Monthly Archives: September 2025

Northwestern Oklahoma State University graduate student Emmett Edler earned at least a share of two round wins and claimed the overall steer wrestling title this past weekend in Durant, Oklahoma. (PHOTO BY DALE HIRSCHMAN) ALVA, Okla. – Over the course of the summer, Emmett Edler changed hats. The nice thing about it is both are still cowboy hats, so it wasn’t much of a stretch. Edler, a two-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier from State Center, Iowa, graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University last May. Shortly thereafter, Rangers rodeo coach Cali Griffin hired him as an assistant. Now, Edler not only helps lead the rodeo team as a mentor, but he’s back in competition, earning another year of eligibility to his resume as he continues to battle in the sport he loves. He proved it over the weekend by winning the steer wrestling title at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Durant. “I wasn’t planning on rodeoing again this year, and then I decided to take the job as the assistant coach,” said Edler, who shared the first-round victory with a 4.0-second run, then stopped the clock in 4.9 seconds to win the final round and the aggregate title. “I decided to get my master’s degree and figured if I was going to be going to these college rodeos, I might as well be entered up and give myself one more chance at the college finals.” It’s working, both in the arena and out. He led the team in competition and guided the younger contestants when it wasn’t his time to shine. It paid off with 19 Rangers qualifying for the championship round in 21 positions – Riley Smith of Poteau, Oklahoma, and Payton Dingman of Pryor, Oklahoma, earned short-round bids in two events. “Hiring Emmett feels like it’s absolutely paying off,” said Griffin, now in her second year as the Northwestern coach. “It shows in our practice pen as well as at the rodeo, because he’s putting in the work and making those guys better. It helps that he gets to rodeo on his grad year, and I’m really happy with what he’s doing.” So does Edler, who quickly moved into the bulldogging lead in the Central Plains Region. He is one of three Rangers among the top five in the points race, but it’s still early in the season. Edler was also one of five steer wrestlers in the championship round, joined by Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Oklahoma, who finished fourth in the final performance and fifth overall; Grady Aasby of Highmore, South Dakota, who placed in both rounds; and Smith and Shilo Glover of Ada, Oklahoma. “Having that many from our team in the short round is how it should be,” Edler said. “We practice hard every day, and there are a lot of people on the team that work hard at it. A lot of people deserve to make the short rounds, so it’s good to see that. I think we’re going to keep working at it the rest of the season.” Team roping had a distinct Northwestern flavor to it, with eight Rangers in the mix. Header Cooper Mott of Kansas, Oklahoma, placed in both rounds and finished third overall while roping with Rydan White of Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College. Header Sage Bader of Kim, Colorado, also scored points in both rounds and finished fifth while roping with Braxton Foster of Western Oklahoma State College. Heelers Smith – roping with Kyree Donaldson of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M – and Colter Snook of Dodge City, Kansas – roping with Dexton Hoelting of Western Oklahoma – made the final round, as did the teams of Cory Weir of Dodge City and Payton Blank of Murdock, Kansas, and Sadie Hammond of Avondale, Colorado, and Eli Penrod of Ulysses, Kansas. Weir and Blank finished fourth in the final round and sixth overall. Tie-down roper Kerry Duvall of Oakdale, California, finished fourth in both the short round and the average. “I think we’re going to see more people finishing in those higher spots and winning a lot more points than we did at Durant,” Edler said. The women were led by breakaway roper Kendyll Miller, who placed in the opening round with a 2.7-second run, then won the short-go with a 2.4 to finish second overall. “The key was just being consistent and taking my shot,” said Miller, a freshman from Hennessey, Oklahoma. “The region is tough. Depending on the calves and the setup, you need to figure out what you need to do on the calves you have and just try to make the best of it. Sometimes you don’t draw the best, so you just have to take advantage when you do.” It helps that she has a great partner in Peanut, a 13-year-old gray gelding. “I actually watched him be born, and I rode him all through junior high and high school,” she said. “I got off him for a little bit, but I decided that he was probably the best option for these rodeos.” Dingman understands that as well as anyone. The sophomore, who made the college finals this past June, took advantage of her horse power to finish sixth in the final round of breakaway roping and the aggregate. She also placed in both rounds of goat-tying to finish tied for fourth overall. She and Miller were joined in the final go-round by fellow breakaway ropers Trista Regner of Apple Valley, California – who finished the first round in a four-way tie for fifth with Miller – and River Hamaker of Leon, Iowa. Also competing in the last performance were goat-tiers Trinity Kruse of Pretty Prairie, Kansas – who placed in the short-go and the average – and Bennett McComas of Temecula, California. “Our women’s team is just different in the coolest way this year,” Griffin said. “They truly embody the saying, ‘iron sharpens iron.’ That’s a group of girls that wants to work together and are literally pushing each other, rooting for  Continue Reading »

