About: Ted

STEVENSVILLE, Mont. – In the last 10 years, bareback rider Richmond Champion has missed the National Finals Rodeo just twice; ailments had kept him out of action both times. Coming off an injury that forced him to the sidelines in 2022, he rebounded strong. He returned to the game in late-December, then battled through this past season to return to ProRodeo’s grand finale for the eighth time. In the past 12 months, he tested his skills as a television analyst, providing expert commentary for last year’s NFR preshow for Teton Ridge, and he spent quality time with his wife, Paige. The proof arrived Sept. 7 in the form of Forrest Brooks Champion, a little boy weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces. “He showed up at the beginning of the last month of the season, and life has never been the same,” said Champion, 30, of Stevensville. “Every day is something new; it’s never boring. I think I average about 40 miles a week walking, and I think 38 of those miles are in the house.” Parents with a newborn will do about anything to bring comfort to their baby, and providing soothing steps is just one method the Champions use. For now, young Forrest is on his own sleeping schedule, which seems to coincide with how Dad sleeps when he’s traveling the rodeo trail. If the baby can keep that up for a few more weeks, that would be great. “If we can maintain that sleep pattern all the way through the NFR, that would be great because Vegas nights can get long,” Champion said with a laugh. He and his wife went old-school when they found out they were expecting. They didn’t rely on sonograms to tell them the baby’s gender; they opted to wait until birth. The best part was that Richmond was home when Paige went into labor. “I was actually planning to leave the day he was born,” said Champion, who attended Tarleton State University on a rodeo scholarship. “I was up in Lewiston, Idaho, that day. Paige woke me up at 11:30 at night on (September) sixth and said her water broke, and he came at 6 o’clock on the morning of the seventh.” That’s just a bit of happenstance for Champion. He was home at the right time, which isn’t always the case for rodeo cowboys, men who make a living on the road for weeks at a time. He stayed with his family for an extra day, opting out of riding in western Idaho, and drove straight through to Puyallup, Washington, for his next competition. “Everything’s been amazing,” he said. “As far as the season, it was just a big year from coming back from injury. I really wanted to use last year and the beginning of this year to transform my riding in a way that it would support my neck, and, obviously, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. All the guys I’m riding against keep getting better, so I need to stay at it.” In the spring of 2022, Champion learned about a bulging disc in the middle of his neck that required surgery and months to heal. It is a consequence that comes with being a bareback rider, men who wedge their specially designed gloves into a tight, rawhide rigging that is strapped tightly to a bucking horse. Arms and shoulders and upper bodies are jerked around; it’s recognized as the rodeo event that is toughest on the body. By making slight changes to his riding, he was able to do the things necessary to not only improve on his ability, but also to protect his body in the process. The result was $111,688 and the No. 15 spot in the world standings – the latter is significant, because only the top 15 on the money list at the end of the regular season advance to the NFR. “I’ve never gone into Vegas being 15th, but it’s also the most money I’ve had won in the regular season,” said Champion, who credits part of his success to his sponsors, Cinch, Hooey, Yeti and Hyer Boots. “I think that says something about our sport. I was talking to my brother the other day, and he said, ‘On the plus side, you can’t leave Las Vegas lower in the standings than you’re going in, so you’ve got nothing to lose. You may as well go for it.’ ” Doug Champion’s comment hit a note with his little brother. With go-rounds paying nearly $31,000 per day for 10 December nights, the NFR offers a great opportunity to cash in. The last time he competed in Las Vegas two years ago, Richmond Champion pocketed $80,000. “I’m just excited about going back,” he said. “I got a lot of confirmation on this this year. Being one of the older guys, you start questioning whether you’ve still got it with so many of the younger guys that are doing so well this year. “I feel like I can hang with the Rocker Steiners and Kade Sonniers and Keenan Hayeses, so I’m excited that I’ve got another chance to show it.” The maturation of a rodeo cowboy comes through the experiences he has faced over a career. A decade ago, he was the young gun in the field, a 20-year-old bareback rider still feeling the high of being the first person to win $1 million at The American. Now, he’s a veteran who understands what it takes to perform well no matter the style of horse under him. “I don’t think there was really just one thing that was the key to the success I had this year,” Champion said. “Having last year off and not really caring about rodeo in a sense gave me the amount of time away from it that I needed. I wasn’t trying to rush back, because that would have only hampered me. “I turned out a lot of horses that I didn’t think fit me because I was trying  Continue Reading »

