Category Archives: Uncategorized

GUYMON, Okla. – Hailey Kinsel may not be leading barrel racing at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, but she made a statement during Saturday afternoon’s second performance. Kinsel, the two-time reigning world champion from Cotulla, Texas, posted the fastest run of the round, a 17.35, to move into third place. With two performances remaining in the postponed 2020 version of the Oklahoma Panhandle’s rodeo, she is in a good situation to make money. She sits second in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s world standings, about $13,000 behind the top-ranked cowgirl, two-time world champion Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, who has already competed and will finish out of the money. This is an opportunity for Kinsel to close the gap on the leader. The Texas cowgirl isn’t a stranger to big performances in ProRodeo. She and her main mount, Sister, own the two gold buckles for a reason, but they’ve just added to their lore. Just three weeks ago at Dodge City, Kansas, Kinsel and Sister rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 16.63 seconds, setting the new record for the fastest run on a standard pattern. “I love the champions ahead of me that set a pace for it,” Kinsel said in a recent interview. Saturday afternoon’s performance reached temperatures in the mid-90s, but the action was just as hot. Four-time world champion bareback rider Kaycee Feild took the lead with an 87.5-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Scarlett Belle. It’s just a half-point better than two other cowboys, Richmond Champion and Tray Chambliss. Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo Aug. 21-23 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Kaycee Field, 87.5 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Scarlett Belle; 2. (tie) Tray Chambliss and Richmond Champion, 87; 4. Clayton Biglow, 86; 5. (tie) Pascal Isabelle and Garrett Shadbolt, 85; 7. Will Martin, 82; 8. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Mike Solberg, 81. Team roping: First round: 1. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 4.2 seconds, $2,506 each; 2. Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 4.8, $2,179; 3. (tie) Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira and Chad Masters/Wesley Thorp, 5.2, $1,689 each; 5. (tie) Cooper White/Tucker White and J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 5.3, $1,035 each; 7. Jaxson Tucker/Cole Davison, 5.4, $545; 8. (tie) Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith and Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.5, $109 each. Second round: 1. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 4.4 seconds; 2. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/Marty Yates and Clint Summers/Douglas Rich, 4.5; 4. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 4.6; 5. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 4.9; 6. Laramie Allen/Truman Magnus, 5.0; 7. (tie) Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith and Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 5.3. Average: 1. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 9.9 seconds on two runs; 2. Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith, 10.8; 3. Chad Masters/Wesley Thorp, 11.2; 4. J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 11.3; 5. (tie) Jake Orman/Brye Crites and Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 11.5; 7. Chris Francis/Cade Pasig, 12.0; 8. Brit Ellerman/Trey Johnson, 17.1. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. (tie) Chase Crane and Clayton Hass, 4.0 seconds, $1,680 each; 3. (tie) Taz Olson, Walt Arnold, Blake Knowles, Eli Lord, Dalton Massey, Cade Goodman and Tanner Brunner, 4.1, $636 each. Second round: 1. Blake Knowles, 3.5 seconds; 2. Dirk Tavenner, 3.7; 3. Dylan Schroeder, 3.8; 4. Mike McGinn, 3.9; 5. Jacob Edler, 4.2; 6. (tie) J.D. Struxness, Blake Mindemann and Payden McIntyre, 4.3. Average: 1. Blake Knowles, 7.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Walt Arnold and Chase Crane, 8.6 each; 4. Jacob Edler, 8.8; 5. (tie) J.D. Struxness and Clayton Hass, 8.9; 7. (tie) Newt Bush and Trever Nelson, 9.0. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Chase Brooks, 89.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Force; 2. (tie) Allen Boore and Kolby Wanchuk, 86; 4. Leon Fountain, 81; 5. (tie) Kash Deal and Clint Lindenfield, 79; 7. Cole Elshere and Treyson Antonick, 78. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Marty Yates, 8.1 seconds, $3,101; 2. (tie) Ryan Thibodeaux and Caleb Smidt, 8.2, $2,494 each; 4. Shane Hanchey, 8.3, $1,888; 5. (tie) Hunter Herrin, Riley Pruitt and Quay Howard, 8.5, $1,079 each; 8. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Blake Ash, 8.7, $135 each. Second round: 1. Tyler Prcin, 7.7 seconds; 2. (tie) Reese Reimer and Cody McCartney, 7.9; 4. (tie) Cody Huber and Tuf Cooper, 8.0; 6. Bryson Sechrist. 8.2; 7. Adam Gray, 8.3; 8. J.W. Kirkham, 8.4. Average: 1. Tuf Cooper, 17.0 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Cody McCartney and Cody Huber, 17.1; 4. Caleb Smidt, 17.2; 5. Marty Yates, 17.6; 6. Marcos Costa, 17.7; 7. Colt Papy, 18.2; 8. Adam Gray, 18.3. Barrel racing: First round: 1. Shelley Morgan, 17.11 seconds; 2. Wenda Johnson, 17.27; 3. Hailey Kinsel 17.35; 4. Shannon Lillard, 17.42; 5. (tie) Kelly Yates and Stephanie Fryar, 17.47 each; 7. (tie) Ilyssa Riley, Tracy Nowlin and Paige Jones, 17.49; 10. Jill Wilson, 17.51. Bull riding leaders: 1. Toby Collins, 86 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Wild Shot; 2. Lon Danley, 79.5; 3. (tie) Dustiin Martinez and Colton Byram, 76; 5. Wyatt Rogers, 71; no other qualified rides.

GUYMON, Okla. – Five years ago, the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo was decorated with its highest honor when it was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. It’s just gotten better since then, and that bodes well for this year’s event, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug 22; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “We feel pretty fortunate that we’re able to put on a rodeo in this trying year,” said Mitch Egger, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo. “We have been diligent to make sure Pioneer Days Rodeo happened this year, and we’re excited for the competition to begin.” The contest begins Tuesday, Aug. 18, with steer roping and barrel racing. It will continue through the final performance on that Sunday afternoon. This year’s rodeo features more than 800 entries, further proof that America is eager to get back to normal after struggling for months through the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Roughly half of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s nearly 700 events have been affected by the virus. Guymon’s rodeo was postponed until this week, three and a half months behind its traditional dates. “We had originally hoped to have our rodeo in May as we’ve always done, but that just wasn’t possible given the climate at the time,” Egger said. “We found dates that would work for most everybody associated with the rodeo, and we decided to just go for it. “The good news for us is that everybody is hungry for the competition, for the entertainment and to just celebrate what Pioneer Days is all about here in Guymon and this region.” This year marks the 88th year for Pioneer Days, which began in the 1930s as a way to direct people to town during the “Dust Bowl” era and make it a community celebration. It has continued into the next century and continues to thrive. “We’ve been very blessed to have so much support for this event,” said Ken Stonecipher, a longtime rodeo committee member. “Many of our longtime sponsors have stuck with us this year, and we appreciate that. “Because of the sponsors that are part of our rodeo, we’re able to really showcase a great rodeo to this community. We also get to expose the cowboys to the people here and show them what makes this place special.” Across the nation and around the world, the pandemic has featured a wave of destruction and discontent. Schools closed, events canceled and life stopped for most. The new normal is an adjustment to daily life, but like the Pioneer Days celebration itself, there comes a time to reflect on what things were like not so long ago. “We had to cancel our college rodeo in April, and we had to postpone our rodeo that was supposed to be a week later,” Egger said. “Rodeo needed Guymon to happen, and we need this rodeo. It’s something we need to do to celebrate together.”

Local residents, sponsors step up to allow Cattlemen’s Days to happen GUNNISON, Colo. – In the last two weeks since the fundraising campaign was initiated, many people have come out to advocate the 120th consecutive edition of the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo. “The support we’ve seen is nothing sort of amazing,” said Kevin Coblentz, president of the volunteer committee that produces Cattlemen’s Days, set for Thursday, Sept. 3-Saturday, Sept. 5, at Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “We have had people donate to this cause in so many ways that it’s just unbelievable. I’ve had people just hand me cash, drop by and hand me a check worth thousands of dollars or send money through the mail. “When a community has had 119 straight years of rodeo like Gunnison has, it’s hard to just let it go. We believed this would happen, and apparently, so did many other people in Gunnison County. It wouldn’t have happened without everybody’s support.” Each year, Cattlemen’s Days volunteers go about the task of gathering sponsorships for the annual rodeo. COVID-19 made that difficult, so the committee opted to try something different in the form of a GoFundMe page. Word was spread about the rodeo’s need for funds, and tens of thousands of dollars have been raised. “The part about our GoFundMe page that excites me is that we’re giving that money directly to the contestants,” Coblentz said. “Because we will not be able to have fans – unless we receive a variance that allows for a limited crowd – we knew we needed to make up the traditional financial support we get from ticket sales and concessions sales. “It’s just amazing to me that we were able to raise that much money in just two weeks, but I knew the local community would help make this thing happen. Everybody around here knows how important the rodeo is to Gunnison’s legacy.” The financial support didn’t end there. On Tuesday, the town of Gunnison announced a $23,500 sponsorship, while the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association has ponied up serious money to make sure the rodeo happens in 2020. “What I’ve learned over the last two weeks that we’ve pushed this fundraising effort is that people care about Cattlemen’s Days rodeo and the tradition we have here,” he said. “We have felt that there was something special with our rodeo, and now we have proof that others feel the same way.” The committee is working closely with The Cowboy Channel to have the rodeo broadcast nationwide on the network and worldwide via The Cowboy Channel app. In addition, it is spreading the word to the cowboys and cowgirls who make their livings in rodeo. “We’re expecting a record number of contestants to be at our rodeo this year,” Coblentz said. “While we may not have a crowd or much of a crowd, I think the hospitality that these contestants will see in Gunnison will bring them back for years to come. We’re excited about that.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Truth be told, Wyatt Casper wasn’t quite sure what to do with the $600,000 he earned in March for winning The American. He’s figuring it out pretty quickly. “We bought us some land and put us a house out there,” Casper said of his spread near Miami, Texas, about 80 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas. “We’re building our forever home. My brother-in-law bought a ranch out there, and he has 12,000 acres. I figured whenever I was home, I’d be able to ride some horses and be able to train some horses for my wife to run barrels on.” His is a much different lifestyle than it was even a year ago. Because The American offered such an amazing purse, only a portion of his take counts toward the ProRodeo world standings. Casper was awarded $100,000 for winning the saddle bronc riding total and $500,000 for being one of just two contestants to win after going through the qualifier ranks. Each qualifier that wins the top prize in his or her respective event is eligible for the $1 million side pot. Both Casper and New Mexican tie-down roper Shad Mayfield were the two qualifiers to claim the titles. However, of the $100,000 first-place prize, only $50,000 actually counts on the PRCA’s money list. Still, it’s a hefty sum, and of the seven winners, five still lead the world standings five months later. Only Mayfield, Casper and bareback rider Tim O’Connell have crossed the $100,000 mark in season earnings, though. The roper sits atop the earning standings with $151,364, but Casper is right on his tail with $143,643. O’Connell just crossed the threshold this past week and sits at $105,531. “I’d really like to go into the NFR winning the most money,” Casper said of the National Finals Rodeo, which features only the top 15 contestants in each event as they battle for world championships. “A lot of people are asking why I need to go win more money. This is what we do to make a living, so I want to try to get the getting while the getting’s good.” He hopes to keep adding to his total at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug 22; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. It’s the closest ProRodeo to his childhood home of Balko, Oklahoma, just 45 miles east of Guymon. “We weren’t dedicated to going to the rodeo every year, but I watched it a few times,” Casper said. “I went to the carnival a few times, but that’s really I remember from my childhood. “It’s the closest rodeo to home for me, and I know I’ll have a bunch of family and friends there watching it. It’s one of the bigger ones that weekend, so it’ll be nice to get a good check out of there.” The way the season’s gone, he has a great chance. Even if The American didn’t count, he has earned $93,643, which would still give him the world standings lead. Instead, he owns a lead of nearly $70,000 over the No. 2 man, 2017 world champion Ryder Wright. “Bronc riding is a lot like a roller coaster,” Casper said. “There are a lot of ups and downs. In years past, I was getting on horses that weren’t as good as the ones I’m getting on now. “I’ve been getting on good horses, and my confidence is through the roof. I’m just out here having fun.”

