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Breakaway roping will add high-speed excitement to Estes Park rodeo ESTES PARK, Colo. – Erin Johnson and Kelsie Domer have centered their lives around roping. Combined, they have a baker’s dozen of Women’s Professional Rodeo Association world championships, and they’re looking forward to heading to Estes Park for Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 5-Thursday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. For the first time in Rooftop Rodeo’s storied history, breakaway roping will be one of the featured events, showcasing the eloquence and speed in the blink of an eye. Ladies will compete for big bucks alongside their male counterparts all while trying to stop the clock in less than 3 seconds. “Breakaway roping has been around for decades, but the interest has really shot up the last few years,” said Cindy Schonholtz, the Rooftop Rodeo coordinator. “We’re excited to bring breakaway roping to Estes Park starting this year, and we’re making as big of a deal out of it as we can. Just like we are with all events this year, our ‘added money’ will be $10,000.” She’s referring to local dollars that are injected into each event. With nine disciplines, that money increases the community’s support to $90,000 for the rodeo. Those dollars are then mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the total purse, which last year was just shy of $120,000. That number will increase significantly in 2025. “We are so grateful for every single Mountain States Circuit rodeo that has breakaway roping, because there are so many girls up here that are really craving the opportunities that breakaway roping and professional rodeo have to offer,” said Erin Johnson, a three-time WPRA world champion breakaway roper from Fowler, Colorado. “It’s just phenomenal. A rodeo like Estes Park can make a huge difference for the circuit girl to get a chance to step up. I’ve gone to the Estes Park rodeo with my husband for 20 years to watch him rope calves. It’s beautiful there. The hospitality is outstanding. It’s very unique in its culture and its setting, and I’m glad I have the opportunity to rope there, too.” Johnson won her WPRA breakaway roping gold in 2011-12 and 2015, years before the WPRA established ProRodeo Breakaway Roping. She qualified for the first four National Finals Breakaway Roping championships that take place in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo. She’s seen her sport blossom in ways many never imagined. When she last won a world title, she finished the year with $12,752 in earnings. Domer was also on board before breakaway roping took off. She won the 2017-19 breakaway titles and also added world championships in 2012 and 2018 in tie-down roping and all-around buckles in 2012, ’17, ’20 and ’21. She is a three-time qualifier to the breakaway championship and earned the ProRodeo Breakaway Roping gold last year while earning just shy of $170,000. “I think it’s great that we’ve got another rodeo, and then to be equal added money right off the bat is awesome,” said Domer of Dublin, Texas. “It’s a busy time of year, but it’s cool to have that option to go to that spot, because we haven’t ever had it before. “I’ve heard a lot of people say that everybody likes to go there. It’s always fun to go to new places and to places like that, where I’m sure it’s going to be beautiful and cool you off for a little bit, too.” She realized many things have happened since last year’s Rooftop Rodeo to offer this opportunity. “The committee, the stock contractor and everybody involved has obviously been on the same page to make things better and allow things to grow year after year, and that’s awesome,” Domer said. “We would love to see that everywhere we go, but it’s nice to see that happen there in a short amount of time.” The addition and increased purse will be a big deal to both champions and other ladies who will put their names in the hat to compete in Estes Park. For Johnson, having an event of this magnitude in her home state is crucial. Like Rooftop Rodeo, she is part of the Mountain States Circuit, a regional affiliation for competitors and events primarily in Colorado and Wyoming. Any dollars she earns in Estes Park will count for both the circuit and the world standings. “I’m flattered that they think that much of breakaway, and they think that much of the girls they’re seeing roping,” Johnson said. “I’m glad they do, because there are so many girls competing now and so many more of them coming along all the time. They all rope so good, so they put on a show. It’s fast, and it’s a professional event. The quality of roping just goes up for us every year. “It’s flattering to me that a rodeo like Estes Park is willing to just jump on board and offer the same money. I’m excited.” Rooftop Rodeo will take place July 5-10. Gates open each night at 5 p.m. The pre-show begins at 6:45 p.m., and the rodeo starts at 7 p.m. For more information about the Rooftop Rodeo or to purchase tickets, visit rooftoprodeo.com. Inquiries about tickets may be made by contacting the Town of Estes Park Events Office at 970-577-3900 or events@estes.org. The Rooftop Rodeo is a Town of Estes Park signature event.

GUYMON, Okla. – In early February, Josh Frost received a package from Columbus, Montana, that he’d waiting for all his life. Inside was a symbol of the years he’d put into his craft, a shining example of a trying 2024 ProRodeo season that saw him battle challenges, overcome a shoulder injury and come out on top anyway. The golden piece of hardware was made for moments like this, inscribed with his name and the title of world champion bull rider. “I was waiting for it to sink in, but when that buckle showed up, that was when I realized that was what I was waiting for,” he said of the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, the trophy presented annually to ProRodeo’s titlists in each event. Will the most cherished prize in rodeo sit in Frost’s trophy case or on his belt? “I go with this theory, which I learned from Robert Etbauer: He said, ‘If I worked my whole life to win this buckle, I’m going to work the rest of my life wearing it every single day,’ ” Frost said of his former coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “That’s where I am. I stuck her on my belt the night it showed up.” He’s earned the right to do it. That shoulder injury happened in August, and he took some time off the rodeo trail to tend to his ailment while building strength to prepare for the National Finals Rodeo, where he was one of five cowboys with ties to the Oklahoma Panhandle to compete: bareback rider Cole Franks, who was born in Guymon; former Panhandle State bronc riding brothers Dawson and Logan Hay; and NFR bronc riding average winner Wyatt Casper, who grew up in Balko. All but Frost are expected to return to their roots for the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. Frost, who had surgery on his shoulder in January, is not expected back into competition until mid-June. Until then, he’ll continue to rehabilitate his injury, work on his place in Utah and enjoy wearing rodeo’s gold. “Winning the world meant a lot after being the reserve world champion three years in a row,” said Frost, who earned his second NFR average title this past December while pocketing more than $265,000 over 10 days in Las Vegas; the five-time NFR qualifier ended the year with $476,887. “It was kind of funny how different this year was just with having injuries. “I sat out the whole month of February. In the three years prior, it seemed like the winter rodeos really set me up. (In 2024), I wasn’t even in the top 50 in April, so it looked different. It comes down to the fact that if you stay on the bulls, they pay you pretty good.” With that, he became the eighth cowboy with ties to the Oklahoma Panhandle to earn a world title, joining bronc buster Billy Etbauer, who lived in Goodwell for a time in his career and whose brothers still live there, and six other Panhandle State alums: team roper Jhett Johnson; steer roper Rocky Patterson; and saddle bronc riders Robert Etbauer, Taos Muncy, Jeffrey Willert and Tom Reeves. In all, they account for 17 gold buckles, with Billy Etbauer owning the most with five. Patterson, whose son is a two-time and reigning steer roping world champion, is a four-time titlist, while Muncy and Robert Etbauer have two gold buckles each. “Being on that list means a lot,” said Frost, who has also competed in steer wrestling and tie-down roping and owns four Linderman Awards for being handy on both ends of the arena. “Panhandle State, in my opinion, is one of the most cowboy rodeo colleges there is. It’s dang sure got the reputation for being a bronc rider college, but they take every event serious there. Being a multi-event cowboy, I went there and wasn’t even a bronc rider but being somebody that was riding bulls, roping calves, steer wrestling and team roping. “I feel there aren’t very many places out there that you have the ability to really train in every aspect of rodeo. Even though there were 35 bronc riders on the team, we still had the opportunity to get on bulls, rope calves, steer wrestle and team rope just like they were a priority.” Frost has plenty of reasons to celebrate his magical 2024 seasons, but there’s a level of disappointment in knowing he won’t be returning to competition in time to ride in Guymon the first weekend in May. “That area is my second home,” Frost said. “The whole support the community gives the college and rodeo in general is unduplicated anywhere else I’ve ever been.” Tucked away in the Wasatch Mountains in northeastern Utah, Randlett is hamlet of about 100 people. It’s where Frost was raised alongside his siblings, including another Panhandle State alumnus, brother Joe, also a five-time NFR qualifier. Josh Frost left home to attend college in Texas County, Oklahoma, and he’s proud of how it all came together to help him to develop into a world champion. “I tell everyone that Vernal, Utah, and Guymon, Oklahoma, are my two hometown rodeos,” he said. “Robert Etbauer was a two-time world champion, but he got there because of the hard work and the coaches who have been there prior to him. What’s instilled by going to Panhandle State is being a cowboy, getting up and getting to work.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – The Cattlemen’s Days pink has faded, but a bright shade of gold will emblazon the annual celebration. It’s the perfect transition for Cattlemen’s Days to honor its 125th year during the 2025 exposition, set for Thursday, July 10-Saturday, July 12, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. The volunteer-based organization will focus its giving nature toward the Golden Circle of Champions. “Gunnison Tough is going to carry on our long tradition of the Cattlemen’s Days Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign,” said Brad Tutor, the Cattlemen’s Days president. “We wish Gunnison Tough the very best along their path to continue helping cancer patients.” Gunnison Tough will continue the legacy established long ago. “A small group of people on the Cattlemen’s Days committee jumped on board with the national Tough Enough to Wear Pink crusade as a way of giving back to families who were being affected by breast cancer,” said Kevin Coblentz, a longtime volunteer who was instrumental in the foundation of the local pink efforts in 2005. “That campaign did an amazing job over the years, and Gunnison was recognized year after year for its contributions on the national stage.” Local families were the primary beneficiaries of those efforts, and that basic premise will continue with the Golden Circle of Champions, which raises funds and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer. “Because of the dedication of the Cattlemen’s Days committee, we’ve helped dozens of families, which, I think, is the best part,” said Karla Rundell, the committee’s second vice president. “Our purpose was always to give back, and I think we’ve done that very well over the last 20 years. “As we have discussed in our transition, kids are our future. Cancer is devastating enough, but children with cancer hits everyone hard, which is why we are now dedicated our giving to the Golden Circle of Champions.” Rundell is one of the volunteers leading the charge, calling it, “Cowboys and kids vs. cancer.” Traditionally the opening night of Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo was decked out in pink, but that changes starting this year. The Thursday performance will be Gold Night, helping raise awareness and funds for the Golden Circle of Champions. In addition, Cattlemen’s Days is teaming with Kaitlyn Hayes and the Rocky Mountain Mini Broncs/KH Bucking Horses for a special performance for youth Thursday, July 3, at the rodeo grounds. The event will also benefit Golden Circle of Champions. “We want to offer a ray of hope to the families that are going through this journey,” said Rundell, who took part in a Golden Circle of Champions event this past December in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “We had Colorado kids with us in Vegas, and that was such a blessing to be part of. “We want to walk beside these families and give them a helping hand. We want to tell the story of pediatric cancer, because we hope that will make a difference.”

