About: Ted

INGLIS, Manitoba – Orin Larsen knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know just how to fix it. A conversation with his wife, Alexa, and another with his former coach, Cody DeMers, made all the difference in the world. Now the 27-year-old bareback rider from Inglis will return to the National Finals Rodeo for the fourth straight year, this time No. 4 in the world standings with $130,665 in earnings. “I was getting in my own way,” said Larsen, who lives with his wife in Gering, Neb., a community of 8,300 people in the state’s panhandle. “I was trying to make a better mousetrap when the mousetrap was already perfect. “Once I went back to the basics, it was a night-and-day difference.” Now he returns to the place he’s supposed to be – the world’s richest 10-day rodeo with a $10 million purse and the 100 greatest bareback horses in the world. He knows what it takes to play on ProRodeo’s grandest stage, and he’s excited to be there again. “Yes, it’s expected at this point in my career,” he said. “I remember back to the first year I made the finals; I was looking at Bobby Mote and Kaycee Feild and their NFR jackets. They said they were eight- and nine-time qualifiers. “I thought, ‘It would be cool to have more than three.’ Now that it’s happened, it’s pretty special. I feel like I belong in that arena, and I hope to perform the best I can in that arena.” He’s proven himself to be in that category. Over the past four seasons, Larsen has earned more than $635,000 riding bucking horses, with $130,655 coming through the rigors of the 2018 regular season. But here’s the kicker: the winner of each go-round will pocket more than $26,000 each round for 10 nights. He has the opportunity to really cash in, and he’s done so before. Just at the last two NFRs, he has earned more than $150,000. That’s just 20 nights of work. Better yet is that he is as confident as ever as he heads to Las Vegas for the championship, set for Dec. 6-15. “I believe I’m better this year than before,” he said. “I believe that I get better year after year, this year especially. I learned something about myself and my bareback riding that I needed to change. That’s where DeMers came to me, changed me back to the normal things that I know to do.” DeMers was an NFR veteran before he began coaching at the College of Southern Idaho. His experience was one of the key reasons Larsen won the college bareback riding title while attending school there in 2013. Larsen repeated that feat a year later while competing at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He takes that experience back to Las Vegas, thanks in large part to an outstanding regular season. He won seven rodeos, three of which were large events: Hermiston, Ore.; Strathmore, Alberta; and Pendleton, Ore. He won just shy of $20,000 between those three rodeos alone. “Winning Pendleton was probably the biggest of the season,” said Larsen, who credits his sponsors, Rieta Creek Scoreboards, Tim Cooper Custom Hats, Soleterra d’Italia and Rodeo Tax, with helping him on the rodeo trail. “That’s one I’ve always wanted to win since my first year there in 2011. That’s just a rodeo with a large, rich history. It’s a unique, old-school rodeo. To wear a buckle that says you won it means so much to me.” It also came toward the end of the season, so it was the perfect momentum-builder as he rolled toward another qualification to ProRodeo’s grand finale. But he had another big stop to make, and that came the first weekend of November in his birth-province of Alberta. Larsen won the average at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, the year-end championship in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association that took place in Red Deer, Alberta. Born and raised in Canada, that championship was one the most magical of his career victories. “It’s been a huge goal of mine to win the average there,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of goals I wanted to do this year. It’s pretty special to me not only to compete against the best bareback riders in Canada and the U.S., but to win that rodeo against them was a confidence-booster for me.” While there, he also competed with his two brothers: Tyrel qualified in saddle bronc riding, and Kane earned the right to compete in bull riding before an injury took him out of the mix. “Having the three of us there was a very special moment,” Orin Larsen said. “I don’t really think we were all at one rodeo riding at the same time since high school. To do it at the CFR and help root each other on definitely tops all.” Most importantly, it was the perfect transition for him to make before he rides in Vegas against the greatest bucking horses in the game today. “I definitely feel like I’ve got momentum on my side,” he said. “The first three rounds (in Red Deer), I drew in the middle of the