Monthly Archives: September 2023

LOS LUNAS, N.M. – The danger and excitement that is professional bull riding is making its way to central New Mexico in a couple weeks, and it’s going to be the perfect way to show off the best in the business. Cord McCoy’s Xtreme Bulls Shootout will take place at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 9-Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Southwest Event Center in Los Lunas. Tickets are $20 in advance at McCoyRodeo.com, $25 at the gate and $35 for VIP seating. “This is going to be a great week in Los Lunas, and we get to kick it off with a pretty cool bull riding,” said Cord McCoy, a bull riding superstar who qualified for the National Finals Rodeo and PBR World Finals before gaining international fame on the CBS-TV reality series “The Amazing Race.” “We wanted to have this in Los Lunas because there are some great cowboys that come from this part of New Mexico, and we know there are a lot of great bull riding fans that will travel to an event like this.” That’s true, and he’s expecting a big crowd to show up for three nights of intense action. This will be a good time for bull riders to get a jump start on the 2024 ProRodeo campaign. The regular season ends Sept. 30, so anything earned after that will count toward next year. Money is vital in rodeo. Not only does it pay bills and cover expenses of getting up and down the road, but it’s also how the standings are tabulated. Dollars equal points, and only the top 15 contestants on the money list at the end of the regular season will advance to the NFR, the sport’s grand finale that takes place in December at Las Vegas. That’s where the vibrant earnings available at the shootout comes in to play. McCoy, who co-owns the stock contracting company McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara, will inject $15,000 in local money into the event. That will be mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the total purse. The winning cowboy can add more than $5,000 to his pocketbook and have a leg up on the competition early in the 2024 campaign. “We wanted to give these guys a chance to make some good money early in the season,” McCoy said. “We’re going to test them with the bulls we’re going to bring, and we want them to put on a show for everybody in New Mexico.” The bull power is extensive. McCoy has been raising quality bucking bulls since before he retired a decade ago, and he has several top-caliber animal athletes that will be a major part of the action. That will include Ridin Solo, which has earned the PBR Bull of the Year title each of the past two seasons. Ridin Solo may be the cream of the crop among the animals that will be featured in Los Lunas, but McCoy boasts of dozens of other elite bulls that will be mixed throughout the three days of competition. “Our goal is to have a world-class bull riding and amazing competition, but we are also here to entertain the fans,” he said. “We want this to be an event early in the week that gets people excited so they can go back to work the next day and tell everyone else about it. I’m thrilled with the possibilities.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – On the eastern shore of Hawaii’s Big Island rests its largest city, Hilo, a town of 41,000 folks. Inside its border is the community of Waiakea, the home of steer wrestler Trisyn Kalawaia, who will battle for the regional title during the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12-Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. “To make the circuit finals and go in there No. 1 is pretty good,” said Kalawaia, 21, a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “It’s definitely not what I thought I’d be able to accomplish at the start of this season. There were a lot of great opportunities, and we were successful this summer. The cards played out right for me. “I’m super happy and blessed to go to the circuit finals and have a chance to win good money.” This year marks his first qualification to the championship in Duncan. He had transferred from Central Arizona Community College to compete at the Alva, Oklahoma, school, which has been recognized as the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo. While in the Southwest, he competed in the Turquoise Circuit, which is made up of contestants and rodeos primarily in Arizona and New Mexico. He qualified for its finale as a permit-holder last fall, then switched his allegiance to the Prairie Circuit, which features cowboys and cowgirls primarily from the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska region. He is a dual competitor, battling it out in ProRodeo while also trying to win at the college level; that’s something that can’t be done in most college sports but is allowed in rodeo. With just days remaining in the 2023 PRCA regular season, Kalawaia is No. 2 in the Resistol Steer Wrestling Rookie of the Year standings. “The highlight of this season was just all of it,” he said, noting that he traveled the rodeo trail with Kaden