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HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The success of the annual Waller County Fair and Rodeo runs equivalent to the support it receives around the southeast Texas communities within its borders. “I think the community has seen the growth and what the fair has done in the past, and they’ve followed suit,” said Dustin Standley, president of the Waller County Fair Board. “They’ve seen positive growth in the fair. When people see something positive, they are positive in support of it.” The volunteer-based exposition is one of just five county fairs in the state that is not underwritten by the county government. Every ounce of financial support – gate admission, sponsors and donations – helps the fair board toward its mission for the youth of Waller County. “The biggest part goes toward the scholarship fund,” said Susan Shollar, chairwoman of the fair’s exhibition auction. “For the past 2 years, we’ve given $80,000 a year in scholarships. In 2008, we allocated $8,000 to the scholarship fund, so it’s increased a lot in 10 years.” Yes, it has. From great food to a world-class rodeo to seven top-flight concerts, fairgoers have a host of activities and entertainment options to consider. “We have 250 sponsors, and they’re important because they cover all the expenses to put on the county fair,” Standley said. “It allows us to pay for our entertainment, our rodeo production and all the other costs that come with putting on this fair and rodeo, and that allows us to put more back into the youth of Waller County.” The youth is not just the mission for the fair board; it’s more of a meaningful thought process that each volunteer carries as they go about the tasks of preparing and producing the exposition. By having a solid base of sponsors, that financial support opens the doors for so many other opportunities. “The retention rate of our sponsors is about 95 percent, with a 20 percent increase each year,” Standley said. “We let the sponsors know that we are trying to give back to youth. We’ve built a program that’s beneficial to all of our sponsors. We attempt to pack as much of a punch to give them a bang for their dollars. We want them to see the value in partnering with us.” That partnership continues to pay off, but there are also other friends of the fair who donate to the cause. Each spring, the fair board organizes a big crawfish boil and auction – a fundraiser that allows bidders to purchase a variety of auction items. This event has grown substantially in the past few years allowing the fair to upgrade the facilities and continue to grow the scholarship fund. “We have the same group of core buyers that come to the fair in October for the exhibit auction, and they also come to the fundraiser in April and spend quite a bit of money,” Shollar said. It goes back to that foundation. Doing positive things draws positive results, especially when the end game is for the betterment of youth in the county. “There’s a whole lot of support in Waller County,” she said. “They support the fair, and they support the sports associations. They’re behind their kids in the county.” About 150 people register for the exhibit auctions every year. The key there is that the students who show the exhibits are the direct beneficiaries of the auction – all money that goes through the bidding process is directed to the exhibitor. From 2005-2017, there has been an average of 200-220 lots in the exhibit auction. “We’ve gone from $402,000 to $814,000, and that money goes straight to the kids,” Shollar said. “They get what their project sells for.” It truly is a fair for the next generation.

ALVA, Okla. – A year ago, Taylor Munsell sat in Colby, Kan., not sure which way to turn. Her grandmother, Cindy Hunter, was in the hospital and not doing well, and Munsell was set to rope the next morning at the Colby Community College Rodeo. Her family urged her to compete, and the Northwestern Oklahoma State University breakaway roper had hopes of earning a spot in the championship round to fight for the title. She finished 11th in the opening round; only 10 qualify for the short round. She packed up and headed south. “I didn’t get there in time to see my grandma before she passed,” said Munsell, a senior. “So, I came back this year wanting to win Colby for that reason.” Mission accomplished. The Arnett, Okla., cowgirl posted a 2.4-second run to win the first round, then followed it with a 2.5-second run to finish second in the short round. The average championship was dedicated to her grandmother. “She’d been battling heart issues for a long time,” Munsell said. “She was one of the bigger inspirations to my life. She was a tough lady.” So is her granddaughter, who finished second in the Central Plains Region standings last season and was part of the Northwestern women’s team to compete at the College National Finals Rodeo. After suffering two no-times in Casper, Wyo., this past June, Munsell went back to work for the third round. “I knew my odds of winning the third round were that much better,” said Munsell, who broke the arena record with a 1.8-second run. “My percentage of catching one was going up by the minute.” But her record was short-lived. The next day, Whitney DeSalvo beat it by one-tenth of a second. Meanwhile, the Munsell continued to pay close attention and take every lesson offered her in Casper. “The college finals is an awesome place and really gets you motivated,” she said. “Setting that arena record in that one round gives you a good taste of it, even if it was for just one performance. Now I’m ready to go back and win it.” She has nine more rodeos in the Central Plains season to earn her way back to the finale. She wasn’t the only Northwestern cowgirl to find some success in northwest Kansas. Bailee Prom placed in both rounds and was fourth in the average, while Ashlyn Moeder earned points by finishing fifth in the short round and average. For the men, Riley Wakefield placed in both rounds of tie-down roping and finished second overall. While heeling as a team roper, he finished sixth in the opening round while competing with Denton Halford of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Tie-down roper Jeremy Carney finished fifth in the opening round. In team roping, Levi Walter and Jayden Johnson finished second in the first round with a 6.8-second run. Although they suffered a no-time in the short round, they still placed fifth in the average. Ethan Price and Bo Youssi placed fourth in the opening round with a 7.3. Steer wrestler Bradley Ralph finished second in the average after placing in both rounds, but he wasn’t alone. Wacey Dorenkamp and Colt Madison also placed in both rounds and the average; Dorenkamp was third, while Madison was fifth. “We have a really strong team this year,” Munsell said. “It was a rocky start, but we have a lot of really talented people, so we’re going to make a strong comeback.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – Keith Isley is one of the most decorated clowns in rodeo. Now Isley will bring his brand of funny to the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18-Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. “I thoroughly enjoy watching people have a good time and enjoy what I do or what I say,” said Isley, 60, now in his 25th year in ProRodeo. “Just seeing people enjoy it and have a good time. Sometimes later in the year, you’ll get home and have some letters for you and have some pictures of you that kids have drawn. “It’s the little things that really make me feel like I’m accomplishing something.” He has accomplished much. He’s been named the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Clown of the Year six times, the Coors Man in the Can five times, the PRCA Comedy Act of the Year six times and PRCA Specialty Act of the Year three times. For three straight years, from 2009-11, he won the funnyman’s trifecta: Clown of the Year, Coors Man in the Can and Comedy Act of the Year. Those are just a few pieces of the puzzle that makes Isley such a commodity. In addition to being one of the best funny men in the business, he also has some of the top acts in rodeo. He’ll bring it all with him when he arrives at the southern Oklahoma. “I enjoy what I do, and it’s a lot of fun when you’ve got a good crowd and a good announcer,” Isley said, noting that while in Duncan, he will work with Greg Simas, who is calling the action at the Prairie Circuit finals for the third time. “When you see people with smiles on their faces, and then people come up to you and appreciate what you do, that makes what we do a lot more worthwhile.” Isley sees a lot of smiles and has for much of his professional life. Though he was considered a class clown, being a comedian didn’t come easily. “Oh, it was natural if I knew you, but if I didn’t know you, it was really hard,” he said. “When I started the comedy, that was really hard for me to get used to because I didn’t know those people watching me.” He has since overcome his stage fright to become one of the most sought-after entertainers in the game. There’s good reason for it, too. Part of a good clown’s job is to fill any down time that could some during the event. If there’s a pause in the action, Isley knows it’s his turn to step up to the plate. “I like to play on the crowd,” he said. “I like to have fun with people that like to have fun.” It works, but Isley has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He loves working with animals and allowing them to steal the show. When it’s all put together, it’s an award-winning showcase that reaches so many people. “I’ve undoubtedly been the most blessed man who’s ever bought a PRCA membership,” he said The fans are pretty blessed, too.

Freestyle bullfighters gain key tools through the BFO Every true athlete knows that having a good coach is instrumental to developing the skills necessary to compete. For the rising stars of Bullfighters Only, that intense training comes in the form of the BFO Development Camps. A quick look at the Pendleton Whisky World Standings reveals just how successful the D-Camps have been, with several graduates showing success including Dayton Spiel, Colt Oder, Chance Moorman, Justin Ward, Andrès Gonzalez, Riley McKetterick and more. “The camp helped me by beating the fear of going up against a Mexican fighting bull,” said Gonzalez, who attended the D-Camp in San Bernardino, Calif., in the spring of 2017. “It made me more aggressive toward the bulls and taught me techniques as far as throwing fakes and making rounds with a bull. “Mostly, though, it just helped me be more confident.” Gonzalez showcased that confidence on Labor Day weekend by winning the BFO stops at both Anaheim, Calif., and Fresno, Calif. He’s just another of the young guns who are bringing their talent to the premier freestyle bullfights in the game. Others will have those opportunities at the upcoming D-Camp in Decatur, Texas, on Oct. 26-28. “The D-Camps are so impactful; just look at the results we are producing,” said Ross Hill, a BFO pioneer who recently returned from the injured list and is one of the hottest bullfighters in the game this season. “There are no other bullfighting schools putting out bullfighters like the BFO.” Also in the top 10 in the standings are Ward and Moorman, two more bullfighters who came through this year’s D-Camps. With just two events this season under his belt, Gonzalez has moved to 20th. “It’s an intense couple of days, and you get to learn from the best, even from your own idols,” he said, noting that his camp in California was taught by Aaron Ferguson, BFO’s founder, and Lance Brittan, the 1999 Wrangler Bullfights world champion. “It makes you want to push even harder and be more intense. You want to show what you’ve got in front of those kind of guys.” Bullfighters Only also offers something normal camps don’t: It has the full backing and support of Fit N Wise Sports Medicine. The Decatur D-Camp will once again utilize the world-class facilities at Fit N Wise while demonstrating the little things that help make a bullfighter successful. “One of the key things with the camps is they learn from the best freestyle bullfighters out there,” said Keith Skates, the rodeo sports medicine coordinator for Bullfighters Only and Fit N Wise. “They get to come into our clinic, and we get to expose them to techniques and treatments they haven’t seen before.” From proper training to nutrition secrets to the types of things the athletes need to do to care for and prevent injuries, Skates and his team take a hands-on approach with the campers. “They get to work with Clif Cooper, a trainer who knows these athletes,” Skates said of Cooper, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in tie-down roping. “Clif has been with us for 18 months and is definitely a big asset to our company. “We’re going to expose them to treatment. The truth is, you’re going to be sore and hurt. So, what are you going to do to get yourself healthy? And what are you going to do to try to keep from getting injured?” It’s that type of all-encompassing training that makes the BFO D-Camps an important fixture for young talent hoping to make a living in freestyle bullfighting. “The D-Camp is for the guys that are going to the amateur freestyle bullfights and are wanting to be on the professional tour with the BFO,” Hill said. “Students learn to win at our camps, so basically it’s for the guys that want better results.”