pen. The last three rounds, I drew really good and the best I could. Hopefully I can use that momentum to carry me through Vegas.” He had family time in Canada, but he’ll also get that during those magical 10 days in the Nevada desert. In addition to his parents, Kevin and Wanda, and brothers, Larsen also has a sister, Cassie, and all are supportive of one another. From their time in youth rodeo to seeing them excel on the sport’s biggest stage, family has always meant a lot to the Larsen clan. “It’s something we all take for granted when we’re younger,” Orin Larsen said. “The sacrifices my parents have made for Tyrel, Kane and me … you don’t see that until later in your career.” He shares that with Alexa and her family. They understand the rodeo bug, and  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – The last time Ross Hill fought a bull in Sin City, it was an anomaly for the Alabama man. Hill suffered a devastating knee injury at the BFO Roughy Cup in December 2016, and it kept him out of action for a year and a half as he recovered. Now, Hill returns to the Nevada desert for the first time in two years, eager to get the 2018 Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship at the Tropicana Las Vegas under way. “Vegas has always been a spot where I’ve shined,” said Hill of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I’ve always performed well there, and for me to have this opportunity of a lifetime at 36 years old to compete against these boys is a thrill, not to mention that I’m still in contention to win a world championship.” Before the creation of Bullfighters Only, he was one of the top bullfighters in the game competing at almost any freestyle bullfight that offered the opportunity. That was a decade ago, when the Thunder EquiGames was held in Las Vegas to showcase the top bullfighters at the time. “I’m the only Thunder EquiGames bullfighting champion,” he said, noting that he won the titles in both 2008 and 2009. “This is a 10-year plunge; a blast from the past for me. I get to relive the best years of my life and have the opportunity to do it better.” The veteran bullfighter has played a major role in the development of Bullfighters Only, which was founded in 2015. In that three-plus years, BFO has become the premier freestyle bullfighting organization in the world, developing a true “action sport” in the Western industry. The BFO Las Vegas Championship offers the largest purse in freestyle bullfighting. The event winner will pocket $25,000, which counts toward the crowning of this year’s world champion – money equals championship points. The bullfighter with the most earnings at the end of the season will be the world champion and will earn an additional $50,000 bonus. Hill is fifth in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings with $18,666, trailing the two-time reigning world champion Weston Rutkowski by $19,000. The money that’s available in the City of Lights offers Hill and others the chance to move to the top by the end of the 10-day festivities. “This year is offering a good chunk to win the world title, so I sat down and did the math,” Hill said. “I’ve got to sweep the finals, but I have the focus to do it. The only guy I can focus on out there is me, but I know what I’ve got to do to get it done.” He also maintains the youthful confidence that led him to past success Las Vegas. “I’m floating on the moon right now as far as my confidence goes,” said Hill, who didn’t start competing until mid-July and quickly moved into the top 5. “My workouts are going great. Basically, Kris Furr and Weston and I are working out twice a day. We have our travel trailers parked together in Decatur (Texas), so we work out at Fit N Wise together. “Those guys at Fit N Wise really take care of us. The train us like we’re LeBron James.” That’s important for the athletes in the BFO.   “The most successful freestyle bullfighters in the BFO train like any other world-class athlete.” said Aaron Ferguson, BFO’s founder and CEO. “They’re matching moves against notoriously unforgiving Spanish fighting bulls, and one small mistake can lead to big-time consequences.” No matter the place, the BFO brings a noteworthy atmosphere with every live-show, and it is amped up even more under the bright lights of Las Vegas. “It’s definitely an action-packed show,” Ferguson said. “We have as much intelligent lighting as a Metallica concert; it’s the best bullfighters in the world competing for a lot of money. More importantly, they’re going for the title belt.” That attitude is the perfect fit for the Las Vegas Championship. “We don’t do it for the money; it’s the title belt we’re all looking for.” Hill said. “The NFR is a marathon rodeo, and it’s a marathon of bullfighting at the Tropicana. We’ll fight more bulls over these coming 10 days than anyone, anywhere in the world.”