Durfey fights through chronic ailment to return to rodeo glory Tyson Durfey had no idea what was going on. Full-body rashes, chronic fatigue, pounding headaches and vertigo were some of the symptoms he experienced. There were days he couldn’t get out of bed. “My body was trying to tell me, ‘Hey, there’s something wrong,’ but I wasn’t smart enough to listen to it,” said Durfey, a Cinch endorsee and the 2016 world champion tie-down roper from Brock, Texas. “I thought, ‘Just toughen up.’ “It all hit me one day when I was carrying a water pump on the ranch. As I got to the top of the hill, I couldn’t breathe and had severe chest pain. The walls were closing in. I go to my truck and sat there a minute, then I just got up and went back to work.” It started happening more often. His concerns grew. He talked to his wife, Shea, and explained that he thought he was having heart issues. He went to doctors and had multiple procedures to find out what was wrong. Blood tests revealed nothing but good health, but a cardiologist found something. “He hooks me up to the EKG,” Durfey said of an electrocardiogram, a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. “He asks, ‘How do you feel right now?’ I’m like, ‘Well, I’ve got some chest pain, but it’s not severe. “He said, ‘I’m not trying to scare you, but I think you’re having a heart attack right now. I need to get you in to do a heart catheterization.’ ” The procedure is where surgeons insert a thin, flexible tube into the heart through an artery or vein. It wasn’t a heart attack after all. The doctor found a fragment on the outer layer of Durfey’s heart. It was a leftover from a small incident that occurred in his youth. The relief of no major heart issues was evident, but he still wasn’t feeling well. In fact, he was getting worse. “I had no energy, and I didn’t even want to play with my kids,” he said. “I did what cowboys typically do and wait until you’re literally dying before you tell somebody you need help. I called my best friend and said, ‘Hey, man, this might be it. I’m in really bad shape.’ ” While maybe a last-ditch effort to reconnect, it was the perfect timing. Bart Miller recommended calling Dr. Jason West, a friend of Durfey’s who runs the West Clinic in Pocatello, Idaho. The clinic has been around for more than a century and boasts of natural healing from chronic disease. Miller called West twice late on a Saturday night so the doctor understood the immediacy of the situation. A Zoom call between West and Durfey happened minutes later – West actually excused himself from a convention in Las Vegas to visit with Durfey. As the cowboy read his blood panels and food-toxicology report to West, the doctor had an idea. “He said, ‘I think you have a chronic viral infection,’ ” Durfey said of the interaction. “He said, ‘If you will fly to my clinic, we’ll do a live blood analysis, and we will tell you based on what your blood panel looks like, and I will actually look at the cell itself.’ “I thought it was outstanding, because when you’re at the bottom, you’ll do anything to get better. You could literally see the virus in my blood, and my blood cells were dead or dying or basically zombie cells, and they were globbing together. It was so thick my heart couldn’t pump it through.” Through treatments, he got better. His drive resurfaced. His will to win resurfaced. Durfey had slowed his rodeo career down, focusing his attention toward Shea and the kids, Praise, 9; Risyn, 6; and Tyen, 4. But with his health improving, his hunger for the game returned. “When I went to the health clinic the first time, I thought, ‘When I get healthy, I want to rodeo,’ ” Durfey said. “I flew from the health clinic the day of my 10th treatment to a ranch in Nebraska and bought a horse. I decided I was going to rodeo. I started to get my health back, exercising, roping a ton. Since then, I’ve bought more horses, and we are where we are now.” That place is back toward the top of the tie-down roping standings. A 14-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, he last played on the sport’s biggest stage in 2020, the year the championship took place in a Texas baseball stadium because of COVID restrictions. In a span from 2007-2020, he’d missed the NFR just one time. Now, though, he’s itching to get back to it. He gave it a run