Hailey Kinsel starts her mornings with a warm cup of Community Coffee and a grateful heart. A 4x World Champion barrel racer, the 28-year-old is currently ranked seventh in the world. She doesn’t go a morning without her caffeine boost, her favorite being Community Coffee’s Mardi Gras King Cake blend. Hailey has a routine before her events that goes hand in hand with her cup of joe. “I try to take a moment where I get to sit outside, usually with coffee in hand,” Hailey said. “And just appreciate that I’m at this rodeo, this is a rodeo I’ve wanted to come to…and I’m here to do my job.” Hailey is appreciative for her sponsorship with Community Coffee, which began in the spring of 2022. “They’ve gone above and beyond their promises to us as far as what their goals were on helping the industry grow,“ Hailey said, grateful for the organization’s commitment to working directly with athletes. She enjoys the coffee stands they set up for contestants at rodeos. She is also thankful to be working with an organization that is aligned with her values.
“They’re all about family and community and taking care of the people around us,” Hailey said.
“They’re big on working together and helping us work with each other, helping as a group to grow our sport and they truly believe in rodeo’s value system.” She is grateful to work with Community Coffee as she moves forward in her rodeo career.
Hailey grew up on a ranch in Cotulla, Texas, where she currently lives when she’s not on the road for rodeo. She has had a love for working with horses ever since she can remember. She has memories of her mother leading her on a horse at around three or four years old. Hailey participated in rodeo and 4-H events growing up but found a deep passion for rodeo competition and working with her horses. “I really just love running a horse down an alley,” Hailey said. “I really liked that rodeo takes you to different places all the time where you can do that same thing somewhere else.”
Hailey is grateful for the support of her family throughout her career, as they have encouraged her passion as a competitor. She has faced victories and challenges during her time in rodeo. She recalls the first time she won a world championship. “It was so special, you know it’s kind of a surreal feeling, because that’s something you dream about but you’re not sure if it will happen to you,” Hailey said. Along with the fulfilled goals, comes the challenges. Rodeo has thrown her unplanned curve balls.
“If there’s a challenge in rodeo I’ve faced it,” Hailey said.
She has faced challenges with horses, equipment, finances and the struggle to be away from her family. Rodeo calls for a lot of travel, which means missing big events in her family. Hailey explains that she will be missing celebrations like her cousin’s wedding. While Hailey wishes she could celebrate these events and milestones, her path in rodeo calls for her to be on the road, chasing her goals.
As she has won championships over the years, she has also accumulated fame. After a race, fans call her name asking for pictures and autographs. Hailey is grateful to be a role model and to interact with fans. This aspect does limit her time to reflect after an event. She has had to find a way to balance these aspects. She’s learned to turn on her ‘greeting switch’ after races and make time to reflect and learn from her run later on. She’s found that she often has time to reflect on her performances during her drive time between rodeos. Hailey often drives on her own, with her mom or a friend driving with her occasionally. This gives her time to reflect on her performance. “There’s no real guide on how to handle that, it’s just something you learn as you go,” Hailey said. These challenges have grown her in her career.
No matter what, Hailey is always looking toward the future. She’s thankful for the past and the aspects that have led to her success and championships but uses “that as fuel to move forward,” Hailey said. “We’re not going to get stuck in what we used to do, we’re going to keep trucking forward.” Hailey is cautious to not let her success of the past allow her to stop working toward her next goal.
Burnout often lurks in the back of many rodeo athletes minds as they continue to chase their passions. Hailey, however, has a plan to conquer it. She has already experienced some burnout in her career and feels prepared to handle it. “I’ve experienced it so I can’t say it’s something I’m afraid of by any means,” Hailey said. She recalls when she did experience a little burnout. It occurred “because I got so fixated on the things I wanted to accomplish here that I couldn’t be content with what God had for me at that time,” Hailey said. She plans to guard her heart and not get fixated on the small aspects like wins and losses when put in perspective of God’s plan for her life.
Hailey is looking forward to her next goal as she prepares for the Cinch Playoffs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is working hard to qualify for the playoffs. In 2020, she had the opportunity to compete at the playoffs in Rapid City, South Dakota. Despite the COVID conditions during that time, the state made a way for her and the other athletes to still have an opportunity to compete. Reflecting on this experience, Hailey is looking forward to competing in Sioux Falls under more normal conditions. She is looking forward to honoring “those people that champion us and our sport and allowed us to make a living in 2020,” Hailey said.
As she plans for approaching rodeos, she is also taking steps to make sure that her 12-year-old horse, Sister, is prepared for big events. Sister currently has $2.8 million in earnings and has always shown up ready to compete. “She’s had an incredible career and one that isn’t anywhere close to finished,” Hailey said. She picks certain rodeos to bring Sister to so she has less travel time and is ready for bigger rodeos. Hailey explains that Sister is “truly special” and is sure to keep Sister’s fitness up through workouts. Hailey also spends time to make sure that she is communicating well with Sister and they are both prepared for rodeos.