MIAMI, Texas – Always confident in competition, Wyatt Casper doesn’t deny the shimmers of doubts that crossed his mind a few months ago. A nagging injury – a torn right hamstring – haunted him again July 4. He’d just gone through the same pain a year earlier but tried to come back too soon and suffered another setback. In 2023, he knew better and just stayed on injured reserve for 30 days. While his leg ached, the biggest pain he felt came from missing out on a month’s worth of big-money rodeos. No Calgary, Alberta. No Cheyenne, Wyoming. As a saddle bronc rider who makes a living riding equine-powered dynamite, lucrative rodeos like those are vital to his business. He returned to action the first week of August, but things just weren’t clicking the way he had hoped. “A couple of weeks went by, and I just didn’t feel completely right yet,” said Casper, 27, of Miami. “I didn’t really win a whole lot, and I was getting a little down in the dumps.” He didn’t stay there long. In mid-August, he and all the other top bronc riders in ProRodeo converged on the Xtreme Broncs Finals in Rapid City, South Dakota. He won that event and $31,000, a turning point to his 2023 campaign that has propelled him to his fourth straight National Finals Rodeo. “I really needed that to hep push me through to qualifying for the NFR and getting some momentum on my side,” he said. “Bronc riding is all about confidence and just having some good luck go your way. It has to be something where you think every time you get on, there’s not a chance he’s going to throw you off or that you’re going to screw up. You’re going to win some money. “I think that plays a big part of it being in good rhythm and drawing all those good horses and making some money. It goes hand in hand, and all that helps you get some good confidence.” He finished the regular season with $142,421, good enough for eighth place as he heads back to the NFR, set for Dec. 7-16 in Las Vegas. He has credited a consistent approach to his game for keeping him among ProRodeo’s elite saddle bronc riders. His best season to date was 2020, when he finished as the reserve world champion. He would love to improve upon that this year, and the only way to do that is to finish the finale as the No. 1 man. “The big thing was not screwing up any good horses and capitalizing on good draws and making money when you can,” he said. “I don’t feel like I changed anything. I just stuck to the gameplan I’ve always had, and, luckily, it’s been working out good.” He’s definitely been on a roll. He didn’t finish first at many rodeos – he won five event titles and shared the championship at another – but he placed a lot. The only way to earn money in rodeo is to beat most of the cowboys in the field, and he did that a lot through the campaign. It doesn’t hurt that rodeo features unprecedented purses in 2023. As Casper pointed out, the 15th man on the money was Louisianan Ryder Sanford, who earned $125,388. That’s an incredible amount of earnings just to advance to the sport’s grand finale – only the top 15 contestants in the world standings in each event at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the NFR. “If’ you’d told me when I started that it would take that kind of money to qualify for the NFR, I would have thought you were crazy,” said Casper, who lives outside Miami with his wife, Lesley, and their two children, Cooper and Cheyenne. “It just goes to show what the PRCA is doing and what these rodeos are doing. I know everybody is trying to increase the added money and trying to pay the contestants more money, and it’s showing.” That’s one of the positive things about rodeo; cowboys and cowgirls realize the importance of doing well in competition. Unlike other professional sports, there are no guaranteed contracts. On top of that, contestants must pay a fee in order to compete; while that money is mixed with local dollars to make up the overall purse, men and women must excel at each stop in order to get paid. Casper knew that when he opted to become a professional rodeo cowboy. It’s a life he was meant to live. His folks, John and Amy, started roping as a hobby when they met, and he and his brothers, Ty and Clay, followed suit. Raised near Balko in the Oklahoma Panhandle, Wyatt Casper obtained a rodeo scholarship to Clarendon (Texas) College, where coach Bret Franks helped him transition from roper to bronc rider. Casper took to it so well that he was crowned the 2016 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s national champion while at Clarendon. That opened the doors and helped the young cowboy prosper, and he returns to his roots every now and then to keep his tools sharp. In fact, he’ll utilize those relationships and others as he prepares for the rugged 10 go-rounds in Las Vegas. “I’m going to get on some practice horses and take care of my body, get it in the best shape I can to survive 10 horses,” said Casper, who not only leans on his family but also has support from his sponsors, Cinch, Priefert, Resistol, Superior Livestock, TD Angus, MVP Exceed 6 Way, Western Hauler and Sawyer Hay & Cube. “I’ve got two practice horses that I keep down at Clarendon all the time, and then I think I’ll go to Frontier Rodeo’s (in Freedom, Oklahoma) and get on a couple of broncs there. I just went up to (a PRCA event in) Indianapolis and broke in some new boots and a saddle, and everything seems like it’s set up pretty good.  Continue Reading »

