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ALVA, Okla. – The surname Munsell is almost as popular in Alva as it is in Arnett, Oklahoma. Over the years, the same Munsell clan has made a second home in this town of 5,100 while attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University and competing on its rodeo team. First there was Hunter, followed by younger sister Taylor. They now have a third member of the family enrolled and succeeding in the rodeo arena. Sophomore Lindy Munsell earned her first college title this past weekend by winning the breakaway roping championship at the Garden City (Kansas) Community College Rodeo. She sealed her fate with a blazing 2.7-second run in Sunday’s championship round to win round and the aggregate title in a two-run cumulative time of 5.7 seconds, just one-tenth ahead of the field. “It was definitely exciting, making my first short round and being able to capitalize on a good calf in the short round,” said Munsell, who watched Taylor win the 2019 national championship in breakaway roping. “I’ve been riding all of Taylor’s horses, and I’ve ridden a different horse of hers at every rodeo. “It was good to finally clock with one of them and do some good.” The horse is Ray, a palomino gelding raised on the family place near Arnett, a tiny community 100 miles southwest of Alva near the Texas Panhandle border. The key to Lindy Munsell’s success in Garden City, she said, was about maintaining focus and trusting her mount. “Ray is Taylor’s good all-around horse,” Lindy Munsell said. “He’s done it all. A lot of other girls have ridden him and made the short go in a lot of events. He’s just a good horse and solid in just about every event you put him in.” Munsell led the way for the Rangers women over the weekend, but she wasn’t the only Northwestern cowgirl to collect points. Fellow breakaway roper Jaylinn Fausnaugh of Stoutsville, Ohio, placed in both rounds and finished in a tie for third place overall. The Rangers men were guided for the second straight week by steer wrestler Riley Westhaver of High River, Alberta. He won both rounds and the average title and overtook teammate Bridger Anderson of Carrington, North Dakota, for the lead in the Central Plains Region’s bulldogging standings.   Two other bulldoggers – Zane Thompson of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Jeremy Plourde of Carlton, Michigan – collected points in western Kansas. Thompson placed third in the opening round with a 6.3-second run and placed fourth overall. Plourde finished sixth in the long round. Heeler Jayden Laubhan of Follett, Texas, finished among the leaders in both rounds and finished third overall, roping with Taylor Lagasse of Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Tie-down roper Bo Yaussi of Udall, Kansas, finished second in the long round, placed fifth in the short round and was fourth in the aggregate race. For Munsell, making Northwestern her college choice was more than a family tradition. Yes, family had a great deal to do with it, but she had much more on her mind when she made the commitment to move to Alva. “Hunter and Taylor – especially Taylor – had a lot of success rodeoing for (coach) Stockton Graves,” she said. “Taylor stayed here in Alva, so I knew it would be a good opportunity for me to be here with her and have her help me with my roping. I thought it would be the best place for me to step up my game and succeed. “I know Taylor’s going to have me mounted really well, and the skill level I get from her is only going to get better. I’m trying to get better with my mental game, and Stockton’s helped me with that. He really knows how important it is to have a strong mental approach, and he pushes that on all of us. I need to keep improving on that.” The weekend wasn’t all grand, though. A pall fell over the rodeo arena when news came Friday that two Central Plains Region competitors – Cinch Bullock and Hadly McCormack of Oklahoma Panhandle State University – were killed in a two-vehicle wreck while en route to Garden City. “The whole region took a big hit,” Munsell said. “It took a toll on everybody, no matter what school you go to. I thought everybody came together and proved just how much of a family the Central Plains is.” Winning and losing always takes a back seat to situations involving a young person’s death, but competitors know their hearts and the love for the game. Champions were crowned by the time the weekend came to a close, and the next rodeo is on the horizon. “This is an amazing region,” Munsell said. “We’ve got some tough girls that rope in our region, and I just hope I can be in the mix when the season ends.” Only the top three contestants in the final region standings in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the College National Finals Rodeo. It’s the goal of every cowboy and cowgirl that wears a Northwestern black and red vest in Casper, Wyoming, each June. “I’m just going to keep taking it one rodeo, one calf at a time and try to capitalize on the good ones I draw,” she said. “The end goal is to make the college finals.”

CHILDRESS, Texas –For most of his life, rodeo was more than a game to Childress cowboy Stran Smith; it was his business, and he was very good at it. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 10 times and won the tie-down roping world title in 2008. He’s retired from competition, but he’s still very much involved in the sport and wants to see it grow. That’s why he’s leant his name to the STS Championship, set for April 30-May 2 at the Mashburn Event Center and Arena in Childress. The three-day event is set up primarily as a youth competition, though the opening day will feature some of the top calf ropers in the game. The open ladies’ breakaway roping will kick off the festivities, followed by the open tie-down roping. “This is my hometown, and rodeo is what I did professionally for 25 years,” Smith said. “I have three kids – Stone is 17, Scout is 15 and Selah is 9 – and they’re not involved in rodeo, but I know how important it is whenever you have the opportunity to reach out and do what you can to help young people.” That’s the main goal, but the STS Championship (named for Smith with his initials) is also a way to showcase some incredible competition to the people in Childress and those in the surrounding communities. “I’m pretty passionate about rodeo,” he said. “It’s been pretty good to me over the years. I didn’t just win that world championship by myself. It took a lot of people, all the way down to my junior high coaches and all the way up to my family. To bring an event like that here means a lot. “I’d rather watch roping and rodeo than eat dessert. I want to bring an event like this where people right here can enjoy it instead of having to travel to see it, especially with the facility we have.” He pointed to the staff and others who will do much of the heavy lifting to produce the event. Sheabree Nix, the center’s coordinator, has helped bring new events to town, Smith said; he expects to see further expansion to come. “I’ve had events and different jackpots where I’ve been on the production side of things, and it’s a thankless job,” Smith said. “You do a lot of work. Fortunately for me, the group we have here takes care of me and takes care of things. With most youth events, it takes a whole lot of behind-the-scenes work to pull one of these off.” All youth events will take place Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2. It will open with barrel racing, followed by breakaway roping and goat-tying. Sunday’s contests will follow an 8 a.m. church service, followed by tie-down roping and a 19-and-under ladies’ breakaway. In all, it is set up to be a showcase of talented individuals with big dreams. “With COVID, everything’s been shut down, and the Western industry has tried to support each other and bounce back from this,” Smith said. “Rodeo is stronger now than it ever has been. That’s what inspires me about the future of rodeo. There are a lot of talented kids coming up that have spent the time in the practice pen, and it shows. I’m excited about where rodeo is going. I am glad to help these young people reach their goals.”