Greenfield, a 2023 Northwestern graduate, and Stockton Graves, a Rangers alumnus who also serves as the rodeo team’s coach. “This was my rookie season rodeoing, and I had a lot of success. A lot of it had to do with traveling with Stockton and him helping me out. “I got to hear a lot from him and see a lot from him throughout the year. That helped me make the circuit finals and helped me build confidence.” He also finished the circuit’s regular season with $17,733. Technically he is second in the standings to his coach, but Graves will not be able to compete in Duncan after season-ending knee surgery last week. Kalawaia holds a $1,400 lead over Gus Franzen of Kearney, Nebraska, as the remaining members of top 12 in the region make their way to Stephens County. Deep down, he would love to be the second Hawaiian-born steer wrestler to ever qualify for the National Finals Rodeo. He would join Cody Cabral, who also graduated from Waiakea High School and advanced to Las Vegas in 2016. For now, though, Kalawaia’s eyes are set on the prize right in front of him. “It would mean a lot to win the circuit, especially being my first year in the circuit and being my rookie year,” he said. “It would also be a great start for the 2024 season.” ProRodeo’s regular season ends Sept. 30, so money earned after Oct. 1 will count for next year. The 2022 circuit finals champion, past world titlist Jacob Edler, earned $5,300 in just three days of work in Duncan, and each dollar counted toward the 2023 campaign. There is potential to earn even more when the competition takes place the second full weekend of October. Just as importantly, though, is the opportunity to advance to the next level. The winners of the year-end and circuit-finals titles qualify for the NFR Open, the national circuit finals championship that takes place next July in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Winning the circuit will also get me to the Springs,” Kalawaia said. “That would help me step up my goals for next year and help me try to make the finals.” Each step the young cowboy takes is all part of his development. There are no guarantees regarding wins or income, but that’s OK. That’s the allure of rodeo. All Kalawaia wants is an opportunity, and he will get that in Duncan.

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The ultimate man-vs.-beast contest will be the inaugural event inside the newly covered rodeo arena at the Waller County Fairgrounds. Freestyle bullfighting will invade Hempstead during the opening night of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, bringing with it high action, intense competition and a risk-reward setting like no other event on the planet. The fiery action begins at 7:30 p.m. “It’s going to be pretty exciting, and we’re going to have 12 of the top guys from the Ultimate Bullfighters at this event,” said Justin Crawford of Spur 1 Management, which is producing the bullfight and is also involved in other aspects of the fair and rodeo. “This is going to be one of the last UBF events before their finals.” It’s going to be a high-flying display that will help open the eight-day exposition; it’s also one of several Western sports-related events that will be inside the remodeled arena, joining The Eliminator, a specialized tie-down roping that features eight of the top cowboys in the game that is unique to the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. “We developed this years ago as a way to give these guys a chance to rope for good money in a format where one person is eliminated in each round,” Clint Sciba, president of the Waller County Fair Board, said of the Tuesday, Oct. 3, competition. “We’ve actually continued to develop it and will have a Next Generation Eliminator that will be the same type event for younger competitors; we will open that night with the junior ropers at 6 p.m.” It will be followed by the big dogs: No. 1 cowboy Riley Webb, John Douch of Huntsville, Ty Harris of San Angelo, Cory Solomon of Prairie View and world champions Haven Meged, Shad Mayfield, Shane Hanchey and Caleb Smidt – combined they have 54 National Finals Rodeo qualifications and four gold buckles. The open tie-down roping will also take place Tuesday. Wednesday, Oct. 4, will feature the Next Generation Women’s Eliminator involving breakaway roping, which will be followed by the WPRA breakaway roping competition. Thursday, Oct. 5, is opening night of the three ProRodeo performances. “It’s going to be a great week to open that new facility,” said Paul Shollar, vice president of the Waller County Fair Board. “The Eliminator has been a fan favorite around here for a long time. Folks in this part of the world love calf roping, so it’s fun. “I’m really excited to see what the bullfights bring to the table. If you’ve never seen a freestyle bullfight, then you’re missing out on some big-time excitement.” It’s the type of performance that will keep fans on the edges of their seats. Professional bullfighters will utilize their athleticism and ability to