ALVA, Okla. – It seems Jacob Haren has no time to be bored. He’s a graduate student at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and serves as the graduate assistant coach for Cali Griffin. When he’s not studying or at practice, he’s often shoeing horses. Most importantly, though, he’s a cowboy and a competitor. He continued to prove that by winning the steer wrestling title this past weekend at the Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College rodeo. He placed in both rounds – his 4.7-second run was worth a second-place finish in the opener, and he tied for third in the championship with a 5.4-second run – to win the aggregate race. The 145 points he collected moved him to third in the Central Plains Region standings. Teammate Emmett Edler of State Center, Iowa, placed in the short round and the aggregate to increase his advantage in the standings; Edler has a 300-point lead with four events remaining on the docket. “This is definitely a good way to start (the spring semester of rodeos),” said Haren of Callaway, Nebraska. “It lets you not be as worried as much, and if you get a good start, then you can get on a roll. “I drew two really good steers, and the horses my teammates are letting me ride are both nice.” Haren rode Easy, a talented bay gelding owned by Logan Mullin. Edler serves as Haren’s hazer, and Haren returns the favor when Edler competes. That type of comradery is what makes college rodeo so special. For his part, Edler also earned points in tie-down roping, where he earned a fifth-place finish in the opening round. Northwestern, which placed fourth in the men’s team race and third in the women’s at Fort Scott, also scored a victory by team roping-header Colter Snook of Dodge City, Kansas. While roping with Cale Morris of Western Oklahoma State College, the tandem stopped the clock in 7.1 seconds to finish out of the money in the opening round, then posted a 5.3-second run – the fastest time of the rodeo – to win the championship round and the average title. Snook extended his lead in the region’s heading standings. “We were at the first slack and not a lot of teams were catching, and I saw a couple of barriers break,” Snook said, referring to contestants’ not allowing the steers an adequate head start, thereby being accessed with 10-second penalties. “My goal is to stay away from barriers. I got one during the short round in Durant (Oklahoma last fall), but other than that, I haven’t hit any. I just wanted to stay clean, but I definitely saw too much (on the start).” Cowboys start their runs by what they see in anticipation of the cow’s start. Sometimes they want to leave the back of the timed-event box at the same time as the steer. Sometimes they want to see the animal’s head or its shoulder before leaving. “I saw the full shoulder, so I was about six inches off the barrier, which put us behind a little,” Snook said. “The first steer kind of stepped left after I roped him, and it took longer for my heeler to get around. He roped him about the fourth hop. “I saw middle of the shoulder in the short round, so I was closer. My partner also got to rope him on the second hope in the short-go.” That made all the difference, but Snook has some aces up his sleeves in the horsepower he keeps. His benefactor in southeastern Kansas was a 5-year-old bay gelding named James Bond, which is named after a close friend, Colton James Bond, who was killed in a car wreck in May 2023. “That horse likes me,” Snook said. “He always wants to learn. When I first got him, we had some issues and weren’t as far along as I wanted to be, but he wants to do better, and he’s easy.” Snook wasn’t the only Ranger team roper in the championship round. He was joined by the tandem of header Kyler Altmiller of Canadian, Texas, and heeler Sage Bader of Kim, Colorado, who scored a 7.6-second run to qualify for the short-go. The women were paced by Savannah Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon. She placed in both rounds of breakaway roping – she was 2.4 to split second four ways in the opener, then stopped the clock in 2.0 seconds for third in the finale – and finished second overall. Fellow ropers Brylee Zook of Garnett, Kansas, was also 2.4 to finish in a tie for second in the opener, while Payton Dingman of Pyror, Oklahoma, and Morgan Poust of Hughesville, Pennsylvania, were 2.5 to finish sixth in the long round.   Poust also finished sixth in barrel racing after posting a 13.56-second run. Dingman won the first round of goat-tying with a 7.1-second run, while Dale Lee Forman of Highmore, South Dakota, was third in the final round with a 7.7-second run; her two-run cumulative time of 16.0 seconds pushed her to a fourth-place finish overall. Seeing so many Northwestern athletes find success in Fort Scott was good for Haren as both a contender and a coach. “We had quite a few kids in the short round, which was really good to see,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll have the same amount and maybe finish a little better over these next four rodeos.” Only the top three finishers in each event and the top two teams in the regional standings for both the men and women advance to the College National Finals Rodeo in June, so there’s some building yet to do. “We need to really do good at these next four rodeos, but we’re capable of doing that,” Haren said, noting the teams’ next rodeo is the first weekend in April at Garden City, Kansas. “We need to be really aggressive and get as many points as we can.”

Estes Park’s rodeo ups its financial incentive to improve its payout ESTES PARK, Colo. – If the majestic Rocky Mountains weren’t enough to entice cowboys and cowgirls to this vibrant community, the Town of Estes Park is adding more incentives. “We’ve opted to make an overall increase to our local investment into our portion of the purse to $10,000 per event,” said Cindy Schonholtz, the Rooftop Rodeo coordinator. “We understand the contestants are out here fighting to make a living, and this is just another way we can step up on our end of things. “Our goal is to produce an event that is true entertainment for our fans, but this is also a competition and important stop for the contestants. We want them to come to Estes Park and be part of that competition, and increasing our ‘added money’ is just another way we can do that.” The term “added money” reflects on the sponsorship dollars that are put into the pot, which is then mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to come up with the overall purse. Last year’s local investment was $69,000; this year’s is $90,000. All that will be dished out during this year’s Rooftop Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, July 5-Thursday, July 10, at Granny May Arena inside the Estes Park Fairgrounds. “I’ve been going to Estes Park for about 10 years, and the committee has always been great to the contestants and to the contestants’ families,” said Kodie Jang, a steer wrestler from Townsville, Queensland, Australia. “They take care of everyone. They keep upping the added money, which is always a bonus. I’ll always support a rodeo that increases the added money.” Cowboys and cowgirls have long recognized the community for how it supports the rodeo and how the contestants are treated. “The hospitality at that rodeo is always fantastic,” said Jett Hillman, a team roping heeler originally from Sterling, Colorado, that won the intercollegiate title while attending Northeastern Junior College in his hometown. “Everybody’s always friendly. There are always stalls for your horses, and you can never park in the wrong place. They cook for us every day. “The only thing for me is that I can’t think of anything to do to repay them for everything they do for us. It’s a special rodeo.” The increased money is just another incentive for the cowboys and cowgirls to make sure Estes Park is on their schedules during the summer run. “It’s actually going to make it tougher to win there, because they’ll have a lot more guys,” said Jang, the 2024 Rooftop Rodeo bulldogging champion who also won the title at the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo in October at Loveland, Colorado. “It’s going to pay out so much more. I bet with all the entries, it’ll pay out almost twice as much as it was before. “Even if you just win a check in a go-round, it’s going to help tremendously, whether you send the money home to pay bills or continue your ventures out on the rodeo trail. If you place in both rounds and the average, man, you’re going to have a pile of money. That’s always important.” Gates for Rooftop Rodeo open at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 5-Thursday, July 10, with the preshow beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the rodeo beginning at 7 p.m. For more information about Rooftop Rodeo, which is a Town of Estes Park signature event, or to order tickets online, log on to www.RooftopRodeo.com. Other ticket inquiries may be made by contacting the Town of Estes Park Events office at events@estes.org or (970) 586-6104.