this season, winning three of the longest-running rodeos in the world: the World’s Oldest Rodeo in Prescott, Arizona; the West of the Pecos Rodeo in Texas; and, of course, the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo. He first attended Cheyenne as a toddler, tagging along with his dad, Roy Durfey, a calf roper that has trained many cowboys and tie-down roping horses. Nearly four decades later, Tyson Durfey won “The Daddy of ’Em All” for the first time. “It means a lot to win it,” he said. “I’m very thankful after I dropped the ball three years ago when I was just going to a few rodeos. I came back high man, the last guy out in the short round with the best calf. I messed up. I never thought I would have the chance to win it again. It means a lot to come back at this stage of my life to win it.” A day after his big, Wyoming victory, Durfey bid adieu to his wife and children, who had spent the summer with him. They went back to Texas, and he went to work. “The worst part of rodeo is to say goodbye to your family,” he said. “When you’re in your 20s and 30s  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Rodeo is an important piece of the landscape in this neck of the woods. It’s also a major part of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, set for Sept. 25-Oct. 4 at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead. Over the course of the 10-day exposition, the newly covered rodeo arena will be in high demand while serving as a fortress for intense competition. “We want other fairs to look at us and be like, ‘What are they doing that makes them so successful?’ ” said Bobby Coursey, president of the Waller County Fair Association. “I personally think it’s the passion and dedication that our rodeo chairmen have that’s driven us as an organization to want to be the best.” The festivities actually begin before the fair, with the Next Generation barrel race Friday, Sept. 19, and the Next Generation breakaway and tie-down roping events Saturday, Sept. 20. The opening weekend of the fair will feature the Cowboy Professional Rodeo Association Finals from Thursday, Sept. 25-Saturday, Sept. 27, but it’s just the start. “When we first built the new barn, we had producers come up and tell us, ‘This is awesome, but it would be better if you just had stalls,’ ” said Paul Shollar, who co-chairs the rodeo committee with Clint Sciba. “So, we built a stall barn, and we added a nice wash rack. We rent that facility out a lot. Now that we have the stall barn and the new arena, the cutters are really interested in our facility.” That was the idea behind rebuilding the longstanding arena. It was reconfigured with VIP sections at the north and south ends and covered. “Our elite boxes are important to everything we do with the rodeo facility,” he said. “The people that are part of that experience are a big part of the success of the arena and of the events we produce there.” The rodeo arena is busy year-round, and it’s put to the test every day of the fair. Sydney Arthur Memorial Breakaway Roping, Sunday, Sept. 29 Waller County Team Roping, Monday, Sept. 30 Invitational tie-down roping and WPRA-approved open breakaway roping, Tuesday, Sept. 30 Steer wrestling jackpot, Wednesday, Oct. 1. PRCA rodeo, Thursday, Oct. 2-Saturday, Oct. 4. “We’ve revamped our rodeo committee a little,” Shollar said of the volunteer-based group. “A lot of our guys are also helping with RodeoHouston, so they have a good understanding of what it takes to put on an event like that and know what we need here.” It helps, and the complex has been receiving ringing endorsements. The women who compete in the WPRA recognized the fair association as having the most improved ground in the state of Texas for 2024. “It’s something we never thought we’d get,” Shollar said. “I think that came about just by listening to the ladies and taking into consideration multiple drag and dirt guys and multiple producers, especially those that produce barrel races. We listened to concerns, then we worked the ground until we finally got the right consistency in that arena. “We spent a lot of time with the right materials to get it to that point.” That may be what brings other producers to town, but the nice purse mixed with the calendar change helps bring the top ProRodeo cowboys and cowgirls to southeast Texas. The 2025 regular season will end Sept. 30, so the Hempstead rodeo will be the first of the 2026 season. For those who have earned a qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, it’s a chance to keep their skills sharp. For those that didn’t, they will try to get off the starting blocks early with hopes of making it to next year’s NFR. “It’s a great way to get a head start,” Shollar said. “There are a lot of our sister fair and rodeos going on about the same time, whether it’s Washington County, Austin County or Fort Bend County. At that time, cowboys and cowgirls can come down here and get in multiple rodeos. You can spend a couple weeks in the Houston area and really get a good head start on 2026.”