WEATHERFORD, Texas – In some ways, Leighton Berry was destined to be one of the world’s greatest bareback riders. He is a second-generation bronc buster. Twenty years ago, his father, Kirby, was wrapping up a pretty steady career. Now, Kirby Berry is busy watching both Leighton and younger brother Kade spur bucking horses across the county. As the oldest of three children, Leighton Berry has set quite a standard. He finished his fifth regular season in ProRodeo fifth in the world standings, having earned $157,955 through the rigors of the campaign. He will now embark on his third qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, which takes place Dec. 7-16 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. “I just really enjoy making my dad proud and making my family proud,” said Leighton Berry, 24, of Weatherford. “I know whenever I make the NFR, it’s a dream that my dad had; he just didn’t have the support system that I’ve had growing up to get there. I know when my dad is up in the stands for 10 nights in a row watching me perform on the highest level of rodeo that I’m making him proud.” It probably doesn’t take that much to make is father beam, but Berry is an overachiever in that regard. During his inaugural season in 2019, he finished third the Bareback Riding Resistol Rookie of the Year race, then qualified for the NFR for the first time in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. “My biggest achievement is knowing that I took what my dad didn’t have and built on it,” he said. “My dad made sure that his ceiling was my floor, and he gave me all the opportunities to grow and get better and perfect the skills I need to have in this sport that I’ve grown to love since I was 15 years old.” He’s done that and more. Just weeks after his initial NFR – which took place in Arlington, Texas, because of the worldwide pandemic – Berry was eager to get his third year rolling. Everything quickly came to a halt, though. He was smashed in the chutes in Odessa, Texas, and suffered a serious mid-back injury that forced him to injured reserve. He had surgery, then went through months of rehabilitation. He finally returned to action the opening week of August and quickly proved that he was not only healed but was also a force in bareback riding. He battled through the final two months of the season and finished the campaign 23rd in the world standings – only the top 15 on the money list in each event at the end of the regular season qualify for the NFR. “Missing out on going to Vegas that year really lit a fire under me,” said Berry, who attended Weatherford College and Tarleton State University. “So going to Vegas last year, I felt more like a rookie. Now, I have two NFRs under my belt, but I have two totally different experiences, two totally different vibes.” He fully understands what it’s like to ride bucking horses for 10 nights in the Nevada desert. He has felt the energy that flows from nearly 18,000 fans packed around a dirt arena about the size of a hockey rink. In fact, he finished the 2022 season third in the world standings with almost $270,000, half of which came last December. “I think God had a plan for me all along this year,” he said. “Coming off the NFR last year I felt really strong, really confident and capable in my abilities. Coming out third in the world, I just knew I was close to getting a gold buckle and doing it at my first NFR in Vegas. I really understood what it’s going to take, and that’s the way I approached it this year.” Like many professional sports, a rodeo season can be like a roller coaster with many ups and downs. He went to the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo in February with big plans and big intensions, but he was bucked off and left wanting something more. He got that as the winter months continued into spring, making a highlight reel as the Texan rolled through the Texas swing of indoor rodeos. First he won the title in San Antonio, then he snagged the $50,000 and more at Houston. He concluded it all with the championship in San Angelo. By the time May arrived, he was the No. 1 man in the land, and he had a glimpse of what things looked like from atop the bareback riding mountain. “I started drawing some good horses when it counted,” Berry said. “Leading up to the four-man in Houston, it was basically a grind for me to even get there. If it wasn’t for one round win in San Antonio, I wouldn’t have moved on. If it wasn’t for one round win in Houston, I wouldn’t have moved on. “It was still a battle, but once I got to the end, it always shook out the way it needed to, and I ended up having just the right horse to win the rodeo.” While earning victories in Houston, San Antonio and San Angelo was amazing, he may have done something just as sweet a few weeks later. In June, he won the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo; it was the third time he’d been crowned the champ in Weatherford. “No matter how vibrant it feels winning the $50,000 in Houston or tying the arena record in San Antonio on the former world champion bucking horse, those feelings mix right in with being 91 points at my hometown rodeo,” he said. “Even though I’m not going into the NFR No. 1 in the world, I was going into the summer and going to that rodeo. “I always look forward to my hometown rodeo, which I think is super-underrated. The stands were packed to capacity, and you’ve got everybody from  Continue Reading »