ALVA, Okla. – Riley Westhaver didn’t point to anything special he did this past weekend while winning the steer wrestling title at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Rodeo in Durant. No, Westhaver placed his credit on his partners: Steer wrestling horse Whiskers, owned by teammate Bridger Anderson, and hazer Brent Woodward. It may be something that just comes with rodeo, or it may be the humble personality he possesses. “I had really good horsepower and was drawing the right steers, so it was just doing my job after that,” said Westhaver, a graduate student at Northwestern Oklahoma State University from High River, Alberta. “I was set up to win pretty good with what I was riding and what I drew.” He was certainly consistent. He posted two 3.9-second runs, the first of which led to a tie for the first-round win and the latter securing the fastest time in the final round and the overall championship. In all, it was worth 175 points and pushed the Canadian to No. 2 in the Central Plains Region standings behind Anderson, a senior from Carrington, North Dakota. “I think that reinforces the fact that Alva is a powerhouse in bulldogging,” Westhaver said. “We have a heck of a good coach, and we have a lot of bulldoggers around here to learn from. “It’s hard to say the practices are tough. It’s such a good learning environment to be around those guys. When you’re around them, your attitude changes to go along with them. It raises you up to their level and helps you every step of the way.” Every lesson learned is valuable, and Westhaver snagged a page out of the textbooks by jumping on Whiskers, which guided Anderson to his first National Finals Rodeo this past December and has guided cowboys to big wins in college and ProRodeo. “Whiskers is just a very simple horse to ride,” he said. “You don’t have to think about anything other than your job. He puts you in a spot to win every time. “When you have a Woodward hazing for you, you don’t have to worry about that either. That’s why I was set up so well to win.” Several Northwestern bulldoggers made the weekend’s short round in Durant, and four scored points along the way. Anderson posted his fastest run, 4.2 seconds, to finish in a tie for second place the final round and finished in a tie for third overall. Bo Yaussi of Udall, Kansas, placed in both rounds and finished fifth, while Woodward earned first-round points with a fifth-place finish. Team roping headers Wyatt VanOrsdol of Bristow, Oklahoma, and Kellan Allison of Waynoka, Oklahoma, added points for the Rangers. Roping with his heeler Mason Okke of Western Oklahoma State College, VanHorsdol placed fifth in the final round and sixth overall. Allison, roping with Hadley Sanders of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, earned a fifth-place finish in the long round. Barrel racer Jaylinn Fausnaugh of Stoutsville, Ohio, gathered fifth-place points in the short round and finish tied for fifth overall to pace the Northwestern women. While his goal is to remain among the top three in the region to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo, Westhaver also has some team goals he’d like to see; only the top two teams in the final reginal standings advance to the CNFR in June. “I’d love to make the college finals and the (ProRodeo) Prairie Circuit Finals and crack the top 50 (in the PRCA bulldogging standings) when the season ends,” he said. “As far as the teams go, we’ve got to get some things figured out before these next rodeos. I think we need to bear down, practice and get our heads right so we know w e can win. That’s what it takes to win at this level.”

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –Anita Scott has been busy with the planning and preparation of the Nacogdoches Pro Rodeo & Steer Show, which takes place this week. This has been the right kind of transition for the local organizers, who had to abruptly cancel the event just 12 months ago when the COVID-19 global pandemic set the world on edge. Life is beginning to feel more normal, which is why Scott is excited for this year’s rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 25-Saturday, March 27, at the Nacogdoches County Exposition and Civic Center.   “We’re a small town, and we have that hometown feeling,” said Scott, the executive director of the expo and civic center. “When you go to big rodeos, you might be in the nosebleed sections, but here you’re right on top of the action in the arena. It makes it feel more like you’re part of the rodeo. “We still have a big feel. We’re bringing in the big names, and it’s ProRodeo action. People will see everything you can see at the big rodeos but at a smaller scale.” Part of that comes with the contract personnel that will work the rodeo. Andy Stewart is a regular nominee for PRCA Announcer of the Year and has called the action at the National Finals Rodeo. Pete Carr Pro Rodeo produces the event and has been nominated as Stock Contractor of the Year nearly a dozen times. Cody Sosebee is one of the top clowns and entertainers in the sport. “Everybody that comes here is so good,” Scott said. “Andy’s voice is just incredible. He knows what needs to be done when it needs to be done. He knows how to put it all together so it looks and sounds good when it comes in the arena. “We’ve had Cody here before, but it’s been several years ago. I’m excited to have him back.” Friday’s performance will be directed to raise awareness for childhood cancer, while Saturday’s show will honor breast cancer awareness. “A few years ago, Cowboys Who Care honored my granddaughter, who was battling cancer at the time, so we wanted to have our childhood cancer awareness this year,” Scott said. “It is amazing to be associated with a group like Cowboys Who Care.” Some things have changed since COVID reared its ugly head a year ago. All tickets are sold online, and the complex will be held at 50 percent capacity to help allow for social distancing. “We thought that since we had a plan in place that we’d stay at 50 percent,” She said. “We’ve offered online ticket sales before, but we decided to have all sales online to keep contact down. We’ve also had a year of doing more online, so it’s not uncommon.” While the Carr bucking animals and production are inviting for ProRodeo’s top contestants, Scott and other organizers also upped the ante by increasing “added” money; local dollars are mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the total purse. “We increased the added money last year, but we didn’t have the rodeo,” Scott said. “We decided to keep it there. I’ve been wanting to increase that for some time, and I’m glad I was able to get it increased.” While some rodeos have closed their doors again in 2021, the Nacogdoches Pro Rodeo and Steer Show is offering opportunities for contestants; that’s all the cowboys and cowgirls want.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –It’s taken a year, but life in this east Texas community is starting to look a bit more like normal. Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the statewide mask mandate, and annual events are returning to the calendar. That includes the Nacogdoches Pro Rodeo & Steer Show, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 25-Saturday, March 27, at the Nacogdoches County Exposition and Civic Center.   “I’m looking forward to feeling like an American again,” said Anita Scott, executive director of the expo and civic center. “I’m looking forward to hearing that prayer from our announcer, Andy Stewart, everybody taking off their hats and standing for the national anthem, and feeling and experiencing that good feeling the rodeo brings.” A big part of that feeling comes from the team at Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, which produces the event every year. The Carr team has some of the best bucking stock in ProRodeo, and that’s an attractive feature for the cowboys that ride them. The professional crew that is part of the stock contracting firm is also recognized as an experienced and talented group. “The presentation, the production and the personnel he brings is simply amazing, and we look forward to them coming to Nacogdoches,” Scott said. “They’re professionals. It’s a professional rodeo from the back pens to the arena and everywhere in between.” Carr bucking animals have graced the expo and civic center every year since 2013 and are a major part of the success that’s occurred in east Texas. Over time, though, Scott has leaned on Pete Carr, the owner and operator of the Dallas-based outfit. “Whenever I’m having a problem, I can call Pete up,” she said. “He has a wealth of contacts and information to help me. Just being able to call him and having us work together to solve whatever problems may arise is very refreshing.” The COVID-19 pandemic has instigated several changes for this year’s event. The seating capacity will be 50 percent of normal for all three performances, and the hospitality area will be designated just for VIPs; in a typical year, contestants are allowed in the hospitality section, but Scott and other organizers are trying to decrease exposure. “When I was stressing about my hospitality, Pete said, ‘don’t worry about that, because these cowboys and cowgirls just want to rodeo,’ ” said Scott, who noted that local money in the purse has increased to $20,000. “To be able to express my concerns was nice, and he made me feel so much better.” Once the show starts, though, that’s when Carr and his team go to work. There’s an electricity in the air, and it is shared across the building. “The caliber of stock we see on TV at the big rodeos will be the same ones we’ll see right here in Nacogdoches,” she said. “They’re the ones the cowboys want to ride, and that helps make our rodeo that much better. “It’s a good rodeo. We’ve always had a good rodeo, and I love that we’ve continued that.”

