About: Ted

Lane McGehee rides Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted Colors for 83 points to take the early bareback riding lead at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)   BIG SPRING, Texas – Bareback rider Lane McGehee just had a feeling about his Thursday night match-up at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo “That horse is 012 Rodeo Colors; what a cool name,” said McGehee, 28, of Victoria, Texas. “The name just gives you a reason to want to go and give it a try. As long as you’re having fun and you believe in your ability, it don’t matter if they’re young horses or old campaigners, you just go get on and see what happens. “Really, all it is about is do your job and have fun.” Whatever the reasons behind the ride, it worked. McGehee and the Pete Carr Pro Rodeo paint gelding worked in rhythm and in unison, marking 83 points to take the bareback riding lead at the historic Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. It was the first time in a couple years that the south Texas cowboy had made his way to Howard County. Injuries were just part of what kept McGehee on the sidelines. “I tore my ACL last April, so I’ve only been riding for three months this year,” he said. “Every year that I’m not hurt, I’ve been here. Big Spring has always been one rodeo that’s on my tour.” The chance to dance with Painted Colors certainly offered some incentive, but so was the opportunity to win West Texas cash. The volunteer committee increased the community’s portion of the purse by $27,000. Those dollars are mixed with contestants’ entry fees to make up the total prize money. “It wasn’t that long ago when this was a $5,000-added rodeo,” McGehee said, referring to the dollar amount “added” into each event. “It was still a good rodeo, and I was trying to win some money, so I wanted to put my name in the hat. “When I saw they increased that to $8,000 (per event), I thought, ‘Dang right, I’m going to come and get on.’ ” He is nine years removed from winning the intercollegiate national championship while competing at Sam Houston State University, and he’s still climbing the charts. A healthy McGehee might just make the run in rodeo he’s always dreamed about. “I’m never satisfied with myself, and I think that’s what it takes to be great,” he said. “I’m always trying to overachieve. Coming back from ACL and MCL surgery, I think I’m riding the best I’ve ever rode my entire career. That’s all that matters. My mind will do more than my body. “I feel like I’m riding great. I feel like I’m riding where I need to be for the summer.” Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo June 4-6 Bareback riding: 1. Lane McGehee, 83 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Rodeo Colors; 2. Kash Loyd, 79; 3. Cole Hollen, 74.5; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Mitch Hutto, 13.9 seconds; 2. Grady Payne, 15.5; 3. Don Payne, 16.7; no other qualified runs. Tie-down roping: 1. Dean Holyan, 8.6 seconds; 2. Colten Wallis, 10.0; 3. Clint Singleton, 10.4; 4. Hayden Ford, 12.0; 5. Kyle Lucas, 12.9; no other qualified runs. Breakaway roping: 1. Claire Dale, 3.9 seconds; 2. Megan Powell, 12.0; 3. Cate Cooper, 12.8; no other qualified runs. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Carson Neal, 78 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Medusa; 2. (tie) Hunter Greathouse and Roper Kiesner, 76; 4. (tie) Regan Lyons and Will Pollock, 75 each; 6. Brayden Betsworth, 74.5. Team roping: 1. Conley Kleinhans/Kyler Kanady, 5.4 seconds; 2. (tie) Shay Dixon Carroll/Jace Helton and Clay Ullery/B.J. Dugger, 5.5 each; 4. J7 Bland/Truman Magnus, 10.8; 5. Walker Smith/Will Smith, 20.1; 6. Jantsen Morris/Jayden Morris, 22.9. Barrel racing: 1. Jackie Ganter, 15.62 seconds; 2. Jana Bean, 15.82; 3. Taylor Baize, 15.91; 4. Bristan McCarley, 15.97; 5. Erica Klein, 16.04; 6. Julie Plourde, 16.14. Bull riding: 1. Jax Mills, 83 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Lil Bill; 2. Hayden Welsh, 79; 3. Hudson Bolton, 62; no other qualified rides.

