About: Ted

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Over his 21-year career, Nick Sartain has done many great things in ProRodeo. He’s won several of the largest rodeos in the sport, and he’s earned six qualifications to the National Finals Rodeo. He even won the heading world championship 11 seasons ago. But he’s never won the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. “I’ve finished second here three or four times, but I’ve never actually won it,” said Sartain 41, of Bandera, Texas. “It’s been good to me every time I’ve been here. It’s one of my all-time favorite rodeos. I’ve come back as the high team (best two-run aggregate score heading to the championship round) two or three times, so hopefully this time is the lucky charm.” He and his heeler, Blaine Vick, will carry the lead into Sunday’s final round after a terrific Saturday at Roundup Arena. They posted a 5.6-second run to finish second in the opening round, then were 6.2 during the final preliminary performance at Kansas’ largest rodeo. So far, each cowboy has earned just shy of $3,000. “This rodeo’s so good, and the committee is amazing and goes out of its way to add so much money,” Sartain said. “It’s just one of the best rodeos around, and with this COVID stuff, it’s definitely one of the best this year. It’s one of the few that has a short round, so it’s important to get both steers caught and get back to the short round.” He and Vick just began teaming this season, and the pandemic may have slowed their opportunities. Still, they don’t look at any of the negatives, and that’s a good thing. “It’s great roping with Nick,” Vick said. “He’s got so much confidence that it rubs off on you. If I miss one or I miss two, he’s never down on you. The confidence he possesses has really improved my roping.” Now they’ll take that confidence into the final round as they chase that coveted buckle awarded to Dodge City champions. “That’s the one I’ve always wanted,” Vick said. “Nick told me four times on the way over that he’s never won it, but I’ve never won it either. I’ve been close two years, and it’s definitely one you want to win. “You just have to appreciate the committee and the town of Dodge City for stepping up and having this one. This is the last big rodeo this season; you can win $10,000 here. There’s not that many rodeos this year, so we’re thankful we get to do what we love at such a great rodeo with amazing hospitality and a lot of added money.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding: First round: 1. Jamie Howlett, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Southern Star, $3,353; 2. Orin Larsen, 87, $2,571; 3. (tie) Chad Rutherford and Nate McFadden, 86, $1,555; 5. (tie) Jesse Pope, Kaycee Feild and Garrett Shadbolt, 85; 8. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Zach Hibler and Spur Lacasse, 84, $112 each; 11. Paden Hurst and Clayton Biglow, 83. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds, $3,307; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8, $2,876; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9, $2,229 each; 5. (tie) Tanner Brunner and Cody Devers, 4.1, $1,366 each; 7. Dalton Massey, 4.2, $719; 8. (tie) Blake Knowles, Tory Johnson and Eli Lord, 4.6, $96 each Second round: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds, $3,092; 3. (tie) Will Lummus, Dalton Massey and Kodie Jang, 3.8, $2,013; 6. Jace Melvin, 4.0, $1,150; 7. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Jacob Edler, 4.1, $503 each. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Kodie Jang, 9.0; 6. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 7. Ryan Shuckburgh, 9.3; 8. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 9. Tom Littell, 9.7; 10. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 11. Denell Henderson, 10.4; 12. Weston Taylor, 10.5. Team roping: First round: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds, $3,399 each; 2. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 5.6, $2,956; 3. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7, $2,512; 4. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Cale Markham/Cody Doescher, 5.8, $1,847 each; 6. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9, $1,182; 7. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 6.1, $517 each. Second round: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds, $3,399; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5, $2,956; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Michael Fortenberry, 5.0, $2,512; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2, $2,069; 5. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5, $1,626; 6. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7, $1,182; 7. Kai Fuller/Reagan Ward, 5.9, $739; 8. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0, $256. Average leaders: 1. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 11.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 12.1; 3. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3; 4. (tie) Jake Orman/Brye Crites, Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison and Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 12.6; 7. (tie) Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett and Clint Summers/Douglas Rich, 12.7; 10. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 12.8; 11. (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 13.0. (The teams of Rahlmann/Von Ahn and Schmidt/Koch advance to championship round via tiebreaker) Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Zeke Thurston, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bay Watch, $2,902; 2. (tie) Taos Muncy and Jade Blackwell, 84, $1,935 each; 4. Ryder Wright, 83.5, $1,064; 5. (tie) Brody Cress, Cole Elshere and Chase Brooks, 83, $516 each; 8. (tie) Ross Griffin, Jacobs Crawley, Spencer Wright and Parker Kempfer, 82.5, $73 each; 12. Jake Finlay, 81.5. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. (tie) Riley Pruitt and Shad Mayfield, 8.1 seconds, $3,023 each; 3. Haven Meged, 8.3, $2,390; 4. Reid Zapalac, 8.5, $1,968; 5. (tie) Catfish Brown and Cooper Martin, 8.6, $1,336 each; 7. Reese Riemer, 8.7, $703; 8. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Cade Swor, 8.8, $141 each. Second round: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds, $3,234; 2. (tie) Kincade Henry and Bo Pickett, 8.0, $2,601; 4. Ty Harris, 8.1, $1,968; 5. (tie) Cody McCartney, L.D. Meier, Ben Robinson and Jax Clegg, 8.3, $914 each. Average leaders: 1. Ty Harris, 17.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Haven Meged, 17.3; 3. Cooper Martin, 17.4; 4. Ike Fontenot, 17.8; 5. Shad Mayfield, 18.4;  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Kodie Jang needed something positive to come his way. Sitting 36th in the world standings and not having many rodeos at which to compete because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the 27-year-old Australian steer wrestler was hungering for circumstances to roll his way. It happened during Friday’s third performance of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. “I get to ride really good horses of Matt Reeves and travel with really good guys,” said Jang, who knocked his steer to the ground in 3.8 seconds to move into a three-way tie for third place in the second round and also move into a tie for fourth place in the aggregate with a two-run cumulative time of 9.0 seconds. Reeves is a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who leads the world standings this season, and he’s been known to have some of the top bulldogging horses in the sport. He is the captain of the ship of traveling partners, which also includes Cade Staton and Jacob Edler, the latter of whom sits fifth in the world standings. “Having Matt with us is really important, because he’s been there and done so much,” Jang said. “He’s been to places you want to go if you want to be a success.” In fact, Reeves is the reigning NFR average champion, one of the most prestigious prizes in rodeo that is awarded to the cowboy that has the best cumulative time or score over 10 nights in Las Vegas. Earlier this year, though, Reeves and others in the sport were hit hard with the sudden death of his top horse, an 8-year-old bay mare he called Rattle. She was the 2019 PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year. “Losing her was definitely hard on all of us emotionally,” said Jang of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. “She was an amazing animal. It seemed like no matter who you put on her, they won. She let everyone win. “Matt’s horse, Roy, is great. We’ve won a lot of money on him the past three years.” In fact, Jang and Edler rode Roy toward the top of the Dodge City leaderboard Friday – Edler is eighth in the aggregate, and only the top 12 times advance to Sunday’s championship round. “I’m not going to count my chickens, but I’d for Edler or me to come out on top,” Jang said. “This is one of the best rodeos of the year. It’s one of the few two-headers we go to, and the money’s awesome.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Jamie Howlett, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Southern Star; 2. Orin Larsen, 87; 3. (tie) Chad Rutherford and Nate McFadden, 86; 5. Jesse Pope, 85; 6. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Zach Hibler, 84; 8. Paden Hurst, 83; 9. (tie) Craig Wisehart and Cole Reiner, 82.5; 11. (tie) Ty Breuer and Richmond Champion, 82; 9. Joel Schlegel, 78.5; 10. (tie) Trenton Montero and Tim O’Connell, 77; 12. Anthony Thomas, 75. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9 each; 5. Dalton Massey, 4.2; 6. (tie) Blake Knowles, Eli Lord, 4.6 and Tory Johnson, 4.6. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Will Lummus, Dalton Massey and Kodie Jang, 3.8; 6. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Jacob Edler, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyke Kipp, Zack Jongbloed and Shade Etherton, 4.3. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Kodie Jang, 9.0; 6. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 7. Ryan Shuckburgh, 9.3; 8. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 9. Tom Littell, 9.7; 10. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 11. Denell Henderson, 10.4; 12. Weston Taylor, 10.5. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7; 3. (tie) Cale Markham/Cody Doescher and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 5.8; 5. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9; 6. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 6.1; 8. (tie) Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson and Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison, 6.3. Second round leaders: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Michael Fortenberry, 5.0; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2; 5. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5; 6. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7; 7. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0; 8. Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison, 6.3. Average leaders: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 12.1 seconds on two runs; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3; 3. (tie) Jake Orman/Brye Crites and Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison, 12.6; 5. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 12.7; 6. (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 13.0; 9. Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 13.3; 10. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 13.6; 11. Ken McKibben/Riley Pedro, 14.1; 12. Adam Wallace/Cody Southerland, 14.8. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bay Watch; 2. Taos Muncy, 84; 3. Ryder Wright, 83.5; 4. (tie) Brody Cress and Cole Elshere, 83; 6. (tie) Ross Griffin, Jacobs Crawley and Spencer Wright, 82.5; 9. Jake Finlay, 81.5; 10. Cody DeMoss, 81; 11. (tie) Brady Hill and Dusty Hausauer, 80.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Riley Pruitt, 8.1 seconds; 2. Haven Meged, 8.3; 3. Reid Zapalac, 8.5; 4. (tie) Cooper Martin and Catfish Brown, 8.6; 6. Reese Riemer, 8.7; 7. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Cade Swor, 8.8. Second round leaders: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Kincade Henry and Bo Pickett, 8.0; 4. Ty Harris, 8.1; 5. (tie) Cody McCartney, L.D. Meier and Ben Robinson, 8.3; 8. (tie) Marcos Costa, Adam Gray and Jake Pratt, 8.5. Average leaders: 1. Ty Harris, 17.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Haven Meged, 17.3; 3. Cooper Martin, 17.4; 4. Ike Fontenot, 17.8; 5. Blake Deckard, 18.5; 6. Ryan Jarrett, 18.6; 7. Glenn Jackson, 18.7; 8. Reid Zapalac, 18.8; 9. Ben Robinson, 19.2; 10. Will Howell, 19.3; 11. Marty Yates, 19.6; 12. Bo Pickett, 19.9. Barrel racing: First round leaders: 1. BryAnna Haluptzok, 16.94 seconds; 2. Emily Miller, 16.95; 3. Jordon Briggs, 16.99; 4. Kathy Grimes, 17.10; 5. Sarah Rau, 17.12; 6. Erin  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Tyler Worley’s history at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has been less than stellar. “I’ve caught one steer clean here, and I’ve missed a few good ones here, too,” said Worley, a 2019 National Finals Rodeo qualifying heeler from Berryville, Arkansas. “I came here a lot before I really started rodeoing, because this was my circuit while I was going to college.” He was talking about the Prairie Circuit, a regional piece of the ProRodeo pie that’s made up of rodeos and contestants primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. While attending Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, he chased circuit dollars. Now he’s chasing world championships, and Roundup Rodeo remains a big stop in his annual path to the National Finals Rodeo. On Thursday night during second performance of Kansas’ largest rodeo, Worley and his header, Jeff Flenniken, stopped the clock in 6.0 seconds. That, combined with a 6.1-second run during the first round Thursday morning, moved the duo into the team roping lead at Roundup Arena. “We had a little bit stronger steer, and he went left in the first round,” said Flenniken of Caldwell, Idaho. “Tyler was going to let him go straight instead of hazing him as much. He handled a little bit weird, but Tyler did a really good job of heeling him. “That’s