When she’s back home in Cotulla, Hailey spends her time training horses. She trains horses for different purposes like ranch work, barrel racing and to sell. She trains an equal amount for her personal use as she does to sell at this point. When she is travelling, her mom helps with the training when she can. Hailey has enjoyed training kid horses that are safe for children to ride and has clients in south Texas for these horses.
As she prepares for upcoming rodeos, she never forgets the reason why she is where she is. “I’m very thankful for the blessings I’ve had that allowed me to live this dream, but I always try to remember that I’m living this dream because of what God has for me to do, which is to give Him glory,” Hailey said.
Blog
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Community Coffee: Hailey Kinsel
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Confessions of regret
As it turns out, I know way more about failing than I do victory in Jesus. The victory part I seem to be dismal at. The failing part, in a major sense of the word, I may be at a professional level. It is true that God uses everything and everyone for His Story. Yet, honestly, I fail. By faith I know that God will use it. Yet, the failure or regrets remain.
Please keep in mind I am not a pessimist or an optimist. Both will get one killed at worst and embarrassed at best. I am a realist. The cup is both half full and half empty. Allow me to be truthful about my “cup.”I have regrets. Here are a few I am willing to talk about for broad readership:
Children: It always frustrates me, and has for decades, when we give ourselves a pass on parenting. It comes in the form of: “well, we all do the best we can.” To which my honest side says: “well, maybe, sometimes.” There were times when I was absent too often. As they grew, there were times where I spoke with a lack of sensitivity. In ignorance and inability generally. Regardless, I missed their hearts. Their eyes shifted and dropped, and I was helpless to correct it. There were occasions, I cannot recall now, where I was lazy. Not tired, but just lazy. Other times, I forced compliance for my best, not theirs. Occasionally too harsh or too soft. My youth prevented me from knowing how to enter their worlds with courage and sensitivity. My language skills for my son were adequate. For my daughters however, who preceded him, they were desperately lacking. Especially before they left to craft their own lives. My poor skills and fear of a heart-language caused me to step back too far or step in too hard. It feels now that I rarely got it right. There are regrets here. Yet, they are each independent, kind, strong, and far better parents than I.
Spouse: Occasionally, I get it right. More often than not, I get it somewhere between really missing and kind-of missing Susie’s heart. 30 or 40 years ago was another story. Ambitious and aggressive, sometimes necessarily so, I put so many things in front. Career demands, other people, my pride, and my hobbies slithered to the top of the daily planner. I cannot get these back. They just are and mark different phases of my life. These days, it is hopefully different. I miss less, but still miss. Self-care is important. Self-focus is indulgent. As much as I think I defer in kind and humble ways, I have been, and can be, self-focused. Regrets abound.
Career: Had I put my head down and gotten after it, I would have been more effective. My staff would have thrived better. There may have been a book. A few hours a day of absolute laser focus would have been monumental. Again, sometimes I did my best. Other times, I took the easy way and got a pass. It maybe was good, but not my best. I hate that.
Friends: There are many who ask for attention from all of us. I have given lots of attention to the wrong people. Other times, I have given not enough to the right people. The reasons, in part, have to do with character flaws in me, I’m sure. Some of those I’m aware of, others I’m not. For those true friends who asked for more, I am sorry I failed you. For my friends who wanted to know my heart and I played it safe by talking about hobbies and the weather, I apologize. At some level, I believe if you really knew me you wouldn’t like me. That has made me cowardly on occasion. Overbearing at other times. I regret that.
Pastoring: it seems like this would be the one place where all my other failings fade away and I announce, in false-humility, one giant success story. Nope. It would be easy to god-speak and talk about blessings and victorious preaching. For me, that’s a nonsense smoke screen. I fail myself and my congregation regularly. This is the primary topic of my prayer life with God.
Despite all of this, I will carry on. Acknowledging these things will hopefully produce more meekness. I need it.
I’m sure more failures and regrets await. Probably in these same arenas. I will do what I’ve always done. Keep going and trusting in the grace, forgiveness and redemptive nature of a Good Father. I’ll never regret that. -
Team Cavender’s Colee Cox
“I crave the rodeo environment,” said Colee Cox, Team Cavender’s athlete from Childress, Texas. Rodeo has consumed her life, from hometown rodeos to traveling across the country to some of the largest junior rodeos in the country.
