Monthly Archives: March 2024

Big Tex was born to be a bucking horse on the Zinser Ranch in Michigan, but he was much more than that. Most of his life, he was recognized as one of the elite broncs in ProRodeo. He was selected 17 times to perform and the National Finals Rodeo, a credit to his breeding and to the care he received. The 2010 Bareback Horse of the Year, Big Tex died overnight Tuesday on the Pete Carr Pro Rodeo ranch near Moscow, Texas. He was 24. He was the epitome of everything right in the world of rodeo. Sired by the legendary stallion Night Jacket, Big Tex lived up to his heritage. He was the kind of horse the cowboys dreamed of riding, whether it was early in life under a bareback rigging or the last half in saddle bronc riding. “He was pretty cool, and you were always excited to see Big Tex by your name when the draw came out,” said saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper, a four-time NFR qualifier from Miami, Texas, who had success on him the three times he rode the powerful bronc. “You had a good chance to win on him any time you drew him. He pretty much had the same trip, and he gave you all he could every single time.” Casper found his way to high markings each time he drew the powerful gelding: He was 87 points during the 2022 RodeoHouston, where he finished second overall. He was 86.5 points to win the Weatherford, Texas, rodeo in 2017 and was 85 points to finish second at Stephenville, Texas, a year later. Casper was just one of many cowboys that loved drawing Big Tex, and several of them had the horse multiple times. World champion Wade Sundell won both Houston and San Antonio on athletic beast in consecutive years, scoring 90 points both times. Dean Wadsworth finished second both times the two matched up; the first was at the 2016 Lovington, New Mexico, rodeo, and the second was at Hempstead, Texas, in 2021. “That first time I drew him, I’d seen guys be so many points on him that I was really excited about it,” said Wadsworth, a 13-time Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo qualifier. “I found out pretty quick that he’s no day off, and he dang sure about got me on the third jump. From the first time I got on him to the second time five years later, he hadn’t lost a step. He was still pretty tough those first three jumps. “You know if you do your job, you’re going to be in the high 80s every time. Once you survive those first three or four jumps, you can have all the fun you want on him.” During his last out in Hempstead this past October, Big Tex bucked off a young cowboy, and Wadsworth was there to see it happen. The veteran bronc buster from Buffalo Gap, Texas, took note of just how much the animal loved his job. “One of the coolest things I saw was this year at Hempstead during the bareback riding,” he said. “Big Tex got himself in the load alley and was ready to go. He was just standing there waiting for his shot, and we still had a few events to go before we were going to load the broncs.” Billy Jones, the operations manager for Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, found the horse in the pasture Wednesday morning. He said Big Tex had a pretty typical routine along with the hundreds of other animals on the southeast Texas ranch. “It looked like he just laid down and died,” Jones said. Sometimes the tough guys just give out, and Big Tex was definitely tough, and he proved it a decade ago. While in Guthrie, Oklahoma, for the National Circuit Finals Rodeo, he began to show signs of colic. In his case, his colon was displaced and was between the spleen and the kidney. On-site veterinarians from the Oakridge Equine Hospital in Edmond, Oklahoma, cared for the animal for 48 hours. Travis Adams was Carr’s operations manager at time, and he was there with the vets as they cared for him. “He was just acting off, and like a lot of horses that are stoic and strong-willed, it was hard to tell how much discomfort he was in,” Adams said. “There were two or three of those vets that worked on him. I slept with him at night, and they took care of him through all that. I credit them with saving his life.” The doctors performed a rolling maneuver in which Big Tex was lifted off the ground by his hind legs with a tractor to help release the colon off his spleen and kidney. While it worked, it failed to relieve the horse’s discomfort, so he was sent 45 miles north, where doctors with Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine surgically alleviated the blockage. “They found the impaction in his colon and were thankful that it wasn’t a twisted gut, so they injected the impaction with fluid to help it pass,” Adams said. “They sewed him back up and kept him there for two weeks.” Big Tex was expected to be out of action for four to six months, but veterinarians didn’t realize the animal’s make-up. Three months later, he was bucking in the championship round at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo, and he was back in Las Vegas that December. “He was an extremely tough horse,” said Adams, who cared for Big Tex and other Carr horses for several years. “That horse also foundered when he was young, and he was still at the NFR that same year. A lot of it goes to how big and tough he was, but a lot of his resilience was in the way that Pete took care of him. Pete’s had some incredible animals, and that’s a testament to the care he puts into the animals he’s owned. “Vet trips and  Continue Reading »

GUYMON, Okla. – Much has happened in this community over the last 22 years. There’s been growth; Guymon’s population has increased by 1,500 people. There’s been development; a casino dots the landscape, and there are more hotel rooms than ever before. One thing that’s remained consistent is the biggest event in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo continues to thrive, and the organizers are gearing up for this year’s event, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. More than two decades ago, it was honored as the 2002 PRCA Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year. “There have been a few changes with our rodeo since then, but the main aspect of it is still the same: We want to produce one of the greatest events in the PRCA year after year to celebrate this community,” said Ken Stonecipher, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo. “We have outstanding volunteers who are really working hard to get everything ready for this year’s rodeo.” It’s not without a tip of the cap to what’s happened in the past. This is the 92nd year of Pioneer Days Rodeo, an event that was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2015. A year ago, it was again nominated for rodeo of the year, this time in the medium category. “I don’t think a lot of people understand how difficult it is to be nominated, especially for Medium Rodeo of the Year,” Stonecipher said. “That category has the most rodeos in the PRCA by far, so to be among the top five says a lot for our volunteers and for the people that support our rodeo.” Why the change in size? Most of it has to do with the overall payout. In the early 2000s, Pioneer Days Rodeo was a PRCA tour event, which meant the local dollars had to be above a high threshold. The rodeo also had to have a championship round. In an effort to maintain community support and help cowboys and cowgirls with their travel plans, the committee opted to make the changes necessary. As with anything in life, Guymon’s rodeo has continued to evolve. The contestants have recognized that, which is a big reason why the committee was recognized in 2023. “In order to be nominated, a rodeo has to receive the votes from the PRCA members, and that includes the cowboys,” Stonecipher said. “We’ve always been an event that caters to the contestants. We’ve adjusted our slack schedule to make it easier, and we’re always finding ways to improve.” While it’s recognized as a cowboys’ rodeo, those in the community are likely the greatest beneficiaries. Whether they sponsor the rodeo or just make sure they’re in attendance, an exceptional event offers them the opportunity to celebrate the greatness that happens inside the arena during a week of world-class competition. It’s not just the local committee that has been honored. The event’s producer, Frontier Rodeo, is a nine-time winner of the PRCA’s Stock Contractor of the Year. Frontier has also had several horses that have won annual honors, while Cody Webster is the reigning three-time Bullfighter of the Year and Amanda Sanders has won Secretary of the Year. “We’ve got the best in the business, and I think that says a lot for our rodeo, too,” Stonecipher said. “We have the kind of rodeo a lot of communities would love to have.” There are a lot of great things happening in Guymon the first weekend in May.