ZWINGLE, Iowa – Tim and Sami O’Connell are more than husband and wife, more than parents to 9-month-old Hazen. They are business partners, and their business is rodeo. “She’s the business owner, and I’m just the employee of the month,” he said with a laugh. “She’s always been my rock, and she takes so much off my plate to where all I have to worry about is doing my job.” He’s pretty good at it. Tim O’Connell is the reigning two-time world champion bareback rider who returns to the National Finals Rodeo for the fifth straight year. Over the last three years alone, he has earned more than $900,000, with $187,250 of that coming through the 2018 regular season. That means of the $1.3 million he’s earned in his ProRodeo career, most of it has come it has come in the last 35 months. That also means he has a big target on is back, but he’s OK with that. “The last two years, I’ve had the same goal in mind, and that’s to be the world champion at the end of the year,” said O’Connell, 27, of Zwingle. “That hasn’t changed. I think it’s become a bigger factor in driving me. I have my little guy, my wife and my village of people, which has pushed me even more. “The challenges are greater, but I feel like I’m up to it now more than ever. I have the dream to win six gold buckles and be known as the best bareback rider to ever compete.” That’s a big goal, but O’Connell has proven that he has all the capability to make it happen. He also has a renewed vigor to his job. That came the day Hazen was born. “I have even more responsibility on my plate right now,” he said. “We added one more mouth to the table, and I take that responsibility very seriously. As the man of the household, my job is to provide for my family, and I provide by being the best athlete I can be. “My workout regimen is going well. I feel prepared physically and mentally with a couple weeks to go.” Over the course of the regular season, O’Connell won at least a share of 23 titles. From big rodeos to small payouts, it all added up to an amazing year for the champ. He didn’t have quite the success early in the season as he would have liked, but that changed in April, when he shared the victory at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo with Mason Clements. In all, O’Connell pocketed nearly $27,000 in Kissimmee, Fla. That was a huge boost to his place on the money list and to his confidence. “My winter was really off for me,” he said. “I didn’t perform how I expect to. We were waiting on Hazen to be born, and I think that played a bigger role on me than I wanted it to. I didn’t have the killer instinct that I have when I get on the back of a horse. I had the whole family in Florida with me: my brother was picking up at the rodeo, and my dad was on the back of the chutes. “I showed up there and was ready to win. That win brought me back into the race. The season-leader race was starting to get out of hand; Caleb Bennett had a $50,000 lead over the top of me, and I was ready to do the work that needed to be done to get back in the driver seat. When I made that move, my swagger came back, and it took off from there. That was my first rodeo win of the season, then it just kept rolling.” Yes, it did, but it took O’Connell until the end of July before he reclaimed his spot atop the world standings. He has stayed there ever since and now owns a lead of less than $15,000 over Bennett. While he knows the purpose of riding bareback horses is to bring money into the home while playing the game he loves, it keeps him away from the people he loves. When he can’t be home, he, Sami and Hazen talk several times a day, and they always make time for daily video chats. O’Connell also makes sure to get home as often as possible. “I always like coming home and recharging my batteries and spending time with my family,” he said. “It’s tough being gone. I like hanging out with my little buddy and wife. When we leave, we make our wives into single moms. But Sami reassured me that I needed to go out and do my job and not be worried about what’s going on around the house. “It gets easier the longer you’re gone. Once you get out there and start performing, you just have to get into a rhythm. It’s bittersweet. You can’t imagine how these kids can change so fast.” Another helpful part of being on the road is having incredible sponsors: 12 Gauge Ranch, Polaris, Panhandle and Rock and Roll Clothing, Justin Boots, Windham Weaponry, Veach’s Custom Leather, Ortho Equine, Capri Campers, Twin Cities Featherlite and American Hat Co. “When you grow up, you want to be that guy that people want on their team,” O’Connell said. “When they call you and ask you to be an endorsee, it really is an aw factor. I’m humbled that these companies wanted me to be part of their brand.” All that support – whether it’s from sponsors, his family or fans – is encouraging for O’Connell as he makes this way through life one bucking horse at a time. He knows just how special it is to compete at the NFR and be among the very best in the world. Las Vegas in December is a different city. It becomes a cowboy town for two weeks, and the vibe is much different than it is the other 50 weeks of the year. The  Continue Reading »