As one of the newer members on Team Cavender’s, Colee has felt so honored the moment she got the call recruiting her to the team. “I have always hoped I’d get to be on one of these teams.” While Colee has had other friends on the team they invited her over to one of their events and soon she felt the connection with the team. She often gets to compete side by side other members across Texas. It is common to see these ladies sweep the rodeo taking home first, second and third. “I want to be able to win more titles and have Cavender’s on my shirt while doing that.”
Imagine the feeling of claiming a National Junior High Rodeo Finals breakaway champion title and the next year, heading into freshman year becoming a state champion goat tier. This unique conquest is the reality, for Colee.
After tieing a quick 6.6 seconds and a 7.1 at the start of the Texas State High School Finals Rodeo, the pressure and stress began to build. Colee had to wait a dreadful five days to see where she would place at the finals. She’d also been assigned as the goat-tying director, leaving her to stand in the arena and watch each girl tie in front of her. She returned in the short round sitting second behind a junior. “I was ecstatic I made it back and I was extremely nervous,” said Colee, “I chewed all my nails off before I even got to the back of the alley.” After tying a 7.2, she tied for the average and won the title of goat-tying champion as a freshman.
Being homeschooled has been a blessing for Colee. She trains day in and day out, working her horses no matter the Texas weather. “The truck said it’s 103 degrees, and I’m about to head out and practice,” said Colee. She has been working with her new horse, Ruby, which she bought a week before heading to the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo in Georgia in 2022. The gangley sorrel resembles a thoroughbred with hips that are taller than her shoulders making her look a little off balance.
“She [Ruby] has been just a blessing for me,” said Cox. “She’s not the prettiest confirmation-wise, but she can run fast and loves to do her job.”
While traveling the country competing in goat tying and breakaway Colee finds time to participate in her local youth church group and her other pastime, golf. She is on her local school district’s high school golf team. While traveling to rodeos you may spot her on the local greens before the performance. She also finds time to show pigs in 4-H since she was in third grade, while other hobbies have gone by the wayside. Her secret love is baking. She recently learned to make scones and says her family loves her homemade pecan pie.
Colee plans to work on getting her PRCA card and make it to the NFR for her rookie year competing in breakaway. She also hopes that one day the PRCA will allow goat tying in the contest. Although she has already competed with and against some of the biggest names in breakaway roping, she wishes to share the arena with big names like Lari D Guy and Lynn Smith.
Cox shares that she is a music lover and has a special playlist that she blasts before each run. Her favorite gallery is titled, “Hype Rodeo Playlist,” one of the number one songs on there is “The Champ is Here” by O Fresh. She’ll also be caught drinking lemonade before a run, which is her favorite drink while on the road traveling and warming up.
This year, Cox’s goal in the arena is to tie a five-second run. Her current personal best is a 6.1-second run, and she is still pushing to shave seconds. She would also like to qualify for the American in breakaway roping. The goal is to be fast and consistent to step up her level with Ruby in the goat-tying arena. -
Our success depends on the success of our students.
Coaching students that want to get better is fun and for the most part it is easy. Students that are eager to improve show up to practice ready to learn and ready to work. If you have any doubts, go watch a practice of a college team. I’m not talking about rodeo practice, go watch a good college football or basketball team practice. Within a few minutes you will be able to see the student athletes that are different from the rest.
For coaches it’s easy to spot. Athletes separate themselves by what they do and how detailed they do their work. It’s noticeable and they are coachable. Coaching is fun and exciting when you have students that are willing to embrace practice. Coaching is exciting to see students reach their full potential.
Believe it or not—after a few practices every year I can tell you the students that have a chance to make the CNFR. I’ll repeat that, coaches can tell very early in you have what it takes to take your abilities to the next level. For everyone wondering what I am talking about, championships are won by the work you do in the practice pen. How coachable you are in the practice pen. Your attitude and effort that you bring.
Coaching is easy when students listen to improve. That is becoming more and more rare. Now many students are only listening to reply. Instead of hearing what the coach has to say, they are just waiting to reply with an excuse or an explanation. As a coach—this is when coaching becomes difficult. How do you help someone improve when they can justify excuses to themselves and to coaches? Student athletes that have this attitude become very difficult to coach and honestly take the fun out of coaching.
To be an elite athlete, students need to embrace being coached. Hearing the things that are uncomfortable to hear. Making changes that are not easy to make. The old cliché to be different than everyone else to have to do things that others are not willing to do. Coaches want to see you do well. Trust me.
What most students don’t understand about coaching is that as a coach our success depends on the success of our students. For us to be successful we need our students to be successful. We need our students to be coachable. Coaching is fun and rewarding when we see our students be successful.
For all the athletes out there remember your coach wants to see you be successful. Don’t take it personal when they hold you to a higher standard—they know what you are capable of.