GUYMON, Okla. – Over the last quarter century, the exposure of rodeo has increased mightily. The Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, established in time for the 2000 season, featured the top events in the sport on programs that were nationally televised. The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo was at the forefront of it all, an opportunity that brought viewers into the Oklahoma Panhandle. “We understood then that television was going to be one of the ways we were going to grow our rodeo,” said Ken Stonecipher, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual event. “It’s changed a lot since we were part of that tour, but we’ve continued to gain awareness for our rodeo and for this community because of the television exposure.” The PRCA reported that 26 million people had watched rodeo in 2000 and estimated that about 40 million were set to view the broadcasts in 2001. The rodeo, which occurs annually the first weekend in May, was tape-delayed and shown weeks later to the national audience. This year’s rodeo – set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena – will be broadcast live on The Cowboy Channel, as has been the case for several years since the network reached an agreement to showcase PRCA events, including the National Finals Rodeo. Rodeo viewership in 2024 was around 100 million. The Cowboy Channel was founded by Patrick Gottsch in 2017 and pioneered 24-hour rodeo and Western-sports broadcasting. It was acquired last November by Teton Ridge, which was created in 2019 with strategic funding from investors, all of whom shared a vision to expand the reach and impact of Western sports. Other than the ownership, not much else has changed with The Cowboy Channel and its association with ProRodeo. The network, which covers most of the 600-plus PRCA-sanctioned rodeos, has distribution agreements with DISH, DIRECTV, Comcast, Cox, Charter, Altice and others. Teton Ridge retained The Cowboy Channel’s licensing agreement with the PRCA during its acquisition. “The good thing for us is that our agreement with The Cowboy Channel broadcasting Pioneer Days Rodeo is unchanged, so we will again be featured that first weekend in May,” said Stonecipher, a longstanding committee member who was instrumental in the event being part of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour 25 years ago. “We have a great rodeo that’s fun for the fans who come to Guymon to enjoy it, and we put together a great production that can be enjoyed on TV, whether you watch it on The Cowboy Channel or on The Cowboy Channel+ app.” The exposure is not only beneficial to the rodeo but also to its contestants. Not only are they battling for big dollars in the Oklahoma Panhandle, but being showcased on television helps cowboys and cowgirls potentially receive lucrative sponsorships. “I’d say 90 percent of the events I compete at are televised and that rural America is watching,” said Josh Frost, an Oklahoma Panhandle State University alumnus and the 2024 bull riding world champion. “The Cowboy Channel is huge for us.”

Gooding Pro Rodeo to honor history with its 100th anniversary GOODING, Idaho – The pioneering spirit the developed this desert region into a farming community still stands strong in southern Idaho. It will be honored with the 100th anniversary of the Gooding Pro Rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 14-Saturday, Aug. 16, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 13. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. “What is now the Gooding County Fair and Rodeo was originally the Farmers Fair in Wendell, just 10 miles south of us,” said Don Gill, the fair and rodeo’s manager. “It was started in September of 1916 as a way for the pioneering farmers to bring their bounty to town and celebrate what they were doing on their homesteads.” Nine years later, the Gooding city fathers moved the fair to the 116th Cavalry Grounds, which is where the fairgrounds sits today, and added activities like a polo match with the cavalry and bucking and roping contests. “That’s what made it a true fair and rodeo,” Gill said. That legacy still exists but on a much grander scale. Thousands make their way to Gooding County for the experience and the high-flying action that is ProRodeo in this century. “Top cowboys have always considered Gooding as their home away from home,” Gill said. “In the early days, men like Pete Grubb, Mike Bryant and Yakama Canutt matched their skills against the horses from Haley Tucker, the Christian Brothers and Swanny Kirby. “That tradition continues with the world’s best making Gooding an important stop on their rodeo schedules.” Take Kassie Mowry, who tied the Andy James Arena record in winning the rodeo last year en route to her first barrel racing world championship. She is one of many who own those prestigious gold buckles who have not only earned good money in Gooding but have also left town with the rodeo’s title in hand. “There have been a lot of people who have made important contributions to the longstanding success of our fair and rodeo,” Gill said. “In 1990, then-fair manager Lucy Osborne took the bull by the horns and formed the Save Our Seats Committee to raise enough money to replace the old wooden bleachers, which had been condemned. “She conducted numerous fundraisers – including Baxter Black, a bison roast and just about anything else she could come up with – and the construction began two years later. Local farmers, the highway district and anyone else who volunteered hauled in the dirt to where the current bleachers sit.” The condemnation was just an obstacle that those who had forward thinking were willing to hurdle. The process continues with Gill and his staff, who have built the fair and rodeo into the exposition that thrives on greatness. Because of that, more than $255,000 was paid out to cowboys and cowgirls last year, with a good portion of that money going to nearly 50 contestants that have qualified for the National Finals Rodeo. “I believe that pioneer spirit and can-do attitude lives on today,” Gill said. “Over the last several years, Gooding has received many awards for the rodeo. I’m certain the founding fathers never envisioned their bucking and roping contests on the polo fields of the 116th Cavalry would be televised across the world 100 years later.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Guymon’s annual rodeo is a major drawing card, not only regionally but with some international flair among the competitors who travel to the Oklahoma Panhandle. The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo’s Dinner, Dance & Draw Down is becoming almost as popular. Nearly 300 supporters packed into the hospitality building at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena on Saturday, Feb. 15, for the event, which celebrated its 20th year in grand fashion. “The event was a huge success with an amazing turnout,” said Brooke Kitting, the marketing director for the rodeo committee. “We served approximately 275 meals, and the hospitality area was at full capacity.” Established in 2006, the Dinner, Dance & Draw Down has become an important fundraiser for the rodeo committee. Money earned will go toward the expenses that come with producing one of the top events in the sport. There are about 1,000 contestants who annually compete at Pioneer Days Rodeo, the only ProRodeo Hall of Fame event in Oklahoma. More than 1,110 cowboys and cowgirls entered the rodeo last year. This year’s event will feature four performances, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the arena. “The Dinner, Dance & Draw Down isn’t just a fundraiser for the rodeo; it’s also a way to help draw awareness and thank our supporters,” said Ken Stonecipher, the rodeo committee’s chairman. “We have some incredible supporters to help make it a success and a fun night for everyone involved.” Because of its 20th celebration, the prize for the draw down was increased to $10,000. It came down to two people, who decided to split the prize to earn $5,000 each. The event also had two rounds of 50/50 prizes, including a grill and a his-and-hers pistol set. Every 18th draw in the round earned door prizes, which had been donated by Wirtz Lumber and Supply, Dancer’s Fine Wine & Liquor, The Ge Spot Treats, Lumber Mart, Refz Sports Bar & Grill, Vallarta Mexican Bar & Grill, Bronze & Beautiful, The Strip Meat Co., L.A. Nails, Today’s Nails, COJO Industrial Sales, Seaboard Foods and Aurora Stonecipher. The food was provided by Hunny’s, and there were several sponsors who helped the event be a success: Refs, Bob’s Cowboy Bar and M&M Hot Oil Services LLC were beer and bar sponsors; Blackmore Livestock Transportation sponsored the entertainment from the Amarillo band 9 Eyes; and Fisch & Hitch sponsored decorations. “We also want to express our gratitude to the Guymon FFA for their incredible help with logistics, ensuring everything ran smoothly through the night, especially for the meal and during clean-up,” Kitting said. It helps solidify the importance of the rodeo, which celebrates its 93rd year this spring. “This community continues to show up for us, and that’s why this event was a success,” Stonecipher said.

