About: Ted

Idaho cowboy cashes in with a big-money ride in Dodge City DODGE CITY, Kan. – Growing up in the tiny town of Monteview, Idaho, Tristen Hutchings didn’t have a lot. He was raised around rodeo and found a passion for riding bulls. That love affair carried him to a magical 2022 season, one in which he finished third in the final world standings after and explosive run at the National Finals Rodeo. Over that 10 days in Las Vegas, he won four go-rounds pocketed more than $250,000 and pushed his season earnings to just shy of $380,000. He gained experience. He gained confidence. He gained a boatload of Nevada money. “I didn’t grow up with much money, so it’s nice having it,” said Hutchings, who added $4,653 to his bank account after winning the Dodge City Xtreme Bulls on Tuesday night. “I’ve been holding on to it. You don’t have a chance to get on NFR-caliber bulls all the time, and we had five, six, maybe seven of them out tonight.” He matched moves with Frontier Rodeo’s Jackpot, a fitting name for the gambling bull rider Hutchings is turning out to be. With his early-week payday, he moved up one spot to sixth in the 2023 world standings with $124,761. It is the second Xtreme Bulls title he’s won this year; he also claimed the crown in late June at Clear Lake, South Dakota. “You never know if you’re going to win one of these when everybody else is riding so well,” he said. “We had the top 40 in the world here tonight, but that bull and I matched up well together and it ended up working really good.” He did a bit of homework on Jackpot before he had the chance to wrap his hand in the bull rope. By watching videos shown to him by fellow bull rider Josh Frost, Hutchings gained some insight. It’s just like a professional team scouting its upcoming opponent. “Josh showed me two videos on him, and he was really good both times,” Hutchings said. “Just was even more excited for me to get on him than I was. I could see why; he was a blast.” With so much money won by early August, he hopes to have secured a second straight bid to the NFR, ProRodeo’s grand finale that features only the top 15 contestants in each event at the conclusion of the regular season. With that, he’s going to rodeo closer to his Idaho home over the next few weeks to secure something else that is special to him. “Winning our circuit is a pretty big goal of mine,” Hutchings said of the Wilderness Circuit, a series of rodeos and contestants primarily in Utah and southern Idaho. “We have Stetson (Wright), Ky (Hamilton), Josh Frost and Hayes Weight, and four of the five of us finished in the top four in the world standings last year. “It took almost $50,000 just in our circuit to win it last year, so if I could come out on top there, it would be tremendous.” It’s just one of many big-time goals for the 23-year-old bull rider, but he’s proven capable of much more. Dodge City Roundup Xtreme BullsDodge City, Kan.Aug. 1, 20231. Tristen Hutchings, 88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Jackpot, $4,653; 2. Trey Kimzey, 88, $3,567; 3. Chance Schott, 85, $2,637; 4. Stetson Wright, 84.5, $1,706; 5. Creek Young, 81, $1,086; 6. Luke Mast, 80, $776; 7. Mason Moody, 79, $620; 8. Canyon Bass, 78, $465.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – With a nod to the pioneers that made southeastern New Mexico their homes, the lifeblood for folks in this part of the world remains what it was decades ago: Ranching, oil and natural gas. Many of the communities in Lea County were founded in the early 1900s. The epicenter is Hobbs, the largest community in the vertically driven plot of land that makes up about 4,400 square miles, boasting of a population of 40,000 souls. It became a boomtown with the discovery of oil and gas in 1927. As an extension of that, the Lea County Fair and Rodeo is perfect experience for the communities. The exposition recognizes the wildcatters who made their way in search of “black gold” and the riches that come with it, but more it salutes the foundation of the county, the hard-working folks that built the platforms and toiled in the dirt and raised the cattle. Along the way, those layers of excellence were showcased through the livestock shows and rodeos. It’s why decades after it was established, the county fair continues to strive for excellence. Jimmie Cooper was raised in Lea County and spent countless days at the fairgrounds in Lovington, home of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for Friday, Aug. 4-Saturday, Aug. 12. “My mom and dad always loved Lea County, so I naturally loved it,” said Cooper, a world champion cowboy from Monument, New Mexico. “I think the one thing Lea County has done is taught a lot of people how to work hard to try to make a living. It’s not a bad thing; it’s pretty nice to have a work ethic.” Cooper competed in tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling and in 1981 was crowned the PRCA’s all-around champion. He is one of just a handful of men to have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in three events. That’s why he has been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame. Before