Making this flight
Part of Cowboy Christmas – the string of lucrative rodeo around the Fourth of July – is the possibility of competing at two rodeos on the same day. For D.V. Fennell and Justin McDaniel, that came Sunday, July 3. In order to insure they had the best shot at winning, Fennell and McDaniel took flight. […]
Technology you can work with
First performance of the PBR in Park Rapids, Minn., is in the books. Boy, does the Berger family bring some athletic animals. We got rained on, but made it through. The BMX motorbike fellas are performing here as well. They are fun to watch. My microphone wasn’t delivered as promised before I left, so I […]
It helps when rodeo officials are rodeo savvy
I rode in the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede tonight, and it went really well. I had a good horse, and I’m splitting the rodeo so far. But the trip to Greeley hasn’t been without incident. When I got behind the chutes, I changed into my riding pants, put my boots and spurs on and walked out […]
Helping our friends
Craig Latham Medical Fund Benefit If you can’t make it to the benefit, donations may be sent to Bank of the Panhandle, P.O. Box 2180, Guymon, OK 73942.
Friends, rodeo community set up benefit to help Latham
GUYMON, Okla. – In his lifetime, Craig Latham has handled the rankest beasts in rodeo, able to use his tremendous athletic talent and will as one of the best saddle bronc riders in the history of the sport. Now Latham might be in the toughest ride of his life, a battle with plasmacytoma, a treatable […]
WOMEN’S PRO RODEO NEWS: Renick wins DNCFR
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appeared in the May 2011 issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News. Uncertainty crept into Tana Renick’s mind on the final day of the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo. It’s not that she didn’t believe in herself or in her partner, a 13-year-old bay mare named XV Wildchild; Teddy helped Renick win […]
Getting some needed days off
I left Reno, and I didn’t have a good horse in Prescott (Ariz.), so I had three days off. I got to come home and check on my cows. I ride in Springfield tomorrow night, and we’ll be gone until September, so it’s good that I got to spend some time at home. Now it’s […]
Spending time with friends
When we arrived in Guymon, Okla., on Monday afternoon, we were greeted with open arms and open doors. Our friends, Ken and Sherry Stonecipher, have opened their doors to us for a couple of days while we take care of some personal business and while I do some work from the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. […]
Carr animals handle the heat, top cowboys in Pecos
PECOS, Texas – Chris Harris must like west Texas. He definitely likes Deuces Night, one of the up-and-coming great bucking horses from Carr Pro Rodeo. For the second straight year, Harris matched moves with Deuces Night to win bareback riding at the West of the Pecos Rodeo; this year he earned $3,278 for his win […]
Taking a Turtle on a Jhett
For several years, header Turtle Powell and heeler Jhett Johnson have proven themselves as elite ropers in their respective categories. Now that they’ve joined together, they’re setting a healthy standard in team roping. This past week is as much proof as anything. Powell, a five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Stephenville, Texas, and Johnson, […]
Rubbing two nickels
I’ve got some good horses lined up for the Fourth (of July, the series of lucrative rodeos referred to as Cowboy Christmas). I’ve got (Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s) R.D. Mercer in Springdale (Ark.), and I’ve got a good horse in Prescott (Ariz.). I’m just looking for good things. The Fourth is seven days of non-stop […]
Out on the trail
Rodeo cowboys and cowgirls spend much more time on the highways than in arenas. It’s just the nature of the beast for contestants who work their tails off for just a few seconds of time in competition at a time. I’ll get a sneak peak at their life on the road when I head to […]
Writing about passion
I love seeing a passion for rodeo develop among those who have never experienced it. Oftentimes I work with neophyte reporters who know little, if anything, about the sport. I show them the athleticism involved and liken it to sports they might understand better. I explain the lifestyle and the no-guarantees competition, and I can […]
Women’s Pro Rodeo News: Guymon 2011
For much of the last three years, I’ve been a regular contributor to Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official magazine of of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. I’m very fortunate to have met some outstanding women and tell their stories, and I plan to share some of them on TwisTED Rodeo. If you don’t subscribe […]
Reliving history
While going through things in our storage area, my wife and I came across the television broadcast of the 1998 Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo. It’s definitely interesting to see the telecast, hear the voices of Hadley Barrett and Curt Robinson and see a much younger set of friends. It’s also interesting to see the […]
Lasting friendships
I’m blessed. That’s the reality. Not many people get to do what they love, and I lived that life for a long time. But that’s not the case now. I’m chasing my gold buckle dreams, just like the contestants about whom I write. A few days ago I got to visit with a couple of […]
Stevenson has a Close Call in winning Big Spring rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – Even rodeo cowboys need to celebrate. Bareback rider Wes Stevenson did that from June 16-18 when he won the title at the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo with an 86-point ride on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Close Call, collecting the $1,102 that came with the victory. “The crowd that was there […]
Coverage from Big Spring, Texas
I believe firmly in the impact of strong media relations; I’d better, huh. But in an effort to promote rodeo as well as I can, I want to entice great coverage. I hope the pieces that are in this PDF file did just that in Big Spring, Texas, last weekend. BigSpringHerald
Everyone is having a good time
I just finished the first night in Carthage, Mo., and I think the rodeo went quite well. The crowd was the best and most responsive I’ve had in awhile. The people came out to get away from their day-to-day and just enjoy themselves. I’m pretty sure the old cliché works very well: A good time […]
McCoy looking forward to supporting Atlantic’s Relay for Life
ATLANTIC, Iowa – Whether he was racing around the world as a reality TV star or chasing elusive world championships, Cord McCoy has always reached out to others. Things won’t be any different when he returns to southwest Iowa for the second annual Cord McCoy PBR Challenge, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, at […]
Making the most of a missed opportunity
JMac (2008 world champion bareback rider Justin McDaniel) and I missed out flight to Sisters (Ore.) and had to turn out the best horses in the bunch, the ones that could’ve won it for us. We went up to Tulsa the night before, and we were staying right there by the airport. We woke up […]
Tradition-rich Pecos ready for ProRodeo’s best
PECOS, Texas – When it comes to rodeo, folks in Far West Texas know their stuff. A good portion of residents have done it in some regard, whether in the arenas across the landscape or across the dusty pastures of the Rolling Plains. They’ve definitely been around it, and they’re the biggest supporters of the […]
Carr’s Deuces Night returning to scene of glory in Pecos
PECOS, Texas – If a bucking horse can announce its presence with authority, Deuces Night did it last June at the West of the Pecos Rodeo. The 6-year-old bay/paint mare out of Night Line by Night Jacket bucked snappily across the Buck Jackson Arena dirt, guiding Texan Chris Harris to an 88-point, rodeo-winning ride. That’s […]
Handling media responsibilities
ProRodeo Live’s Steve Kenyon is also a ProRodeo announcer, and he works several events each year in that capacity. One we’ll be working together is the Crystal Springs Ranch Rodeo in Clear Lake, S.D., an event I’ve been going to for much of my bullfighting career. He called Wednesday morning to do an interview, so […]