GUYMON, Okla. – The premise was simple: Create a fundraiser that would be an enjoyable night out to help raise money and awareness about the community’s biggest annual event. Now, though, the Guymon Pioneer Days Draw Down, Dinner & Dance has become a staple and a chance for like-minded people to come together for a chance to carry on a tradition. This year’s event will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, in the hospitality building at the Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “When our committee came up with this idea, we thought it would be a good chance to get the word out and raise a little bit of money for our rodeo,” said Ken Stonecipher, the group’s chairman and a longtime member of the volunteer organization. “We had no idea that it would still be going on this long. Obviously, this has been a big deal for a long time, but we keep doing things to make it bigger and better.” Tickets are $100 per couple and include two prime-rib meals and one draw-down entry. Numbers are drawn one by one, and each draw will eliminate a player. The last number standing wins the grand prize. “We’ve increased our prize to $10,000 for this year to celebrate our anniversary,” Stonecipher said. “That’s something we wanted to do this year for Pioneer Days Rodeo and for the folks in this community who have supported us for so long.” The rodeo will take place the first weekend in May, with performances set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at the arena. The celebration begins, though, two and a half months prior to the opening competition, which typically features around 1,000 contestants. Pioneer Days Rodeo provides the biggest economic impact annually to Texas County, so every aspect of the celebration is vital to Guymon and the surrounding communities. “We’ve had tremendous support over the years,” Stonecipher said. “Our rodeo was one of the first tour events that was nationally televised 25 years ago, and a lot of that goes to how this community comes together for it. We’re still nationally televised and will be part of The Cowboy Channel’s broadcast schedule again. “None of that happens without the people in Guymon, in Texas County, who have been with us for so many years and with the new sponsors and partners we get.” That’s another big reason the Dinner, Draw Down & Dance is important to the rodeo committee; it’s a chance to thank supporters while also providing entertainment that includes live music by 9 Eyes, a band based in Amarillo. “Since the beginning, we’ve always tried to make this a fun night,” Stonecipher said. “We want to continue that for as long as we can.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – The ladies made the biggest statement during Saturday’s final performance of the Oklahoma City ProRodeo. It was the final PRCA- and WPRA-sanctioned rodeo in Jim Norick Arena, and a solid crowd worked its way into the storied coliseum to see the action; the first ProRodeo occurred six decades ago when the 1965 National Finals Rodeo kicked open the building’s doors. “This is actually my first time to compete here,” said Shelby Whiting, who posted a 2.1-second run to win the breakaway roping title and $1,881. “Being able to win it in the final night of rodeo for the arena is a great memory to help me remember how special this is for me.” A pair of barrel racers also made solid statements. Two-time NFR qualifier Lesley Smalygo of Skiatook, Oklahoma, posted a 15.39-second run to win barrel racer, while fellow Tiany Schuster, a three-time qualifier from Krum, Texas, was just one-tenth of a second behind to finish as the runner-up. Smalygo earned $2,076, and Schuster collected $1,779. The key for all three was to take advantage of the opportunities before them. “You just have to go after it,” said Whiting, a Paola, Kansas, cowgirl who moved into the top five of the breakaway roping standings in the Prairie Circuit, the region made up primarily of rodeos and contestants from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. “I was the third run on (that calf). I knew he was really good, and I knew I just had to go out there and go after it. “It’s so tough nowadays that you just have to go after it anyway.” A key component in any timed event is to have solid horsepower, and Whiting knows she has something special in Dolly, a 10-year-old bay mare. “My horse is phenomenal,” said Whiting, who attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. “I’ve had her since she was 2. She’s a spitfire for sure, and she keeps me on her toes, but she gives me 1,000 percent every time I nod. “She’s my baby for sure.” The goal now is to take advantage of her situation. The rodeo season will continue through September, and while every roper’s dream is to qualify for the National Finals Breakaway Roping in December, the Kansan would love to earn a spot at the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. To do that, she’ll need to finish among the top 12 in the region. “This is a fantastic start to the circuit season,” Whiting said. “It’s super exciting.” Oklahoma City ProRodeoOklahoma CityJan. 24-25Bareback riding: 1. Myles Carlson, 80 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Blackhawk, $1,034; 2. Reece Reder, 78, $776; 3. Jence Griffith, 74.5, $517; 4. Rhett Robbins, 74, $259. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 4.0 seconds, $1,015; 2. Tyler Scheevel, 4.4, $840; 3. Adam Musil, 4.5. $665; 4. Weston Taylor, 4.7, $490; 5. Shawn Musil, 4.9, $315; 6. (tie) Laramie Warren and Cooper Orr, 5.1, $88 each. Team roping: 1. Cam Hoelting/Dawson McMaster, 4.8 seconds, $1,772; 2. Cash Duty/Cashton Weidenbener, 5.0, $1,466; 3. Casey Hicks/Trigger Hargrove, 5.2, $1,161; 4. (tie) Brandon Farris/Braden Harmon and Kolton Schmidt/Landen Glenn, 5.3 each, $703 each; 6. Jake Clay/Tanner Braden, 5.4m $306. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Waitley Sharon, 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Red Cloud, $1,442; 2. Walker Rezzonico, 80, $1,093; 3. Brady Irvine, 79, $787; 4. Jace Lane, 78, $525; 5. Roper Kiesner, 77.5, $306; 6. Danny Cassidy, 77, $219. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Hagen Houck and Paul David Tierney, 8.7 seconds, $1,563 each; 3. Ace Reese, 8.8, $1,121; 4. Preston Pederson, 9.1, $826; 5. Pax Vogel, 9.2, $531; 6. Gator Goodrich, 9.4, $295. Breakaway roping: 1. Shelby Whiting, 2.1 seconds, $1,881; 2. (tie) Erin Johnson and Taylor Munsell, 2.5, $1,513 each; 4. Mataya Eklund, 2.6, $1,145; 5. Payton Scalzo, 2.8, $900; 6. Sami Jo O’Day, 2.9, $654; 7. (tie) Reagan Davis, Kashly Van Petten, Willow Wilson and Y’leigh Yarbrough, 3.0, $143 each. Barrel racing: 1. Leslie Smalygo, 15.39 seconds, $2,076; 2. Tiany Schuster, 15.49, $1,779; 3. Kellie Jorgensen, 15.61, $1,483; 4. Jo Fisher, 15.64, $1,285; 5. (tie) Wenda Johnson and Devon Brown, 15.66, $890 each; 7. (tie) Paige Jones and Julie Plourde, 15.71, $494 each; 9. Kaydi Anderson, 15.72, $297; 10. Randee Hedrick, 15.75, $198. Bull riding: 1. Josiah Chism, 86 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Bam Bam, $2,491; 2. Brayden Lamb, 76, $2,122; no other qualified rides.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Riley Duvall is hoping a run of luck can last through a hiatus of more than a decade. He’s giving it a shot, anyway. The third-generation steer wrestler, Duvall knocked his steer down in 4.0 seconds during Friday’s opening night of the Oklahoma City ProRodeo to take the bulldogging lead with one day of competition remaining. “This is the first time I’ve run one here in 13 years,” said Duvall, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Checotah, Oklahoma, who competed in Las Vegas in 2016, 2018-19 and 2021. “The last time I ran one here, I won the average at the National Circuit Finals, so maybe we’re still on a hot streak.” He said that with a bit of a smirk, but doing well at this rodeo is one of the reasons he’s competing this weekend. This is the last PRCA event to take place inside the historic Jim Norick Arena, which hosted its inaugural event the 1965 NFR. The sport’s grand finale continued in the State Fair Arena for 14 years before moving downtown in Oklahoma City from 1979-84; it has remained in Nevada since then. “My family’s been bulldogging here for 60 years,” Duvall said, tipping his cap to his grandfather, Bill, and great uncle, Roy, who are the dual patriarchs for the family’s rodeo legacy. “That means a lot to me, 60 years in a building, three different generations and my uncle (Roy) won all three of his world championships here. “My dad won the high school here, so if I can end this arena with a ‘W,’ that would be something special.” He owns a half-second lead over the No. 2 man, Adam Musil of Crescent, Oklahoma, and will have to hold off 16 more bulldoggers that are set to run Saturday. Running steers is how the family has conducted business for decades, and Riley Duvall is just the next stage of that factor. In addition to competing, he also helps as a hazer. If that weren’t enough, he’s also the PRCA’s steer wrestling director, so he handles the political side of the job, too. He knows the animals and the athletes, so it has set him up for success. “These are J.J. Miller’s steers, and me and J.J. talk probably four or five times a week,” said Duvall, who finished the 2024 campaign 24th in the world standings. “I didn’t know my steer at all, but I called J.J., and he told me that my steer was one of the best ones. I just tried to be honest, catch him and throw him down. “I’ve probably got the best group of guys to work with as a director; if I had to be a director in any other event, I probably wouldn’t do it. I saw my uncle, Spud, do it for eight to 10 years, so I learned from him how to handle the business and the bulldogging side of it and separate them.” Riley Duvall learned how to compete from the generations before him, but he handles the business of rodeo like the veteran he is. Oklahoma City ProRodeoOklahoma CityJan. 24-25Bareback riding: 1. Jence Griffith, 74.5 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Hell’s Angel; 2. (tie) Bubba Holcomb and Jacoby Campbell, 70; 4. Stetson Bierman, 60; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 4.0 seconds; 2. Adam Musil, 4.5; 3. Shawn Musil, 4.9; 4. (tie) Laramie Warren and Cooper Orr, 5.1; 6. Wyatt Scales, 9.5. Team roping: 1. Brandon Farris/Braden Harmon, 5.3 seconds; no other qualified times. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Waitley Sharon, 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Red Cloud; 2. Taylor Nelson, 74; 3. Brody Baca, 71; 4. Cooper Tyler, 65; 5. Hunter Greathouse, 64; 6. Heston Harrison, 62. Tie-down roping: 1. Sam Ward, 12.5 seconds; 2. Luke Potter, 12.6; 3. Billy Hamilton, 18.5; 4. Jesse Clifton, 24.0; no other qualified times.  Breakaway roping: 1. No qualified times. Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Wenda Johnson and Devon Brown, 15.66 seconds; 3. Tristan Parish, 15.76; 4. Bradee Addison, 16.21; 5. Kathryn Todd, 16.44; 6. Mollie Bassett, 16.46; 7. Cacee Hendrick, 16.54; 8. Makenna Shook, 21.06; 9. Delaney Seibert, 21.48; no other qualified times. Bull riding: 1. Josiah Chism, 86 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Bam Bam; 2. Brayden Lamb, 76; no other qualified rides.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The word has spread across rodeo circles that this weekend’s Oklahoma City ProRodeo will be the final PRCA event in the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. It’s just one of the reasons that nearly 500 cowboys and cowgirls put their names in the hat to be part of this exclusive field. Many will be part of the two performances set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available at McCoyRodeo.com. “I was very surprised by the numbers that we’re seeing,” said Cord McCoy, an Oklahoma cowboy who will produce the two-day event via McCoy Rodeo, which he co-owns with his wife, Sara. “I think a lot of them understand that this is the final time they can compete at a ProRodeo in that arena, and they want to be part of it.” That list of contestants includes some of the greatest stars the sport has to offer, from world champions to many-time qualifiers to the National Finals Rodeo. Being in Oklahoma City this weekend is an especially easy decision for those contestants with ties to the Sooner State. The arena will be torn down this spring and replaced by a new complex that’s under construction nearby. “I’ve rarely missed anything that they’ve had at that arena,” said barrel racer Dona Kay Rule, a five-time NFR qualifier from Minco, Oklahoma. “I’ve worked as a secretary and assisted at a lot of the major horse shows. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a state fair for as long as I can remember. “It’s a little hard on my heart to see it go, although I know it’ll be good for our city.” Nostalgia plays a big part. Its first event was the 1965 NFR, which was conducted inside the then-named State Fair Arena through 1978 before moving into the Myriad Arena in downtown Oklahoma City. It had a six-year run there, so ProRodeo’s grand finale was a major deal in the state’s capital city for two decades. In addition, Jim Norick Arena has hosted hundreds of other Western sports events over the years, from a variety of horse shows to barrel racings, team ropings, high school rodeos and the PBR. Some of the greatest competitors have nodded their heads. “That building’s got a lot of history to it,” said Brandon McLagan, who will announce the festivities this weekend. “I’ve announced the (Better Barrel Races) World Finals there a couple of times, and I did four International Finals Rodeos there. “That’s hallowed ground, and to know those bucking chutes from where Freckles Brown rode Tornado are directly below my feet where I’m going to be standing for the final two nights of ProRodeo in that building … I’ve got chills right now thinking about it.” Brown, the 1962 world champion bull rider, rode Jim Shoulders’ “unrideable” bull Tornado at the 1967 NFR, then went on to win the average championship that week. It was the only time in more than 200 trips with some of the best cowboys in the business that the bull was conquered for eight seconds, and it’s just one of the many pieces of lore that will continue to live on after the final piece of rubble is removed this spring. McLagan noted that the historical nature of this weekend’s rodeo is just one of the factors that plays into the decisions made by contestants. “It’s going to be a great circuit rodeo,” he said of the Prairie Circuit, made up of rodeos and contestants primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. “Beyond that, there’s going to be some ballers, so to speak, that are coming to Oklahoma City.” That includes tie-down roper Hunter Herrin, a 14-time NFR qualifier from Apache, Oklahoma. “I’m starting a new year, and I’ve got a new horse, so I thought this would be a good place to start that horse,” said Herrin, whose first NFR was 2006. “I was going to enter with Chizm Kuykendall, but our schedules got messed up. I’m up at Fort Worth (Texas) on Sunday and Monday, so I figured Cord has a rodeo right there in Oklahoma City, it’s a circuit rodeo, and it would be a good place to start the year off.” It’s been a good place for him over the years. Until a decade or so ago, he made sure to be in the mix during the Oklahoma State Fair Rodeo, which took place each September along with the annual exposition. He’s happy to be part of its final chapter involving the PRCA. “Oklahoma City had a really good rodeo for a long time,” he said. “They did away with it and had some bull ridings, which is kind of sad, but I’m looking forward to being back there again. I’m glad I get to rope up there to start the new year off.” Rule has had her own history with the sport and with events in Oklahoma City. Her husband, John Rule, made the saddles for the NFR after it had moved downtown, and she can’t count the number of runs she’s made inside Jim Norick Arena over her lifetime. She’s ready to make one more. “There are a lot of reasons I entered that rodeo,” she said. “I love the history of that arena, and I’m so sad to see it go. I wanted to be there for the last one, and I also think so much of the McCoy family; I would like to go and support Cord. Rodeo has a big history in Oklahoma, so this is very special. “When you see those guys in Las Vegas and you’re interested in hearing about their stories, you get a feeling for what they’ve gone through. If you dig into it, a lot of their parents, grandparents and even further back were here in Oklahoma at some point. It all started here for a lot of them.”

