Monthly Archives: April 2019

ALVA, Okla. – In just a few days, Colton Brown will walk across the stage and receive his degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He’s a cowboy, first and forever, but he has big dreams beyond his graduation day in Alva. He plans to attend law school, preferably Texas Tech University. But his cowboy instincts came through this past weekend by finishing his final season strong at the Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s Doc Gardner Memorial Rodeo in Guymon, Oklahoma. “It means the world to me to do that,” said Brown, a senior from Nocona, Texas. “I definitely couldn’t ask for a better way to end my college career.” Brown’s best finish came in steer wrestling, where he placed third in the first round and finished second overall to teammate Colt Madison of Whiting, Iowa. But Brown also placed in both rounds and finished fourth in tie-down roping, proving to himself that he can be successful in multiple events. “I think the key in Guymon was my horses,” said Brown, who transferred from South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, after his sophomore year. “I’ve had my calf roping horse my whole college career. I love him because he just gives me the same run every time. He never fails to work.” Dinero is a 15-year-old sorrel gelding, but he’s not the only horse the Texan trusts. He also has Dixie, a 16-year-old buckskin mare that he’s ridden for most of the last decade. “She’s definitely a treasure, and she was the first horse I ever bulldogged off of,” he said. “I trained her as I learned to bulldog. I also roped calves on her. She’s just given me everything she’s ever had since junior high, and now I’ve finished my last college rodeo on her. She’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime horse.” Brown was raised on a ranch in north Texas, the sixth generation of his family on the place. His father competed in professional rodeo for more than 20 years, so it was an easy transition for the youngster to find his way into the arena. “I’ve grown up doing it,” he said. “One of my dreams was to rodeo, to try to follow my father. Our ranch has been in our name for 145 years now.” After competing two years in west Texas, Brown decided on Northwestern because of the coach, Stockton Graves, a Ranger alumnus who qualified for the National Finals Rodeo seven times in steer wrestling. “Stockton’s such a great coach, and more than anything, I wanted him to help my bulldogging,” Brown said. “There was really nowhere left in the Southwest Region that catered to bulldoggers, and everyone said that if you want to be a steer wrestler, Alva was the place to go. It’s the best opportunity for bulldoggers is to go to Northwestern and have them make a champion out of you.” While there’s been great success in steer wrestling, Graves and Northwestern have proven to be a proving ground for any contestant wanting to mature through college rodeo. In fact, five contestants finished the 2018-19 Central Plains Region atop the standings and earned their spot at the College National Finals Rodeo in June. Tie-down roper Riley Wakefield of O’Neill, Nebraska; steer wrestler Bridger Anderson of Carrington, North Dakota; and breakaway roper Taylor Munsell of Arnett, Oklahoma, won regional titles in their respective events. They will be joined in Casper, Wyoming, by heeler Tanner Nall of Colcord, Oklahoma, who finished second in the region, and Bradley Ralph of Wann, Oklahoma, who placed third in steer wrestling. Junior header Daniel Durkes led the way for the Rangers while in the Oklahoma Panhandle, winning the team roping title with his heeling partner, Zeke Hall of Fort Hays (Kansas) State University. Wakefield placed in the first round and finished sixth overall as a heeler. Though he didn’t place in the first round, tie-down roper Levi Walter of Wray, Colorado, finished third in the championship round and in the average. Barrel racer Amber Scales of Pittsburg, Kansas, led the way for the Rangers women, placing in both rounds and finishing second overall. Senior Ashlyn Moeder of Oakley, Kansas, closed out her college career by finishing fourth in the short round and fifth in the average. Breakaway roper Makayla Mack of Christmas, Florida, raced to a 2.1-second run to win the first round. Even though she was saddled with a no-time in the short round, she still finished sixth overall. “One of the things Stockton has taught us is to never give up,” Brown said. “He really focuses on the mental part of the game. You can’t let the last rodeo or the last run affect what’s going to happen. The last one is over and done, so it’s time to look forward to the next one.” Brown’s college rodeo career may be complete, but he hopes to still chase his rodeo dreams at the professional level while completing law school and beyond. He’s a cowboy, after all.

Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo April 29-May 5 Steer roping: First round: 1. (tie) Thomas Smith and Trevor Brazile, 11.9 seconds, $1,572 each; 3. Walter Priestly, 12.0, $1,127; 4. Clay Smith, 12.1, $831; 5. Kelton McMillen, 12.3, $534; 6. Tuf Cooper, 12.4, $297. Second round: 1. Chet Herren, 10.1 seconds, $1,721; 2. (tie) Trey Sheets and Shay Good, 11.3, $1,276 each; 4. Jim Locke, 11.4, $831; 5. (tie) Ryan Willberg and Rocky Patterson, 11.5, $415 each. Aggregate leaders: 1. Thomas Smith, 24.9 seconds on two runs; 2. Clay Smith, 25.4; 3. Cody Lee, 25.7; 4. Scott Snedecor, 25.8; 5. Trevor Brazile, 26.1; 6. Brady Garten, 26.6.

GUYMON, Okla. – While Pioneer Days is the annual celebration in this community of nearly 12,000 people, the rodeo that’s associated with it is the jubilee’s marquee event. Not only is it a throwback to the community’s Western legacy, but also it is a display of the incredible athletes in the sport and a true showcase of Americana all wrapped into a week of competition, with four performances set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “Our rodeo is an important part of Guymon’s history,” said Mitch Egger, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the event. “This is our 87th year, and our committee works very hard to live up to the responsibilities of that legacy. “This is the biggest event in Texas County, Oklahoma, every year, with nearly 800 contestants making their way to Guymon for the rodeo. Not only that, but we draw fans from beyond the Panhandle to see what we have to offer. This is really a great way to showcase our community.” The contestants agree, which is why they come from all over the country to be part of the festivities. “Not only is Guymon in the (Prairie) Circuit, but it’s probably the best circuit rodeo we have,” said team roping-header Coleman Proctor, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Pryor, Oklahoma. “There’s a lot of heritage out there, and Guymon’s always been fun. I bought my permit so that I could compete at Guymon, and I always look forward to it.” Team roping is one of a couple of specialized events at Pioneer Days. It is one of the few, if not the only, rodeos across the country in which the cowboys rope hornless cattle, known as muleys. It adds a much different flavor to the event and has helped make the Guymon event popular with team ropers. “We get walking-fresh muleys,” Proctor said, referring to the fact all the cattle will enter an arena for the first time ever, coming straight out of a pasture in the Oklahoma Panhandle. “It’s always fun to go somewhere like that where the set up is different. “They have a hand-pulled barrier, which is different than most other rodeos. It wouldn’t be Pioneer Days without having us rope muleys. Ever since I was a kid, you always heard about Guymon because of that.” But that’s not all. Because Texas County is recognized as the Bronc Riding Capital of the World – there have been six men with ties to the Oklahoma Panhandle that have earned saddle bronc riding world championships – it is another specialized event for the fans in Guymon. In addition, there have been dozens of bronc riding NFR qualifiers with ties to the region, especially those who have attended Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “To me, it’s a real prestigious rodeo,” said Isaac Diaz, a six-time NFR qualifier from Desdemona, Texas, who sits in the Top 10 in the world standings. “It kicks off the summer, and there’s always good stock. I think most guys enter it because it’s fun. With the Etbauers and Craig Latham being from there, it really feels like a bronc riders rodeo to me.” That feeling may just grow this year with the introduction of the new primary livestock producer, Frontier Rodeo, the reigning four-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year based in Freedom, Oklahoma. In addition to that accolade, Frontier features seven animals that have been named horses of the year, including saddle broncs Maple Leaf and Medicine Woman, the latter of which has earned it four times. “Having Frontier there will be great,” said Diaz, who recently won the rodeo in Logandale, Nevada. “They have a ton of great horses. It’s going to be a good fit for Guymon.” Over the years, Pioneer Days Rodeo has been recognized as one of the best in the sport. It was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2015 and has been a major stop for contestants for years. Its popularity burst onto the scene in the late 1990s, when it was part of the televised ProRodeo Tour. That changed in 2005, when the PRCA was undergoing some financial struggles. This year marks the Guymon rodeo’s return to the tour, which will be broadcast live on ProRodeoTV.com. “This is going to give Guymon and the Oklahoma Panhandle some great exposure, and it’s going to allow rodeo fans from all over the opportunity to see what we’re all about,” Egger said. “We’re excited about the changes that are going on with our rodeo and within our community. This is a big event for us all.” The volunteer committee that organizes the annual event understands that, but so do those who support it financially. The committee will host a sponsor/contestant dinner Monday, April 29, in the hospitality building at Hitch Arena as a way to thank the sponsors who have helped make the Pioneer Days Rodeo such a success in years past and years to come. “Our sponsorship dollars are at an all-time high, which shows how much our community values this rodeo,” Egger said. “None of this would be possible without those sponsors and our great volunteers.”

