Monthly Archives: June 2022

Estes Park rodeo was lifted from ashes of the pandemic into a fruitful event ESTES PARK, Colo. – The volunteers that formulate this community’s annual ProRodeo were a bit skeptical last year. Still in the throes of the pandemic, the organizers were unsure of what to expect with Rooftop Rodeo. With more than 90 years under the rodeo’s belt, the Estes Park Western Heritage Inc. – a group of volunteers that works with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual event – faced unprecedented times. “Last year was the hardest year I have ever been involved with, but it was also the most satisfying experience in helping put the rodeo together,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of Western Heritage. “Things were changing so quickly, so in January, I asked our board to meet once a week on Zoom. “At the end of April, we were at 30 percent of our normal cash sponsorship. On May 4, we learned that we could hit the go-switch and have our rodeo, but we knew we had to get serious. We had to cut back on a lot of things. We canceled mutton busting and the behind-the-chutes (tour), and they didn’t get added back until three weeks before our rodeo.” It was a lot of late decisions by the committee, which is already focused on this year’s 96th anniversary of Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. But that came with the territory in 2021. At least people were up for gathering together, which wasn’t the case two years ago when COVID had its grips on the world. “By June 20 of last year, we were at 100 percent of our cash sponsorships,” Purdy said. “By rodeo time, we were at least 20 percent above that, a record amount of sponsorships for our rodeo. It’s a testament to the generous people of our community. Our sponsors not only gave, but they kept giving. “We were blessed that the town had canceled everything before the rodeo, so we were the first public event to happen in Estes Park last year. We broke every record we had: a record number of contestants; a record number of fans in the seats; even our saloon had a record, selling 35 percent more than it had ever sold.” It was also a testament to the resiliency of the Western Heritage members who kept their heads down and focused on what they could muster. They knew that battling through the restraints of a global pandemic would be the right medicine, and they wanted to give that to the community and the visitors who make Estes Park a summertime hot spot. From the dust of the volcano that was COVID to its best year ever, Rooftop Rodeo continued to blossom through the challenges of the pandemic and beyond. “It was just a band of us getting together and gutting it out, hoping for the best and planning for the worst,” Purdy said. “Luckily it turned out well.”

Sosebee will get to experience the rodeo’s unique personality this year GOODING, Idaho – In his years as a professional rodeo clown, Cody Sosebee has received many accolades. He’s been named the PRCA’s Comedy Act of the Year and has been selected to work the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s premier championship that takes place each December in Las Vegas. He’s been recognized as one of the top clowns and top barrelmen in the business. But he has yet to experience the Gooding ProRodeo. He’ll get his first shot at it this year, with performances set for Thursday, Aug. 18-Saturday, Aug. 20, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance on Wednesday, Aug. 17. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. “Sose is going to be wowed by the crowd,” said Steve Kenyon, the rodeo’s announcer since 2002. “He’s going to be entertained by the fact that they are there to be entertained.” Those words are the reasons why so many elite cowboys, cowgirls and personnel love what they experience every year in this southern Idaho community. It’s why so many return to town annually to be part of the fun and frivolity for which Gooding’s rodeo is so well known. This will be Sosebee’s first trip to this rodeo, and he’s already looking forward to it. He brings a rotund sense of humor, a larger-than-life personality and an ability to make fun of himself when given the chance. On top of that, he packs a trailer-load of acts to keep fans on the edges of their seats. “My greatest honor has been getting chosen by the bull riders to work the NFR in 2017, which was followed up close by winning the Comedy Act of the Year in 2018,” he said. “I didn’t expect either one. I was an old guy in my career choice. Just walking down the hallway at the NFR and bumping into those bull riders, it made me feel good because they thought of me to help protect them at the biggest rodeo they’re ever going to be part of. “When I run into a top-end NFR bull rider and know he took time to vote for me, that’s something I’ll have with me the rest of my life. The money’s been spent, but getting acknowledged for your craft really humbles me.” His humble nature comes from his small-town Arkansas raising. He lives in a town of 2,500 people, and he cherishes that time he spends with them. He also loves getting on the road and sharing his experiences with his “rodeo family.” By being able to work an event like the Gooding Pro Rodeo, he knows he’ll get to hang out with ProRodeo’s elite, the sport’s biggest stars. “You’re getting to walk out there with the best in the PRCA,” Sosebee said. “It’s like being asked to play pickup ball with Michael Jordan.” He understands that, because he’s worked so many of the biggest rodeos in the world. He’s a fixture at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days, and he’s clowned at rodeos all across America. He now gets to add Gooding to his list of accomplishments. Now in his 50s, Sosebee has no plans to stop doing what he loves. “We’ve had great role models to follow like Ted Kimzey, Rudy Burns, Lecile Harris, people we’ve held high and respected,” he said. “I’ve seen them still do funny stuff after 50 years old. “My biggest challenge is I want to know what I’m doing is still effective. When it’s not, that’s when I’ll start slowing down and still do it at a professional level. I don’t ever want to go in with an amateur attitude. People are paying their hard-earned money to see us, and they deserve a pro level.” Sosebee has the right attitude and personality for rodeo, and it’s going to be something to witness once he goes to work in southern Idaho. “He has a down-home feel, and let’s face it: Gooding is small-town America,” Kenyon said. “Sose and Gooding are going to get along well together.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – With eyes firmly on the future, members of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo committee have always been progressive when it comes to putting on a world-class rodeo. It’s one of the many reasons the event was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame a decade ago, and it’s why thousands of fans pack into Roundup Arena for six nights of action each summer. This year’s rodeo is set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3-Sunday, Aug. 7, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. New to the landscape is breakaway roping, an all-girls event that’s been around for decades but has witnessed a resurgence in the last few years. Money and events have increased for breakaway ropers since 2019, and it’s still growing. “We’ve seen what people are seeing with breakaway roping, so the committee decided to add it to our rodeo this year,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, Roundup’s longtime president. “We want to showcase it this year and see what our fans think of it. I think they’re going to be excited to see what we have to offer.” In 2019, The American rodeo in Arlington, Texas, was the first big-time event to showcase breakaway roping, and a teenager – Madision Outhier – earned the first title. She went on to become the first breakaway roping Resistol Rookie of the Year, earning that title last season. The first National Finals Breakaway Roping took place in 2020; the third year of the grand finale is already scheduled for the end of November in Las Vegas. Roundup will be one of the highlighted events on the ladies’ schedule. It will feature a purse of about $30,000 for the cowgirls, which is an opportunity at good money for elite ropers. “With Dodge City adding breakaway roping, it’s awesome for us and for breakaway roping,” said Erin Johnson, the No. 1 breakaway roper in the world standings and a two-time NFBR qualifier from Fowler, Colorado. “Dodge City is one of those iconic rodeos and is one of the ones everyone wants to go to and to win. “If I sat down and wrote a list of 25 rodeos on my bucket list, that would be one of them. It’s close to home, and it’s a rodeo I’ve heard about since I was little bitty.” The field will include 80 ropers, with 20 competing each day for the four preliminary performances; 15 will compete during the morning “slack” of the rodeo, and the remaining five will be part of the evening performance. The top 12 times will advance to Sunday’s championship round. The cowgirl with the fastest two-run cumulative time will be crowned the inaugural Roundup Rodeo breakaway champion. “I’m super excited they’re giving breakaway roping a try,” said Johnson, who was raised near Burlington, Colorado, near the state’s border with Kansas. “I think the committee and the fans are going to be happy. I know they won’t have any trouble filling it with ropers.” It’s a good sign for the sport and for the spectators who enjoy a fast-paced, high-energy event at Dodge City Roundup.