Nebraskan battles through wild card to win Wrangler Tour stop in Lewiston LEWISTON, Idaho – Beau Schueth fought more bulls last week during the Lewiston Roundup than any other man in Bullfighters Only, and he made it pay off with the BFO Wrangler Bullfight tour victory. Schueth scored an 85-point bout in the opening round but finished second to Ross Hill, who posted an event-high 91-point fight on opening night. That sent Shueth to Friday’s wild card round, where he scored 83 points to advance to Saturday’s Hooey Championship Round. “Ross had a good, clean fight with a hot bull in the first round,” said Schueth of O’Neill, Neb. “If I hadn’t gotten hooked twice, I would’ve had a chance to be closer to Ross, but I’ll take what I got. “It means a lot to come through the wild card and win. Last year it was just two days, and I won my round, but the highest score got the rifle. I was 89 points on the first day, and Justin Josey fought (2017 BFO Bull of the Year) Sid Vicious the second day and beat me by half a point.” The Nebraskan now owns the Henry Golden Boy 30-30 rifle, and he’s happy to put it on display in his home. He also pocketed $5,500 and moved to No. 3 in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. That’s valuable as he makes his late-season chase for the 2018 BFO world title. The key was having the right bull in the final round. Schueth matched moves with Costa Fighting Bulls’ Portuguese Power for 86 points, edging Hill’s 83 and Josey’s 80 to win the championship. “That was my third time fighting Portuguese Power,” Schueth said. “I would have been happy with any of those bulls, but it was good to see him. I knew I’d really have to push on him and keep him going. That bull really fired, and we got it pretty close to the chute. “I’ve been drawing older, smarter bulls that have made me work for it. To put a complete fight together meant a lot and pumped me up.” His second win of the season came with the appreciation of a packed crowd in Lewiston. Fans have grown fond of the shows that BFO produces. The revolutionary group hosted a successful stand-alone event there in 2017, and the bullfights have been part of the community’s rodeo since 2016. “Anything with Bullfighters Only is great,” said Kirby Meshishnek, one of the directors for the Lewiston Roundup. “In the three years we’ve had the BFO, we’ve never had a bad night. The crowd loves it. “BFO adds a different type of Western excitement; it’s an action sport. It brings a different audience to the rodeo. It brings your wild and reckless group, not just your average rancher that loves rodeo.”

BELLVILLE, Texas – Much of Cody Sosebee’s life has changed in the last year. This past December, he worked the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his career. A couple of months ago, he became engaged to Tonya Baumgartner, and now he’s planning a wedding. At least he’s supposed to be helping with it, anyway. But that won’t deter him from his inaugural trip to the Austin County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11-Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Austin County Fairgrounds in Bellville. This is an area where people know rodeo and know what it means to be a cowboy. He knows cowboy. He’s been one all his life. He may not wear the hat as often, but he understands the Western lifestyle and what rodeo means to a region. Before he began clowning, Sosebee rode bareback horses and has been around rodeo as long as he can remember. That’s why his selection to work the barrel at the NFR meant so much to him. “I am very humbled by it, because I automatically thought of the guys who had come before me who had never been selected to work the finals,” he said. “There’s no way to describe it, because the guys voted for it. I can take that with me forever. “It 10 times everything for me. It was 10 times more work than I thought. It was 10 times more fun than I thought. I just tried to soak it all up. I knew I was getting to do something special.” Sosebee is bigger than most rodeo clowns, and his raw athleticism shows through the extra cushions his body allows. His acts just accentuate it all into one funny package. “Having the ability to laugh at myself is probably my biggest strength,” he said. “I don’t take anything too serious. When I’m watching a comedian, the funniest thing I see is when they’re honestly open and having a good time.” Most importantly, he wants the fans to have a good time. “I think I bring a sense of energy to an event, and I try to bring a new level of energy,” he said. “I try to bring a high level of energy to your show. I think rodeo competes with other extreme sports, and I think we’re in a class of entertainment like those. “When people come to an event, they want to see the level of high energy for the entire two hours they’re there, and that’s what I want to give them.”

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.” It’s more than the lyrics to a classic Texas song, especially for the organizers of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, which has three rodeo performances set for Thursday, Oct. 4-Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Waller County Fairgrounds in Waller. “We work very hard with all aspects of our rodeo to make sure we are drawing the top talent,” said Clint Sciba, chairman of the volunteer rodeo committee. “We introduced our eliminator events a few years ago, and they’ve been a big hit, not only for the people who enjoy our fair and rodeo but for the contestants that come to compete.” The Tie-Down Roping Eliminator is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, and will feature four world champions – Tuf Cooper, Shane Hanchey, Marty Yates and Caleb Smidt – as part of it’s eight-man field. Also in the mix are NFR qualifiers Sterling Smith, Blane Cox, Cade Swor and Cory Solomon, the last of whom is from Waller County. The Team Roping Eliminator will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, and will feature eight teams, including world champions Joe Beaver, Jade Corkill, Chad Masters and Junior Nogueira. In each event, the slowest time in each round is eliminated. As rounds continue, the field dwindles down until a champion is crowned. Those aren’t the only special features to the well-recognized rodeo; it also features a special prize given to the all-around champion, who will be awarded a custom-made rifle. But what may be the biggest incentive to cowboys might be the purse. The fair and rodeo includes $5,000 in “added” money in each event, meaning local dollars are added to the entry fees to make up the purse. Money doesn’t just help the contestants pay bills and stay on the rodeo trail, dollars equal championship points. That makes money earned go even further. The top 15 on the money list in each event at the end of each regular season advance to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale. The contestant in each event with the most money won in that season will be crowned world champion. “I came here before it was PRCA sanctioned,” said Sterling Crawley, a four-time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc riding. “When I was in high school, I came here. It’s always been fun. The atmosphere has always been good here, and it’s just gotten better. It’s not far from home, and the horses are usually good, so we want to be sure to compete in Hempstead.” He and his older brother, Jacobs, have found success at the Waller County Fair and Rodeo more often than not. While Sterling lives in Stephenville, Jacobs lives in Boerne. For both, it’s an easy drive for a chance at good money riding Pete Carr Pro Rodeo bucking horses. “This is a great rodeo; I love Waller County,” said Jacobs Crawley, the 2015 world champion saddle bronc rider. “It’s got a good turnout, and they’re trying to make it a better event every year. I’m just a fan. “If the environment’s right, it makes you want it that much more, and that environment is right here. You have a great dance, a great hospitality, and Pete Carr brings great bucking horses.” Carr has been recognized as one of the elite livestock producers in the game. He’s been nominated five times for PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year, and he’s been associated with the Hempstead rodeo since it has been part of ProRodeo. Over the last five years, no other contractor has had more animals selected to perform at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That big for the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. The animal athletes that in Carr’s herd are attractive to the top cowboys who play the game. Of course, Hempstead’s rodeo is one of the first of the new year. The 2018 regular season concludes the end of September, so cowboys and cowgirls hoping to kick off a solid 2019 campaign make their way to southeast Texas the first weekend in October every year.” “It’s a little tough to start on something new before you finish what you’ve started,” said bareback rider Steven Dent, an eight-time NFR qualifier from Mullen, Neb. “It feels good to get a good start. This is a good rodeo.”

Ross Hill victorious at two Washington Wrangler Bullfight Tour stops LEWISTON, Idaho – Ross Hill’s comeback is complete. The Bullfighters Only veteran suffered a devastating knee injury in 2016 that took him out of competition for a year and a half. He returned in July, then promptly won the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour stop at California Rodeo Salinas. He’s competed in three Wrangler Bullfight Tour stops since then, and he’s found his way to Victory Lane in all three rounds. He picked up the Round 1 win with 91 points at the Lewiston Roundup on Wednesday and overall titles in both Kennewick and Ellensburg. He will compete for the Lewiston title on Saturday night. “I was so ready to fight again that the success is just happening,” said Hill, 35 of Muscle Shoals, Ala. “I thrive on being the best I can be and beating my bulls. Last night and Ellensburg were just perfect bulls for high-scoring fights.” Last Friday night, Hill earned the Ellensburg title with an agile 86.5-point fight, showing the packed crowd that his knee injury is well behind him. The weekend before in Kennewick, he posted a 77-point score, tying Justin Ward, but Hill earned the title on the tie-breaker with the highest bullfighter score. “The top of the standings is where everyone wants to be, of course,” he said. “I’m climbing the ladder as fast as possible; I’m just beating my bulls.” The “Alabama Slamma’” has certainly been on a roll. He has now pocketed more than $10,000 and has moved into the top 10 in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. “My goals are the same,” Hill said. “I have a clear, concise vision, and I’m running for it daily and living a dream.” His recent success on the BFO Wrangler Bullfight Tour is all part of his plan to compete at the BFO Las Vegas Championship, held Dec. 6-15 at Tropicana Las Vegas. It’s BFO’s pinnacle event and features the biggest prize money in the game. “I’m so excited about Vegas, but right now Lewiston is in my sights,” he said. “I have to keep my focus on one bull at a time.”

BELLVILLE, Texas – There is a special feeling that happens in the arena at the Austin County Fairgrounds. There are many adjectives that describe the aura that surrounds one of the best rodeos in southeast Texas each fall, but the cowboys say it best. “It’s like one of those small-town football games where the whole town comes out and packs it out,” said Jacob Talley, the 2017 Austin County Fair and Rodeo steer wrestling champion from Keatchie, La. “This is my first time, but it’s a good rodeo.” Look for Talley to return to Bellville during this year’s rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11-Saturday, Oct. 13. He will be among dozens Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers who will be part of the world-class event. For years, Bellville’s rodeo was one of the best-kept secrets in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, but word is spreading. Now there are people talking about why the event could be in the mix for the PRCA’s Medium Rodeo of the Year. “I think it’s because of the growth it has shown over the past few years,” said John Gwatney, the event’s chute boss from Marquez, Texas. “How do you make one of the best county fair rodeos better? You add to it. “They’ve got the best personnel in rodeo: Dusty Tuckness, Cody Sosebee, Boyd Polhamus, Sandy Gwatney and Josh ‘Hambone’ Hilton. They’re all award-winners or have been recognized as the best in their area of expertise.” That’s true. Tuckness is the reigning eight-time PRCA Bullfighter of the Year; Polhamus is a four-time Announcer of the Year; Sandy Gwatney is the 2016 Secretary of the Year; Hilton won the inaugural Music Director of the Year in 2017; and Sosebee was the barrelman at last year’s NFR – he will be the featured clown/barrelman in Bellville this October. “That rodeo wants to be the best, so they hire the best,” John Gwatney said. “That’s the commitment they’ve made over the last few years. They’ve also increased the prize money, and they have steer roping there, which a lot of rodeos don’t have. It adds to what they want to do to have a professional rodeo in Bellville.” It’s also one of the first rodeos for the 2019 season, so it’s an important stop for contestants to kick start their chances of having a successful campaign just two weeks after the existing regular season concludes. “This is a good setup, and the crowd is really good,” said Audy Reed, last year’s bronc riding champion who went on to compete at the NFR for the first time. “You have great hospitality, plus, it’s in Texas, and you can’t beat that.” Southeast Texas is beautiful in October, with mild temperatures and a chance to be part of a community event. That and the $4,000 in committee money that’s added to the purse in each even are drawing cards for rodeo’s greatest starts. “We draw top contestants for a lot of reasons, but part of it is because it’s one of the first rodeos of the new season,” John Gwatney said. “A guy can win a big piece of money there and set him up for next season.” But it goes beyond that. The hard-working committee is made up of volunteers who donate their time and their resources to make the Austin County Fair’s rodeo a big deal, not only to the local fans but also to the contestants that compete for a living. “One of the biggest things I’ve seen in my time is that they redesigned the arena to make it better for the cowboys and the livestock,” John Gwatney said. “They want to make it better, and they work hard to make it better. “They used to worry about losing part of the crowd to Friday night football, but they don’t anymore. It’s that good of a rodeo. The school schedules away games on that Friday night, so it just helps the county fair.” It’s a community that comes together for a common cause, and it reflects in the showcase that is Bellville’s rodeo. “In the past, I never missed it,” said Richard Durham, a two-time NFR qualifier in team roping-heeling. “It’s just a great rodeo. The committee is great, and it’s a great setup.” And that’s why there’s a buzz about the Austin County Fair’s rodeo being one of the best events in ProRodeo.