ALVA, Okla. – Heading into the spring semester of the Central Plains Region college rodeo season, Tanner Nall knew he needed to finish strong if he had any chances of returning to the College National Finals Rodeo. Consider it nearly done. He and his partner, Ethan Griffin of Northeast Oklahoma A&M, put together two solid runs this past weekend to finish second in both rounds and the average at the Fort Hays (Kansas) State University rodeo. Now they’re ever-so-close to securing their spot at the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s championship in June. “Hays was pretty important for us,” said Nall, a Northwestern Oklahoma State University junior heeler from Colcord, Oklahoma. “It was going pretty slow at the beginning of the year, but it’s starting to roll a little bit now. “This gives us a chance to go into Guymon (Oklahoma) this weekend and not worry too much.” Nall has moved into second place in the heeling standings heading into the final rodeo of the season. He may need a few points at the Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo to shore up their qualification to the college championship in Casper, Wyoming. “I’ve known Ethan since I was 10 years old,” Nall said. “We’ve roped together through youth rodeo and high school rodeo, and we went to a lot of jackpots. This is the first year we’ve roped together in college. I roped with Maverick (Harper) my first two years, and we won the region last year and went to the college finals. “We wanted to win the region as bad as anybody, but the top guys in the region have been pretty hard to beat. It’s good to have moved up to where have a good shot to go to Casper.” The tandem was 6.6 in the first round and 6.9 in the championship round. The 150 points each earned pushed them from third to second in the region, and they own a 165-point lead over the No. 4 team; only the top three individuals in each event advance out of the region to the college finals. “We really just want to knock down two steers, be about 7.0 seconds on both steers, place good in the long round, short round and average,” Nall said. “That would give me a lot of confidence. “Ethan and I talked about it, and our goal this semester was to just catch steers and make good runs. It seems to be clicking and working.” Nall led the way for the Rangers in Hays, while header Daniel Durkes of Eskridge, Kansas, finished third with his partner, Zeke Hall of Fort Hays State. That duo finished third in both rounds and the average. Meanwhile the Northwestern tandem of Kelton Hill of Canadian, Texas, and Jayden Laubauhn of Follett, Texas, were fourth in both rounds and the aggregate. Tie-down roper Jeremy Carney of Blanchard, Oklahoma, placed sixth in the opening round, while steer wrestler Riley Wakefield of O’Neill, Nebraska, finished in a tie for sixth in the first round, sixth in the short round and sixth in the average. Barrel racers Ashlyn Moeder of Oakley, Kansas, and Kayla Copenhaver of St. James, Missouri, led the way for the Rangers women. Moeder placed fifth in the short round, and Copenhaver was sixth. Both had a two-run cumulative time of 34.58 seconds to finish in a tie for sixth place overall. Breakaway roper Megan Turek of St. Paul, Nebraska finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in the opening round, then was saddled with a no-time in the short round. Goat-tier Melissa Couture earned a spot in the championship round, where her 8.3-second run was good enough for sixth place in the round. For Nall, he thinks the reason for his success lies in a 13-year-old sorrel gelding he named Cookie Monster. “Honestly, that’s helped me more than anything,” he said. “I got him about a year ago, and that’s when my success started. When Maverick and I won the region last year, we won two of the last three rodeos after I got the horse. He just really never messes up. “When I bought him, his barn name was Easy, because he was so easy to ride. I changed his name because he likes to eat so much. He’s never going to get in your way and make your job harder than it is.”