Cinch bullfighter owns 4 freestyle world titles, a love for the game The climb sometimes is most of the fun when trying to reach the mountaintop. The labor of love can become grinding work once the goal is reached. Cinch endorsee Weston Rutkowski found himself there after three straight years of dominating freestyle bullfighting in upstart Bullfighters Only. He was the organization’s first world champion in 2016 and followed that with title belts in 2017 and ’18. Through each phase, he battled the challenges and the challengers, all while facing aggressive fighting bulls destined to play this dangerous game. He had his skull sliced open one year and suffered three facial fractures the next, and he still laid claim to being one of the best ever. “I told (wife) Avery that I hit a pretty hard wall a couple years ago,” said Rutkowski, originally from the tiny hamlet of Haskell, Texas, but now living in Granbury with is bride of a year and a half. “In 2019 and 2020, I wasn’t fighting bulls good at all. I’d lost all the fun. I didn’t know why I was doing it, what I was doing and what my goals were. I was just going through the motions. “I told her, ‘If I can’t find what makes this fun, I’m done.’ ” Despite some early struggles in 2021, he found the joy again. He found the love affair with the intensity of the competition, the battle with himself as much as the battle with the bulls. “I went back to the basics and fundamentals, just making sure I was doing everything right that I could control,” he said. “I realized I was putting so much pressure on myself to keep winning, I’d lost the fun. I realized how fun it is and how blessed I am to do something I love. That’s when things switched. I don’t know how long I’m going to do this, but I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.” That mindset made all the difference in the world to Rutkowski, who won his fourth BFO world title that year. His pedigree is the culmination of a lifelong passion and an unrelenting work ethic. When he’s not fighting bulls, he’s training to fight bulls. When he’s not doing that, he joins other BFO shareholders in helping with aspects of the business it takes to produce the thrilling, action-packed shows for which the organization is known. It’s not just freestyle, the competition that pits man vs. beast in an all-out gladiator-type event. Points are awarded on a 100-point scale with half the score based on how aggressive and agile the bulls are and their willingness to stay in the fight and the other half based on how close bullfighters get while maneuvering around or over the animals while staying millimeters from harm’s way. No, Rutkowski also stays busy helping his wife and her business ventures, the primary being the release of Axa Cosmetics, a line she developed. Avery Greene Rutkowski is also marketing director for Run for a Million, an equine-sports showcase, as well as a makeup artist and model. When she needs him, her husband is always there. “I met her at the Hooey Party during the 2015 (National Finals Rodeo),” Weston Rutkowski said. “She college rodeoed, and we very much have the same interests and love the same way of live. She’s everything I’d ever wanted. I chased her for years, and she finally just gave in. Her dream and her passion was to own a cosmetic line. She’s been doing wedding makeup for 10 years. She does contract work for the BFO as their production manager, where calls the show and writes the show.” They work well together, even when he’s working a rodeo as a protection bullfighter. Weston Rutkowski has expanded that portion of his business. He’s spending this time of year working the 15-day Rodeo Austin in the state’s capital city. Two months ago, he was at Dickies Arena during the 23 performances of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. “This was my first year getting to work that rodeo after Evan (Allard) retired,” he said. “I got the call to fill in his spot. When you go from 15 performances compared to 23, it feels like you work a whole other rodeo. It was cool to get to work that many performances in a row. It was a battle and a lot of learning. You learn what your body can take and what you can push through.” While it’s still bullfighting, working in tandem with other men to protect cowboys during bull riding is very different from high-adrenaline phenomenon that is freestyle bullfighting. “The cool thing about protection is it takes all the pressure off me to compete for money,” Rutkowski said. “I’ve got a paycheck coming. Now, I’m working with my buddies, working with a team. The movements I make reflect on what moves my partners make. We’re doing a job together. How can we control this wreck and all step away cleanly? If someone’s supposed to be hit, it’s going to be me. How can I excel and keep a wreck from happening, and how can I get in and also get out?” He doesn’t work two of the biggest rodeos in his home state by being a freestyle world champion; he gets those jobs because the bull riders and other bullfighters respect the work he does in protection. For Rutkowski, though, the work goes hand in hand. “Bullfighting is a crossover between a Western sport and an action sport, and you combine the two,” he said. “I know walking into the office every day, there’s a collision that’s going to happen. My job is to be as close as possible as long as possible and not get caught in freestyle. In protection, my job is to make sure the bull rider steps away safe and my partners step away safe.” His resume reflects the accomplishments that many bullfighters would  Continue Reading »