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The best part of Richmond Champion’s year came early. “The ring was burning a hole in my pocket,” he said of his near-New Year’s Day proposal to his fiancé, Paige Lawrence. “We were on a ski trip with her family in Kimberley, British Columbia, and I wanted to ask her dad and her brothers for their blessing. I needed to figure out a way to ask without her knowing.” He and Lawrence’s father were on a ski lift when Champion got the permission. He found her brothers throughout the day, so the only ones who didn’t know about the proposal were Lawrence and her mother. He dropped to a knee inside the family’s condo on that Jan. 3 day, and the rest is history. “We were in Canmore (Alberta) for New Year’s Eve, and I really wanted to do it then, but I hadn’t talked to her dad and brothers yet,” Champion said. “Her family’s really important to her. It would’ve been nice to have a romantic setting with fireworks going off, but that’s not her nor me. It was cool to be able to do that with all of them there.” That was just the fire that ignited a terrific season in rodeo. A bareback rider from The Woodlands, he earned more than $230,000 riding bucking horses, with $119,819 coming in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association – he also won $115,000 by claiming his second straight title at the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede. Now he enters his fourth National Finals Rodeo sixth in the world standings and has the opportunity to cash in even more. ProRodeo’s grand championship features a $10 million purse with go-round winners earning more than $26,000 a round for 10 nights. “It’s awesome to be going back,” he said. “You expect it because you believe in yourself, but you never take it for granted. You’re still proud of it. Being excited and being proud of that accomplishment never goes away.” Though the money didn’t count toward his NFR qualification, the win in Calgary was the biggest of his season. Who wouldn’t be excited about winning $100,000-plus? “That place is special, and you can’t compare it,” Champion said. “The feeling you get when you show up at the Stampede and you run out into the arena before you ride is just amazing. They love that rodeo. To win it once, nonetheless two times in a row, is a tremendous blessing. “It doesn’t count as far as the standings go, but it is momentum. You feel good about it because the best guys in the world are there, and you’re getting on the best bucking horses.” How much momentum did he have this year? Champion competed at several rodeos that count toward qualifications for both the NFR and the Canadian Finals Rodeo. He won in Ponoka, Alberta; Rocky Mountain House, Alberta; and Williams Lake, British Columbia, and all that money counted toward both the PRCA and the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association standings. So far, he’s made the most of those victories and placing along the way at other rodeos. He competed at the CFR the first weekend of November, then walked away from Red Deer, Alberta, with the Canadian title. “It’s the first time I’ve ever won a season-long title,” he said. “It means a lot to win that title, and to have that momentum going into the NFR is even better.” Oh, he has momentum and has had it much of the season. He acknowledges part of that to traveling with Caleb Bennett, the No. 2-ranked bareback rider from Tremonton, Utah. “Caleb had a phenomenal year, and he stayed hot,” said Champion, who gives much credit to his sponsors, Yeti, Hooey and Nocona. “When you have someone that has had that much luck, you have to focus on them and not let what’s happening to you get in the way. You want to feed off his positivity. As long as someone in the rig is winning, you have hope. “I’ve really enjoyed traveling with him the past two years, and we make a good team and push each other. I’m excited to get to Vegas and butt heads with him for a title.” Now that he’s heading the Nevada desert for the fourth time, he knows what to expect when he gets there. There is a lot of pomp and circumstance that surrounds the NFR. It’s home to only the top 15 contestants in each event, so there’s reason for the fanfare. For two weeks in early December, Las Vegas becomes a cowboy town. It has become the biggest showcase in rodeo, and the atmosphere in the City of Lights just adds to it. A year ago, Champion placed in seven of 10 go-rounds, finished second in the average and pocketed $167,314. That pushed his 2017 earnings to $268,511, and he finished second in the world standings. Counting his earnings in Calgary, he has earned more than $600,000 on the backs of bucking horses in the last two years alone, and he’s got 10 more nights left in the 2018 rodeo season. “My biggest thing is that I want to get in the locker room and get Round 1 started,” he said. “Once you get that first one knocked out, it brings you back and puts you in a state of mind that I’m comfortable with. You get there and feel the energy in the arena, that energy in the locker room, then you are excited for the rest of it.” He’s also excited about the rest of his life. Champion and Lawrence will marry next May in her hometown of Kennedy, Saskatchewan. For now, though, he knows he can lean on her any time the occasion merits. “She’s a rock star,” he said of Lawrence, who was raised around rodeo and also is a world-class figure skater who qualified for the 2014 Olympics in pair skating for Canada. “Any step of the way, she has the mindset for the competitive nature  Continue Reading »

