About: Ted

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – It is sometimes hard to comprehend when dreams become reality. Growing up in a rodeo family, Bradlee Miller has fantasized about being one of the best cowboys in the world. To do that, the top hands in the game must first earn qualifications to the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand championship that takes place over 10 December nights in Las Vegas. The top line on his bucket list is being crossed. He finished ProRodeo’s regular season with $137,365 and will begin his run in Sin City as the 11th-ranked bareback rider in the world standings. That’s significant, since only the top 15 contestants in each event play on the sport’s biggest stage. “Making the NFR has been a dream of mine,” said Miller, 21, a senior at Sam Houston State University and a hometown kid from Huntsville. “Now that it’s come true, it’s pretty hard to believe, because I’ve waited my whole life to be here. “I’m more confident than I’ve ever been. I feel like there was something that clicked mid-season this year, and I don’t know how to explain it. I became more consistent, and with consistency came confidence. I feel like it doesn’t matter what I draw once I get there. I feel like my riding style fits more horses now than it ever has.” That will come in handy inside the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus, the home of the NFR since 1985. It’s the culmination of his life’s work, carrying on a rodeo tradition that has been handed to him by his parents, Tammy, who has been a barrel racer, and Bubba, a bareback rider-turned-rodeo coach. “I’m sure I wasn’t able to talk when I got on my first horse,” said Miller, who credits part of his success with his sponsors, Barstow Pro Rodeo, American Hat Co., Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, Triple Deuce Angus and Gordy And Sons. “My parents put me on calves and steers when I was like 4 years old. “I can’t remember not ever getting on something.” For the past four years, Miller has continued to have a coach in his father at Sam Houston State. It’s a dual role, where Bubba Miller is guiding a pupil who is also his son. It’s a mix that seems to be working. Bradlee Miller has qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in each of his first three seasons and is the top-ranked bareback rider in the Southern Region heading into the spring semester. “It’s kind of a tough job for him whenever I got on the team, because there’s a time to be a coach and a time for him to be a dad,” said the younger cowboy, who has also ridden bulls; in fact, he was the region champion riding bovines his freshman season that wrapped in 2022. “He’s done a really good job of balancing the two. Whenever I need it, he can be a coach and get on to me. Whenever I just need to talk to him as a dad, he’s pretty good at switching roles.” Every member of the clan has a part in Miller’s success, including his sister, Sonilyn. Tammy Miller, a school teacher by trade, provides the perfect mental approach to keep her son at the top of his game. “She’s definitely the encourager in the family,” Bradlee Miller said. “She’s always cheering, even if I’m not doing any good, but it’s no different in her eyes.” Each piece of his support system has been crucial to Miller’s development. He understands the work it takes to be physically and mentally prepared to battle, which will come in quite well when he arrives in the Nevada desert for the world’s richest rodeo. The NFR features a $12.5 million purse, and winners will collect nearly $34,000 per round over 10 nights. Bareback riders will also test their talents and their mental aptitudes against 100 of the best bucking horses, which were selected by the cowboys in the competition. That’s where his consistency will come into play. “I believe I was 4 years old when my dad got the job as rodeo coach, so we spent a lot of time at the college practice arena growing up,” he said. “That’s what my life’s been wrapped around since I was really young. I got to see what it took to be a winner, and I also got to see what made a loser.” Being able to differentiate the two should come in handy as he works to become one of the elite bronc busters in the sport. Making the NFR is just the first step; the next is continuing that trend while also challenging himself to get better physically and mentally. Rodeo wasn’t the only thing he’s done, but he’s excelled at it. He earned all-around points through a variety of Western events but also played football, baseball and soccer as a youngster. “My parents are the main reason I did a lot of that,” Miller said. “I really enjoyed football, I didn’t like baseball at all, and I don’t remember enough about soccer to know if I liked it or not. I think my parents were trying to give me an opportunity to do something other than rodeo if I wanted. “My passion pretty much stayed with rodeo; whenever it came time to either play football or rodeo, it was a pretty easy decision.” As he matured, Miller focused his attention to riding bulls and broncs. A series of head injuries that came about because of bull riding helped him decide to turn his attention toward the horses. He hopes to return to bull riding after the NFR wraps, but his past is still a vital cog in what made his 2024 season so powerful. “Bull riding helped me a lot in my beginning stages of riding bareback horses, because if you’re riding a bucking animal, it makes it easier switching events,” he said. “I have a  Continue Reading »