GUYMON, Okla. – The wildfires that devastated the landscape a couple weeks ago are still smoldering in some places in the Texas Panhandle. The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which scorched more than a million acres of land, was mostly contained earlier this week, but fire officials aren’t ready to call it completely covered. That territory encompasses land just a few miles south of the Oklahoma Panhandle. It’s been mortifying to watch and even scarier for those in its path, but the people who live in this region prove their resilience. They battle the blazes, and they work hard to recover from disasters like this. It’s in their DNA. They must continue to fight. “We’ve actually been pretty fortunate here,” said Jeremy Carman, a Texas County businessman who has been closely involved in the planning of the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5. “We’ve had some spots, but nothing in Texas County. I’m not sure how people replace their cow herds. It’s going to be tough.” Carman has watched the situation unfold, all while hundreds of cattle are grazing north of the Texas border. In addition to raising cattle as part of his business practices, he is providing calves for the muley team roping and breakaway roping at the Guymon rodeo. A former chairman of the community’s biggest event, this will be his sixth year of making sure the timed-event cattle are in the right place at the right time. “I’ve got all those cows bought and should have enough,” he said. “Each run will feature a fresh calf, so you have to have a lot of calves ready for that. I think about 500 head should be enough.” It’s a labor of love for Carman, who said the initial investment into his herd was a considerable jump from what it has been. “The cattle market this year has been extremely challenging,” Carman said. “I’d say these lightweight cattle have gone up $500 a head since last year.” With the baseline of 500 head, that’s an increase of $250,000 if not more. Carman purchases the animals, and Goodwell cowboy brothers Chuck and Ed Hoss care for them. Why is this type of investment important to the producers of the Oklahoma Panhandle’s ProRodeo? “We had the muley team roping for a long time, and when the prices got too high, we went back to horned cattle for a few years,” Carman said. “Everybody wanted to bring the muleys back. The muley team roping is unique to Guymon, and it brings the cowboy out in those guys. It evens the playing field for all the teams, and that makes it a lot of fun.” It’s also fun to watch. Because each run is made on a calf that has never been put through the chute system or run at a rodeo, nobody knows how the animal will react. That hint of mystery is appealing for the cowboys and fans alike. This also will be the second year the WPRA will sanction breakaway roping, so having the right calves makes everything better for the competition. “I think everybody’s excited about adding another women’s event,” Carman said. “We wanted to make sure we had the finances right before we added it, because those girls deserve to be running at even money to what the men do. I think that help sets us apart from a lot of rodeos, too.”

ALVA, Okla. – There were 41 steer wrestlers competing at the Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College rodeo over the weekend. Twelve advanced for Sunday’s championship round. Nine of those attend Northwestern Oklahoma State University. In that elite field, only one non-Ranger mustered points; the rest of those valuable treasures went to the men sporting the black vests with red and black lettering. “We struggled a little bit and didn’t have a good outing at Manhattan,” Cam Fox said of the first Central Plains Region rodeo of the spring semester at Kansas State University. “We figured Fort Scott would be a good setup for us, and there was a good set of steers. Everything just worked out for us.” Fox, a senior from Tulsa, benefitted the most. He had runs of 4.8 seconds and 4.9 seconds to finish second in both go-rounds; his cumulative time of 9.7 seconds earned him the overall victory and 160 points. Already second in the regional standings, Fox moved to within 145 points of teammate Trisyn Kalawaia, the season