ALVA, Okla. – The first time Kyler Altmiller teamed with Porter Hall came just a few days ago during the intercollegiate rodeo in Colby, Kansas. Altmiller, a senior Northwestern Oklahoma State University cowboy from Canadian, Texas, hadn’t even thrown a practice loop with Hall, who competes for Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “That was the first time he’d ever roped behind me,” Altmiller said. “We talked a little bit before, but we’d never got a steer together, then we ran two in the same day, and it worked out.” Yes, it did. They stopped the clock in 6.9 seconds on their first run to finish second in the opening round, then were 8.5 seconds to finish as the runners-up in the championship. Their cumulative time of 15.4 seconds was the best overall and helped them snag the Colby Community College team roping title. “We both needed a run this year,” said Altmiller, the tandem’s header. “I just reached out to him, and he just happened to need one, too, and we decided to try it out.” Each man now leads his respective discipline in the Central Plains Region standings, and it’s the perfect way to kick off the 2025-26 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association campaign. Based on how they finished in the long round, Altmiller and Hall were the second-to-last team to rope Saturday night. “That short round got a little soft, so we just talked over what our game plan was,” Altmiller said. “We just decided to go catch (the steer). “He’s a phenomenal heeler. I think he could rope behind anybody.” The Texan led the way for the Rangers in northwest Kansas. Team roping heeler Colter Snook – a Dodge City, Kansas, cowboy who switched ends after qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo this past June as a header – snared points in the opening round after an 8.7-second run with his partner, Dexton Hoelting of Western Oklahoma State College. Steer wrestler Grady Aasby of Highmore, South Dakota, utilized a strong finish to move from fifth in the opening round to second overall. He was joined in the points race by Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Oklahoma, who placed third in both rounds and the aggregate, Riley Smith of Poteau, Oklahoma, who was second in the opening round; Tydon Tsosie of Crownpoint, New Mexico, also made the bulldogging short round. Tie-down roper Carter Anderson of Merriman, Nebraska, utilized two solid runs to finish fifth overall, while breakaway roper Kendyll Miller of Hennessey, Oklahoma, placed third in the final go with a 2.5-second run to finish second. Goat-tier Trinity Kruse of Pretty Prairie, Kansas, placed in both rounds and finished fifth in the aggregate, while Payton Dingman of Pryor, Oklahoma, was 7.6 to finish second in the first round. They were joined in the final round by Zoe Chambers of Baldwin City, Kansas. Barrel racer Waci Thomson of Lundbreck, Alberta, found success in the championship round, clocking a 16.64-second run to finish sixth in the final performance. That also propelled her to sixth in the average. Each Ranger found his/her way to Northwestern for both education and the chance to compete. Altmiller, who is majoring in agriculture with an animal science minor, wanted a little familiarity when he made his college choice. “Growing up in a small town, I just liked the small-town atmosphere,” he said, comparing his hometown of 2,169 people to his college home of 4,962. “That’s what drew me here.” Proximity also plays a part in that, and there are similarities between the two communities. Another key is being able to compete in rodeo, and he has the right equine partner to help with that. Cupcake is a 12-year-old bay mare he’s had for four years. “I bought her off some good family friends, and she’s just been great,” Altmiller said. “I’ve been taking her everywhere. She’s been my No. 1 for probably the past three years. We’ve bade a lot of money together.” With her underneath, he has a great deal of confidence as he rolls toward the next event, which is Sept. 25-27 at Durant, Oklahoma. “My goal this year is just to stay sharp, stay aggressive and just keep the ball rolling,” he said. “That was a good way to start the year. With this being my last year, I really want to do good. I will just keep practicing hard and keep going strong.”

SALT LAKE CITY – Don’t mind Kade Sonnier if he’s a little greedy. It comes with men who make rodeo their business. It’s expensive to travel across North America competing in a sport based on history, but it’s more than that. In rodeo, dollars equal championship points, so every cent is more valuable. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event qualify to compete at the National Finals Rodeo, where the season’s top earners in each event are crowned world champions. Titlists have been crowed by less than $100 over the runners-up, so cowboys take full advantage of every opportunity to cash in. “I secured my spot at the (National) Finals probably a couple weeks ago, but the reality is – and I don’t mean to sound greedy – but I’m not trying to be in the middle of the pack when I get there,” said Sonnier, 26, the seventh-ranked bareback rider in the world standings with just 23 days left in the regular season. “I’m trying to be at the top. There’s a long way between me and the No. 1 spot. “If I keep stepping away and knocking off dollars here and there trying to gain a little ground when I can, it makes it a lot easier when we get to the finals.” He chipped off some of the rough edges with an 89-point ride Monday night on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Pillowfight to win the bareback riding title at Utah’s Own Rodeo, adding $3,983 to his season earnings. He’s made almost $160,000 this year riding bucking horses, and his ride in Salt Lake City put a solid exclamation mark on his big season. “I cracked out a new riggin’ today, and that was my primary reason for coming here,” he said. “That horse I had was a judge’s draw, so I found out my draw when I got here.” The match-ups are made by a random, computerized draw, but the circumstances didn’t match for Sonnier’s horse. He found some history on Pillowfight, then took advantage of the situation. He will close out the final weeks of the 2025 campaign, then prepare for his second trip to the NFR – he missed the 10-day finale last year after injuries forced his hand and left him 22nd in the final standings. That’s where the business of rodeo takes over, because it offers the largest prize pool in the sport. Last December, go-round winners pocketed nearly $34,000. “When it pays $30-something-thousand a round, you know you want to be part of that,” Sonnier said. The final night of Utah’s Own Rodeo featured many of the top hands in rodeo, and it showed. Of the seven events, five had champions crowned Monday. Sonnier was joined in the winner’s circle by barrel racer McKenna Coronado, who tied Caitlyn White for the win, making it three years in a row Coronado has won in Salt Lake City; breakaway roper Suzanne Williams; tie-down ropers Haven Meged and Tanner Green; and saddle bronc rider Lefty Holman, who had the highest-scoring ride of the week with a 90-point ride on Vold’s Talkin Smack. Utah’s Own PRCA RodeoSept. 5, 6 and 8Salt Lake CityBareback riding: 1. Kade Sonnier, 89 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Pillowfight, $3,983; 2. Miles Carlson, 87.5, $3,054; 3. Kody Lamb, 87, $2,257; 4. Ben Kramer, 85.5, $1,461; 5. (tie) Dean Thompson and Mason Clements, $797 each. 7. Itie) Wacey Schalla, Mason Stuller and Weston Timberman, 84, $310 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurle 4.1 seconds, $2,437; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2, $2,150; 3. (tie) Coltin Hil and Holden Myersl, 4.3, $1,720 each; 5. (tie) Riley Hamilton, Tucker Allen, Justin Shaffer and Chet Boren, 4.4, $1,218 each; 9. Landris White, 4.7, $860; 10. Hazen Smith and Kyle Irwin, 4.8, $267 each . Team roping: 1. Travis Whitlow/Tyler Whitlow, 3.6 seconds, $3,236; 2. Hagen Peterson/Heath Hammerstrom, 3.9, $2,855; 3. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1, $2,475; 5. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5, $2,094; 5. Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, 4.6, $1,904; 6. Dex Maddox/Chance Moldenhauer, 4.8, $1,713; 7. (tie) Ashton Parker/Chase Pintar and Luke Brown/Trey Yates, 4.9, $1,428 each; 9. Swade Olsen/Preston Olsen, 5.7, $1,142; 10. Casey Thomas/Wyatt Thomas, 6.2, $761.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. Lefty Holman, 90 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s Talkin Smack, $3,835; 2. Darcy Radel, 89, $2,940; 3. Ryder Sanford, Allen Boore, Statler Wright and Ryder Wright, 86, $1,278 each; 7. Kade Bruno, 85, $511; 8. (tie) Damian Brennan, Kolby Wanchuk, Cody Faulkner, Carson Bingham and Rusty Wright, 84, $77 each. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Haven Meged and Tanner Green, 8.1 seconds, $3,497 each; 2. (tie) Cole Clemons and Joel Harris, 8.6, $2,623 each; 5. (tie) Waid Dalton and Ty Harris, 9.0, $2,076 each; 7. Justin Brinkerhoff, 9.4, $1,748; 8. Quade Hiatt, 9.8, $1,530; 9. Tom Crouse, 10.2, $1,311; 10. (tie) R.J. Johnson and Cason Kingsbury, 11.1, $437 each . Breakaway roping: 1. Suzanne Williams, 1.9 seconds, $4,117; 2. Madison Outhier, 2.0, $3,294; 3. Zoie Bedke, 2.1, $2,676; 4. Erin Johnson, 2.2, $2,059; 5. (tie) Kash Gay, Aubryn Bedke and Jessi Everett, 2.3, $1,304 each; 8. (tie) Josey Murphy and Josie Conner, 2.4, $875 each; 10. Timber Allenbrand, 2.7, $721; 11. Josie Goodrich, 2.8, $618; 12. (tie) Peggy Garman, Kinlie Brennise and Rickie Fanning, 2.9, $412 each; 15. (tie) Beth Hitchcock and Jessica Brinkerhoff, 3.0, $103 each. Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Caitlyn White and McKenna Coronado, 17.10 seconds, $3,131 each; 3. Kately Scott, 17.18, $2,261; 4. (tie) Sue Smith and Jordan Driver, 17.19, $1,566 each; 6. Krystal Dillman, 17.20, $1,044; 8. Andrea Busby, 17.27, $783; 9. McKale Seitz, 17.28, $696; 10. Joelene Gould, 17.40, $609; 11. Wenda Johnson, 17.52, $522; 12, Terry Wood Gates, 17.53, $435; 13. Kimmie Wall, 17.55, $348; 14. Mackenzie King, 17.59, $261; 15. KariAnn Cross, 17.61, $174. Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance, $4,659; 2. (tie) Koby Jacobson and Billy Quillan, 85.5, $3,318 each; 4. Elijah Mora, 83.5, $2,112; no other qualified rides.  