WAVERLY, Kan. – The edge is a tricky place to be. One step in the right direction can build confidence and sustain hope. One awkward step can spell disaster. Jess Pope was on that ledge most of the 2024 rodeo season. In fact, it wasn’t until the final few weeks of the ProRodeo campaign that he felt comfortable on the mountaintop instead of looking at the canyon below. It was a different year for the 2022 bareback riding world champion, but he will return to the National Finals Rodeo for the fifth straight time focused and ready for excellence. “Rodeo is the coolest job in the world; the places you see and the people you meet are so awesome,” said Pope, 26, of Waverly. “But there’s something about being able to go home and just stretch back out a little bit. Just 48 hours at home will change a guy’s attitude, make them want to come back and be hungry because it reminds you when you get back out there and why you’re doing it. “It’s a job, and I make a good living doing it, but it’s one of those things that a guy’s got to sometimes come home, refresh, rejuvenate, clear his whole mind of everything and start back fresh the next week.” When the regular season closed Sept. 30, Pope was sixth in the world standings with $168,154. It reflects on the statement he made about supporting his wife, Sydney, while competing for every dollar he has earned, but there were times over the course of the 12-month campaign that things weren’t going quite that well. Pope didn’t have the success he’d hoped during the winter months, and spring wasn’t much better. He was behind the eight ball by the time the summer run kicked off in mid-June, well down the money list and knowing he’d have to climb a pretty steep hill to be among the top 15 on the money list in order to return to the NFR, the sport’s grand championship that takes place Dec. 5-14 in Las Vegas. “It just seemed like I started the year off not drawing good, and that just stuck with me forever and ever,” he said. “I didn’t hardly rodeo in all the month of April and not much of May. I entered all the (springtime) rodeos in California, but I never had one drawn that I thought I should spend the money on to fly out there. “There was never a chance where I thought I had to win a really good check. It worked out, because I got to spend time at home with the family and work on the place Sydney and I bought.” By early July, he was being matched with horses that worked better. He earned about $20,000 over the week of July 4, known as Cowboy Christmas for its series of lucrative rodeos. “I had the second best Fourth of July I’ve ever had, and nobody even noticed it,” said Pope, who credits part of his success to his sponsors, DewEze, Mahindra, Roxor, JD Hudgins Brahman Bulls, Graham School for Cattlemen, Resistol, Justin, Bloomer, Panhandle and Rock & Roll Clothing, Veach’s Custom Leather, Emporia Livestock Sales and T Bar T Cattle Co. “I was playing catch-up, and I kept winning enough.” He kicked off August with a big win in Dodge City, Kansas, the largest PRCA rodeo in his home state. He rode Championship Pro Rodeo’s Hooey Rocks for 91 points in the final round to win the title and $6,600 and earned more than $11,000 that week at events closer to his family’s place. “That next week, I went to six rodeos and didn’t win a single dime,” he said. “During the third weekend, I hit for a big lick, then the next week, I won about $600. Once September hit, it seemed like they drew me a good one and a good chance everywhere I went.” After the first weekend of August, Pope had scurried up the money list to 20th in the world standings. He continued to plug away, a testament to his fortitude and his talent. After the first weekend of September, he had virtually secured his spot at the NFR and was inside the top 10 after winning the playoff series event at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, Washington, where he collected $16,450 over a long weekend. “After I won Puyallup, I thought I had the NFR made,” said Pope, who attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall on a rodeo scholarship. “There was never a doubt in my mind once I started drawing good that I was going to make the NFR. It was a matter of me having to go rodeo and then win, which is what I’m good at. “Then I got to Sioux Falls (South Dakota) and started crunching the numbers after I didn’t win a check on the first night, and I realized I was dang sure on the bubble again.” Cowboys are matched with their bucking horses by a random, computer-generated draw. For a good part of the year, the PCs weren’t pulling the numbers Pope needed. When that changed, so did the results. After blanking on opening night of the Cinch Playoff Series Championship, he reached out to his longtime friend and traveling partner, three-time world champion Tim O’Connell. “We had a game plan of how we were gong to do things, and he dang sure reminded me, ‘Just go win; that’s what you’re supposed to be doing,’ ” Pope said. The pep talk worked. On Night 2 with everything in the balance, Pope won the round and advanced to the semifinals of the tournament-style rodeo. He then secured a spot in the finale, which he won, and pocketed $39,625 in southeastern South Dakota. Puyallup and Sioux Falls paid him a combined $56,075 and shot him into contention for another world title. “I just kept my nose to the grindstone,” he said. “I’ll be the first one to say  Continue Reading »