Rooftop Rodeo committee has been a longtime partner with Cinch ESTES PARK, Colo. – Rooftop Rodeo was a Cinch rodeo before being one was cool. There was a time not long ago when another Western clothier had a stranglehold on ProRodeo marketing, and the Colorado-based manufacturer was left to its own devices. David Dean, the chairman and CEO of parent company Miller International, found brilliant avenues around the situation, and members of the Estes Park Western Heritage Inc. were right beside him. “Western Heritage was established in 2012 after the rodeo was produced by a town committee for the first 80 years of the rodeo’s existence,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of the group, which features volunteers that now work with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual event. “We wanted to establish a stand-alone non-profit; we’d do all the sponsorships and give every dime back to the town.” As the levels of organization grew, the founders realized they needed special people to be involved on Western Heritage’s board and asked Dean to be a director. Not only did he agree, but he also brought a powerful punch to the table: The Cinch brand. Alas, the Cinch Outlaws were born, and members of the committee wore the Cinch shirts with pride. They still do and will during this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. “It was a fun thing in our minds,” Purdy said with a laugh. “We called ourselves the Pirate Rodeo. We were a constant fly in the ointment for the PRCA, and David started supplying our entire committee with Cinch committee shirts. We never have paid a dime for those, and we have a bunch of committee members. We have six performances, so we have six different colored shirts to use each year, and David has never balked once about providing them for us.” While the PRCA’s primary clothing sponsor had naming rights of the National Finals Rodeo and had a monopoly on banners and placements at rodeos, the Cinch Outlaws continued to make their ways across the rodeo circles. They wore their Cinch Rooftop Rodeo shirts all over Las Vegas each December during the NFR and even had patches made with a skull and crossbones to showcase their marauder theme. “We actually had somebody stitch in a Cinch insignia, and we wore those everywhere we could,” Purdy said. “We couldn’t have Cinch banners that were visible from the arena, but we had them up in the tent where we had our queens’ luncheon. The PRCA balked at that, but we assured them the banners were not visible from the arena.” That all changed a few years ago when the PRCA opened its doors to more sponsorships and allowed the monopoly to end. Since then, Cinch banners have been proudly displayed inside and out at rodeo arenas across the country. “What a lot of people don’t know is that before the chains broke and allowed Cinch in the door, Cinch had been putting a lot of money into the rodeo ecosystem – high school rodeo, college rodeo and senior ProRodeo – and now there are quite a few rodeos that are Cinch-based,” Purdy said. None, though, were Cinch through and through like Rooftop Rodeo was a decade ago. In fact, the committee has gone a step further; when the makers of Cinch started brewing Gold Buckle Beer, Estes Park volunteers started selling it at the rodeo. Both brands are important fixtures when the rodeo is in town. “We’ve covered our arena in Cinch,” Purdy said. “It’s up on our scoreboard. It’s going to be on our center gate. David Dean and Cinch have been fabulous partners of Rooftop Rodeo, and I hope they will be for years to come.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – Growing up on the outskirts of this picturesque Rocky Mountain town, Tyler Hanson learned the value of hard work and what it means to be part of a community. He operates Umbrella Bar Hay & Cattle Co. and is following in his family’s footsteps as one of the chief committee members for Gunnison’s Cattlemen’s Days celebration. He’s been around the community gathering all his life, so it’s a natural fit. “My first recollection is probably when I was 4 or 5 years old and showing in the open horse show,” said Hanson, 34, the committee’s second vice president. “My uncle Bret and my dad both served as president of the committee, and I’ve had cousins and other family that have been on the committee. I have extended family that is still on the committee, and my brother and my wife are still part of it.” The tasks of the volunteers who help organize the annual event are numerous and detailed, but each member does it in honor of the community in which they serve. That’s why it’s nice that he and his wife, Hannah, can work together and share their love for the celebration with their 14-month-old son, Colby. “I showed constantly in the open horse show all the way through high school,” he said. “I did 4H. We used to have steer riding, and I competed in that for three or four years. I also have competed in the Watershed Team Roping since I was 7 or 8 years old. “Volunteering for Cattlemen’s Days is a tradition in the Gunnison community. For these ranching families, that’s our week not to worry about the work and go to town and enjoy ourselves. For me, I wanted to be part of Cattlemen’s Days to help in keeping our rodeo around.” The annual PRCA rodeo is set for Thursday, July 14-Saturday, July 16, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. It will feature many of the top stars in professional rodeo and some incredible action. “I believe our rodeo is getting a resurgence back in it,” Hanson said. “For a lot of people, having a rodeo is becoming a lost art. I wanted to help keep rodeo in our community and keep the agriculture background in this valley in front of other people who haven’t been raised the way I was raised.” Both a life in agriculture and a presence in rodeo are important to the Gunnison cowboy. He attended Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, where he team roped and rode bulls while working toward a degree in equine management. He returned home and is hoping to continue to energize his community and the people who care about keeping the tradition alive. “Agriculture is what started this whole valley,” he said. “To me, it feels like this valley is losing touch with that aspect of our lives, and that’s a key reason I think it’s important to keep Cattlemen’s Days around for it. “For me, it’s giving back to the community. There was huge community support when I was a young kid learning the tradition of Cattlemen’s Days. It’s important that we keep doing this for the next generation.” Now that he’s a father, the urgency has been amplified. “I want my son to experience what I did growing up with Cattlemen’s Days, learning what there is outside the ranching world in the Gunnison Valley,” Hanson said. “That’s probably the biggest reason I got involved in team roping. Without Cattlemen’s Days, I wouldn’t have known there was a big rodeo world outside of this valley.” Beyond the annual celebration, he remains involved in the community in other ways. He’s a member of the Farm Service Agency board and serves as Gunnison County’s FSA representative. He’s been on the board of the Gunnison Roping Club and continues to be an active member of the group. He knows the importance of keeping children involved, and his focus is pointed toward having horses involved. There is a sense of healing that happens with horses in people’s lives. He has experienced it, whether it was roping during one of the PRCA performances in front of a big crowd or being one of many family members who were part of horseracing when it was part of Cattlemen’s Days. “The fact that we’re going to have our 122nd celebration of Cattlemen’s Days is the reason it’s special,” Hanson said. “It’s lasted over time. A lot of things come and go throughout the years, but Cattlemen’s Days is still here and it’s still the biggest week in the Gunnison Valley visitor-wise and money-wise. It’s still a big deal for the families. That makes it a big deal for us, too.”