ROBERTSDALE, Ala. – Kyle Irwin had grand plans to finish out his 2018 season and be home in time for the birth of his daughter. He had to alter them in a big way. “When I first found out Randa was pregnant, I developed my plans to have the (National) Finals made by August and be home when the baby comes in mid-September,” said Irwin, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Robertsdale, now living in Westville, Fla., with his wife and their two children, Tripp and Ellie. “I flew home Sept. 30, right after I got done with my run in Stephenville (Texas). I got home at 11-something (p.m.), and we left for the hospital at 4 the next morning and had the baby by 7 (a.m.). I had a serious case of whiplash that weekend. I’d come from California to Texas to Florida, then, boom, here’s your new baby.” It was a mad dash on the final weekend of the regular season. Several cowboys were on the bubble to qualify for the NFR, and Irwin was one of them. He heads into ProRodeo’s 10-day championship No. 14 in the steer wrestling world standings, having finished the 2018 campaign with $75,333 in earnings. But he was helped out by his baby girl. There were a lot of what-ifs that went into every scenario, because Ellie was due two weeks before she arrived. She showed, too, weighing 10 pounds at birth. “I don’t know who waited, but they waited as long as she could,” he said. “She’s everything we hoped and dreamed for. She’s healthy, she’s happy. “Tripp is adjusting to it. He’s still the king of the castle, but he’s started showing some affection for his sister.” Tripp is 22 months old, so the Irwins have to kids under age 2. Maybe a life spent wrestling steers is the perfect training for being a dad. But Irwin has been one of the best for several years. He’s been a regular at ProRodeo’s grand finale for all but one year since 2014 – he spent the 2016 season focused down another path. Once he returned his focus, he’s made sure to play on the sport’s grandest stage, set for Dec. 6-15 in Las Vegas. Even though he trails the world standings leader, Curtis Cassidy, by more than $30,000, Irwin can make up ground quickly in the Nevada desert. Go-round winners earn more than $26,000 per round for 10 December nights, so the money can add up in a hurry. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and the contestants in each event with the most money won at the conclusion of the season are crowned world champions. Irwin knows how special that moment is. A year ago, he was riding right beside Tyler Pearson when Pearson won the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. Their celebrational hug after the final night of the season was proof of their relationship. But they share even more with Scooter, a 13-year-old sorrel gelding the two co-own and compete on throughout the year. Scooter has been named the AQHA/PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year each of the past two seasons. “Tyler and I have been so blessed just to own him, and we’re thankful for Jason Reese for selling him to us,” Irwin said. “I think horses get better every day. Even when I didn’t win, (Tyler) Waguespack and (Ty) Erickson were winning on him, and that pays me.” Both Pearson and Irwin earn a percentage of what others make when they ride Scooter. That’s why owning the animal is such a valuable resource. “He helped with this new pressure I was in this season, being on the bubble and wanting to be home when my baby was born,” he said. “Worst-case scenario was me not making it to the finals, you’ve still got three guys that made the NFR and are going to ride him. Those are more chances at making money. You’re not guaranteed a check, but Scooter was so crucial. He gave me confidence. “I’m in a situation where I’m better financially than I have been. He’s been an asset to my career and where I am now. He has changed a lot of the way I do things.” Much of that was proven through the season. Irwin didn’t have many big wins, but he found a lot of positives along the way. As a detailed person, he has notes from his previous seasons that reveal his earnings through each month of the season. Every step along the way, he realized he was ahead of where he’d ever been before. He’s found great benefit in his team of sponsors – CINCH, RCI Oilfield Services, 12 Gauge Ranch, Zesterra, Seminole Feed, Resistol, Foy Reynolds Cattle Co., Anipro Xtraformance Feed, Classic Equine and Coats Saddlery – that help him get up and down the road. They all are a major part of the team returning to Las Vegas “Even though I finished the lowest I’ve ever finished as far as going into the finals, I think the consistency has guided me,” Irwin said. “With the positive attitude I kept all year long kept pushing me and driving me to have a good year. This is a business, and I need to have a good-running business.” There’s still business ahead. The NFR boasts of a $10 million purse, and he wants to get as much of that money as he can. Even though he’s behind 13 other bulldoggers, he knows there are 10 opportunities to cash in. “You can’t give up,” he said. “My cousin, Quinn Campbell, has always told me, ‘We’re riding animals chasing animals, so things are going to happen. Just enjoy what you do.’ I’ve had two good NFRs and one that was just OK. I’m in the green as far as a business perspective, but anything can happen. You’ve got to stay alert and stay aggressive, and it’s not over until Round 10.” He knows his hands are full. There are 14  Continue Reading »