About: Ted

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.” It’s more than the lyrics to a classic Texas song, especially for the organizers of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, which has three rodeo performances set for Thursday, Oct. 4-Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Waller. “We work very hard with all aspects of our rodeo to make sure we are drawing the top talent,” said Clint Sciba, chairman of the volunteer rodeo committee. “We introduced our eliminator events a few years ago, and they’ve been a big hit, not only for the people who enjoy our fair and rodeo but for the contestants that come to compete.” The Tie-Down Roping Eliminator is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, and will feature four world champions – Tuf Cooper, Shane Hanchey, Marty Yates and Caleb Smidt – as part of it’s eight-man field. Also in the mix are NFR qualifiers Sterling Smith, Blane Cox, Cade Swor and Cory Solomon, the last of whom is from Waller County. The Team Roping Eliminator will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, and will feature eight teams, including world champions Joe Beaver, Jade Corkill, Chad Masters and Junior Nogueira. In each event, the slowest time in each round is eliminated. As rounds continue, the field dwindles down until a champion is crowned. Those aren’t the only special features to the well-recognized rodeo; it also features a special prize given to the all-around champion, who will be awarded a custom-made rifle. But what may be the biggest incentive to cowboys might be the purse. The fair and rodeo includes $5,000 in “added” money in each event, meaning local dollars are added to the entry fees to make up the purse. Money doesn’t just help the contestants pay bills and stay on the rodeo trail, dollars equal championship points. That makes money earned go even further. The top 15 on the money list in each event at the end of each regular season advance to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale. The contestant in each event with the most money won in that season will be crowned world champion. “I came here before it was PRCA sanctioned,” said Sterling Crawley, a four-time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc riding. “When I was in high school, I came here. It’s always been fun. The atmosphere has always been good here, and it’s just gotten better. It’s not far from home, and the horses are usually good, so we want to be sure to compete in Hempstead.” He and his older brother, Jacobs, have found success at the Waller County Fair and Rodeo more often than not. While Sterling lives in Stephenville, Jacobs lives in Boerne. For both, it’s an easy drive for a chance at good money riding Pete Carr Pro Rodeo bucking horses. “This is a great rodeo; I love Waller County,” said Jacobs Crawley, the 2015 world champion saddle bronc rider. “It’s got a good turnout, and they’re trying to make it a better event every year. I’m just a fan. “If the environment’s right, it makes you want it that much more, and that environment is right here. You have a great dance, a great hospitality, and Pete Carr brings great bucking horses.” Carr has been recognized as one of the elite livestock producers in the game. He’s been nominated five times for PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year, and he’s been associated with the Hempstead rodeo since it has been part of ProRodeo. Over the last five years, no other contractor has had more animals selected to perform at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That big for the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. The animal athletes that in Carr’s herd are attractive to the top cowboys who play the game. Of course, Hempstead’s rodeo is one of the first of the new year. The 2018 regular season concludes the end of September, so cowboys and cowgirls hoping to kick off a solid 2019 campaign make their way to southeast Texas the first weekend in October every year.” “It’s a little tough to start on something new before you finish what you’ve started,” said bareback rider Steven Dent, an eight-time NFR qualifier from Mullen, Neb. “It feels good to get a good start. This is a good rodeo.”

Ross Hill victorious at two Washington Wrangler Bullfight Tour stops LEWISTON, Idaho – Ross Hill’s comeback is complete. The Bullfighters Only veteran suffered a devastating knee injury in 2016 that took him out of competition for a year and a half. He returned in July, then promptly won the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop at California Rodeo Salinas. He’s competed in three Wrangler Bullfight Tour stops since then, and he’s found his way to Victory Lane in all three rounds. He picked up the Round 1 win with 91 points at the Lewiston Roundup on Wednesday and overall titles in both Kennewick and Ellensburg. He will compete for the Lewiston title on Saturday night. “I was so ready to fight again that the success is just happening,” said Hill, 35 of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I thrive on being the best I can be and beating my bulls. Last night and Ellensburg were just perfect bulls for high-scoring fights.” Last Friday night, Hill earned the Ellensburg title with an agile 86.5-point fight, showing the packed crowd that his knee injury is well behind him. The weekend before in Kennewick, he posted a 77-point score, tying Justin Ward, but Hill earned the title on the tie-breaker with the highest bullfighter score. “The top of the standings is where everyone wants to be, of course,” he said. “I’m climbing the ladder as fast as possible; I’m just beating my bulls.” The “Alabama Slamma’” has certainly been on a roll. He has now pocketed more than $10,000 and has moved into the top 10 in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. “My goals are the same,” Hill said. “I have a clear, concise vision, and I’m running for it daily and living a dream.” His recent success on the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour is all part of his plan to compete at the BFO Las Vegas Championship, held Dec. 6-15 at Tropicana Las Vegas. It’s BFO’s pinnacle event and features the biggest prize money in the game. “I’m so excited about Vegas, but right now Lewiston is in my sights,” he said. “I have to keep my focus on one bull at a time.”