PECOS, Texas – Over the last 11 years of the West of the Pecos Rodeo, one of the greatest bucking horses in the sport has reigned supreme. Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket has carried cowboys to the Pecos bareback riding title six times, including each of the past two years. The 18-year-old bay gelding has been selected to buck at the National Finals Rodeo every year since 2009 – he was just 5 years old in his first appearance at ProRodeo’s grand finale. “This was my 17th year in Pecos, and I’m proud to have been at that rodeo so long,” said Pete Carr, owner of the Dallas-based livestock firm. “It’s the oldest rodeo in the world, and we love being part of it. A lot of our animals buck good there, but there’s something about it that really fits Dirty Jacket. He’s been winning there for 10 years.” Dirty Jacket has been exceptional at just about every community in which he’s been showcased, but there seems to be something special that happens when he performs inside Buck Jackson Arena. Clint Cannon learned that in 2012, when he matched moves with the powerful bucking for 90 points to win the prestigious Pecos buckle. In the years since, Dirty Jacket has proven his mettle time after time. Taylor Price scored 88.5 points to win in 2013; two years later, Ryan Gray set a West of the Pecos record with a 92-point score. Jamie Howlett was 88.5 to win in 2017, then Kaycee Feild utilized his 91.5-point winning ride last year to catapult himself to his record sixth world champion’s gold buckle. Most recently, though, bareback riding leader Jess Pope scored 89 points this past Friday night to collect another big victory in an already successful season. The $3,600 he earned in west Texas pushed Pope’s season earnings to nearly $116,000, and there are still three months remaining in the 2022 ProRodeo season. Pope has a lead of nearly $45,000 over the field. “He’s always been that good,” said Pope, the NFR average champion each of the past two years from Waverly, Kansas. “That has a lot of try and a lot of heart; he is a special horse. Not many horses can be hauled like he has been and still do what he does at his age. “He’s got the biggest heart you’ll ever really see in a horse.” It was the first time the two-time NFR qualifier had matched his skills with Dirty Jacket, and it was everything Pope had hoped it would be. “I told (my fiancé) Sydney a couple of months ago when Tim (O’Connell) got on him in San Angelo that I hope I could get on him before he gets retired,” Pope said. “I was pretty tickled when I saw my name next to his on the call backs; I might have squealed a little bit.” Dirty Jacket is a two-time Bareback Riding Horse of the Year, earning those championships in 2014-15. In 2013, he was the reserve world champion bareback horse, and the year before that, he was third in the voting for horse of the year. His trademark explosion out of the bucking chutes has been showcased time after time. In 2014, after having stayed at home on the Carr ranch to heal from an injury, Dirty Jacket returned to action during the championship round of the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo and promptly guided Richmond Champion to the title with a 91-point ride. At the NFR that December, Champion won the fifth round and Caleb Bennett won the 10th round on the world-class horse. Over the years, cowboys continuously have found their ways to the top on the back of Dirty Jacket. Since his first appearance in Guymon, Oklahoma, in May 2008, there have been more than 40 victories associated with the stout bay gelding. That includes the victory in Guymon that year, when, as a 4-year-old, he guided Jared Schlegel to the title in the Oklahoma Panhandle with an 87-point ride. They also won that rodeo the next three years, all with 87s: Jared Smith won in 2009, three-time world champion Will Lowe in 2010 and Matt Bright in 2011. Bill Tutor added a fifth Guymon title with an 87.5-point ride in 2018. “I had a pretty good feeling from the first time I saw him that there was something to him, and that’s why I purchased him from Jim and Maggie Zinser,” Carr said. “We were still a young company when I bought him and another Night Jacket colt, a mare named Outa Sight. We loaded them in the trailer with Deuces Night, a Night Jacket mare Wes Stevenson had purchased, and brought them all back to Texas. “I was fortunate enough to get Deuces Night from Wes a year or so later, and all three of those horses were phenomenal for us. They all went to the NFR. They all bucked great. Dirty Jacket has been exceptional from Day One.” To further consider Dirty Jacket’s greatness, one has to see what the bucking horse has done when he’s switched to saddle bronc riding. He’s continued to excel; of his 12 qualifications to the NFR, he’s been bucked in broncs three times. In his first year under the saddle, Rusty Wright won the title in Eagle, Colorado, after posting a 91-point ride. Raised on the Zinser Ranch in Michigan, the son Night Jacket – possibly one of the most prolific breeding stallions in ProRodeo history – Dirty Jacket was destined for greatness. Carr purchased him as a colt, then put him through the paces before realizing he had something special. After seeing how he handled himself in different situations, Carr opted to test Dirty Jacket at his first rodeo in Guymon 14 years ago. The big equine athlete has been winning ever since.

Ron Ball made his mark with people in Estes Park and at Rooftop Rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – Ron Ball live a full life of being a servant to others. After graduation from South High School in Denver, he served in the United States Marine Corps. He wrapped up his stint while living in California, then served in the Los Angeles Police Department, retiring as a detective sergeant after 20 years. He promptly returned to Colorado and gathered with the people in and around Estes Park for 36 years before his death last summer. Whether he was a cowboy singer, a Western artist, a Rooftop Rodeo Rider or an organizer with the annual rodeo, he was always serving others and showing his passion for the Western lifestyle. “Ron did a lot for our rodeo,” said Holly Spreitzer, a former Miss Rooftop Rodeo and a member of Estes Park Western Heritage Inc., a group of volunteers that works with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual rodeo. “He was so into putting into the community and into our rodeo.” His life and legacy will be honored at this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. His memorial will take place during Military Night on Sunday, July 10. “I met Ron in 2015, and it was one of my first years I attended Rooftop Rodeo,” said Spreitzer, who helped plan his funeral last August and is organizing the memorial. “He definitely made an impression. He was a fan of Roy Rogers, and he reminded me a lot of Roy Rogers when I saw him dressed up in his outfits during the rodeo. “I was inspired by Dale Evans for my rodeo queen outfits. We had an immediate connection. That year I got to sing with him. He did a concert every year, and I got to meet him and his wife. I got to know them and spend a lot of time with them. I got to learn about his story and how he got involved with things, especially with our rodeo in Estes.” Whether he was serving in the Marine Corps or trying to solve crimes in L.A., Ball was always a cowboy singer and Western artist at heart. As a youngster, his love of being a singer, artist and cowboy pointed him in that direction. He got his first wrangling job at age 13, but he’d attended the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo three years before that. The fire had been lit, and years of sharing his passions with others just continued to stoke the flames. Being friends with Roy Rogers and having sung with him and the Sons of the Pioneers was a highlight of his life, as was the extension of that when Rogers’ son, Roy “Dusty” Rogers Jr., asked Ball to sing at the family’s museum and theater in Branson, Missouri. During his own Western shows, Ball paid tribute to Rogers with music and stories. He also dressed the part. “He’d been fascinated by the Western industry,” Spreitzer said. “His grandmother was an artist who did the exhibits in the Denver museum. When he was a kid, he would help her paint and design them. He was always interested in art and music. “When he was in California, he got to know a lot of people, and one of those was Roy Rogers. He was a big fan and became one of his personal friends. Throughout the years, he really wanted to portray the Western industry and all it stood for. Roy even gifted him a few items, and that really meant a lot to Ron. When he moved to Estes Park after his career with the LAPD, he wanted to keep the Western industry alive, and he always kept up with it.” He maintained contact with other Western artists and created a Western art show in Estes Park. He invited them to be part of the community. Spreitzer’s relationship with Ball and his wife, Janie, was strong. She considered him to be another grandfather in her life, and she adored their relationship. Celebrating him is an honor she won’t forget. “No matter how big Estes Park grew, he was one of the people who made sure we remembered our Western roots and how Estes Park was a big, wholesome community,” she said. “Everything that Ron did was with the idea of being a helping hand.