read animals as they face Mexican fighting bulls, which were bred for this type of fight. The bulls will utilize their aggressive nature and natural agility to try to throw a knockout punch on the men testing them. The bullfighters will step around and sometimes jump over the bulls in order to score points, which are based on a 100-point scale; half comes from the man’s ability to get as close to the animal as possible while staying out of harm’s way. The remaining 50 points is based on the bull’s aggressiveness and his ability to stay involved in the fight. “These fights last 60 seconds, but there’s a lot that happens in that short amount of time,” Crawford said. “There’s going to be some incredible athleticism from both the bull and the bullfighter, and there are going to be some big wrecks. That’s what makes the UBF so much fun to watch.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – Creek Young is more than a bull rider, more than a rodeo athlete. Deep down, he’s a businessman, and his career is trying to tame the West one bull at a time. He understands the physical skills it takes to do his job, but there’s also a mental part to the game; sometimes that means making decisions out of the arena that can affect how things go when it’s time to do battle. “This was a different season that what I had done the previous couple of years,” said Young, the No. 1 man in the Prairie Circuit’s bull riding standings from Rogersville, Missouri. “I had gotten tired and burned out, so I didn’t go to as many rodeos in the winter and in the spring. I got the opportunity to do the PBR teams, so I tried it. “It wasn’t really my thing, and by the time I moved on, I wasn’t able to enter all the rodeos in the Northwest. Because of that, I was able to enter some circuit rodeos in August and get my count up for the first time in a few years.” Cowboys and cowgirls must compete in at a certain number of rodeos in the region in order to be eligible to compete at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12-Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. Young had focused the 2021 and ’22 seasons on qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo, and that left him a few rodeos short of advancing to the regional championship. Because of circumstances, he was able to not only compete at events closer to home, but he also will return to the NFR for the third straight year; in that regard, it’s been a win-win season for Young. As of the third week of September, he was sixth in the world standings. His biggest victory in the circuit – a series of rodeos and contestants primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska – came at the Lawton (Oklahoma) Xtreme Bulls, where he pocketed $9,000; he added big checks in Woodward, Oklahoma; Elk City, Oklahoma; and Dodge City, Kansas. He finished the circuit’s regular season with $24,794 and will carry a $7,770 lead over the field into Duncan. “I also did well in Durant and Hugo (Oklahoma), and in August, I went to Altus (Oklahoma), Vinita (Oklahoma), Topeka, Kansas, and a few smaller rodeos and took advantage and got little checks everywhere I could,” said Young, who claims the Prairie Circuit in spite of living in Missouri because he likes the opportunities. “I lived in Fort Scott (Kansas) for a couple of years, because that’s where my buddies, (fellow bull riders) Coy Pollmeier and Trey Holston lived. I was there right after high school. I felt like there were more better rodeos in the Prairie Circuit that would make it easier to make my circuit count.” This year marks the third time he’s qualified for the regional finale, and he wants to earn the right to compete at the NFR Open, the moniker for the national circuit finals rodeo that features the year-end and circuit finals champions in each event from each of the circuits across North America. In 2021, Young was allowed to advance to the national circuit championship even though he finished third in the 2020 regional standings because one of the qualifiers was injured and unable to compete. “Third is the best I’ve ever done,” Young said. “It feels good to go in with a lead and have a chance to win this championship. It would be huge. I’ve done alright at the circuit finals in the past, but I’d really like to get that championship.” The bull rider will be one of several NFR qualifiers competing in Duncan. It’s not only a chance to gain good money that counts toward the 2024 ProRodeo season, the competition inside the Stephens County Arena also will serve as a training ground for those who will battle it out for world titles this December at Las Vegas. “My body feels the best that it ever has this time of year,” said Young, now 22. “I have a lot of confidence right now. I get a lot of that by feeling good and feeling like I was able to make this year work, that my different approach and going about it differently rodeo-wise has paid off. “This is a good tune-up for the NFR and keeps me going into October a little bit. It’s a good jump start to the new season.”