GUYMON, Okla. – Since 2015, no livestock producer in ProRodeo has received more accolades than Frontier Rodeo. Based near the northwest Oklahoma community of Freedom, Rodeo Manager Heath Stewart has developed the perfect combination of amazing animal athletes and entertaining production to engage fans nationwide. It’s why Frontier Rodeo has been named the PRCA’s Stock Contractor of the Year each of the past five seasons and why it’s the primary livestock producer in charge of operating Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug 22; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “Heath and the rest of the Frontier crew do an amazing job with our rodeo,” said Mitch Egger, chairman of the volunteer committee that organizes the rodeo. “We typically have seven days of competition, and they handle everything very well. This year’s rodeo will feature one less day, but it’s just as much of a big task, if not more this year. We expect as many contestants, so instead of running all of our barrel racing slack on Friday, we’re going to run that Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. “That should help things run as smoothly as possible. We’ll have steer roping those two days and barrel racing those nights. We’re also going with just two rounds instead of finishing out the weekend with a progressive third round in tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling. That should make it a little smoother, too.” That’s because the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has delayed Pioneer Days from its traditional first-weekend-of-May dates to late August. It also has forced the cancelation of many other rodeos nationwide, so the opportunities for cowboys and cowgirls has been greatly diminished. When rodeos are available, the number of contestants has been high. Rodeos that have taken place in this region have seen contestant entries at a record pace, but the volunteers that make Pioneer Days Rodeo happen are used to that. Nearly 1,000 cowboys and cowgirls make their way to the Oklahoma Panhandle every year, and this year should be no different. Timed-event contestants will all compete in two go-rounds to help the process, but it’s still a labor-intensive workload for volunteers and Frontier crew. “We know they can handle it,” Egger said. “Just to have a rodeo in a year like this is amazing, and we’ve worked hard to make it happen. Of course, it’s always a nice feeling to know we’ve got Heath and his team with us. “It’s also nice to know the types of animals that will be in Guymon that week.” Over the last decade, Frontier Rodeo has had three animals named top stock seven times. Medicine Woman has been the PRCA’s Saddle Bronc of the Year four times, while Maple Leaf earned that title once. Full Baggage has twice been named the Bareback Horse of the Year. “That’s another great rodeo we’re excited to go to,” said bareback rider Orin Larsen, the 2019 reserve world champion who earned one of his two college titles while attending Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “The committee does a lot of work to make it happen. It’s close to my heart, having gone to college in Goodwell (Oklahoma). “It’s a rodeo I really want to win. I’ve placed a couple of times, but that’s about all the luck I’ve had. I know when we get there, we’ll see horses like Gun Fire, Full Baggage and Showstomper … all the monsters. You have a chance to get on fire-breathing dragons and spur them, and you can do really good.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has a grand history for having the best athletes in the game. This year was pretty special, highlighted by a high-scoring championship round Sunday night. Bull rider Roscoe Jarboe was a highlight reel of his own, tying the arena record with a 93-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Magic Poison. For his week in Dodge City, he pocketed $8,173. But he was just one of nine champions crowned at Roundup Arena on the final night of competition. He was joined by bareback rider Orin Larsen, steer wrestler Dalton Massey, saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright, tie-down roper Ty Harris, barrel racer BryAnna Haluptzok and two team-roping tandems, Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick and Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley. “This rodeo is awesome, and the horses are awesome,” said Wright, the 2017 world champion who is now 22 years old. “I just want to say thanks to this committee and everybody that had a hand in having this rodeo this year. It means a lot to us cowboys who are stuck at home and not being able to rodeo. “When we’re sitting at home, we’re not getting paid. It’s hard to pay bills when you’re not rodeoing.” He can cover plenty of bills after his run in western Kansas. Wright matched moves with Frontier’s Big News for 92 points, the same score his older brother, Rusty, had on the same horse a year ago to win the prestigious title. For his efforts, Ryder Wright pocketed $5,616. But he wasn’t alone in that. A lot of cowboys and cowgirls found big paydays in Dodge City. Roundup Rodeo featured a record purse, paying out $401,285. “I’ve been coming to this rodeo for a long time, and it’s a really hard rodeo to win,” said Larsen, who also posted a 92-point ride to win the bareback riding title. “Frontier brings the A string of horses. It’s tough to win this one, but once you win it, it feels pretty dang good.” Larsen earned the biggest pay in his event after his high-marked ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Uncapped. He added $7,574 to his season earnings and well placed in the top 10 in the world standings. “Anytime you’ve got a Pickett horse by your name, you know you’ve got something that’s really fun, really bucky and gives you a shot to win,” said Larsen, who finished second in the world standings a season ago. “This is really great to add this win.” With the title comes the historic Roundup buckle, a wearable trophy that is sought-after by the best in the game. “This one’s been on my bucket list,” said Wright, who becomes yet another member of his storied bronc riding family to win the Dodge City crown. “You’ve got to win rodeos like this to win that gold buckle, so it’s nice to win the big ones.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 All-Around cowboy: Blake Deckard, $3,955 in tie-down roping and steer roping. Bareback riding: First round: 1. Jamie Howlett, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Southern Star, $3,353; 2. Orin Larsen, 87, $2,571; 3. (tie) Chad Rutherford and Nate McFadden, 86, $1,555; 5. (tie) Jesse Pope, Kaycee Feild and Garrett Shadbolt, 85; 8. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Zach Hibler and Spur Lacasse, 84, $112 each; Finals: 1. Orin Larsen, 92 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Uncapped, $1,650; 2. (tie) Kaycee Field and Jamie Howlett, 88.5, $1,075 each; 4. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Jesse Pope, 88, $475 each; 6. Garrett Shadbolt, 86, $250. Average: 1. Orin Larsen, 179 points on two rides, $3,353; 2. Jamie Howlett, 176.5, $2,571; 3. Kaycee Field, 173.5, $1,900; 4. Jesse Pope, 173, $1,229; 5. Caleb Bennett, 172, $782; 6. Garrett Shadbolt, 171, $559; 7. Spur Lacasse, 162, $447; 8. (tie) Nate McFadden and Chad Rutherford, 86, $168 each. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds, $3,307; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8, $2,876; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9, $2,229 each; 5. (tie) Tanner Brunner and Cody Devers, 4.1, $1,366 each; 7. Dalton Massey, 4.2, $719; 8. (tie) Blake Knowles, Tory Johnson and Eli Lord, 4.6, $96 each Second round: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds, $3,092; 3. (tie) Will Lummus, Dalton Massey and Kodie Jang, 3.8, $2,013; 6. Jace Melvin, 4.0, $1,150; 7. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Jacob Edler, 4.1, $503 each. Finals: 1. Stetson Jorgenson, 3.9 seconds, $1,639; 2. (tie) Tom Littell and Dalton Massey, 4.0, $1,215 each; 4. Ryan Shuckburgh, 4.3, $791; 5. (tie) Blake Mindemann, Jacob Edler and Jace Melvin, 4.6, $264 each. Average: 1. Dalton Massey, 12.0 seconds on three runs, $4,961; 2. Stetson Jorgensen, 12.4, $4,313; 3. Ryan Shuckburgh, 13.6, $3,667; 4. Tom Littell, 13.7, $3,020; 5. Jace Melvin, 13.8, $2,373; 6. Luke Branquinho, 14.0, $1,725; 7. Jacob Edler, 14.1, $1,078; 8. Dakota Eldridge, 14.3, $431. Team roping: First round: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds, $3,399 each; 2. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 5.6, $2,956; 3. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7, $2,512; 4. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Cale Markham/Cody Doescher, 5.8, $1,847 each; 6. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9, $1,182; 7. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 6.1, $517 each. Second round: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds, $3,399; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5, $2,956; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Michael Fortenberry, 5.0, $2,512; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2, $2,069; 5. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5, $1,626; 6. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7, $1,182; 7. Kai Fuller/Reagan Ward, 5.9, $739; 8. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0, $256. Finals: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0 seconds, $1,515; 2. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 6.1, $1,212; 3. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 6.3, $960; 4. Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 7.2, $707; 5. Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn, 15.4, $455; no other qualified runs. Average: 1. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 18.1, $4,766 each; 3. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 18.8, $3,769; 4. Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 19.8, $3,104; 5. Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn, 24.8, $2,439; 6. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3 seconds on two runs, $1,773; 7. (tie) Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison and Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 12.6, $776 each. Saddle bronc riding: First round:  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Over his 21-year career, Nick Sartain has done many great things in ProRodeo. He’s won several of the largest rodeos in the sport, and he’s earned six qualifications to the National Finals Rodeo. He even won the heading world championship 11 seasons ago. But he’s never won the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. “I’ve finished second here three or four times, but I’ve never actually won it,” said Sartain 41, of Bandera, Texas. “It’s been good to me every time I’ve been here. It’s one of my all-time favorite rodeos. I’ve come back as the high team (best two-run aggregate score heading to the championship round) two or three times, so hopefully this time is the lucky charm.” He and his heeler, Blaine Vick, will carry the lead into Sunday’s final round after a terrific Saturday at Roundup Arena. They posted a 5.6-second run to finish second in the opening round, then were 6.2 during the final preliminary performance at Kansas’ largest rodeo. So far, each cowboy has earned just shy of $3,000. “This rodeo’s so good, and the committee is amazing and goes out of its way to add so much money,” Sartain said. “It’s just one of the best rodeos around, and with this COVID stuff, it’s definitely one of the best this year. It’s one of the few that has a short round, so it’s important to get both steers caught and get back to the short round.” He and Vick just began teaming this season, and the pandemic may have slowed their opportunities. Still, they don’t look at any of the negatives, and that’s a good thing. “It’s great roping with Nick,” Vick said. “He’s got so much confidence that it rubs off on you. If I miss one or I miss two, he’s never down on you. The confidence he possesses has really improved my roping.” Now they’ll take that confidence into the final round as they chase that coveted buckle awarded to Dodge City champions. “That’s the one I’ve always wanted,” Vick said. “Nick told me four times on the way over that he’s never won it, but I’ve never won it either. I’ve been close two years, and it’s definitely one you want to win. “You just have to appreciate the committee and the town of Dodge City for stepping up and having this one. This is the last big rodeo this season; you can win $10,000 here. There’s not that many rodeos this year, so we’re thankful we get to do what we love at such a great rodeo with amazing hospitality and a lot of added money.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding: First round: 1. Jamie Howlett, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Southern Star, $3,353; 2. Orin Larsen, 87, $2,571; 3. (tie) Chad Rutherford and Nate McFadden, 86, $1,555; 5. (tie) Jesse Pope, Kaycee Feild and Garrett Shadbolt, 85; 8. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Zach Hibler and Spur Lacasse, 84, $112 each; 11. Paden Hurst and Clayton Biglow, 83. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds, $3,307; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8, $2,876; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9, $2,229 each; 5. (tie) Tanner Brunner and Cody Devers, 4.1, $1,366 each; 7. Dalton Massey, 4.2, $719; 8. (tie) Blake Knowles, Tory Johnson and Eli Lord, 4.6, $96 each Second round: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds, $3,092; 3. (tie) Will Lummus, Dalton Massey and Kodie Jang, 3.8, $2,013; 6. Jace Melvin, 4.0, $1,150; 7. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Jacob Edler, 4.1, $503 each. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Kodie Jang, 9.0; 6. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 7. Ryan Shuckburgh, 9.3; 8. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 9. Tom Littell, 9.7; 10. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 11. Denell Henderson, 10.4; 12. Weston Taylor, 10.5. Team roping: First round: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds, $3,399 each; 2. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 5.6, $2,956; 3. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7, $2,512; 4. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Cale Markham/Cody Doescher, 5.8, $1,847 each; 6. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9, $1,182; 7. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 6.1, $517 each. Second round: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds, $3,399; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5, $2,956; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Michael Fortenberry, 5.0, $2,512; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2, $2,069; 5. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5, $1,626; 6. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7, $1,182; 7. Kai Fuller/Reagan Ward, 5.9, $739; 8. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0, $256. Average leaders: 1. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 11.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 12.1; 3. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3; 4. (tie) Jake Orman/Brye Crites, Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison and Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 12.6; 7. (tie) Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett and Clint Summers/Douglas Rich, 12.7; 10. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 12.8; 11. (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 13.0. (The teams of Rahlmann/Von Ahn and Schmidt/Koch advance to championship round via tiebreaker) Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Zeke Thurston, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bay Watch, $2,902; 2. (tie) Taos Muncy and Jade Blackwell, 84, $1,935 each; 4. Ryder Wright, 83.5, $1,064; 5. (tie) Brody Cress, Cole Elshere and Chase Brooks, 83, $516 each; 8. (tie) Ross Griffin, Jacobs Crawley, Spencer Wright and Parker Kempfer, 82.5, $73 each; 12. Jake Finlay, 81.5. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. (tie) Riley Pruitt and Shad Mayfield, 8.1 seconds, $3,023 each; 3. Haven Meged, 8.3, $2,390; 4. Reid Zapalac, 8.5, $1,968; 5. (tie) Catfish Brown and Cooper Martin, 8.6, $1,336 each; 7. Reese Riemer, 8.7, $703; 8. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Cade Swor, 8.8, $141 each. Second round: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds, $3,234; 2. (tie) Kincade Henry and Bo Pickett, 8.0, $2,601; 4. Ty Harris, 8.1, $1,968; 5. (tie) Cody McCartney, L.D. Meier, Ben Robinson and Jax Clegg, 8.3, $914 each. Average leaders: 1. Ty Harris, 17.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Haven Meged, 17.3; 3. Cooper Martin, 17.4; 4. Ike Fontenot, 17.8; 5. Shad Mayfield, 18.4;  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Kodie Jang needed something positive to come his way. Sitting 36th in the world standings and not having many rodeos at which to compete because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the 27-year-old Australian steer wrestler was hungering for circumstances to roll his way. It happened during Friday’s third performance of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. “I get to ride really good horses of Matt Reeves and travel with really good guys,” said Jang, who knocked his steer to the ground in 3.8 seconds to move into a three-way tie for third place in the second round and also move into a tie for fourth place in the aggregate with a two-run cumulative time of 9.0 seconds. Reeves is a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who leads the world standings this season, and he’s been known to have some of the top bulldogging horses in the sport. He is the captain of the ship of traveling partners, which also includes Cade Staton and Jacob Edler, the latter of whom sits fifth in the world standings. “Having Matt with us is really important, because he’s been there and done so much,” Jang said. “He’s been to places you want to go if you want to be a success.” In fact, Reeves is the reigning NFR average champion, one of the most prestigious prizes in rodeo that is awarded to the cowboy that has the best cumulative time or score over 10 nights in Las Vegas. Earlier this year, though, Reeves and others in the sport were hit hard with the sudden death of his top horse, an 8-year-old bay mare he called Rattle. She was the 2019 PRCA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year. “Losing her was definitely hard on all of us emotionally,” said Jang of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. “She was an amazing animal. It seemed like no matter who you put on her, they won. She let everyone win. “Matt’s horse, Roy, is great. We’ve won a lot of money on him the past three years.” In fact, Jang and Edler rode Roy toward the top of the Dodge City leaderboard Friday – Edler is eighth in the aggregate, and only the top 12 times advance to Sunday’s championship round. “I’m not going to count my chickens, but I’d for Edler or me to come out on top,” Jang said. “This is one of the best rodeos of the year. It’s one of the few two-headers we go to, and the money’s awesome.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Jamie Howlett, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Southern Star; 2. Orin Larsen, 87; 3. (tie) Chad Rutherford and Nate McFadden, 86; 5. Jesse Pope, 85; 6. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Zach Hibler, 84; 8. Paden Hurst, 83; 9. (tie) Craig Wisehart and Cole Reiner, 82.5; 11. (tie) Ty Breuer and Richmond Champion, 82; 9. Joel Schlegel, 78.5; 10. (tie) Trenton Montero and Tim O’Connell, 77; 12. Anthony Thomas, 75. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9 each; 5. Dalton Massey, 4.2; 6. (tie) Blake Knowles, Eli Lord, 4.6 and Tory Johnson, 4.6. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Will Lummus, Dalton Massey and Kodie Jang, 3.8; 6. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Jacob Edler, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyke Kipp, Zack Jongbloed and Shade Etherton, 4.3. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Kodie Jang, 9.0; 6. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 7. Ryan Shuckburgh, 9.3; 8. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 9. Tom Littell, 9.7; 10. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 11. Denell Henderson, 10.4; 12. Weston Taylor, 10.5. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7; 3. (tie) Cale Markham/Cody Doescher and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 5.8; 5. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9; 6. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 6.1; 8. (tie) Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson and Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison, 6.3. Second round leaders: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5; 3. Lightning Aguilera/Michael Fortenberry, 5.0; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2; 5. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5; 6. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7; 7. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0; 8. Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison, 6.3. Average leaders: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 12.1 seconds on two runs; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3; 3. (tie) Jake Orman/Brye Crites and Bubba Buckaloo/Cole Davison, 12.6; 5. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 12.7; 6. (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 13.0; 9. Britt Smith/Jake Smith, 13.3; 10. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 13.6; 11. Ken McKibben/Riley Pedro, 14.1; 12. Adam Wallace/Cody Southerland, 14.8. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bay Watch; 2. Taos Muncy, 84; 3. Ryder Wright, 83.5; 4. (tie) Brody Cress and Cole Elshere, 83; 6. (tie) Ross Griffin, Jacobs Crawley and Spencer Wright, 82.5; 9. Jake Finlay, 81.5; 10. Cody DeMoss, 81; 11. (tie) Brady Hill and Dusty Hausauer, 80.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Riley Pruitt, 8.1 seconds; 2. Haven Meged, 8.3; 3. Reid Zapalac, 8.5; 4. (tie) Cooper Martin and Catfish Brown, 8.6; 6. Reese Riemer, 8.7; 7. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Cade Swor, 8.8. Second round leaders: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Kincade Henry and Bo Pickett, 8.0; 4. Ty Harris, 8.1; 5. (tie) Cody McCartney, L.D. Meier and Ben Robinson, 8.3; 8. (tie) Marcos Costa, Adam Gray and Jake Pratt, 8.5. Average leaders: 1. Ty Harris, 17.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Haven Meged, 17.3; 3. Cooper Martin, 17.4; 4. Ike Fontenot, 17.8; 5. Blake Deckard, 18.5; 6. Ryan Jarrett, 18.6; 7. Glenn Jackson, 18.7; 8. Reid Zapalac, 18.8; 9. Ben Robinson, 19.2; 10. Will Howell, 19.3; 11. Marty Yates, 19.6; 12. Bo Pickett, 19.9. Barrel racing: First round leaders: 1. BryAnna Haluptzok, 16.94 seconds; 2. Emily Miller, 16.95; 3. Jordon Briggs, 16.99; 4. Kathy Grimes, 17.10; 5. Sarah Rau, 17.12; 6. Erin  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Tyler Worley’s history at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has been less than stellar. “I’ve caught one steer clean here, and I’ve missed a few good ones here, too,” said Worley, a 2019 National Finals Rodeo qualifying heeler from Berryville, Arkansas. “I came here a lot before I really started rodeoing, because this was my circuit while I was going to college.” He was talking about the Prairie Circuit, a regional piece of the ProRodeo pie that’s made up of rodeos and contestants primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. While attending Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, he chased circuit dollars. Now he’s chasing world championships, and Roundup Rodeo remains a big stop in his annual path to the National Finals Rodeo. On Thursday night during second performance of Kansas’ largest rodeo, Worley and his header, Jeff Flenniken, stopped the clock in 6.0 seconds. That, combined with a 6.1-second run during the first round Thursday morning, moved the duo into the team roping lead at Roundup Arena. “We had a little bit stronger steer, and he went left in the first round,” said Flenniken of Caldwell, Idaho. “Tyler was going to let him go straight instead of hazing him as much. He handled a little bit weird, but Tyler did a really good job of heeling him. “That’s what we planned to do, be 6 (seconds) or under, and make sure we came back to the short round.” With two days left in preliminary competition, Flenniken and Worley should advance to Sunday’s championship round, which features only the top 12 contestants and teams in each event from the previous days’ competition. “On our first one, he ran to the right a little bit,” said Worley, who finished 11th in the heeling world standings last season. “We always rope fresh steers here, and you don’t want to over-haze them because it makes them hard for your header. We wanted to leave him in the middle and knock him down and hopefully be fast enough. “We had the same game plan tonight. If we had a little slower steer, we might have tried to press a little more, but we drew in the middle of the herd, so we knew we just needed to catch him and come back Sunday.” The opportunities are big in western Kansas this week. Roundup provides a large local payout called added money in rodeo terms – $20,000 per event – which is combined with the contestants’ entry fees makes up the total purse. The local money and a big number of entries allows for a possible record payout in Dodge City. “It’s so weird this year,” Worley said. “It’s hard to get where you need to go because of all the cancellations. It makes you really thankful when people do step up and have a rodeo, especially one this big. It’s great for the sport.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Orin Larsen, 87 points on Vold Rodeo’s Spicey Chicken; 2. Chad Rutherford, 86; 3. Jesse Pope, 85; 4. Caleb Bennett, 84; 5. Paden Hurst, 83; 6. Craig Wisehart, 82.5; 7. (tie) Ty Breuer and Richmond Champion, 82; 9. Joel Schlegel, 78.5; 10. (tie) Trenton Montero and Tim O’Connell, 77; 12. Anthony Thomas, 75. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9 each; 5. Dalton Massey, 4.2; 6. (tie) Blake Knowles and Eli Lord, 4.6; 8. Rowdy Parrott, 4.7. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Will Lummus and Dalton Massey, 3.8; 5. Dakota Eldridge, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyke Kipp and Zack Jongbloed, 4.3; 8. (tie) Curtis Cassidy and Ryan Shuckburgh, 4.5. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. Dakota Eldridge, 9.0; 5. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 6. Ryan Shuckburgh, 9.3; 7. Tom Littell, 9.7; 8. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 9. Weston Taylor, 10.5; 10. Kaleb Summers, 11.4; 11. (tie) Kris Rasmussen and Landon Beardsworth, 11.7. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 5.7; 3. (tie) Cale Markham/Cody Doescher and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 5.8; 5. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 5.9; 7. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 6.3; 8. Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn. Second round leaders: 1. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.3 seconds; 2. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5; 3. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2; 4. Cory Kidd/Clay Futrell, 5.5; 5. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.7; 6. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 6.0; 7. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford and Brice Boatright/Braden Harmon, 6.5. Average leaders: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 12.1 seconds on two runs; 2. Casey Hicks/Steve Orth, 12.3; 3. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 12.6; 4. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 12.7; 5. (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 13.0; 8. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 13.6; 9. Adam Wallace/Cody Southerland, 14.8; 10. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 15.1; 11. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 17.2; 12. Garett Chick/Walt Woodard, 20.4. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bay Watch; 2. Taos Muncy, 84; 3. Ryder Wright, 83.5; 4. (tie) Ross Griffin, Jacobs Crawley and Spencer Wright, 82.5; 7. Jake Finlay, 81.5; 8. Roper Kiesner, 80; 9. Leon Fountain, 79.5; 10. Chuck Schmidt, 78.5; 11. (tie) Dean Wadsworth, Sterling Crawley and Rusty Wright, 78. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Riley Pruitt, 8.1 seconds; 2. Haven Meged, 8.3; 3. Reid Zapalac, 8.5; 4. Cooper Martin, 8.6; 5. Reese Riemer, 8.7; 6. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Cade Swor, 8.8; 8. Ty Harris, 9.1. Second round leaders: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Kincade Henry and Bo Pickett, 8.0; 4. Ty Harris, 8.1; 5. (tie) Cody McCartney and L.D. Meier, 8.3; 7. (tie) Marcos Costa and Adam Gray, 8.5. Average leaders: 1. Ty Harris, 17.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Haven Meged, 17.3; 3. Cooper Martin, 17.4; 4. Ike Fontenot, 17.8; 5. Blake Deckard, 18.5; 6. Ryan Jarrett, 18.6; 7. Glenn Jackson, 18l7; 8. Reid Zapalac, 18.8; 9. Will Howell, 19.3; 10.  