Bullfighting veteran moves to No. 1 after victory at the BFO Ada Invitational ADA, Okla. – Toby Inman is well aware of the danger that comes with freestyle bullfighting. He loves it nonetheless. Over this past weekend, Inman proved his old-school methods of combating ferocious, Spanish fighting bulls still works. For the second straight year, he earned the championship at the Bullfighters Only Ada Invitational at the Pontotoc County Agri-Plex. “There’s a lot of history with bullfighting in Ada,” said Inman, 36, of Davis Junction, Illinois. “Ada’s old school. That fits me pretty well.” He put together two solid bullfights on Saturday night. In his first-round match, he outlasted two young guns, Chance Moorman and Trenton Ross, to advance to the Hooey Championship Round. That’s when he put on a show that only Inman can, starting off with a jump, then making rounds and utilizing back fakes to keep the bull just a half step away. “It’s nice to be in good enough shape that you can do it, and I think that had a little bit to do with it,” said Inman, who pocketed $12,000 for the victory and moved to No. 1 in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. “You never really know the key to success because that key doesn’t always repeat itself.” Nonetheless, he posted an event-high 87-point bout to win the championship, fending off Tucker Lane, Colt Oder and Seth Wilson along with veteran and BFO Pioneer Beau Schueth. Also for the second straight year, Oder finished second at the Ada Invitational. Only Inman, Oder and Lane finished their bouts; neither Schueth nor Wilson was able to last. That’s just proof of the test the bullfighters put themselves through while competing for unprecedented money in the BFO. “The bulls are always going to be tough in the short round of a BFO event,” Inman said. “Some guys are able to handle them, and sometimes you just get caught. I’ve been there. You can have it won in the first 15 seconds, then the bull catches you and you’re done. “You have to treat every bull like a new bull. I try to have that mentality all the time.” Wilson first stepped into the BFO arena 16 months ago at the Las Vegas Championship after a strong showing at BFO’s first Development Camp. He was 17 years old and earned big points while testing his talents alongside the greatest bullfighters in the game. Now 19, he returned to the BFO in Ada as one of 15 men who competed Friday night in the Qualifier Round. The event featured five three-man bullfights, with the round winners advancing to Saturday night. Wilson was one of the five to advance to the championship. “That definitely made me feel good,” said Wilson of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “Ever since my first Vegas event, I haven’t made it out of a Qualifier Round. To get that out of the way was great. “Winning my round on Saturday was a big confidence-booster. I’ve been going through the events knowing that I can, but it hasn’t worked out. To finally put some bullfights together and show that I can do it helped me out a bunch. That helped me keep my head on straight.” The weekend prior, he suffered a leg injury. Though he had done well on his first two bulls in Ada, the leg took another shot. “It was a little sore, then in the short round, I didn’t get out of the way on one of my fakes, and he caught me and hit that leg again,” he said. “It makes me want to kick myself for not being able to finish, but at the same time, I would’ve just gotten hooked and maybe hurt worse if I’d tried to keep going.” Still, he proved a point to himself and his fellow bullfighters. He was a winner two of the three times he entered the ring, and he’s already looking forward to his next opportunity with the BFO. “I think it’s a blessing, everything the BFO can do for a guy,” Wilson said. “It’s an incredible way to get your name out. They show who you are as a bullfighter, and the opportunities they can lead you to are almost endless. The BFO is pretty incredible.”

