Dent earns 2nd-round victory
DUNCAN, Okla. – Just like a superhero, Steven Dent makes the switch from a man in a walking boot to a champion bareback rider. Hampered by a broken foot that occurred at a California rodeo a month ago, Dent uses the walking boot to move around until it’s time to ride. He changes into his […]
An Austin Statement
The best men from Bullfighters Only will be showcased at Bulltober Fest AUSTIN, Texas – The chute flies open, and the pounding hooves of a Spanish fighting bull race toward the animal’s intended target. Those sounds mark the beginning of the bout, and it’s the drawing card for the best in Bullfighters Only to showcase […]
Gordon cashes in at circuit finals
DUNCAN, Okla. – Saddle bronc rider Colt Gordon loves to rodeo close to home, and it doesn’t get much closer than the Stephens County Arena. Gordon earned his first paycheck ever at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo during Thursday’s first go-round when he rode Silver Creek Rodeo’s Birthday Suit for 83 points. […]
Stewart lending voice to local event
CLAREMORE, Okla. – Andy Stewart looks at his job from many angles. He is a researcher, a statistician and an entertainer. He has the unique ability to put it all together as one of the top emcees in professional rodeo, an eight-time nominee for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Announcer of the Year. He will […]
Claremore hosting bulls and broncs
CLAREMORE, Okla. – When good money is up for grabs, cowboys will find a way to get it. That’s why 50 of the top bull riders and saddle bronc riders in rodeo will make their way to northeast Oklahoma in three weeks to compete in the Claremore’s Extreme Roughstock presented by the Kubota Center of […]
Jarrett rolling into circuit finale
DUNCAN, Okla. – To say Ryan Jarrett has been on a hot streak might just be a bit of an understatement. Jarrett, an 11-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier and the 2005 all-around world champion from Comanche, Okla., just concluded one of the best regular-season campaigns of his 14-year career. He earned a little more […]
Team ropers secure Bellville cash
BELLVILLE, Texas – For only being their third rodeo of competing together, Clayton Van Aken and Richard Durham are doing quite well. They have placed in two of three rodeos, including a 4.8-second run during Saturday’s final performance of the Austin County Fair and Rodeo. The tandem finished fourth in Bellville and pocketed $1,184 each. […]
Talley grapples the Bellville lead
BELLVILLE, Texas – In his first trip to the Austin County Fair and Rodeo, Jacob Talley found Bellville to his liking. On Friday night during the second rodeo performance, he knocked his animal to the ground in 4.0 seconds to take the steer wrestling lead with one night remaining in this year’s championship. He took […]
Reed takes bronc riding lead in Bellville
BELLVILLE, Texas – Audy Reed is just 22 years old, but he’s wise beyond his years. Part of that is a university education in saddle bronc riding while attending Oklahoma Panhandle State University, the best-known bronc riding school in all of rodeo. Part of it is traveling with experienced cowboys. Combined, Chet Johnson, Tyler Corrington […]
Ropers secure top finishes at OSU
ALTUS, Okla. – Haven Meged knew attending Western Oklahoma State College would be a benefit to his rodeo career. Early October in Miles City, Mont., typically features cold weather. The winter can be long and brutal, so Meged knew being in southwestern Oklahoma would offer plenty of opportunities to hone his roping skills. He proved […]
Braden chasing circuit title
DUNCAN, Okla. – For much of his seven-year career, Hardy Braden’s focus was on the Prairie Circuit, a regional tour made up primarily of contestants and rodeos in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. It’s home to Braden, who lives in the northeastern Oklahoma community of Welch. He attended both Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College and Oklahoma […]
Roseland earns OSU title, buckle
ALVA, Okla. – Talon Roseland has seen the best steer wrestlers in the Central Plains Region compete for the top honors in all of college rodeo. Now a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Roseland has placed himself in that category. He is the No. 2 man in the region behind teammate Cody Devers, but […]
Crawley claims Linderman title
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – One of the special nuances of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo is its unique Linderman Award, which is given to the contestant that does well in both timed and roughstock events. It’s similar to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Linderman Award, which is given annually to the cowboy that earns the […]
Ivy, Hawkins take lead in Hempstead
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Buddy Hawkins is a glass-half-full kind of person. Finishing the 2017 regular season 16th in the world standings – one spot out of qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – can oftentimes be a deflating feeling. That’s not the case for Hawkins, a 2013 NFR heeling qualifier from Columbus, Kan., who […]
Top guns begin new season
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – A new season offers new opportunities and, sometimes, provides a chance at redemption. With the 2017 regular season ending this past Saturday, many of ProRodeo’s biggest stars are kicking off their 2018 campaign at the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. For steer wrestler Clayton Hass, missing the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for […]
Eagle rodeo up for national honors
EAGLE, Colo. – The honors keep coming for the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo. Two weeks ago, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association recognized Eagle rodeo as one of the top five medium size rodeos of the year with nominations for the year-end award. This week, the fair board learned its rodeo is also nominated for […]
Bellville fans ready for rodeo fun
BELLVILLE, Texas – The Austin County Fair and Rodeo offers quite a bit more than a chance for cowboys and cowgirls to win good money. It also offers a lot of fun – for contestants, fans and sponsors. From the great fair atmosphere to the carnival rides to a championship-caliber rodeo, a great deal is […]
Kovar excels for WOSC rodeo team
ALTUS, Okla. – Madison Kovar knew that competing at an elite level in college rodeo meant testing her skills against some of the best. That’s why she made the move from her home in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, to Western Oklahoma State College in Altus – a 22-hour-plus drive one way. It’s a long way from […]
Finale features top bullfighters
DUNCAN, Okla. – As the hooves pound, the muscles strain. When done right, bull riding can be poetry in motion. That lasts just seconds. When those moments are over, the bullfighters move in quickly with great agility and tremendous athleticism. It is their job to distract the bull, move him away from the cowboy and […]
Johnson, Wakefield win in Durant
ALVA, Okla. – Team roping is the Johnson family business, and Jayden Johnson is doing his part. The junior header at Northwestern Oklahoma State University teamed with his heeling partner, Riley Wakefield of O’Neill, Neb., to win the team roping championship this past weekend at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Durant. “It means […]
Fair is about youth, scholarship
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Members of the Waller County Fair Board are innovative. They have to be, they believe, because they have an annual goal to give back. It’s not just providing the region with an excellent exposition that is the Waller County Fair and Rodeo, set for Saturday, Sept. 30-Saturday, Oct. 7. No, it’s about […]
Kaminski proud of hometown rodeo
BELLVILLE, Texas – With two world championships on her belt and two more reserve world titles, Kelly Kaminski could have her pick of many rodeos that are her favorites. “This is our hometown rodeo,” said Kaminski, who won barrel racing gold buckles in 2004-05 and was runner-up the two years previously. “It’s very special to […]
Long returning for WPRA brunch
DUNCAN, Okla. – Great stories are not always championships realized and life happily ever after. Missy Long has a story to tell, and she will have the opportunity during the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association brunch held in conjunction with the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19-Saturday, Oct. […]
Special-needs kids get a special day
HEMPSTEAD, Texas – Barnyard Buddies isn’t just a big hit for the special-needs children involved in the day at the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. The program – now in its fourth year and planned for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4 – has become a place to be for other youth interested in helping […]