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I’m just taking it week by week right now. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
Pro barrel racer Shelley Morgan is no stranger to the ebbs and flows of life on the rodeo trail. The 50-year-old from Eustace, Texas, who’s won more than a million in career earnings, has experienced the exhilaration of winning The American in 2022, and knows the sting of losing her beloved horse Short Go in 2010. The 2023 season lands somewhere in the middle of those valleys and peaks, and Shelley and her sorrel mare Kiss are doggedly working their way through it.
At the time of writing, they are sitting 21st in the world standings with $61,709.87. “We’re having a good season. Maybe not great, but good,” says Shelley. “Kiss always tries hard. Our goals are always the NFR, but as long as she’s healthy and sound at the end of the season, I’ll be happy.” Shelley planned to compete on both Kiss and another mare, Phoebe, this year, but with Phoebe working through a lameness issue, the bulk of the competition has landed on Kiss. Shelley and Kiss have been competing together for more than five years, beginning with futurities when Kiss was three. The mare, who won WPRA Horse With The Most Heart in 2020, excels in big outdoor arenas and is clocking steadily faster in indoor arenas now too.
With such a demanding season for the duo, Shelley is grateful for good tools that protect Kiss and keep her sound. She rides in a 5 Star barrel racer saddle pad, and boots up in their sport boots. “I consider them pretty versatile. I use just about the same kind of pad on all my barrel horses. I have a swaybacked horse, then there’s Kiss who has high withers, and I have a young horse with no withers, and it doesn’t matter what horse I put them on,” says Shelley, who has been on the 5 Star team for three years. “I never feel like I have to girth my horse in two trying to get it tight enough. They fill in the imperfections in a horse’s back and they’re not nearly as sweaty under those pads. They never have sore backs when we go to the vet or chiropractor. The boots keep the dirt out well and have really good Velcro, plus they are so bright and pretty. All of those are positives when we’re asking our horses to give their best. Anything I can do for them to keep them feeling good is a positive.”
Shelley travels with her husband of 31 years, Rex, along with their German Shepherd and two Yorkies. They also have two grown sons, Zach and Tanner. She’s entered more than 40 rodeos this season, a highlight among them competing in the Calgary Stampede for the first time in her career. “This was my fourth invite, but the first time I actually got to attend. The first time, I lost my horse, Short Go, right before Calgary and I didn’t have another horse to take. The last two years there were COVID limitations, so this year it was pretty cool to actually get to go.”
As the 2023 season draws to a close, Shelley is anxious to return home to Texas and pick up working with several young horses she has started. “I think I do better if I ride my own horses that I’ve trained.” Much of her focus will be on the full brother to Kiss, a three-year-old named Smooch. “He’s become very sentimental to me. Not only because he’s Kiss’s brother, but we lost my dad (Bobby Bridwell) in May, and I had half interest in him with my dad. He’s the last horse I owned with my dad.” Shelley also has a four-year-old by Streak of Fling and out of Fames Fiery Kiss (Kiss’s dam). “I’ve been really slow with him to let him develop, and I’m excited to add the speed and get him to where he can help Kiss next year.
“My next goal if I don’t make the NFR is to stay in the top 20 or 30 to enter the big winter rodeos. As long as Kiss stays feeling good, I’d like to make it to Sioux Falls (Cinch Playoffs) and continue making it to those final rodeos. I’m just taking it week by week right now. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”
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“Make a good strong impression with every first impression.”
Emily Stephens has a few hats on these days, but of those hats, shaping them is by far her favorite one to wear. She is one of the few female hat shapers in the nation. “It’s a dying art and there aren’t many of us left,” she said. She learned the art from an older gentleman that creased hats at NRS. “Tommy Bishop encouraged me to learn how to shape hats,” said the 22- year-old from Paradise, Texas. “I learned from him and others and adapted what I learned into my own style.” Here are a few of her thoughts about her passion:
- This is a true art form as it is based solely off of feel for the hat. You must have the right amount of steam in order for the fibers to loosen and then constrict as you mold the hat with your hands and the hat cools. By doing this you are locking the crease into place.
- I find that the coolest thing about shaping a hat is that no two hats are the exact same; they are fully customizable to the person that is wearing it.
- You can tell a lot about a person by the hat they wear upon their head and it never ceases to amaze me. You can generally tell what part of the country they are from, what discipline they participate in, and if you have been shaping hats for a long time you can even read the hat and tell a lot about the personality and lifestyle of the person it belongs too.
- The hat industry is booming as cowboy hats are starting to expand in to the mainstream world. I believe this is because individuals idolize the western lifestyle and believe it to be a “simpler time” even though that couldn’t be further from the truth as the western lifestyle has been built on blood, sweat, and tears. It is so amazing though to get someone fitted for their first cowboy hat and see them beam with joy.