ALVA, Okla. – Ethan Price had a point to make this semester on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo team. He made it this past weekend at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He won steer wrestling, finished second in team roping with his heeling partner, Bo Yaussi, and earned points in tie-down roping. In all, Price accumulated 320 points at the wet and windy rodeo to also claim the men’s all-around championship. “This is probably one of the best college rodeos I’ve ever had,” said Price, a senior from Leedey, Oklahoma. “I’ve never made it back to the short round in all three events. Finishing in the top two in two events is the best I’ve ever done.” It paved the way not only for Price to walk away with two individual titles, but he was the key factor in the Rangers men earning the team championship. With those valuable points, Northwestern moved to within of the lead in the Central Plains Region. “This weekend really helped us, because we came into this semester leading the region, and now we’ve messed around and hadn’t had that good of a semester team-wise,” he said. “It felt good to come out and really have a big push this weekend and hopefully get into the top 10 before the season’s over with. “We had a bunch of people do really well. It was definitely a team effort. It always feels better whenever everybody’s doing something to help.” The biggest push for Price came in steer wrestling, where he completed a 4.1-second run to win the first round, a 4.9-second run to win the championship round and win the outright title. He was one of three Rangers who made the short round, and all placed; Brent Woodward of DuPree, South Dakota, placed second, and Riley Wakefield of O’Neill, Nebraska, finished fourth. Price and Yaussi put together a 7.6-second run to finish fifth in the first round, then stayed consistent with a 7.7 to win the short round. Their two-run cumulative time of 15.3 seconds earned them a runner-up finish. “That was actually really important, because we’ve had a rough go at it this year,” Price said. “It was good to actually get two roped and put down clean. We were both on the points team, so we got double points for that. That helps us in all area of that.” Heeler Tanner Nall of Colcord, Oklahoma, finished third with his heading partner, Ethan Griffin of Northeast Oklahoma A&M, while the Northwestern tandem of header Kelton Hill of Canadian, Texas, and heeler Jayden Labhaun of Follett, Texas, finished second in the first round; a long run in the final round kept them out of placing in the average. Price made his way into the short round in tie-down roping after posting a 10.1-second run, good enough for fifth place in the first round. He failed to secure a time in the final round. It’s still a grand showing, especially for a cowboy just 10 months removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. In the months since, he has undergone serious rehabilitation. He returned to team roping last semester and was cleared to rope calves earlier this semester. His runs in Weatherford were the third and fourth he’s made in steer wrestling. “I couldn’t really expect to win at first, because everybody’s had a big jump on me in the standings,” said Price, who is eighth in steer wrestling and 10th in heading in the Central Plains Region standings. “My main goal is to end up in the top three for myself and to help get the team into the top two so we can make it to the college finals.” Only the top three individuals in each event and the top two teams in the standings at the end of the region season advance to the College National Finals Rodeo, which takes place in June at Casper, Wyoming. “If I can get back in the top three before Guymon (the Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo, which closes out the season the last weekend in April), then I will look to finish in that top spot if I can get up there,” he said. “The main thing is to get the team back to the college finals and see if we can do better than we did last year.” The women’s team was led by breakaway roper McKayla Alliston of Buckhead, Georgia, who finished second in the short round and the average. Taylor Munsell of Arnett, Oklahoma, won the first round with a 2.2-second run but was unsuccessful in the short round. Goat-tiers Megan Turek of St. Paul, Nebraska, and Meghan Corr of Rapid City, South Dakota, each earned their way into the short round. Turek finished in a tie for fourth place in the opening round, while Corr placed in a tie for sixth. Neither were fast enough to place in the short round or average. Barrel Racer Alyssa Gabrielson of Perham, Minnesota, scored her points in the short round, placing sixth in the final round and the average. “I think this team is equally as good as the one we had last year,” Price said. “We have me, who made it to the college finals once, and I’m a three-event cowboy. We have Riley, who has made it, and he’s a three-event cowboy. We have Bo, who made it last year, and he’s a three-event cowboy. “Bridger Anderson is a stud in bulldogging, and he’s hard to beat. We’ve got a lot of talent. If we ever hit on the same page the same weekend, it’s going to be hard to beat us. If we could take all of us to Casper, I feel like we could do very well.” They have their chances the final two weeks of the season, first at Fort Hays (Kansas) State this weekend, then in Guymon the following. For Price, he not only has to overcome the mental aspect of  Continue Reading »