what we planned to do, be 6 (seconds) or under, and make sure we came back to the short round.” With two days left in preliminary competition, Flenniken and Worley should advance to Sunday’s championship round, which features only the top 12 contestants and teams in each event from the previous days’ competition. “On our first one, he ran to the right a little bit,” said Worley, who finished 11th in the heeling world standings last season. “We always rope fresh steers here, and you don’t want to over-haze them because it makes them hard for your header. We wanted to leave him in the middle and knock him down and hopefully be fast enough. “We had the same game plan tonight. If we had a little slower steer, we might have tried to press a little more, but we drew in the middle of the herd, so we knew we just needed to catch him and come back Sunday.” The opportunities are big in western Kansas this week. Roundup provides a large local payout called added money in rodeo terms – $20,000 per event – which is combined with the contestants’ entry fees makes up the total purse. The local money and a big number of entries allows for a possible record payout in Dodge City. “It’s so weird this year,” Worley said. “It’s hard to get where you need to go because of all the cancellations. It makes you really thankful when people do step up and have a rodeo, especially one this big. It’s great for the sport.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Orin Larsen, 87 points on Vold Rodeo’s Spicey Chicken; 2. Chad Rutherford, 86; 3. Jesse Pope, 85; 4. Caleb Bennett, 84; 5. Paden Hurst, 83; 6. Craig Wisehart, 82.5; 7. (tie) Ty Breuer and Richmond Champion, 82; 9. Joel Schlegel, 78.5; 10. (tie) Trenton Montero and Tim O’Connell, 77; 12. Anthony Thomas, 75. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9 each; 5. Dalton Massey, 4.2; 6. (tie) Blake Knowles and Eli Lord, 4.6; 8. Rowdy Parrott, 4.7. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Will Lummus and Dalton Massey, 3.8; 5. Dakota Eldridge, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyke Kipp and Zack Jongbloed, 4.3; 8. (tie) Curtis Cassidy and Ryan Shuckburgh, 4.5. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. Dakota Eldridge, 9.0; 5. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 6. Ryan Shuckburgh, 9.3; 7. Tom Littell, 9.7; 8. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 9. Weston Taylor, 10.5; 10. Kaleb Summers, 11.4; 11. (tie) Kris Rasmussen and Landon Beardsworth, 11.7. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7; 3. (tie) Cale Markham/Cody Doescher and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 5.8; 5. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9; 7. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 6.3; 8. Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn. Second round leaders: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5; 3. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2; 4. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5; 5. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7; 6. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0; 7. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford and Brice Boatright/Braden Harmon, 6.5. Average leaders: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 12.1 seconds on two runs; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3; 3. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 12.6; 4. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 12.7; 5. (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 13.0; 8. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 13.6; 9. Adam Wallace/Cody Southerland, 14.8; 10. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 15.1; 11. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 17.2; 12. Garett Chick/Walt Woodard, 20.4. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bay Watch; 2. Taos Muncy, 84; 3. Ryder Wright, 83.5; 4. (tie) Ross Griffin, Jacobs Crawley and Spencer Wright, 82.5; 7. Jake Finlay, 81.5; 8. Roper Kiesner, 80; 9. Leon Fountain, 79.5; 10. Chuck Schmidt, 78.5; 11. (tie) Dean Wadsworth, Sterling Crawley and Rusty Wright, 78. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Riley Pruitt, 8.1 seconds; 2. Haven Meged, 8.3; 3. Reid Zapalac, 8.5; 4. Cooper Martin, 8.6; 5. Reese Riemer, 8.7; 6. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Cade Swor, 8.8; 8. Ty Harris, 9.1. Second round leaders: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Kincade Henry and Bo Pickett, 8.0; 4. Ty Harris, 8.1; 5. (tie) Cody McCartney and L.D. Meier, 8.3; 7. (tie) Marcos Costa and Adam Gray, 8.5. Average leaders: 1. Ty Harris, 17.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Haven Meged, 17.3; 3. Cooper Martin, 17.4; 4. Ike Fontenot, 17.8; 5. Blake Deckard, 18.5; 6. Ryan Jarrett, 18.6; 7. Glenn Jackson, 18l7; 8. Reid Zapalac, 18.8; 9. Will Howell, 19.3; 10.  