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Through much of the 2019 ProRodeo season, Orin Larsen was in a big-time race for the world championship. He entered the National Finals Rodeo this past December third in the world standings with more than $173,000 in earnings. While in Las Vegas over the richest 10 days in the game, he placed in six rounds – including the Round 4 victory – and placed fourth in the all-important average; he earned $123,000 in that week and a half and finished second in the bareback riding world standings. My how things have changed. Larsen is still riding as strong as ever, but the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has been a damper on many sports, and rodeo is no exception. The Dodge City Roundup Rodeo is one of a few hundred rodeos that are still going on, but it’s a far cry from years where there were around 700 rodeos in a calendar year. On Wednesday’s opening night of Roundup Rodeo, Larsen spurred Vold Rodeo’s Spicey Chicken for 87 points to take the lead in bareback riding and putting himself in fantastic position to return in a high spot for Sunday’s championship round, which features only the top 12 contestants in each event from four days of preliminary competition. “It just felt like I was spurring a Shetland pony,” he said of the smallish horse. “It’s a short-back, cool little sucker. I’d heard a lot about the horse, but I didn’t know much. It was just awesome the way it turned out. She didn’t have one jump that was the same to the next. It was pretty exotic and wild, but there was something honest about it. “She definitely gave me every chance she could.” In a typical year, there are more than two dozen rodeos that attract the top cowboys during this particular week of competition. With the pandemic causing many of those events to be canceled, contestants are taking every chance they can to make the dollars necessary. Only the top 15 contestants on the money list when the regular season comes to a close advance to the NFR. Larsen is a five-time finalist from Ingles, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska, with his wife, Alexa. He also is a two-time college national champion bareback rider, having won the titles in back-to-back years for two different schools – he claimed his first crown while attending the College of Southern Idaho and his second at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, which “Especially with this COVID thing going on, every penny counts, and it’s going to come down right to the wire as to who makes the NFR and who doesn’t,” he said. “any time you can get a big win like this under your belt, it’s one step closer.” He has a great deal of work yet to do. He’ll compete again Thursday in Burlington, Colorado, then spend a couple days at home before returning for Sunday’s finale at Roundup Arena. Larsen is excited to return. “I’ve never won this rodeo, and I’d really like to,” Larsen said. “With all this stuff with the pandemic, the committee has work endless to get this going, as have a lot of other committees. You gain a new appreciation for what everyone does for the sport of rodeo.” Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. July 29-Aug. 2 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Orin Larsen, 87 points on Vold Rodeo’s Spicey Chicken; 2. Jesse Pope, 85; 3. Ty Breuer, 82; 4. (tie) Trenton Montero and Tim O’Connell, 77; 6. (tie) Tanner Aus and Wyatt Denny, 75 ; 8. Colton Clemens, 64. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. 1. Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 3. (tie) Hunter Cure and Clayton Hass, 3.9 each; 5. Dalton Massey, 4.2; 6. Blake Knowles, 4.6; 7. Rowdy Parrott, 4.7; 8. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.8. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.7 seconds; 3. (tie) Will Lummus and Dalton Massey, 3.8; 5. Dakota Eldridge, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyke Kipp and Zack Jongbloed, 4.3; 8. Luke Branquinho, 4.6. Average leaders: 1. Dalton Massey, 8.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Luke Branquinho, 8.4; 3. Stetson Jorgenson, 8.5; 4. Dakota Eldridge, 9.0; 5. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 6. Kalane Anders, 10.1; 7. Tyke Kipp, 12.2; 8. Gabe Soileau, 15.8; 9. Dirk Tavenner, 17.0; 10. Justin Shaffer, 18.8. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.2 seconds; 2. Cale Markham/Cody Doescher, 5.8; 3. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 6.3; 4. Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, 6.5; 5. Brent Mibb/Griffin Passmore, 6.7; 6. Rhett Anderson/Cullen Teller, 7.0; 7. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 7.1; 8. Tyler Waters/Derrick Jantzen, 7.6. Second round leaders: 1. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes and Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, 6.5; 4. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 6.9; 5. Paul David Tierney/Matt Kasner, 10.1; 6. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 12.0; 7. Garett Chick/Walt Woodard, 12.6; 8. Tyler Waters/Derrick Jantzen, 15.5. Average leaders: 1. Cole Markham/Cody Doescher, 12.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Tate Kirchenschlager/Ross Ashford, 13.0; 3. Curry Kirchner/Chad Mathes, 13.6; 4. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 17.2; 5. Garett Chick/Walt Woodard, 20.4; 6. Tyler Waters/Derrick Jantzen, 23.1; 7. Ryon Boatright/Tyrel Allen Taton, 24.1; 8. J.B. James Jr/Brock Hanson, 4.5 seconds on one run; 9. Blake Teixeira/Jerren Johnson, 6.3; 10. Brent Mibb/Griffin Passmore, 6.7. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Taos Muncy, 84 points on Vold Rodeo’s Jerry’s Delight; 2. (tie) Jacobs Crawley and Ross Griffin, 82.5; 4. Jake Finlay, 81.5; 5. Leon Fountain, 79.5; 6. (tie) Dean Wadsworth and Sterling Crawley, 78; 8. Trent Burd, 76.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Riley Pruitt, 8.1 seconds; 2. Ike Fontenot, 8.8; 3. Ryan Jarrett, 9.4; 4. Marty Yates, 9.7; 5. Blake Deckard, 9.8; 6. Garrett Busby, 10.4; 7. Lane Livingston, 11.9; 8. Tuf Cooper, 12.6. Second round leaders: 1. Zack Jongbloed, 7.9 seconds; 2. Kincade Henry, 8.0; 3. Cody McCartney, 8.3; 4. Marcos Costa, 8.5; 5. Blake Deckard, 8.7; 6. Ike Fontenot, 9.0; 7. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Lane Livingston, 9.2; 9. Marty Yates, 9.9; 10. Garrett Busby, 11.1. Average leaders: 1. Ike Fontenot, 17.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Blake  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – In the first year the Dodge City Xtreme Bulls serves as a Division I event in the PRCA, veteran cowboy Trevor Kastner earned the first Division I victory of his 12-year career. Since its inception in 2014, Roundup Rodeo’s stand-alone bull riding was a Division II event, a secondary level based on money. That changed this year, and it was a way for the rodeo to provide a bigger shot at income for bull riders who make their way to this western Kansas community. “To win it this year is pretty cool,” said Kastner, 32, a five-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Roff, Oklahoma. This wasn’t his first title in Dodge City. He boasts of having won Roundup’s bull riding title in 2013, and he’d like to add that title to his resume again this year. He and his traveling group will compete at two rodeos in Iowa on Wednesday and Thursday, then return to the Sunflower State to ride bulls in Phillipsburg, Kansas, on Friday. They will compete at Dodge City’s rodeo Saturday, with hopes of advancing to Sunday’s championship round. He needs every dollar he can get – only the top 15 money-earners in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the NFR. With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic having caused havoc globally, it means fewer opportunities for the cowboys that make their livings in the game. “With me as old as I’m getting, it’s tough because it seems I get rusty a lot quicker,” said Kastner, who entered the week No. 11 in the world standings. “I’ve finally been getting to a few more events. It’s been a little slow until tonight, so it was good to finally stay on a couple. “I just need to get some more under me and get to riding better.” He placed in a tie for fifth place in the first round after an 85-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Black Ice. He then matched moves with 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Ferdinand for 89.5 points to win the final round and the two-ride aggregate with 174.5 points. With it, he earned the lion’s share of the money, $9,458. “I’m getting closer to the end of my career, so I’ve got to take advantage of winning money whenever I can,” Kaster said. Dodge City Roundup Xtreme Bulls Dodge City, Kansas July 28, 2020 Round 1: 1. (tie) Boudreaux Campbell, on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s No. 25, and Jeston Mead, on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Space Unicorn, 88.5 points, $3,008 each; 3. Shane Proctor, 88, $1,930; 4. Creek Young, 86.5, $1,249; 5. (tie) Trevor Kastner and Lon Danley, 85, $681 each; 7. Eli Vastbinder, 84.5, $454; 8. Levi Gray, 84, $341. Final round: Trevor Kastner, 89.5 points on 4L and Diamond S Ranch’s Ferdinand, $3,102; 2. Tyler Bingham, 87, $2,497; 3. Eli Vastbinder, 85.5, $1,967; no other qualified rides. Average: 1. Trevor Kastner, 174.5 points on two rides, $5,675; 2. Eli Vastbinder, 170, $4,351; 3. Tyler Bingham, 167, $3,216; 4. (tie) Boudreaux Campbell and Jeston Mead, 88.5 on one ride, $1,703 each; 6. Shane Proctor, 88, $946; 7. Creek Young, 86.5, $757; 8. Lon Danley, 85, $568.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Cole Patterson knew he was following in some pretty big footsteps when he decided to compete in rodeo for a living. He’s filling them just fine. His father, Rocky, is a four-time world champion steer roper and 25-time qualifier to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, and Cole earned his first trip to the finale last November at age 24. On Tuesday, the young Pratt, Kansas, cowboy roped and tied down three steers in 38.5 seconds to win the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo’s first championship of 2020. He pocketed $3,865 in the process and inched his way past Scott Snedecor into the lead in the world standings. Snedecor, a four-time world champion from Fredricksburg, Texas, finished fourth in Dodge City. He trails Cole Patterson by just $685 in the world standings. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Steer Roping July 28, 2020 Steer roping: First round: 1. Tuf Cooper, 10.5 seconds, $1,793; 2. Travis Mills, 10.6, $1,484; 3. Rocky Patterson, 11.3, $1,175; 4. Cole Patterson, 11.4, $866; 5. Jarrett Blessing, 12.5, $556; 6. Scott Snedecor, 12.7, $309. Second round: 1. Vin Fisher Jr., 9.7 seconds, $1,793; 2. Kelton McMillen, 10.6, $1,484; 3. Cody Lee, 10.7, $1,175; 4. J.P. Wickett, 11.3, $866; 5. Garrett Hale, 11.6, $556; 6. (tie) Tuf Cooper and Jess Tierney, 11.7, $155 each. Third round: 1. Rocky Patterson, 9.1 seconds, $1,793; 2. Trevor Brazile, 9.6, $1,484; 3. Ty Herd, 10.0, $1,175; 4. Jim Locke, 10.4, $866; 5. Scott Snedecor, 10.8, $556; 6. Cole Patterson, 11.9, $309. Average: 1. Cole Patterson, 38.5 seconds on three head, $2,690; 2. Vin Fisher Jr., 39.0, $2,226; 3. Trevor Brazile, 39.1, $1,762; 4. Scott Snedecor, 39.6, $1,298; 5. J.P. Wickett, 40.9, $835; 6. Blake Deckard, 41.2, $464.