ALVA, Okla. – Truth be told, Jacob Haren wasn’t satisfied with his performance this past weekend at the Colby (Kansas) Community College rodeo. Sure, he won the all-around title and led the way for the Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo team by earning points in two events, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. He advanced to the championship round in both, but he failed to take advantage when the best of the week were matched together. “It’s definitely a good start, but it could have gone a little better,” said Haren, a senior from Callaway, Nebraska. “It’s always the goal to get points in multiple events, but I wanted to capitalize in the short round more.” He’ll have nine more chances to do that through the rigors of the Central Plains Region season; three of those happen during the fall semester. It’s a long season, but the Colorado-raised cowboy looks at it as more opportunities. The goal of all competitors in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is an eventual qualification to the College National Finals Rodeo and a shot at the national title. “I think it’s pretty important to start off strong,” said Haren, who placed third in the opening round of steer wrestling and finished in a tie for fifth in the first round of tie-down roping. “You  can then go into the next rodeo and keep that going through the rest of them this fall.” It’s not just bulldogging and calf roping that keep Haren busy. He’s also a team roper, so he gives himself – and the Northwestern men’s team – a chance at earning points in three events. That is valuable not only in the all-around race but also as the team takes step toward its future. While individual accolades are significant, the ultimate prize is pulling through as a team. “Practices have been going good,” he said. “We have a bunch of really good guys this year, and we’re all working together to get better.” It showed. There were several Rangers in the championship round, including team roping header Tanner Meier of Garden City, Kansas; steer wrestler Quade Potter of Stockville, Nebraska; and barrel racers Taralee Haddock of Elbert, Colorado, and Savannah Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon. All made the short round but failed to secure points. In following with the tradition that ignited the moniker the “Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo,” the steer wrestlers shined during the competition in northwest Kansas: Trisyn Kalawaia of Waiakea, Hawaii, won the title in Colby, placing in both go-rounds and securing the aggregate title by more than two seconds; Cameron Fox of Tulsa also placed among the top six in both rounds and finished fifth overall; and Sterling Lee of Goetebo, Oklahoma, won the first round with a 4.5-second run. Barrel racer Sierra Schott of McLaughlin, South Dakota, led the way for the Rangers women by winning the first go-round, placing in the short round and finishing third overall. Breakaway roper Lauren Hopkins of Lincoln, California, was solid in her two runs to place third overall. Laci Geiger of Emmett, Idaho, finished in a tie for second in the opening round, while Jaci Traul of Fort Scott, Kansas, placed in a tie for sixth place in the first go; neither cowgirl had success in the short round. After the opening weekend of college rodeo, Haren sees a lot of positives the team can build on as it prepares for the next event, which takes place the final three days of September in Durant, Oklahoma. “I think the bulldoggers are always going to be strong, and have other guys in other events who look strong, too,” said Haren, who transferred from Mid-Plains (Nebraska) Community College a year ago. “I know the girls that made the short round were good in Colby, so you hope that keeps up.” Of course, having an individual who can score points in multiple events helps, and Haren hopes to build on his start to the final campaign in college rodeo. “I always grew up doing every event I was able to do,” he said. “I especially love the roping events, but a friend has a good bulldogging horse and lets me ride him. Going to school with (coach) Stockton Graves, you pretty much feel like you need to bulldog, too.” Graves, an eight-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who just missed making the finale this season, has been coach of his alma mater since the spring 2012 season. While he’s best known as a steer wrestler, he has also been an all-around champion at a high level. Since he became coach, three Rangers have won national titles: breakaway roper Taylor Munsell and bulldoggers J.D. Struxness and Bridger Anderson. It’s that type of legacy that pushed Haren from southwest Nebraska to Alva. “I wanted to be in a different region, one that was a little more competitive,” he said. “I liked the fact that it isn’t super far from home. This gives me a good chance to get better.”

