About: Ted

DUNCAN, Okla. – The aches and pains that Roper Kiesner felt were getting the better of him. He needed – and took – a break from the game of rodeo. He did that for more than a couple years before returning to action late in the 2023 season. Now at age 30, he’s at the top of his game and is the No. 1 saddle bronc rider heading into this year’s Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17-Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. “For the past two years, I had stopped just because my body got to hurting too much,” said Kiesner, now competing at the regional finale for the 10th time in his career. “I’ve broken 17 bones, and I’ve had seven surgeries over my career. My body couldn’t do what I was wanting it to do. It was getting in my head a little bit, and I just wasn’t riding to the ability that I know I could ride. “So, I took just a little bit of time off from rodeo to get my head right and let my body heal. I went to training rope horses down in Texas, and then I was going to a little open rodeo in Meeker, Oklahoma, to team rope at, and I got to talking to my old bronc-riding buddy, Joe Lufkin.” The two decided to ride broncs again for the fun of it. “Joe got off his horse, and he was like, ‘Man, that was a lot of fun; that’ll be the last one I ever get on, though,’ ” Kiesner recalled. “I was like, ‘You know what? My body still feels pretty dang good. I think I’ve still got a few more years left on me.’ So, I went ahead and bought my (PRCA) card again. “That was right at the end of July (2023), so I had about a month to make the circuit finals. I won about $7,000 in August and made the circuit finals last year. I rodeoed through the wintertime and got into some of the big rodeos. I won about $10,000 outside my circuit, but I was just focused on my circuit this year and trying to get my qualifications up so I could rodeo a little bit more for 2025.” It worked. He has earned $17,119 in the region made up of contestants and events primarily in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. He picked up seven victories, four in the region and three others that were outside the region but co-approved so that money counts toward the Prairie Circuit: Kansas stops in Longford, Eureka, Fredonia and Phillipsburg and rodeos in Ashland, Missouri; Magnolia, Arkansas; and Dayton, Iowa. “Probably my biggest win would be Phillipsburg, where I was 90 (points) to win it,” said Kiesner of Ripley, Oklahoma. “That was pretty exciting. I put on a good ride, and I tipped my hat, and then when they said 90, boy, I threw my hat, and I jumped around. The whole crowed enjoyed it.” He built off that victory, and it was a major stepping stone into why he’s the top man on the money list heading into the three-day championship. He owns a lead of nearly $6,000 over the No. 2 bronc rider, Cooper Thatcher. Ean Price, the defending year-end titlist, is third and still in contention to catch the leaders. “It’s always been a goal of mine to win my circuit,” Kiesner said. “Going in No. 1 and having a good lead on the standings makes me feel really good. I’ve set myself up for a good chance to win the circuit, and I’m excited to see what happens.”

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – In the 1989 Universal Studios’ movie “Field of Dreams,” Kevin Costner’s character heard the whispering echoes of the same phrase: “If you build it, they will come.” The Waller County Fair Board has had the same sound reverberating for years, and members of the organization have acted upon that. The upgrades for the Waller County Fairgrounds have been a major source of pride for the community and for people who use it. “We’ve increased a lot to the facility,” said Paul Shollar, the fair board’s president. “We certainly want to make this complex something that’s put in use as many weeks as we can throughout the year, and we believe this is the best way to do it.” One of the biggest moves came over the last two years, when construction crews covered the rodeo arena and built a stadium that is not only elaborate but also makes a statement. It was unveiled in time for the 2023 Waller County Fair and Rodeo, but the work didn’t end there. The fair board has just expanded on everything with several other upgrades that will be ready for this year’s exposition, which takes place Thursday, Sept. 26-Saturday, Oct. 5, in Hempstead. “We’ve added four more elite boxes and have two of them still available for the fair and rodeo,” said Dustin Standley, a longtime fair board member. “We’ve upgraded to a premier sound system for the rodeo arena, and we have added three more Big Ass Fans to help with climate control. We’ve installed an underground sprinkler system, which will expedite our ability to