Organization continues to take strides forward with new officers DODGE CITY, Kan. – Since its inception nearly 50 years ago, Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has not only served the community, but it has done so with a solid base of volunteers. Roundup’s members donate their time and talents to help produce one of the top events in the country, one that draws hundreds of cowboys, cowgirls and fans to Ford County every summer. It’s a dedicated group of individuals that bands together to make it all happen. The group’s leadership has changed many times over the years, and the retirement of Dr. R.C. Trotter after 20 years as Roundup’s president means other changes to its team of officers beginning this fall. Steve Deges, who has spent more than 20 years as a volunteer and 18 years as a director for the largest rodeo in Kansas, has been elected as Roundup’s president. “It is truly an honor to have been nominated by this organization, then to be voted as their president,” said Deges, who joins Roundup secretary Crysta Stella as the newest members of the organization’s board. “I only hope I can hold up to the legacy of those that have blazed the trail ahead of me.” That’s no small task. Over the years, the marquee event of the Dodge City Days celebration has been named the PRCA Rodeo of the Year nine times. In 2012, Roundup was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and will forever be enshrined along hundreds of world champions and other rodeo dignitaries. “Being an officer for Dodge City Roundup is such an honor to represent our organization,” Stella said. “I get to help promote our organization and continue to grow it and look forward to helping our recruitment of new members. “I’m also in a position where I am getting to help with the visions of what we can continue to provide for entertainment for all ages in our community.” Deges and Stella will join two other officers, treasurer Teresa Winger Martin, who has been involved for 10 years, and vice president Jerry Pegelow, a 26-year Roundup member who has been on the board for 24 years. “It’s an honor to be a member of Dodge City Roundup,” Pegelow said. “We are the youngest rodeo inducted into the Hall of Fame, and we are always one of the top 25 rodeos in the country. It’s amazing what we can do out here in western Kansas. We have a good community, and we all work together. “Roundup is conducting business 12 months out a year, looking at where we’ve been and where we want to go. We’re already planning for next year and beyond.” That aspect is something all volunteers cherish. Most join to be part of something special, and the rodeo is that for the thousands of visitors who pack into Roundup Arena for six nights every year. “Leadership carries the legacy that has been laid within my family to make my community better,” Martin said. “The first goal I have is for the community to be aware that a rodeo is a yearlong production; the event doesn’t just happen in one week a year. “I would also like to see the grounds used for other events, and continued updates to the facility is important to both of these goals. With this comes more community involvement and, hopefully, more people interested in helping. Our organization should be a premier place to volunteer.” It certainly has been over the years. Community leaders have stepped in, whether it’s helping with manual labor or obtaining sponsorships or promoting the rodeo across the state and the region. They attend training seminars and work with the livestock producer and other contractors who help make the rodeo run smoothly every year. “My goals are to maintain the integrity of those who founded this organization 47 years ago,” Deges said. “This facility is 47 years old, and we have a lot of work to do to maintain and make improvements to it to make it a great experience for all that attend.” Work has been ongoing for most of Roundup’s existence, and it will continue. In the last year, the volunteers got their hands dirty preparing an updated ticket booth for an eye-popping new entrance on the west side of the complex. They also worked closely with Victory Electric to enhance the electrical grid around the facility. “I want to continue to make innovative improvements to our facility for our community to enjoy and be proud of,” Stella said. “I would love to see future generations become involved in the sport of rodeo and be part of the family at Dodge City Roundup.” Growth and resurrection are important to any organization, but they are vital to a volunteer group. “I have long believed in the 4H motto: To Make the Best Better,” Martin said. “This is what I hope to accomplish as a Roundup officer.” With the officers in place, the team is not only continuing to build on the foundation that was laid many years ago, it also is pushing toward the next phase of development for an event that not only serves western Kansas but also is celebrated by those that help make ProRodeo great.   “I would like to revitalize our membership with new, younger members so we can keep this organization vibrant and alive for another 47 years,” Deges said. “We have a great team of officers, an outstanding group of volunteers and a wonderful community. Together we can make great things happen.”

