Brunner excited for the 2018 NFR
RAMONA, Kan. – As a youngster, Tanner Brunner wanted to be a saddle bronc rider, testing his skills atop wild bucking horses. It wasn’t the right fit for the athletic cowboy who grew up near Ramona, a community of 179 people tucked inside the Kansas Flint Hills. “I’m a little too big for that,” said […]
Biglow getting a feel for the NFR
CLEMENTS, Calif. – Clayton Biglow had a great year riding bucking horses. Over the course of the 2018 regular season, he pocketed more than $135,000 and finished the campaign as the No. 3 bareback rider in the world standings. He returns to the National Finals Rodeo for the third straight year; that’s not to shabby […]
Mindemann advances to the NFR
BLANCHARD, Okla. – From the time he was little, Blake Mindemann knew he was going to be a steer wrestler. “I can remember watching my dad and his friends practicing,” said Mindemann, 33, of Blanchard. “There would be guys out there throwing steers down. I roped all the way through college, but I knew I […]
Jarrett has eyes set on NFR prize
COMANCHE, Okla. – On the final day of ProRodeo’s regular season, Ryan Jarrett was 15 hours away from home in Kingman, Ariz. A tie-down roper from Comanche, he was trying to scrape together enough money to earn his 12th qualification to the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that takes place Dec. 6-15 in […]
BFO Las Vegas is growing
Bullfighters Only to add seating and activities during Las Vegas Championship LAS VEGAS – In less than a month, Bullfighters Only will once again award a $50,000 bonus to the 2018 BFO world champion upon the completion of the company’s Las Vegas Championship – scheduled for Dec. 6-15 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort […]
Carr, PRCA creating donation option to benefit injured cowboy Vezain
DALLAS – In the last month, the rodeo community has come together strongly for J.R. Vezain and his wife, Shelby. Now Pete Carr Pro Rodeo and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association are calling on rodeo committees across the country to give to the Vezains. The PRCA has created a link to giving so committees and […]
Wakefield leads Rangers to win
ALVA, Okla. – Like any individual competitor, senior Riley Wakefield was quite pleased with his wins in the all-around and tie-down roping this past weekend at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rodeo. But his greatest accomplishment was being part of the men’s team title, which pushed the Rangers into the lead in the Central Plains […]
Newcomer wins in Wichita
Gibson wins at his first BFO event; Rockin’ B & Magnifica claims inaugural Cattle Battle WICHITA, Kan. – A year ago, Cade Gibson was taking part in his first freestyle bullfighting school with educators Cody Webster, Dusty Tuckness and Nathan Harp, all Bullfighters Only pioneers. This past Saturday night, he competed in his first BFO […]
Final-night fireworks ignite titles
DUNCAN, Okla. – Bryson Seachrist had never won the year-end championship in the Prairie Circuit, though he’s a multiple-time qualifier to the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. That changed Saturday night in a somewhat unlikely fashion. Seachrist had failed to place in the top four in either of the first two go-rounds, including […]
McMillen wins average title
The first champions of the 2018 Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo were crowned Friday morning at Stephens County Arena in Duncan, Okla. Kelton McMillen of Paden, Okla., won the steer roping average championship by roping three steers in a cumulative time of 51.8 seconds. Four-time world champion Rocky Patterson of Pratt, Kan., won […]
Braden has eyes set on PCF title
DUNCAN, Okla. – Hardy Braden knew he had no chance to win the year-end saddle bronc riding title in the Prairie Circuit. His only chance to advance to the National Circuit Finals Rodeo was to win the average championship this weekend at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo at the Stephens County Arena […]
Carr to donate rodeo proceeds to Vezain
DALLAS – When bareback rider J.R. Vezain was paralyzed, the reality of rodeo injuries emerged again on Sept. 22, 2018. Vezain suffered a broken back that required surgery and has left him paralyzed from the waist down at this point. He is undergoing rehabilitation in Houston and will continue that beyond his time in southeast […]