Oklahoman has a mix of experiences at historic Jim Norick Arena OKLAHOMA CITY – The date is engrained in his mind, but Cord McCoy doesn’t remember much of it. It was late September 2004, and McCoy was competing at the State Fair Rodeo in Oklahoma City. It was the biggest ProRodeo in his home state, and eagerness added to the excitement. During the championship round, he was bucked off his bronc, but his left foot hung in the stirrup. Momentum pushed the southeastern Oklahoma cowboy backward as he fell, and the animal’s hoof connected with the left side of McCoy’s head. He was motionless on the arena dirt. His brother, Jet, leapt from the back of the bucking chutes in a single bound to be at his side, with medical personnel right behind. Family in the stands could only look on as everything transpired. A circular fracture left it’s mark and pushed inward toward his brain. He was transported to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, where he began the process of healing. He had surgery to fix his malady, then spent time in intensive care before employing months of rehabilitation to relearn cognitive skills. McCoy recovered, and a few months later returned to the rodeo arena. His was a success story and part of the history of Jim Norick Arena, but McCoy wants to add another chapter with the production of the Oklahoma City ProRodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at McCoyRodeo.com. “When I found out this was going to be the last year of that coliseum, I knew I wanted to be part of the last PRCA rodeo ever held there,” said McCoy, co-owner of Lane, Oklahoma-based McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara. “There’s so much that has happened in that building, and there are a lot of great memories for people, especially those involved in rodeo.” The former State Fair Arena hosted the National Finals Rodeo from 1965-1978 before it moved into downtown at the then-named Myriad Arena, now the Cox Convention Center. In fact, the first event in “The Big House” was the NFR, which had begun in 1959 in Dallas before a three-year stint in Los Angeles. The redirection was a chance to get ProRodeo’s grand finale back into Cowboy Country, and the coliseum was a natural fit. “I have my own history there,” McCoy said, reflecting on his successes and that ominous circumstance two decades ago. “I qualified for my first (International Finals Rodeo) there and won my first IPRA world titles there.” In all, he earned five championships in the Oklahoma City-based International Professional Rodeo Association before taking his game to the PRCA and the PBR. He was trying to make his name on the highest levels of rodeo while riding bareback horses, saddle broncs and bulls. After his injury, and because doctors recommended he wear a helmet, McCoy focused on bull riding for most of the rest of his competitive career. Seven months after the 2004 mishap, he was back in action. He had taken baby steps, from retraining his brain to walk and talk to getting on bucking animals. “I’d put that little old helmet on, and I’d start walking horses around,” McCoy said in 2005. “About a month before I went to the doctor to see about being released to compete again, I started getting on horses bareback to get my balance ready to ride bulls. I went to ride him across the pasture, and I almost fell off several times. “Now, this is something I’ve done all my life, and I couldn’t do it. You would’ve thought this guy would never be a bull rider. I had to take the horse up and set him in a little bitty pen that we have set up for kids just so I could do it.” From that first rodeo at the Lazy E Arena northeast of Oklahoma City, McCoy set out on his plan to earn a trip to the NFR. With the help of a big payday at the Xtreme Bulls event during Bullnanza at the then-Ford Center, now the Paycom Center, he earned his qualification to Las Vegas, the NFR’s home since 1985. “I think it all fed off my spirituality,” McCoy said 20 years ago. “It was tough starting back, because as far as trusting yourself and your reaction and also trusting in God … that was something I had to just turn over to God. “This is what I’m going to try to do, and if this is what’s out there for me, it’ll happen. Just leave the reins to Him and let Him guide me.” That faith has kept him in the saddle longer than many realized could happen. He retired from riding bulls in 2013 after an NFR qualification and six trips to the PBR World Finals, tried his hand at bronc riding for a bit all while riding with a helmet, and then focused his attention to raising bucking animals. He’s been a stock contractor in the PBR since before he hung up his spurs, raising some of the top bulls in the organization. In fact, his bull, Ridin’ Solo, is a two-time PBR Bull of the Year. He and his wife also developed McCoy Rodeo a few years ago, and they’ve been producing PRCA events ever since. “Outside my momma, my daddy and my family, rodeo was my first love,” said McCoy, who, along with Jet, was part of the CBS reality series “The Amazing Race” three times. “I’ve been involved with rodeo my whole life. I love the history of rodeo, and being part of it means the world to me. “For us to be involved in producing the last PRCA rodeo at Jim Norick Arena means everything to me and means everything to my family. When you add my history and my family’s history with that coliseum, there’s a lot  Continue Reading »