- Cowboy hats are so special because they are with cowboys and cowgirls from all parts of the world, from sun up to sun down, carrying so many memories and stories.
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Opening Acts for Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Feature Prominent List of Performers
LAS VEGAS (August 25, 2023) – Las Vegas Events announced today the list of Opening Acts for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo®. The annual showcase is scheduled for Dec. 7-16 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Thursday, Dec. 7 – Vegas Night
Friday, Dec. 8 – Ian Munsick (also playing at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Dec. 9)
Saturday, Dec. 9 – Bryan Martin
Sunday, Dec. 10 – Kodi Lee (America’s Got Talent winner, Season 14)
Monday, Dec. 11 – Chancey Williams (also playing at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Dec. 15)
Tuesday, Dec. 12 – Drake Milligan (also playing at the Palms Casino Resort, Dec. 14)
Wednesday, Dec. 13 – Eddie Montgomery (also playing at the Golden Nugget, Dec. 15)
Thursday, Dec. 14 – Jake Worthington (also playing at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Dec. 13-14)
Friday, Dec. 15 – Lainey Wilson (also playing at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Dec. 13-16)
Saturday, Dec. 16 – Gold Night
Known as the richest and most prestigious rodeo in the world, the Wrangler NFR attracts the top 15 contestants in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding to compete for a share of the increased purse and the coveted PRCA Gold Buckle. In 2022, the event had a total attendance of 173,350 over the 10 days of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center and has sold out more than 350 consecutive performances in Las Vegas.
For more information on the Wrangler NFR, please visit NFRexperience.com or through social media at @LasVegasNFR and use #WranglerNFR. For the latest ProRodeo news and Wrangler NFR coverage, please visit prorodeo.com or through social media @PRCA_ProRodeo.
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Pozzi Tonozzi dominates at Caldwell Night Rodeo
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CALDWELL, Idaho (Aug. 19, 2023)—A barrel racer from Lampasas, Texas earned more money than any other contestant at the Caldwell Night Rodeo, and it was her second championship here. She also won in 2006.
Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi won the first round, was second in the second and the final round and earned the title in the D & B Arena with a time of 50.50 seconds on three runs. When her paychecks were added up, she left here with $10,068 riding Jets Top Gun that she calls “Benny.” She is leading the world standings and is on pace to win a third world championship.
If she does that, it will be her first since 2009. She also won a gold buckle in 2007 and will compete at her 17th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December where world titles are determined.
California’s Stan Branco is on pace to qualify for his second Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and a win in the steer wrestling at the Caldwell Night Rodeo is going to help him achieve his goal. He had a total time of 13.2 seconds on three runs to win $9,457. CNR photo by Hailey Rae.Stan Branco from Chochilla, California left here with the steer wrestling buckle. He had a total time of 13.2 seconds to win $9,457. That money will help him secure his second trip to Las Vegas for the NFR. He was there 10 years ago, and is currently inside the top 15 in the world standings that qualify at 12th. The money he earned here should move him up a spot and give him a little more breathing room.
Taylor Broussard was probably the happiest cowboy here on Saturday. He finished second in the finals but had the highest overall score of 174 points on two horses. He was the first contestant to take the victory lap in front of the “Rowdies and Civies.” Broussard is just outside of the top 15 and has ground to make up to qualify for his second NFR.
History might have been made with a husband and wife winning titles on Saturday. Shelby Boisjoli won the breakaway roping with a total time of 8.7 seconds and then got to watch her husband Haven Meged in the tie-down roping. Meged also earned the championship with a total time of 25.8 seconds.
The team roping title went to Tayler Wade from Terrell, Texas, and Wesley Thorp from Throckmorton, Texas. They had a total time of 15.7 seconds on three runs. Ryder Wright of Beaver, Utah, rode two saddle bronc horses for 176.5 points for the win.
The bull riding featured one round of competition and Dustin Donovan Bouquet from Bourg, La., held on to the top spot with 88.5 points. The all-around winner was Brush Minton from Witter Springs, Calif., who earned $&,603 in tie-down roping and steer wrestling.
Plans are underway for the 100th edition of the Caldwell Night Rodeo which will be August 13-17, 2024.
2023 Caldwell Night Rodeo Champions
Bareback—Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 174 points, $5,765
Steer Wrestling—Stan Branco, Chowchilla, Calif., 13.2 seconds, $9,457
Team Roping—Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and
Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 15.7 seconds, $9,786 each
Breakaway Roping—Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, Texas, 8.7 seconds, $6,373
Saddle Bronc Riding—Ryder Wright, Beaver, Utah, 176.5 points, $8,503
Tie-Down Roping—Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont., 25.8 seconds, $$7,525
Barrel Racing, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 50.90 seconds, $10,068
Bull Riding—Dustin Donovan Bouquet, Bourg, la., 88.5 points, $9,580
All-Around—Brush Minton, Witter Springs, Calif., $7,603 won in tie-down roping and steer wrestling
CALDWELL, Idaho (Aug. 19, 2023) — The following are unofficial results from the 99th edition of the Caldwell Night Rodeo.