he was the standard in ProRodeo, Cooper had seen or heard about legends that came from Lea County. They were men like Jake McClure and Troy Fort, who are also enshrined with Cooper. Roy Cooper is also one of the sport’s legend; all joined with dozens of other greats to prove of the mettle that is born in the southeastern most territory in New Mexico. “When I was growing up, Roy was outstanding,” Jimmie Cooper said of his cousin, who is a year older. “I was never really good as a youngster. I always looked up to Roy and looked up to him and followed him. When I was in college, I started stepping it up. By that time, Roy had already won a world’s championship in the calf roping. If you know somebody or are related to somebody that has success, you can follow in their path and work real hard like they did, and hopefully you can get it yourself. “When you love something and aren’t that good at it, you almost want it worse. I loved roping and rodeo. When I finally had a little success, it motivated me more and more. I was fortunate enough that I was able to attain some of my dreams.” He had seen it in others, and he was building something for himself and for his family. He and his wife, Shryl, made sure to pass that along to their three children, twin sons Jim Ross and Jake and daughter Jill. All have found success in rodeo. “When my twin sons were 2 years old, my wife and I decided it would be a good time to come back to Lea County and try to raise them the way I was raised,” Jimmie Cooper said. Much of the county was built on a dream of wealth or greatness, and many continue to find it in some fashion through a strong work ethic and a foundation laid in their communities. They are offered the chance to celebrate it once a year during the fair and rodeo. “We used to go up there one Sunday a month for play days when I was a kid,” Cooper said. “I’ve been going to that arena since I was probably 10 years old. I have a lot of great memories there.”

Gooding Pro Rodeo to help raise awareness for Heroes and Horses GOODING, Idaho – Micah Fink has a fiery personality, one that guides him to help others. It came in handy as a Navy SEAL, a true warrior during the years he was in service for the country. His charm is even more fitting now that he’s the CEO and founder of Heroes and Horses, an organization that helps veterans as they transition out of fighting mode and back into society. Heroes and Horses has teamed with the Gooding Pro Rodeo to raise awareness to its program and to support the sport that is closely associated with the organization. Fink and others with the group will be on hand for the rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 17-Saturday, Aug. 19, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 16. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. “We are a horse-based program, and we have our own beef program,” Fink said. “We have about 75 head of horses we are raising, including all the ground-up training, and wild mustangs. “I think we’re tied to the rodeo culture and community. We have a guy who graduated our program last year that is riding bareback horses now. The partnership with the rodeo made sense to us.” Fink will also speak at the Tough Enough to Wear Pink luncheon that coincides with the rodeo; that event is set for 11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 18, and he hopes to convey a message that will reach every person. “In every age and every time, humanity is presented with really great challenges,” he said. “It’s undeniable that we are in the midst of facing immense challenges. My hope is when I share, they realize that everyone is looking for someone to provide answers and insights and rescue us from this sea of stupidity. “You have to act; you have to take action. If the doctor tells you that you have to lose weight, you have to act. We can make the changes. When enough people begin doing that, the whole system changes. It starts with one person at a time. I hope people are inspired in whatever it is to take action on behalf of their own lives.” The purpose of Heroes and Horses is to take veterans that are having a difficult time now that they are no longer serving the country and help them via a highly intense, 41-day program that has them riding horses through the wilderness on an adventure that allows the students to wade through all that has gone on in their lives while also giving them hope to change the direction. The organization’s mission is to “un-program the programed … to offer combat veterans with an alternative solution for defining and approaching their physical and mental scars – a solution that does not include prescription medicines or traditional psychotherapy but rather the opportunity to use tools to redefine their purpose, rediscover their inner-strength and maximize their potential by taking ownership of their lives for the first time since leaving service.” There are some significant numbers that Heroes and Horses is trying to correct, most notably how veterans are dealing with the changes in their lives since