MILAN, Minn. – It’s been eight years since J.D. Struxness earned his first qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. From a 21-year-old college student to a family man and father of two little girls, a great deal has changed for the Minnesota cowboy who makes his living wrestling steers and chasing his rodeo dreams. “We’ve got a family all on board, and with all the family support I’ve had the last few years, I’ve made some changes to dedicate myself to trying to make these consecutive trips to the NFR,” said Struxness, 29, of Milan, now living in Perrin, Texas, with his wife, Jayden, and their daughters, Everlee, 5, and Lilly, 3. “To be able to make it back these three years in a row is a big deal to seeing it pay off and making this happen.” Struxness burst onto the ProRodeo scene in 2016, the same year he won the national championship while competing at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva. He played in Las Vegas for the first time that December, then followed with trips in 2017 and 2019 before his current run that began at the end of the 2022 regular season. “Making the finals is the goal every year,” said Struxness, who also attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, before transferring to Oklahoma. “You have to get out there so you can keep doing this for a living. The NFR is where we get our payday. I had another great year with a lot of support from my family and friends. I can’t thank them enough for all the help along the way, so we’re going to go out there and just keep chugging along.” He enters this year’s championship ranked fifth in the steer wrestling world standings, having earned $147,266 over the course of the regular season. While that’s huge, many things went into that. The cost of being a rodeo cowboy looms large, from paying for traveling and other expenses to covering entry fees; rodeo contestants must pay to compete. That’s why advancing to the NFR – set for Dec. 5-14 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas – is important for men and women who do this for a living. Once in Sin City, they will be in line to battle for their share of an $12.5 million purse, with go-rounds paying nearly $34,000 for 10 straight nights. In his five previous trips to the Nevada desert, Struxness has accumulated nearly $540,000, averaging more than $107,000 per NFR. He’s done very well once he arrives, but he has yet to leave with the most sought-after prize in rodeo, the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle awarded to the world champion. “I feel good going into Vegas this year,” he said, noting that he will ride Ty Erickson’s bulldogging horse, Crush, while having veteran Matt Reeves as his hazer. “I tried Crush out there last year with Matt hazing, and we’re doing the same thing this year, so that’s a huge confidence-booster. I had a fairly good finals out there last year, so to be able to do that and come back and have the same team together out there is going to be a big deal.” Yes, it is. Struxness placed in six go-rounds and collected more than $117,000. With that much success, it was only natural for him to partner with Erickson again in 2024. The two traveled together much of the season with a handful of others who jumped in the rig throughout the campaign. “We’ve been bulldogging good this year and trying to take advantage of the situation,” he said of being able to ride an elite horse. Crush will be the primary mount not only for Struxness but also for Erickson, the 2019 world champion from Helena, Montana, and Rowdy Parrott, a four-time NFR qualifier from Mamou, Louisiana. Having that package, mixed with Reeves hazing for all three, can be the defining piece of the puzzle. “Having that same team is a critical deal out there where the start is so fast,” said Struxness, who credits a load of his success to his sponsors, AH Inc., Purple Wave Auction, Secure, Arena Trailer Sales, Unbeetable Feeds, 4-Star Trailers and Nutrena. “We’re all going to be helping each other, and that’s a big deal there. It can be a long 10 days with a lot of ups and downs; things can change either way in a hurry, so having those guys that help and try to keep you up or help pick you back up is a huge deal.” His team expands well beyond that. Struxness will also lean on Jayden, whom he married Jan. 27. The couple has been together for six years, but they put everything together to celebrate. “When we thought about the possible times we were to have our wedding, we picked January because everybody’s coming down to Texas for the winter rodeos,” he said. “With my family in Minnesota and her family in Canada, we figured that most of our family wouldn’t mind getting out of the cold for a little bit. “We wanted to make it convenient for those who wanted to come see us, and that time of year fit in our schedules. We had a good, little wedding, and most of our friends made it.” With a support system in his corner, Struxness is eager to see what can unfold when he arrives in Las Vegas. He’s had five previous adventures inside the Thomas & Mack Center, and each of those plays a role into what he can expect when the competition begins. “There are different lessons I’ve learned at each of those NFRs,” Struxness said, adding that he’s like to earn a top spot in the aggregate race, which will pay a bonus to the top eight cowboys who post the fastest cumulative time through the 10 go-rounds. “I’ve been focusing on what I need to change or do different and get myself ready for that aspect of it.  Continue Reading »

