feild, 85, $2,810 each; 5. (tie) Lane McGehee and Bill Tutor, 83, $1,204 each; 7. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Mason Clements, 82, $702 each. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Sam Williams, 3.6 seconds, $1,363; 2. Will Lummus, 3.8, $1,128; 3. Laine Herl, 4.2, $893; 4. (tie) Tom Littell and Cody Devers, 4.3, $541 each; 6. (tie) Trever Nelson and Gary Gilbert, 4.4, $118 each. Second round: 1. Will Lummus, 3.2 seconds, $1,363; 2. Hunter Cure, 3.7, $1,128; 3. Cole McNamee, 4.0, $893; Blake Mindemann, 4.5, $658; 5. Laine Herl, 4.6, $423; 6. (tie) Heath Thompson and Riley Krassin, 4.9, $118 each. Average: 1. Will Lummus, 7.0 seconds on two runs, $2,045; 2. Laine Herl, 8.8, $1,692; 3. Hunter Cure, 9.1, $1,340; 4. Sam Williams, 10.0, $987; 5. Tom Littell, 10.6, $635; 6. Blake Mindemann, 11.6, $353. Team roping: 1. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 4.0 seconds, $4,440; 2. Quisto Lopez/Joel Galvin Jr., 4.3, $3,973; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.4, $3,506; 4. Billy Bob Brown/Hunter Koch, 4.5, $3,038; 5. (tie) Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton and Lightning Aguilera/Brady Norman, 4.6, $2,337 each; 7. (tie) Paul Beckett/Chad Wahlert and Aaron Tsinigine/Trey Yates, 4.7, $1,402; 9. Rhen Richard/Quinn Kesler, 5.1; 10. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.2, $234. Saddle bronc riding 1. Brody Cress, 87.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Bath Bubbles, $7,057; 2. Wyatt Hageman, 86, $5,410; 2. Tyrel Larsen, 84.5, $3,999; 4. (tie) Hardy Braden and Sterling Crawley, 83, $2,117 each; 6. (tie) Troy Crowser and Chase Brooks, 82.5, $1,059; 7. (tie) Jacobs Crawley and Clayton Brum, 82, $353. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Reno Gonzales, 8.4 seconds, $1,176; 2. Jesse Clark, 9.4, $973; 3. Scott Kormos, 10.2, $771; 4. Anthony Jordan, 10.6, $568; 5. Joey Dickens, 10.7, $365; 6. Caleb Smidt, 10.9, $203. Second round: 1. Bryson Sechrist, 8.8 seconds, $1,176; 2. Brice Ingo, 9.0, $973; 3. Caleb Smidt, 9.1, $771; 4. Sterling Smith, 9.6, $568; 5. Trell Etbauer, 9.7, $265; 6. (tie) Anthony Jordan and Seth Cooke, 10.2, $101 each. Average: 1. Caleb Smidt, 20.0 seconds on two runs, $1,764; 2. Bryson Sechrist, 20.4, $1,460; 3. Anthony Jordan, 20.8, $1,156; 4. Jesse Clark, 21.2, $852; 5. Sterling Smith, 21.4, $547; 5. Joey Dickens, 22.1, $304. Barrel racing: 1. Ari-Anna Flynn, 17.04 seconds, $4,028; 2. Brittney Barnett, 17.20, $3,231; 3. Sydni Blanchard, 17.21, $2,625; 4. Kathy Grimes, 17.26, $2,019; 5. Tracy Nowlin, 17.31, $1,615; 6. Shali Lord, 17.33, $1,211; 7. (tie) Sabrina Ketcham, Tillar Murray and Lacinda  Continue Reading »

EAGLE, Colo. – There’s so much beauty that surrounds this town of just 6,700, the Eagle County’s seat and home of the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo. That just adds to the flavor of this Rocky Mountain community and the reason hundreds of thousands of visitors make their way to the picturesque location. It’s also an attractive piece of the puzzle for the talented team from Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. “There’s no other rodeo setting like Eagle, tucked among the mountains with the Eagle River right behind it,” said Clay Heger, a bullfighter who has been in the middle of the action for several years at the rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25-Saturday, July 28, at Johnette Phillips Arena on the Eagle County Fairgrounds. “That time of year makes everyone and every animal feel great waking up on a cool 60 or 70 degrees in the middle of the summer is amazing.” Heger is just one of a couple dozen Carr staff that will make the trip from the firm’s east Texas ranch. The Eagle County Fair and Rodeo has been a big stop for the team for the last decade. “We’ve been on the rodeo trail all year, and we’ve been to some beautiful places,” said John Gwatney, the livestock superintendent for Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. “We just got done with Big Spring (Texas) and Pecos (Texas), which are two fantastic rodeos, but there’s a lot of heat. “To go from there to the beautiful setting of the mountains and a crowd that is so captive and responsive is amazing and makes Eagle a wonderful rodeo.” How wonderful? All four performances are typically sold out, and the crowd of several thousand fans is usually loud and boisterous, making for a great experience for all involved. In fact, the members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association think so much of the Eagle event that they nominated it for Medium Rodeo of the Year in 2017. It was the first time it has received an honor – with the nomination, Eagle was recognized as one of the top 20 rodeos in North America, and the PRCA has more than 650 annually. “We have a lot of great history in Eagle,” said Pete Carr, president and CEO of the livestock firm, which has five straight nominations for PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. “The horses and bulls love it up there, and the mountain climate adds to that. There are usually a lot of high scores and great rides in Eagle because of that.” In fact, Carr bucking horse Grass Dancer was part of a world record-tying 94-point ride when she matched moves with bareback rider Ryan Gray in 2009. There have been numerous other high-scoring rides inside the arena that sits just beneath the mountains. “I think one of the keys to making the rides so memorable is the crowd,” Gwatney said. “The energy of the crowd electrifies the whole place. The night that record ride was made, there was lightning in the background, and the crowd was just as into it as if there wasn’t weather around us. That’s the electricity that place brings.” And that atmosphere is why the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo is one of the best in the game.