ALVA, Okla. – For the better part of four years, Denton Mars has had his eyes on a certain prize. It finally happened this past weekend. Mars, a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, won his first intercollegiate saddle bronc riding championship at the Fort Scott (Kansas) Community College Rodeo. Mars scored 73 points to finish in a tie for third place in the opening round, then spurred a horse for 76 points to win the championship round and the aggregate title. It was worth 155 points for the cowboy from Freedom, Oklahoma. “Finally getting my first win at a college rodeo was pretty exciting,” he said. “It was fun. All my buddies where there, and they were all cheering me on. “Right before my ride on the first night in the long round, Stockton (Graves) told me just to bear down and go after it. I thought it was as good a time as any.” Graves is the rodeo coach wrapping up his 10th season leading his alma mater. While his specialty is in the timed events – he was a seven-time steer wrestling qualifier to the National Finals Rodeo who just won the bulldogging title at San Antonio a few weeks ago – Graves does everything he can to push all members of his rodeo team to succeed. “Having Stockton in my corner means a lot. He knows how to do it. He knows what it takes to win in the rodeo world. It doesn’t matter what event you do; he gets you mentally ready.” The points pushed Mars to third place in the Central Plains Region’s saddle bronc riding standings. That’s good news for now, but he and the rest of the Rangers have seven more rodeos remaining in this campaign to build upon that. Only the top two teams and top three points-earners in each event advance to the College National Finals Rodeo, which will take place in June. Twelve months ago, Fort Scott’s became the last rodeo of the year or all teams in the Central Plains after the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. Even the college finals was canceled. While one circuit rodeo was canceled because of the coronavirus this season, the rest are on schedule as expected, even the CNFR. For now, though, Mars just wants to close out his campaign the only way he knows how: building toward his first qualification to the championship event in Casper, Wyoming. “It’s pretty simple; I’ll just keep taking it horse by horse and get them all rode,” said Mars, who alternates his time between school in Alva and working in Freedom at the ranch of Frontier Rodeo, the reigning six-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year. “If I start planning too much, I just set myself up for failure. I want to keep moving ahead instead. “This is a very tough region with a bunch of really good bronc riders. It’s pretty much a drawing contest at every college rodeo; whoever draws the best horses is probably going to win.” He attributed his victory in southeast Kansas to having the best horses, but even the best cowboys can get bucked off. Instead, he found his way to the victory stand in Fort Scott for the second time in his college career – as a freshman, he and Chase Finnell won the team roping title there. Mars wasn’t the only winner for Northwestern. Heeler Bo Yaussi of Udall, Kansas, won the team roping title with his partner, Garrett Elmore of Western Oklahoma State College. They stopped the clock in 6.0 seconds to win the opening round, then won the second round and the aggregate with a 5.5-second run. Yaussi now leads the region’s heeling standings. Meanwhile header Camden Hoetling of Emporia, Kansas, finished sixth in the opening round with his partner, Rio Esquibel of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Bridger Anderson of Carrington, North Dakota, scored big points for the Rangers in steer wrestling. After finishing just out of the points in the first round, he knocked his steer down in 4.9 seconds to place second in the short-round and second overall. The reigning college champion from 2019, Anderson leads the bulldogging standings. Riley Westhaver of High River, Alberta, also snagged some steer wrestling points. His 5.1 finished third in the opening round. He placed fifth in the final round and fifth overall. Tie-down roper Brandon Hittle of Topeka, Kansas, had two consistent runs, finishing sixth. Barrel racer Samantha Chambers of Calhan, Colorado, earned the most points for the Northwestern women. She posted a run of 13.41 seconds to finish in a tie for third place in the opening round. Her 13.24-second run was good enough for third in the short round, and she finished third overall. She is fifth in the regional standings. Fellow barrel racer Callie McGhee of Collony, Kansas, scored points for the Northwestern women by placing in the opening round. The weekend, however, belonged to Mars. He has hopes of advancing to the professional level, but he knows he has work to do just yet. Being part of the Northwestern team and Frontier Rodeo helps with that. “I get on a lot of broncs at the ranch, and I figure if I can ride these, I can ride just about anything they put in the chute,” Mars said. “They definitely help step my game up. We don’t practice broncs in Alva, so I practice at the ranch when I can. Most of the time, it’s all fundamentals. Once you’ve got them down, just go and do it. “It’s not like a timed event; you don’t have to practice 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but it dang sure helps if you do.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Justin Rumford’s “Rumpshaker” is a nickname that fits his personality; it’s not his persona. So, when friend and business partner Aaron Ferguson suggested a podcast called RümpChät, Rumford and cohost Josh “Hambone” Hilton went to work. “When Hambone and I got together, he started Googling everything podcast,” said Rumford, who returns to the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “He goes to Best Buy and gets $2,000 worth of equipment. “We started off joking around. A year and a half in, and we’re 262nd ranked out of 360,000 podcasts.” Why is the podcast so successful? Much of it has to do with the personalities behind the production, namely Rumford and Hilton. It’s rodeo-centric, since both men have spent most of their lives in the sport. It’s comedic, but that’s also a word that defines both men, especially Rumford, the reigning nine-time PRCA Clown of the Year. Still, there’s more to the show. “I think it’s successful because it’s not B.S.,” said Rumford, who grew up 215 miles northeast of Guymon in the tiny burg of Abbyville, Kansas, but now lives in Ponca City, Oklahoma, with his wife, Ashley, and their three children. “When we started listening to other podcasts, they were all so cookie-cutter. We wanted to tell the truth, even if it was brutal. “It’s not just a rodeo podcast, but it’s very agriculture. We have a lot of farmers, ranchers and oilfield workers who listen. We’re a blue-collar, beer drinking-man’s podcast.” RümpChät is also appealing, but so is Rumford. His personality hasn’t changed since the day he was born into a family that produced rodeos. What fans hear in the arena is something they’d likely hear if they were to engage the decorated clown behind the scenes. It’s just who Justin Rumford is. It’s also why he’s one of the most sought-after entertainers in rodeo. This will be just the second time he’s worked Pioneer Days Rodeo, and it’s a bit of a mulligan from four springs ago. On the day of the first performance, he and a bullfighter were involved in a vehicle wreck on the way to an appearance. That was just part of it. Rumford also had strep throat and was sick throughout the weekend in Guymon. He had a fever of 102 degrees and spent several hours of the final day of the rodeo in the hospital, unable to perform his duties. “The hardest rodeos to book are the ones that are close to you, and I’ve been thinking about returning to Guymon since I left,” he said. “That committee was so good to me, and I want to repay them and that community.” Texas County, Oklahoma, is not new to Rumford. From competing to hauling livestock, he’s kicked the dirt around Guymon plenty. “I’ve been going there for as long as I can remember,” Rumford said. “The cool thing about Guymon is it’s seriously like a reunion. I have so many friends from that community that I know, plus there are so many guys from Panhandle State that come back. There are a lot of my friends from Goodwell that never left, and with Frontier as the stock contractor, there are even more friends. Frontier Rodeo is the six-time reigning PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year based in Freedom, Oklahoma. The outfit is run by Heath Stewart, and it produces some of the largest rodeos in the country annually. “I’ve known Heath since I was 17 years old, and those guys have always been great to me,” he said, noting he may arrive in Guymon behind the wheel of one of Frontier’s big rigs. “When I go with Frontier or Flying U (Rodeo) or Beutler & Son, if there’s an opportunity where I can throw my stuff in the tack trailer and drive a semi down, sort and feed, I always enjoy the hell out of it. “It’s still my favorite thing to do.” Being a clown is a business, and he takes to it like it’s a second skin. Before he made it big wearing a microphone, his antics were legendary for keeping cowboys and contract personnel entertained anywhere Rumford worked a room. Beyond being reunited with the Frontier crew, the Guymon committee and announcers Andy Stewart and Ken Stonecipher, Rumford will also work with Hilton, a two-time PRCA Sound Director of the Year who handles the music and musings at Pioneer Days Rodeo. They’ll likely record an episode or two of RümpChät during their time together in Guymon. “Hambone is really good and one of the best sound men in rodeo,” Rumford said. “He’s easy to work with, whether we’re at a rodeo or doing the podcast. To be with people you consistently work with helps you do your job better. “I don’t know anything about computers or streaming. All I actually do is just sit down and talk. Without Hambone, there wouldn’t be RümpChät.” Without Rumford, there will still be rodeo. It just won’t be as funny or as entertaining.