being in combat. “It is estimated that 155,000 veterans have committed suicide since 2005,” Fink said. “Our government spent $92 billion between 2012 and the end of 2020 trying to help soldiers through medicine. Students in the past have been on prescriptions with high numbers as high as 32 a day. They are still making the choice, because that’s the choice that is being offered to them. “They’re making a mistake, because they’re participating in a highly funded but failed systems where the solutions have become the problem.” Managing everyday life can be a tough task for anyone, much less former combatants who have seen the horrors of war. Numbing those experiences doesn’t help, Fink said. The participants that have gone through the Heroes and Horses classes are learning how to better handle the situations that arise. “Life is supposed to be difficult,” Fink said. “You’re supposed to feel it; you’re supposed to experience it. Then life becomes every experience they need. They experience the curriculum. That’s what the transition is. Some get it in just a few days of their journey, but some don’t get it until near the very end. “Take ownership of your life and realize that everything that is occurring is an opportunity to deconstruct yourself, where you come to the truth of who you are. It happens on horseback; it happens in the intensive and immersive morning routines over 41-days. They go through all these things to come to the conclusion that they can manage.” In order to grow, the mindset must change. Service men and women sign up to fight for their government, to go into combat if necessary. They know what it means to be warriors and follow orders; when those guidelines are no longer there, then there is a period of adjustment that must take place. That’s how Heroes and Horses helps. “It’s a much different thing to fight for yourself,” Fink said. “I’ve seen the most ardent warriors, really hardened individuals, be the weakest person when it comes to fighting for themselves. That’s the heroes journey. “They are completely terrified of the death that will come in their own lives. When we open a 41-day program, it’s a 41-day ritual. They’ve never ridden horses. You’ve got to be in the mindset, because it gets real quiet inside of your head. There are no cell phones for the first three weeks. “We are spending time with ourselves but learning to listen with our hearts. What horses and the morning routines teach us is how to feel. The secret is always in the feeling. The war begins between the head and the heart. The mind is always trying to reinforce its own correctness, so we have to teach ourselves how  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – When Karen and Karole Kemper were youngsters in southern Lea County, they followed their mother’s lead and became involved with arts and crafts. All three ladies showed their talents at the county festival. Their mother, 89-year-old Joyce Kemper, is still planning to show during this year’s Lea County Fair and Rodeo, set for Friday, Aug. 4-Saturday, Aug. 12, at the fairgrounds in Lovington. Three generations have been part of the annual expo, including Karen Jackson’s granddaughter, Jillian Lockwood, who is getting all her valuables ready for this year’s showcase inside the Yucca Building on the fairgrounds. That’s where arts, crafts, gardening and many other exhibits will be on display, and it’s a chance for fairgoers to enjoy another aspect of the fair and its contributors. “I like promoting the ability to create things out of different materials with your hands,” said Karole Hunt, the youngest of the two Kemper girls. “What the kids make these days qualifies as a lost art. There’s a bit of a surge in sewing and using sewing machines, and I like being able to promote that. At the quilt store (for which she works), we encourage people to put their creations in the fair.” There’s so much involved in the local fair, which is more of a regional exposition. With the PRCA rodeo, the other activities at Jake McClure Arena and the concert series, the Lea County Fair and Rodeo draws visitors from the Texas Panhandle, West Texas and a big portion of southeastern New Mexico. But there’s a great deal that expresses the local flair and the importance of showcasing exhibitors, whether it’s through the various livestock shows or the crafts displays in the Yucca Building. The fourth generation of the Kemper clan is involved in showing at the fair, while the third branch of the family tree focused on other things. With Jillian involved, it allows her great grandmother, her grandma and her great-aunt a chance to share their love affair with crafting. “A lot of work goes into those projects they make and the produce that they grow,” Jackson said. “I’m always amazed, because I definitely don’t have a green thumb. The canning and highlighting a different aspect of those exhibits than what I’ve done is great to see. I like to see people’s creativity in the different things. The handiwork that some people do and seeing what these young kids can do is very interesting to me. I enjoy it all.” It’s