SALT LAKE CITY – Justin Brinkerhoff could feel the energy. A crowd of nearly 7,500 souls electrified the Days of ’47 Arena at Utah State Fairpark on Saturday night, and the tie-down roper fed off it. He roped and tied his calf in 9.4 seconds to move into third place at Utah’s Own Rodeo, and only Monday’s final performance awaits the final outcome of the competition. “I thought it was the biggest crowd that I’ve seen for a few years at that rodeo,” said Brinkerhoff, 33, of Corrine, Utah, a town of 879 people about 60 miles north of the fairpark. “It seems like the rodeo is growing and doing good.” It is, and there’s an added caveat to that. This year’s purse is seeing a major increase, with $30,000 extra infused by local dollars, which are then mixed with the contestants’ entry fees. That means bigger paydays for every cowboy and cowgirl who finish among the leaders, and that’s a valuable circumstance for everyone in the field, especially those from Utah. In Brinkerhoff’s case, he’s hoping it will help propel him into the top 12 in the Wilderness Circuit, a series of rodeos and contestants from Utah, Nevada and much of Idaho. He entered this week of rodeos 14th in the regional standings, so he still has some work to do in the final month of the 2025 regular season. “By increasing that money, it’s got a lot more competitors,” he said, pointing out that bigger numbers also increase the overall payout because entry fees are part of the prize pool. “There are a lot of people from around here that don’t get to go to the Days of ’47 rodeo, because they limit (entries), so I think it helps them feel like they get to compete at a bigger rodeo here in Salt Lake.” Doing well this weekend will help him make up ground. Only the top 12 in the circuit in each event advance to the Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo, which will take place in November at Heber City, Utah. Brinkerhoff is less than $2,000 from that coveted spot and less than $3,000 outside the top 10. “The circuit finals is the main thing for me,” said Brinkerhoff, a 10-time circuit finalist who won the region in 2021. “I do this because I enjoy it, and we’ve got so many good rodeos around here.” A key to his success is Pops, a 15-year-old sorrel gelding he’s had for several years. The two have developed a strong working relationship, and it’s coming in handy at a good time. “I bought him when he was 4 and was pretty green, and we butted heads for a long time,” he said. “For the last few years, my dad’s just been using him on the ranch moving cows. I hadn’t really done much with him in probably three years, just practicing here and again. I needed a horse around July 1, so I took him back out, and he’s been really good. “I actually can’t believe he’s been so good since then.” Horsepower is vital in rodeo. A quality horse can make a contestant’s job easier, and that was the case Saturday. “I think it’s at least 80 percent of it,” Brinkerhoff said. “It’s crazy how much difference it is, and with him, the change of him growing and maturing, he’s even better now. I tried to compete at a professional level on him when he was 7 or 8, and he’s really grown since then. It matters on how good the horse is.” Utah’s Own PRCA RodeoSept. 5, 6 and 8Salt Lake CityBareback riding: 1. Miles Carlson, 87.5 points on Muddy Creek Pro Rodeo’s Suga Boom Boom; 2. Wacey Schalla, 84; 3. Boyce Kraut, 82.5; 4. Kashton Ford, 80; 5. Tyson Hirschi, 79.5; 6. Tristan Hansen, 74.5; 7. Logan Patterson, 74; 8. Gauge McBride, 67. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurle, 4.1 seconds; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2; 3. Coltin Hill, 4.3; 4. (tie) Riley Hamilton and Chet Boren, 4.4; 6. Landris White, 4.7; 7. Hazen Smith, 4.8; 8. (tie) Matt Watson and Dalton Massey, 5.0; 10. Eli Lord, 5.3. Team roping: 1. Travis Whitlow/Tyler Whitlow, 3.6 seconds; 2. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1; 3. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5; 4. Dex Maddox/Chance Moldenhauer, 4.8; 5. Ashton Parker/Chase Pintar, 4.9; 6. Casey Thomas/Wyatt Thomas, 6.2; 7. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 6.3; 8. Devon McDaniel/Chris Young, 9.5; 9. Chaz Kananen/Britt Newman, 9.8; 10. (tie) Pete Jones/Jace Nielsen and Korbin Rice/Cooper Freeman, 9.9.  Saddle bronc riding: 1. Darcy Radel, 89 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool; 2. Kade Bruno, 85; 3. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk, Cody Faulkner, Carson Bingham and Rusty Wright, 84; 7. Warwich Southern, 82; 8. Kaden Horrocks, 80; 9. (tie) Leon Fountain and Mitch Pollock, 78. Tie-down roping: 1. Cole Clemons, 8.6 seconds; 2. Waid Dalton, 9.0; 3. Justin Brinkerhoff, 9.4; 4. (tie) R.J. Johnson and Cason Kingsbury, 11.1; 6. Myles Kenzy, 12.4; 7. Roan Hudson, 12.9; 8. Daston Hill, 13.4; 9. (tie) Paden Bray and Brey Yore, 13.7. Breakaway roping: 1. Madison Outhier, 2.0 seconds; 2. Zoie Bedke, 2.1; 3. Erin Johnson, 2.2; 4. (tie) Kash Gay, Aubryn Bedke and Jessi Everett, 2.3; 7. Josey Murphy, 2.4; 8. Josie Goodrich, 2.8; 9. (tie) Peggy Garman and Rickie Fanning, 2.9. Barrel racing: 1. Caitlyn White, 17.10 seconds; 2. Kately Scott, 17.18; 3. (tie) Sue Smith and Jordan Driver, 17.19; 5. Krystal Dillman, 17.20; 6. McKale Seitz, 17.28; 7. Joelene Gould, 17.40; 8. Wenda Johnson, 17.52; 9, Terry Wood Gates, 17.53; 10. Kimmie Wall, 17.55. Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance; 2. (tie) Koby Jacobson and Billy Quillan, 85.5; 4. Elijah Mora, 83.5; no other qualified rides.

SALT LAKE CITY – Toward the southeastern side of Queensland rests the tiny hamlet of Injune, a community of less than 500 inhabitants about 350 miles from the state’s capital city of Brisbane. It’s home to Darcy Radel, who moved to the United States three years ago to chase his rodeo dreams. His first stop was Snyder, Texas, where he met up with Greg Rhodes, the rodeo coach at Western Texas College. That’s home, too, except for these summertime months when home is wherever he rests his head at night. On Friday night, he’ll sleep a little easier after posting the highest-marked ride of his career with an 89 on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool to take the lead at Utah’s Own Rodeo during the Utah State Fair. “I was 88.5 points on The Black Tie at Fallon (Nevada) this year, so, yeah, I was a half-point better tonight,” Radel said, his Australian accent building with his excited breaths. “(Cowboy Fool) is another great horse I’ve been pretty lucky to get on. I’m just loving life, getting to rodeo and having a great time. “I’d seen him in Castle Rock about a month ago, and he was just awesome. I’ve seen him that exact trip with a couple of the Wright boys; with Ryder, he just jumped out there and stalled out so nice. When I saw (the draw) last week, I’ve been excited about it for five days. It doesn’t get any better than that.” It’s a stepping stone for a young cowboy trying to make his mark in a sport he loves. He entered this week of rodeo’s 39th in the world standings with nearly $48,000 in earnings. That’s $20,000 more than he earned all of last season, when he was third in the Resistol Rookie of the Year Race. His hope to follow in the footsteps of some of his countrymen, cowboys like Damian Brennan, who is about to embark on his third qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. It takes a big dream and a classic style to earn the way to ProRodeo’s grand finale. “I think I might have missed the boat this year,” said Radel, 25. “I hurt my knee, so I took a couple weeks off in August. I’m hoping next year, if I can put the rides together like (Friday) and doing my part, then I have a chance. Getting on these good horses is unbelievable.” Utah’s Own PRCA RodeoSept. 5, 6 and 8Salt Lake CityBareback riding: 1. Wacey Schalla, 84 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Hillbilly; 2. Boyce Kraut, 82.5; 3. Kashton Ford, 80; 4. Tristan Hansen, 74.5; 5. Logan Patterson, 74; 6. Gauge McBride, 67; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Baurley, 4.1 seconds; 2. Ty Allred, 4.2; 3. Landris White, 4.7; 4. (tie) Matt Watson and Dalton Massey, 5.0; 6. Joey Haslam, 5.7; 7. Tad Williams, 14.7; no other qualified runs. Team roping: 1. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.1 seconds; 2. Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn, 4.5; 3. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 6.3; 4. Brodi Jones/Brian Roundy, 16.6; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Darcy Radel, 89 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Fool; 2. Kade Bruno, 85; 3. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk and Cody Faulkner, 84; 5. Leon Fountain, 78; no other qualified rides. Tie-down roping: 1. Cole Clemons, 8.6 seconds; 2. Myles Kenzy, 12.4; 3. BoDell Jessen, 15.0; 4. Weston Milner, 23.8; no other qualified runs. Breakaway roping: 1. Zoie Bedke, 2.1 seconds; 2. Kash Gay, 2.3; 3. Kaitlyn Andersen, 12.7; 4. Libby Winchell, 13.5; no other qualified runs. Barrel racing: 1. Sue Smith, 17.19 seconds; 2. Krystal Dillman, 17.20; 3. Sarah Atchison, 17.62; 4. Nicole Knowles, 17.74; 5. Amy Bush, 17.90; 6. Kylie Martinez, 17.91; 7. Leia Bluemer, 25.63; 8. Makenzie Mayes, 28.40; no other qualified runs. Bull riding: 1. Tristan Mize, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Best Chance; 2. Koby Jacobson, 85.5; 3. Elijah Mora, 83.5; no other qualified rides.