Former Marine will join the battle at Bullfighters Only Ada Invitation ADA, Okla. – Ben Walton is no stranger to danger. As a United States Marine, Walton saw plenty of action during four tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. He served 10 years in harm’s way and knows exactly what it takes to stand against the enemy. Now, he’ll face a different type of foe: the Spanish fighting bull. Walton is one of 25 men set to compete during the third annual Bullfighters Only Ada Invitational, set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Pontotoc County Agri-Plex. “There are a lot of similarities as far as mindset in warfare and in bullfighting,” said Walton, 35 of Amherst, Virginia. “You have to have this never-say-die mentality. You have to fight your way out of situations. Fifteen athletes are set to compete in Friday’s Qualifier Round, with only five advancing to Saturday to compete against the top ten bullfighters in the BFO. The top score in Saturday’s Hooey Championship Round will be crowned the Ada Invitational champion and will earn the lion’s share of the $30,000 purse. Walton is one of several newcomers who are testing their skills for the first time in the BFO this weekend. In fact, he was invited to compete after an impressive showing at the BFO Development Camp this past weekend in Lavonia, Georgia. “This is truly an honor,” he said. “I’m very excited about this opportunity and very thankful for the BFO to allow me to be part of this. I will try to lay it all on the line and see what happens. “I’m going to try a lot of things I just learned in D Camp, a lot of the moves Ross (Hill) showed me. I’ll see if I can string a few of those together and get through Friday. If Saturday comes, I’ll make the most of it.” Hill is a BFO Pioneer who has helped in returning freestyle bullfighting to the mainstream of Western sports. Besides being a key instructor at the Development Camps, he also is a contender for the world championship, having finished fifth in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings last season. Walton isn’t the only newcomer who will compete in Ada. Rowdy Moon is a 21-year-old bullfighter from Taylor, Nebraska, who hasn’t competed in many freestyle events. “I’ve only gone to one freestyle bullfight a year, so I haven’t really been involved until now,” Moon said. “It’s the excitement that draws me to it. It’s a good feeling when you can step around a bull.” He started bullfighting eight years ago, attending a bullfighting school in Nebraska that happened to be instructed by Aaron Ferguson, BFO’s eventual founder and CEO. “When Rowdy showed up, he was 13-years-old and couldn’t have weighed 100 pounds,” Ferguson said. “We were scared to let him fight, but he was an absolute natural. “I’d been hearing great things about him ever since, and then he was outstanding at D Camp.” It’s all come full circle in a short amount of time for Moon, who was part of the Development Camp in Houston just two weeks ago. Now he’s competing in his first BFO event, and the magnitude isn’t lost on him. “I learned a lot of stuff that I never picked up on,” he said. “The camps are awesome, because it’s a really cool environment. Everybody’s feeding off each other’s success. Everyone’s really motivated, so they lift you up. “I’m pretty excited to be part of the BFO this weekend. I’m a little nervous.” The feeling is natural; Moon is getting called straight to the Major Leagues. This will be something unlike he has ever seen. “This is a big stage, a big bullfight,” said BFO veteran Zach Flatt, 30, of Ada. “The fact that bullfights are back in Ada is a big deal. It’s been a big thing around this part of the state for a long time. The people here love the bullfights and expect to see some wrecks, some cool lights, some good music and some really cool tricks.” Freestyle bullfighting is a true man-vs.-beast showcase of aggression, agility and flat-out unbelievable athletic maneuvers. Each bout lasts 60 seconds, and scores are based on a 100-point scale. Half of the score is determined by how well the bullfighter moves around and jumps over the animal. The Spanish fighting bull earns up to 50 points based his aggression and how well it stays engaged during the fight. “I really feel like it’s a great thing for these young guys,” Flatt said. “I like seeing all the turnout they’re getting at the D Camps. There are a lot of guys that are wanting to fight bulls and the BFO has done nothing but grow. It’s good to see.” Walton has seen it from afar. Now he’s in the middle of it and is already anticipating the feeling he will get this weekend. “I think the BFO is an awesome organization,” said Walton, who also helps on his family’s ranch in western Virginia. “I think the mentality of the guys is such a brotherhood. They’re competing against one another, but there’s a lot of comradery there. I saw it in a lot of the guys and the instructors. “They also have nothing but respect for the animals. It’s just a professional organization, and probably the most exciting in Western sports. I think freestyle bullfighting is very successful because it’s such a big challenge between man and animal.