leader. “This weekend was just something that came together for us,” Fox said. “It lit a fire in us, and we hope to continue the momentum heading into the next ones.” Eight of the nine Rangers scored points, and each of the top six steer wrestlers in the final standings are from Northwestern. Tevin Cowan of Harrold, South Dakota, won the short round and finished second overall; Quade Potter of Stockville, Nebraska, won the first round and placed third; Logan Mullin of Clay Center, Kansas, was fourth; Emmett Edler of State Center, Iowa, was fifth; and Scout Cutsinger of Claremore, Oklahoman, was sixth. “I think this was a good sign for us as a team,” Fox said. “We practice hard ever day. We have a lot of good guys, and we just keep pushing each other to do better and be better. We also get to learn from Stockton Graves.” Northwestern is known as the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo because of Graves, the coach his alma mater and an eight-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. This wasn’t the first time that most of the steer wrestlers in the short round were Rangers; it was just one of the most dominating performances for the team. Three other Rangers bulldoggers – Jacob Haren of Callaway, Nebraska (seventh); Sterling Lee of Goetebo, Oklahoma (eighth); and Grady Aasby of Highmore, South Dakota (11th) – also qualified for the final round. Lee finished fourth in the opening round, and Haren was sixth in the short round. Heeler Sage Bader of Boone, Colorado, also qualified for the final performance; he and header Cadon Remington of Southwestern Oklahoma State University capitalized there, finishing sixth in the round. For the women, barrel racer Sierra Schott of McLaughlin, South Dakota, took advantage of her short-round position. She rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 12.84 seconds to win the final round and finish second in the aggregate. Breakaway roper Jayden Jensen of Fallon, Nevada, shared the first-round win with a 2.2-second run; she was 3.8 to finish third in the final round and average. Fellow roper Lauren Hopkins of Lincoln, California, was 2.6 seconds to finish in a five-way tie for fourth place in the opening round, and goat-tier Savannah Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon, earned a sport in the championship. On a weekend when the Northwestern steer wrestlers dominated the field, Fox led the way but also saw a teammate make a significant move in the regional standings. Potter also placed in both rounds and secured 120 points. That pushed him to third place in the region. With four events remaining on the schedule, the Rangers own the top three spots and hold down tight positions among the top 10. “It’s great that there are a bunch of us up there and that Trisyn and I are right there at the top,” said Fox, who rode a horse owned by Mullin and utilized the hazing skills of Edler. “We’ll just try to stick to the same script: Go out there, run the steers and get them down. We need to stay aggressive and not relax by where we are in the standings. We want to try to keep the foot on the gas. We just can’t be content.” That mindset and Graves’ push for a winning attitude have proven fruitful for many Rangers. “I think we could be really good, really dominant,” Fox said. “This is my last year, and I’d love to see what we can do the next few weeks.”

Knob Noster farm family continues to diversify its operations KNOB NOSTER, Mo. – Grant and Rachel Jones are setting a clear example for their three children with one important word for family farmers: Diversification. They not only believe in dabbling in a variety of opportunities, they live it. Family farms like Jones Bros. Farm run generations deep because of a passion for agriculture and an understanding of what it takes to continue to build toward a successful future while also recognizing the legacy that was left for them. “When you’re on a family farm, you have to roll up your sleeves and get through each thing together,” said Rachel Jones, who operates Simple Blessings Farm, and event rental space and Airbnb on the family’s property. “It makes you stronger at the end of the day by working through the wrenches that are thrown at you. “If things aren’t going well, you adapt and diversify. I have a saying: ‘If you’re not growing, you’re dying.’ If we want our kids to have an opportunity to come back and keep the farm alive, we have to find ways to diversify.” So many in agriculture understand that, and the Joneses have continued to battle. Grant Jones’ great-grandfather established the farm in 1871; the family moved to its existing location in 1897. The Joneses operate 4,000 acres of wheat, corn and soybeans and run about 300 head of beef cattle. He’s also working with biological fertilizer enhancements with Milne-Dinsdale Seed LLC, a northwest Missouri-based company that is expanding its roots across the state. “I’m working with our Pivot Bio and TuneUp+ programs,” said Grant Jones, who also serves as the president of the Knob Noster school board and is a coach for youth sports. “Travis (Milne) and I met 10 years ago, and we’ve been really good friends. We started doing business together three years ago. “Travis and (Milne-Dinsdale Seed agronomist) Erin Marlow are very forward-thinking for anything to do with agriculture, so we’re able to bounce a lot of ideas off each other. Travis is a very good farmer, and he’s trying to help me do some things they’re doing up there. This is an expansion for me. Travis believes in these products, and I have a lot of trust in Travis and have seen his success in farming.” The programs available through Milne-Dinsdale Seed LLC allow farmers to enhance their operations. By joining forces with the company, the Joneses are expanding their footprint on the family farm and continuing a philosophy that has served them well. It’s another layer that has enabled the family to continue pushing the envelope. “Somehow we got lucky back in the ’30s,” said Grant Jones, who can be reached at (660) 553-8114; other information can be found at http://www.MilneDinsdaleSeed.com. “Somebody came in and took a lot of pictures and a lot of videos of our farm, and we still have all that. My grandfather was a teenager, and it was the first time they put rubber tracks on one of our tractors.” Grandpa John had plenty of tales to tell, and he shared his experiences with his son, Mark, now 71 and still very much part of the operation. Grant Jones’ cousin, Shea Jones, works with the family business, as does Grant’s brother, Tye, who also operates Jones Bros. Agri Service in La Monte, Missouri. Diversification continues to define their calling to the family farm. By dipping their fingers in a variety of pools, the Joneses can identify a plethora of income streams, which helps them stave off all the challenges that come with making a living in agriculture. There are highs and lows in the industry, but they have managed them all with fortitude and a drive to excel. “Inflation right now is just killing everything,” Grant Jones said of his most recent economic hurdle. “It seems like all the input costs – chemicals, fertilizer, fuel – are going to take their cut. Any time the general public thinks you’ve got a good price, somebody’s going to take that from the farmer. “The prices this year have been hard, but I’d say 2023 was the hardest year I’ve ever experienced weather-wise. This is the worst drought I’ve seen in my lifetime. Our farm was just stricken something awful.” He’s handling the roller coaster that is the family farm, all while he and Rachel are raising three children: Laney, 17, is a senior in high school who plans to attend Northwest Missouri State University in the fall; Tinlee is 13, and Phillip is 10. All are active and have been involved with numerous sports. Of course, with a mom and dad who can coach them, the kids have some advantages. Grant and Rachel Jones created Simple Blessings Farm a decade ago, building off the experience they had when they married on their property on Aug. 1, 2009. It has become guiding light for Rachel to handle that aspect of the business, which includes a wedding barn and three cabins: the Silo Lodge, which was made from grain bins that had been used on the farm; a Rail Car, which has been converted to lodging; and the Airstream, which is a remodeled travel trailer. “When Grant an I got married, it was just an extension of our story,” Rachel Jones said. “My grandpa farmed when I was growing up. I actually took a year off teaching when I had Phillip, and I got signed up with helping Grandpa John a lot.” She was the perfect go-between on a busy operation. She’d help move machinery, feed and work with cattle, give rides from one field to the next and assist Grandpa John when he needed it. The two of them would pick pecans or cherries, and she’d help him in the garden. “God was really giving me a vision for the future after I took that first step of faith and quit teaching,” Rachel Jones said. “He has continued to bless us and allow us to grow more  Continue Reading »

Cinch rodeo announcers heating up the action during ‘Texas Swing’ When Anthony Lucia was young, he followed his entertainer father, Tommy, from one rodeo to another. He experienced his own sort of history at what’s been dubbed the “Texas Swing” of winter rodeos, indoor events at some of the most iconic communities in the Lone Star State: Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Austin and San Angelo. Over the last two years, he’s just added to it by being one of the voices of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. “Last year, they brought me in to help with The Cowboy Channel, and I would have to believe that was kind of my audition to see how I fit in with the culture there and everything that goes into it,” said Lucia, the