Delayed by pandemic, Cattlemen’s Days is now scheduled for Sept. 3-5 GUNNISON, Colo. – Over the last 120 years, the annual Cattlemen’s Days celebration has featured its rodeo through the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1918 flood, World War I, the Depression and World War II. The organizers that produce the annual event aren’t letting the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic get in the way of the longest continuous-running rodeo in the country; it’s scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3-Saturday, Sept. 5, Fred Field Western Center in Gunnison. “This community has a long-standing tradition of mental toughness and fortitude,” said Kevin Coblentz, president of the volunteer committee that organizes the celebration. “We have a great deal of pride when it comes to Cattlemen’s Days and our rodeo. We are proud of the history we have, and we’re excited to continue through our 120th straight year of having a rodeo. “More than anything, each of us that volunteers for Cattlemen’s Days is proud of this community and the people in it. That is why we work so hard every year to produce this big event.” With restrictions handed down by authorities, the initial plan is to have a rodeo absent of fans. Organizers are working with the rodeo’s video production crew to set up multiple video boards around the community to showcase the action to people who want to take in the rodeo. In addition, the Cattlemen’s Days committee is working to have the rodeo broadcast on The Cowboy Channel. More details on all video will be released at a later date. “There is a good chance the restrictions will be eased some in mid-August, so we may be able to have some people in the stands for the rodeo,” Coblentz said, estimating the crowd count could be 25 percent of its normal capacity. “For now, though, we are planning for the worst-case scenario and hoping for the best situation possible.” With the mandated conditions of having a rodeo, the committee is getting creative with its fundraising efforts. Each member understands the hardships that have come economically, but they have had tremendous support from many regular sponsors. “We’re actually reaching out to the rodeo community and asking people to support rodeo and rodeo athletes,” Coblentz said. “We are setting up a GoFundMe page, and we are happy to take any donation anyone is willing to provide us in this trying year. “What we’re hoping for, though, is to have 1,000 Cowboy Sponsors at $150 apiece. That would provide the funding to keep our added money (locally raised dollars) in a range where it has been. Every dime of money raised through the cowboy sponsorships will go to the contestants.” To sponsor Cattlemen’s Days via the GoFundMe page, click THIS LINK. “The fact that we’re announcing it on the National Day of the Cowboy (the fourth Saturday in July) is a big deal to me and the other cowboys out there,” Coblentz said. “We want to celebrate the cowboys who are part of rodeo across the nation, and having our rodeo is the best way we can do that. “Traditionally we have done things the old-fashioned way, and we will continue to do that as we reach out to our event sponsors, chute sponsors and others who want to be part of Cattlemen’s Days. With technology and the ability to reach so many people via the GoFundMe page, we find ourselves in a position to reach the rodeo community, the people that have supported the sport for so long.” All Cowboy Sponsors will have their names placed in a lottery. Names will then be drawn from that bundle, and if a sponsor’s name is collected, that person will receive two tickets to the rodeo. “Even if they’re not drawn, each Cowboy Sponsor will still be recognized at our rodeo and through our advertising,” he said. “The biggest reason we’re doing this is because we want to give opportunities to the cowboys and cowgirls. We also want to support our contract personnel and those that have been there for us through the good times and the not-so-good times.” There’s also something about finding a good reason to celebrate all that makes Gunnison special. Not only is it a picturesque mountain community, but it also features a hometown feel that draws visitors back year after year. “In the spirit of Gunnison, we know we can get through the pandemic of 2020 with perseverance and strength,” Coblentz said. “The mental toughness we have here has been exhibited for decades, and we’re using that to produce another great rodeo in this community.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – As one of the biggest rodeos in North America – and the biggest one during its week of competition – Dodge City Roundup Rodeo has a history of attracting hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls to southwest Kansas. The number of entries for the 2020 edition of Kansas’ grandest rodeo is extraordinary. More than 900 contestants signed up to be part of Roundup Rodeo, and many are the cream of the crop in the game. The list includes nearly 40 world champions accounting for more than 100 gold buckles between them. They will be part of the six days of action at this year’s festivities, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. “Since there’s been a decrease in the number of rodeos this year because of COVID-19, we were expecting to have a big number of entries,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, president of the volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo. “To see that we have 900 cowboys and cowgirls entered in Dodge City is telling in how much they want to compete. “Because of the pandemic, there have been many rodeos that have canceled or been postponed, so I’m glad we’re able to give them the opportunity to make money in Dodge City.” Though rodeo was the first professional sport to return to the field, it has suffered the effects of the coronavirus. Some rodeos have continued with limited or no fan interaction, while others have gone on as usual. Local organizers understand, though, that Roundup Rodeo is a vital cog in what makes Ford County and all of southwest Kansas tick. It’s also important to rodeo contestants who make their livings in the game. By this time a year ago, more than a dozen contestants had earnings that had surpassed $100,000. This year, only tie-down roper Shad Mayfield and saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper have six-digits in earnings. Roundup features one of the biggest prize packets in ProRodeo. The committee inserts $20,000 in local money per event; those dollars are mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the total purse. A year ago, for example, steer wrestler Dakota Eldridge pocketed $8,580, which helped propel the Nevada cowboy to his sixth appearance at the National Finals Rodeo and an eighth-place finish in the 2019 world standings. “This is a big win,” Eldridge said last August. “This Dodge City buckle is pretty prestigious; it’s on the bucket list to win. This is where the money’s at, and this is a big win this time of year.” That’s why the best of the best will be in Dodge City. The event is enshrined in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and is a regular nominee for the PRCA’s Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year. This year’s rodeo also will feature renowned trick rider Madison MacDonald and rodeo funnyman Justin Rumford, the reigning eight-time Clown of the Year. “We want this community to celebrate this summer, and having the best in rodeo is a good way to do it,” Trotter said.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – In just his second year as the primary livestock producer at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, Frontier Rodeo frontman Heath Stewart has much to live up to this summer. A year ago, Roundup fans saw amazing scores all week long, thanks in large part to Stewart and other stock contractors who were part of the Dodge City experience. Three-time world champion Will Lowe won the first round of bareback riding with a 90, and Steven Dent won the short round with an 89. In saddle bronc riding, Rusty Wright posted big scores all week, matching moves with Frontier’s Let ’Er Rip for 90 points to win the first round; he followed that with a 92 on Frontier’s Big News to win the championship round, the two-ride aggregate and more than $7,100 in southwest Kansas. Expect nothing less at this year’s Roundup Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. “We were thrilled at the way things went last year with Frontier Rodeo leading the charge,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, president of the volunteer committee that produces the annual event. “It was a flawless transition from what we’ve had for decades because Frontier has been part of our rodeo for several years. “Of course, you can’t really go wrong when you’ve got the best stock contractor in rodeo.” The recognition is more than one man’s opinion, though. Frontier Rodeo has been the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Stock Contractor of the Year each of the past five seasons. It goes beyond what happens in Dodge City, though that’s a big part of it. Roundup Rodeo is recognized as one of the best in North America, and Frontier’s top animals perform in southwest Kansas each summer. It also was named the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s top stock contractor a year ago; because the vote is made up of the women in ProRodeo, the honor is a reflection of Frontier’s dedication to producing not only high-quality entertainment but also world-class competition. Eighteen Frontier animals were selected to perform at the 2019 NFR, which was the most of any stock contractor in the game. Animals from the Freedom, Oklahoma-based firm helped cowboys to three go-round wins. The contestants know the opportunities to catch fast cash come with Frontier livestock. “The horses are going to give you every chance to win a pile of money,” said bareback rider Orin Larsen, a five-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who finished second in the world standings last season. “What Heath and Frontier will bring is the A team, and that’s a bunch of buckers. I’ve been fortunate enough to have won a bunch of money on a lot of Frontier horses.” He’s been joined by countless other cowboys along the way, and it’s happened inside Roundup Arena. Over the last decade, Frontier animals have been named the best in the game seven times: Medicine Woman is a four-time Saddle Bronc of the Year; Maple Leaf was the 2013 Saddle Bronc of the Year; and Full Baggage has twice been named Bareback Horse of the Year. They are just part of an elite list of bucking beasts that make Dodge City home for week in the summer.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman first made herself well known in rodeo a decade ago, when the big mare was named the top saddle bronc at the 2010 National Finals Rodeo. Since then, she’s been recognized as one of the best bucking horses in the game, and many of her highlight-reel performances have come during the championship round of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. She will be back in action at this year’s event, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. How good is the 17-year-old bay mare? At the NFR this past December, she bucked off both Jesse Wright and Sterling Crawley, who have a combined 14 NFR qualifications. The year before, Wade Sundell marked 92 points to win the fifth round. Five nights later, CoBurn Bradshaw scored 92 to win the 10th round. Moreover, she’s been at least 90 twice inside Roundup Arena. In 2014, Sundell rode the talented bay for 92 to win the coveted Dodge City Roundup buckle while setting an arena record. A year later, Isaac Diaz did one better, posting a 93-point marking to win the crown. “I’ve been waiting a long, long time to draw that horse,” Sundell said that year. “That was the buckingest horse I’ve been on. When I nodded my head until I got off, I felt like I was bucked off every jump.” Since that day six seasons ago, he and Medicine Woman have matched that score two other times, including that 2018 NFR; that was the year he won his first world championship. Over the course of his career, Sundell has qualified for the finale eight times. Diaz has made the big show six times, including 2015 when his victory in Dodge City helped the Florida-born cowboy to a sixth-place finish in the world standings. He knows quite well how important it is to be matched with a great bucking beast. That season, he was matched with Medicine Woman twice, and he won both rodeos, including an 87.5 in Corpus Christi, Texas, that spring. “Just to be able to draw a horse like that twice in a year is just amazing,” Diaz said in 2015. “When you draw good, it forces you to ride better. “I feel like I rode her better this time than I did earlier this year. I feel like she bucked harder. She was all I wanted.” That’s a powerful statement about a powerful horse. Just a few weeks ago, Rusty Wright scored 91.5 points on Medicine Woman to win the rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. Earlier this year, world standings leader Wyatt Casper was 87.5 points to place high in San Antonio. Over the course of her career, she has been recognized as one of the top three saddle broncs in ProRodeo seven times; that includes four times that she was named the Saddle Bronc of the Year. “That’s one of the coolest feelings to get on a horse of that caliber,” said Shade Etbauer, who rode her to the 2017 Roundup title. “To be able to get on horses like that is just awesome.” That’s why Medicine Woman remains a featured piece of the Roundup Rodeo puzzle.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Because of an injury he suffered at the 2018 National Finals Rodeo, Nathan Jestes missed a lot of rodeos last year. He wasn’t about to miss Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Jestes – recognized as one of the top bullfighters in ProRodeo – suffered a severely torn hamstring in the first round in Las Vegas. That was in December. In the months that passed, he underwent surgery and worked through extensive rehabilitation. Just shy of eight months later, he made his way to western Kansas to test his re-attached leg muscle and to get back to work. “Dodge City is one of my favorite stops throughout the year,” said Jestes, who began working Roundup in 2015. “The committee is a big reason behind that. Between the committee and the community in general, they take great care of us when we’re in town. It’s one of those places that you want to be.” He will return for this year’s rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. Through the six days of rodeo action, Jestes will work with Wacey Munsell, a veteran bullfighter from Ulysses, Kansas. Here’s where it gets interesting. After Jestes suffered his Round 1 injury a 19 months ago, Munsell took his place through the final nine rounds of ProRodeo’s championship event. That means Roundup can boast of being one of few rodeos in the country to have two NFR bullfighters. “Wacey does a great job in Dodge City, and I think it works out great,” said Jestes, who lives in Douglas, Wyoming, with his wife, Bridget. “It’s good to have someone that’s from around there.” This marks his 11th season in the PRCA, protecting cowboys during bull riding. He didn’t grow up planning to be involved in rodeo, though. It just worked out that way. “I was always involved in other sports like hockey, football and lacrosse,” he said. “Actually, lacrosse was my biggest sport in high school, and my goal was to play Division I lacrosse in college. As my senior year rolled on, I fell out of love with the sport. The more recruiting trips I was on, the more I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. “At the last minute, I ended up turning away all my athletic scholarships and went to study aviation at Montana State University. I received my associate’s degree in aviation technology. While I was in school, I got a part-time job at Yellowstone Jet Center, where I met Al Sandvold, who was a professional bullfighter.” As an athlete all his life, there was something appealing about bullfighting to Jestes. He also was a big rodeo fan, and he liked the idea of marrying his athleticism with the sport, so he asked Sandvold for help. “Watching Al, I told myself that it was something I could do,” said Jestes, who grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado. “I asked Al if he could teach me, so every Monday and Wednesday, when the Montana State rodeo team had practice, he took me to the practices and worked on my bullfighting. “When I graduated, I got hired as a flight instructor, and I did that for two years. I also started booking amateur rodeos.” His building resume climbed in bullfighting meant he had to make a decision; stay with the solid job and guaranteed paycheck as a flight instructor, or take off and chase his rodeo dreams. The people involved with Roundup Rodeo are thankful he chose the latter. “We have really enjoyed welcoming Nate and his wife into the Roundup family,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, president of the committee that produces the annual rodeo. “Nate is an excellent bullfighter and is a real asset to our rodeo. We hope to have him here for many years to come.” Jestes enjoys the lifestyle. He and his wife make the trek to Dodge City a special one each summer, and they enjoy the family atmosphere that comes with the sport. “I always say rodeo’s a big world, but it’s a small family,” he said. “At every rodeo we go to, it’s a family reunion, just in a different place. “The most gratifying part of my job is being out there and helping my friends by being able to run into a situation where normal people would run away. You want to control the chaos to be able to protect your buddies.”