ESTES PARK, Colo. – On the first barrel racing run Monday night, Shali Lord set a new Rooftop Rodeo record with a 17.33 seconds. Just moments later, Sydni Blanchard set a newer one in 17.21. Now she owns the lead heading into the final night of the annual rodeo at Granny May Arena on the Estes Park Fairgrounds. “My horse decided to beat it,” Blanchard said of the record. “This is big for both of us since it’s in both our circuit. Just the breeding and horsepower that we have (in the region) has far surpassed what it’s been in the past.” That’s a strong indicator to the talented horses that reside in the Mountain States Circuit, made up of rodeos and contestants primarily in Colorado and Wyoming. With Blanchard being from Pueblo, Colo., and Lord from Lamar, Colo., Rooftop Rodeo is a big stop for both. In between, though, Kathy Grimes of Medical Lake, Wash., moved into second place with a 17.26 eight runs later. “I haven’t had the best year,” said Blanchard, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “This mare was out at the beginning of this year, and my other horse broke his leg at Houston. I came back for the Fourth of July, and my saddle tree broke, slid under her and had a terrible wreck in Livingston (Mont.). This is my first rodeo back.” It looks like luck is changing for Blanchard and her mount, Famous Heartbreaker, an 8-year-old mare she calls Heart. “She tries no matter what,” she said. “She is really gritty. I don’t think she cares who her jockey is, but she’s going out there and try to win first.” Now she holds the lead at the reigning Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s Medium Rodeo of the Year. “The footing this year is absolutely phenomenal,” Blanchard said. “My horse broke his leg at Houston this year because of that ground, so I appreciate when the committees come together for us and make it the best possible ground.” Rooftop Rodeo Estes Park, Colo. July 5-10, 2018 Leaders through fifth performance Bareback riding:1. J.C. Hester Jr., 86.5 points on Cervi Championship’s Dream Machine; 2. Steven Peebles, 86; 3. (tie) Jake Brown and Kaycee Feild, 85; 5. Lane McGehee, 83; 6. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Mason Clements, 82; 8. Paden Hurst, 81. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Sam Williams, 3.6 seconds, $1,363; 2. Will Lummus, 3.8, $1,128; 3. Laine Herl, 4.2, $893; 4. (tie) Tom Littell and Cody Devers, 4.3, $541 each; 6. (tie) Trever Nelson and Gary Gilbert, 4.4, $118 each. Second round: 1. Will Lummus, 3.2 seconds; 2. Hunter Cure, 3.7; 3. Cole McNamee, 4.0 seconds; Blake Mindemann, 4.5; 5. Laine Herl, 4.6; 6. Heath Thompson, 4.9. Average: 1. Will Lummus, 7.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Laine Herl, 8.8; 3. Hunter Cure, 9.1; 4. Sam Williams, 10.0; 5. Tom Littell, 10.6; 6. Blake Mindemann, 11.6. Team roping: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.4 seconds; 2. (tie) Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton and Lightning Aguilera/Brady Norman, 4.6; 2. Paul Beckett/Chad Wahlert, 4.7; 3. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.2; 4. Jake Cooper/Logan Medlin, 5.3; 5. Brock Hanson/Ryan Motes, 5.5; 6. (tie) Rhett Anderson/Coleby Payne and Robert Reed/T.W. Wilson, 5.7. Saddle bronc riding 1. Wyatt Hageman, 86 points on Cervi Brothers’ Hell’s Fire Hostage; 2. Tyrel Larsen, 84.5; 3. (tie) Hardy Braden and Sterling Crawley, 83; 5. (tie) Troy Crowser and Chase Brooks, 82.5; 7. (tie) Jacobs Crawley and Clayton Brum, 82. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Reno Gonzales, 8.4 seconds, $1,176; 2. Jesse Clark, 9.4, $973; 3. Scott Kormos, 10.2, $771; 4. Anthony Jordan, 10.6, $568; 5. Joey Dickens, 10.7, $365; 6. Caleb Smidt, 10.9, $203. Second round: 1. Bryson Sechrist, 8.8 seconds; 2. Brice Ingo, 9.0; 3. Sterling Smith, 9.6; 4. (tie) Anthony Jordan and Seth Cooke, 10.2; 6. Cimarron Boardman, 10.9. Average: 1. Bryson Sechrist, 20.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Anthony Jordan, 20.8; 3. Jesse Clark, 21.2; 4. Sterling Smith, 21.4; 5. Joey Dickens, 22.1; 6. Cimarron Boardman, 22.3. Barrel racing: 1. Sydni Blanchard, 17.21 seconds; 2. Kathy Grimes, 17.26; 3. Shali Lord, 17.33; 4. Lacinda Rose, 17.39; 5. Leia Bluemer, 17.43; 6. (tie) Heidi Tillard and Kelley Carrington, 17.47; 8. Sammi Bessert, 17.49; 9. (tie) Jaime Merrill and Kristi Steffes, 17.53. Bull riding: 1. Callum Miller, on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Living After Midnight, and Scottie Knapp, on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Monte Walsh, 89 points each; 3. Clayton Savage, 88; 4. Kyle Gardner, 85; 5. Reid Barker, 84.5; 6. Tim Bingham, 84; 7. Jimy Marten, 82.5; 8. Moody McCoy, 77.