Cinch personality is able to share rodeo passion through announcing Anthony Lucia grew up in rodeo, the son of one of the best-known entertainers in the sport’s history. His raising taught the youngest son of Tommy Lucia the importance of timing and preparation. From 2010-13, Anthony Lucia trick-roped in Las Vegas during National Finals Rodeo each December. A second-generation entertainer, he took to it well. It fit his personality. He would be in the arena mere minutes a night, but it was everything he had hoped it would be. He had plenty of time through each day to get ready and made sure he was prepared to put on a show every night. In the years since, Lucia has traded in his rope for a microphone and is one of the rising announcers in ProRodeo. A Cinch endorsee, his personality shines just as it did a decade ago. The main difference? He has zero free time. He is sought-after, and during the 10 days of ProRodeo’s grand finale in Sin City, he can be found all over town doing what he loves. “This year is going to be unbelievably awesome and busy,” said Lucia, who lives near Weatherford, Texas, with his wife of five years, Lisa, the 2017 Miss Rodeo America. “Between my talk show, Live with Lucia, every day at 10:30 (a.m.) on The Cowboy Channel main stage at Cowboy Christmas, then the breakaway finals is going to happen the first Tuesday and Wednesday. “Then Thursday starts and even busier time with the BFO World Championships, then every night I’ll be at the Thomas & Mack (Center) doing PRCA Insider stuff for PRCA social media channels, the Resistol Rookie of the Year banquet and the Golden Circle of Champions celebration. It is the greatest and busiest 10 days of the entire year.” Lucia has earned a schedule like this. He’s been nominated as PRCA Announcer of the Year each of the last two years and has increased his annual workload by a lot. He estimates that he called the action at 130 performances during the 2023 regular season. More than a third of his calendar was spent behind the microphone, and that doesn’t include the number of hours he spends doing his homework. Whether it’s making sure fans have the greatest experience possible while sitting in the stands at a rodeo or knowing everything he can about a guest for his Las Vegas talk show, Lucia hones in on the details necessary to be one of the best. It’s why this December, his will be one of the featured voices at the National Finals Breakaway Roping for the second time in three years. “It’s really exciting to be able to be part of crowning a world champion that week in Las Vegas and getting to do it with Will Rasmussen,” Lucia said. “It’s like a big-time, full-circle moment for me, because I grew up listening to Will. I’ve been friends with him and his family as long as I can remember. His kids and I always hung out whenever my dad worked the Sanky rodeos, so it’s so special that I get to work with a living legend like Will.”  Lucia is becoming a legend himself. His familiarity with the players and his understanding of production prove his versatility and his merit. Just as Tommy Lucia earned his place in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs and the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Anthony Lucia deserves to have his name mentioned with other elite announcers. In 2022 and 2023, he is nominated with Rasmussen, Wayne Brooks, Bob Tallman, and Garrett Yerigan, another Cinch newcomer who has been named PRCA Announcer of the Year each of the past two seasons. “Just merely to be on the same list as Bob, Wayne, Will and Garrett is unbelievable,” Anthony Lucia said. “It’s an incredible feeling, because my dad taught me to work hard and give it everything you’ve got every performance. Doing your best for the rodeo you’re working and for the fans is how you win in this business. “It’s not necessarily about awards or accolades; it’s about making a living doing some thing you love while growing the sport. When I got the call last year to tell me I was nominated, I was literally crying.” Those happy tears say a lot about the man and also express the passion with which he practices his craft. “I am unapologetically myself,” he said. “I went all in on the announcing in the fall of 2020; before that, I was doing so much television stuff and broadcasting and different things like that, so it’s mind-blowing to see what God has been able to do in my career. It means a little bit more now that announcing is solely how I provide for my family, and I’ve been able to get more opportunities to go to rodeos and announce them. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I’m going to keep going and enjoy every second of it.” Lucia grew up with a rope in his hand. As a youngster, he got into doing tricks with ropes as a way to keep boredom at bay, and all that time helped him develop into one of the top acts in the business. Rodeo is unique in the way that it is both a world-class competition and a brand of entertainment. He has been on both ends of the spectrum. While also doing acts, Lucia was a competitor. He loves to team rope, but he understands now that focusing on one aspect of his life might be the best move. While there was a multi-talented attribute that helped him function, there’s something else that is making him stand out in a field of incredible announcers. “(Fellow announcer) Boyd Polhamus told me a long time ago, ‘At some point, you’re going to have to take one of those things and go all-in with it,’ and at the  Continue Reading »