Championship Night followed by overall winners–
Bareback Riding: (final round) 1, Cooper Cooke, Victor, Idaho. 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Two Buck Chuck, $1,650. 2, Taylor Broussard, Esterwood, La., 87.5, $1,250. 3, (tie) Jess Pope, Waverly, Kan., and Dean Thompson, Altamont, Utah, 86.5, $750. 5, Keenan Reed Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 85, $350. 6, Ty Pope, Marshall, Mo., 83, $250. (total on two) 1, Broussard, 174, $3473. 2, (tie) Cooke and Thompson, 173 and $2,315 each. 4, (tie) Jess Pope and Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., 169.5, $1,042. 6, (tie) Hayes, Ty Pope and Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, 168, $463.
Steer Wrestling: (final round) 1, Stan Branco, Chowchilla, Calif., 3.9 seconds. 2, Stephen Culling, Fort St. John, British Columbia, 4.0, $1,212. 3, Josh Garner, Live Oak, Calif., 4.3, $960. 4, Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev., 4.6, $708. 5, (tie) Jacob Talley, Keatchie, La., and Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore.,, 5.5, $354. (total on three) 1, Branco, 13.3, $6,060. 2, Culling, 13.5, $5,270. 3, Garner, 13.9, $4,479. 4, Eldridge, 14.4, $3,669. 5, McGinn, 14.7, $2,898. 6, Talley, 15.0, $2,108. 7, Denell Henderson, Damascus, Ark.,, 15.3, $1,317. 8, Tristan martin, Sulphur, La., 17.4, $527.
Team Roping: (final round) 1, Tanner Tomlinson, Angleton, Texas, and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texxas, 4.8, $1,225. 2, Wyatt Dalton Bray and Josh Patton, Stephenville, Texas, 5.3, $1,014. 3, (tie) Paule David Tierney, Oklahoma City, and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla.; and Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 5.6, $697. 5, Keven Daniel, Franklin, Tenn., and Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 5.7, $380. 6, Dawson and Dillon Graham, Wainwright, Alberta, 11.6, $211. (total on three) 1, Wade and Thorp, 15.7, $5,453. 2, Tomlinson and Smith, 15.9, $4,742. 3, Tierney and Braden, 16.5, $4,021. 4, Bray and Patton, 16.7, $3,319. 5, Daniel and Graves, 17.6, $2,608. 6, Graham and Graham, 23.0, $1,897. 7, Jaxson Tucker, Statesville, N.C., and Clay Futrell, Union Grove, N.C., 26.5, $1,185. 8, Cash Dury, Weimer, Texas, and Sid Sporer, Cody, Wyo., 26.5, $474.
Breakaway Roping: (final round) 1, (tie) Taylor Engesser, Spearfish, S.D., and Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, Texas, 3.0 seconds and $944 each. 3, Cheyanne Guillory, Kingston, Okla., 3.2, $677. 4, Kendal Pierson, Wardlow, Alberta, 3.5, $499. 5, Sarah Angelone, Lipan, Texas, 12.1, $321. 6, Aspen Miller, Santa Fe, Texas, 12.2, $178. (total on three) 1, Boisjoli, 8.7, $3,161. 2, Engesser, 8.8, $2,749. 3, Guillory,, 9.1, $2,336. 4, Pierson, 9.88, $1,924. 5, Angelone, 18.0, $1,512. 6, Miller, 18.20, $1,099.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (final round) 1, Ryder Wright, Beaver, Utah, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Miss Valley, 88, $1,650. 2, (tie) Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont., and Stu Wright, Coalville, Utah, 86 and $1,075 each. 4, Statler Ray Wright, Beaver, Utah, 84.5, $600. 6, Jake Watson, Hudsons Hope, British Columbia, 84, $350. 6, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 83.5, $250. (total on two) 1, Ryder Wright, 176.4, $3,639. 2, Stu Wright, 173, $2,790. 3, (tie) Brooks, Statler Wright and Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 170.5, $1,415. 6, Logan Cook, Alto, Texas, 169.5, $609. 8, (tie) Cress and Wyatt Casper, Miami, Texas, 168.5, $182.