GUYMON, Okla. – Riding for the brand is more than a tag line for ranch cowboys. For most the elite in ProRodeo, the phrase is more of a nod to sponsors and other supporters. For others who have played the game at the highest level, the slogan is a tip of the hat to their colleges and mentors. No matter where Allen Boore competes, he’s always representing the red and blue of his alma mater, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, whether its in San Antonio, Pendleton (Oregon) or the National Finals Rodeo. “Rodeo in that area of the country is very well supported and well known, from the Etbauers to the guys that have come through that program,” said Boore, 29, a two-time NFR qualifier from Axtell, Utah. “I didn’t really know about the tradition that was there until I went out there to check the school out, and then you realize it.” He will return to the region once known as “No Man’s Land” in a couple of months for the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. It’s an annual venture for the cowboy, and it’s always nice to return to his old stomping grounds for a chance to win some big bucks. While rodeoing at Panhandle State, Boore was a two-time qualifier to the College National Finals Rodeo (2012-13). Both times, he just missed advancing to the short round by one spot. A transfer from Southern Utah University as a junior, he won the Central Plains Region’s bronc riding title as a senior in 2013, then was part of the team that claimed the men’s national title. “It was a pretty awesome feeling when it got done that the six of us on the team had placed in some rounds or the average, and that we all worked together and be able to win the team title,” he said. “Everyone was hoping to win that and win individually, but to get it done was a pretty good accomplishment.” Of course, he credits the training he received from his mentors – Craig Latham, Robert Etbauer and Dan Etbauer – who were on hand at almost every practice session. He also got some game-day training from some of the top hands in the game who would just show up at practice to sharpen their mettle. “We’d still get guys like Cort Scheer, Troy Crowser, Taos (Muncy) and Tyrel Larsen, guys that weren’t going to school but would still come to practice, and we’d learn some things from them,” Boore said. “Then we’d have jackpots, and we’d jackpot against guys like that.” In rodeo, jackpots involve competition where all players put money in a pot, and the top scores take the cash. “I figured if you could beat them at practice, you could beat them anywhere,” Boore said. “The community is very supportive of rodeo, and the people do what they can to help the school and the individuals succeed.” He’s found significant success in his career. He first qualified for the NFR in 2016, then finished 18th in both 2017-18. A year later, he finished 22nd. Last year, though, he kicked off a solid campaign and had pocketed about $40,000 by the time COVID-19 shut down the world in mid-March. When rodeo returned in full by June, he was back to winning. He entered the 2020 NFR in its one-time home of Arlington, Texas, with about $83,000. As one of four cowboys with ties to the Oklahoma Panhandle – he was joined by Panhandle State alums Muncy and bareback rider Orin Larsen as well as bronc rider Wyatt Casper of Balko – he pocketed another $80,000 by winning the third round and placing four other nights. “After my first time making the finals, I felt like I may have gotten lucky to make it,” he said. “Then after a few years where I didn’t make it, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it back. Last year when I made it back, it was a relief and still exciting that all the hard work, time and effort paid off. I had accomplished the goal that had been set.” He finished the year fifth in the world standings, his best finish ever. He finished seventh in 2016 and actually earned about $20,000 more that season, but it wasn’t one that was hampered by a global pandemic like the 2020 campaign was. In fact, it was further proof that he belonged among the top 15. He earned his first NFR go-round victory, and now he holds a great deal of confidence heading into the 2021 campaign. That also means he’s eager to return to the Oklahoma Panhandle to take home some Pioneer Days Rodeo cash the first weekend in May – he is five years removed from sharing the Guymon title with fellow Utahan Ryder Wright, a two-time world champion. Now Boore is one of many contestants who own a Pioneer Days Rodeo belt, the sought-after, wearable trophy that is awarded to champions each year. “I wear that when I go to town, so I wear it quite a bit,” Boore said. “It’s pretty special, and I don’t want to ruin it when I’m working on the farm. It’s like a buckle you’re proud of; you don’t want to scuff it up. Not too many places give out a belt. It’s a nice-looking belt with the bronc rider conchos on it. I like it and want to show it off.” Maybe he’ll add another to his collection in 2021. That will be his goal when he hits his old stomping grounds this spring. He’s only missed the Guymon rodeo a couple of times in his career, but he’d prefer that doesn’t happen. “I like Guymon’s rodeo, because it’s a good chance to see some old friends and hang out with Robert and Danny and see all those guys you  Continue Reading »

Finlay hopes to add his name to the legacy in the Panhandle GUYMON, Okla. – Long before he even considered competing in college rodeo, Jake Finlay knew there was something special going on at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. When then-coach Craig Latham offered him an opportunity to attend the college in nearby Goodwell, it didn’t take long for Finlay to make his decision. Within short order, he arrived in the Oklahoma Panhandle with a suitcase in one hand and his bronc saddle in another. He had a thick Australian accent and a dream of being one of the next great cowboys from Bronc Rider U. “I couldn’t ride a gate on a windy day when I got to Panhandle,” said Finlay, 25, of Goodniwindi, Queensland. “They pretty much repeated the same things: Lift on your rein and get a two-jump spur out. They just drummed it into me, but they’ve got a lot of good bronc riders because of it.” In all, six cowboys with ties to the Oklahoma Panhandle account for 12 bronc riding world championships: Billy Etbauer (5), Robert Etbauer (2), Taos Muncy (2), Tom Reeves, Jeffery Willert and Spencer Wright. All told, they have 68 National Finals Rodeo qualifications from bronc riders who made No Man’s Land their homes at some point. Finlay hopes to be mentioned among the elite, and he already carries some pretty nice hardware with him: He was part of two Panhandle State men’s team national championships in 2017-2018, the latter of which also saw him win the bronc riding national crown at the 2018 College National Finals Rodeo. “That’s one of the best things I’ve ever gotten to do,” he said. “It’s nice to see the saddle bronc riding title go back there. What’s better is that we won the team title twice, and that was just as cool, if not cooler, to do.” The pride that he exudes about his alma mater shines as brightly as his red hair, and he carries that with him wherever he goes. He’s already eager to be back in the region for this year’s Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 30; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. He understands the proud tradition the region has, especially for bronc riding, and he’d love to stake claim to that elusive Pioneer Days Rodeo title when he can. “When you look at it, there are a lot of gold buckles that are held on by a Guymon Pioneer Days belt,” Finlay said of the unique, wearable trophy issued to Guymon champions each year. “It’s a hell of a committee, and they’re always thinking about us cowboys. They bring the best stock, and they’re always wanting to have a good rodeo, especially for the contestants.” When Finlay thinks of ProRodeo’s elite, he didn’t have to venture too far from Goodwell in order to see it. Just outside of town is the home of Robert Etbauer, now the rodeo coach at Panhandle State. Not far from him are the homes of Latham and Robert’s youngest brother, Dan, a 10-time NFR qualifier who finished as the reserve world champion in 1995. Dan Etbauer may have never earned gold himself, but he was part of the team that accounts for seven of the most prestigious buckles in the game. He was there when Pioneer Days Rodeo made the transition from a small, hometown rodeo to what it is today – a major stop for hundreds of contestants; it also was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2015. While at Panhandle State, he qualified for the CNFR, then embarked on an incredible ProRodeo career. He was part of a unique traveling posse that included his older brothers and Latham. The foursome obtained a group sponsorship from Oklahoma-based Express Ranches, and the team pooled its money in order to cover the expenses that come with traveling the rodeo circuit. “My greatest memory was rodeoing with my brothers,” Dan Etbauer said. “I had just always dreamed of it. When I was a freshman in high school, we were assigned to write a paper on ‘What’s Your Dream in Life,’ and my dream was that I got to rodeo with my brothers and go to the NFR with them. “It was a dream, and we never thought it would come true, but we got lucky and it did.” It was more than luck. Being some of the best to have ever played the game – all four have been inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame – means being better than most. The Etbauers and Latham definitely were that during their heyday As an avid spectator now, Dan Etbauer has seen the positive changes in rodeo. Contestants are able to compete for more money, and the stock has improved. There have always been spectacular animal athletes, but there are just more of them in today’s rodeo than there were three decades ago. “The bucking horses are phenomenal now, and the born-to-buck program they came up with is really working,” he said. “I wish I was riding broncs today to get on some of those horses. If you watched the NFR back when we were going, there were three to four horses in each pen you had a chance to win on. Now there are three or four in each pen where you don’t have a chance. It would be fun to get on that caliber of horses.” That’s one thing Finlay has over the older generation. Though he has yet to earn an NFR bid – he finished 17th in 2019 and 20th last year – he has been among the best. He sits 16th in the world standings as of mid-February with most of the season left. But he’d love to have his name mentioned with so many others who have ties to the Oklahoma Panhandle. “Not everybody can  Continue Reading »