BELLVILLE, Texas – There is a special feeling that happens in the arena at the Austin County Fairgrounds. There are many adjectives that describe the aura that surrounds one of the best rodeos in southeast Texas each fall, but the cowboys say it best. “It’s like one of those small-town football games where the whole town comes out and packs it out,” said Jacob Talley, the 2017 Austin County Fair and Rodeo steer wrestling champion from Keatchie, La. “This is my first time, but it’s a good rodeo.” Look for Talley to return to Bellville during this year’s rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11-Saturday, Oct. 13. He will be among dozens Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers who will be part of the world-class event. For years, Bellville’s rodeo was one of the best-kept secrets in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, but word is spreading. Now there are people talking about why the event could be in the mix for the PRCA’s Medium Rodeo of the Year. “I think it’s because of the growth it has shown over the past few years,” said John Gwatney, the event’s chute boss from Marquez, Texas. “How do you make one of the best county fair rodeos better? You add to it. “They’ve got the best personnel in rodeo: Dusty Tuckness, Cody Sosebee, Boyd Polhamus, Sandy Gwatney and Josh ‘Hambone’ Hilton. They’re all award-winners or have been recognized as the best in their area of expertise.” That’s true. Tuckness is the reigning eight-time PRCA Bullfighter of the Year; Polhamus is a four-time Announcer of the Year; Sandy Gwatney is the 2016 Secretary of the Year; Hilton won the inaugural Music Director of the Year in 2017; and Sosebee was the barrelman at last year’s NFR – he will be the featured clown/barrelman in Bellville this October. “That rodeo wants to be the best, so they hire the best,” John Gwatney said. “That’s the commitment they’ve made over the last few years. They’ve also increased the prize money, and they have steer roping there, which a lot of rodeos don’t have. It adds to what they want to do to have a professional rodeo in Bellville.” It’s also one of the first rodeos for the 2019 season, so it’s an important stop for contestants to kick start their chances of having a successful campaign just two weeks after the existing regular season concludes. “This is a good setup, and the crowd is really good,” said Audy Reed, last year’s bronc riding champion who went on to compete at the NFR for the first time. “You have great hospitality, plus, it’s in Texas, and you can’t beat that.” Southeast Texas is beautiful in October, with mild temperatures and a chance to be part of a community event. That and the $4,000 in committee money that’s added to the purse in each even are drawing cards for rodeo’s greatest starts. “We draw top contestants for a lot of reasons, but part of it is because it’s one of the first rodeos of the new season,” John Gwatney said. “A guy can win a big piece of money there and set him up for next season.” But it goes beyond that. The hard-working committee is made up of volunteers who donate their time and their resources to make the Austin County Fair’s rodeo a big deal, not only to the local fans but also to the contestants that compete for a living. “One of the biggest things I’ve seen in my time is that they redesigned the arena to make it better for the cowboys and the livestock,” John Gwatney said. “They want to make it better, and they work hard to make it better. “They used to worry about losing part of the crowd to Friday night football, but they don’t anymore. It’s that good of a rodeo. The school schedules away games on that Friday night, so it just helps the county fair.” It’s a community that comes together for a common cause, and it reflects in the showcase that is Bellville’s rodeo. “In the past, I never missed it,” said Richard Durham, a two-time NFR qualifier in team roping-heeling. “It’s just a great rodeo. The committee is great, and it’s a great setup.” And that’s why there’s a buzz about the Austin County Fair’s rodeo being one of the best events in ProRodeo.