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – On the verge of his first National Finals Rodeo qualification, Tegan Smith needed every dime he could muster. He found it in the Rocky Mountains town of Gunnison, a community of nearly 6,700 people with the most established history of rodeo in Colorado, now celebrating 122 years this summer. He won the saddle bronc riding title at Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, and the more than $2,000 he earned helped him earn a spot among the top 15 on the money list and advance to ProRodeo’s championship event. “It was great timing for me,” said Smith, who finished 10th in the 2021 world standings. “All the other boys were in Calgary winning big money, and we decided not to go up there, so it was nice to win some money stateside.” The Calgary Stampede is one of the best-known rodeos in the world, but it offers its purse to just 20 contestants in each event. That leaves a lot of cowboys and cowgirls out of the loop, so those can take advantage of events like Cattlemen’s Days, set for Thursday, July 14-Saturday, July 16, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. Smith wasn’t the only contestant to take advantage of the Colorado cash. Bull rider Ky Hamilton and barrel racer Molly Otto also utilized their earnings in Gunnison to advance to the sport’s grand finale in Las Vegas. “Every little bit helps when you’re in a situation like that,” said Smith of Winterset, Iowa. “You have to get what you can when you get the chance.” While he didn’t advance to the NFR for the 16th time in his career, three-time world champion Will Lowe made his trip to Gunnison pay off.  He rode Hurst & TNT’s Casino for 88 points to snag the bareback riding title last season. It was the first time in his storied career that Lowe had claimed the Cattlemen’s Days crown and the trophy rifle awarded to bareback riding winners each year. The team roping tandem of Rhett Anderson and Cullen Teller stopped the clock in 4.0 seconds to win their event, while Blane Cox posted a 7.4-second run to win the tie-down roping title. “The crowd was really good,” Cox said. “They packed the stands. The cooler weather makes it really nice, too.” Cox is from Cameron, Texas, and also is a past NFR qualifier, so his trip to the Rockies paid off in more ways than one. A couple of steer wrestlers – Wyatt Jurney and NFR qualifier Jace Melvin – stopped the clock in 3.5 seconds to share the bulldogging title. It was a big move for each as they were building to their seasons, and they appreciated the opportunity to run at good money while also enjoying the community’s hospitality. “This is a great rodeo; I’m glad to be here,” Melvin said. “It’s a good-paying rodeo, adds great money and has a lot of guys here. It just helps toward the end goal. “This is a neat rodeo. You get to drive through good country to come here. It was great to see a rodeo with standing-room only. It was a perfect rodeo.” It’s a stop on the calendar for many of the top contestants in ProRodeo, and there’s a lot to offer them once they arrive. Cowboys like Smith realize they have a good chance to make good money. He rode Hurst & TNT’s Charlie’s Angels for 88 points to win his Gunnison title, but he gained a true appreciation for what he witnessed in this community. “That rodeo has great hospitality, and they’ll do just about anything for you,” he said. “That’s a great committee. It’s a good rodeo all the way around.”

CASPER, Wyo. – This was not what he had planned when he arrived at the College National Finals Rodeo, but Kaden Greenfield knows the reality of rodeo. After advancing to the college finals as a sophomore at Blue Mountain Community College a year ago, the Northwestern Oklahoma State University junior had visions of big success inside the Ford Wyoming Center. “It was definitely not the week I was hoping to have,” Greenfield said. “You’ve just got to learn where you can and move on to the next one.” He began the week by not registering a time in the first of three go-rounds. That meant his shot at becoming the fourth Ranger to win a college title in the last six years fell away. The disappointment rang with him and his supporters, but it didn’t linger long. Greenfield was 3.8 seconds to finish third in the CNFR’s second round. “I knew I was out of it after the first round,” he said. “I drew a second-round steer that left good and ran straight, so I knew I had a chance to place. I had nothing to lose, so I just decided to go for it.” That was one of the bright spots for the young cowboy, but each disappointing grade in college opens the door for bigger opportunities. After suffering another no-time in the third round, Greenfield’s week in Casper concluded. It didn’t take away from some major accomplishments he’s had, including the circuit title in the ever-tough Central Plains Region and being the top steer wrestler of the year for Northwestern, dubbed the “Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo.” “It was a good year for me, especially moving down from my old region and into this big region, where I was able to prove myself,” Greenfield said. “Struggling at the college finals is definitely going to motivate me. I know what I need to work on in the practice pen, and now I’ll work harder for the next year.” The work has already begun. As a rookie competing in ProRodeo – he won The Cowboy Channel Rookie Roundup presented by Resistol in April – he will finish out his summer by competing at events big and small across the country. “I’ll start Wednesday in Reno (Nevada),” he said. “After that, we’ll get into the swing of rodeoing pretty hard.” When he returns to the Alva, Oklahoma, campus in August to start classes and begin his senior year of college rodeo, Greenfield knows just where his focus will be. “I will have a COVID year (of eligibility) that I could use if I wanted, but I don’t think I will,” Greenfield said. “My goal is to win the region again, make it to the college finals again and be in the mix for a national title.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – Mackenzie Bode is anything but a typical Gunnison resident. She moved here to town a few years ago to attend Western Colorado University, and she decided to stick around. She landed at job as the annual giving and scholarship officer for the university’s foundation and opened herself up to be involved in the community. That includes her membership on the committee that organizes the annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration, set for Thursday, July 14-Saturday, July 16, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “I fell upon Western by happenstance,” said Bode, who lived in southern California for several years before finishing her adolescence in Fort Collins, Colorado. “I played competitive softball when I was in high school, and considered taking a scholarship to play in college. “I’ve always lived in bigger cities when I was growing up, but I knew I was a small-town girl. Western was the perfect fit, and the Gunnison community was the perfect fit. I had the opportunity to try almost anything here. It was the lifestyle I wanted to live.” To know Bode is to realize it’s a wise combination. She also is a good fit for the Gunnison Valley and all that comes with living in the Rocky Mountain community. Her baby steps into the Cattlemen’s Days committee came five years ago when she served as an intern for Meagan Mensing, chairwoman for sponsorships. “She brought me in as a student to do social media,” Bode said. “From there, it grew to handling social media for Cattlemen’s Days, then media for (Cattlemen’s Days) Tough Enough to Wear Pink, and photography for the rodeo and all TETWP events. Today I’m honored to serve TETWP as the development and media director and continue my role on the Cattlemen’s committee. I’ve gotten to know more people on the committee, people who grew up in Gunnison, on ranches and who only know the Western lifestyle. Here I am today, and those people have taken me under their wings and are showing me the ropes, literally. “I just caught my first steer; 5-year-old me would be going nuts if she knew.” Country living is definitely the life for her. “Growing up, I would have loved to have done 4H and be riding horses,” she said. “I’ve always been a horse girl, but I didn’t grow up doing any of that. We lived in California from when I was 7 to about 14 or 15, and the area we lived in definitely was not in the Western lifestyle. “That was a hard decision I made when I chose to come to Western. If I had stayed close to home and gone to (Colorado State University), I would have studied agriculture and equine science. I knew if I decided to come to Western, I’d have to get my foot in the door another way and that’s what got me involved in the community.” She had the foresight to understand the importance of volunteerism in the community, especially for the Gunnison Valley’s biggest event. At just 24, she has much to learn, but she’s embracing all that is out there for her. It’s just what events like Cattlemen’s Days need: Members of the community who are willing to step up and handle a big-time role in an established celebration. It helps, too, that she’s part of a youth movement for people of her generation that also see the need. “Since 2018, I’ve been totally engulfed in Cattlemen’s Days and the Western lifestyle,” Bode said. “I m doing what I’ve wanted to do my whole life and still growing and learning each day, which is all I could ask for.” Cattlemen’s Days will celebrate its 122nd year this July, and it’s a way to honor the generations of families and hard-working people that made Gunnison what it is today. She wasn’t raised in the county, nor did she spend her summers working in the hayfields or working cattle with her family. But Bode is as much of the community as anyone, and Gunnison is very much part of who she is and what she wants to continue to become. “When I graduated college, I was already pretty deep in the Gunnison community,” she said. “Everybody told me I needed to leave and see what’s out there. I did a horsemanship internship in Washington, and I traveled around a little bit trying to figure out who I was post college. Finally, I got the opportunity to come back full time with my new position at the WCU Foundation and TETWP’s growth, and I jumped on it. “Why would I leave a place that I’m so connected to? I didn’t move here for the college itself. I moved here for the lifestyle and for the community. I picked the kind of community I wanted to live in, and now I’m here living the dream and can’t wait to pay it forward to the next. More and more each day, I get to be the person that little Mackenzie always wanted to be.”