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – From the opening night of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, the folks in southeast Texas will have a big chance to enjoy some top-rated live music. The Hempstead exposition will have four nights of concerts, starting with the opening showcase on Saturday, Sept. 30. The evening will feature a freestyle bullfight, then Kylie Frey and Ian Munsick will take the stage to keep the ball rolling for top-quality entertainment. “I’m so pumped up about that first Saturday and that bullfight,” said Michelle Husky, co-chairwoman of the entertainment committee for the Waller County Fair Association. “Kylie has been on America’s Got Talent. She’s done an amazing job, and we’re excited to have her sing the national anthem to open our newly covered arena and the bullfight that night. “We’d heard about Ian, and we saw him in Vegas. We’re pretty excited to see what he brings to stage, see what kind of a crowd he brings. He’s a different kind of country, and people seem to like him and really seem to like the music he plays.” From opening night to closing ceremonies, there will be a great deal of action and a lot of entertainment for fairgoers. It’s a tradition in Waller County, and there’s no reason to stop now. The concert series might just be highlighted by the final showcase on Saturday, Oct. 7, with Texas-based country artist Aaron Watson. “Opening for him that night is a young girl that is no relation, Kate Watson,” Husky said. “We met Kate back in January, and one of our sponsors was with us and wanted us to book her for the fair. We’re excited to have her open for Aaron. “There’s nothing to say about Aaron Watson that people don’t already know. His name sells the tickets, and we know he’s going to put on a great show.” In between, the concert series will kick back up Thursday, Oct. 5, beginning three straight nights of the artists following the PRCA rodeo. The Brown Sugar Band will showcase it’s versatile talents, from powerful country to classic rock to some traditional soul. The group will set the stage for Coffey Anderson, who has built an acclaimed country career defined by his work ethic, sense of humility and country roots. “We had time to visit with Coffey in January when we booked him,” Husky said. “He had a really good show, and he brings a lot to the table. He’s also going to be singing the national anthem to kick off our PRCA rodeo.” Young artist Kendall Shaffer is carrying the torch for a new generation, but she’s a student of greats like Keith Whitley and George Jones. She will open the Friday, Oct. 6, concert series for a Waller County favorite, Glen Templeton, who has not only played at the fair and rodeo before, but he also has been a staple at events across southern Texas for years. “We don’t normally bring artists back to back, but he puts on such a great show,” Husky said of Templeton. “He’s been hitting up the stages all around the region. He’s ready to come back and rock the Waller County Fair on a Friday night.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – His face may be hidden by greasepaint, but Rob Gann’s smile is authentic. “The best part of my job is getting to entertain and make everybody’s day better and maybe help them to forget what’s troubling them,” said Gann, a rodeo clown who will be working this year’s Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12-Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan “I want to make them laugh and put a smile on their faces.” It will be his first time at the regional finale, which has taken place in Duncan every October since 2012. It will be a way for him to showcase the talents that have helped him be recognized across the country. Over his career as bullfighter and clown, he has been selected to work the International Finals Rodeo eight times. “I got to fight bulls there six times,” said Gann of Lonoke, Arkansas. “When I moved to clowning, I’ve done it the last two years. It’s a big deal for me, the next step in my career gave me the hope and confidence that I could do this for a living.” Now, he will have the opportunity to show his stuff on the biggest stages of the sport. By working a ProRodeo championship event, Gann has the chance to build on his resume and take another step in making a name for himself. “This is awesome,” he said. “As of right now, it’s a milestone and absolutely the pinnacle of my career. I finally get to do a finals that’s got a PRCA logo attached to it. It means a lot to me, and this is definitely a proud moment for me, one I won’t forget.” It’s a chance to work with the best in the business and be part of an event that showcases the stars from the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska region. Not only that, but Gann will also work with other ProRodeo honorees that have been recognized nationally for being on an elite status in their craft. From NFR qualifiers to award-winning personnel, the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo will be the three-day home to incredible talent. If iron sharpens iron, it’s a chance to make everything shine inside the Duncan coliseum. “Announcer Greg Simas has been a huge advocate and motivator, and he’s really helped me with my career,” Gann