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Deep down, Justin Rumford is a cowboy, and rodeo has been part of his life since the day he was born. Through his years handling various duties for his family’s stock contracting firm to his time spent on the rodeo trail, his comedic nature has shined a spotlight on the game and his own personality. Now he has parlayed that into the perfect job. He returns to Dodge City Roundup Rodeo for the second time in six years. As the reigning eight-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Clown of the Year, Rumford will be one of the featured pieces of the rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. Rumford will be joined by trick rider Madison MacDonald, who has worked the National Finals Rodeo each of the past nine years. A Canadian by birth, she now lives in Stephenville, Texas, where she also teaches trick riding when she’s not performing across North America. “We’re excited to have both of them coming to Dodge City,” said Dr. R.C. Trotter, president of the volunteer committee that produces the rodeo. “Both do a great job in the arena, plus, with Justin, it’ll be nice to have a local back.” Rumford is a third-generation cowboy who was raised in Abbyville, Kansas, and started competing as a youngster. His grandfather, Floyd, founded Rumford Rodeo Co. His dad, Bronc, was an all-around champion who took over the stock contracting firm, and Justin joined in the family business. In his lifetime, he’s done just about everything possible in the sport, but he’s found his calling dressed in baggy clothes and wearing greasepaint. It’s the perfect combination of a witty personality raised on rodeo. “This clowning deal is the best thing I’ve ever had,” Rumford said. “It’s something in rodeo that I can have a lot of longevity in. There’s not a ton of risk, and it’s something I enjoy so much.” It shows in and out of the arena, a place he knows like the back of his hand. He’s roped and wrestled, ridden bucking horses and fought bulls. He’s been a flankman and a truck driver, and he’s loved every minute of it. “I’ve been involved in rodeo my whole life,” he said. “I’ve never done anything else, and I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I’ve always wanted to be successful. A (few) years ago when I started this venture, I knew if I really worked hard and tried really hard that I could get to the top in a hurry.” He did. In just his second year as a full-time rodeo clown, he won the PRCA’s top award. He’s followed that the four years since, and he continues to be one of the most sought-after rodeo clowns in the game. But there are many reasons behind it. It’s all part of making the production come across as seamless as possible. If there is any downtime in the competition, Rumford is on hand to engage the crowd. It’s a vital piece of the keeping the family-friendly entertainment part of each performance. “I think my specialty is walking and talking and being in the arena,” he said. “I feel like I can connect with the crowd pretty good. Even when my microphone isn’t on, I’m still talking to fans. You can do a lot without saying a word.” That’s an integral part of being a clown; sharing a particular move or a flashing glance in the right direction. As a clown with a bit of a bigger build, it is primary target of comedy is himself. “People want to laugh at each other more than they want to laugh at something,” Rumford said. “When I’m in the arena, I’m saying the same stuff I’d say if I wasn’t clowning. It’s just me being me.”

GUYMON, Okla. – The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo is now on the fast track and racing toward its revised dates for 2020. After postponing its annual May event because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the rodeo’s schedule is now set, with four performances planned for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug 22; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “We are coming as strong as ever for this year’s rodeo, because we know Pioneer Days is important to this community,” said Mitch Egger, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual event. “We also realize we are an important stop for the cowboys and cowgirls that make a living in rodeo. “This has been a tough year on all of us, and we are excited to show our resilience through this virus.” The only changes come in the rodeo’s slack schedule to accommodate as many timed-event contestants as possible. Barrel racers have routinely competed on Friday morning and afternoon in a two-round affair. This year will feature only one round, allowing for a bigger payday to the top contestants because the purse will not be split between two rounds and an aggregate. “Because so many rodeos have been canceled due to the virus, we suspect our number of barrel racers will be a record high,” said Ken Stonecipher, the production manager for the rodeo committee. “We didn’t think we’d be able to accommodate that many barrel racers with slack on Friday, so we’re breaking it up into slack on Tuesday (Aug. 18) and Wednesday (Aug. 19) evenings.” The rodeo will also feature two rounds of men’s timed events instead of a two-round progressive with the third round taking place in the performances. Slack for those events will take place Thursday, Aug. 20, and Friday, Aug. 21, mornings. Steer roping will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. “With the two rounds of timed events, we’ll run the first round on that Thursday and part of the second round Friday morning,” Stonecipher said. “The rest of the second round will take place in the performances. “We know these contestants have lost a lot of opportunities at earning money, so we want to give them the best chance to win as much money in Guymon as possible. We’re doing that with fewer go-rounds.” The pandemic has interrupted many lives, and the rodeo offers a big of “back toward normal” for people in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The postponed rodeo will also see a return of all the major players who were part of last year’s event, including Stock Contractor of the Year Frontier Rodeo. “The only difference we have this year is with our clown, Justin Rumford, who was already scheduled to work another rodeo at that time,” Stonecipher said. “Fortunately, we were able to pick up Robbie Hodges to return. We had a lot of people tell us how much they liked Robbie last year, so it’s good that he can be here again. “The dates and the schedule are a bit different, but this is still Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo.”

WEATHERFORD, Texas – Rick Wilson is quite proud of the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo. He should be. As the posse’s chairman, he understands the work that it takes to organize an event of such magnitude. He also knows how important it is to have a quality stock contractor to help produce Weatherford’s rodeo. That’s why he and the rest of the volunteer committee lean on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo. “He’s got bulls and broncs that are fantastic,” Wilson said of Carr, a Dallas-based livestock producer who has been recognized as one of the best in the game for the last decade. “There’s a lot to his herd of animals, and he’s willing to use them. “Pete brings every bullet with him, and he’s not afraid to shoot, too.” Wilson is referring to the dozens of bucking horses and bulls that have been selected to perform at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Only the top 100 bareback horses, saddle broncs and bulls are selected each year to work the grand finale in Las Vegas, and the Carr firm has its share every year. Most of those animals will be at Weatherford’s rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 8-Saturday, July 11, at the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Arena; that also includes the Xtreme Bulls competition at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 7. “The reason we have Pete Carr at our rodeo is because we want it to be a good, smooth rodeo,” Wilson said. “When Pete and his crew come to town, you know you’re going to get a smooth rodeo production and quality stock. “We know what Pete and his team are going to do. Pete’s going to do his job extremely well when he comes in.” Carr leans on his talented team of experts to help with all the behind-the-scenes work that is done for every performance. Then during each show, the team handles things so each production is virtually seamless, at least to the crowd. “He fits our crowd very good,” Wilson said. “The entire crew brings professionalism, and Pete’s got the best stock going down the road. He always brings great quality every night.” Carr has had his bucking beasts named Bareback Horse of the Year five times, starting with Real Deal in 2005. The big, brown gelding was followed by Big Tex in 2010, Deuces Night in 2012 and Dirty Jacket in 2014 and ’15. Beyond that, Carr features a healthy dose of animals that have been born to buck on the Carr ranch. In fact, that second generation of incredible talent is showing off at places like Weatherford and the NFR. “I’ve been a round rodeo all my life, and I’ve been a pickup man and seen a great deal of things; what Pete brings is incredible,” Wilson said. “To raise something that’s one of the best has got to be a feather in his cap. To have great horses is one thing; to raise them is quite an accomplishment.” The Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo is on of the best in the country, and that’s because the volunteers that make it happen trust Pete Carr Pro Rodeo.