Cinch announcer has handled rodeo’s challenges and come out on top Andy Stewart uses a workmanlike approach to just about everything he does. It comes from his raising in northern Louisiana, the son of two people who believed in hard work in order to survive. His mother worked for a food-distribution company handling personnel and finance, worked for the city of West Monroe and also served as a school bus driver. His dad was a successful building contractor who built custom homes and also owned the North America Team Roping Association. If someone hands Andy Stewart a hammer, he can do some amazing things. If someone hands him a microphone, he’ll blow their socks off with what he can do. It’s led to a fantastic career, one he anticipates doing for years to come. “At one time in my career, I had somebody hire me that really excited me a lot, booked quite a few rodeos with me, but because of some misunderstanding, he pulled all the rodeos from me,” said Stewart, a Cinch ProRodeo announcer from Collinston, Louisiana. “Being raised in church and knowing God had something for me and my life, I prayed a lot about it. “Within a week, I had filled seven of the nine dates. That’s when I realized, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing.’ ” After attending two semesters of college, he realized that wasn’t a good fit, so he entered the “real world” and went to work, much of which was done in the construction business. “I ran a feed and tack store when Shelley and I first got married,” he said. “Then I switched my focus to rodeo announcing in the early 1990s; I would work construction between rodeos. I would go off and travel, doing construction for different companies.” He also competed in team roping, which was gaining in participant popularity. He was a header because he wanted to get his money’s worth; if he paid the entry fee, he wanted to be assured the opportunity to throw his rope, and that sometimes doesn’t happen to heelers when their headers don’t catch. “We spent most of our weekends hooked to a truck and trailer,” Stewart said. “I qualified for the USTRC Finals three times. My father and I were No. 6 champions in the state of Louisiana twice.” That’s what lit the spark for roping and rodeo underneath the Louisiana cowboy, one he still has decades later. “I really fell in love with the lifestyle, the people and the competition,” he said. “When my brother and I were little, we were pretending we were at the National Finals Rodeo, and I would imitate announcers or pretend we were at some big rodeo. My mother said, ‘You should try that. I dare you to try it; I think you’d be good at it.’ “I’ve always enjoyed making people feel good. I like to see people laugh. It was a natural fit to get behind a microphone and entertain people. To this day, I’m still very passionate about it. I love what I do. I love mingling with people and being able to entertain crowds and transfer my love of rodeo to the fans.” Over his lifetime, he’s been the voice of Championship Bull Riding, The American, Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days and the National Finals Rodeo. He’s lent his voice to dozes of other events, from Lehi, Utah, to Jackson, Mississippi, and many places in between. It comes with the territory of being one of the best in the business, a 12-time nominee for PRCA Announcer of the Year. His mom was right to dare him, because he wasn’t about to back down. Stewart announced some high school rodeos in his early 20s, not really knowing what he was doing. He was – and still is – a student of the game. His skills progressed mightily when he met up with Scotty Lovelace, now the owner of Harper Morgan Rodeo Co. “Scotty bought out an amateur rodeo company and was looking for an announcer,” Stewart said. “After a couple of phone calls, I worked for Scotty. He had a passion for production and putting on quality shows. He and I really grew up together. To this day, we still have the opportunity to work together. “Stace Smith came along and started to use me, and then Pete Carr started to use me, and it all just grew from there. The more places I went, I picked up on things and met more people.” Still, he was no overnight success. In fact, he’s thankful for that. To be able to grow slowly in the industry allowed him to work on his craft at the same time. Eventually, his skills pushed rodeo announcing to not only the forefront of his career but as his sole focus. “That probably came in 2002 or 2003,” he said. “I’d worked the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, and my schedule was building up. I realized I didn’t have time to do the jobs I had. In late 2004, early 2005, I realized this could be lucrative for me if I could stay busy. “We were living in a mobile home with two kids and struggling to pay bills. I almost quit a couple of times, but God bless my wife; she told me not to quit. It started turning around that I was busy enough to provide for my family through rodeo.” Now, he’s a grandfather twice over. He and Shelley’s son, Kash, has his own son, Krew; their daughter, Shaye, is the mother of another boy, Dutton. When Stewart isn’t on the rodeo trail, he’s likely sharing his love of rodeo, hunting and fishing with his grandbabies in some form or fashion. “It’s very hard to leave now,” he said. “As a man, it makes me want to be a better person in all aspects of my life. I want my grandkids to be proud of who their grandfather  Continue Reading »

Colorado-based livestock producer is a major piece of Estes Park’s rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – The foundation for Estes Park’s rodeo was founded six decades ago on the Plains of northeastern Colorado by entrepreneur Mike Cervi. Over much of the past decade, Cervi Championship Rodeo is an incredible partner for Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. Now operated by his sons, Binion and Chase, the Cervi firm is a key part of the Rooftop experience. “The town of Estes Park named Cervi Championship Rodeo as our stock contractor several years ago, and it was a bit of a changing of the guard for us,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of Estes Park Western Heritage Inc., a group of volunteers that works with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual rodeo. “We’d had our stock contractor a long time, but we were excited to see the change. “Since then, though, it’s more than the Cervis being our stock contractor. We’ve developed a great relationship with them, and we trust them to not only provide the stock for us but also produce a rodeo we can be proud of and we can share with our visitors year after year.” As the company’s patriarch, Mike Cervi was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2003 and into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2015. By the 1950s, he had developed a trained mule act and was performing at Little Britches and junior rodeos. Twice he was named the PRCA’s Stock Contractor of the Year. Binion Cervi now serves as the firm’s executive director, and he’s the direct contact for committees like the one in Estes Park. He heads the production of the rodeos and oversees the company’s breeding program, which is set up to continue the sustainability of the Cervi’s Circle I brand. In fact, many of the Cervi colts are bucked at the firm’s Ace High Roughstock Academy events, which not only help train the young equine athletes but also offers tutelage to up-and-coming cowboys eager to learn how to better their skills in order to one day compete against the very best ProRodeo cowboys have to offer. “Because the Cervi Ranch is not far down the mountain from us, we are able to go as a group to those schools and help out any way we can,” Purdy said. “It’s our way to get together and help give back to our friends and also open the door for future Rooftop Rodeo contestants.” The Cervi name is a longstanding tradition in professional rodeo. The company produces the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver as well as RodeoHouston, the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and many others across the country. At each rodeo, Binion serves as the arena master, the orchestra leader who makes sure everything is run smooth. Chase helps by serving as a pickup man – he’s been named the best in the business twice since the Pickup Man of the Year award was established – and helps ensure the animals are treated with the best care possible.    “What we’ve gained over the last few years is a true partnership with Cervi Championship Rodeo,” Purdy said. “Chase and Binion are more than our stock contractors. Along with their families, they are our friends, and we are proud that they are a big part of the Rooftop family.”