said. “To get to work my first circuit finals with Greg means a lot to me.” Simas will be working Duncan’s fall rodeo for the eighth straight year and will bring a world-class talent to the show. Whether it’s working together through the action-packed performance or doing a clown act together, Simas and Gann must show why teamwork matters during a rodeo production. “I carry at any time three to four acts in my trailer, but I like the walk and talk that happens during the performance,” Gann said. “I’ve rodeoed my whole life, and I’ve done pretty much every aspect. I like to fill in the spots when they need filled. The walk and talk is unpredictable, and I like to take whatever the moment allows me. There’s nothing better than when a fan gives you something you can go with, and everybody just enjoys that moment.” Having that talent comes through experience, one that has carried Gann from youth competitor to professional rodeo cowboy to bullfighter to clown. He is the third generation of his family in the rodeo business and competed in all events as a youngster, earning a rodeo scholarship to Arkansas State University-Jonesboro. “I think my knowledge of rodeo and my timing allows me to see when a breakdown happen, maybe seeing where the announcer needs a minute to catch his breath,” Gann said. “I want him to know that I will take care of him. “The biggest thing is to keep the energy up, because I truly believe the energy dictates the competition.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – In sports, there is always a battle to be victorious. In rodeo, the levels of success vary from one day to another. Winning doesn’t always define greatness; sometimes getting close is valuable in more than horseshoes and hand-grenades. A series of second-place finishes can be more instrumental to a player’s season than a single win over that same stretch. Why? Because money equals points in rodeo. The top 15 contestants on the money list at the end of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo, where the world champions will be crowned. Those 10 December nights in Las Vegas are where every rodeo cowboy and cowgirl dreams to be. In the region made up of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, the very best will get a jump start on their bids to win this year’s Montana Silversmiths gold buckles. Before they ride in the Nevada desert, the region’s elite will battle for titles closer to home at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12-Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. While there, they will compete for Prairie Circuit titles, and the year-end and finals-aggregate champions will advance on to the national circuit finals, now dubbed the NFR Open and set to take place next July in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Make no mistake, though; this isn’t just a hometown event. The circuit finale is a chance to see many of the greatest players in professional rodeo while also getting a glimpse of the sport’s future. “We like to tell folks that they’re going to see world champions or eventual world champions when they come to our rodeo,” said Joe Henderson, chairman of the committee that produces the circuit finale in Duncan every fall. “When you look at the history of the Prairie Circuit, you can see a great line of world champions who are from this part of the country. “If we look at Oklahoma alone, this is where the Etbauer brothers lived during most of their careers. This is home to Sage Kimzey and Terry Don West. Oklahoma is home to the Duvalls and Ote Berry. We have hall-of-famers from here, and that doesn’t include the champions from Kansas and Nebraska like Jeffrey Collins and Dean Gorsuch. We have a great legacy of rodeo.” That history will repeat itself during this year’s spectacular, held over three nights in southern Oklahoma. There are men and women fighting for circuit titles while also in the mix to compete at the NFR in a couple months. That includes Jayco Roper, the 11th-ranked bareback rider in the world standings and a regular fixture at the Stephens County Arena each October; Cody Devers, who is 11th in the bulldogging race; team ropers Andrew Ward, Jake Clay, Coleman Proctor, Buddy Hawkins and Logan Medlin; barrel racers Emily Beisel, Wenda Johnson and Paige Jones; breakaway ropers Taylor Munsell and Cheyanne Guillory; and bull riders Creek Young and Trey Kimzey. Steer roping features a handful of top hands, including the No. 1 man in the standings, Cole Patterson, and his world-champion father, Rocky; Billy Good and Mike Chase. There are also a handful of others who still have a chance to qualify for the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, set for Nov. 17-18 in Mulvane, Kansas. “Those are just the contestants who are in the top 15 as of early September; there are plenty of others who have either been to the NFR or may be able to jump into the top 15 by the time the regular season comes to an end the end of this month,” Henderson said. “Stockton Graves has won our circuit and our circuit finals, and he has a great chance to go back to the NFR. “That’s the kind of stuff that makes rodeo fun, and it’s why we’re excited to have that kind of competition right here in Stephens County.”

