Parade will honor longtime voice
GUNNISON, Colo. – For 123 years, Cattlemen’s Days is more than a community get-together, more than a county fair. It’s a celebration and a homecoming, a chance for folks who were raised in this neck of the woods to reunite with family and friends. It’s a chance for neighbors to reconnect, an opportunity for […]
Rooftop: A destination rodeo
Cowboys, cowgirls always look forward to competition, visiting Estes Park ESTES PARK, Colo. – Many American families will travel halfway across the country just to vacation in this majestic community. For rodeo cowboys and cowgirls, Estes Park is just a beautiful stop along their winding path to make a living and chase their […]
Passion drives O’Connells
Young family acquires 100 percent of Championship Pro Rodeo LEEDEY, Okla. – Rodeo is a peculiar sport, one that was bred by a multitude of proud folks who were excited to show their talents. Born through ranching and raising livestock in the American West, rodeo was founded on the skills used virtually every day […]
Rodeo will feature unique horse
GUNNISON, Colo. – Eighteen years have passed since Hurricane Katrina wrecked theGulf Coast, killing nearly 1,400 people and costing $100 billion in damages. Countless animals perished; hundreds were badly injured. Some livestock stood in floodwaters for days and suffered damage from that. Jerry Thornton learned about one of those, rescued the young stallion and […]
Rangers battle through CNFR
ALVA, Okla. – Denton Oestmann and Kaden Greenfield feel a bit of a sting, a bit of a loss. Their final days as intercollegiate athletes came to an end without the fanfare both had envisioned at their last College National Finals Rodeo. By the time the national champions were celebrated Saturday night, both Northwestern […]
Parade returns to Estes Park
Rooftop Rodeo’s annual procession returns after a three-year hiatus ESTES PARK, Colo. – The sounds of horse’s hooves clacking along the pavement on Elkhorn Avenue have been missing. They’ll return this summer. With them will be the return of the Rooftop Rodeo Parade, which begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 6. It will be […]
Rodeo continues to strengthen
BIG SPRING, Texas – The talk of the town in this community of nearly 26,000 folks has been the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo. It’s fitting, with the annual rodeo having one of its most successful weekends in years. Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls made their way to this west Texas city to […]
Bulldogs add two more titles
CASPER, Wyo. – The smile isn’t likely to leave Weston Timberman’s face anytime soon. He’s just 19 years old and has already proven to be one of the best cowboys in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, claiming the bareback riding championship and serving as a major reason why the Clarendon (Texas) College rodeo team won […]
Local rodeo will celebrate patriots
GUNNISON, Colo. – His words were direct, a reflection of the work he’s been doing to not only promote the Cattlemen’s Days celebration but also the service men and women. “Our Patriot Night is going to be amazing,” said Kevin Coblentz, a longtime member of the volunteer committee that produces the annual exposition. “We have […]
Numbers count in Estes Park
Thousands of fans see many great things each year at Rooftop Rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – Just hearing the name of the town conjures up incredible memories for millions of people who have found their way to this destination community over the years. Of course, the valley is encapsulated by the majesty that is this […]
Celebration honors town’s history
GUNNISON, Colo. – The history of the Cattlemen’s Days celebration dates back to 1900, when folks in the Gunnison Valley were looking for a way to gather together to celebrate. Now in its 123rd year, it continues to be a community gathering and so much more. Generation after generation has grown up in Gunnison County […]
Clown excited for mountain return
GUNNISON, Colo. – In his hometown of Charleston, Arkansas, Cody Sosebee can walk outside in the summertime and begin sweating in just a few steps. The town of 2,300 souls is surrounded by trees and creeks and has a lake on its south side. It’s not far from the Arkansas River and the Oklahoma state […]
Clown has a streak of comedy
Gizmo McCracken to be featured entertainer at this year’s Rooftop Rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – For most of his life, Dale “Gizmo” McCracken has been a comedian. He spent some time on stage in Branson, Missouri, then transitioned that into a career as a rodeo clown. It’s carried him to locales all across North America, […]
Pros help rodeo reach elite status
GUNNISON, Colo. – The foundation for success is surrounding oneself with the very best. It’s a philosophy used by the local organizers of the Gunnison Valley’s biggest annual event, and it’s paying off. The Cattlemen’s Days celebration will honor its 123rd year this July, and that principle is why its ProRodeo has been honored […]
Rooftop changes its direction
Schonholtz takes the control as coordinator of longstanding Rooftop Rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – There is a bit of a cowgirl in everything Cindy Schonholtz does, and it’s guided her back to the Rocky Mountains. It’s perfectly fitting as she begins her role as the Rooftop Rodeo coordinator, working with the town of Estes Park […]
Two Rangers ready for finale
ALVA, Okla. – Steer wrestler Kaden Greenfield and tie-down roper Denton Oestmann have quite a story to tell about their rodeo journeys. Between them, they account for two transfers, two Central Plains Region titles, five qualifications to the College National Finals Rodeo and two degrees from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. They will close out their […]
Futurity brings rodeo to town
GOODING, Idaho – Great athletes come in all shapes and sizes. Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, and LeBron James is trying to be his own version of Michael Jordan. Aaron Donald is 285 pounds and is as swift as a man much smaller, which is why he is one of the […]
Barrel racer closes with a win
GUYMON, Okla. – Before she could even walk, Summer Kosel was horseback. Her father raised racehorses, so she grew up on the racetrack. Now, the wife and mother of four is testing all her years of horsemanship in rodeo, racing her horses around the cloverleaf pattern that is barrel racing. During Sunday’s fourth performance of […]
O’Connell avenges brotherly feud
GUYMON, Okla. – There’s been a bit of a sibling rivalry in the O’Connell house for as long as anyone can remember. Two boys, not far apart in age, was the primary cause, but so was competitiveness and a little bit of spite. Truthfully, it’s a key reason why Tim, the little brother, went on […]
Rookie ignites a bit of Gun Fire
GUYMON, Okla. – Dean Thompson is trying to make a name for himself in professional rodeo. He’s a first-year bareback rider with big-time dreams and an athletic acumen to get him to where he wants to go. Heading into this weekend’s activities, he was fifth in the Resistol Rookie of the Year race and 12th […]
Struxness bolts into Guymon lead
GUYMON, Okla. – J.D. Struxness is on a two-fold mission this rodeo season. He’s got a gold buckle on his mind, and there’s a tremendous amount of work involved with that. He added to his workload, though, with Izzy, an 11-year-old sorrel mare he’s finishing on the rodeo trail. After nearly two years of work […]
Snedecor stays on roll in Guymon
It’s been a good four days for Scott Snedecor. Over the weekend, the four-time world champion steer roper from Fredericksburg, Texas, won three of the first six rounds of the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping in Torrington, Wyoming. With that, he earned a spot in the semifinals, where he finished second, then won the final […]
Munsell closes career with win
ALVA, Okla. – When Lindy Munsell first stepped onto the Northwestern Oklahoma State University campus, her big brother had just begun attending the school. She was 14 years old. Eight years later, she prepares for her graduation and life outside of Alva, where she’s earning a degree in health and sports science with a minor […]
Chace scores points in all-around
ALVA, Okla. – Kade Chace is a tie-down roper at heart, but he’s expanding his horizons. In recent months, his friends at Northwestern Oklahoma State University have talked Chace into trying his hand at steer wrestling, and he’s taken to it rather well. This past weekend at the Southwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Weatherford, […]