PRYOR, Okla – When Coleman Proctor qualified for the National Finals Rodeo for the first time a decade ago, he was on Cloud 9, an exhilarating feeling he’d only dreamed about. So many things have changed over time, but there’s something familiar for the Pryor team roping header as he prepares for his ninth trip to ProRodeo’s grand finale, set for Dec. 5-14 at Las Vegas. “I was just talking to Jake (Long) the other day about this,” he said of the heeler who grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas, and has been a close friend since their early days in the saddle. “He’s been there now 14 years and I’m going for the ninth time, but we’re still just two little kids roping the Fast Lane (roping dummy) that just wanted to make it once. “It’s still a dream come true, and I still get just as excited the first day of October when you know you’ve made the finals. I think about the smell of the dirt on that arena floor. It’ll still give me butterflies in my stomach and make the little hair stand up on my arms.” Proctor’s eloquence is unbridled, as is his passion for roping. His personality shines, whether he’s in the spotlight or just working around his place near Pryor, a home he shares with his wife, Stephanie, and their daughters, Stella, 7, Caymbree, 5, and Sterling, 7 months. “My support system has gotten bigger,” said Proctor, who was raised in Miami, Oklahoma, and attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on rodeo scholarships. “It’s fun, because the older two have grown up at the finals, and that’s really cool to me. I personally never went to the National Finals until I made it, and my kids have grown up in the seats of the Thomas and Mack, which is really special to me. Stella and Caymbree are old enough now that they understand what we’re trying to do. “Every night whether I break the barrier or I miss or I was late or something that happened that I didn’t win, that doesn’t matter to them. Stella knows if we win the round, we’re getting a limo and going to the South Point.” The rewards for success in Sin City are grand. Go-round winners will pocket nearly $34,000 for each of the 10 days of the championship. They’ll also head to the South Point Casino and Spa for the nightly go-round presentation, where they will be awarded a Montana Silversmiths trophy buckle and other trinkets while being honored before a packed crowd in the showroom. “Last year about Round 3, Stella was so mad because we hadn’t got that limo yet,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Baby, believe me, I’m mad, too, but we’re going to keep trying for it.’ For me, and I think anytime you have kids, you want to be able to lead by example. One day they’re going to pursue their dreams doing whatever they want to do, and I want to have been an example. That’s big to me as a father.” His love for the girls in his life is important for Proctor. It’s why he’s gone a good part of the year chasing his dreams. Rodeo is how he makes a living, and he’s done pretty well at it. He collected $155,790 team roping during the regular season and heads to the Nevada desert fourth in the heading world standings. But there’s much more to the Oklahoma cowboy. Two and a half years ago, he picked up another trade: Steer roping. By adding that event to his repertoire, Proctor has increased his odds of making money at many rodeos across North America. In fact, he won nearly $43,000 in single steer roping and finished the year 17th in the world standings, just two spots shy of qualifying for the event’s championship that took place in early November. Along the way, he added the steer roping title in Dalhart, Texas, and earned several all-around crowns, including major events in Cheyenne, Wyoming; Pendleton, Oregon; and Dodge City, Kansas. What’s bigger yet is that he’s in contention to win the all-around world championship; he is third on the money list in that category with nearly $186,000 in dual-event earnings. “Growing up in Oklahoma, I’ve always wanted to rope steers,” said Proctor, who credits a great deal of his success to his sponsors, Lonestar Ropes, Justin Boots, Wrangler, Purina, CSI Saddlepads, Signature Equine, Coats Saddlery, SpeedRoping.com, Southern Welding, Heel-O-Matic, Community Coffee, Signature Quarters, Professional Choice, Red Dirt Hat Co., Western Legacy Co., Compete Equine Performances and KK Branded. “I think it’s the most cowboy event there is. At the finals, there was a lot of money available, which I think is great because that’s an event that’s needed a boost for a long time. That is the hardest event to learn how to win at.” It’s difficult to become victorious in every rodeo event, and he knows that as well as anyone. When he arrives in the Nevada desert, he and his heeling partner, Logan Medlin of Tatum, New Mexico, will try to get their hands on a big share of the $12.5 million purse available. “Logan and I are going to do it again next year, so that will be five years that we’ve been together,” Proctor said. “A lot of teams don’t stick together that long anymore, but we have a rock-solid partnership, a great understanding of each other and great chemistry. I think those are huge ingredients when it comes time for roping for a gold buckle. “We still work at it just as hard as we did the first year we went there. We live seven hours apart, and we’re in the arena two to three days every week through the month of November. It’s a priority for us, and the grind that we go through now sets the tone for the whole year.” It also lines the tandem up for success once they  Continue Reading »