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Montana Silversmiths gold buckle that is awarded to world champions is an elusive thing. Only one person per event can earn that piece of hardware each year, and Biglow did that in 2019. The 2020 National Finals Rodeo was a much different story. He closed this year’s finale in fine fashion, though, matching moves with Hi Lo Pro Rodeo’s Redzilla for 88 points to finish fourth in the 10th round. “I learned more than I have at an NFR,” said Biglow, 24, of Clements, California. “This is not most important to the stats but most important to me as a bareback rider. I’ll probably hold on to this finals for the rest of my career. It is what is going to fire me up every time.” It was a rough championship for the reigning world champion. He bucked off twice and had two scores in the 60s. Still, he placed five nights and earned $80,442 over 10 nights at Globe Life Field in Arlington. He pocketed $11,000 on the final night of the season. “I got on that horse at the finals in 2017, and it didn’t go very good,” he said. “She wasn’t very good. She was younger. Ever since then, they were 90 on her every time, so I knew I had a really good shot to win a check.” Now that the season has concluded – Biglow ended the year seventh in the world standings with $151,415 in earnings – he will take some time off, enjoy the holidays with family and keep his eyes open for the schedule. The first one on the calendar is in Odessa, Texas, in early January. “I will enter whatever opens up,” he said, realizing that the pandemic may change things again in 2021. “I’m sure I’ll be itching enough to fly to get on one. Whatever rodeos are open, I’m going to go to them.” Besides the lessons he gained over his week and a half in north Texas, the California cowboy realizes there are many other great things that come out of competing as one of the best in the game. “The guys in that locker room are what make it,” Biglow said. “No one is ever down on you. Everyone is trying to pick you up and trying to figure out your problems. If someone is having hell, I’m going to help him; we’ll figure it out. That’s how it is. “Getting on bucking horses isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so if you’re are down on yourself, it makes it 10 times harder. These guys always pick you up.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bareback rider Tim O’Connell did everything he could during the 10th round of the National Finals Rodeo to win his fourth world championship. He rode Powder River Rodeo’s Two Buck Chuck for 89 points and had to wait out a re-ride by his closest opponent, Utahan Kaycee Feild. The decision didn’t rest on O’Connell’s performance, though. Feild was awarded 91 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s Junior Bonner to win the round and the world championship at Globe Life Field. But O’Connell had no reason to hang his head. He fought a brilliant 10-round bout to claim the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. Instead, his big score was worth third in the round, and he fell to third in the average. He also finished as the No. 2 man in the world standings. Through 10 nights of ProRodeo’s championship event, the Zwingle, Iowa, cowboy placed six times, including the fourth-round victory after matching moves with Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Pop A Top for 90.5 points. He left Globe Life Field with $148,064 in NFR earnings and finished the campaign with $270,991. He was just $6,657 behind Feild. While there was disappointment in the air, O’Connell proved again why he will continue to be a contender for the world title each year. The NFR features only the best 15 cowboys from the regular season, and 2020 was his seventh straight trip to the sport’s premier event. He won three-straight gold buckles from 2016-’18. An injury suffered on the final night of his final championship cost him to miss much of the 2019 campaign. He battled for three months to advance to the NFR, where he and other bareback riders were met with a buzz saw named Clayton Biglow, who claimed the crown. Of his seven trips to the finale, O’Connell has finished among the top 5 six times. With him coming within a whisker of this year’s gold buckle, there’s a new fire that is being built as he prepares for the 2021 campaign. A key bright spot that appeared was his traveling partner – Jess Pope, a senior at Missouri Valley College – claimed the NFR average title. Now the two will venture into the next campaign with bright light shining on next year’s NFR and another shot at ProRodeo’s gold.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Halfway through the 2020 National Finals Rodeo, Jacob Edler had to make a big business decision. He had qualified for his first NFR on Ditto, a mare that was owned by Canadian Clayton Moore and recently acquired by Shane Frey. They matched together pretty well through the first five nights, but Edler noticed he was getting further away from the steers on each run. He opted for Mabel, a 9-year-old sorrel mare owned by Garrett Henry and ridden through the last couple of years by fellow bulldogger Stetson Jorgensen. That made all the difference in the world … well, Edler’s world championship, anyway. “This has been an awesome experience,” said Edler, 26, of State Center, Iowa. “I just tried to do my job every day. Getting to ride Ditto the first five rounds was great, and she did great, but I knew it wasn’t going to work for the rest of the time. I have to thank Garret and Stetson for letting me ride Mabel. She’s the reason I’m sitting here right now.” In all, he placed in eight of 10 go-rounds and won the NFR average title with a cumulative time of 43.4 seconds. That was worth $67,269 and allowed the Iowa bulldogger to pocket $154,904 over 10 December nights inside Globe Life Field. He finished the year with $200,510 and outdistanced Jorgensen by just $1,680 to earn the coveted Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. “It’s a start to my future,” he said. “I’ve never seen this much money in my whole life, and I’m very grateful for that. I’ve been blessed to do as well as I have. Me and my beautiful fiancé, Moriah, are going to be able to start a life with this.” Not only is he about to be married, but he and Moriah are expecting their first child. Edler took his moment during an in-arena interview to proclaim that for all the rodeo world to witness. In Saturday’s 10th round, he stopped the clock in 3.9 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth place, with $8,885. Not only did that help his stance in the world standings, but it pushed him past Jorgensen for the average lead. Mabel was the driving force, but the decision to jump on the red rocket’s back all came down to a gut feeling he had – or maybe it was a premonition. “I had a dream about it right before the fifth round,” said Edler, who finished as the runner-up to his national champion teammate J.D. Struxness at the 2016 College National Finals Rodeo but is now taking home the first gold buckle in steer wrestling for Northwestern Oklahoma State University. “In the fifth round, I had a great steer drawn, and there was too much separation when I made the move to the steer. I ended up placing fourth in the round, but I knew if I’d been on a horse that gave me a little straighter, tighter goal, I would have won the go-round; that was my sure-tell sign that I needed to get on something else.” And what does it mean to wear that world champion’s trophy around Alva, home of his alma mater where he now lives? “It’s huge,” he said. “We’re one of the forces to be reckoned with as far as the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo, so to be able to bring that gold buckle back to Alva is great.” While the 10 days of ProRodeo’s grand finale may seem to have been a great success for the Iowa cowboy, it wasn’t. He almost missed action because he tested positive for COVID, but a second test came up negative. He also watched his spot in the world standings drop to sixth after the ninth round, but he was able to climb back up quickly with a fantastic final night of bulldogging on the final night of the wild 2020 season. “You’ve got to show up every day with a positive attitude,” Edler said. “You’ve got to also keep pushing forward. “It was awesome to get to compete with a guy that’s such a competitor like Stetson. When I threw that steer down, I felt like I did my job to the best of my ability, tipped my hat and bowed to the crowd and got out of the arena to see how the race unfolded, and it fell in my favor.