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Through much of the 2019 ProRodeo season, Orin Larsen was in a big-time race for the world championship. He entered the National Finals Rodeo this past December third in the world standings with more than $173,000 in earnings. While in Las Vegas over the richest 10 days in the game, he placed in six rounds – including the Round 4 victory – and placed fourth in the all-important average; he earned $123,000 in that week and a half and finished second in the bareback riding world standings. My how things have changed. Larsen is still riding as strong as ever, but the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has been a damper on many sports, and rodeo is no exception. The Dodge City Roundup Rodeo is one of a few hundred rodeos that are still going on, but it’s a far cry from years where there were around 700 rodeos in a calendar year. On Wednesday’s opening night of Roundup Rodeo, Larsen spurred Vold Rodeo’s Spicey Chicken for 87 points to take the lead in bareback riding and putting himself in fantastic position to return in a high spot for Sunday’s championship round, which features only the top 12 contestants in each event from four days of preliminary competition. “It just felt like I was spurring a Shetland pony,” he said of the smallish horse. “It’s a short-back, cool little sucker. I’d heard a lot about the horse, but I didn’t know much. It was just awesome the way it turned out. She didn’t have one jump that was the same to the next. It was pretty exotic and wild, but there was something honest about it. “She definitely gave me every chance she could.” In a typical year, there are more than two dozen rodeos that attract the top cowboys during this particular week of competition. With the pandemic causing many of those events to be canceled, contestants are taking every chance they can to make the dollars necessary. Only the top 15 contestants on the money list when the regular season comes to a close advance to the NFR. Larsen is a five-time finalist from Ingles, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska, with his wife, Alexa. He also is a two-time college national champion bareback rider, having won the titles in back-to-back years for two different schools – he claimed his first crown while attending the College of Southern Idaho and his second at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, which “Especially with this COVID thing going on, every penny counts, and it’s going to come down right to the wire as to who makes the NFR and who doesn’t,” he said. “any time you can get a big win like this under your belt, it’s one step closer.” He has a great deal of work yet to do. He’ll compete again Thursday in Burlington, Colorado, then spend a couple days at home before returning for Sunday’s finale at Roundup Arena. Larsen is excited to return. “I’ve never won this rodeo, and I’d really like to,” Larsen said. “With all this stuff with the pandemic, the committee has work endless to get this going, as have a lot of other committees. You gain a new appreciation for what everyone does for the sport of rodeo.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Orin Larsen, 87 points on Vold Rodeo’s Spicey Chicken; 2. Jesse Pope, 85; 3. Ty Breuer, 82; 4. (tie) Trenton Montero and Tim O’Connell, 77; 6. (tie) Tanner Aus and Wyatt Denny, 75 ; 8. Colton Clemens, 64. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9 each; 5. Dalton Massey, 4.2; 6. Blake Knowles, 4.6; 7. Rowdy Parrott, 4.7; 8. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.8. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Will Lummus and Dalton Massey, 3.8; 5. Dakota Eldridge, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyke Kipp and Zack Jongbloed, 4.3; 8. Luke Branquinho, 4.6. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. Dakota Eldridge, 9.0; 5. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 6. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 7. Tyke Kipp, 12.2; 8. Gabe Soileau, 15.8; 9. Dirk Tavenner, 17.0; 10. Justin Shaffer, 18.8. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds; 2. Cale Markham/Cody Doescher, 5.8; 3. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 6.3; 4. Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, 6.5; 5. Brent Mibb/Griffin Passmore, 6.7; 6. Rhett Anderson/Cullen Teller, 7.0; 7. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 7.1; 8. Tyler Waters/Derrick Jantzen, 7.6. Second round leaders: 1. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes and Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, 6.5; 4. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 6.9; 5. Paul David Tierney/Matt Kasner, 10.1; 6. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 12.0; 7. Garett Chick/Walt Woodard, 12.6; 8. Tyler Waters/Derrick Jantzen, 15.5. Average leaders: 1. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 12.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, 13.0; 3. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 13.6; 4. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 17.2; 5. Garett Chick/Walt Woodard, 20.4; 6. Tyler Waters/Derrick Jantzen, 23.1; 7. Ryon Boatright/Tyrel Allen Taton, 24.1; 8. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5 seconds on one run; 9. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 6.3; 10. Brent Mibb/Griffin Passmore, 6.7. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Taos Muncy, 84 points on Vold Rodeo’s Jerry’s Delight; 2. (tie) Jacobs Crawley and Ross Griffin, 82.5; 4. Jake Finlay, 81.5; 5. Leon Fountain, 79.5; 6. (tie) Dean Wadsworth and Sterling Crawley, 78; 8. Trent Burd, 76.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Riley Pruitt, 8.1 seconds; 2. Ike Fontenot, 8.8; 3. Ryan Jarrett, 9.4; 4. Marty Yates, 9.7; 5. Blake Deckard, 9.8; 6. Garrett Busby, 10.4; 7. Lane Livingston, 11.9; 8. Tuf Cooper, 12.6. Second round leaders: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds; 2. Kincade Henry, 8.0; 3. Cody McCartney, 8.3; 4. Marcos Costa, 8.5; 5. Blake Deckard, 8.7; 6. Ike Fontenot, 9.0; 7. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Lane Livingston, 9.2; 9. Marty Yates, 9.9; 10. Garrett Busby, 11.1. Average leaders: 1. Ike Fontenot, 17.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Blake  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – In the first year the Dodge City Xtreme Bulls serves as a Division I event in the PRCA, veteran cowboy Trevor Kastner earned the first Division I victory of his 12-year career. Since its inception in 2014, Roundup Rodeo’s stand-alone bull riding was a Division II event, a secondary level based on money. That changed this year, and it was a way for the rodeo to provide a bigger shot at income for bull riders who make their way to this western Kansas community. “To win it this year is pretty cool,” said Kastner, 32, a five-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Roff, Oklahoma. This wasn’t his first title in Dodge City. He boasts of having won Roundup’s bull riding title in 2013, and he’d like to add that title to his resume again this year. He and his traveling group will compete at two rodeos in Iowa on Wednesday and Thursday, then return to the Sunflower State to ride bulls in Phillipsburg, Kansas, on Friday. They will compete at Dodge City’s rodeo Saturday, with hopes of advancing to Sunday’s championship round. He needs every dollar he can get – only the top 15 money-earners in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the NFR. With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic having caused havoc globally, it means fewer opportunities for the cowboys that make their livings in the game. “With me as old as I’m getting, it’s tough because it seems I get rusty a lot quicker,” said Kastner, who entered the week No. 11 in the world standings. “I’ve finally been getting to a few more events. It’s been a little slow until tonight, so it was good to finally stay on a couple. “I just need to get some more under me and get to riding better.” He placed in a tie for fifth place in the first round after an 85-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Black Ice. He then matched moves with 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Ferdinand for 89.5 points to win the final round and the two-ride aggregate with 174.5 points. With it, he earned the lion’s share of the money, $9,458. “I’m getting closer to the end of my career, so I’ve got to take advantage of winning money whenever I can,” Kaster said. Dodge City Roundup Xtreme Bulls Dodge City, Kansas July 28, 2020 Round 1: 1. (tie) Boudreaux Campbell, on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s No. 25, and Jeston Mead, on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Space Unicorn, 88.5 points, $3,008 each; 3. Shane Proctor, 88, $1,930; 4. Creek Young, 86.5, $1,249; 5. (tie) Trevor Kastner and Lon Danley, 85, $681 each; 7. Eli Vastbinder, 84.5, $454; 8. Levi Gray, 84, $341. Final round: Trevor Kastner, 89.5 points on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Ferdinand, $3,102; 2. Tyler Bingham, 87, $2,497; 3. Eli Vastbinder, 85.5, $1,967; no other qualified rides. Average: 1. Trevor Kastner, 174.5 points on two rides, $5,675; 2. Eli Vastbinder, 170, $4,351; 3. Tyler Bingham, 167, $3,216; 4. (tie) Boudreaux Campbell and Jeston Mead, 88.5 on one ride, $1,703 each; 6. Shane Proctor, 88, $946; 7. Creek Young, 86.5, $757; 8. Lon Danley, 85, $568.