OKLAHOMA CITY – Freckles Brown had already distinguished himself as one of the best bull riders in rodeo by the time the National Finals Rodeo came to town in 1965. Six years before, h qualified for the first four NFRs – three in Dallas and one in Las Angeles – and earned the 1962 world championship. In all, he made the finale eight times, but his most memorable occurred in 1967, the third year the PRCA’s premier event was held at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City. During that affair, Brown rode the Jim Shoulders bull Tornado, becoming the first cowboy to master eight seconds on the beast that had dumped 200 world-class bull riders befoe. Brown ended that NFR as the average champion, having bested the top 15 men in the field. Oh, and he was 46 years old. He’s one of many greats that competed in the complex now known as Jim Norick Arena who have been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Rodeo Hall of Fame that’s part of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Brown’s 1967 feat is often recalled as one of the most incredible things to have happened in the sport’s history. Another chapter to that book will happen later this week with the final PRCA event ever to take place in Jim Norick Arena, the Oklahoma City ProRodeo, which is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Brown wrapped his career with four straight trips to NFR in that legendary building – his final year to compete at the grand finale was 1969. He was inducted into the ProRodeo hall in 1979 and the Oklahoma City hall in 1986. Dean Oliver, who competed at 18 NFRs, won the first all-around championship crowned at State Fair Arena in 1965; it was his third. Larry Mahan won the bull riding title that season and added the all-around crown the next year. In all, Mahan won eight gold buckles – six in the all-around (1966-70 and ’73) and two in bull riding (1965-67) – and it all happened at the fairgrounds. Roping superstar Leo Camarillo won five world titles and all but the 1983 team roping championship happened at Jim Norick Arena. Saddle bronc rider Shawn Davis – who spent three decades as general manager of the NFR – won three gold buckles at the fairgrounds (1965, ’67-’68). Roy Duvall of Checotah, Oklahoma, still owns the record for NFR qualifications with 24, including 21 straight from 1966-86; all of his gold buckles (1967, ’69 and ’72) were in that building. Oklahoma hand Tom Ferguson won nine world championships, and all but the 1979 all-around crown were secured at State Fair Arena. Texan Don Gay is one of the top bull riding broadcasters of his generation, but he was best known for his eight bull riding titles. He won the first four at State Fair Arena, then won the other four when the NFR moved across town to the Myriad. The state’s capital city set a standard for rodeo royalty during its place as the 20-year home of the sport’s premier event. It’s legacy is firmly in place, and the tales from Jim Norick Arena will hold strong years after the final piece of the building hits the ground this spring.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legendary Oklahoma statesman Clem McSpadden wore many hats in his time on Earth. Mostly, though, those chapeaus were in a cowboy shape, because that, deep down, who McSpadden was. He went from roper to rodeo announcer to serving others, first as a representative at the Oklahoma Capitol, then as a U.S. congressman representing his home state. He was also the general manager of the National Finals Rodeo during its run in Oklahoma City, and he may have made his biggest impact in that role. Nobody outside southeastern Oklahoma knew much about Reba McEntire, but McSpadden did. Her grandfather and father were world champion steer ropers, and Reba had sparked an interest from one of the most recognized voices in ProRodeo. He hired her to sing the national anthem at the 1974 NFR. McEntire has credited that moment from 50 years ago as the launching pad to her career, which has featured a distinctive Oklahoma twang that not only showcases her roots but also presents her unique style of entertaining. She has won Grammys, Country Music Association honors and has been a star on stage, screen and television. Her ties to the sport of rodeo date back nearly a century, and it’s a perfect history lesson as the city remembers the iconic Jim Norick Arena, which will be torn down this spring. The final PRCA event in the coliseum will be the Oklahoma City ProRodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the historic arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at McCoyRodeo.com. McEntire isn’t the only famous singer to perform in the 60-year-old complex, but Elvis Presley and Sonny & Cher didn’t have many ties to the sport in which her family competed. There was, however, Chris LeDoux, a rodeo-cowboy-turned-artist who not only played for the crowds inside the former State Fair Arena but also rode bucking horses there. In fact, he won the 1976 bareback riding world championship inside those memory-filled walls. The history of professional rodeo runs deep in the red Oklahoma dirt. The first event ever conducted inside the complex known then as State Fair Arena was the NFR, which kicked open the doors to the building in 1965. The sport’s grand championship had a 14-year run in the coliseum before moving across town to the Myriad Arena in 1979, where it continued for six more seasons – the Myriad was renamed the Cox Convention Center in 2002. Oklahoma cowboy Cord McCoy has competed in the Jim Norick Arena, and he will produce the final PRCA event in the complex during next week’s Oklahoma City ProRodeo. As co-owner of McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara, he will close a long chapter in the coliseum’s history. Jim Norick Arena has been host high school championships, hockey and some of the brightest stars in music and entertainment. It began with a rodeo staple 60 years ago, and nearly 500 cowboys and cowgirls will be in the mix as professional rodeo closes the doors on its run in the majestic building. That’s the perfect way to say celebrate rodeo’s legacy in “The Big House.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – The new paint still had a fresh smell the first time the Duvall brothers made their way into State Fair Arena. The grand opening in the storied complex was the 1965 National Finals Rodeo, the championship event developed by the Rodeo Cowboys Association, now known as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Within a year, Roy Duvall was in the mix at ProRodeo’s grand finale, a 10-day affair that features only the top cowboys from the regular season. Bill Duvall was right there with has baby brother, just nine months younger. They were more than siblings; they were partners in the business of rodeo while wrestling steers and making a living in a sport they loved. Bill Duvall never qualified for the NFR, never earned a gold buckle, but he played a major role in the family’s success. Roy Duvall is now 82 years old living near Bill in Checotah, a community of about 3,000 souls in eastern Oklahoma. Roy is a three-time world champion steer wrestler (1967, ’69 and ’72) who still owns the record for the most NFR qualifications for a bulldogger at 24, including 21 in a row from 1966-1986. Bill was right beside him every step of the way as the champ’s hazer, the cowboy who rides on the opposite side of the steer to keep the animal in line to help secure the fastest time possible. “That was the highlight of our lives,” Bill Duvall said of those magical moments six decades ago. “We’d been to the IRA Finals in Tulsa, and we’d been to Pasadena, Texas, and a lot of amateur rodeo stuff, but when we went to Oklahoma City to bulldog in that coliseum, that was the deal. It was good for the cowboys. It was good for the people that lived there. It was good for the committee. Everything worked out pretty good.” Rodeo has been “pretty good” for the Duvalls. Bill and Roy serve as dual patriarchs to a laundry list of exceptional talent. Cousin Tom Duvall has been to the NFR, as have Bill’s sons, Sam and Spud, both two-time qualifiers. The third generation of the family, Sam’s son Riley, is a four-time qualifier who is still competing at a high level at age 32. His first trip to the championship was 2016, 50 years after his grandpa hazed for his great-uncle in Oklahoma City. Later this spring after 60 years of showcasing some of the greatest accomplishments in Western sports, that building will be torn down, but the memories will stand long after the last beam falls. The Oklahoma City ProRodeo – set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds – will be the final PRCA-sanctioned event inside those magical walls. “That’s really the only reason I’ve entered that rodeo,” Riley Duvall said. Cord McCoy, a lifelong cowboy with family ties to rodeo, owns McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara. They’re producing next week’s rodeo with the same mindset. The McCoy family understands the history that goes with State Fair Arena, which was renamed in 1971 to honor former Oklahoma City mayor Jim Norick. “When I look at the history that is in that building, I knew there had to be a way to bring ProRodeo back to it and give it the perfect send-off,” Cord McCoy said. That includes taking a gander at legacies built by cowboys like Roy and Bill Duvall. “We did anything we could to enter rodeos,” Roy Duvall said in a 2001 story published in The Oklahoman. “We started out tough. We had us a homemade trailer and a Ford Car, and we went on the road that way.” That meant battling for every dollar possible. Rodeo is unique compared to other professional sports: There are no guarantees, and only the top finishers in each round earn money. If a cowboy fails to succeed, then he is out of the cash. On top of that, each cowboy must cover his own expenses, including paying fees in order to compete. While most of that money goes into the purse along with sponsorship dollars, the cream always rises to the top when it comes time to collect the paydays. “Most guys, when they got broke and knew they had to win money to move on down the road, they can’t do nothing,” Roy Duvall said in 2001. “I was just the opposite. “One time I went six weeks and had not won a penny. I wound up two months behind on my phone bill and every bill I had, and I told them I’d have it pretty soon if they’d give me the time.” Within days, he’d earned big money at the time at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo and made good on his promises. “I hadn’t won much in the rounds, but I was making good runs,” he said. “I backed in there and kept going at it and won $7,400 at Cheyenne. I tell you, them bill collectors were happy.” His stories are just part of the lore that paved the way to greatness. Bill Duvall not only experienced it first-hand, but he was witness to what made their business venture special. In addition to finding successes on their own, they paved the way for others, and it paid dividends in the end. “When I first started, not everybody would let you ride their horses,” Bill Duvall said. “I thought, ‘If I ever get good enough to do this, I’ll let guys ride my horse.’ A lot of guys rode my horse, and it made me a lot of money in the long run.” Hazers and horse owners earn a percentage of a bulldogger’s earnings. Those dollars add up, but it takes a lot of trust for a man to trust another. That goes both ways, and a lot of steer wrestlers have leaned on a Duvall over the years to guide them to the pay  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – The two years he spent at Clarendon (Texas) College taught bareback rider Weston Timberman a lot about life, gave him experiences to cherish and prepared him for a career in professional rodeo. He continued his education over the past two weeks during his inaugural qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, where the sport’s elite play for the biggest pay in the sport. He also figured out a way to ride bucking horses while in considerable pain and still earned nearly $140,000 for 10 days of work in Las Vegas. Timberman wrapped the championship with an 88-point ride on J Bar J Rodeo’s Damn Straight to place for the sixth time during Saturday’s 10th round. He finished in a three-way tie for third place, pocketing $14,308. He also finished fourth in the aggregate race with a 10-ride cumulative sore of 848.5 points, worth another $41,000. Early in the go-rounds, he began experiencing pain in his left arm, the same one in which he wedges his hand into a bareback rigging to secure himself onto a bucking bronc. Diagnosed with forearm splints (similar to shin splints), he received treatment from the Justin Sportsmedicine Team. After opening the NFR with a win in the first round, Timberman failed to snag a check on the second and third nights, then placed fifth in Round 4. He reached the pay window again in the sixth round with a sixth-place finish, then jumped up to third in the seventh round. Round 8 was another turning point for the Wyoming-born cowboy now living in Columbus, Montana. His horse went down in the chute after he’d put his hand into the rigging, torquing Timberman’s wrist. The animal then failed to perform well one the chute was opened, and judges awarded him with a re-ride opportunity. Despite the pain in his forearm, wrist and hand, Timberman took the chance, scoring 84.5 points on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Hooey Rocks and scored another sixth-place payday. Learning to play through the pain can be a valuable asset for cowboys, especially those that compete in bareback riding, the most physically demanding event in rodeo. When his time in Las Vegas came to a close Saturday night, he had accumulated $38,410 in NFR money. He finished the regular season seventh in the world standings with $292,509. It was a great conclusion to an incredible inaugural season in ProRodeo, one in which he was named the Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year.                                                  

