Franks ready for NFR redemption
CLARENDON, Texas – At just 23 years of age, Cole Franks has accomplished a great deal in the world of rodeo. Three seasons ago, he won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s bareback riding and all-around championships while helping Clarendon College to the men’s team national title. He then became the Resistol Bareback Riding Rookie of […]
Rangers have success at home
ALVA, Okla. – Home may be where the heart is, but it’s often the most difficult place to play. The Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo teams hosted the Central Plains Region teams this past weekend at the Alva Dome, and while there was some rough-sledding, there were a handful of Rangers who found success. “That […]
Yeahquo wins OSU rodeo crown
ALVA, Okla. – When L.J. Yeahquo to transfer to Northwestern Oklahoma State University, he did it for two primary reasons. “I want to complete my MBA, get my master’s degree in business in April, and continue to rodeo,” said Yeahquo, a graduate student and team roping heeler on the Rangers rodeo team from Mandaree, North […]
Hometown hero wins circuit title
DUNCAN, Okla. – Things had to go Ryan Jarrett’s way if he was to win another Prairie Circuit tie-down roping championship. They did. Jarrett placed in Friday’s second round and won the third to claim the aggregate title during his three days of competition at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, earning $6,267 […]
Breakaway race gets tighter
DUNCAN, Okla. – The race for the region’s breakaway roping championship just got a little tighter. Cheyanne McCartney of Kingston, Oklahoma, entered the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo with a $516 advantage over Taylor Munsell of Alva, Oklahoma. After the opening two nights of competition, both ladies have earned go-round wins and share […]
Devers has love affair in Duncan
DUNCAN, Okla. – Five days ago, Cody Devers wasn’t thinking much about wrestling steers. He was getting married to Brecklyn, so there were higher priorities in his life, but he couldn’t help but think of the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. “I asked her to start dating me here about three or four […]
Fair’s auction remains a success
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Susan Shollar has seen this before, but she’s still amazed. During the junior livestock and exhibition auction at this year’s Waller County Fair and Rodeo, donors spent $1,469,500 on the animals and other exhibits over the course of the Oct. 5 sale at the fairgrounds in Hempstead. “It’s amazing to me, because […]
Bull riders eyeing regional title
DUNCAN, Okla. – When it comes to a gladiator-like event in rodeo, nothing gets closer than bull riding. Cowboys weighing close to 150 pounds will test their mettle on bulls 10 times or more than their body size. It’s a game of man vs. beast, athletes all. The bulls have the advantage, of course, because […]
Carr helps build a strong rodeo
HENDERSON, Texas – Everyone needs a dose of honesty, a quick response to something important. Friends are great, but so are advisors. When businessmen work together, they can forge relationships that last for years, such is the case with Pete Carr and the organizers of the Black Gold Stampede, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. […]
Rodeo heading in right direction
HENDERSON, Texas – When Ryan Ellis looks around at the Rusk County Expo Center this week, he reflects on the things that mean the most to him. He’s directing traffic, trying to get everything in order for the Black Gold Stampede, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at the complex in Henderson. The two […]
Solomon wins hometown title
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – When Dorothy said it in the “Wizard of Oz,” it made for a good movie in the 1930s. When Cory Solomon says it now, he means it. There’s no place like home, and he proved it Saturday night during the final performance of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. He roped an […]
Texan rides to Hempstead lead
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Bodee Lammers has always been athletic, and a decade ago, it took him to west Texas to play football at Sul Ross State University. After a year, he had an opportunity to test his hand at being a bronc buster. He was hooked, and he’s been chasing that rodeo high ever sense. […]
Aussie making a run in rodeo
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Things don’t always go as planned. Teams don’t always win. The guy doesn’t always get the girl. When Darcy Kersh arrived in town for the first performance of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, he had envisioned a solid night of calf roping and bulldogging. He didn’t think he’d break the barrier […]
Eck ready to fly at circuit finals
DUNCAN, Okla. – Bryce Eck is a bareback rider, but he takes to his trade with a workmanlike approach to business. It’s worked. He is the No. 1 bareback rider heading into 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 […]
Edler paces Rangers to victory
ALVA, Okla. – Emmett Edler has started the Central Plains Region season on fire, and he doesn’t seem to be cooling off anytime soon. Edler, who won the all-around championship in Manhattan, Kansas, to kickstart the campaign, won three titles this past weekend to lead Northwestern Oklahoma State University to the men’s team title at […]
McCartney has eyes on the prize
DUNCAN, Okla. – Cheyanne McCartney has found contentment out of a frustrating 2023 rodeo season. After three straight qualifications to the National Finals Breakaway Roping in Las Vegas, McCartney will not return to defend her aggregate championship at the South Point Equestrian Center. She will, however, be the No. 1 cowgirl heading to the Chisholm […]
Kiesner inching closer to title
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 […]
Upgrades continue for fairgrounds
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 […]
Circuit bulldogging race is tight
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 […]
Concerts add nice flavor to fair
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 […]
Traul ropes victory in Colby
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 […]
Local fair continues to grow
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The Waller County Fair Board is expanding the community’s annual exposition, and that means bigger opportunities for fairgoers at this year’s event. The Waller County Fair and Rodeo will begin Thursday, Sept. 26, and continue through Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Hempstead. It’s two days longer than years […]
Dessel returning to circuit finals
DUNCAN, Okla. – Much has changed since Allan Dessel worked his first Prairie Circuit Finals. That was in 2010, when the rodeo was in Park City, Kansas, and Dessel was teaching school in Soper, Oklahoma. In 14 years since, he has moved back to his native Iowa and operates a bookkeeping business, all while still […]
Larsen rolls to Salt Lake City win
SALT LAKE CITY – Orin Larsen is on the outside looking in. He’s qualified nine straight times for the National Finals Rodeo and entered this week of competition 16th on the money list; only the top 15 in the world standings in each event earn the right to play for the sport’s biggest pay this […]