Waller County Fair Board has created a state-of-the-art facility HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The concrete forms were poured months ago, and giant metal rafters were put into place to offer the rigidity needed for the newly covered arena at the Waller County Fairgrounds. They’re not the only support system for the new construction; the Waller County Fair Board has received a great deal of reinforcement for this endeavor, from members of the community to financial backing from major contributors. “This building is a $2.3 million project, and almost $2 million is from private donors thus far,” said Dustin Standley, a longtime fair board member, former president and a key organizer for the annual exposition. “I think by the time we’re done, we’re going to fund this thing completely, and I’m sure we will have an arena with very little cost to the fair board in turn for something this community can use year-round. “We have amazing elite sponsors that bought 21 executive boxes to help with fundraising, and we have several partners in building that have donated anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000. We’ve put money in certain spots where it’s going to provide us the best benefit for our needs.” The covered arena will be first put into use during this year’s Waller County Fair and Rodeo, set for Saturday, Sept. 30-Saturday, Oct. 7, at the fairgrounds in Hempstead. The idea for creating such a cathedral was instigated more than a decade ago by forward-thinking members of the board who envisioned a complex that could house events, sustain growth and create board revenue 52 weeks a year. It will not only be the featured home of the PRCA rodeo, which begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5-Saturday, Oct. 7, but it will be available for a variety of equine competitions, roping’s, bull ridings and other rodeo-related activities. Just as it has done with virtually every other project on the fairgrounds in recent years, the fair board is creating a top-of-the-line complex. During the design phase of the project, special efforts were put in place for future expansion of livestock shows and all yearly fair events with our growing community. “We are going to have a state-of-the-art arena,” said Paul Shollar, vice president of the Waller County Fair Board. “The lighting can be used in a variety of ways, and we can utilize spotlights as we need, undergrounds sprinkles and more than 30 holding pens, etc. A lot of stuff we put into it is going to be cutting-edge. We don’t want to just be a covered arena. The list just keeps going. All the stuff we’re doing is to try to make it better and more efficient for our renters.” The objective when the project originated is the same as it is now that it’s about to be opened. There are an additional 750 bleacher seats, 10 additional box seats for any business or family, and the executive suites, which will grow to 25 or 26 once all the work is complete. In addition, the arena will feature Americans with Disability Act ramps (with appropriate rails) in place and ADA seating for a dozen people in such need. Because the arena is covered and not enclosed, air will be able to flow through the complex and will be aided in distribution by six Big Ass Fans anchored at roof level. “The ceiling is elevated and is super tall, so the wind restriction is very minimal,” said Standley, who emphasized the complex is being created to not only increase opportunities for its use at the fairgrounds but for users at all levels to find comfort. “We want it to be a comfortable experience for the fans, for the contestants, for the livestock and for everybody that is there working on the event, whether it’s during our fair and rodeo or during another event throughout the year. “For years, we’ve taken a lot of pride in our hospitality, and another feature we’ve added is a Cowboy & Cowgirl Facility, which was donated to us by one of our corporate sponsors, CRC – Barns, Arenas & Hangars. That facility has air conditioning, a built-in bar and lights. It’s going to allow a lot more flexibility to do a lot more events in there, make it homier for the contestants and their families during our fair.” Everything was taken into consideration during the rebuilding phase of the arena. Sightlines from every seat should be spectacular, and a two-story press box has been put in place; one level is for announcers and others involved in event production, while there is also a media room to allow for coverage of events, while also serving as dressing room and concession during other events throughout the year. On the competition floor, the fair board has worked with Texas manufacturer Priefert to outfit the arena with new bucking chutes and timed-event boxes and chutes. “Priefert has been a great partner with us, and we decided that we wanted to bring in the new chutes to make sure we had the best products necessary for an arena of this stature,” Shollar said. “We also wanted to make the arena continue to look brand new when we open the doors.” The covered arena will offer a new look – and a new production value – to events at the Waller County Fairgrounds for years to come, and the first glimpse of it all will happen very soon. “We want everyone who comes to enjoy this facility and enjoy what we’ll be able to do with it,” Standley said. “We wanted this to be the best covered arena in southeast Texas, and I think we’re going to have it.”