Original structure a key piece of Waller County Fair and Rodeo HEMPSTEAD, Texas – A few years ago, members of the Waller County Fair Board weren’t quite sure what to do with one of the original buildings on the fairgrounds. For years, it had been a show building, where exhibitors showed a variety of animals. Until recently, it had been a place for storage. But something needed to be done with the structure, initially erected in the 1950s. Now it’s the Wagon Wheel, a place to celebrate all that’s part of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. “I said, ‘Let’s make it like a Gruene Hall,’ ” said Toya Talbott, the entertainment committee chairwoman for the fair board. “The rodeo committee came in, cleaned it out and dressed it up. It had shade, and we added a heater and a bar. It’s a place to go drink beer or wine and have fun. “We have live entertainment on the main nights of the fair. We have local bands and other things. It’s just a nice, comfortable environment.” It’s become a wonderful gathering place for fairgoers. There will be an Elvis impersonator the opening weekend of the fair, which runs Friday, Sept. 28-Sunday, Oct. 7. The fair board is also having a piano bar night, for which special tickets have been made for the Wednesday, Oct. 3. “We actually have it almost booked now because everybody wanted to have something new,” said Talbott, now in her fourth year on the fair board. “I think it’s going to be a big hit, but you have to have a ticket to get into that.” It’s just another big step for the classic building. The first year of the Wagon Wheel, only beer was available. Now there’s a wine side to it, with soft lighting to make it a more intimate affair. It’s still in proximity to all the fun and fair favorites, like the carnival and the nightly concerts on the main stage. This year’s lineup features: Saturday, Sept. 29: Johnny Lee at 9 p.m., followed by Sam Riggs at 11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4: Texas Unlimited Band at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5: Cody Wayne at 8:30 p.m., followed by Cory Morrow at 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6: Glen Templeton at 9 p.m., followed by Steve Wariner at 11 p.m. “On our first Saturday night, we got Johnny Lee, which will give our older group, who loves to come and dance, a chance to enjoy the early show,” she said. “We brought in Sam Riggs for the younger group, and they’ll finish it up, but the great thing about our younger group, is they love the older music. They might enjoy the whole night. “We got a lot of feedback that everybody loves the acts we have coming, and that’s why we’ve booked them.” Whether it’s the main stage or the Wagon Wheel, there are numerous entertainment opportunities for fairgoers planning on their experiences in Hempstead. “We have really utilized the Wagon Wheel since we’ve redone it,” Talbott said. “We use it for our Barnyard Buddies, which happens on Wednesday of the fair. Our Barnyard Buddies program is a place for everyone, including children with special needs. The mission of the Waller County Fair Association with our Barnyard Buddies’ program is to promote a wholesome and productive lifestyle for our youth.” The project originated in 2015 with 140 special-needs students and has grown to more than 250 in 2017. The special-needs children are paired with volunteers from various organizations on the high school level: FFA, 4-H, National Honor Society and rodeo clubs, to name a few. Volunteers provide each child activities such as petting zoo, photo booth, first responder interaction and special appearance by cowboys and cowgirls that are competing in the rodeo, carnival rides, lunch and backpacks filled with merchandise for those who would otherwise miss out on the joys of a county fair. “We’re also excited about the local entertainers we’ll have in there throughout the fair,” Talbott said. “It’s really nice to have one of the original structures that we can still use. There is an old tree that’s grown into the building. I’m so glad the fair board saved the building and made it to what it is now.”

SIKESTON, Mo. – Weston Rutkowski knew he needed a break, a chance to heal his wounds and refocus his attention, but he had to take care of business first. He did that Thursday and Friday by winning both rounds and the overall championship at the Bullfighters Only Wrangler Bullfights Tour stop at the Sikeston Bootheel Jaycee Rodeo. Rutkowski posted the highest-marked fight in the opening round, matching moves with Knox and Cross Dunn’s King Kong for 87 points. He then followed that with a second round-winning 83 to take the crown. “It’s been a pretty long summer, so this was good,” said Rutkowski, the reigning two-time world champion from Haskell, Texas. “I started off pretty hot, then things kind of fell apart for me. I didn’t pick up the wins like I needed to, then I got banged up in Salinas (Calif.). With the victory, he earned $4,200 and moved up to second place in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. Rutkowski sits only $108 behind Toby Inman of Davis Junction, Ill. “That’s all fine and dandy, but that’s not the focus,” Rutkowski said. “As long as you’re within tracking distance when we get to Vegas, you’ve got a shot.” The world champion will be crowned at the conclusion of the Las Vegas Championship, held annually at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino and featuring the biggest prize money in the game. “It’s nice to sneak away with a win when you’re still not fully healthy,” he said. “That was a good one to win; no matter the outcome, I was going to take some time off and heal up.” Rukowski will take the next month and a half off to get his body back in shape for BFO’s upcoming battles. “It’s that time of year when your body is just beat up and worn out,” he said. “You have to stick through it, grind it out and hope you can pick up a few dollars here and there.”   SIKESTON RESULTS 1. Weston Rutkowski, 170 points on two fights; 2. Tucker Lane, 164; 3. Beau Schueth, 160; 4. Schell Apple, 156; 5. Toby Inman, 86 points on one fight; 6. Kris Furr, 78.

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Bill Tutor now has 5,000 more reasons to love the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. On Saturday night, he matched moves with Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie for 87.5 points to win the bareback riding title at Jake McClure Arena in Lovington. On top of that, he pushed his 2018 earnings to more than $100,000. “Last year, I was close to making $100,000, so I made it my goal to get there this year,” said Tutor, a 2017 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Huntsville, Texas. “I’m going to rodeo my tail off for the rest of the year. I want to go into the finals in the best position I can.” He sits No. 3 in the world standings and trails the leaders, Caleb Bennett and Tim O’Connell, by tens of thousands of dollars, but there’s still a month and a half left in the season. Once they all get to Las Vegas, they’ll battle for the highest pay in the game. A year ago, Tutor earned $70,359 in Las Vegas. He’s taken the lessons learned over those 10 December nights and parlayed them into a fantastic 2018 season. “I gained so much confidence from the finals, knowing that I can ride at that level and to expect more out of myself,” said Tutor, who finished second at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo in 2014. “I thought it was a fantastic finals.” He should, but he’s had a pretty strong season this year, too. He’s earned a dozen victories and has big hopes for the final few weeks of the campaign. “This is a great rodeo, and it’s one of my favorites of the whole year,” he said. “There’s always great horses. It’s a tough rodeo to win, because there are a lot of great competitors as well.” While Tutor is closing in on his second NFR, Good Time Charlie is a veteran of ProRodeo’s grand championship. In fact, the talented sorrel bucking machine should be in the Nevada desert for the 11th time this coming December. “I’ve never been on that horse, but I’ve seen him a bunch of times,” said Tutor, 26. “I remember watching him when I first came on the scene, and I’ve always wanted to get on him.” He proved just why in Lovington. Lea County Fair and Rodeo Lovington, N.M. Aug. 8-11 All-around cowboy: Marcus Theriot, $6,374 in team roping and steer wrestling. Bareback riding:1. Bill Tutor, 87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie, $5,337; 2. Steven Dent, 87, $4,092; 3. Casey Colletti, 86.5, $3,024; 4. (tie) Orin Larsen and Tilden Hooper, 86, $1,601 each; 6. Tim O’Connell, 83.5, $890; 7. Luke Creasy, 80.5, $712; 8. Trenton Montero, 80, $534. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Tanner Brunner, 3.8 seconds, $1,622; 2. Marcus Theriot, 3.9, $1,410; 3. (tie) Cody Devers and Bridger Anderson, 4.0, $1,093 each; 5. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Brady Dallin Reneau, 4.1, $670 each; 7. Cody Harmon, 4.2, $353; 8. Wyatt Jurney, 4.4, $141. Second round: 1. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Cody Devers, Riley Duvall and Jacob Edler, 3.6 seconds, $1,304 each; 5. (tie) Hunter Cure and Bridger Anderson, 3.8, $670 each; 7. Cody Moore, 3.9, $353; 8. Shayde Tree Etherton, 4.0, $141. Average: 1. Cody Devers, 7.6 seconds on two runs, $2,432; 2. Bridger Anderson, 7.8, $2,115; 3. (tie) Blake Knowles, Rowdy Parrott and Hunter Cure, 8.7, $1,481 each; 6. Tyler Waguespack, 9.0, $846; 7. Tanner Brunner, 9.1, $529; 8. Jule Hazen, 9.5, $212. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Hudson Wallace, 8.3 seconds, $2,219; 2. (tie) Cooper Martin and Ryan Jarrett, 9.0, $1,785 each; 4. Reese Reimer, 9.1, $1,351; 5. (tie) Dane Kissack and Pryce Harris, 9.3, $917; 7. Cimarron Boardman, 9.4, $482; 8. Cody McCartney, 9.6, $193. Second round: 1. Jesse Clark, 7.4 seconds, $2,219; 2. Caleb Smidt, 7.8, $1,930; 3. Timber Moore, 8.1, $1,640; 4. (tie) Ty Baker, 9.7, $1,351; 5. Kody Mahaffey, 8.4, $1,061; 6. Scott Kormos, 8.6, $772; 7. Ryle Smith, 9.1, $482; 8. Tyler Prcin, 9.2, $193. Average: 1. Hudson Wallace, 17.7 seconds on two runs, $3,329; 2. Reese Riemer, 19.0, $2,895; 3. Kody Mahaffey, 19.1, $2,460; 4. Caleb Smidt, 19.4, $2,026; 5. Ty Harris, 20.1, $1,592; 6. Scott Kormos, 20.3, $1,158; 7. Ty Baker, 20.5, $724; 8. Randall Carlisle, 20.7, $289. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Taos Muncy, 86 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Drama Queen, $4,710; 2. Dean Wadsworth, 84.5, $3,611; 3. (tie) Bradley Harter and Jacobs Crawley, 84, $2,198 each; 5. Tyler Corrington, 83.5, $1,099; 6. (tie) Joey Sonnier III and Blaise Freeman, 81.5, $706; 8. Isaac Diaz, 81, $471. Steer roping: First round: 1. Landon McClaugherty, 10.8 seconds, $1,648; 2. Vin Fisher Jr., 11.3, $1,433; 3. John E. Bland, 11.6, $1,218; 4. Tuf Cooper, 11.9, $1,003; 5. Marty Jones, 13.2, $788; 6. (tie) Tony Reina and Will Gasperson, 13.7, $466 each; 8. Scott Snedecor, 14.4, $143. Second round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.3 seconds, $1,648; 2. Scott Snedecor, 10.9, $1,433; 3. Bryce Davis, 11.4, $1,218; 4. (tie) Darin Suit and Kim Ziegelgruber, 11.7, $896 each; 6. (tie) Jim Locke and Jarrett Blessing, 12.1, $466 each; 8. J. Tom Fisher, 12.6, $143. Third round: 1. J.P. Wickett, 10.0 seconds, $1,648; 2. Billy Good, 12.0, $1,433; 3. Jason Evans, 12.2, $1,218; 4. Bryce Davis, 12.4, $1,003; 5. Shay Good, 12.7, $788; 6. Roger Branch, 13.2, $573; 7. Van Hale, 14.1, $358; 8. Trey Wallace, 15.4, $143. Average: 1. Bryce Davis, 44.4 seconds on three runs, $2,472; 2. Will Gasperson, 45.2, $2,150; 3. Trey Wallace, 46.6, $1,827; 4. Chance Gasperson, 48.8, $1,505; 5. Roger Branch, 50.4, $1,182; 6. Dane Noyce, 52.1, $860; 7. Corey Ross, 56.3, $537; 8. Scott Snedecor, 25.3 seconds on two runs, $215. Team roping: First round: 1. Tanner Green/Forrest Fisher, 4.8 seconds, $1,872; 2. Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 5.2, $1,628; 3. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.4, $1,383; 4. Kellan Johnson/Brady Norman, 5.5, $1,139; 5. Josh Siggins/Victor Aros, 5.6, $895; 6. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 5.7, $651; 7. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.8, $407; 8.  