Sartain returns to roping with his eyes fixed on another gold buckle When Nick Sartain was young, he didn’t have a cell phone to occupy his time when the fun waned. No, as a youth in the 1980s, he had to come up with his own entertainment. Throw in the fact that he traveled with his family to horse show after horse show, he needed an outlet. “What got me started roping was being at those horse shows, and I’d get bored,” said Sartain, 43, the 2009 heading world champion and Cinch endorsee from Bandera, Texas. “I’d duck off, and there were some kids that roped the dummy, and I’d find them. That’s what got me to take to it.” Before long, that’s all his mind considered. He was knee deep into roping, and it hasn’t changed much three-plus decades later. He’s a veteran, a six-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier and a man people turn to when they need help with their roping skills. “I was pretty lucky,” he said. “My grandmother, my mom and my dad were always behind me. If I wanted to rope, they were there. There was never any doubt in my mind that they would support me. I just really liked it; I was consumed with it, and I really don’t know why. Once I started doing it, that’s all I could think about doing.” Sartain was raised around horses, but horse shows and rodeos are two different animals. He’s the only member of his family to have competed in rodeo. He played baseball and football as a kid, but roping pulled him away. It was the support he got from his family that continued to push him. His grandmother refused to buy him a horse, but she would make sure he went to the roping clubs and had his shot. “I started out on younger horses,” said Sartain, who won the crown while turning steers for Kollin VonAhn. “They could work a cow, but they had never been roped on. I didn’t just jump on a finished horse. It got frustrating at times, but I was never frustrated enough that I didn’t want to go out and do it again. I just wanted to rope.” He still does, though burnout after a long career screamed at him a few seasons ago. Well, it was a bit of burnout, but an incident in his roping that secured a bit of time away. He last competed at the NFR in 2015, heading for heeling legend Rich Skelton. “I cut my (right) thumb off in 2017,” Sartain said. “After that, I wanted to go out and go rodeoing, so I did that in ’18.  I wasn’t quite ready, but (heeler) Austin Rogers had the faith and confidence in me to go out there and start after it. He was pretty patient with me. “It took me a couple of years to get my horsepower back right. Now, I feel like I’ve got enough horsepower and am roping good enough that I can make a run at it.” That’s why he and Rogers are teamed up and ready to roll toward the 2022 NFR. Sartain began the season roping with Andrew Ward, but before they roped in Austin, Texas, in March, Sartain told his partner that he was tired of being on the road. Then the tandem won Rodeo Austin, pocketing $9,400 apiece. Ward started roping with Curry Kirchner, and Sartain and Rogers renewed their relationship, and it clicked. They pocketed just shy of $5,000 apiece the first week of May between events in Kansas City, Missouri, and Guymon, Oklahoma, so they made the decision to give themselves a chance to rope together in December at Las Vegas during the richest 10 nights of the season. “I was inching toward the top 15, and he was in the top 15 at the time, so I said we may as well go for it,” Sartain said. “I sent my outside horses home, so we’ve been entering everything we could enter to see where we land.” With the support of his family and his fiancé, Morgan, the champion roper is venturing off to parts known and unknown to see how fortune favors the bold. He knows the obstacles that sit before him, and he’s ready to tackle them. “There’s only one reason to take off and be gone for three months out of the summer, and that’s because you want to be one of the best 15 in the world,” he said. “Once you’ve done it, that’s the goal. Once you’ve been to Vegas and know what it’s like and that you can change your life winning that much money in one spot, it’s hard to have any goals other than that.” But his goals did change six seasons ago. Like dozens of other competitors, he tried his hand at the Elite Rodeo Association, a cowboy- and cowgirl-invested group that was offering big incentives. After that failed to prosper as hoped, he lost his thumb in the roping mishap. “I was already burned out on rodeoing, and then I cut my thumb off,” Sartain said. “I questioned whether this was what I was meant to be doing. Jake Barnes was the first one to contact me. That inspired me to go back to rodeoing.” Barnes, a seven-time world champion header who lost his right thumb at the 2005 NFR, provided the motivation the Oklahoma-raised Sartain needed to jump back in the fray. “I went to the World Series (of Team Roping) finale in 2018, and I had really good luck out there heeling,” he said. “I won $200,000 heeling at the World Series in Vegas, and that turned the tide. I realized I wasn’t done. I started to get where I was heading good again.” It wasn’t just Barnes. A good friend named Bob Freeman provided a spiritual outlet for Sartain. That just added to the fire that was already stoking inside Sartain. “If Jake Barnes thinks I can  Continue Reading »

Miss Rodeo America is proud of her roots, which are rooted in Colorado ESTES PARK, Colo. – Before she was Miss Rodeo America … Before she was Miss Rodeo Colorado … Hailey Frederiksen was just a girl who grew up on a ranch along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just on the east side of Interstate 25. She was involved in 4H for nearly a dozen years, showing sheep. She grew up making the cloverleaf pattern in barrel racing like her mother did and watching her father team rope. Caring for animals and caring for others is in her blood, and she’s passionate about rodeo. She will return to this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. “Growing up in this Western lifestyle has taught me this work ethic, has taught me this passion,” said Frederiksen, who is originally from Platteville, Colorado, now living in Wellington, Colorado. “I couldn’t imagine living any other way.” She is the first member of her family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a minor in agriculture business from Colorado State University. She is in the middle of her reign, then she plans to return to school to get her master’s degree in agricultural communications. Frederiksen was crowned Miss Rodeo America during the pageant this past December Las Vegas, which took place in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo. She is spending this year as the sport’s biggest ambassador, and in the process, she will revisit some of her favorite rodeos and locations. Having grown up just 45 miles away, Estes Park is one of those. “I am a rodeo queen dad, and I am always excited to have rodeo royalty come to the Rooftop,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of Estes Park Western Heritage Inc., a group of volunteers that works with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual rodeo. “Hailey is a delight to be around, and we are excited to welcome her back to Estes Park any time she wants to come. “For me, it’s always a special event when a Colorado lady wins Miss Rodeo America. We are excited to honor Hailey for her work and her successes.” Because of the nationwide pandemic, Frederiksen served two terms as Miss Rodeo Colorado. There were no pageants in 2020, so she served a limited role that year; she was a little busier in 2021, making her way to PRCA rodeos across the state and across the country representing her state and the sport. There is excitement that the country is coming back to more normalcy, and it helps her fulfill her duties with honor as Miss Rodeo America. “Winning the Miss Rodeo America pageant has been a dream come true and so much more,” she said. “I’ve met Miss Rodeo Americas throughout the years, and I just looked a them and could imagine that being myself. I find myself pinching myself to see if this is real. I still can’t believe it.” Her honor comes from the way she was raised and the people she’s met along her path in life. It’s what’s enabled her to be at the top of her own mountain and celebrate it in the sport she loves with the people who helped make it happen. “I believe I’ve put in the work for it,” Frederiksen said. “It’s a lot more than hair, makeup and rhinestones. We’re cowgirls. I tell young girls who want to do this, ‘Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.’ ” Hailey Frederiksen isn’t, and it’s why she wears the tiara.