PECOS, Texas – There is a new look to the “World’s First Rodeo.” While history is certainly on the side of the West of the Pecos Rodeo, Reeves County officials have made some important upgrades to Buck Jackson Arena. Everything is ready in time for this year’s event, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24-Saturday, June 27. “We had a lot of stuff done to that arena,” said Clay Ryon McKinney, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo. “Everything from the bucking chutes and roping boxes back to the front entrance was completely torn out and rebuilt. “We’ve got brand new bucking chutes with a center return gate so that we can have left- and right-handed deliveries. We’ve got new roughstock holding pens, arrow sorting pens, and Priefert-designed bucking chutes and roping boxes.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg. “Of course, we’ve got new VIP boxes above the bucking chutes,” he said. “I was told it will hold over 300 people – I think our old one seated about 65, so that’s a big jump. It will have its own bar, and there will be restrooms up there. “With that, we’ve got a brand-new press box that’s state of the art. It will have central AC and heat. I will be nice for the people that work up there, like our music director and video crews that have equipment that works best in a more temperature-controlled environment.” While the rodeo is the beneficiary, Reeves County has handled most of the work. There have been some tweaks involved over the last few months, some of which were aided during a dry run in April, when Sul Ross State University conducted its spring college rodeo in Buck Jackson Arena. “It was a real blessing to be able to work out a few kinks and get rid of the gremlins that popped up before our big ProRodeo,” McKinney said. “I think the college rodeo ran outstanding. We had a great three-day rodeo and got lots of compliments on the upgrades.” The changes, though, meant demolition for the main building that has served as an announcer’s stand and temporary training room. That cleared the way for something better in its place. “It was a little sad to see some of that stuff torn down, but the way this rodeo growing and the plans we have for it in the future, everything’s moving more that way,” McKinney said. “We’re keeping up with the times, and it’s really going to be nice to have an updated, state-of-the-art facility. In that building, there is a cowboy locker room and sports medicine room that’s completely air-conditioned and heated and has showers, bathrooms and everything else. “Aesthetically, it just fits the arena now with all the upgrades on the new grandstands. We’ll have new equipment that will make things smoother and will benefit our rodeo as a whole.”

As student director for the Central Plains Region, Northwestern Oklahoma State University sophomore Payton Dingman had an automatic bid for the College National Finals Rodeo. She wanted to earn a spot in the championship, though. She did by finishing second in the region and will compete alongside five athlete on the men’s side, Colter Snook, Nathan Duvall, Tydon Tsosie and Emmett Edler. (PHOTO BY DALE HIRSCHMAN)   ALVA, Okla. – Before the season even began, Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Payton Dingman knew she would return to the College National Finals Rodeo. It’s a benefit of being the Central Plains Region student director, but it wasn’t enough for the all-around cowgirl. “It bothered me that you’re given the spot to go to the college finals,” said Dingman, a sophomore from Pryor, Oklahoma. “I feel like it’s very deserving, because there’s so much work that goes into every college rodeo, but I did not want someone to think I took the director job to get to the college finals. “I wanted to be able to say that I was a student director but also qualified myself to the college finals.” Only the top three contestants in the standings at the conclusion of the region season advance to the weeklong championship in Casper, Wyoming. Dingman closed the campaign second in goat-tying. She is one of five Rangers who will battle for intercollegiate rodeo’s top prize, joined by team roping heeler Colter Snook and steer wrestlers Nathan Duvall, Tydon Tsosie and Emmett Edler. This year marks the second straight qualification for Dingman, who gained some extra credit during her first trip. “One lesson I’m going to take from my past experience at the college finals is to just go there and not overthink it,” she said. “All I can do is my job and do the best I know how to do. The outcome is going to be whatever it is, because God already knows the outcome, and I just have to live it. I’m going to go there, tie three solid goats and see where it gets me.” Coach Cali Griffin took note of the effort Dingman has when it comes to the dual aspect of her college experience. “Dingman had an automatic qualification, but she made it a point that she wanted to qualify anyway,” Griffin said. “I think that speaks a lot of her character.” Of the Northwestern quintet, Tsosie is the only one who hasn’t experienced the college finals. A sophomore, he transferred from Navajo Technical University and has excelled. He finished second in the steer wrestling standings to Duvall; Edler finished third. “At the beginning of the first semester, I didn’t expect to make it,” said Tsosie of Crownpoint, New Mexico. “I thought I was too out