Monthly Archives: October 2021

DUNCAN, Okla. – Bareback riding is the toughest event in rodeo. The cowboys wedge their hands in a rigging, which is cinched tightly to a horse’s back. They use specially designed gloves that lock their hands onto the rigging, thereby locking themselves on the animal. The ride is meant to be done in rhythm with  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – For true competitors, losing often is a mountainous motivator. It was certainly the case for breakaway roper Taylor Munsell of Arnett, Oklahoma, on Friday night. Munsell failed to get a time in Thursday’s opening round of the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo at the Stephens County Arena. She turned things  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Now in his third qualification to the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, Jarek VanPetten has learned a thing or two about the Stephens County Arena. “I think the key tonight was getting a good start,” said VanPetten, who knocked his steer to the ground in 4.4 seconds to win the  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Just $146 separates Ryan Jarrett, the all-around standings leader in the Prairie Circuit, and the No. 2 man, Paul David Tierney. That means the race for the most coveted title in the region will come down to the three performances of the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30  Continue Reading »

Bareback rider hopes to add to college and rookie titles at the NFR Bret Franks had just made his third National Finals Rodeo in four years in December 2000, proving his place as one of the elite saddle bronc riders of the time. His wife, Darla, was pregnant – very pregnant – with their second  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – When the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals commences later this week, it will be a preview of ProRodeo’s grand championship, the National Finals Rodeo. First and foremost, it’s the regional finale for the Prairie Circuit, which is made up of rodeos and contestants primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. But there  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – Kaden Greenfield was just 3 years old when is father, Shawn, first made the National Finals Rodeo as one of the top 15 steer wrestlers in the PRCA. “I was alive for all of his seven qualifications to the NFR, but the only one I remember was his last year when he  Continue Reading »

Alberta cowgirl heading to National Finals as the No. 1 roper Shelby Boisjoli had already clinched her second straight qualification to the National Finals Breakaway Roping before the regular season came to an end, but that didn’t stop her from closing out the campaign on a high note. Boisjoli won the ProRodeo Tour Finale in  Continue Reading »

It was a dry December, not particularly cold, when my wife-to-be and I went to the Lathams’ place near Goodwell, Oklahoma. It was a common visit for longtime friends. My wife had known all the families around Goodwell for a long time, and I’d become acquainted through the newspaper stories I’d written. With Lynette at  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – Camden Hoelting and Austin Lampe had been waiting for the moment for quite some time. Both are juniors at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and they’ve gone to more than a dozen rodeos over their first two years of competing in college rodeo; still, they’d never earned an event title until this past  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The rains came to town in waves through the final few days of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, but so did fair-goers. “You can’t do anything about the rain; that’s Mother Nature’s job, but we were certainly pleased with how many people showed up for all the activities in spite of  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Dean Wadsworth’s life is changing fairly rapidly. Just a few years ago, he attempted to ride 130 saddle bronc horses. That’s a lot, but that’s the mindset Wadsworth has had most of his ProRodeo career. He wanted to give himself as many chances to make money as possible. He made some nice  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The last month of Zach Hibler’s life has been a bit of a blur. He’s been in a race to qualify for his first National Finals Rodeo, and it’s been one heck of a challenge. The NFR features only the top 15 contestants in each event, and Hibler’s been right around that  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Trey Green wasn’t content with the way the 2021 ProRodeo season ended. He battled to the very end with hopes of qualifying for the Texas Circuit Rodeo, which features only the top 12 in each event and features rodeos and contestants primarily from within the Lone Star State. Instead, he finished just  Continue Reading »