Oregon bulldogger was a late bloomer, but the sport has changed his life Most cowboys who make a living in rodeo have competed in the sport all their lives. That’s not the case for Cinch endorsee Jesse Brown, a 29-year-old steer wrestler from Baker City, a community of 4,200 souls in northeastern Oregon. He was the typical boy, playing football, baseball and basketball in his youth. The only time he was horseback was when he was helping around the family’s place. The rest of his time was spent with a ball in hand. He was an all-state football and basketball player, good enough to be a backup quarterback at Washington State University in the early 2010s. “I loved football, and I loved basketball; those were my top two sports,” Brown said. “I’ll always love football and basketball.” But there was something authentic about his calling to rodeo. “My dad rode broncs professionally, and my mom ran some barrels, but I started pretty late … my senior year of college,” he said. Even with a rodeo pedigree, Brown took his time in finding his own niche in the game. He focused on the sorts that carried his heart at the time they did. He tried his hand at college football for three years, then transferred to Montana State University to focus on his newly found rodeo career. He was even a qualifier to the College National Finals Rodeo. “I’m glad I did it the way I did,” Brown said. “I love bulldogging, and I love being able to rodeo. I see a lot of kids that are homeschooled, and rodeo is all they do. I’m glad I got to do the other sports and enjoy that. “My parents have always been super supportive and super positive about everything. They came to all my games, and they’re always wanting the best for me, promoting hard work. They didn’t necessarily know how to coach me in those sports, nor did they try. When it came to rodeo, my dad was out in the arena helping us every day.” His all-around athleticism came into play fairly quickly. One doesn’t just start bulldogging and make the college finals in the same year. In 2015 and ’16, he won the PRCA’s Permit-Holder Challenge in Las Vegas, then followed that with the 2017 Resistol Rookie of the Year title. He earned his first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo in 2020, one of 119 contestants to play the sport’s premier event in a baseball stadium, Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers. He returned to the NFR at its rightful home in Las Vegas this past December. “I had a different experience, because my first one was in Texas,” he said. “That was great, and I got to win the round in my first round at the NFR. Then you go to Vegas, and it’s a completely different atmosphere. That’s what you always expected it to be. “The NFR wasn’t my dream as kid, but as soon as I started this rodeo deal, it became my dream. It was what I could imagine. It’s worth it.” He finished the 2020 campaign 13th in the world standings, then he earned nearly $73,000 in 10 December nights to finish sixth on the 2021 money list with $165,000 in annual earnings. That provided him an invitation to The American, which featured the top 10 contestants in each event from last year’s standings. Brown took advantage of everything provided him and walked away from AT&T Stadium as the event’s steer wrestling champion. With that, he earned $100,000, which can be life-changing money. In a way, it just fortified with the Oregon cowboy has focused on the last several years. “I don’t think anything’s really changed for me,” Brown said. “I finished off the winter rodeos, and I’ve been practicing and getting ready for the summer. I bought a horse and put some money in the stock market. “Of course, then the stock market plummeted.” He laughed, because the market can be much like the world of rodeo – it’s a roller coaster way of making a living. Momentum swings can hit from one week to another. The highs are great, and the lows can be a struggle, but consistency wins most of the time. His only issue with his earnings at The American? “The last few years, The American has counted for the world standings,” he said. “You win $100,000, and half of that counts. I’d say $50,000 going toward the standings would be sweet right now.” As of June 6, Brown was 11th on the 2022 money list. He’s proven to be an elite steer wrestler, but he wants his level of consistency to be the standard by which he is judged. Sure, he’s nearly 30 years old, but he’s still a newcomer to rodeo compared to nearly every other bulldogger in the game. “I’ve been very lucky to have very good coaching,” Brown said. “I got in with the right guys when I started out and with the right fundamentals from the beginning, and I practiced as hard as I could with what they gave me. Then I’ve been lucky enough to ride some very good horses. “Horsepower is very important. The last three years, I’ve gotten to ride Tyson, and he’s won Horse of the Year the last two years. I’ve gone to the finals the last two years on him. I won The American on him. He’s helped my career a lot.” Tyson is owned by Canadian Curtis Cassidy, one of Brown’s traveling partners. This year’s highway posse includes another Canadian, Tanner Milan, and a Minnesotan, J.D. Struxness. All four men in the rig have a combined 15 trips to the NFR. “I think those guys are all positive, and it’s fun traveling with them,” Brown said. “When you’re having fun, it’s easier to win. “My goal is to make the NFR every year until I retire and to win multiple gold  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – Cody Sosebee is a big man with a big heart and a fascinating sense of humor. He’s been one of the premier clowns and entertainers in rodeo for more than a decade. He has been named the Comedy Act of the Year and has been selected to work the National Finals Rodeo, but he’s absolutely thrilled about making his way to Gunnison in July. “This is going to be my first time to Gunnison, and I’m beyond excited to go there this year,” said Sosebee, who will provide his brand of comedy to this year’s Cattlemen’s Days Rodeo, set for Thursday, July 14-Saturday, July 16, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “I’ve heard about Gunnison for years, and everything I hear about it is great. “When you have a chance to work a rodeo like that, you can’t help but get excited.” Over its 122 years of existence, Cattlemen’s Days has built an incredible reputation for having a cowboy friendly rodeo that has amazing hospitality and a fan base that is electric during all three performances. Much of the rodeo’s success is credited to the volunteer committee, which works within the community each year to produce the county’s biggest celebration. The group also works closely with its livestock producer, Stace Smith Pro Rodeo, which has been selected as PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year 11 times. Sosebee has worked with the Smith firm many times over the years, including their annual appearances at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo, which will take place after the conclusion of Cattlemen’s Days. “You’re getting to walk out there with the best in the PRCA,” Sosebee said. “It’s like being asked to play pickup ball with Michael Jordan.” Working with one of the greats is one thing, but the vibrant, yet round, funnyman is in the upper echelon of elite rodeo clowns. His award for being the best comedy act in rodeo remains special to him, but it’s not the top memory for the Arkansas man. “My greatest honor has been getting chosen by the bull riders to work the NFR in 2017, which was followed up close by winning the Comedy Act of the Year in 2018,” he said. “I didn’t expect either one. I was an old guy in my career choice. Just walking down the hallway at the NFR and bumping into those bull riders, it made me feel good because they thought of me to help protect them at the biggest rodeo they’re ever going to be part of. “When I run into a top-end NFR bull rider and know he took time to vote for me, that’s something I’ll have with me the rest of my life. The money’s been spent, but getting acknowledged for your craft really humbles me.” The same can be said for working Gunnison’s rodeo. It’s a humbling honor for a champion clown.