of it, and then I just started placing at these rodeos, and somehow the momentum just started building up. I was going up the standings and actually had a shot.” He will ride Edler’s horse, and teammate Sam Daly will haze for all three Rangers. Tsosie has made a significant jump since moving to Northwestern. “For my first semester, I went to a school near home,” he said. “I just didn’t have a lot of practice, not a lot of help. I wanted to go somewhere that I could be around other bulldoggers. I asked Bridger Anderson (the 2019 national champion for the Rangers) where I could go, and he told me Northwestern. “Once I got there, I liked the practices and the bulldoggers. It was a different atmosphere than I was used to back home, because we really don’t have a lot of bulldoggers in New Mexico.” Northwestern is known as the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo, and the proof came in that all three steer wrestlers representing the region come from the same university. “Winning the region was really important to me, because that was my goal,” said Duvall, a junior from Henryetta, Oklahoma. “The reason I came back to college rodeo again was to accomplish that goal.” Duvall, who transferred in August from Connors State College, finished fourth at Casper last June. He wants to continue to climb that ladder in 2026. “I just need to go there and do my job,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll draw some good steers, but really, all I can do is my job. It’s you against the steers, not other people.” Edler will return to the college finals for the third straight year. He added a year of eligibility by continuing his graduate-level studies, and he is also the assistant rodeo coach. He understands how important it is to be well-mounted, which is a big part of the process. Duvall will ride his own horse, while Edler’s D1 will be the driving force for him and Tsosie. “That horse was still a little bit green in the buildings last fall, but I’ve taken him to a bunch of places,” Edler said. “He’s gotten better and better, and I think he’s going to be good to go in Casper.” It doesn’t matter the event, equine power is critical in rodeo. A year ago, Snook was preparing for his first college finals as a header. Since then, he’s switched ends and has advanced to the championship as a heeler this year. He finished the season second in the Central Plains standings. “I couldn’t have done it without my mare,” said Snook, a junior from Ford, Kansas. “I was heeling on my head horse in the fall, then for this spring, I got a new horse. The first rodeo was Manhattan (Kansas), and we won that rodeo. We pretty much got all our points in the spring.” Roping with Dexton Hoelting of Western Oklahoma State College, Snook acquired Baby Doll after the fall run of rodeos ended. It was a Christmas gift to himself, and the biggest present will come in Casper. The 7-year-old red roan has been the star atop the tree. “I just want to have a chance at the national title,” Snook  Continue Reading »

Calf Tracker helps keep tabs on timed-event livestock in rodeo MARYVILLE, Mo. – The art of scouting in rodeo is evolving. Just like football teams who watch film of an upcoming opponent, cowboys and cowgirls try to learn as much as they can about the animal they have drawn. For years, they have studied sheets and made phone calls to gather as much information as possible. From the start through the run, animals have tendencies, and the contestants hope all their homework can pay off. With that in mind, Gary Shipps and the late Rob Espey developed Calf Tracker, an app to help contestants obtain better information with just a touch. “I just saw a need,” said Shipps, a businessman in Maryville. “I watched Rob use his phone to write down cattle. He was using the notebook app on his phone, and I thought, ‘That’s got to be incredibly hard to find a specific number, especially in the heat of the moment. It cannot be that hard to solve.’ “That’s what got me going, and I just looked around and found a guy to do it. With just a phone call, he really nailed that first version. Rob got to test it and gave thoughts on what it needed, gave really positive feedback. Rob was the guy you needed to make it work like it works.” Just as Calf Tracker was getting off the ground, Espey was killed in June 2024 after being struck by lightning. Shipps has continued the app’s development as a tribute to his friend. “I’d just like to see the app become prevalent,” Shipps said. “I wanted to see it succeed for him. He knew how to make it work. He knew how good it was.” He wasn’t the only one. Because of its availability, Calf Tracker is being utilized. It allows for competitors to see information on each individual animal. If no notes have been created for a specific one, then a competitor can begin the process. The goal is to have a good outline on each calf or steer in each herd, and more information can be added along the way. “We use it all the time,” wrote Jackie Crawford, a 23-time world champion roper from Stephenville, Texas. “It’s a great app.” Calf Tracker has taken off among breakaway ropers. More and more ladies are using it, like Crawford. “We were all just standing around there in the arena, and my husband ended up actually downloading it,” said Christi Braudrick, a past Prairie Circuit breakaway roping champion who is also the rodeo coach at Kansas State University