Rodeo titles come through Pecos
PECOS, Texas – The crowds that attend this community’s annual rodeo pack themselves in over four nights each June. The same can be said for the cowboys and cowgirls who want to compete at this historic event. This year’s West of the Pecos Rodeo features than 500 contestants who have entered the rodeo for a […]
Team ropers break arena record
BIG SPRING, Texas – Jace Bland’s heritage resides inside the Rodeo Bowl, though he had never competed in the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo before this year. His grandfather, Rich Anderson, served on the board for the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo. On Saturday night during the final performance of this year’s extravaganza, […]
Genetics pay off for Murphy
BIG SPRING, Texas – It’s been 20 years since River Boat Annie burst onto the rodeo scene as one of the sport’s top bucking horses. She was a standout, the one the cowboys wanted to try. Known for her power, she was the driving force for many contestants on their way to championships. In 2007, […]
Women’s roping added to rodeo
GUNNISON, Colo. – For a great number of rodeo fans, the overall experience of competition and family-friendly entertainment makes for a great event. For others, they want to see the action. The better the contest, the more they like it. They’re eager to witness high-flying dismounts and body-bruising wrecks. They want 90-point rides and lightning-fast […]
Caldarola has winning nature
BIG SPRING, Texas – The timing of breakaway roping’s growing popularity coincided with Jenna Caldarola’s love for the game she plays. She competed at Odessa (Texas) College, then transferred to another rodeo school, Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. There, though, she focused on her classes and opted out of competition. Becoming a nurse takes […]
Dirty Jacket shines in Pecos
PECOS, Texas – Over the course of its history, the West of the Pecos Rodeo has had dozens of world champions claim the crown. Dirty Jacket ranks right up there with all of them, and he has a legacy of shining the brightest in Reeves County. Six times in his lifetime, the powerful bay gelding […]
Clarendon duo win big at CNFR
CLARENDON, Texas – They almost pulled it off. Two Clarendon College cowboys put on a whale of a show during last week’s College National Finals Rodeo and left their mark on everyone in Casper, Wyoming. They came up just a few points short of claiming the men’s team title, but they’re pretty excited about being […]
Parade to honor Redden, Irby
GUNNISON, Colo. – The loss of a loved one is always tough. Folks in the Gunnison Valley were dealt a heavy blow during some of the coldest months of the year. Brett Redden and Dale Irby, both vibrant parts of the community and longtime supporters of the Cattlemen’s Days celebration, died a few months ago, […]
Rangers wrap season at CNFR
ALVA, Okla. – Success as an athlete doesn’t always translate into the victories all dream about. For Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s contingent of five contestants competing at the College National Finals Rodeo last week, there was some great success but only a trio came away with the actual awards. All-around cowboy Jacob Haren of Callaway, […]
Lucia takes right steps in Pecos
PECOS, Texas – It’s been four years since Anthony Lucia received the phone call that changed his life. “I had just gone full bore into announcing late the summer before, and to get that telephone call to be the announcer of the West of the Pecos Rodeo was special, to say the least,” said Lucia, […]
Top stars ready for Big Spring
BIG SPRING, Texas – The good news is out. Hundreds of ProRodeo’s stars are aligning for this week’s Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at the Rodeo Bowl. Among them are nearly three dozen cowboys and cowgirls who have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo or the National […]
Harrison to shine in Gunnison
GUNNISON, Colo. – John Harrison didn’t become a rodeo entertainer for the accolades, but that hasn’t stopped his colleagues from handing them out. Harrison comes from a rodeo family and has been involved in the sport all his life. He’s been an entertainer longer than many in the game, first as a respected trick rider […]
Rooftop has a big reach
Volunteers are the spark that ignites the rodeo’s engine ESTES PARK, Colo. – Rooftop Rodeo isn’t just a community event. It’s a regional happening that reaches people globally, and it takes place for six straight summer nights – at 7 p.m. Friday, July 5-Wednesday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. […]
Championship Steps
Oklahoma rodeo company growing rapidly LEEDEY, Okla. – The first few months of any life feature incredible growth. From infancy to toddler, forms change shape as the foundation develops. From babies and foals to ideas and dreams, the day-to-day gains are magnificent. Will and Dusta O’Connell have experienced it two-fold over the last year. Their […]
Pecos rodeo has nothing to hide
PECOS, Texas – In ProRodeo, there are just some trophies that cowboys are eager to show off. Obviously, the most prestigious is the gold buckle, awarded each year to that season’s world champions. Beyond that, there are only a handful that truly stand out, whether it’s the storied silver from the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days […]
Carr brings show to Big Spring
BIG SPRING, Texas – It’s been three decades since Pete Carr hung up his spurs and established himself as a businessman. As a youngster growing up in Dallas, he developed a passion for rodeo and life as a cowboy. He eventually traveled the country as a bareback rider, chasing his dreams while riding bucking horses […]
Stinger to speak on Grit, Grace
Noted television host, benefactor will be featured at Gooding’s pink luncheon GOODING, Idaho – The purpose of the Tough Enough to Wear Pink luncheon in conjunction with the Gooding Pro Rodeo is to raise awareness and funds in the fight against cancer. Organizers, though, look at it as a way to strengthen a giving community […]
Rumford returns to Rooftop
Celebrated entertainer to showcase his talents for Estes Park crowds ESTES PARK, Colo. – From his spot inside the fences, Justin Rumford looked up to the crowd packed inside Granny May Arena and marvels. On the footsteps of the Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounded by a picturesque lake and the glorious peaks, he noticed […]
Merritt finds rewards in rodeo
PECOS, Texas – What is the best part of Matt Merrit’s job? His answer is short, yet poignant: “It’s the reward of seeing joy in people,” he said. Merritt is a rodeo entertainer and clown, and he returns to the West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26-Saturday, June 29, at […]
Rangers ready for college finals
ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University contingent of College National Finals Rodeo qualifiers is small but mighty. The men will field four cowboys during the seven-day championship, set for June 9-15 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyoming. The group includes two that have played the game at the highest level before: […]
Lucia brings smooth to rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – When Anthony Lucia rides into the Rodeo Bowl, his mind is transformed to life in west Texas nearly a century ago. He can feel the heat and the wind. Mostly, though, he can feel the presence of rodeo’s history, the place where Toots Mansfield shined and where Quail Dobbs played. There’s […]
Cowboys love Big Spring rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – Jeff Askey has a little secret: He likes west Texas in June. Why? He’s found a honey hole in Howard County. It’s called the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, and it’s ripe with opportunities for the greatest cowboys and cowgirls in the sport. Askey is definitely one of them. He’s […]
Pecos is rodeo’s history
PECOS, Texas – Rodeo’s history is much like those west Texas cattle drives: Both came right through Pecos. Two well-known drovers working for outfits that were making their way through town on their respective journeys had earned reputations of being excellent ropers. The exchanges from their cohorts led to a competition to establish the bragging […]
Rumford built for Big Spring rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – Justin Rumford was a cowboy before he was born. It seems impossible to consider, but it was just a way of life the family from southern Kansas His grandfather, Floyd, was a cowboy who passed his love for the Western way of life to his sons, Bronc and Tommy. Justin Rumford […]