Monthly Archives: July 2023

Montana group offering a variety of dancehall music to Gooding Pro Rodeo GOODING, Idaho – For most of its existence, the Exit 53 band stayed pretty close to its home in Hardin, Montana. The four-person group is expanding its reach a little more and will be playing after the final three performances of the Gooding  Continue Reading »

After 20 years as president, longtime volunteer will step down DODGE CITY, Kan. – For many, Dr. R.C. Trotter is synonymous with Roundup Rodeo. A family physician in Dodge City for four decades, Trotter has built a medical practice, raised a family and been a major influence on folks around him. While doing so, he  Continue Reading »

Gooding offers a reunion for former College of Southern Idaho greats   GOODING, Idaho – For many of ProRodeo’s greatest stars, their summertime visit to this community of 3,700 souls is a refreshing stop on a busy regular season. For others, it’s a return to their old stomping grounds, the intercollegiate homes that helped propel  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Since its inception, the Lea County Xtreme Bulls has been one of the toughest competitions to win. There have been 10 editions of the stand-alone bull riding, which kicks off the PRCA portion of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. Each year, a different bull rider wins the crown. Kanin Asay, a  Continue Reading »

Rodeo honored by barrel racers for having the best ground in the circuit GOODING, Idaho – The best racehorses in the world are adaptable, able to perform at a high level no matter the conditions. The better the foundation, though, the better the chance to see something special on the track. In the world of  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – When Jimmy Joe Campbell was a little boy, he looked in awe as his father and grandfather worked around the Lea County Fairgrounds. A lifelong county resident, Campbell lives at the house in which he was raised east of Lovington. Like so many youths in the region, he made his way to  Continue Reading »

Bareback rider missed Gooding Pro Rodeo in 2022; he’s eager to get back     GOODING, Idaho – Over the last decade that he’s ridden bucking horses for a living, Richmond Champion has only missed the Gooding Pro Rodeo a couple of times. One was last year, when a neck injury sidelined the bareback rider  Continue Reading »

  LOVINGTON, N.M. – When Jessica Blair-Fowlkes rides into Jake McClure Arena during the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, she will do it while standing astride two beautiful gray horses. She will coax them to run and truly showcase their talents inside the massive, dirt floor on the Lea County Fairgrounds in Lovington. Because of  Continue Reading »

  DODGE CITY, Kan. – When the Kansas City Chiefs hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl champions in February, it was the culmination of a season of excellence. It was the prize the players were craving, their goal through the rigors of the campaign. In Dodge City, cowboys and cowgirls battle for a  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – In the summer of 2019, Zack Cook was content in his job as a laborer at the Cody Nite Rodeo in his Wyoming hometown. He’d work during the day and through the evening’s rodeo, then he’d hang out with others around the complex. Little did he know that those conversations would lead  Continue Reading »

GUNNISON, Colo. – A month ago, Will Pollock was standing on the stage in Casper, Wyoming, when his Clarendon (Texas) College rodeo team won its second national title in three years. During Saturday’s final performance of Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo, Pollock continued his streak by riding Rafter G Rodeo’s Silver Wings for 84 points to  Continue Reading »

  GUNNISON, Colo. – During Drake Amundson’s first trip to the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo in 2022, things didn’t go very well. His first horse didn’t want to play the game, so he got a re-ride; the second horse promptly bucked the young bareback rider off. During Friday’s second performance of Gunnison’s 123-year rodeo, Amundson  Continue Reading »

  GUNNISON, Colo. – Just like every fisherman has a honey hole, every cowboy has a rodeo that is his sweet spot. Cattlemen’s Days is that for Colorado steer wrestler Cody Pratt, who knocked down his steer in 4.1 seconds during Thursday’s first performance of Gunnison’s rodeo to take the early lead. Originally from Monte  Continue Reading »

Proctor excited to show trick-riding skills before renowned Gooding crowd   GOODING, Idaho – By the time she was 5 years old, Haley Proctor knew what she was going to be. In the years that have passed, her passion for being a trick rider and entertainer has only grown, and it’s why she will be  Continue Reading »

  DODGE CITY, Kan. – There is a new look to Roundup Arena, and folks arriving for this year’s rodeo will see it immediately. A new ticket booth will greet visitors, a way to welcome all who come and to provide a little better protection for the people who assist everyone when they enter the  Continue Reading »

Young bronc rider rides into money on the final night of Estes Park rodeo     ESTES PARK, Colo. – As the curtain dropped on the 2023 edition of Rooftop Rodeo on Monday, the biggest name in the sport stood above all the rest. Stetson Wright has been the winningest cowboy in ProRodeo the last  Continue Reading »

ALABAMA, Lawrence, Bowen, others to perform in Lovington   LOVINGTON, N.M. – In 1981, a trio of cousins from a small town in the South jumped into the country music stratosphere when the song “Tennessee River” catapulted to the top of the charts. Four decades later, Alabama is synonymous with down-home hits and a nation’s  Continue Reading »

Boxleitner finds glory at Rooftop, the rodeo that pointed him toward roping   ESTES PARK, Colo. – Just two days before his 23rd birthday, Tyler Boxleitner gave himself a bit of a present. He roped and tied his calf in 12.1 seconds during Sunday’s fifth performance of the Rooftop Rodeo to move into a share  Continue Reading »

  ESTES PARK, Colo. – The dreams of being a world champion start early for many cowboys. They might ride stick horses, but they have visions of the yellow chutes at the National Finals Rodeo. It’s what drives most of them; it’s why they travel the country following their passions. Brandon Harrison has had that  Continue Reading »

  ESTES PARK, Colo. – Hunger is the name of the game in bareback riding. For Waylon Bourgeois, it’s all about being young and in his sophomore campaign in ProRodeo. For Richmond Champion, it’s about an injury forcing him to the sidelines for the better part of 2023. No matter their reasons, both men looked  Continue Reading »

  ESTES PARK, Colo. – After roping together for a couple of years, Pedro Egurrola and J.C. Flake decided to try something else. They separated, which happens in team roping, but they remained close friends. When they had the opportunity to reunite, they opted to do so at one of their favorite events, Rooftop Rodeo.  Continue Reading »

  GUNNISON, Colo. – There is a breathtaking beauty that comes with the Gunnison Valley, tucked neatly into the picturesque Rocky Mountains. All that is part of the attraction for thousands of people that visit Gunnison each year. For rodeo cowboys and cowgirls, all that just adds to the experience they share as they compete  Continue Reading »

  ESTES PARK, Colo. – The opening night of Rooftop Rodeo featured a shutout by the bulls, an Australian taking the bareback riding lead and a Granny May Arena record in barrel racing. Rainey Skelton may be best known as the daughter of eight-time world champion heeler, but she’s making quite a name for herself  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – As a youngster, Jerry Pegelow was shown the value of volunteerism and what it means to give back. It’s one of the many reasons he has been a longtime volunteer with Dodge City Roundup, the volunteer group that organizes the annual rodeo. He became a member of Roundup 25 years ago  Continue Reading »