Original structure a key piece of Waller County Fair and Rodeo HEMPSTEAD, Texas – A few years ago, members of the Waller County Fair Board weren’t quite sure what to do with one of the original buildings on the fairgrounds. For years, it had been a show building, where exhibitors showed a variety of animals. Until recently, it had been a place for storage. But something needed to be done with the structure, initially erected in the 1950s. Now it’s the Wagon Wheel, a place to celebrate all that’s part of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. “I said, ‘Let’s make it like a Gruene Hall,’ ” said Toya Talbott, the entertainment committee chairwoman for the fair board. “The rodeo committee came in, cleaned it out and dressed it up. It had shade, and we added a heater and a bar. It’s a place to go drink beer or wine and have fun. “We have live entertainment on the main nights of the fair. We have local bands and other things. It’s just a nice, comfortable environment.” It’s become a wonderful gathering place for fairgoers. There will be an Elvis impersonator the opening weekend of the fair, which runs Friday, Sept. 28-Sunday, Oct. 7. The fair board is also having a piano bar night, for which special tickets have been made for the Wednesday, Oct. 3. “We actually have it almost booked now because everybody wanted to have something new,” said Talbott, now in her fourth year on the fair board. “I think it’s going to be a big hit, but you have to have a ticket to get into that.” It’s just another big step for the classic building. The first year of the Wagon Wheel, only beer was available. Now there’s a wine side to it, with soft lighting to make it a more intimate affair. It’s still in proximity to all the fun and fair favorites, like the carnival and the nightly concerts on the main stage. This year’s lineup features: Saturday, Sept. 29: Johnny Lee at 9 p.m., followed by Sam Riggs at 11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4: Texas Unlimited Band at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5: Cody Wayne at 8:30 p.m., followed by Cory Morrow at 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6: Glen Templeton at 9 p.m., followed by Steve Wariner at 11 p.m. “On our first Saturday night, we got Johnny Lee, which will give our older group, who loves to come and dance, a chance to enjoy the early show,” she said. “We brought in Sam Riggs for the younger group, and they’ll finish it up, but the great thing about our younger group, is they love the older music. They might enjoy the whole night. “We got a lot of feedback that everybody loves the acts we have coming, and that’s why we’ve booked them.” Whether it’s the main stage or the Wagon Wheel, there are numerous entertainment opportunities for fairgoers planning on their experiences in Hempstead. “We have really utilized the Wagon Wheel since we’ve redone it,” Talbott said. “We use it for our Barnyard Buddies, which happens on Wednesday of the fair. Our Barnyard Buddies program is a place for everyone, including children with special needs. The mission of the Waller County Fair Association with our Barnyard Buddies’ program is to promote a wholesome and productive lifestyle for our youth.” The project originated in 2015 with 140 special-needs students and has grown to more than 250 in 2017. The special-needs children are paired with volunteers from various organizations on the high school level: FFA, 4-H, National Honor Society and rodeo clubs, to name a few. Volunteers provide each child activities such as petting zoo, photo booth, first responder interaction and special appearance by cowboys and cowgirls that are competing in the rodeo, carnival rides, lunch and backpacks filled with merchandise for those who would otherwise miss out on the joys of a county fair. “We’re also excited about the local entertainers we’ll have in there throughout the fair,” Talbott said. “It’s really nice to have one of the original structures that we can still use. There is an old tree that’s grown into the building. I’m so glad the fair board saved the building and made it to what it is now.”

SIKESTON, Mo. – Weston Rutkowski knew he needed a break, a chance to heal his wounds and refocus his attention, but he had to take care of business first. He did that Thursday and Friday by winning both rounds and the overall championship at the Bullfighters Only Wrangler Bullfights Tour stop at the Sikeston Bootheel Jaycee Rodeo. Rutkowski posted the highest-marked fight in the opening round, matching moves with Knox and Cross Dunn’s King Kong for 87 points. He then followed that with a second round-winning 83 to take the crown. “It’s been a pretty long summer, so this was good,” said Rutkowski, the reigning two-time world champion from Haskell, Texas. “I started off pretty hot, then things kind of fell apart for me. I didn’t pick up the wins like I needed to, then I got banged up in Salinas (Calif.). With the victory, he earned $4,200 and moved up to second place in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. Rutkowski sits only $108 behind Toby Inman of Davis Junction, Ill. “That’s all fine and dandy, but that’s not the focus,” Rutkowski said. “As long as you’re within tracking distance when we get to Vegas, you’ve got a shot.” The world champion will be crowned at the conclusion of the Las Vegas Championship, held annually at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino and featuring the biggest prize money in the game. “It’s nice to sneak away with a win when you’re still not fully healthy,” he said. “That was a good one to win; no matter the outcome, I was going to take some time off and heal up.” Rukowski will take the next month and a half off to get his body back in shape for BFO’s upcoming battles. “It’s that time of year when your body is just beat up and worn out,” he said. “You have to stick through it, grind it out and hope you can pick up a few dollars here and there.”   SIKESTON RESULTS 1. Weston Rutkowski, 170 points on two fights; 2. Tucker Lane, 164; 3. Beau Schueth, 160; 4. Schell Apple, 156; 5. Toby Inman, 86 points on one fight; 6. Kris Furr, 78.