reigning PRCA Announcer of the Year. “I felt like I had to strive to take what I was doing to another level. That’s just my mindset. I want to make everything that I’m involved in as great as possible.” This year, he served a hybrid role, being one of the arena announcers with fellow Cinch-endorsee Garrett Yerigan for several of the performances and also a sideline reporter for The Cowboy Channel’s broadcast on weekends when rodeo legend Bob Tallman was at the arena microphone. “I split doing the interviews with Katy Lucas and then got to announce 10 performances total,” Lucia said. “It was unbelievably a full-circle amazing moment to do something that I’ve heard Bob Tallman do for as long as I can remember. I’ve trick roped there, I’ve team roped there, and I grew up there going with my dad when he worked that rodeo like 19 or 20 times, whether clowning or doing specialty acts.” The first four months of the calendar year are filled with dozens of performances spread out across the Texas landscape: Fort Worth in January, San Antonio in February, Houston and Austin in March and San Angelo in April. Each has its own flavor and style, but all but one have something in common: They have Cinch men on the microphone in some capacity. Lucia also was the arena voice of San Antonio’s Xtreme Bulls competition. In Houston, the booming, baritone voice of Boyd Polhamus is mixed with the smooth stylings Andy Seiler. Both Cinch endorsees share their talents with Tallman, who has been around ProRodeo for half a century. To wrap up the Texas Swing, Polhamus will call the action at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. “Last year was my 30th year in Houston,” said Polhamus, a four-time PRCA Announcer of the Year. “This will be my 25th year in San Angelo. It’s really tough to put into words, but it’s like riding two different horses. In Houston, a large part of your audience is not completely rodeo knowledgeable, so you’re going to do a little more teaching to try to help the fan understand the difference between a 68-point ride and a 78-point ride. “San Angelo is a very rodeo-knowledgeable place. You could end that rodeo with tie-down roping and start with bull riding, and you wouldn’t lose a soul.” It’s an adjustment he can make because of experience. He’s in his 39th year as a rodeo announcer, so he can switch from talking to tens of thousands of fans a night inside NRG Stadium, home of RodeoHouston, to sitting horseback among the nearly 5,300 in Foster Communications Coliseum in San Angelo. “In Houston, I’m doing as much a television broadcast as I am talking live,” Polhamus said. “Everything we do in Houston is to play off the monitor, unless there’s an issue in the arena, then we can look down and see what’s going on in the arena and adjust accordingly. Houston is more of a telecast, whereas San Angelo is more of a traditional type of rodeo.” Both styles appeal to Seiler, a two-time National Finals Rodeo announcer who obtained a broadcast journalism degree at Troy University in Alabama. Whether he’s on a horse in an arena surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in Colorado or standing next to Polhamus and Tallman in front of a camera in Houston, he knows the game and shares his passion for it. “I have to pinch myself from time to time because they took a big chance on me when they hired me in 2014,” he said of his decade at RodeoHouston. “They wanted to add somebody that would be around for the future, but I truly think if you try to look at it, it’s a little bit overwhelming. “I’m just very thankful to be part of something that is a heck of a lot bigger than any one person or any one group, because it touches so many lives.”   It’s certainly unique, because of Houston’s legacy, its payout and the fact that a rodeo happens inside a stadium that also serves as home to the Houston Texans. NRG Stadium seats nearly four and a half times more than the Thomas & Mack Center, the NFR’s home since 1985. “For me, Houston is in my wheelhouse, because I love that I’m passionate about our sport, but I also love getting the opportunity to explain why it’s good for somebody to mark out a saddle bronc or why getting a good start for a steer wrestler makes everything come together so much quicker,” Seiler said. There also is something about being involved with the agriculture side of each of those Texas Swing events. All are livestock shows and rodeos, with exhibition halls filled with youngsters showcasing the projects they raised, whether it’s a steer, a lamb or any other ag-based activity. “The best part about working the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is giving back to the youth,” Seiler said. “I get to do some interviews at the livestock auctions. When you talk to these kids, you talk to these parents, you realize you’re part of an organization that is truly making a difference.” Yerigan was  Continue Reading »