LAS VEGAS – Most of the time in Las Vegas, the smart money is on the safe bet. Don’t hit when the dealer is showing a bust hand in blackjack. Bet odds or evens, maybe red or black, instead of putting all your chips on a specific number in roulette. Sometimes, though, the rewards are greater when taking a chance. J.D. Struxness went all in on taking extra chances after he failed to secure a time on opening night. It paid off in his first Montana Silversmiths gold buckle for winning the world championship with another aggressive run during Saturday’s 10th round of the National Finals Rodeo. “We really liked my steer tonight,” said Struxness, who stopped the clock in 3.6 seconds to finish second in the round, worth $26,624; he also finished eighth in the average race, worth another $8,150. “They’d done good on him in Round 7. We knew that steer ran, though, so it wasn’t a steer you could back off or think it was a day off. We knew we needed to maximize the (barrier), and then go out there and really hang it on him and let it hang out a little bit.” His team included fellow bulldoggers Rowdy Parrott and Ty Erickson – the latter of whom owns the horse, Crush, that all three ride – and their hazer, Matt Reeves, an NFR veteran who rides Kirk, owned by his wife, Savannah. “We were talking before, and we liked him because he gave us the opportunity to open up and be aggressive all the way through the run and just go out there and see what we can do and let the chips fall where they do,” Struxness said. They fell right into his lap. He finished the 10-day championship with $151,955, which increased his 2024 earnings to $309,220. He edged Will Lummus by just $1,500. “Those horses are what gave us the opportunity to compete and do what we do this week,” said Struxness, from Milan, Minnesota, but now living in Perrin, Texas. It’s been eight years since he first qualified for ProRodeo’s grand championship. He won the intercollegiate title in 2016 while competing at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, then had a successful NFR that December. This was his sixth trip to Las Vegas, and he joins his old teammate, Jacob Edler, as world champions – Edler won the 2020 title in his only NFR qualification so far. “There are quite a few good bulldoggers that come out of there,” Struxness said. “Stockton Graves (an eight-time NFR qualifier) did a great job when he was there, and he churned out some bulldoggers. Hopefully they keep the reputation alive.” The reputation is strong, because the Steer Wrestling Capital of College Rodeo has another world champion.

LAS VEGAS – The tiny town of Altamont, Utah, has plenty of reason to celebrate. Two of its 249 inhabitants came away from the National Finals Rodeo with two major titles and a boatload of money. Bareback rider Dean Thompson won the NFR aggregate title and the world championship, while steer wrestler Cash Robb staked claim to the average crown in his first appearance on ProRodeo’s grandest stage. “That’s insane,” said Thompson, who utilized an 88.5-point ride on J Bar J Rodeo’s Straight Stick for a second-place finish in Saturday’s 10th round to earn $26,624 and added a payday of $86,391 from the average title to slip past Texan Rocker Steiner by $18,000. “That’s one of my best friends. “We grew up bulldogging together, and this kid’s a mile from my house. I just call him ‘C Money,’ because it’s Cash Money Robb. He’s the best.” Thompson placed in eight of 10 rounds and finished with a cumulative score of 854.5 points and earned $239,924. He finished the season with $412,121. “I wish I could take you back to how I felt before I got on tonight,” said Thompson, who won the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle in just his second full season in ProRodeo and after competing at his second NFR. “It was kind of terrifying again. In the first round, you get some insane nerves, and they climb until it seems like the fifth round for me. Then they waned until this 10th round, and it was like they came back with a vengeance. “When I got (to the locker room), I had gotten warmed up and was dripping sweat off my nose. The emotions now are just sheer joy.” His week was strong already, but he put an exclamation point on everything with his final ride of the 2024 season. “Straight Stick is one of the best animals I’ve ever known, one of the best I’ve ever been on,” said Thompson, who attended Western Texas College on a rodeo scholarship. “She packed me to a couple really good checks this year, and I was really tickled to have that horse. I was really tickled for her to have just a stellar day.” It was a stellar season for Thompson. He entered the NFR fourth in the world standings and rode the waves that come over that magical 10-day stretch. He would fourth heading into the final night, then he stayed steady and consistent through each ride. Now, he’s in the ProRodeo history books as the 2024 world champ.

LAS VEGAS – Wyatt Casper didn’t have a lot of time to reflect, but he knew he’d just done something special. He closed out his fifth National Finals Rodeo with an 85.5-point ride on Kirsten Vold’s Captain Hook. Though he didn’t place in the 10th round, he did finish the rodeo with a cumulative score of 853 points and staked claim to the second most prestigious title in ProRodeo: the NFR average championship. “I came up a little short on the overall goal,” said Casper, who was shooting for the world championship, which went to Utah cowboy Ryder Wright. “I knocked out one of my goals for this year, and that was to come here and be the best on 10 head. I’m excited for it.” He should be. The aggregate winners in each event earn an extra $86,391 for accomplishing that feat. It increased his Las Vegas earnings to just shy of $220,000. Casper finished third in the world standings with $439,332. Captain Hook, which helped Wright to a share of the fifth-round title with an 89.5-point ride, didn’t have the same trip Saturday night. With half the score coming from the bronc, Casper needed another point to place in the round. “I feel like I came up short on the drawing end of it, but that’s part of bronc riding,” he said. “It’s going to happen.” So are victories, and he had his share of them this year. He entered the NFR fourth in the world standings, then doubled his money in a week and a half of work. He has plenty of things from which to build toward next season. “I’ll just use this to light a fire in me,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “Every year you come out here, you want to come back next year and do even better, so that’s what I’m going to strive for, what I’m going to push for this year. “It’s been a remarkable season. I owe a lot to my great family, my great friends and a lot of fans out there. I’m just glad to be able to get it done this year and come back and do even better next year.”