Utah’s Own Rodeo to feature sport’s elite during final performance SALT LAKE CITY – Steer wrestler Cash Robb understands the ups and downs that come with being a rodeo competitor. Most of his summer has been spent away from his Altamont, Utah, home, while traveling across the country to do his job. He’s seen good runs that turn to bad and days when he expected nothing and came out with a nice paycheck. He’s driven a truck and trailer thousands of miles with little sleep, only to get straight out of the vehicle in time to saddle a horse and grapple a farm animal. It’s a hectic schedule. There are more than 25 events this week alone, from Puyallup, Washington, to Levant, Maine. A big one on that list is Utah’s Own Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5; Saturday, Sept. 6; and Monday, Sept. 8, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets. Robb is making sure to be part of the Utah State Fair’s rodeo, and for good reason. “We entered for that Monday, because we’ll be up in Puyallup those couple days before competing at the Cinch Playoffs,” Robb said of the rodeo that’s 850 miles northwest of Salt Lake City. “We’ll make the all-night drive Sunday to be there Monday, then we’ll turn right back around that night to be in Pendleton, Oregon, on Tuesday morning. “We’re going to have some driving to do, but it’s a good rodeo, so we need to be able to make those drives and get that money.” It’s not just about making a living one steer at a time. In rodeo, dollars equal points, so only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event at the end of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo. As of last week, Robb was 20th in the bulldogging world standings, so every penny counts. He pointed out that Utah’s Own Rodeo will feature $10,000 per event in local dollars, which will then be added to the contestants’ entry fees to make up the overall purse. “It’s awesome, especially since they went up in added money,” said Robb, the 2023 Resistol Steer Wrestling Rookie of the Year who won the NFR aggregate title last December in his first qualification. “The first year I went, it only added about $5,000 (per event), so that’s a huge jump. Having that extra money is big for us. “That’s a lot of money for that committee to round up. Kudos to them for wanting to get bigger. It’s awesome to see committees do everything they can to improve their rodeos so they can be one of those events guys want to go to.” Robb is just one of 40 NFR qualifiers competing in the final performance of Utah’s Own Rodeo. That evening’s field includes six world champions – three-time saddle bronc riding titlist Ryder Wright, five-time bulldogging champ Tyler Waguespack, tie-down ropers Marcos Costa and Haven Meged, team roping-heading winner Aaron Tsinigine and reigning bareback riding world champion Dean Thompson. The largest contingent of superstars is in saddle bronc riding, which features nine NFR qualifiers, including three Utahans, Ryder Wright, Statler Wright and Allen Boore. Robb and Waguespack lead the pack of steer wrestlers into ring, and it doesn’t hurt that the two travel the rodeo trail together. In fact, Waguespack is the defending champion at the state fair. “My goal is to take that win back from him,” Robb said. “I’d love to win that rodeo. I like that arena, and I love being there, so hopefully we’ll get it done this year.” Just one month remains in ProRodeo’s regular season, he has earned just shy of $85,000. He’s officially on the NFR bubble, meaning he needs to work his way up the money list to secure his bid for Las Vegas in December. That’s where competing in Salt Lake City can be most beneficial. “The season is winding down,” he said. “Everyone’s tired, and a lot of people want to go home. If we can just capitalize on these next few weeks and grit it out and do our jobs, I think it’ll pay off in the end.”