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Five years ago, Orin Larsen was riding his way through his college rodeo season at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. That June, he won the bareback riding championship at the College National Finals Rodeo for the second straight year, bringing another national title back to Texas County. This year, Larsen is rolling through April in anticipation of the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. But rolling might just be an understatement. As of April 1, he had earned more than $86,000 on the 2019 ProRodeo season. Having that much money this early in the season might be unprecedented, but he’s actually No. 2 in the world standings, trailing Utahan Kaycee Feild by about $30,000. “I can’t complain at all about my year,” said Larsen, who claims Ingles, Manitoba, as home but actually lives in Gering, Nebraska. “I didn’t go anywhere this year before San Antonio (in February). I’m glad I got the momentum rolling then.” That was handy and just in time. Over the first weekend in March, he snagged the biggest victory of his career, winning $100,000 at The American in Arlington, Texas. Half of that counts toward the PRCA world standings, which was a huge boost – he actually led the world standings until Feild won in RodeoHouston a couple weeks later and padded his account by $50,000, all of which counted for the standings. “I think it was a good for the sport of rodeo for The American to be a PRCA event,” said Larsen, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “To be able to win that kind of money is huge. I think you’ll see some of these bigger rodeos want to be involved in the PRCA again. I’ve got my hopes pretty high for the PRCA in that regard.” Pioneer Days has long been associated with the premier rodeo association. In fact, it’s a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. Guymon’s rodeo offers a nice purse and a good time of year to be an attractive stop for contestants from all over the country. This year, the volunteer committee made a significant change in hiring Freedom, Oklahoma-based Frontier Rodeo as its stock contractor. “The horses that are going to be in Guymon are going to give you every chance to win a pile of money,” Larsen said of Frontier, the reigning four-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. “I don’t think it’s a bad deal. Pete (Carr) has had a lot of great horses in his time in Guymon, and they were more rider-friendly. “What Heath (Stewart) and Frontier will bring is the A team, and that’s a bunch of buckers. I’ve been fortunate enough to have won a bunch of money on a lot of Frontier horses.” He’s been known to ride some big-time bucking horses. Last December, he earned $92,000 over 10 nights at the NFR in Las Vegas, pushing his 2018 earnings to $222,732. It was the best year of his career, which began in 2011. This season is off to a better start. “It’s too early to tell what’s going to make it to the finals in regards to the money earned,” he said, pointing to the fact that only the top 15 on the money list in each event advance to the grand finale. “It is going to change the shape of what it’s going to take to make the finals and how much money is out there for the guys. That just means there’s more money available for the cowboys. That’s never a bad thing.” While he has a nice advantage and is a near lock to qualify for the NFR for the fifth straight year, he still plans to compete this season his way. He and his traveling partner, fellow Panhandle State rodeo team alumnus Seth Hardwick, will approach the season much in the same way they have the past few. “I’m still going to be picky about where I go and what I get on,” Larsen said. “To me, I enjoy the sport too much to just go home until July. There are 50 other guys that want to be where I’m at, and I have to be just as competitive as I am now as if I were the 50th guy. “Having more than $80,000 gives me a cushion and takes the stress of what I do. As for how I do things, it’s not going to be a factor.” He’s looking forward to his return to the Oklahoma Panhandle the first weekend in May. After spending his first years at the College of Southern Idaho, he transferred to Panhandle State. He won college titles at both institutions, and he holds a fondness for so many things that happened in Texas County. “It’s a very special feeling going back there every year,” he said. “It’s a hometown rodeo for me. It’s been five years since I went to school there, so I don’t know the students. But I get to see the people I used to work with or the people in the community you have a relationship with. “It’s a nice trip down Memory Lane.” Larsen has yet to win the prestigious trophy belt given to the Pioneer Days Rodeo champions each season. He’d like to add that to his memory bank, so maybe this is his year.

