Aussie takes bulldogging lead
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Along the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, lies the coastal city of Townsville. It’s a long way from Hempstead, but the Waller County Fair and Rodeo is just where Kodie Jang wanted to be on opening night of the rodeo. On Thursday night, the Australian steer wrestler tossed his steer to the […]
Volunteers are valuable to rodeo
BELLVILLE, Texas – They’re small, but they’re mighty. The Austin County Fair’s rodeo committee consists of just 14 members, but they care about one thing: They want Bellville’s rodeo to be one of the very best in southeast Texas every year. The annual rodeo – set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11-Saturday, Oct. 13, at […]
Simas a key part of circuit finale
DUNCAN, Okla. – There are many things to describe Greg Simas. He’s a husband and father. He’s a Marine. He’s a rodeo announcer It’s the latter that plays quite well in this community every October. For the third straight year, Simas will be the voice of the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set […]
Rangers earn 1st win of new season
ALVA, Okla. – Even before he made his decision on what university to attend, Devin Olson knew he wanted to be a steer wrestler. He was watching The American semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas, a year and a half ago and met Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo coach Stockton Graves. That meeting led the Taylors […]
Bull power meets horsepower
Bullfighters Only to be part of Charlotte Motor Speedway race-day experience CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Bullfighters Only is teaming up with Speedway Motorsports to showcase freestyle bullfighting to NASCAR fans for the first time in the sports’ history. On Sunday, Sept. 30, nine of the BFO’s top athletes will be featured at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Bank […]
Polhamus brings flavor to Bellville
BELLVILLE, Texas – Every good team needs a good coach and the perfect leader on the field. The Austin County Fair and Rodeo has a very good team. The volunteer committee, which works hard all year to produce Bellville’s rodeo, works closely with award-winning announcer Boyd Polhamus through each of the three rodeo performances, set […]
Lufkin limping to circuit title
the Oct. 18-20 championship. (COURTESY PHOTO)[/caption] DUNCAN, Okla. – A rod and four screws is what holds Joe Lufkin’s lower left leg together. Lufkin, the 2013 saddle bronc riding year-end champion in the Prairie Circuit, had led the region standings much of the year. He held more than a $7,000 advantage when the regular season […]
Weast racing for title at home arena
DUNCAN, Okla. – For the past four months, Kylie Weast has traveled the country chasing her gold buckle dreams. She’s competed at rodeos in Arkansas and Washington and every state in between, following a family tradition that is three generations deep. As a barrel racer, she follows in the footsteps of her grandparents, Dale and […]
2018 PRCA nominations are in
The year-end awards in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association have expanded, adding the Timer of the Year honor to this year’s ballot. Also on the ballot for the first time is Photographer of the Year, an award that has been given annually for the past 19 years; it is now decided on a vote of […]
Rodeo is worthy of Cowboy Capital
STEPHENVILLE, Texas – The cowboys have spoken: The Cowboy Capital of the World PRCA Rodeo is one of the best in the country. For the fourth straight year, Stephenville’s rodeo has been nominated for Medium Rodeo of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Only five committees are up for the honor in each […]
Bellville rodeo wins WPRA honor
BELLVILLE, Texas – The contestants who make the Austin County Fair and Rodeo part of their schedule recognize the hard work the volunteers put in to make it a successful event. The proof came last year when the barrel racers in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association recognized Bellville’s rodeo as one of the best in […]
Munsell dedicates win to grandma
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 […]
Support is key in fair’s success
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 […]
Isley’s comedy coming to Duncan
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 […]
D-Camps improving success rate
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 […]
Overtime pays off for Schueth
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 […]
Sosebee bringing funny to Bellville
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 […]
Stars aligning for Hempstead rodeo
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 […]
Veteran trending up-Hill
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 […]
Bellville making its mark in rodeo
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 […]
Building toward its future
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. […]
Rutkowski gains ground in Sikeston
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 […]
Tutor crosses $100,000 threshold
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 […]
Dent rides through mud to the lead
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 […]