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – College students around the world spend tens of thousands of dollars for their educations. Northwestern Oklahoma State University senior Bridger Anderson just received the biggest lessons of his life over the last 10 days at the National Finals Rodeo. On top of it, he made $77,068 at ProRodeo’s premier event. “Things just didn’t play out the way we expected it to, and we just rolled with it,” said Anderson, a steer wrestler from Carrington, North Dakota. “My steer (Friday) night didn’t leave like we wanted to, but we did exactly what we were planning on.” He threw the steer down in 4.4 seconds, but he broke the barrier – not allowing the steer an appropriate head start – and was penalized 10 seconds. A 4.4 wouldn’t have placed in the ninth round, but it would have helped him stay a little higher in the average race, which pays bonuses for the fastest cumulative times on 10 runs. Anderson still finished sixth in the aggregate, which was worth $16,500. He finished the year with $120,934 and ninth in the world standings. That’s proof of just how tight the bulldogging race was in 2020. “I feel very fortunate,” he said. “It’s not every day you win over $70,000 in a week and a half. I’m happy that I’m pretty healthy and my horse was pretty healthy. Stockton (Graves) did an outstanding job for me as my hazer, and I couldn’t ask for a better week. “I couldn’t be happier for Jacob Edler. I think I might be one of the most pumped people about it.” Edler, a Northwestern alumnus, earned twice as much NFR money as Anderson, won the NFR average title and claimed the steer wrestling world title. “We practice together all the time,” Anderson said of Edler. “We practiced our butts off for years, but especially the last two months leading up to this thing. Jacob didn’t get this given to him by accident. He damn sure earned it.” That’s the same for Anderson. Just qualifying for the NFR is a big deal, especially in 2020 with the schedule reduced and the competition as strong as ever. He placed in just three years, including a share of the second-round title, and gained more from the experience than he would have imagined heading in. “I don’t thing we necessarily did our job quite to the expectation of what we could have,” he said. “I learned what it takes to win a world championship. We’re going to go home and work our tail off until we are in a spot to do that. I won more money than I have in my life, and I learned exactly what it takes to be great. That’s what we’re going to focus on right now. “You’ve got to strive to be the best, but only one guy gets to be the best every year.” At just 22 years old, Anderson will have plenty more chances to be the best.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jess Pope just picked up the biggest paycheck of his life, earning $170,417 for 10 days work at the National Finals Rodeo and winning the bareback riding average title. Don’t look for him to settle for anything. He was raised around hard work, and that’s going to continue. He left Arlington on Sunday en route to his Waverly, Kansas, home, where he will do some day work for people in his part of the Sunflower State. He’ll also go back to work at the local sale barn every Wednesday during his Christmas break from Missouri Valley College, where he is a senior. “My goal was to win the average,” said Pope, who rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Uncapped for 89.5 points to finish second in the 10th round of the NFR; that was worth $20,731. “It’s a marathon, not a spring. I just win in there and did it. It’s like what they say, ‘Dream it, do it, own it.’ I dreamed it up and ran with it.” It was a dream come true for the 22-year-old cowboy. He finished the season with $220,029 and capped his incredible campaign third in the world standings. “It shows that I was the guy at the NFR this year,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what he got on, he rode them all the same. He rode the buckers the same way he rode the ‘hoppers.’ (Saturday) night when I went to bed, I thought about all 10 horses I got on. There’s not one thing different I’d want to do on all of them. I was really strong on everything. I feel like I had a great finals.” He did. He was second in NFR earnings, finishing about $12,000 behind world champion Kaycee Feild, who earned his fifth gold buckle. Pope leaves Globe Life Field with life-changing money and a boatload of confidence. “To show up at the NFR and beat the top 15 guys when they’re supposed to be on top of their game is amazing, and it helps my confidence a lot,” Pope said. Those are the best horses you get on all year long and do it in 10 days in a row. I went in there and realized I can do it. “It’s just the beginning for me.” Until his next rodeo, though, he’ll still build on his work ethic. When he’s not doing day work or helping at the sale barn, he’ll be working out and dreaming about bucking horses. “There’s a lot more to my life than just rodeo,” he said. “I don’t even know the next rode I’m going to go to. I’m going to go home and do the stuff I love. I’m not the kind of guy to just sit at the house. I’m going to go about my life like I did before.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – As he reflected on the last 10 days, Mason Clements wasn’t too thrilled with how his third National Finals Rodeo appearance went. Still, he quietly found success. He placed in five rounds and finished fifth in the average race by scoring 810.5 cumulative points on 10 rides; that was worth nearly $23,000, and he pocketed $66,269 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. “It will work, and, honestly, it’s the best I’ve done at the finals,” he said, referring to his five placings and not suffering a no-score through the week. “I stayed on all 10 horses. I don’t know about riding them. There are a lot of things I am going to go back to the drawing board and fix. I want to make sure I don’t have those errors and mistakes in the season and going into next year’s NFR.” Clements struggled with his rigging through eight rounds, then switched to a new piece of equipment for the final two nights of the season. That made a great deal of difference for him, especially in regards to his confidence. “Every one of these other guys brought it, and it was anybody’s game,” he said of the other bareback riders in the field. “You just had to mark them out, keep your chin tucked and keep spurring; just do your job, be a bareback rider, be tough. There is no doubt that 14 other guys in that locker room are all of that. “I was really happy with how the horses performed. They did their jobs, and we did ours. Everything else is out of our control.” Clements finished 10th in the world standings with $124,771 earned through the COVID-affected 2020 campaign. That’s saying something, especially considering that fewer than half the events took place than in a typical rodeo season. “There were a lot of positives that happened,” Clements said. “It is still just a learning experience, and I’m happy. “How many times can you say you’ve been to Texas for the NFR in a baseball stadium? In a year like this, I’m so grateful for what the PRCA has put together to make this happen.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – If practice makes perfect, then Richmond Champion was very ready for Friday’s ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. He matched moves with Sankey Pro Rodeo’s Great Nation for 86.5 points to finish third in the go-round. The $15,654 he earned pushed his NFR salary to $77,974 with just one night remaining in the 2020 ProRodeo season. He is fifth in the world standings with $142,123. “I won Missoula (Montana) on him last year, and I just got on him as a practice horse for the NFR, so I was really pumped,” said Champion of Stevensville, Montana. “He was way better here than he was either of those times. I knew he was going to be tougher than any of the other horses out in this pen. “He’s got a little bit of a drop and sometimes he moves ahead. Today he had the drop and was up under himself, so it was pretty awesome. It felt really good on my end.” Now in his sixth NFR, he knows what it takes to win big money at ProRodeo’s grand finale. That came into play after getting bucked off in Thursday’s “Eliminator Pen” by Northcott-Macza’s Spilled Perfume. “I got a little bit of a stinger,” he said, referring to a pinched nerve in his neck. “That third jump, she went left, and I just got a hair behind her, didn’t have my feet set and took it all on my arm. My whole arm went numb. The next thing you know, I’m looking down at my rigging thinking, ‘This is not good.’ By the time I got behind the bucking chutes, my fingers were tingling again.” He was also No. 1 in the average race, then fell to seventh with 680.5 points on nine qualified rides. “It sucked, and I was pretty upset,” said Champion, who attended nearby Tarleton State University on a rodeo scholarship. “You just reassess and make the next goal: ‘What is the next thing I’m going to accomplish in this situation, and they are paying average checks that ride nine head the best.’ “I’ll win as much as I can and try to get a good fifth- or sixth-place average check and call it a successful week.” He’s still had a solid week, which nearly $80,000 grand stands as a testament, but competitors get flustered when their beaten. For Champion, he just leans on his wife, Paige, who is a retired Olympic figure skater. “She let me do my thing last night, and we talked about it this morning,” he said. “She is a great support all the time. She has great timing. She knows when to say it and when to let me deal with it on my own, then we will come back to it. “Today, she said ‘Just go make the ride you want to make and have fun.’ Things are looking up, and I’m excited for tomorrow.