CASPER, Wyo. – A year ago, Kaden Greenfield was a sophomore at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon, and had just qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo. He arrived at the Ford Wyoming Center with high hopes and came away with lessons learned. Now, as a junior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, he hopes to utilize that schooling to his advantage as he battles for the steer wrestling national championship. “Last year when I was there, I was a little bit star struck when I first started,” said Greenfield, the son of seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Shawn Greenfield. “I think going in this year will help with the nerves since I’ve been there before.” He knocked down two of three steers and finished 24th overall. Still, it was an incredible experience, one that carried over into his first year in the Central Plains Region, a circuit made up primarily from colleges in Oklahoma and Kansas. He knew attending Northwestern could give him an edge; the rodeo program is coached by eight-time NFR qualifier Stockton Graves and has been nicknamed the “Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo.” “I’d say we were in one of the toughest regions as far as steer wrestling goes,” said Greenfield, who won the regional title. “The guys from our region that are going with me are good, too, and I’ve had to battle with them all year long. I think that will help prepare me even more.” The college finale takes place June 12-18 and will feature the top three contestants in each event – and the top two teams – from each region. It is where national champions will be crowned, and the Oregon cowboy would love to etch his name on the bulldogging crown. If he could pull that off, he would be the third Northwestern steer wrestler to have claimed a college title in the last seven years; J.D. Struxness was the first in 2016, and Bridger Anderson followed in 2019. In addition, breakaway roper Taylor Munsell also scored a national crown in 2019. Besides handling the rigors of the Central Plains’ 10-event season, Greenfield is also preparing himself by competing at PRCA rodeos around the country. He is the No. 4-ranked steer wrestler in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race with four months remaining on the ProRodeo season. “When you go to ProRodeos, you’re going against everyone: world champions, NFR qualifiers and everyone else,” he said. “You have to bring you’re ‘A Game’ to that every time, so I think that helps you prepare as much as anything else you can do. It also helps with the mindset.” He will be riding his horse, Rev, a 16-year-old sorrel gelding he’s had for five years and will rely on fellow region bulldogger Mason Couch of Southeastern Oklahoma State University as his hazer. Greenfield knows the obstacles that are in front of him, and he has no plans to go around them; it’s faster to go through them. “The college finals can be tough, because it’s in a little (building), and there are more pressure-packed situations you get into in there,” Greenfield said. “I want to go in there and take care of business but have fun doing it. That’s what it’s about.” That … and winning a national championship.

Rooftop Rodeo announcer brings a distinct flavor to his work in Estes Park ESTES PARK, Colo. – Like every young cowboy with gold-buckle dreams, Andy Seiler spent much of his youth swinging a rope. His family took notice. So did others. “My grandfather told me a long time when I had a rope in my hand that the rope was going to put me on TV one day,” said Seiler, who will return to the Rocky Mountains to call the action at Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6-Monday, July 11, at Granny May Arena in Estes Park inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. His grandfather was right, just not the way Seiler had envisioned. His dream was to be one of the best cowboys in the game, a top-tier roper competing on the biggest stages of rodeo. Instead, he’s one of the elite announcers in ProRodeo and has been featured on national telecasts of RodeoHouston and the National Finals Rodeo. His voice has also been highlighted on worldwide coverage of Rooftop Rodeo through The Cowboy Channel, so he has definitely utilized that young-man’s rope to be at the epicenter of the sport he loves. “My dad team roped, primarily in the circuit, and my mom competed in high school rodeo,” said Seiler, who lives in Ocala, Florida with his wife, Lauren; son, Welles; and daughter, Rory. “My mom’s family had a cow-calf operation, and she grew up on a chicken farm. My dad didn’t get into rodeo until he tried to ride some bulls in high school. When he started dating my mom, he started roping a little bit.” That’s how this rodeo bug started for Seiler. In 2004, he won the National High School Finals Rodeo championship, then took his competitive streak to Troy (Alabama) University, where he was a three-time qualifier to the College National Finals Rodeo. He may have made it a fourth year, but he turned his attention to announcing instead. “In 2008, I did a really terrible job, and my coach told me to ask if I could announce with Boyd (Polhamus, a senior statesman among announcers),” he said. “That would be my first professional performance. I announced Thursday and Friday nights, then they said I did a good enough job to do the short round. “The next weekend, I was in Glenwood City, Wisconsin, announcing that rodeo.” In the fantasy world, he would love to say he never looked back; fantasies aren’t real. Life happens. After three years announcing rodeos and living his dream, Seiler hung up his microphone and went back to Ocala and found work that helped him pay the bills. “Then Boyd called me in 2013 and told me that they were looking for a third announcer in Houston,” said Seiler, who was selected as one of three announcers at the 2020 National Finals Rodeo. “That’s what got me back into it. I started Houston in 2014. That’s been one of those things that I think God puts in there for you. It’s your responsibility that even if this doesn’t make sense, I needed to follow His path. “It’s led to a lot of other things along the way.” That includes his association with Rooftop Rodeo, and the relationship continues to blossom year after year. “We appreciate what Andy Seiler brings to our rodeo,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of Estes Park Western Heritage Inc., a group of volunteers that works with the town of Estes Park to produce the annual rodeo. “When we changed stock contractors to Cervi Championship Rodeo in 2014, Binion (Cervi) told us he knew an up-and-coming announcer that would be a good fit for the Rooftop; as usual, he was right. “From the first year he worked our rodeo, we knew Andy would be a great fit. The way he addresses our crowd is amazing and helps make each night a great one for the people that come. He makes it special for each of them, and that, in turn, makes it special for us.” The people in Estes Park return the favor. Rooftop Rodeo is such an exceptional experience that Seiler flies his wife and children in to be part of it. It’s one of two rodeos they go to each year, with the other being a few days in Houston in March. “Rooftop Rodeo will always have a special place in my heart,” Seiler said. “They had made a change, and it was very different for them to do, but they were very endearing to me from the start. “They have always been like family to me. They don’t call people who come to the rodeo fans; they call them guests. It’s an event that people circle on their calendars. If you’re on vacation and looking for a home away from home, then Estes Park is an excellent place to be in July.”