almost as if the exhibits in the Yucca Building are a tip of the cap to the generations that made life what it was many decades ago. The skills come from a time when people made their own clothes, canned their own food and blanketed themselves with quilts that were hand-made. As times have changed, many of those skills have been pushed to the backburner. “It’s not so much about showing off the talents but showing other people that you can make your own and make it unique so you don’t have to buy everything,” Hunt said. “Mom inspired us to keep sewing alive. “I’m more arts and crafty. I have shown clothes and made a dragonfly out of recycled materials. I have done a wall-hanging and cross-stitched. I entered sweepstakes a few years ago with my mother’s help with canning and baking.” While there are opportunities for children to be involved through 4H, the fair also offers older folks the chance to showcase their wares and talents. For Jillian, the expo allows her to express her creativity while also being able to do all the other aspects of the fair. “She enters her 4H projects like sewing, and she has won the sweepstakes in her division,” Jackson said of her granddaughter. “She also shows livestock; her dad showed livestock when he was younger but not in Lea County. “My sister is the one that helps Jillian with showing. It’s something they like to do together.” It fits in fine with Hunt’s personality. “I’m the sewing aunt, so she does all her sewing projects with me and the other entries with my sister and her other grandmother,” Hunt said. “I have one granddaughter that sews, but she lives in Amarillo (Texas), so working with her regularly is difficult, and she can’t show in Lea County.” More than anything, though, Hunt and Jackson are just carrying on a tradition while passing on the knowledge they have gained to the next generations. That might be one of the greatest parts of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. “I really do like seeing the tradition continue,” Jackson said. “My mother is a beautiful seamstress. She doesn’t quilt much, but she’s made clothes for everyone. She started when she was really young, and she’s just continued to do it.” Even as she nears 90, Joyce Kemper still has something to show to the folks at the local fair. Just down the aisle, her great-granddaughter’s work is on display, too. That’s where the generations collide in the most unique way.

Montana group offering a variety of dancehall music to Gooding Pro Rodeo GOODING, Idaho – For most of its existence, the Exit 53 band stayed pretty close to its home in Hardin, Montana. The four-person group is expanding its reach a little more and will be playing after the final three performances of the Gooding Pro Rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 17-Saturday, Aug. 19, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 16. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. “We’ve been all over Montana, Wyoming, into North Dakota, but the Gooding trip will be the farthest trip yet,” said Landa Uffelman, the lead vocalist and guitar player, who will share stage with her bandmates, lead guitarist Gary Lehman, who also handles vocals; bass guitar player Gale Link; and drummer Tyson Bouwens “We’ve been branching out more this year. We’ve been getting away from the wedding scene and more into the shows. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve been able to travel a little bit more and hit some of the fairs. It’s worth going to Gooding to us being that it’s a three-day trip, and we’re excited about it.” Exit 53 considers itself a “high energy country and classic rock band that appeals to a wide audience by playing an extensive range of music,” and its focus is on music that allows patrons the opportunity to dance. It was established about 14 years ago, with Lehman part of the original group. Uffelman joined forces two years later; the foursome finds itself busy most weekends. “Our bass player has been with us about seven or eight years, and our drummer just retired a little bit ago, so Tyson has been with us for a year and a half,” she said. “We’ve been able to work well together. The music side of it is just a portion of being in a band; being able to get along is also a big part of it.” While country music is the group’s niche, the bandmates have no trouble getting into some solid classic rock. Whether its “Kerosene” by Miranda Lambert or “What’s Going On” by Four None Blondes, Exit 53 plays covers that keep audiences enthralled. “We all just love playing music,” Uffelman said. “We’ll have as much fun playing in the garage as we do on stage. As long as we’re making music, we’re having fun. The best part of playing in front of a crowd is the response. You play off the crowd. You can change the entire show if they’re having fun and dancing along.” It’s a good fit for rodeo organizers and the fans that come to be entertained. “We pride ourselves on having a great overall experience,” said Don Gill, the fair and rodeo’s manager. “Having Exit 53 will definitely enhance the experience our fans are going to have.”