Gladiators coming to Wichita
Bullfighters Only brings a showcase of danger, excitement at Hartman Arena WICHITA, Kan. – Bullfighters Only will invade central Kansas on Saturday, as the world’s top freestyle bullfighters compete in the BFO Wichita Invitational at Park City’s Hartman Arena. As has been the case the last two years, the race for the world championship is […]
Mindemann wrestles circuit lead
DUNCAN, Okla. – Steer wrestling is nothing new to Blake Mindemann. He grew up in a bulldogging family and took to it in high school in the early 2000s. Now the 33-year-old cowboy who grew up in nearby Apache, Okla., is heading to the National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his 14-year career. […]
Yaussi scores big for Rangers
ALVA, Okla. – The deep red dirt that filled the arena at the Oklahoma State University rodeo this past weekend in Stillwater just got darker and thicker as the weekend wore on. “It was bad,” said Bo Yaussi, a sophomore all-around cowboy at Northwestern Oklahoma State University from Udall, Kan. “The first performance was great. […]
Roughstock event offers fun for all
CLAREMORE, Okla. – After viewing it for the first time, organizer David Petty knew he wanted to make Claremore’s Extreme Roughstock a better experience for everyone. That’s the plan for this year’s event, which is presented by the Kubota Center of Oklahoma, set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Claremore Expo Center. This […]
Champs eager to return to Claremore
CLAREMORE, Okla. – The inaugural Claremore’s Extreme Roughstock was a homecoming of sorts for several of the 2017 contestants, but it was more than that for two. Kade Alberty, a bull rider who grew up in Claremore, and Hardy Braden, a saddle bronc rider from nearby Welch, Okla., walked away from last year’s event with […]
Gamble didn’t pay off in Bellville
BELLVILLE, Texas – Every gambler knows that once the dice go into the air, the numbers might not roll their way. That was the case for bareback rider Winn Ratliff and bull rider J.T. Moore, both of whom scored qualified rides on their first trips out of the chute Saturday night at the Austin County […]
Young cowboy gaining lessons
BELLVILLE, Texas – Wheeler is a town of 1,600 people in the Texas Panhandle. It’s dry and rugged, and it’s home to many cowboys. Tim Murphy has lived there for three months, and that’s because he wanted to compete in rodeo for a living. On Friday night during the second performance of the Austin County […]
Lucero, Kidd rope Bellville lead
BELLVILLE, Texas – For 27 years, Martin Lucero has been one of the best heelers in team roping. He’s qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 16 times in his career. But at age 50, he’s contemplating his next step in the sport. “I’m getting older now, and I’m not sure I’m going to run […]
Ganzel ready to rode in Clearmore
CLAREMORE, Okla. – Haley Ganzel was just 4 years old when she decided on her career. She didn’t really know it at the time, but the love affair with trick riding blossomed quickly as she watched her uncle, Shawn Brackett, practice. So, she got the right training. At age 5, she worked her first rodeo. […]
Bullfighters earn spot in finale
DUNCAN, Okla. – Through much of their careers, Nathan Harp and Wacey Munsell have been considered two of the best in their field. Their business is rodeo, and they are two of the greatest athletes in the game. As bullfighters, they use their bodies, athleticism and any other means necessary to keep everyone in the […]
McClaugherty takes tie-down title
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Landon McClaugherty has been one of the top all-around cowboys in rodeo for a long time, and he approaches the game the best way possible. He focuses on one event at a time, even if he’s making multiple runs in a single day. That came in quite handy Saturday night during the […]
Tutor rides into Hempstead lead
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – For Bill Tutor, the pressure of competition never really leaves. He’s just fine with that. Five days ago, he wrapped up the 2018 regular season by earning nearly $120,000 through Sept. 30. He’s No. 5 in the bareback riding world standings and is headed to his second straight Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. […]