and serves as a breakaway roping director for the WPRA. “I don’t remember how I was introduced to it, but I think somebody had it. My husband has always been the guy that keeps up with that stuff. “That’s how it started, and then I guess we just started sharing it. It’s super convenient and way better than writing stuff down.” Calf Tracker users can punch in the number associated with the cow. In Braudrick’s case, her husband, Kyle, will key in a certain calf’s brand digits to locate the animal. He will then scour the information to help his wife or other ropers have a better advantage by the time they are ready to compete. “You don’t have much time, because the draw is only an hour and a half before we start,” Christi Braudrick said. “Most of the time, we’d go into the rodeo secretary’s office and hope to find a sheet that shows all the runs from another rodeo those calves were at. “This is way easier just to show, and it really comes in handy in the summer months because you’ll rope the same calves continuously.” It’s an app that can be used for all cattle-based timed events. Many rodeos utilize the same stock contractors. The bulldogging steers that ran in Sydney, Iowa, may be used the next week in Sikeston, Missouri. “It’s just so simple to use,” Shipps said. “I showed this to some team ropers way back in the development, and their eyes just bugged out of their heads.” Calf Tracker has matured over time, as with any development. Some things have been added, others subtracted. It’s been tailored to best meet the needs of users. “You will be able to see every run on that calf,” Shipps said. “If it’s been there four times, there should be four runs recorded, and you can see every one of those. There is a place for notes, so it might be, ‘They were 12.6 on this calf; he broke fast and then went left.’ You can put whatever notes you want there. “It’s all traceable back to the calf.” When the difference between first and second is a tenth of a second, every advantage matters. “I really think the reason a lot of the guys in other events don’t use it is because they’re just not familiar with it,” Braudrick said. “I’ve thought about telling the bulldoggers on my rodeo team that they should download that so they can keep track of their steers better. “I think everybody would benefit from it.”

Garrett Yerigan, a two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, will return to West Texas to announce the West of the Texas Rodeo. He teamed with fellow emcee Anthony Lucia a year ago, but this year he takes the reins by himself. (PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)   PECOS, Texas – Garrett Yerigan is a full-fledged Texan now. He’s lived in the Lone Star State for several years. It’s quaint. It’s home. A two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, Yerigan will return to Pecos to emcee the West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24-Saturday, June 27, at Buck Jackson Arena. He arrived a year ago, loping into the arena horseback with a microphone in hand. It was a similar scene to dozens of rodeos he calls annually. Pecos, however, offers Yerigan a glimpse of the sport’s history. It’s home to the World’s First Rodeo, a claim laid nearly a century and a half ago on these West Texas streets. That’s where he shines. “I wholeheartedly believe this is what God put me on Earth to do,” said Yerigan, originally from Pryor, Oklahoma, but now living in Weatherford, Texas. “When He gives you opportunities … it removes any doubt in your mind.” He announces some of the biggest rodeos in the country, from Cheyenne to Fort Worth to The American. He calls 40 rodeos a year, and 11 of them are in Texas. “We brought Garrett in last year to co-announce our rodeo with Anthony (Lucia),” said Clay Ryon McKinney, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the West of the Pecos Rodeo. “They worked well together, but circumstances changed, We’re very excited to see how Garrett stands by himself.” He fits in just fine. After all, he was raised around rodeo. He’s tried his hand at competing, but his knack for announcing was developed early. His parents have been active in the game since before his birth: Dale Yerigan was a bulldogger, and Kathy Yerigan ran barrels. Their kid tagged along and found his own way. He was around 6 or 7 years old when he first started announcing slack at rodeos, then just picked up more gigs along the way. “I tried a little bit of everything,” he said. “I tried sliding the steer saver at home. I tried roping steers at home. I tried riding steers at home. Nothing grabbed me. In going to all these rodeos and playing around with announcing slack, it became more of the announcer’s stand as the cool place to be.” While there are events he calls from the stand, his place in Pecos will be in the arena alongside the competitors. It’s true to his nature and a testament to how he was raised. He’s not afraid to put in the work necessary, whether it’s homework on the hundreds of contestants who will compete inside Buck Jackson Arena or helping with production at each stop he makes. “When I was growing up, I was in a trailer full of steer wrestlers,” Yerigan said. “I didn’t grow up around kids my age. I went to public school for all 13 years, but as far as the summers, I was around adults. When you’re in a trailer with big, hairy-legged bulldoggers, you have to learn to hold your own.”