water the arena. That’s just what we’ve done in the arena complex.” The biggest steps have taken place outside the covered arena, including the addition of a 102-stall barn that features concrete alleyways. A few acres north of the fairgrounds are accessible, and that ground will feature a 200-foot-by-200-foot rock pad for contract personnel, trucks and trailers and will have six RV plugs with water included. “We’re just opening things up a little bit to make it a little better for the people that come to work our rodeo,” Shollar said. “We’re opening this up to increase donor parking while also allowing our contract personnel a little more privacy.” In addition to the stall barn and more RV hookups on the east side of the complex, rodeo contestants will also take note of other positive changes. A 50-foot-by-20-foot wash rack has been added to the complex, as has a 120-foot-by-120-foot warmup arena. The contestants’ entry gate has been moved to the northeast side of the complex. “All of our contestants will come through that gate and won’t have to fight coming through the crowd,” Shollar said. “If they’re at the stall barn, they can go to the warmup area. The minute they’re warmed up, they can come directly across to that gate and come into the fairgrounds there.” These are just the changes that have happened since the fair and rodeo closed last October, and it’s a symbol of the work that continues to be done to make the Waller County Fair and Rodeo the premier exposition in southeast Texas. “We’re doing all this to help make for a more comfortable and efficient facility for both the fair and for our renters,” said Clint Sciba, a longtime fair board member. “We are always looking for ways to make it a better experience for everyone involved.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – Since the inception of the PRCA’s circuit system 47 years ago, the Prairie Circuit has been a hotbed for steer wrestling. Not only are there some outstanding homegrown bulldoggers, but men from out of the area – and even out of the United States – make their way to the Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska region in order to compete with the best. No other year has this been more prevalent than 2024. All 12 men in the field are in contention to win the year-end championship during the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17-Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. Jarek Van Petten of Cimarron, Kansas, leads the way on the money list with $17,211, but Tyler Pearson of Atoka, Oklahoma, is at the bottom of that order and can still run away with the crown if he has a solid three days of competition in Duncan. With a large purse awaiting the players, anything can happen over the long weekend. Pearson, the 2017 world champion who is closing in on his sixth National Finals Rodeo qualification, moved to Oklahoma several years ago as a more centralized location. Originally from Mississippi, he’s collected $11,326 so far this season, and he’s still on the bottom rung of the standings ladder. “This is, by far, the most money it’s ever taken to make the finals,” said Riley Duvall, the No. 3 man in the standings with $14,461. “It usually takes around $8,500.” That increase is vital for contestants who make their livings in rodeo. They compete for prize money, and only the top few collect cash at each rodeo. That means they must beat most of the field in order to be paid. In addition, they cover their own expenses, so every penny counts, especially in rodeo, where dollars equal championship points. Duvall and Pearson make up the most NFR bids among an elite field of bulldoggers; Duvall is a four-time qualifier, but the top 12 includes Cody Devers of Perryton, Texas, a two-time qualifier, and Jacob Edler, who earned his shot in 2020 and won the world title that year, from State Center, Iowa. Edler is a two-time average champion in Duncan who won the year-end title in 2022; Duvall did the same two years prior and also won the aggregate in 2016. Devers was the 2021 average titlist. Edler sits second in the standings, just $1,700 behind Van Petten. Trisyn Kalawaia of Hilo, Hawaii, the defending year-end winner, is fourth with $14,131. Below them, in order, are Chance Howard of Sallisaw, Oklahoma; Mason Couch of Bronaugh, Missouri; Travis Munro of Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Devers; Adam Musil of Crescent, Oklahoma; Emmett Edler, Jacob’s younger brother also from State Center; Riley Westhaver of High River, Alberta; and Pearson. Only the top four contestants will earn money in Duncan during each go-round, and the top four in the aggregate will cash in the most. Every dollar is critical, but the bulldoggers wouldn’t have it any other way.