WEATHERFORD, Texas – Parker County is situated deep in Texas rodeo country, with cowboys and cowgirls stretched across its 910 square miles. There are world champions and day workers, all unified in a common belief about the game they love. It’s one of the reasons why so many people are interested in the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 8-Saturday, July 11, at the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Arena; that also includes the Xtreme Bulls competition at 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 7. “We really needed to have our rodeo,” said Rick Wilson, chairman of the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse, which organizes the annual rodeo. “We were just getting inundated with calls about having the rodeo. It was something we felt we needed to do if it was safe to put on.” The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has estimated that approximately half of its roughly 700 rodeos have been or will be canceled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Many others, including the one in Weatherford, have been postponed. “We did a lot of juggling when it came down to picking our dates,” Wilson said. “Once we canceled for our regular dates in June, we had to pick the weekend that worked best for us and for our contract people. So, in July, our announcer, Andy (Stewart), could come; our stock contactor, Pete Carr, could come; our clown, Keith (Isley), could come; and our sound man (Josh Hilton) could come. “Put that all together, and that was the main thing about that week. It’s pretty rare to have that many people be able to have the same week available, so we took it.” All are vital to the success of Weatherford’s rodeo, which has been recognized as one of the top rodeos in the country with its nomination for medium rodeo of the year a few seasons ago. Carr and Stewart are regular nominees for end-of-the-year awards in their respective categories; Hilton is a two-time winner of Sound Director of the Year; and Isley has been named Clown of the Year, Comedy Act of the Year and Coors Man in the Can multiple times in his career. “I think it’s a really big deal and an accomplishment of having a rodeo with all this stuff that’s been going on,” Wilson said, also noting that there will be a concert on the grounds after each performance of the rodeo and bull riding. “Everybody’s ready to go for it. “We’re very proud of the contract personnel we have for our rodeo. Pete’s the best stock contractor we could have. Keith is always great. Andy is the heartbeat of the rodeo, in my opinion. Your announcer is one of the most important things out there. Andy’s the best in the business.” While there is excitement, there have been many hurdles to climb; the biggest, of course, has been the pandemic. “The challenge we faced was having our rodeo or not,” Wilson said. “We waited until the last day to make the call if we could have it in June.” As rodeo fans consider their next moves, the posse is going to follow state guidelines. As of mid-June, crowds for that type of venue were to be about 50 percent, but the committee is hoping for even better. “We’re hoping by showtime that we could be pretty much open,” he said. “We’ll have signage out and hand sanitizers all over. We’ll do our best to sanitize the whole place after each rodeo, wiping down the hand rails and the seats. We’ll have several stations for people to clean their hands. “I think the best part of our rodeo is bringing the community together. There are people that haven’t missed a rodeo for 50 years or better. It’s better than a high school reunion for a bunch of Parker County natives.” Reunions are gatherings meant for friends and families, but the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse Frontier Days and PRCA Rodeo is just another cause to celebrate.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Dr. R.C. Trotter has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. He’s tested hundreds of people over the past few months. He has one thing to say to people interested escaping the “new normal” that has come to life since the virus took its hold on the world: “Ford County is safe; even with the spike in cases, we’ve had very little illness and very few fatalities.” Trotter is also president of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, and he understands the skepticism that some may have about an event of such magnitude. Rest assured: He also knows the reasons why having the rodeo back in town is important. “This just has to happen,” Trotter said of the rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 29-Sunday, Aug. 2, at Roundup Arena; Dodge City Xtreme Bulls is set for 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. “We just have to bring this community together. The rodeo plays such an economic impact to this community. For the spirit of Dodge City and Ford County, it just had to be. “So far, we’ve lost a couple of sponsors, but we’ve been able to replace them. We’ve sold all the premium seating. We’ve been selling tickets since before this thing ever happened. We’re hoping the local people will be hungry for this kind of entertainment. There won’t be as much to do as in the past regarding Dodge City Days, but there will still be a rodeo.” The decision to move forward was based on many factors, and the safety of everyone involved was at the top of the list. With Trotter involved from the beginning of the pandemic, the volunteer committee had a solid foundation from which to begin the process. “We started testing about any symptom at all,” Trotter said. “We actually got rid of the CDC guidelines, because that didn’t mean anything to our people. Right about the same time, the state got a bunch of supplies and sent them to Ford, Finney, Seward and Lyon counties, which have the beef packing plants. “In Ford County, we were testing 180 people per thousand. No county in the state of Kansas is close to that. We tried to identify people through contact tracing. Since June 6, we’ve pretty much been in the single digits as far as new COVID cases.” The local hospital, Western Plains Medical Complex, has yet to be overwhelmed, which is an indication about how quickly doctors and county officials reacted to the circumstances they faced. “At this point, we’ve pretty much burned through our population of positive cases,” he said. “A lot of the testing we are doing now are people who want to have elective surgeries or are having other procedures done so they need to have the testing. “We were the epicenter of the pandemic; we are no longer the epicenter. Our water park has opened with some restrictions. The racetrack is open.” That bodes well for one of the biggest events in southwest Kansas every summer. Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls converge on Dodge City to play the game they love. Not only is this a historic cowtown, but Dodge City has been recognized as one of the best events in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association; it’s a regular nominee for Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year and has been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “We’ve got to have some normalcy back in our lives,” Trotter said, noting that sanitation stations will be set up around the complex, and the committee will encourage the wearing of masks. “I think we’re in a good position to have a rodeo. We’ve worked together as a community to follow through, and I think that shows. Not only did we have the county testing for COVID, but we had the various clinics testing. We all worked together.”

CROSSETT, Ark. – This small city in southern Arkansas of nearly 5,000 folks needed a shot in the arm. Eight months ago, Georgia Pacific decided to shut down its plant in Crossett. As the town’s largest employer, it was a body blow to the community. As if that weren’t enough, the world was hammered by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and weeks of isolation turned into months of uncertainty. The Crossett Riding Club is hoping it has the remedy needed with its annual PRCA rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24-Saturday, June 27, at Cap Gates Arena in Crossett. “We need a community celebration,” said Rob Adkins, the riding club’s president. “Our rodeo has been going on for 72 years, and we just had to wait it out with the COVID-19. We just went through the things that have been shut down, and we thought we’d like to have it. “We also know what it means to the cowboys and the cowgirls. It’s been shut down for them, so we wanted to have the rodeo for them, too.” Indeed. Like all other professional sports, ProRodeo shut down in March and only recently resumed in late May. At events in Woodward, Oklahoma, and Coleman, Texas, the second weekend in June, about 800 contestants signed up to compete at each. They are eager for the sport they love to return, and so are others who make their living in the game. “For that committee to step out on a limb and take the plunge of having a rodeo and having a plan is amazing,” said Scott Grover, Crossett’s announcer for the last several years. “The easy thing to do is cancel when things like this happen, and it’s hard to work through the challenges to have a rodeo. “I applaud the committee for the hard work and for having this rodeo. They’re just one of three happening that weekend, so I think they’re going to see big numbers as far as contestants.” For much of the first 70 years of its existence, the Crossett rodeo occurred the second weekend of August. That changed a year ago, when the committee opted to change its dates to late May and early June. Had the pandemic not delayed things, the rodeo would have remained on that schedule. “We were able to get on the same dates as the rodeo in Fort Smith (Arkansas), and we believe our number of contestants doubled in size last year,” Adkins said. “The community was a little thrown off by the date change, but I think it made more sense. The weather was more comfortable in regards to the heat.” The time of year also helped reach more contestants in 2019, because August features more than two dozen rodeos a week through the month spread out all across the country. The schedules in May and June feature far less action, which is why the move was so necessary. “That rodeo had been in August for a very long time, but they made a good decision to get off that date to get in a time of year where there was a better opportunity to reach the contestants,” Grover said. “With the move again this year because of the virus, they’re going to be the biggest money rodeo of the weekend. That’s a big deal.” There are still precautions the committee will adhere to in order to make it a great and safe experience for all involved. At the time of the rodeo, the state health department will require that large venues be held to two-thirds their capacity; that means about 3,200 people can be safely in place for the rodeo. “We will follow the CDC guidelines and will have social distancing set up,” Adkins said. “We will have hand sanitizers all over, and we will be bleaching everything we can before every performance. We’ve always done that, but we’re going to be sure to be more thorough now. “I work in these mills around here all the time, and we haven’t slowed down any. We’re going to have signs all around the facility. We’re going to do everything we can to take the precautions needed. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” That’s a solid approach, but this isn’t the riding club’s first rodeo; it’s just the first one after a challenging spring. This year’s event will see the return of barrelman Ronald Burton and the trick-riding antics of the Trixie Chicks. Combined with the bucking stock and production from the crew at Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, it should be the perfect medicine for a community that needs it.

CROSSETT, Ark. – Rodeo fans in southern Arkansas have grown accustomed to seeing some great animal athletes at the Crossett Riding Club PRCA Rodeo. It’s an annual occurrence, thanks to Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, one of the premier livestock producers in professional rodeo. The Carr outfit features hundreds of the top bucking horses and bulls in the game, and the very best will make their way to Crossett’s rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24-Saturday, June 27, at Cap Gates Arena. “As far as I’m concerned, Pete’s stock is top notch,” said Rob Adkins, the riding club’s president. “This is probably the best it’s ever been in Crossett, Arkansas, and we’ve been around 72 years. The one thing we know is if you’ve got good stock, you’re going to bring good cowboys.” This is the eighth year the Carr team will be performing in Crossett, and that team is pretty elite. Carr buckers have been named world champions five times, starting with Real Deal in 2005. Big Tex won the title in 2010, followed by Deuces Night in 2012 and Dirty Jacket in 2014 and ’15. But those are just a few of the long list of talented equine and bovine athletes. Over the years, dozens of Carr animals have been selected to perform at the National Finals Rodeo. Not only is it the sport’s grand championship, but it also features the top 100 bareback horses, saddle broncs and bulls in the game – the animals are hand-picked by the NFR cowboys to give themselves the best opportunity to cash in. “When you look at what is happening with rodeos right now, you see big numbers as far as entries,” Announcer Scott Grover said. “I think Crossett will be the same. I think we’re going to see more top 15 contestants at this rodeo than we’ve seen before, so Pete’s going to bring his best stock to this rodeo. “This is going to be the cream of the crop of what Pete has, and that’s the cream of the crop in ProRodeo. The horses and bulls have been to the NFR or will be going. I can’t wait to watch.” The Carr herd continues to grow and impress. In addition to a solid stable of experienced buckers, Pete Carr has mixed in a healthy dose of up-and-coming stars that have been raised on the Carr ranch. For every Dirty Jacket and Big Tex, there’s a South Point Gambler and San Angelo Sam. With that, Carr’s breeding program is receiving more notice in rodeo circles. “We love that Pete brings such great animals to our rodeo, because with them, we know we’re going to draw some top-notch cowboys,” Adkins said. “It’s very exciting that we’re going to have our rodeo after going through COVID-19. Still, it’s very tiring. We prepare all year, but you’re never really prepared. “We’re ready to have it. We feel like we’re going to see more contestants than we’ve ever had at our facility, and I think that’s going to be great for our community.” But there’s more to a rodeo than bucking animals, and the Carr crew understands that. Rodeo is a fine mixture of world-class competition and entertainment. It takes a solid production to keep fans involved and entertained. “The thing about working with that crew is that everything moves smoothly,” Adkins said. “There are no egos when it comes to the work it takes to put on this rodeo, and we work well together to make it all happen. “It takes a whole team of us and them to work together. If there’s ever a hiccup, nobody in the stands every knows it. Pete runs a smooth rodeo, and it moves right along. Us working together makes it look effortless.” That type of teamwork is why the Crossett Riding Club PRCA Rodeo is happening in a challenging year. It’s just one of many reasons the cowboys and cowgirls are looking forward to their June adventure in southern Arkansas.