STEVENSVILLE, Mont. – Richmond Champion’s sigh of relief could be heard down the Bitterroot Valley. After a year of rodeo and countless battles with bucking horses that outweigh him by hundreds of pounds, the bareback rider held his breath as the regular season came to a close. He knows only the top 15 men on the money list make the National Finals Rodeo, and he was teeter-tottering on the edge. “That was the toughest year I’ve ever had competition-wise,” said Champion, 31, who lives in Stevensville with his wife, Paige, and their son, Forrest, who turned a year old in September. He’s right. After tens of thousands of miles and about 100 rides on bucking horses bred for excellence, he finished the 2024 campaign 15th in the world standings with $128,965. He slid into that magical spot to secure his ninth NFR in 11 years of doing business, edging fellow bronc buster Tanner Aus by a mere $218. “You can pick any of these rodeos where that dollar amount comes into play,” he said. “Caleb Bennett taking his reride in Mona (Utah) played into it, because he ended up winning it, bumping both Orin (Larsen, who finished 17th) and Tanner down. Jacob Lees went to San Bernardino (California) and won it, so it dropped those guys down in the placing. If those things don’t happen, I’m not going to the NFR.” Those events were on the final weekend of the regular season. Champion continued to hold his breath a couple weeks longer until an audit was complete, verifying he’d secured his spot in ProRodeo’s grand championship, a 10-round affair that features a $12.5 million purse. “I’m super thankful, and it’s hard to believe this is my ninth NFR,” he said. “I think the closest guys to me in the bareback riders’ locker room this year will have five NFRs. When you start your career, you think that’s a possibility, because you want to make NFRs and have a shot at the world title, but to have done it this many times is pretty cool.” He made the championship for the first time a decade ago, won two go-rounds and placed six times. During that NFR, nightly winners pocketed about $19,000. This year’s finale will pay round winners $33,687, an incredible leap in payout. That’s just one of the aspects of ProRodeo’s premier event that has changed since he first walked inside the Thomas & Mack Center on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus. “The money, the competition and the horsepower have all changed,” said Champion, who credits part of his success to his sponsors, Cinch, Yeti, Hooey, Hyer Boots and Turtle Box Audio. “Every year it feels like it’s leaping and bounding toward the better, which is super fun to be part of and see. I feel like there’s a new age of guys that are different than the guys I first shared a locker room with by a long shot. “They’re a good group of guys. They’re excited, they’re hungry and they push you. I’m looking forward to sharing the room with them.” There are also other differences. While he still travels a great deal with other bareback-riding wolves who are just as eager, Champion also hit the rodeo trail with his family. It was just too difficult to leave them at home for much of the summer, so the family loaded in an RV and spent weeks together at rodeos across North America. “We put 20,000 miles on the motorhome,” he said. “It was an adjustment and fun at the same time. It was also a lot of work, but I’m glad we made it happen. We had a lot of really good memories and pictures and experiences … and early mornings and long drives. We had probably a handful of 12-hour drives, but Forrest handled it like a champ.” When that wasn’t feasible, the Tarleton State University graduate made adjustments on the fly to make sure he hit the rodeos he needed to make. While the family and RV stayed in one locale, he found other cowboys who were willing to take him on their adventures. “I’d jump in with Caleb and go or I’d get on a plane with Leighton (Berry) and Cole (Reiner),” Champion said. “It was definitely different rodeoing as far as not being in a set group of guys, but we just made it work. It was different every day, but we were able to find our routine.” With each motification came new circumstances. The rodeo campaign is long, running 12 months from Oct. 1-Sept. 30, with world champions being crowned at the NFR, set for Dec. 5-14. There were many ups and downs that came Champion’s way over that time, but he rode the waves like the seasoned veteran he is. He was comfortable with his work in the winter months at the big, indoor rodeos in Texas, then found a hot streak in the heat of the summer. Things didn’t stay steamy, though, and he found himself falling in the standings. “It got to a point where I wasn’t drawing good, so I was turning out of some places,” he said, explaining that he’d take a rodeo off if he wasn’t matched with a horse that could help him to the pay window. “Then, all of the sudden, I started looking at the standings and was seeing how tight everything was. I thought, ‘Oh, we’re about to play a whole different ballgame than we’ve ever played before.’ ” It was a mad scramble to the finish line. Champion sweated his position as the regular season drew to a close. His work and dedication, combined with a little bit of luck, paid off, and he’s about to experience Las Vegas with a strong mindset, a brewing confidence and years of lessons of playing the sport of his choice at an elite level. “I have been in the gym every single day, if not twice a day, for more than a month  Continue Reading »