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The popularity of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo concert series has only continued to blossom over the years. “We’ve been very lucky over the years to have people who are diligent in bringing in great concerts,” said Paul Shollar, president of the Waller County Fair Board. “We’ve had Cody Johnson here before he made a big name for himself, and we’ve had quite a few others. That’s something we take a lot of pride in here in Waller County.” There are reasons behind it, and the trend of outstanding music being offered during the exposition continues with this year’s fair, set for Sept. 26-Oct. 5 at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead. Originally from Lubbock, Texas, the Josh Abbot Band is in the Texas Country genre and has had two albums reach the top 10 on the country charts. It is highlighting the opening Saturday night of the series on Sept. 28. This year’s fair opens two days earlier than normal thanks to hosting the CPRA Finals Rodeo. Country artist Glen Templeton will perform after the rodeo at the CRC Hospitality Building on Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27. “We’ve got a lot going on that opening weekend, and I think having the Josh Abbott Band in town is an excellent way to showcase the start of our fair,” Shollar said. The opening night of the PRCA rodeo on Thursday, Oct. 3, is a perfect fit for Western artist Chancey Williams, a former saddle bronc rider who has developed a big following with his style of music. He has competed in and performed his music during the coveted Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in his home state of Wyoming. He was recently inducted into the Frontier Days Hall of Fame on Sept. 6.   Josh Ward returns to Waller County to perform during the exposition. He last put on a show inside the fairgrounds in 2020, and the expectations for the Friday, Oct. 4, show are out of this world. Ward left his work in the oilfield to pursue a life in music, and it was the right move. He has staying power, but that was catapulted by 13 straight No. 1 songs on the Texas Country charts. The final show of the fair on Saturday, Oct. 5, will feature Texas music legend Kevin Fowler and his opener, Trent Willmon, the latter of whom had three consecutive albums reach the top 50 on the country charts two decades ago. Now a producer and songwriter, Willmon has produced songs and albums for Cody Johnson and albums for Fowler, among several other credits; he’s also won a CMA award for his producing talents. Fowler was raised in Amarillo, Texas, and began playing in rock bands in his home state, then transitioned into a solo act in the early 2000s. In addition to putting his talent on stage, Fowler also has had other artists find success with songs he has written. He’s known for an energetic show, which adds to the enthusiasm of the night. “Kevin draws a party crowd, and there’s not a better party the first weekend in October than our fair and rodeo,” Shollar said. “The folks that come to our fair are excited to have a good time, and I think all of our concerts are going to provide that.”

ALVA, Okla. – Jaci Traul put a little more student into her role as a student-athlete during her performance this past weekend at the Colby (Kansas) Community College rodeo. Traul took a cerebral approach to her job and came away with the breakaway roping championship. She roped her first calf in 2.5 seconds to finish the opening round in a three-way tie for fifth place, then stopped the clock in 2.3 seconds to win the championship round and the aggregate title. The 130 points she earned in northwest Kansas pushed her to a tie for second place in the Central Plains Region standings. “I knew going into the long-go that I drew one of the better calves but that he was going to try and he was probably going to go right, like he did,” said Traul, a senior from Fort Scott, Kansas. “My game plan was to just knock the barrier out and put it on him with my first shot, and that’s what we did right before he took off to the right. “Coming back into the short-go, I knew with that set of girls and those calves that it was probably going to be fairly tight. I just made it my goal and made it my mindset that I was going to try to put a time on the board where they knew they were going to have to beat me.” It was the right call at the right time. “My initial goal this season was to get out ahead of them coming into the fall and knowing when we end the fall we’ll be coming into the spring, so I am very excited that we were able to get some points on the board pretty quickly this season,” she said. Traul led the way for the Rangers, which featured 11 competitors in the championship round. The women, who finished sixth in the team standings, also had goat-tiers Payton Dingman of Pryor, Oklahoma (third); Dale Lee Forman of Highmore, South Dakota (fifth); Savannah Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon (eighth); and Morgan Poust of Hughesville, Pennsylvania (12th) in the final performance. The Rangers finished third in the men’s team race, led by senior Emmett Edler of State Center, Iowa; he finished second in steer wrestling and 10th in tie-down roping. He was joined by fellow calf-roper Kerry Duvall of Oakdale, California, who placed fourth. In bulldogging, Hazen Sparks of Talihina, Oklahoma, finished sixth, Grady Aasby of Highmore was 10th, and Jacob Haren of Callaway, Nebraska, was 11th. Team roping heeler Evan Barrios of Crescent, Oklahoma, finished fifth while roping with Garrett Novotony of Oklahoma State University. Northwestern has had two champions successive weeks to kick start the 2024-25 Central Plains campaign; a week before, Edler won the all-around title in Manhattan, Kansas, so Traul was excited to get her name on that leaderboard. “My horse is kind of a freak of nature,” she said of Jerry, a 17-year-old bay gelding. “I bought him from some really good family friends of ours, and he was just a heel horse when we bought him. They were kind of roping some calves on him to see where he was at, and I was in a situation with horses and needed something, and it just worked out that he fell into my lap. He has exceeded all of the expectations I could have ever had.” Being well-mounted is important in rodeo, and time-event contestants understand the importance of having a trusted equine partner in their corners. Jerry wasn’t the only soul who helped Traul out when it was time to compete, though. Cali Griffin is the Rangers coach, taking over the program this season, and her work with the team members is already showing dividends. “I was ecstatic when we found out Cali was coming, because she’s known me since I was about 9 years old,” Traul said. “I honestly credit a lot of my roping to Cali, so when she came to Alva, I was over the moon. Having her back in my corner 24/7, I think, has really helped my mental game. Also knowing that one of the people who really put the love for this sport in my heart is with me every day also helps a ton.”