Merritt finds rewards in rodeo
PECOS, Texas – What is the best part of Matt Merrit’s job? His answer is short, yet poignant: “It’s the reward of seeing joy in people,” he said. Merritt is a rodeo entertainer and clown, and he returns to the West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26-Saturday, June 29, at […]
Rangers ready for college finals
ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State University contingent of College National Finals Rodeo qualifiers is small but mighty. The men will field four cowboys during the seven-day championship, set for June 9-15 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyoming. The group includes two that have played the game at the highest level before: […]
Lucia brings smooth to rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – When Anthony Lucia rides into the Rodeo Bowl, his mind is transformed to life in west Texas nearly a century ago. He can feel the heat and the wind. Mostly, though, he can feel the presence of rodeo’s history, the place where Toots Mansfield shined and where Quail Dobbs played. There’s […]
Cowboys love Big Spring rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – Jeff Askey has a little secret: He likes west Texas in June. Why? He’s found a honey hole in Howard County. It’s called the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, and it’s ripe with opportunities for the greatest cowboys and cowgirls in the sport. Askey is definitely one of them. He’s […]
Pecos is rodeo’s history
PECOS, Texas – Rodeo’s history is much like those west Texas cattle drives: Both came right through Pecos. Two well-known drovers working for outfits that were making their way through town on their respective journeys had earned reputations of being excellent ropers. The exchanges from their cohorts led to a competition to establish the bragging […]
Rumford built for Big Spring rodeo
BIG SPRING, Texas – Justin Rumford was a cowboy before he was born. It seems impossible to consider, but it was just a way of life the family from southern Kansas His grandfather, Floyd, was a cowboy who passed his love for the Western way of life to his sons, Bronc and Tommy. Justin Rumford […]
Pecos to host rodeo’s stars
PECOS, Texas – The grandstands that overlook Buck Jackson Arena hold many stories that have been told over the last century and a half. The greatest to have ever competed in rodeo have played the game here. World champions shined their gold buckles in this west Texas dirt. The history of the sport resides within […]
Big Spring to remember Mathis
BIG SPRING, Texas – As Mike Mathis spoke, his voice revealed a gravely sound and a passion for rodeo. The sounds he made were undeniable. When Mathis spoke, there was an air of contentment, and the sound of his voice reverberated the Old West. For many, Mathis was the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, […]
Big Spring event honors past
Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo celebrates 90 years of history BIG SPRING, Texas – The history of rodeo in this part of west Texas is long and lush, with cowboy tales dating back to the 1800s and an informal gathering of ranch hands in Big Spring nine decades ago. This is where seven-time world champion Toots […]
Holiday bringing fun to town
Bronc futurity, horse sale and barrel race coming Memorial Day weekend GOODING, Idaho – The first Dirty Rotten Buckers bucking horse futurity in Gooding was a huge success last year, and everyone around town has been anticipating this year’s event. What most didn’t know, though, was that organizers were just adding to the fun. “We’ve […]
Anderson finds comforts of home
GUYMON, Okla. – The dirt under Bridger Andeson’s feet inside Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena is familiar. Yes, he’s originally from Carrington, North Dakota, and now lives near Stephenville, Texas, but he returned to his old stomping grounds this week for the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo and has found success. He hopes it continues. “It’s […]
Sunday was all Wright in Guymon
GUYMON, Okla. – He comes from the most recognizable families in rodeo today, but Statler Wright is still building his resume. He added another defining moment during Sunday’s final performance of the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, riding Frontier Rodeo’s Watch Kitty for 87.5 points to win saddle bronc riding at Oklahoma’s only ProRodeo Hall of […]
Berry spurs to Guymon lead
GUYMON, Okla. – Kade Berry has spent a lifetime looking up to his big brother. The siblings are four years apart. Leighton Berry is 24 years old and has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo three times over the last four years. He’s also No. 1in the bareback riding world standings. Kade Berry is 20 […]
Watson, Fowler playing Big Spring
BIG SPRING, Texas – Organizers of the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo are dipping in to an old bag of tricks to help celebrate the event’s 90th year. Two decades ago, Big Spring’s marquee event developed their after-the-rodeo concerts and dances. It was a rather small affair that has transitioned into shows at the […]
Miss Rodeo America back in Guymon
GUYMON, Okla. – A year ago this week, Emma Cameron made her first appearance at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo. She was Miss Rodeo New Mexico and part of the visiting queens program associated with the biggest annual event in the Oklahoma Panhandle. She was just one of a large contingent of ladies who shared […]
Rangers solidify CNFR bids
ALVA, Okla. – Moments before he was to make a season-defining run at the final college rodeo of the 2023-24 campaign, Northwestern Oklahoma State University cowboy Emmett Edler gained a few words of encouragement from teammate Jacob Haren. “Jacob told me to go blast that steer,” said Edler of State Center, Iowa. That’s just what […]
Clarendon women qualify for finale
CLARENDON, Texas – For the first time in school history, the Clarendon College women’s rodeo program is taking a full team to the College National Finals Rodeo. The Bulldogs wrapped up the 10-event Southwest Region season this past weekend at the Tarleton State University rodeo in Stephenville, Texas, by finishing second in the standings and […]
Graues honored with banner
GUYMON, Okla. – It wasn’t long after Jeff and Linda Graue opened L&J Auto Parts that they began celebrating their new community. It started by supporting the Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo, now called the Doc Gardner Memorial Rodeo, which takes place the final weekend of April. Shortly thereafter, the Graues began sponsoring the Guymon […]
Rangers together atop standings
ALVA, Okla. – With one rodeo remaining on the Central Plains Region schedule, things are looking pretty good for Northwestern Oklahoma State University steer wrestlers. The top five men in the regional standings are Rangers, and the odds of all three bulldoggers traveling to the College National Finals Rodeo will be heading out of Alva […]
Hayes wins Chute-Out again
SAN ANGELO, Texas – There’s something about Foster Communications Coliseum that Keenan Hayes really likes. Two years ago, the young cowboy from Hayden, Colorado, won the bareback riding title of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo while competing on his permit. He finished the year with a single-season permit earnings record, collecting $108,568 in […]
Hancock wins hometown rodeo
SAN ANGELO, Texas – Dylan Hancock has had some big things already happen to him in a young rodeo career. He is just a few months removed from being named the Resistol Rookie of the Year in both tie-down roping and the all-round. Last month, he was invited to compete at the Timed Event Championship, […]
Hooper hops into final round
SAN ANGELO, Texas – Tilden Hooper has nothing to prove in the world of rodeo. At 36 years old, he’s a nine-time qualifier to the National Finals Rodeo – his first came in 2008; his most recent was 2022. He’s won some of the biggest rodeos across North America and been a shining example of […]
Cowboys have a blast in Angelo
SAN ANGELO, Texas – For cowboys who make their livings eight seconds at a time, it’s exciting when they get ready to ride inside Foster Communications Coliseum. The building is packed for every performance of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, and there is an electricity that is not only evident, but also engaging. […]
Frontier brings heat to Guymon
GUYMON, Okla. – The biggest moment of Dean Thompson’s career came a year ago when he arrived in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Matched with Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire, the 2022 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year, Thompson let it all hang out at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. The result was a 92.5-point ride to win […]