Tie-Down Roping: (final round) 1, Haven Meged, Miles City, mont.., 7.9 secodns, $1,465. 2, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La.,, 8.9, $1,212. 3, Michael Otero, Lowndesboro, Ala., 9.0, $960. 4, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 9.1, $707. 5, Cole Eiguren, Fruitland, Idaho, 9.5, $455. 6, J.T. Adamson, Cody, Nev., 9.9, $253. (total on three) 1, Meged, 24.8, $6,060. 2, Solomon, 26.5, $5,270. 3, Hanchey, 26.9, $4,479. 4, J.T. Adamson, Cody, Nev., 27.4, $3,689. 5, Otero, 27.5, $2,898. 6, Eiguren, 28.2, $2,108. 7, Westyn hughes, Caldwell, Texas, 28.5, $1,317. 8, Chet Weitz, London, Texas, 31.4, $527.
Barrel Racing: (final round) 1, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 16.98, $1,906. 2, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 17.04, $1,430. 3, (tie) Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas, and Halyn Lide, CHINA Spring, Texas, 17.11, $715. (total on three) 1, Tonozzi, 50.80, $3,860. 2, Lide, 51.75, $3,309. 3, Smalygo, 51.83, $2,757. 4, Castleberry, 51.9, $2,389. 5, Paige Jones, Wayne, Okla., 51.92, $1,838. 6, Megan McLeod-Sprague, Marsing, Idaho, 52.00, $1,470. 7, Sissy Winn, Corpus Christi, Texas, 52.14, $1,103. 8, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 52.45. 9, Jackie Ganter, Abilene, Texas, 52.52, $551. 10, Abby Phillips, Marshall, Texas, 56.60, $368.
Bull Riding: (round 1 winners) 1, Dustin Donovan Bouquet, Bourg, La., 88.5 on Powder River Rodeo’s Boo Ray, $9,580. 2, J.B. Mauney, Stephenville, Texas, 84.5, $7,428 3, Hayes Thayne Weight, Goshen, Utah, 83, $5,584. 4, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 82, $3,740. 5, JaCauy Lathan Hale, Ganado, Ariz., 80.5, $2,152. 6, Cullen Tlefer, Plant City, Fla., 78, $1,537.
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Community Coffee: Shane Hanchey
Community Coffee has been part of Shane’s life for a few years now. “What a better fit,” he said of the partnership. “Their consumers are the western world, and we are the people they sell to.” Shane, a chef himself, loves the coffee; his favorite is the Signature Blend. Shane and his wife, Taylor, run a food trailer, Bo’s Boil n Geaux, specializing in crawfish boils, shrimp, gumbo, and all things Cajun. “We go from Stephenville to Weatherford, and Giddings.” The food trailer is a side job for now.
Shane’s fulltime job is tie down roping and he has made 13 consecutive world finals with his skills. The Sulphur, Louisiana, native started roping left handed, but switched to right handed when he was young. He played a lot of sports and didn’t get serious about roping until high school. “I realized I could make a living at this.” He went through the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association, making Nationals all four years, and winning the state twice. He went to college in 2009, making the CNFR, and earned Resistol Rookie of the Year in 2009. He made his first of 13 appearances at the Wrangler National Finals in 2010.
Shane has had his share of misfortune, missing two world championships by one tenth of a second. He has also lost two horses, one two weeks before the 2021 WNFR. He has never let any of adversity stop him. “I still battle with it every day – I still think about it; but in order to move on and keep my head up, I’ve got to be confident and trust what God has in store for me and He has a bigger plan than what you think you have.”
This year started off great. He won Greeley and has moved into the fourth position in the world for now. “I’ve been on the road since the beginning of June,” he said. “My wife is breakaway roping so we have different schedules. I get to see her, just not rodeo with her.” Shane plans to be home after Pendleton for a short time before heading out again. Shane met his wife, Taylor Jacob, through rodeo. As fate would have it, she broke down coming back from Calgary and he pulled up to help … and the rest is history. They share a love of horses, rodeo, roping, and business. She made the WNFR in 2013 and 2015. They started dating in 2015 and got married in April of 2021. They have relocated to Texas.
He knows and appreciates all of his sponsor partnerships. “If I want them to stay on my shirts I’ve got to compete at the highest level.”
The first thing that comes to his mind about future goals are more world titles. “That is obviously the first thing, but after that, we want the food trailer to be successful. We hope to have kids and I’d like to be retired from rodeo by the time I’m 40. Then I want to ride off into the sunset with no regrets.” -
CHAMPS IN ABILENE
Legendary bull rider wins Abilene, team ropers repeat as champs
Abilene, Kans. August 5, 2023 – The winningest man in bull riding history came to Abilene and won himself a check.
J.B. Mauney, of Stephenville, Texas, scored 90 points on the Andrews Rodeo Co. bull named The Kracken to walk away with the 2023 Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo title.