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Mud was the featured act during Friday’s third performance of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, but the stars still shined through the slop. After his original bareback horse laid down in the bucking chute, Steven Dent took the option of riding a Pete Carr Pro Rodeo horse named Hired Gun. The powerful gray horse and Dent matched moves in the mud for 87 points, and he leads the bareback riding with one performance left at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. “That worked out really good,” said Dent, an eight-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Mullen, Neb. “Pete said the other one was better, so I got on her. “If she stays hooked like that every time, hoof-tuh, that’s a handful. Whether it was the mud or something else that got her shortened up, I don’t know, but it was good. She was trying to buck me off in the mud puddle.” It didn’t work, and Dent continued to thrive this week on the ProRodeo trail. Heading into this week’s competition, he was seventh in the bareback riding world standings. He also competed in saddle bronc riding, finishing with a 74.5-point ride and out of the money. He leads both events in Hermiston, Ore., so he has a chance to make a big payday this week. “Hopefully after this week, I’ll be in the top five,” said Dent, who last won Lovington’s rodeo a decade ago. “Any rodeo you can win is good. I’m at the age that I don’t go to very many of them if they don’t count for you to win them.” He’s 32 years old and plans to retire after next season. But he has some things he wants to accomplish first. “My boy will be turning 7 after next year, and I’ll have a 5-year-old and a 3-year-old,” he said. “It’s time to go home and help my wife on the ranch and help raise my kids. Not many people get better after they turn 34. I want to make 10 NFRs.  I’m going to give myself two more chances to win the gold buckles. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. “I want to go to the finals in both events next year and win the all-around (world title), and either this year or next year, win the bareback riding world title.” Those are big dreams for a talented cowboy, but he’s been living them since he was a kid running around the sandhills of Nebraska. He has every reason to give himself every chance possible. Lea County Fair and Rodeo Lovington, N.M. Aug. 8-11 Bareback riding leaders:1. Steven Dent, 87 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Hired Gun; 2. Casey Colletti, 86.5; 3. Tim O’Connell, 83.5; 4. Luke Creasy, 80.5; 5. Trenton Montero, 80; 6. (tie) J.R. Vezain and Tanner Aus, 79; 8. Tony Barrington, 78.5. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Marcus Theriot, 3.9 seconds; 2. Cody Devers, 4.0; 3. Rowdy Parrott, 4.1; 4. Cody Harmon, 4.2; 5. J.D. Struxness, 4.5; 6. Blake Knowles, 4.6; 7. Cutter Parsons, 4.7; 8. (tie) K.C. Jones and Hunter Cure, 4.9. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Waguespack and Cody Devers, 3.6 seconds; 3. Hunter Cure, 3.8; 4. Cody Moore, 3.9; 5. Blake Knowles, 4.1; 6. Cody Doescher, 4.4; 7. (tie) Nick Guy, Cody Cabral and Will Lummus, 4.5. Average leaders: 1. Cody Devers, 7.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Blake Knowles and Rowdy Parrott, 8.7; 5. Tyler Waguespack, 9.0; 6. Nick Guy, 9.6; 7. Will Lummus, 10.5; 8. Kodie Jang, 10.7. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 8.3 seconds; 2. Cooper Martin, 9.0; 3. Reese Reimer, 9.1; 4. (tie) Dane Kissack and Pryce Harris, 9.3; 6. Cimarron Boardman, 9.4; 7. Cody McCartney, 9.6; 8. (tie) Ty Harris, 9.7. Second round leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt, 7.8 seconds; 2. Timber Moore, 8.1; 3. (tie) Ty Baker, 9.7; 4. Kody Mahaffey, 8.4; 5. Scott Kormos, 8.6; 6. Tyler Prcin, 9.2; 7. (tie) Hudson Wallace and Cory Solomon, 9.4. Average leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 17.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Reese Riemer, 19.0; 3. Kody Mahaffey, 19.1; 4. Caleb Smidt, 19.4; 5. Ty Harris, 20.1; 6. Scott Kormos, 20.3; 7. Ty Baker, 20.5; 8. Randall Carlisle, 20.7. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Taos Muncy, 86 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Drama Queen; 2. Dean Wadsworth, 84.5; 3. (tie) Bradley Harter and Jacobs Crawley, 84; 5. Tyler Corrington, 83.5; 6. Joey Sonnier III, 81.5; 7. Isaac Diaz, 81; 8. Clay Elliott. Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Landon McClaugherty, 10.8 seconds; 2. Vin Fisher Jr., 11.3; 3. John E. Bland, 11.6; 4. Tuf Cooper, 11.9; 5. Marty Jones, 13.2; 6. Tony Reina, 13.7; 7. Scott Snedecor, 14.4; 8. Brodie Poppino, 14.7; 5. Corey Ross, 14.8; 6. Brian Garr, 15.3; 7. Kelton McMillen, 15.5; 8. J. Tom Fisher, 15.7. Second round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.3 seconds; 2. Scott Snedecor, 10.9; 3. Bryce Davis, 11.4; 4. (tie) Darin Suit and Kim Ziegelgruber, 11.7; 6. Jim Locke, 12.1; 7. J. Tom Fisher, 12.6; 8. Dane Noyce, 12.9. Third round: 1. J.P. Wickett, 10.0 seconds; 2. Billy Good, 12.0; 3. Jason Evans, 12.2; 4. Bryce Davis, 12.4; 5. Shay Good, 12.7; 6. Roger Branch, 13.2; 7. Van Hale, 14.1; 8. Trey Wallace, 15.4. Average leaders: 1. Bryce Davis, 44.4 seconds on three runs; 2. Trey Wallace, 46.6; 3. Roger Branch, 50.4; 4. Dane Noyce, 52.1; 5. Corey Ross, 56.3; 6. Scott Snedecor, 25.3 seconds on two runs; 7. Darin Suit, 27.8; 8. J. Tom Fisher, 28.3. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Tanner Green/Forrest Fisher, 4.8 seconds; 2. Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 5.2; 3. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.4; 4. Kellan Johnson/Brady Norman, 5.5; 5. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 5.7; 6. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.8; 7. (tie) Jeff Flenniken,/Jake Minor and Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 5.9. Second round leaders: 1. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 3.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Tanner Baldwin/Seth Hall, 4.6; 4. Bubba Buckaloo/Tyler Worley, 4.7; 5. (tie) Erich Rogers/Clint Summers  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – Caleb Smidt knew he needed to be fast Thursday night if he has any chance of pulling any money out of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. He roped and tied his calf in 7.8 seconds to take the second-round lead in tie-down roping at Jake McClure Arena and moved into fourth place in the average race with two performances remaining in this year’s event. “The round’s actually pretty tough here,” said Smidt, the 2015 tie-down roping world champion from Bellville, Texas. “I had a decent calf tonight and got a decent start. It’s only the second run on these calves, and they were fresh the first time. It was a little tricky, but I had a good go at her.” “Fresh” refers to the calves that haven’t been put through the chute system and haven’t been roped and tied before entering this week of competition. That makes it difficult to know just how each animal might leave the chute and how fast it might run. After holding on for an 11.6-second run in the first round Thursday afternoon, he made his second run spectacular. It’s all in an effort to pad his pocketbook. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and only the top 15 contestants on the money list in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Smidt is a four-time qualifier. “It’s important, because that’s where we make our money,” he said of ProRodeo’s grand finale, which will pay go-round winners more than $26,000 for 10 straight nights. “I’ve already done pretty well as far as money. I placed at Salt Lake and placed at Calgary, and those rodeos pay a lot. They don’t count for the world standings, but I rodeo for a living, not to make the finals. “Still, it’s always good to make the finals, because there’s a lot of money up for grabs.” Should he remain in his position through the final two nights of Lovington’s rodeo, Smidt could add another $4,000. He sits ninth in the world standings with just less than $70,000, do anything he can add to it would be gravy. He just pocketed more than $7,200 for winning the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup Rodeo for the second time. “This is a new week,” he said. “This is my first check of this week. We’ve got Hermiston (Ore.) on Saturday. Maybe we can go up there and get a couple checks and have a decent week.” At least he’s got a good start in Lovington. Lea County Fair and Rodeo Lovington, N.M. Aug. 8-11 Bareback riding leaders:1. Casey Colletti, 86.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket; 2. Tim O’Connell, 83.5; 3. Tony Barrington, 78.5; 4. Kaycee Field, 76.5; 5. Caleb Bennett, 76; 6. Mat David Turner, 71; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Marcus Theriot, 3.9 seconds; 2. Rowdy Parrott, 4.1; 3. J.D. Struxness, 4.5; 4. Blake Knowles, 4.6; 5. Cutter Parsons, 4.7; 6. K.C. Jones, 4.9; 7. Nick Guy, 5.1; 8. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Tristan Martin and Kodie Jang, 5.4. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 3.6 seconds; 2. Blake Knowles, 4.1; 3. Cody Doescher, 4.4; 4. (tie) Nick Guy, Cody Cabral and Will Lummus, 4.5; 7. Rowdy Parrott, 4.6; 9. Mike McGinn, 4.7. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Blake Knowles and Rowdy Parrott, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 9.0; 4. Nick Guy, 9.6; 5. Will Lummus, 10.5; 6. Kodie Jang, 10.7; 7. Tristan Martin, 10.8; 8. Cody Doescher, 14.3. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 8.3 seconds; 2. Cooper Martin, 9.0; 3. Reese Reimer, 9.1; 4. Dane Kissack, 9.3; 5. Cimarron Boardman, 9.4; 6. Cody McCartney, 9.6; 7. Ty Harris, 9.7; 8. Trevor Brazile, 10.0. Second round leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt, 7.8 seconds; 2. Timber Moore, 8.1; 3. (tie) Ty Baker, 9.7; 4. Kody Mahaffey, 8.4; 5. Scott Kormos, 8.6; 6. Tyler Prcin, 9.2; 7. (tie) Hudson Wallace and Cory Solomon, 9.4. Average leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 17.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Reese Riemer, 19.0; 3. Kody Mahaffey, 19.1; 4. Caleb Smidt, 19.4; 5. Ty Harris, 20.1; 6. Scott Kormos, 20.3; 7. Ty Baker, 20.5; 8. Randall Carlisle, 20.7. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Taos Muncy, 86 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Drama Queen; 2. Isaac Diaz, 81; 3. Clay Elliott, 79; 4. Shane Proctor, 78.5; 5. Jacob Lewis, 78; 6. Jade Blackwell, 76; 7. J.J. Elshere, 75; 8. Preston Burr, 74.5. Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Landon McClaugherty, 10.8 seconds; 2. Tuf Cooper, 11.9; 3. Tony Reina, 13.7; 4. Brodie Poppino, 14.7; 5. Corey Ross, 14.8; 6. Brian Garr, 15.3; 7. Kelton McMillen, 15.5; 8. J. Tom Fisher, 15.7. Second round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.3 seconds; 2. Bryce Davis, 11.4; 3. (tie) Darin Suit and Kim Ziegelgruber, 11.7; 5. J. Tom Fisher, 12.6; 6. Dane Noyce, 12.9; 7. Ralph Williams, 13.3; 8. Mike Chase, 13.9. Third round: 1. J.P. Wickett, 10.0 seconds; 2. Billy Good, 12.0; 3. Jason Evans, 12.2; 4. Bryce Davis, 12.4; 5. Roger Branch, 13.2; 6. Van Hale, 14.1; 7. Trey Wallace, 15.4; 8. Dane Noyce, 15.5. Average leaders: 1. Bryce Davis, 44.4 seconds on three runs; 2. Trey Wallace, 46.6; 3. Roger Branch, 50.4; 4. Dane Noyce, 52.1; 5. Corey Ross, 56.3; 6. Darin Suit, 27.8 seconds on two runs; 47. J. Tom Fisher, 28.3; 8. Trevor Brazile, 28.6. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Tanner Green/Forrest Fisher, 4.8 seconds; 2. Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 5.2; 3. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.4; 4. Kellan Johnson/Brady Norman, 5.5; 5. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 5.7; 6. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.8; 7. Jeff Flenniken,/Jake Minor, 5.9; 8. Erich Rogers/Clint Summers, 6.0. Second round leaders: 1. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 3.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Tanner Baldwin/Seth Hall, 4.6; 4. (tie) Erich Rogers/Clint Summers and Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 5.3; 6. Kellan Johnson/Brady Norman, 5.4; 7. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.9; 8. Tanner Green/Forrest Fisher, 10.1. Average leaders: 1. Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 10.5  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – With just a little more than a month and a half left in ProRodeo’s regular season, Marcus Theriot and Cody Doescher are finally heading in the right direction. “Our summer’s been kind of tough,” said Theriot, a 21-year-old all-around cowboy from Poplarville, Miss. “We haven’t done very well at all, but we’re turning it around this week.” He and Doescher are partners in team roping and also help one another in steer wrestling. In fact, they lead the first go-round in team roping (5.2 seconds) at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo and also have the aggregate lead (10.5 seconds on two runs) after the first day of competition at Jake McClure Arena – Theriot also has the first-round lead in bulldogging, a 3.8-second run. “This is the first time I’ve ever been to Lovington,” Theriot said. “It’s a great rodeo and now one of my favorites. I drew really good today and was able to have some luck. “This rodeo really wasn’t on our route this week, but it’s such a great rodeo that you’ve got to be at it. Rodeos like this are worth the drive, because you can cover so much ground if you do good at them.” He is the son of 1994 tie-down roping world champion Herbert Theriot, who also was a contender for the all-around championship multiple times. He’s carrying on the family tradition quite well. He won the 2016 college titles in both tie-down roping and the all-around, and he was just a freshman. Now he is chasing big dreams on the ProRodeo trail. For now, though, he’s 41st in the heading world standings, while Doescher is 39th in heeling. That’s problematic, since only the top 15 contestants in each at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that takes place each December in Las Vegas. “The goal is always to make the finals,” said Doescher, 28, of Oklahoma City. “This summer has been so rough that this week we made another goal: We had to win a certain amount of money this week before we go to the Northwest. This has been a good week. We’ve got to finish up strong in Lawton (Okla.) tomorrow.” Still, a slump is a slump, but the cowboys understand that it’s part of the game. They take it in stride. While competing on his second bulldogging steer, Theriot failed to get the animal on its side and was saddled with a no-time. He just shrugged it off and made a solid run about 50 minutes later in team roping. “Marcus has been raised by a world champion,” Doescher said. “He knows how the mental game works.” That comes in handy as both cowboys continue to chase their own gold buckle dreams. “I would love to win the world title,” Theriot said. “I think that’s every guy’s dream. With hard work and determination, we’ll get it done one day.” Lea County Fair and Rodeo Lovington, N.M. Aug. 8-11 Bareback riding leaders:1. Casey Colletti, 86.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket; 2. Tim O’Connell, 83.5; 3. Tony Barrington, 78.5; 4. Caleb Bennett, 76; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Marcus Theriot, 3.9 seconds; 2. Rowdy Parrott, 4.1; 3. J.D. Struxness, 4.5; 4. Blake Knowles, 4.6; 5. Nick Guy, 5.1; 6. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Tristan Martin and Kodie Jang, 5.4. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 3.6 seconds; 2. Blake Knowles, 4.1; 3. Cody Doescher, 4.4; 4. Nick Guy, 4.5; 5. Rowdy Parrott, 4.66. Mike McGinn, 4.7; 7. Jesse Brown, 5.1; 8. Kodie Jang, 5.3. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Blake Knowles and Rowdy Parrott, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 9.0; 4. Nick Guy, 9.6; 5. Kodie Jang, 10.7; 6. Tristan Martin, 10.8; 7. Cody Doescher, 14.3; 8. J.D. Struxness, 18.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 8.3 seconds; 2. Cooper Martin, 9.0; 3. Reese Reimer, 9.1; 4. Dane Kissack, 9.3; 5. Cimarron Boardman, 9.4; 6. Cody McCartney, 9.6; 7. Ty Harris, 9.7; 8. Trevor Brazile, 10.0. Second round leaders: 1. Timber Moore, 8.1 seconds; 2. Ty Baker, 8.3; 3. Tyler Prcin, 9.2; 4. (tie) Hudson Wallace and Cory Solomon, 9.4; 6. Randall Carlisle, 9.5; 7. Reese Riemer, 9.9; 8. J.D. Kibbe, 10.2. Average leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 17.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Reese Riemer, 19.0; 3. Ty Harris, 20.1; 4. Ty Baker, 20.5; 5. Randall Carlisle, 20.7; 6. Cody McCartney, 21.3; 7. Cory Solomon, 23.7; 8. Trevor Brazile, 24.0. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Isaac Diaz, 81 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Wild Strawberry; 2. Shane Proctor, 78.5; 3. Shorty Garrett, 71.5; 4. Clayton Brum, 59.5; no other qualified rides. Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Landon McClaugherty, 10.8 seconds; 2. Tuf Cooper, 11.9; 3. Tony Reina, 13.7; 4. Corey Ross, 14.8; 5. Brian Garr, 15.3; 6. Trey Wallace, 16.4; 7. Martin Poindexter, 17.0; 8. Chad Mathis, 17.1. Second round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile, 8.3 seconds; 2. Ralph Williams, 13.3; 3. Trey Wallace, 14.8; 4. Corey Ross, 21.0; 5. Tuf Cooper, 26.1; 6. Brian Garr, 29.6; no other qualified times. Third round: 1. Trey Wallace, 15.4 seconds; 2. Trevor Brazile, 20.3; 3. Corey Ross, 20.5; 4. Tony Reina, 20.6; no other qualified times. Average leaders: 1. Trey Wallace, 46.6 seconds on three runs; 2. Corey Ross, 56.3; 3. Trevor Brazile, 28.6 seconds on two runs; 4. Tony Reina, 34.3; 5. Tuf Cooper, 38.0; 6. Brian Garr, 44.9; 7. Landon McClaugherty, 10.8 seconds on one run; 8. Ralph Williams, 13.3. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 5.2 seconds; 2. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.4; 3. Kellan Johnson/Brady Norman, 5.5; 4. Kelsey Parchman/Dustin Davis, 5.8; 5. Jeff Flenniken, 5.9; 6. Erich Rogers, 6.0; 7. Jake Cooper/Clint Summers, 6.0; 8. Garrett Tonozzi/Joe Mattern, 7.9. Second round leaders: 1. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 3.9 seconds; 2. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.6; 3. (tie) Erich Rogers/Clint Summers and Marcus Theriot/Cody Doescher, 5.3; 5. Kellan Johnson/Brady Norman, 5.4;  Continue Reading »

LOVINGTON, N.M. – The first two times Jordan Spears rodeo the bull Smash Mouth, he learned a few lessons. They paid off Tuesday night when he captured the Lea County Xtreme Bulls title and a payday worth $9,231. While he’s had great success in Lovington over the years, this marked his first big victory. “A win’s important any time, and it doesn’t matter what time of year,” said Spears, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Redding, Calif. “Over the years, I seem to draw good bulls, and I seem to ride good. It feels good to get a win at a big Xtreme Bulls event like this.” Spears earned his chance to ride Smash Mouth, a Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo bull that’s been to the NFR himself, by placing seventh in the first go-round. He rode Stace Smith ProRodeo’s JoJo for 79 points. Then in the championship round, he and the big black bull matched moves for 90 points. It was the third time the two gladiators had been matched up, and it showed. The first occurred last December at the NFR, and Smash Mouth won the war. Then two months later during the in San Angelo, Texas. “I drew him again this year in San Angelo short round,” he said. “I rode him for 88.5 points. I felt like tonight’s ride was about the exact same trip. He looks a lot nicer than he feels. He’s definitely you can win on if you can ride him.” Heading into this week, Spears sat 21st in the world standings. His earnings in Lovington have already moved him to 16th, so he’s closing in on that sweet spot – only the top 15 contestants in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the NFR. “Everybody’s goal is to win as much money as they can,” he said. ‘You set a goal at the beginning of the year to win the world title. You’ve got to make your way to the finals to give yourself a shot at that. “This is a great boost, but really it’s more money to keep me going down the road. I’ll keep entering, trucking down that road, riding my best and getting on everything I can get on to make the finals. Whatever’s going to happen will happen. I just have a positive mindset, nod my head and hope for the best every time.” Lea County Xtreme Bulls Lovington, N.M. Aug. 7, 2018 First round:1. Roscoe Jarboe, 86 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Butter Bean, $3,405; 2. (tie) Reid Barker and Dustin Boquet, 85.5, $2,270; 4. Joseph McConnel, 85, $1,249; 5. Tyler Bingham, 84.5, $795; 6. Koby Radley, 82, $568; 7. Jordan Spears, 79, $454; 8. Dalan Duncan, 78, $341. Championship round: 1. Jordan Spears, 90 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Smash Mouth, $3,102; 2. Brody Yeary, 88, $2,497; 3. Boudreaux Campbell, 84, $1,967; no other qualified rides. Average: 1. Jordan Spears, 169 points on two rides, $5,675; 2. Brody Yeary, 164, $4,351; 3. Roscoe Jarboe, 86, $3,216; 4. (tie) Dustin Boquet and Reid Barker, 85.5, $1,703; 6. Tyler Bingham, 84.5, $946; 7. Boudreaux Campbell, 84, $757; 8. Koby Radley, 82, $568.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Less than two months ago, Bridger Anderson was competing at the College National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his young college career. He is a sophomore-to-be at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, and he’s traveling the ProRodeo trail with his coach, Stockton Graves, a seven-time steer wrestling qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Anderson is taking to his education quite well. On Sunday night, he did so with an explanation point, downing his steer in 3.8 seconds to win the championship round and the overall championship at Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. “This is my first ProRodeo win ever,” said Anderson, a smiling teenager from Carrington, N.D. “I was pretty nervous earlier in the day, but I wasn’t too bad when I got in the box.” It showed. Anderson also placed in the first round and finished his week of work in southwest Kansas with $6,607 earned. “It’s very important to win Dodge City at 19 years old,” said Graves, who won the Roundup buckle multiple times over his career. “I think I was 30-something when I first won it. That’ll help with his circuit standings, so that’s really good.” Because he’s attending college in Oklahoma, Anderson is competing in the Prairie Circuit, which is made up of rodeos and contestants primarily in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. The money he earned in Dodge City will move him into the top 10 in the region – only the top 12 on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in October. So why did a cowboy from North Dakota choose to attend college in Alva? “It’s the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo, so it’s really the only place to go for steer wrestlers,” he said. “Stockton has taught me a lot of little things. We focus less on steer wrestling and more on winning, and I think that’s a good way to go.” It doesn’t hurt to travel with a cowboy like that either. “He knows everything about this game,” Anderson said. “It’s really cool to be able to learn from him and pick up all the tips.” It was also an important night to seal his first big victory. His coach, meanwhile, finished fourth overall “I was awfully proud of Bridger,” Graves said. “He’s been struggling a bit, so he’s been needing that. He did a great job scoring and made a great run. “He did what he’s supposed to do.” Spoken like a true coach. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. Aug. 1-5 All-around cowboy: Paul David Tierney, $9,236 in tie-down roping and team roping. Bareback riding:1. Tim O’Connell, 87 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Time’s Up, $2,958; 2. (tie) Seth Harwick and Wyatt Denny, 84, $1,972 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Steven Dent, 83, $887 each; 6. Jesse Pope, 82, $493; 7. Zach Hibler, 78.5, $394; 8. (tie) Will Martin and Bill Tutor, 78, $148 each. Final round: 1. Seth Hardwick, 90 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Gunfire, $1,650; 2. (tie) Steven Dent and Tim O’Connell, 86.5, $1,075 each; 4. (tie) Bill Tutor and Clayton Biglow, 85, $475 each; 6. (tie) Will Martin and Wyatt Denny, 83, $125 each. Average: 1. Seth Hardwick, 174 points on two rides, $2,958; 2. Tim O’Connell, 173.5, $2,268; 3. Steven Dent, 169.5, $1,676; 4. Clayton Biglow, 168, $1,085; 5. Wyatt Denny, 167, $690; 6. Bill Tutor, 163, $493; 7. Will Martin, 161, $394; 8. Paden Hurst, 156.5, $296. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. (tie) Tanner Bruner and Cody Pratt, 3.8 seconds, $2,560 each; 3. (tie) Tom Littell and Cameron Morman, 3.9, $1,846 each; 5. Bridger Anderson, 4.2, $1,310; 6. Tyler Waguespack, 4.3, $953; 7. Tom Lewis, 4.4, $595; 8. (tie) Cimarron Thompson and Riley Duvall, 4.5, $119 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Tyler Pearson and Blake Mindemann, 3.7 seconds, $2,560 each; 3. (tie) Chancey Larson and Will Lummus, 3.8, $1,846 each; 5. K.C. Jones, 3.9, $1,310; 6. Aaron Vosler, 4.0, $953; 7. Chase Crane, 4.1, 595; 8. Nick Guy, 4.2, $238. Final round: 1. Bridger Andersen, 3.8 seconds, $1,189; 2. Will Lummus, 4.1, $984; 3. Cody Pratt, 4.3, $779; 4. Riley Duvall, 4.6, $574; 5. (tie) Blake Knowles, Tom Littell and Stockton Graves, 4.8, $191 each. Average: 1. Bridger Anderson, 12.3 seconds on three runs, $4,108; 2. (tie) Riley Duvall and Tyler Waguespack, 13.6, $3,304 each; 4. Stockton Graves, 13.9, $2,501; 5. Will Lummus, 14.0, $1,965; 6. Cody Pratt, 14.2, $1,429; 7. Tom Littell, 14.3, $893; 8. Blake Knowles, 14.9, $357. Team roping: First round: 1. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 4.7 seconds, $2,692; 2. Paul David Tierney/Danner Braden, 5.0, $2,341; 3. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 5.2, $1,990; 4. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 5.4, $1,639; 5. Tanner Baldwdin/Seth Hall, 5.5, $1,288; 6. Steven Duby/Evan Arnold, 5.6, $936; 7. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 6.2, $585; 8. (tie) Matt Sherwood/Buddy Hawkins II and Brandon Webb/Kollin VonAhn, 6.4, $117 each. Second round: 1. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 4.8; 2. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.0; 3. Casey Hicks/Justin Fox, 5.1; 4. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 5.2; 5. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 5.4; 6. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 5.5; 7. Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton, 5.9; 8. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 6.1, $234. Final round: 1. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 5.2 seconds, $986; 2. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 5.6, $816; 3. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 6.2, $646; 4. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 6.4, $476; 5. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 6.5, $306; 6. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 6.6, $170. Average: 1. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 16.8 seconds on three runs, $4,038; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, $3,552; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 18.2, $2,984; 4. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 19.1, $2,458; 5. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 19.3, $1,931; 6. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 21.4, $1,405; 7. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 31.9, $878; 8. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 10.2 seconds on two runs, $351. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jake Wright, 87.56 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bordertown, $2,789; 2. Taos Muncy, 85.5, $2,138; 3. Joe Lufkin, 85, $1,580; 4. (tie) Spencer Wright and Bradley Harter, 83.5, $837 each; 6. (tie) Rusty Wright and Mitch Pollock, 82.5, $418  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Five years ago, Travis Graves left Roundup Arena with one of his greatest possessions: The Dodge City Roundup Rodeo championship buckle. On Saturday night during the fourth performance of this year’s event at Roundup Arena, Graves and his partner, three-time world champion header Clay Tryan, gave themselves a chance at the 2018 Roundup buckle. They stopped the clock in 7.7 seconds to qualify for Championship Sunday. “I didn’t do a very good job at the start,” said Tryan of Billings, Mont. “I just didn’t do a very good job, but the rodeo’s kind of easy (in team roping this year). Once you know you’re not going to be fast, you don’t want to mess it up once you’ve run your steer that far down the arena.” The tandem put together a 5.2-second run on Saturday morning to finish third in the opening go-round. Their second-round time gave them a 12.9-second time on the two-run aggregate. They are sixth heading into the short go-round. “The steers here are fresher, meaning they haven’t been run much,” said Graves of Jay, Okla. “Our steer tonight didn’t go anywhere, then he took off and went hard right into me, and that made it hard on Clay.” Nonetheless, the duo is in the top half of the field for the finale; only the top 12 contestants (or teams) in each event advance to the short round, so that’s a big step in having a chance to collect the lion’s share of the money and claiming that Roundup buckle. “This is one of my favorite rodeos,” said Graves, a nine-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier now sitting 12th in the 2018 world standings. “This week, you have Dodge City, Phillipsburg and Abilene. Being from Oklahoma, the Prairie Circuit is where I grew up. I always look forward to coming here.” This season marks the second time Tryan and Graves and teamed together. They roped together from 2010-12 and made the NFR each of those seasons. “We’ve been doing alright, just winning a little bit here and there,” Tryan said. “We’ve only been to half the rodeos we’re going to, so if we can finish the season out strong, we should work our way on top.” The key is being among the top 15 in the world standings at the conclusion of the regular season, because those are the cowboys and cowgirls that advance to ProRodeo’s grand finale in Las Vegas. Once there, the payout is so big that anything can happen. In rodeo, dollars equal championship points, so the contestants with the most money won in each event will be crowned world champions. “The regular season is important, but whoever does the best in Vegas is your champ,” Graves said. “You want to go in there toward the top of the standings and give yourself a chance, then you have to have a good finals.” Tryan and Graves are at least giving themselves a chance. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. Aug. 1-5 Bareback riding:1. Tim O’Connell, 87 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Time’s Up, $2,958; 2. (tie) Seth Harwick and Wyatt Denny, 84, $1,972 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Steven Dent, 83, $887 each; 6. Jesse Pope, 82, $493; 7. Zach Hibler, 78.5, $394; 8. (tie) Will Martin and Bill Tutor, 78, $148 each; 10. Paden Hurst, 76.5; 11. J.C. Hester, 76; 12. Cody Kiser, 75.5. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. (tie) Tanner Bruner and Cody Pratt, 3.8 seconds, $2,560 each; 3. (tie) Tom Littell and Cameron Morman, 3.9, $1,846 each; 5. Bridger Anderson, 4.2, $1,310; 6. Tyler Waguespack, 4.3, $953; 7. Tom Lewis, 4.4, $595; 8. (tie) Cimarron Thompson and Riley Duvall, 4.5, $119 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Tyler Pearson and Blake Mindemann, 3.7 seconds, $2,560 each; 3. (tie) Chancey Larson and Will Lummus, 3.8, $1,846 each; 5. K.C. Jones, 3.9, $1,310; 6. Aaron Vosler, 4.0, $953; 7. Chase Crane, 4.1, 595; 8. Nick Guy, 4.2, $238.  Average leaders: 1. Bridger Anderson, 8.5 seconds on two runs; 2. Tanner Bruner, 8.6; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 8.7; 4. Riley Duvall, 9.0; 5. Stockton Graves, 9.1; 6. Tom Littell, 9.5; 7. Gabe Soileau, 9.7; 8. (tie) Heath Thomas, Will Lummus and Cody Pratt, 9.9; 11. Blake Knowles, 10.1; 12. Kyle Irwin, 10.3. Team roping: First round: 1. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 4.7 seconds, $2,692; 2. Paul David Tierney/Danner Braden, 5.0, $2,341; 3. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 5.2, $1,990; 4. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 5.4, $1,639; 5. Tanner Baldwdin/Seth Hall, 5.5, $1,288; 6. Steven Duby/Evan Arnold, 5.6, $936; 7. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 6.2, $585; 8. (tie) Matt Sherwood/Buddy Hawkins II and Brandon Webb/Kollin VonAhn, 6.4, $117 each. Second round: 1. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 4.8; 2. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.0; 3. Casey Hicks/Justin Fox, 5.1; 4. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 5.2; 5. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 5.4; 6. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 5.5; 7. Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton, 5.9; 8. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 6.1, $234. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight and Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 10.2 seconds on two runs; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 12.4; 4. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 12.6; 5. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 12.9; 6. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 12.9; 7. Cale Markham/Jake Clay, 13.5; 8. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 14.3; 9. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 16.2; 10. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 17.6; 11. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 21.1; 12. Dylan Gordon/Gage Williams, 22.1. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jake Wright, 87.56 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bordertown, $2,789; 2. Taos Muncy, 85.5, $2,138; 3. Joe Lufkin, 85, $1,580; 4. (tie) Spencer Wright and Bradley Harter, 83.5, $837 each; 6. (tie) Rusty Wright and Mitch Pollock, 82.5, $418 each; 8. (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw and Shade Etbauer, 82, $139 each; 10. (tie) Dawson Hay and Ross Griffin, 81. Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Chance Oftedahl, 8.5 seconds, $2,757; 2. Paul David Tierney, 8.8, $2,398; 3. Cody Huber, 8.9, $2,038; 4. (tie) Weldon Watson and Cooper Martin, 9.1, $1,498 each; 6. Marty Yates, 9.3, $959; 7. (tie) Tuf Cooper and Blake Ash, 9.4, $420 each; 8. (tie) Ty Baker and Charlie Gibson, 9.6. Second  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – A great deal has happened in Tim O’Connell’s life the last nine months. He earned his second straight bareback riding world championship last December, clinching it at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Three months later, his wife, Sami, gave birth to their first child, a son named Hazen. He had the best Cowboy Christmas of his career during the lucrative series of rodeos spread out over the Fourth of July holiday. Now he sits second in the world standings, less than $3,000 behind the leader, Caleb Bennett. On Friday night during the third performance of Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, he matched moves with Frontier Rodeo’s Times Up for 87 points to take the bareback riding lead. He will return as one of the top 12 guys in each event competing Championship Sunday at Roundup Arena. “My summer got hot,” said O’Connell, who has doubled his money in late June, with more than $30,000 coming over the Fourth of July. “I got my ‘father life taken care of, learning how to be a dad and a cowboy. Mentally, I just wasn’t there mentally in the winter, wondering all the time if I was going to be at a rodeo and get a phone call that my wife was in labor. “It messed me up more than I wanted to admit, so I had an unsatisfactory winter. My son was born, I was there for it and my wife handled it like a champ. Now five months into it, my game turned on.” Heading into April, he was 13th on the money list. He hit the learning curve, and things picked up immediately. By April 9, he was third in the standings. He’s been at the top ever since. But a week ago, he took another hit when his horse fell over on him at the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo. He suffered a “bucket-handle” tear in his meniscus that likely will require surgery. Earlier this week, however, doctors gave him a shot that has eased the pain. “It’s a numbing agent, a dulled-down version of cortisone,” he said. “It takes the inflammation out of my knee. After a few days, the inflammation left.” He’s trying to stave off the potential surgery, though. “We’re just in the heart of the season,” said O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa. “I needed to come here and see what I could do not babying it. If I could not perform to the best of my abilities tonight, then I was going under the knife next week to get it taken care of.” It comes down to having himself ready to battle for a third straight gold buckle when he arrives in Las Vegas in December. “How I want to be mentally, physically and spiritually is that when I show up to the NFR, I don’t want to have any doubts on what I need to do,” he said. “People don’t understand that the NFR is an animal itself. It’s the most grueling 10 days you’ll put your body through. If you show up with a Band-Aid, they’re going to tear it into an open wound by Round 7. You have to be ready for it. “It’s part of the game, getting on that caliber of horses day in and day out. I look down the road at that more than I do the next six weeks go close out the season.” And rightfully so. For now, though, he’d like to win Roundup Rodeo for the second time in three years. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. Aug. 1-5 Bareback riding leaders:1. Tim O’Connell, 87 points on Fronteir Rodeo’s Time’s Up; 2. (tie) Seth Harwick and Wyatt Denny, 84; 4. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Steven Dent, 83; 6. Jesse Pope, 82; 7. Will Martin 78; 8. J.C. Hester, 76; 9. (tie) Will Lowe, Kyule Charley and Tilden Hooper, 75; 12. (tie) Kenny Haworth and Tony Barrington, 73. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Tanner Bruner and Cody Pratt, 3.8 seconds; 3. (tie) Tom Littell and Cameron Morman, 3.9; 5. Bridger Anderson, 4.2; 6. Tyler Waguespack, 4.3; 7. Tom Lewis, 4.4; 8. (tie) Kyle Irwin and Heath Thomas, 4.6. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Pearson and Blake Mindemann, 3.7 seconds; 3. Chancey Larson, 3.8; 4. Aaron Vosler, 4.0; 5. Nick Guy, 4.2; 6. (tie) Stockton Graves and Bridger Anderson, 4.3; 8. (tie) Blake Knowles and Tyler Waguespack, 4.4.  Average leaders: 1. Bridger Anderson, 8.5 seconds on two runs; 2. Tanner Bruner, 8.6; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 8.7; 4. Stockton Graves, 9.1; 5. Tom Littell, 9.5; 6. (tie) Heath Thomas and Cody Pratt, 9.9; 8. Blake Knowles, 10.1; 9. Kyle Irwin, 10.3; 10. (tie) Levi Rudd and Kyle Whitaker, 10.4; 12. Shane Frey, 10.7. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 4.7 seconds; 2. Paul David Tierney/Danner Braden, 5.0; 3. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 5.4; 4. Tanner Baldwdin/Seth Hall, 5.5; 5. Steven Duby/Evan Arnold, 5.6; 6. Matt Sherwood/Buddy Hawkins II, 6.4; 7. Cale Markham/Jake Clay, 6.6; 8. Joe Hub Baker/Jake Cobb, 6.8. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 4.8; 2. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.0; 3. Casey Hicks/Justin Fox, 5.1; 4. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 5.2; 5. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 5.4; 6. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 5.5; 7. Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton, 5.9; 8. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 6.5. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight and Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 10.2 seconds on two runs; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 12.4; 4. Cale Markham/Jake Clay, 13.5; 5. Cory Kidd V/Caleb Anderson, 14.3; 6. Chad Masters/Joseph Harrison, 16.2; 7. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 17.6; 8. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 21.1; 9. Dylan Gordon/Gage Williams, 22.1; 10. Wheston Jones/Jett Hillman, 22.2; 11. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 25.4; 12. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 25.5. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jake Wright, 87.56 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Bordertown; 2. Taos Muncy, 85.5; 3.  Joe Lufkin, 85; 4. (tie) Spencer Wright and Bradley Harter, 83.5; 6. (tie) Rusty Wright and Mitch Pollock, 82.5; 8. (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw and Shade Etbauer, 82; 10. Dawson Hay,  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – There are times when a seasoned veteran needs to go back to school. That was the case for Taos Muncy, one of the greatest saddle bronc riders in the game today. He was just a college sophomore in 2007 when he won his first world championship, then followed that four years later with his second gold buckle. Over time, he’s qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo nine times, so he’s a proven winner. But July wasn’t very good, and he had fallen to 17th in the world standings. “Rodeo’s a real humbling,” said Muncy of Corona, N.M. “I’ve had heck. I went 10 or 11 rodeos without a check. So, I decided to go home for three days. I just regrouped and went back to the basics. I spurred my spur board every day and watched some of my rides from the past and figured out what I was doing wrong.” That bit of self-education paid off Thursday night during the second performance of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Muncy matched moves with Frontier Rodeo’s Big News for 85.5 points to take the saddle bronc riding lead at Roundup Arena. “I really didn’t know that horse, but I knew (2015 world champ) Jacobs Crawley won Beaumont on him,” Muncy said. “I knew he was a younger horse. He was everything they said he was. I gave him a pile of rein and just went at it.” The rein is attached to the horse’s halter, and cowboys lift with it as they make their spur rides to help them maintain balance and allow for a fluid motion. The movement of the horse’s head determines how much rein is needed “It’s kind of scary to do that with a younger horse when you haven’t seen hit,” he said. “But I knew it’s a Frontier horse, so you know they’re gong to do their job. For a colt, he’s pretty big and is going to get bigger.” Now he’s hoping that momentum carries over. He has earned a little more than $46,000 this season but knows he needs several thousand more in his pockets by the end of the regular season if he is to return to the NFR – only the top 15 on the money list in each event advance to Las Vegas in December. “I’ve been trying to make things happen instead of just letting it happen, but today felt good,” Muncy said. “I know I can do it. I just need to keep after it. I’m not in the top 15, so doing well here could dang sure do it. “I’ve placed here over the years, but I’ve never won it. This is definitely a rodeo that’s on my bucket list to win.” And it all happened because he got to spend time at home in central New Mexico with his wife, Marissa, and their two kids, Marley and Milo. “I’ve been real fortunate because they spent about two weeks with me on the road,” he said. “I just haven’t been able to see them at the house. It was nice to sleep in my own bed. I just played with those kids, enjoyed every moment and remembered why I rode broncs, so I hope now everything comes together. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. Aug. 1-5 Bareback riding leaders:1. (tie) Seth Hardwick, on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Wrangler Valley, and Wyatt Denny, on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Hot Valley, 84 points; 3. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Steven Dent, 83; 5. Jesse Pope, 82; 6. Will Martin 78; 7. J.C. Hester, 76; 8. Will Lowe 75; 9. (tie) Kenny Haworth and Tony Barrington, 73; 11. (tie) Orin Larsen and Mark Kreder, 69; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Cody Pratt, 3.8 seconds; 2. Bridger Anderson, 4.2; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 4.3; 4. Tom Lewis, 4.4; 5. (tie) Kyle Irwin and Heath Thomas, 4.6; 7.  Stockton Graves, 4.8; 8. Kyle Whitaker, 4.9; 5. Justin Shaffer, 5.3; 6. Blake Knowles, 5.7; 7. Jacob Talley, 5.9; 8. Ty Talsma, 6.0. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Pearson, 3.7 seconds; 2. Aaron Vosler, 4.0; 3. Nick Guy, 4.2; 4. (tie) Stockton Graves and Bridger Anderson, 4.3; 6. (tie) Blake Knowles and Tyler Waguespack, 4.4; 8. Taylor Gregg, 4.7.  Average leaders: 1. Bridger Anderson, 8.5 seconds on two runs; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 8.7; 3. Stockton Graves, 9.1; 4. (tie) Heath Thomas and Cody Pratt, 9.9; 6. Blake Knowles, 10.1; 7. Kyle Irwin, 10.3; 8. (tie) Levi Rudd and Kyle Whitaker, 10.4; 10. Shane Frey, 10.7; 11. Trever Nelsen, 10.8; 12. Taylor Gregg, 12.7. Team roping:First round leaders: 1. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 4.7 seconds; 2. Paul David Tierney/Danner Braden, 5.0; 3. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 5.4; 4. Steven Duby/Evan Arnold, 5.6; 5. Matt Sherwood/Buddy Hawkins II, 6.4; 6. Cale Markham/Jake Clay, 6.6; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Trace Porter, 6.9; 8. Dylan Gordan/Gage Williams, 7.2. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 4.8; 2. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 5.0; 3. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 5.4; 4. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 5.5; 5. Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton, 5.9; 6. Cale Markham/Jake Clay, 6.9; 7. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 7.4; 8. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 9.6. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight and Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 10.2 seconds on two runs; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 12.4; 4. Cale Markham/Jake Clay, 13.5; 5. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 17.6; 6. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 21.1; 7. Dylan Gordon/Gage Williams, 22.1; 8. Wheston Jones/Jett Hillman, 2   2.2; 9. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 25.4; 10. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 25.5; 11. Steven Duby/Evan Arnold, 5.6 seconds on one run; 12. Jake Barnes/Rich Skelton, 5.9. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Taos Muncy, 85.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Big News; 2. (tie) Spencer Wright and Bradley Harter, 83.5; 4. (tie) Rusty Wright and Mitch Pollock, 82.5; 6. Dawson Hay, 81; 7. Wyatt Casper and Clay Elliott, 80.5; 9. Jacobs Crawley, 80; 10. Lefty Holman, 79.5; 11. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Tyrel Larsen. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Paul David Tierney, 8.8 seconds; 2. (tie) Weldon Watson  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – A month ago, Tyler Waguespack was the No. 5 steer wrestler in the world standings. Things changed dramatically in those few weeks. In that time, he’s earned less than $5,000 in ProRodeo and came into this week 13th. He’s not exactly comfortable being that low in the standings, even though the top 15 on the money list at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “Right now, I’m trying to get the momentum going,” said Waguespack, the 2016 world champion from Gonzales, La. “Hopefully some good runs here in Dodge City can get my momentum going back in the right direction.” Two down and hopefully one more to go. Waguespack posted a 4.3-second run Wednesday morning during the first round at Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, then followed that with a 4.4-second run that evening to take the overall lead. Over the last five years, he’s found great success inside Roundup Arena. He’s placed in rounds and the three-run aggregate, finishing as high as second. In that time, he’s earned just shy of $10,000 in Roundup Arena. “I’ve always done good here,” he said. “To be able to pull off a win here would be incredible. I’m going to have to wait and hopefully make it back Sunday and see what I can do then.” Only the top 10 times on two runs in the timed events and the top 10 scores in the roughstock events will advance to Championship Sunday to compete for one of the biggest prizes in ProRodeo. Roundup is a nine-time winner of the PRCA Rodeo of the Year and has even more nominations over the years. It also was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2012. He’ll have to wait out the final three preliminary performances to know for sure. “We could come back first or come back right out of it and not get another one,” Waguespack said. “You never know how things are going to play out.” For now, he knows his chances are good, and he got a lot of help from his mount, Scooter, a 13-year-old sorrel that was named the Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year in 2017. Waguespack doesn’t own the talented gelding, but he knows what it means to have a powerful helper underneath. “I can’t thank Tyler Pearson and Kyle Irwin enough for letting me ride that great animal,” he said of the horse’s co-owners. “I’ve been on him most of the year. I have had a lot of success on him. I rode him last year at the NFR and did great on him there. Hopefully I’ll be back again and can ride him again.” For now, though, Waguespack will focus on the business at hand, and that’s trying to win Dodge City Roundup for the first time in his career. Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Dodge City, Kan. Aug. 1-5 Bareback riding leaders: 1. (tie) Seth Harwick, on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Wrangler Valley, and Wyatt Denny, on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Hot Valley, 84 points; 3. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Steven Dent, 83; 5. Jesse Pope, 82; 6. Will Martin 78; 7. J.C. Hester, 76; 8. (tie) Orin Larsen and Mark Kreder, 69; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Cody Pratt, 3.8 seconds; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.3; 3. Kyle Irwin, 4.6; 4. Kyle Whitaker, 4.9; 5. Justin Shaffer, 5.3; 6. Blake Knowles, 5.7; 7. Jacob Talley, 5.9; 8. Ty Talsma, 6.0. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Pearson, 3.7 seconds; 2. Aaron Vosler, 4.0; 3. Nick Guy, 4.2; 4. (tie) Blake Knowles and Tyler Waguespack, 4.4; 6. Kyle Whitaker, 5.5; 7. Brad Ralph, 5.6; 8.  Kyle Irwin, 5.7.  Average leaders: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Cody Pratt, 9.9; 3. Blake Knowles, 10.1; 4. Kyle Irwin, 10.3; 5. Kyle Whitaker, 10.4; 6. Nick Guy, 15.1; 7. Justin Shaffer, 19.2; 8. Austin Eller, 22.5; 9. Ty Talsma, 22.7; 10. Tyler Pearson, 25.6. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 4.7 seconds; 2. Paul David Tierney/Danner Braden, 5.0; 3. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 5.4; 4. Dylan Gordan/Gage Williams, 7.2; 5. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 8.0; 6. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 10.7; 7. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 10.8; 8. Jarrett Freeman/Zane Murphy, 11.4. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight, 4.8; 2. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 5.4; 3. Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 5.5; 4. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 7.4; 5. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 9.6; 6. Bubba Buckaloo/Tyler Worley, 10.4 seconds; 7. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 14.8; Dylan Gordon/Gage Williams, 14.9. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Wade/Tyler McKnight and Jr. Dees/Cody Cowden, 10.2 seconds on two runs; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 12.4; 4. Billy Peters/Rio Esquibel, 17.6; 5. JoJo LeMond/J.D. Yates, 21.1; 6. Dylan  Gordon/Gage Williams, 22.1; 7. Lane Ivy/Blaine Vick, 25.5; 8. Bubba Buckaloo/Tyler Worley, 10.4 seconds on one run; 9. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 10.8; 10. Jarrett Freeman/Zane Murphy, 11.4. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. (tie) Spencer Wright, on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Sun Pop, and Bradley Harter, on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Pillow Talk, 83.5 points; 3. (tie) Rusty Wright and Mitch Pollock, 82.5; 5. Dawson Hay, 81; 6. Wyatt Casper, 80.5; 7. Lefty Holman, 79.5; 8. Steven Dent, 78; Taygen Schuelke, 77.5; 10. Colt Gordon, 73.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Paul David Tierney, 8.8 seconds; 2. Weldon Watson, 9.1; 3. Blair Burk, 10.0; 4. Ty Harris, 10.9; 5. L.D. Meier, 11.1; 6. Cimarron Boardman, 12.0; 7. Russell Schilling, 13.2; 8. Casey Butaud, 13.5. Second round leaders: 1. Hudson Wallace, 8.8 seconds; 2. Weldon Watson, 11.0; 3. Kody Mahaffey, 11.9; 4. Casey Butaud, 12.9; 5. Cimarron Boardman, 18.2; 6. Luke Meier, 18.3; no other qualified runs. Average leaders: 1. Weldon Watson, 20.1 seconds on two runs; Casey Butaud, 26.4; 3. Hudson Wallace, 27.8; 4. Cimarron Boardman, 30.2; 5. Kody Mahaffey, 33.4; 6. Paul David Tierney, 8.8 seconds on one run; 7. Blair Burk, 10.0; 8. Ty Harris, 10.9. Barrel racing: First round leaders: 1. Sarah Rose McDonald, 17.15 seconds; 2. Shali Lord, 17.16; 3. Cierra  Continue Reading »

Oklahoma man uses wit and athleticism to win BFO-Dodge City title DODGE CITY, Kan. – Schell Apple knew he had to be the aggressor during Tuesday night’s Bullfighters Only Wrangler Bullfights at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. He matched moves with a young bull from Rockin’ B & Magnifica for 81 points, winning the prestigious Dodge City event title and the lion’s share of the prize money. He will move up a few places to 11th in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings, with several events left on the season. “This means a lot and it’s really cool,” said Apple of Fay, Okla. “I’ve been putting in the work, and trying real hard. I’m trying to tap into the talent that God’s given me. This victory is not for me; it’s for Him.” Apple outscored two of the BFO’s best – both sitting well within the top 10:  No. 6 man Beau Schueth and the third-ranked and two-time defending world champion, Weston Rutkowski. Both Schueth and Rutkowski finished with 77 points. The three bullfighters were matched with a less experienced set of bulls Tuesday, which required each athlete to formulate a different game plan through their 60-second bouts. “Brett Hall with Rockin’ B & Magnifica is our 2017 Stock Contractor of the Year,” Apple said. “He approached me before the event and said the bulls are fresh. That means one of two things: They could be real flighty, or they could be real hot. You have to prepare yourself mentally for both those things.” In the dangerous game of freestyle bullfighting, the men who find the most success utilize their understanding of the animals just as much as the athleticism. That’s one of the reasons Apple found Victory Lane. “I knew I’d have to push him,” he said. “I slowed things down from the beginning to keep that bull engaged as much as I could.” That paid off. “It’s a fighter’s mentality, so it’s either him or me,” Apple said. “You’ve got to channel that every time. There are times when you’re the one who comes out on top but there’s a little bit of fear every time you do it; if you’re not scared, there’s something wrong. “You’ve got to channel those nerves and use them to your advantage.” RESULTS 1. Schell Apple, 81 points; 2. (tie) Weston Rutkowski and Beau Schueth, 77.

GUYMON, Okla. – There is a changing of the guard at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo for the 2019 championship. The volunteer committee has signed a contract with Freedom, Okla.-based Frontier Rodeo Co. to be the primary stock contractor and producer of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame event beginning with next year’s rodeo, set for May 3-5 at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena in Guymon. “Change for the better is good, and in this case, you’re changing from one great stock contractor to another one,” Ken Stonecipher said, referring to the switch from longtime contractor Pete Carr Pro Rodeo to Frontier. “We wanted to continue to keep things fresh, but we expect it to be the same great show that our fans have come to expect.” The quality is there. Frontier has been named Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Stock Contractor of the Year each of the past three seasons. Over eight years, Frontier animals have been named Horses of the Year: Medicine Woman won Saddle Bronc of the Year four times (2011, ’14-’16), Maple Leaf with the same title in 2013 and Full Baggage was Bareback Horse of the Year in 2011 and 13. Frontier has had dozens of animals selected to buck at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo over the years. Medicine Woman also was the Saddle Bronc of the NFR in 2010, while Full Baggage won the same in bareback riding in 2010, ’12 and ’15. Another top bronc, Delta Ship, was Bareback Horse of the NFR in 2009 and ’11. “It’s an honor for us to get the Guymon contract,” said Heath Stewart, the rodeo manager who operates the outfit for owner Jerry Nelson of Winnie, Texas. “It’s the biggest rodeo in Oklahoma, and it’s right there in the Bronc Riding Capital of the World.” Frontier Rodeo is also a two-time winner of the Remuda Award, given to the stock contractor that has the best, most consistent pen of horses. “The criterion was based on not just the dollars but, more importantly, the value the stock contractors could provide,” Stonecipher said. “We asked each to give us their plan on how they’d put the rodeo on. Over the last 15 years, the rodeo has set a high standard for production, for not only how the rodeo runs for the fans but also the quality of livestock for the fans. Carr Pro Rodeo has done a fantastic job the last several years, but we think Frontier’s game plan and its proximity to Guymon gave us the best value.” Stewart fully understands what is expected of him when he arrives in Texas County next spring. “It takes a great set of crew and livestock to put that rodeo on,” he said. “It’s not an easy rodeo by any means, but in my eyes, it’s one of the best rodeos in Oklahoma. I’m going to bring great personnel, and I’m going to bring all of our good horses, the NFR horses and horses of the year, and great bulls. “We want everybody that’s entered to have a chance to win a check. That’s hard to do, but that’s always our goal.” And that’s what makes Frontier Rodeo and Pioneer Days Rodeo a good match.

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Elliot Jacoby is a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier trying to make it to the City of Lights for the third time in his career. That’s a difficult task, given that only the top 15 in the world standings in each earn the right to compete in Las Vegas in December. But Jacoby gave himself a good shot at it Tuesday night during the Dodge City Xtreme Bulls event at Roundup Arena. “I’ve been trying to not look at the standings too much,” said Jacoby, 28, of Fredericksburg, Texas. “I know I need to stay on, keep winning and keep moving on. This is a really good win.” He matched moves with JK Rodeo’s Zorro for 90 points to win the title, edging 2011 world champion Shane Proctor by one point. For that, Jacoby pocketed $4,907 and moved up two spots to 15th in the world standings with $61,547. “Confidence is probably one of the main ingredients in bull riding,” he said. “If you can stay one a good bull one day, it can carry over to the next day. It keeps you more positive and lets you go at those bulls with everything you have. “It’s a lot easier whenever you’re winning.” He knows a little bit about that. Jacoby qualified for the NFR in 2013-14, finishing as high as eighth in the world standings. He knows staying in the 15th spot at the end of the regular season would get him back to Sin City, but he’d prefer to move up several more places in the standings and secure his venture by the end of September. He got his start Tuesday and returns to ride bulls Friday night during Roundup Rodeo. A good score then could help him qualify for Sunday’s championship round “I don’t think I’ve ever stayed on a bull here until tonight,” he said. “It’s a great Xtreme Bulls. I’d like to do what I did here at the Xtreme Bulls during the rodeo.” That would certainly keep Jacoby heading up the standings, and that’s what Schell Apple did in the Bullfighters Only event. Apple man earned the Dodge City title with an 81-point fight from a Rockin’ B & Magnifica bull to upend. “This means a lot and is really cool,” said Apple of Fay, Okla. “I’ve been putting in the work, and I’ve been trying real hard. I’m trying to tap into the talent that God’s given me. This victory is not for me; it’s for him.” Apple took the lion’s share of the prize money, outscoring two men in the top 10: No. 6 man Beau Schueth and the third-ranked bullfighter, Weston Rutkowski, the two-time defending world champion. Both Schueth and Rutkowski finished with 77. “I’m just really thankful I was able to put my talents and hard work in and get the win,” he said. Dodge City Roundup Xtreme Bulls Dodge City, Kan. July 31, 2018 1. Elliot Jacoby, 90 points on JK Rodeo’s Zorro, $4,907; 2. Shane Proctor, 89, $3,762; 3. Boudreaux Campbell, 88.5, $2,781; 4. Dustin Boquet, 87, $1,799; 5. Eli Vastbinder, 86.5, $1,145; 6. Tyler Hessman, 85.5, $818; 7. (tie) Aaron Williams and Jeston Mead, 85, $572. Bullfighters Only 1. Schell Apple, 81 points; 2. (tie) Weston Rutkowski and Beau Schueth, 77.