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Wyatt Casper needed that in the worst way. The world standings leader for most of the year, Casper watched his advantage slip away after Thursday’s eighth round, when he finished in sixth place while Ryder Wright won the night and moved to the No. 1 spot on the saddle bronc riding money list. “I enjoy nights like this, not the one last night,” said Casper, who rode Calgary Stampede’s Xena Warrior for 88 points to win the ninth round Friday at the National Finals Rodeo. “I think she could have won Horse of the Year for the last two years. She is just an outstanding bronc. She gives it all she’s got every time and bucks hard. She is pretty fun to ride. I’m lucky to draw her.” For his efforts, Casper pocketed $26,231 and took a big leap back toward Wright, who finished in a tie for second place. Casper trails by just $1,314 with one night remaining. And, truthfully, he has had an amazing NFR. He has placed in seven of nine rounds and earned $121,270 in just nine days. He is second in the average with 290.5 cumulative points on eight rides – he was bucked off in the fourth round – but he has virtually no chance to catch Wright for the average title even if Wright fails to garner a score in the 10th round. The best he can do is stay second in the aggregate, which will pay $54,577. Some things will have to happen for Casper to walk away from Globe Life Field with the coveted Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. First, he will have to place at least third in the 10th round and hope Wright fails to score. But that’s of no concern to the Miami, Texas, cowboy. “I needed a little pick-me-up before tomorrow night,” Casper said. “I have a good mindset, so hopefully I’ll draw a good horse and let the chips fall into place where they will. “It’s a nail-biter. It helps bring out the better in me, and I think the same goes for Ryder. It’s a good competition.” Yes, it is, and that’s exactly what he was eager to play on the sport’s biggest stage. He has a chance to get on 10 of the greatest bucking horses in the world, and that’s what he needed after scoring just 82.5 points in Thursday’s round. Xena Warrior was the perfect medicine to cure what ailed him. “I’ve seen her in the Fort Worth short-go with Dawson Hay, and he was 90 points on her,” Casper said. “That meant it would be a dream come true to get on her, and I finally got to. When you’re getting on those good horses, everything usually feels a lot better.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – The good comes with the bad and vice versa; that’s life, and that’s also the National Finals Rodeo. Steer wrestler Jace Melvin has experienced a bit of both over the past nine days inside Globe Life Field in Arlington. He earned his first paycheck on opening night, then waited four nights for his second, a go-round win sharing run of 3.9 seconds. He followed that with another placing in Round 6, then things didn’t really go his way. He was off the pace on the seventh night, then didn’t get the clock stopped for 24.6 seconds on the eighth. “I just needed to get back to what I do,” said Melvin of Stephenville, Texas, originally from Fort Pierre, South Dakota. “I’ve been fighting lower back stuff, but the sports medicine got me to feeling right.” He went in for treatments after Thursday’s run, then again twice on Friday. He felt normal, and he looked pretty good, too, grappling his steer to the ground in 3.7 seconds to finish fifth in the ninth round. That was worth $6,769 and pushed his NFR earnings to $53,365 He will return to the Justin Sportsmedicine team a couple more times before Saturday’s final round of the 2020 ProRodeo season. “I’m going to try to finish off the week as strong as I can,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot. It hasn’t been exactly how I’ve planned it out, but I’ve taken a lot from it. I’m exited for what tomorrow brings and what the future brings. “Anytime you can win a check, you feel pretty dang good here. It’s been a pretty tough bulldogging this week. They aren’t just giving checks out.” No, they are earned. Three men earned a share of the Round 9 victory, and they stopped the clock in 3.5 seconds. Melvin’s 3.7 would typically get a bigger check, but he’ll take what he can get. He is less than $500 from crossing the $100,000 mark for season earnings. “(Thursday) night didn’t go how it was supposed to go,” Melvin said. “Tonight, I thought, ‘Go at the barrier and throw him down fast.’ They hadn’t won anything on that steer, but I knew I had a chance.” He sits eighth in the average with a cumulative time of 79.1 seconds on nine runs. If he remains in that spot when Saturday night concludes, he will earn a bonus of $6,346. “I have to realize there’s a reason you’re here,” he said. “I’ve tried for five years to make it here. It takes a lot of time and work and money. You’ve got every right to be here. There’s a reason you’re here to do what you’re best at. Stay true to the plan. “I have a chance for two checks tomorrow in the round and the average. I still have nothing to lose. Any time you have a chance to win two checks on the last night, it’s always a great opportunity to be in.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ryan Jarrett might want to get his engine checked; if it cranks a little slow but still has good power, it might need some fine-tuning. And, quite possibly, he’s been turning a few knobs here and there and put something together. On Friday night, he roped and tied his calf in 8.4 seconds to finish in a tie for fifth place in the ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. It was his fourth paycheck of the week worth $5,500. He missed out on collecting cash at ProRodeo’s premier event on the first three nights, then started revving the engine in Round 4 by finishing tied for fifth. He finished third on Night 5, then placed third Thursday. In all, he’s pocketed $53,308 in nine days of work at Globe Life Field. “I thought I broke the barrier,” Jarrett said, noting that he would have suffered a 10-second penalty, which would have taken him out of the top six spots that collect cash. “I was way to close and thought I’d just broke it. The calf didn’t have a whole lot of snap on the end of the rope, and thinking that I broke the barrier, I put two wraps on.” Once the calf is caught, cowboys then flank the animal and tie three legs together, most commonly using two full wraps around the legs, then throwing in a half-hitch to secure it. To be even faster, some cowboys take a chance and put just one wrap and a half-hitch, but there’s more of a likelihood the calf can break free before a six-second time limit elapses. “She would have laid there with a wrap and a hooey all day,” said Jarrett, the 2005 all-around world champion and a 13-time NFR qualifier. “It didn’t go as good as I wanted, but luckily we held in there. It’s money, and I’m not complaining. I’ll do it again tomorrow night and maybe get some of that average money, too.” He sits fifth in the average race with a cumulative time of 95.7 seconds on nine runs. Should he remain there, he will add a bonus of $31,731 when Saturday night comes to a close. “Even though it is a fifth- and sixth-place split, it still feels good to get a check,” he said. “You don’t leave here with your chin on the ground. “I’d like about a third-place check tomorrow and a fifth in the average, and I’d be tickled pink. I’ve got about $50,000 won so far, and that on top of $40,000 … that’s $90,000 where I come from.” That would be a good bit of work for just 10 days.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The 2020 National Finals Rodeo version of Clayton Biglow is much different than it was in 2019. A year ago, Biglow dominated the NFR, setting earnings and aggregate records on the way to his first world championship. This year, he’s placed in just four of nine rounds so far and has earned $69,442. Still, he is sixth in the world standings heading into the final night of ProRodeo’s grand finale. “That felt more like it,” he said after riding Three Hills Rodeo’s Devil’s Advocate for 85.5 points to finish fourth in Friday’s ninth round at Globe Life Field. “I’ve just been trying to brush off the frustrations and move on to the next one. It’s been one heck of a week and not the one I was looking for. “You’ve got to take the positive from it. I’ve learned a lot this week, and I am ready for (Saturday). I’m ready to get home and get ready for next year.” It’s been a rough year for everyone, thanks to the COVID-19 global pandemic. There were less than half the rodeos of a typical year, and some of the ones that were missing were many of the biggest in the game. Instead of leading the world standings entering this year’s NFR, he came in fifth, and it’s been an uphill climb in Arlington. “It’s a lot different than last year,” said Biglow, 24, a bareback rider from Clements, California. “It seems like everything went my way, and this year it’s going the opposite. But I’m here at the finals. I’ve made my fifth NFR. I’m happy about that, and it’s not the end of Clayton Biglow, that’s for damn sure. I’m ready for next year. It’s building a fire in me that I needed.” Friday’s ride was good enough to add $11,000 to his NFR paycheck. He’s pushed his season earnings to $140,415 with one night left. But as he looked back, he realized there were some great things that came out of this calendar year. “In the rodeo world, I’ve had kind of a different year, and to throw COVID on top of that, it makes things a little more crazy,” he said. “I got married this year, and I’m pretty happy about that. I’m a blessed man.” He suffered two no-scores, which is uncommon for someone of his caliber. The “Eliminator Pen” also hammered him with both scores in the third and eighth rounds being in the 60s. By matching moves with Devil’s Advocate, he was able to show off just a bit more – Friday’s pen is considered the “hoppers,” which are the easiest-to-ride broncs at the NFR, and they come just one night after the E pen. “It’s a drastic change going from the E pen to the one-penners, but I needed it,” Biglow said. “I needed that little hopper, and I needed to work on some things. I feel like I got it done, and I’ve got $26,000 to win (Saturday) night. “I knew she was going to be super good. She is about the hoppiest horse you can think of. She rides good. I wish I could take her home and practice on her.