Monthly Archives: November 2021

CLEMENTS, Calif. – Clayton Biglow has never been afraid to dream big. That’s why he made a big statement that he wanted to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo at least 10 times in his career. This year marks No. 6. Still a youngster at age 25, he’s more than halfway to his goal, and  Continue Reading »

COMANCHE, Okla. – When Ryan Jarrett was learning how to rope calves as a youngster, he got into the habit of riding several horses in a day. It continues to pay off for him, and he will return to the National Finals Rodeo for the 13th time in a magnificent career. He finished the 2021  Continue Reading »

Montana Silversmiths executive to spend time with his other passions COLUMBUS, Mont. – Steve Miller’s life had been set up for him as a youngster. He was the fourth generation born into a Montana logging family, but fate had another plan. With no college degree, he set out a path of hard work and a  Continue Reading »

PERRYTON, Texas – There was a time not long ago that everyone in the Texas Panhandle expected to see Marty Devers at the National Finals Rodeo. He’s a cowboy, and a couple of decades ago, he was just that good. He was a national champion bulldogger in high school, then parlayed that into two national  Continue Reading »

MIAMI, Texas – There is more than one reason for a ProRodeo cowboy to be consistent in his performances from one rodeo to another. Riding well and doing so on a daily basis not only helps with self-confidence, but it also helps keep the cowboy’s mind in the right place. Take saddle bronc Wyatt Casper,  Continue Reading »

INGLIS, Manitoba – Admittedly, Orin Larsen is his own biggest critic. That’s a good thing. He finished the 2021 regular season with $97,844 and is ninth in the world standings. He has earned his seventh consecutive qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand championship set for Dec. 2-11 in Las Vegas. He’s still  Continue Reading »

ZWINGLE, Iowa – The phrase “working my tail off” has become synonymous with diligence. To that end, Tim O’Connell could be a poster boy for any package of words about a strong work ethic. He took it to a new level in 2021, breaking his tailbone and having his coccyx surgically removed in order to  Continue Reading »

STEVENSVILLE, Mont. – A nerve injury that forced him out of the final round of the National Finals Rodeo was not how Richmond Champion wanted to end his 2020 season. Alas, it’s the reality he faced and the memories he carried over into this season, one that saw him more than meet his expectations and  Continue Reading »

WAVERLY, Kan. – Jess Pope is an old-school cowboy living in a society driven by technology and gadgets to make everyday life a little better. He’s a throwback. He doesn’t need an iPhone on a daily basis. A good day for him would be in the saddle in the rolling Flinthills near his Kansas home,  Continue Reading »

GRANITE FALLS, Minn. – Rae Ann Aus knew a long time ago she and her husband were raising a rodeo cowboy. John Aus rode bareback horses 30 years ago, and he was pretty good at it. He won the Great Lakes Circuit in 1988, and he found some key success in his part of the  Continue Reading »

CHECOTAH, Okla. – Riley Duvall had spent an entire year chasing another shot at the coveted world championship. He had traveled tens of thousands of miles, ridden horses in the cold and the rain and the wind. He’d been sleep-deprived and eaten truck-stop food just to have a little something in his belly to sustain  Continue Reading »

MERRIMAN, Neb. – Life in the Nebraska Sandhills can be a bit rugged. There’s always work to be done, cattle to move, calves that are just coming into this world and need a little help. The rolling prairie is the perfect home for ranchers and the operations they run. Garrett Shadbolt is the fifth generation  Continue Reading »

CLARENDON, Texas – It was the fall of 2020 when Cole Franks made a couple of goals for himself. He was a sophomore at Clarendon College in his hometown, competing on the rodeo team for his father, Bret Franks, the program’s coach. He also had just purchased his card, allowing him to be a full-fledged  Continue Reading »

CLARENDON, Texas – The Clarendon College rodeo team has been gaining some incredible momentum over the last few years, and it has only gotten better in 2021. The proof is in the pudding with three former Bulldog cowboys having earned qualifications to the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that features the top 15  Continue Reading »

WHEELER, Texas – The final few weeks of September correlated into the final few days of ProRodeo’s 2021 regular season, and Zach Hibler was in the middle of a tornado known as the “NFR Bubble.” He was driving, flying, scrambling to find success at as many rodeos as possible in order to qualify for the  Continue Reading »

Champion roper switched from baseball to rodeo and has reaped rewards Shane Hanchey will be the first to say that rodeo wasn’t his sport of choice. “Baseball was my first love,” said Hanchey, 32, originally from Sulphur, Louisiana, now living in Carmine, Texas, northwest of Houston. “I thought I was going to play baseball for  Continue Reading »

ALVA, Okla. – Sometimes competitors just need to make a call for help. Kerry Duvall did that after struggling at the first three rodeos of the 2021-22 Central Plains Region season, and the freshman tie-down roper at Northwestern Oklahoma State University has already seen the benefits. He made two solid runs to win the overall  Continue Reading »