ALVA, Okla. – The growing legacy that is the Northwestern Oklahoma State University men’s rodeo team has been a key factor in drawing top athletes to Alva. That’s exactly what prompted Bradley Ralph to transfer from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College prior to the fall 2018 semester. Over this past weekend, he proved just why it was a valid decision by earning a share of the steer wrestling title at the Garden City (Kansas) Community College rodeo. “(Coach) Stockton Graves is the steer wrestling man going in college rodeo,” said Ralph, a junior from Wann, Oklahoma. “It’s not too far from where I live. Alva’s a pretty quiet town, a lot like my hometown.” The comforts of home have become beneficial. In western Kansas, he parlayed a solid 5.1-second run in the opening round – worth fourth place – into a fantastic finish. He won the championship round with a 4.4-second run, and shared the overall title. He was the big winner for Northwestern over the weekend. “The win means quite a bit,” Ralph said. “I’ve been waiting for a while now for it to happen.” While he finished second at the first rodeo of the season in Colby, Kansas, this was his first victory as a Ranger. He was joined in the short round by Jace Rutledge, a sophomore from Harrisonville, Missouri, who finished second in the long round but failed to finish among the top six overall. “It means a lot to be a bulldogger at Northwestern,” Ralph said. “Stockton’s a pretty good coach, and there have been a lot of guys that come out of here because of that. I’m just trying to be one of them. “My year’s gone alright, but I’ve had some tough breaks. I’m just trying to stay focused, get into the practice pen and get more steers under me.” That’s been a key ingredient for all members of the rodeo team. Each individual understands the work ethic it takes to succeed at the college level. “We get pushed hard, but it’s good for us,” Ralph said. “Stockton is getting us on track. We’ve just got to stay focused. You’ve got to put in the effort, but he helps us quite a bit.” The goal is for both the men’s and women’s teams – as well as having as many individuals as possible – qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. In order to do that, the teams must finish among the top two and individuals need to finish in the top three in each event to advance out of the Central Plains Region. Doing well at the final three events of the 2018-19 season is imperative. There are three weekends remaining: at Fort Hays (Kansas) State University this coming weekend; at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma, the weekend after that; and at the Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo in Guymon, Oklahoma, to close out April. Tie-down roper Ethan Price of Leedey, Oklahoma, got some needed points in Garden City, finishing sixth in the first round, second in the short round and third overall. He was joined by Sean Doherty of Kim, Colorado, who won the first round, was fifth in the championship and finished fourth overall, and Riley Wakefield of O’Neill, Nebraska, who placed in the first round. Wakefield also placed in the first round of team roping with his partner, Denton Halford of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. The top tandem for Northwestern was header Kelton Hill of Canadian, Texas, and his partner, Jayden Labhaun of Follett, Texas, who placed in a tie for fifth in the first round, finished fourth in the short round and placed third overall. Heeler Tanner Nall of Colcord, Oklahoma, won the first round with his partner, Ethan Griffin of Northeast Oklahoma A&M; they also finished sixth overall. Header Taylor Munsell of Arnett, Oklahoma, won the short round with her partner, Ean Price of Garden City, and finished fourth overall. The Northwestern women were led by Ashlyn Moeder of Oakley, Kansas, who placed in a tie for third place in the first round of breakaway roping, then finished fourth in the short round and average. Morgan Kessler of Callaway, Nebraska, was sixth in the opening round, second in the short round and second overall. Moeder also collected points in barrel racing. She finished in a tie for fifth place in the short round and in a tie for sixth overall. For Ralph, it comes down to basics and handling his business. He said he’s obtained the focus he needs as he prepares to close out this season. “Stockton helps you mentally and can teach you what you need as far as bulldogging,” he said. “If you’re a beginner, he can teach you how to bulldog. Even if you’re experienced, he can help you to improve. He tries to keep us focused and does a real good job at it.”