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Orin Larsen is third in the bareback riding world standings, and he had high hopes of finishing this National Finals Rodeo with the world championship. His chances now are very slim heading into the final night of the season, but he’s still enjoying his time at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Tim O’Connell and Kaycee Field are in a tight battle for that Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, and it will come down to Saturday’s Round 10 to see what happens. “I’m probably out of the world title, but I’m just here having fun,” said Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska. He rode Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Cactus Black for 83.5 points to finish sixth in Friday’s ninth round to pocket $4,231. It’s the bottom payment for placing at the NFR, but it’s still good. “The land payment needs to be paid, so we are going to make every check I get count; it might have been better if I was living up in Canada, about a couple hundred thousand by the time I get out of there,” he said with a laugh. “I really underestimated that horse. He is just a cute little stud horse, but he really fired out of the chute and really meant it.” Larsen has pushed his NFR earnings to $64,788 and has an annual salary $146,180 with a big chance to add to it in the 10th round. He sits fifth in the average race with a cumulative score of 741.5 points on nine rides. If he stays there when the NFR concludes, he’ll add a bonus of $22,846. “I think it’s just coming down to a drawing contest,” Larsen said, referring to the cowboys being matched with their broncs by a random draw. “Everybody is just riding really good and really strong. Even with (Thursday) night and how things went with guys hitting the ground, they came back stronger. Everyone is mad and hungry, and you are going to see that (Saturday), too.” No matter what happens in the arena, he has the support he needs with his wife, Alexa. There is intense pressure to perform well, especially at ProRodeo’s premier event. “That woman does not get enough credit,” Larsen said. “She has helped me in every way possible to make my week better. She pretty much pampers me while I’m here. Without her, I’m definitely nobody.” As a six-time NFR qualifier, he’s definitely somebody, and rodeo fans know it.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bareback rider Mason Clements made a couple of necessary adjustments, and it paid off Friday during the ninth round of the National Finals Rodeo. “I broke out a new rigging that I had worked on at home before I got here,” said Clements, who rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted River for 84 points to finish fourth in the go-round. “I wish I would have done that four or five rounds ago, but it is just a learning curve. We’ve got a new one under us now, and it is a lot better. “I’m back to 100 percent. My body is still feeling good, and this rigging is the money.” Of course, having a horse like Painted River helps matters. It was the second time Clements had been on the Texas-raised bronc, which is out of the great mare Riverboat Annie and by the stud Korczak. He was the first ProRodeo cowboy to ride Painted River during the 2014 Guymon (Oklahoma) Pioneer Days Rodeo, and the two matched for 84 points that day, too. “That horse is really fun,” he said. “I had seen Kaycee (Feild) get on her in Stephenville (Texas) at the end of the year. Everybody told me she was just a really great horse. It’s pretty cool to see it here and the finals and to get a chance to ride it again.” Clements has placed in five rounds and is sixth in the average race with a cumulative score of 726.5 points on nine rides. He has pocketed $43,423 in Arlington and sits 11th in the world standings with $101,924. More importantly, he has the 10th round yet to go with a chance to collect more Texas money before returning to his home in Spanish Fork, Utah, which he shares with his fiancé, Brianna. If he remains sixth in the aggregate, he will add a bonus of $16,500 plus whatever he earns on the final night of the season. “Brianna takes care of a lot for me,” Clements said. “She takes care of everything and keeps everybody entertained while I’m doing my thing. That’s big for me. I get worked up when I’ve got all that stuff to do, so she sees that and takes care of a lot of that for me. “During the day, she keeps me calm and focused on this. She makes sure I take her shopping, which I love to do, because she gives me everything I need, and she deserves the world, too.” He has a chance to return that kind of support with a big payday Saturday night.

ARLINGTON, Texas – There was a bit of trepidation inside the bareback rider locker room prior to Thursday’s eighth go-round at the National Finals Rodeo. It was time for the “Eliminator Pen,” the nastiest bucking horses in the game, and the best of them were situated at Globe Life Field ready to release a bit of torment. Nobody came out unscathed, but some were worse off than others. “It’s a big sigh of relief in that locker room after those horses are done,” said Tanner Aus, who rode Calgary Stampede’s Soap Bubbles for 85 points to finish tied for third place in the round. “I’ve gotten on him a couple of times before. It has always been alright. That is the best score I’ve ever had on that horse, so that was good. “She was pretty honest. She just came out of the chute around to the right and bucked right down in front of the chutes. It was no day off, but it felt good.” She wasn’t the first Calgary bronc to have a good day at the Texas NFR. Where some horses have struggled to perform at their best inside the complex built primarily for the Texas Rangers, the Canadian horses have generally excelled. The cowboys have attributed that to the horses being energized after not bucking at rodeos since March. “They are pretty fresh and seems like everything they brought has been firing,” said Aus, a five-time NFR qualifier from Granite Falls, Minnesota. “I’ve gotten on two of them so far in eight nights, so I’m thankful for that. “That horse has a little different trip than the last time I got on her. I think that was in 2016. She’s still a good one for this pen.” It’s always a benefit to the cowboys when the horse underneath them is performing well. Half the score goes to the animal, so in order to be in the mid- to upper-80s, the bareback riders know the importance of a solid mount. “I think some stuff that is hard to ride on any given day is harder to ride here,” he said, referring to Globe Life Field. “This is a great big arena, and it’s just another variable thrown into the mix. It’s a tough night of bareback riding, and it always is. I’m very thankful that it went well for me.” Aus has placed in four rounds so far but still earned $81,077 at the NFR. He has pushed his season earnings to $142,802 and sits third in the world standings with just two nights remaining. “I haven’t been paying attention to that,” Aus said. “Don’t ever take your foot off the gas. It doesn’t always go the way you plan, but I have been very thankful for my time here. I’m staying focused and feeling good after eight rounds.”

ARLINGTON, Texas – Every athlete understands the need for a little bit of practice. Fundamentals are a vital part of success. Ryan Jarrett took that to heart, even during the National Finals Rodeo. Since he’s commuting from his Comanche, Oklahoma, home every day, he decided Thursday was a good day to tune himself and his horse, Snoopy. That night, they stopped the clock in 7.8 seconds to finish third in the eighth round of tie-down roping at Globe Life Field. “I changed some things up today; I changed my underwear and my boots,” Jarrett, a 13-time NFR qualifier originally from Summerville, Georgia, said with a laugh. “I roped at home today. I mixed it up a little bit. I’m a little bit superstitious on some things, so hopefully that will make a little bit of difference.” The 280-mile daily round-trip is nothing new to rodeo cowboys, who essentially travel for a living getting from one rodeo to another. It allows him the chance to rest in his own home and handle his business before he makes his way to compete at ProRodeo’s biggest annual event. Most nights, he drops Snoopy off at Outlaw Equine on the way home and picks up the gelding on the way back to Arlington. That also changed Wednesday night. “There’s a good chance he’ll go home with me tonight, too,” he said. “The practice session went good. I guess I needed it and he needed it. Maybe we both needed a change in the atmosphere a little bit, and this gave us a chance to get dialed in a little more and be ready to win something.” Jarrett placed in the fourth and fifth rounds, then missed placing the next two nights. His Wednesday night run, though, became viral after he through his rope backhanded and caught the calf, stopping the clock in 11.4 seconds. “I have a bad habit that if I ever over-and-under my horse (with the rope), when I pull it back up, I swing it backwards and rope the calves,” Jarrett said. “It was not for show by no means. It’s not the first time I’ve ever done it at a ProRodeo, but it is for the NFR. Nobody in his right mind would do it.” Even though Jarrett doesn’t have a social media account, he heard all about it, even the Tik Tok that has had several thousand views over just a few hours. For now, though, the focus is less on a backhanded throwing motion and more on what he can do the final two nights of the 2020 season. Jarrett has caught all eight of his calves and sits fifth in the aggregate race.  He’s also earned nearly $47,000 in just three nights of placing. “It feels real good,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll slide in here and get a little more (Friday) and Saturday and call it a success.”