LAS VEGAS – There’s a lot to being a rodeo cowboy. It’s not just riding or roping. It’s being a businessman, knowing how to plan a schedule and take care of all the little things that come with it. It’s being a driver, someone who travels tens of thousands of miles to get from one event to another. For Brody Wells, it’s all part of being a saddle bronc rider, those men who ride equine sticks of dynamite to make a living. For the first time in his career, the 23-year-old man was shown on ProRodeo’s biggest stage, the National Finals Rodeo. It was a chance to shine, but it was also an opportunity to learn. “The biggest thing I did this week that helped me was just ignore some of the big stuff and just keep it simple,” said Wells of Powell, Wyoming. “It’s just bronc riding at the end of the day. I’ve learned so much about the other stuff, to not let your schedule get so packed. There are so many little things, like trying to make sure you try to eat good a couple of times and do all the things to try not to get sick. “There are so many little factors that come into play. I’ve just been watching the guys that have been here a bunch of times and dominated here, but at the same time, I just had fun and rode broncs.” He finished the 10-day championship with an 86.5-point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cat Walk, which resulted in a four-way tie for sixth place worth $1,358. He earned $94,761 in Las Vegas and ended the 2024 season 10th in the world standings with $230,546. “That’s a sweet horse,” he said of Cat Walk. “It’s nice to get on a Wyoming born and raised bucking horse, and it was awesome. “It’s been a great 10 days, and I’m super pumped for how it went. It makes me want to be back here a bunch. I’m just getting rolling here, just getting started.” Wells was one of five cowboys who attended Clarendon (Texas) College. Combined, Wells, fellow bronc rider Wyatt Casper, bareback riders Weston Timberman and Cole Franks and bull rider Wacey Schalla earned nearly $673,000. “Wacey picked it up there at the end, and he’s one of the best bull riders here,” Wells said. “He struggled for whatever reason, but he ended up riding great. Everybody was riding great and getting checks.” He plans to utilize the momentum he gained during his first venture to Las Vegas as he prepares for next year. “Coming here made me realize how much potential I have, and it’s a boost to my confidence,” he said. “We have the Chase Hawks (Memorial Rough Stock Rodeo) next weekend, so I’m rolling right into it. I’m going to keep rolling, because I want a gold buckle.” Those only go to world champions, so his sights are set high.

LAS VEGAS – The big, bad gray gelding, Virgil, was named the Bareback Horse of the National Finals Rodeo. Jess Pope can testify to the incredible power the two-time bucking horse of the year possesses. Pope rode the C5 Rodeo horse for 87 points to close out his fifth straight NFR during Saturday’s 10th round and add another paycheck to his 2024 income. He shared sixth place with Cole Franks, worth $2,717. “There aren’t very many people that ride Virgil on the trip he had right there,” said Pope, who rode 10 broncs for a cumulative score of 846.5 points to finish fifth in the aggregate race and earn $29,340. He left town with $139,953 n Las Vegas money and finished the season fifth in the world standings with $307,108. He also scored big points on two of the toughest horses in ProRodeo, Virgil and Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire, the latter of which helped Pope to a 90-point ride during the fifth round. He finished third that night in what the cowboys call the “TV pen,” a grouping of the most electric broncs in the sport. There are 105 bareback horses placed in five pens. The fifth and 10th rounds are the electric horses, the ones everyone wants to watch. The “eliminator pen” is featured in Rounds 3 and 8. That’s where the bareback riders face the dragons, the nastiest broncs. Virgil was eliminating Saturday night. “That was extremely hard and difficult,” said Pope, the 2022 world champion from Waverly, Kansas. “Every single jump, he dinged. He could have bucked me off in any given second.” The NFR was a microcosm of his regular season. He struggled to be matched with the kinds of horses that gave him a chance to earn money, but he showed signs of the brilliance he’s had the previous four years. “For the year I’ve had, I was excited to be at the NFR,” he said. “My September and August were just banger. Coming out here, it seemed like my year was the same way. Show up but can’t draw the ones I need to win. When I had a chance to win money, I feel like I did everything I could to take advantage of it. “I’m extremely blessed and grateful to be here.” There’s a resurgence of young cowboys involved in bareback riding, the most physically demanding event in rodeo. At 26, Pope was the elder statesman of the cowboys who finished among the top five; the other four – world champion Dean Thompson, Rocker Steiner, Keenan Hayes and Bradlee Miller – average 21.25 years old. “This has been a really unique and cool top 15,” Pope said. “It’s been an extremely cool battle on who I thought was going to come in here, dominate and really kick butt throughout the week. “To see Dean win a world title is pretty dang cool. He sure enough is an animal, and he’s going to wear that pure gold buckle really good.” The next step is to build toward next season with rodeo gold on his mind. “I’m going to go home, get healthy and just keep doing me,” he said. I pride myself as the bareback rider and the person that I am, and I don’t plan on changing anything.”

LAS VEGAS – Looking at the final numbers, Cole Franks had a fantastic run at the National Finals Rodeo. He led the aggregate standings most of the way, only to be surpassed on the final night by world champion Dean Thompson, but Franks still produced at a high rate over the 10-day championship. He finished second in the average, worth more than $70,000, and placed seven times, earning $156,340 in Las Vegas. “It was really good on paper,” said Franks, a three-time NFR qualifier from Clarendon, Texas. “A couple more points here and there would have been great; about one and a half points would have been great.” He rode 10 horses for a cumulative score of 853.5 points, a half point behind Thompson. That extra he had hoped for would have earned Franks the coveted average championship and another $16,000. Still, he finished the campaign sixth in the world standings with $295,896. “It was a good week, but that title would have been the cherry on top,” Franks said. He wrapped his 2024 campaign with an 87-point ride n Frontier Rodeo’s Breaking News, which earned him a tie for sixth place with Jess Pope. Each man earned $2,717 for that. In fact, it’s serving as motivation for him to build toward next season. His plan is to return to the bright lights of Las Vegas and contend for the world championship. His immediate goal, though, is to finally win a round. Through 30 nights of competing at the NFR, he has yet to win a round, which also means he collects the lion’s share of the money on that night. Round winners are also celebrated at the South Point Hotel and Casino for a nightly presentation and receive a Montana Silversmiths buckle for the honor. “It’s going to take me 31 rounds, the first round next year I’m getting that,” he said. “I’ve got five days before I’m off to my next one, so I just want to keep it rolling.” If he had the chance, Franks would get on 10 more bucking horses in a row. He’ll have to wait until next December, and he has a plan to make everything happen.

LAS VEGAS – It’s sometimes hard to figure how J.D. Struxness never won a state wrestling championship while at Lac qui Parle Valley High School in Madison, Minnesota He was a two-time runner up, settling for silver instead of gold, but he’s trying to make up for lost time at the National Finals Rodeo. He made another strong move Thursday, wrestling his steer to the ground in 3.9 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for second place during the eighth round. That was worth $20,285 and pushed his Las Vegas earnings past the $100,000 mark with two days remaining. “Coming into tonight with what they’ve done on that steer previously, he was not one of my picks to run out here,” said Struxness of Milan, Minnesota, now living in Perrin, Texas. “You can’t change what you have, so we came up with a game plan. It was one of those nights where we needed to let it all hang out if we wanted to have any sort of chance at all. The horses were great, and we got a great start. “We made a pretty darn good run on the ground, and we were able to speed that steer up a lot where we placed on him, which was the plan. It’s hard, but when you know you have a steer like that, you’ve got to do some extra work.” He is No. 2 in the world standings with $251,083 and trails leader Dakota Eldridge by $13,351. Struxness needs to continue to earn big paydays over the final two go-rounds if he has a chance to take the coveted Montana Silversmiths gold buckle awarded to the world champion. While he owns a slim lead over the No. 3 cowboy, Will Lummus, the latter is second in the aggregate race. The top eight cowboys based on 10-round cumulative times earn hefty bonuses, and the winner will pocket more than $86,000. That will go a long way toward crowing the titlist. Struxness has battled his way back after suffering a no-time on opening night, but he is ninth in the average. That’s why the final few nights of the NFR have been so vital to him. “This time of the week, we have to open up and take chances, so it’s first or last right now,” Struxness said. “We opened up tonight, took a chance on one we didn’t like very much at all, and it worked out.” That process includes working with his team, including fellow NFR bulldoggers Rowdy Parrott and Ty Erickson – who won the eighth round – and their hazer, Matt Reeves. They come up with an idea of what techniques to use. Most importantly is getting a good start, and having Erickson’s horse, Crush, in the mix helps; he’s the 2024 PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year. “Matt takes care of things until after that head catch, and I needed to get out in front of the steer to try to speed him up on the ground, be over him and have all my power there to clean him up,” he said. “This is one of those nights when the game plan got executed perfectly.” Struxness has wrestled for titles before. He knows the pressure that comes with it, but he also understands that performing at an optimum level is crucial. That’s been his plan since Day 1, and he’s just amping up the pressure on the field.