It was a bull that Mauney had seen at the Window Rock, Ariz. rodeo, that Cody Jesus won first place on, and he knew it was a good bull, although a small one.
“It was a little bit smaller of a bull than I like,” he said. “I have longer legs so it’s harder for me to get ahold of” small bulls. But the bull performed like Mauney expected. “He did exactly what I thought he’d do. He bucked hard.”
The 36 year old cowboy is a two-time PBR champion (2013, 2015) and has lately turned to PRCA rodeos. He sat out much of last year due to groin injuries, resulting in surgery to put a plate on the pelvis after the muscles were ripped off the bone. After rehab, Mauney returned to bull riding, but after seven bulls, he ripped the groin muscle in half again and he was out the rest of the year.
Scores of fans stood in line, waiting for the autograph of the man who is considered the best bull rider ever. Mauney complied, visiting with every fan who was in line.
In the team roping, two teams tied for the title, and one of those teams is a repeat from last year.
Header Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, and his heeler Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., along with header Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D. and his heeler Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D. both turned in times of 4.4 seconds each.
For Tierney and Braden, it was the second consecutive year to win the Abilene rodeo.
Tierney didn’t throw a very good loop, “but it ended up falling on,” he said. “I just turned my horse and let Tanner do what he does. He had to make a hand, and he did.”
Abilene is a tough rodeo to win, Braden said. The steers were evenly matched, which gave every team a good chance. And the best of the best come to Abilene. “You have the best fifty guys around, so you know you have to make a good run, and not beat yourself.”
The duo went to college together at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, where they roped together. They’ve roped together the last several years, missing making the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last year by a couple thousand dollars.
Tierney’s older brother, Jess, won the steer roping held at the rodeo on Monday, and Paul David won the all-around title, the most money won at a rodeo in two or more events. He competed in the tie-down roping as well.
Other 2023 champions include bareback rider Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas (84); steer wrestler Gus Franzen, Kearney, Neb. (84 points); breakaway roper Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Ariz. (1.9 seconds); saddle bronc rider Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La. (90.5 points); tie-down roper Riley Webb, Denton, Texas (7.8 seconds); and Jordon Briggs, Tolar, Texas (17.05 seconds).
Next year’s Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo is tentatively set for July 30-August 2, 2024.
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Jordon Briggs rounded the barrels in 17.05 seconds to win the Abilene rodeo championship. Photo by Fly Thomas.
Results, Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo – Abilene, Kansas August 1-5, 2023
All-Around champion: Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City – team roping and tie-down roping
Bareback riding champion: Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas
- Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas 84 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Cash and Carry; 2. Bill Tutor, Huntsville, Texas 83.5; 3. Gauge McBride, Kearney, Neb. 82; 4. Trent Tuten, Okeechobee, Fla. 80; 5. Quintonn Lunsford, McCune, Kan. 77; 6. Colt Eck, Redfield, Kan. 75.
Steer wrestling champion – Gus Franzen, Kearney, Neb.
- Gus Franzen, Kearney, Neb. 3.9 seconds; 2. Tyler Pearson, Atoka, Okla. 4.6; 3. Olin Hannum, Malad, Idaho 4.7; 4. (tie) Chad Van Campen, McCook, Neb., Hoyt Kraeger, Weeping Water, Neb., and Mitch Hutto, D’Hanis, Texas 4.8 each; 7. (tie) Tevin Cowan, Harrold, S.D. and Travis Munro, Townsville, Australia 4.9 each.
Breakaway roping champion – Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Ariz.
- Danielle Lowman, Gilbert, Ariz. 1.6 seconds; 2. Ashley Goforth, Azle, Texas 1.8; 3. (tie) Kelsey Domer, Dublin, Texas and Tacy Webb, Midway, Texas 1.9 each; 5. Hope Thompson, Abilene, Texas 2.0; 6. (tie) Nicole Baggarley, Las Cruces, N.M., Jordi Edens, Gatesville, Texas and Alli Masters, Leon, Iowa 2.1 each; 9. (tie) Kamie Landolfi, Ada, Okla., Morgan Kessler, Callaway, Neb., Rheagan Cotton, Fairfield, Texas and Alex Loiselle, Decatur, Texas 2.2 each.
Saddle bronc riding champion – Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La. 90.5 points
- Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La. 90.5 points on Andrews Rodeo Co.’s Cracker Jack;
Ean Price, Goodwell, Okla. 88.5; 3. Denton Ward, Goodwell, Okla. 85.5; 4. (tie) Riggin Smith, Winterset, Iowa and Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa 85 each; 6. (tie) Jake Finlay, Goondiwindi, Australia and Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D. 83 each; 8. Will Pollock, Utopia, Texas 82.5.
Tie-down roping champion – Riley Webb, Denton, Texas
- Riley Webb, Denton, Texas 7.8 seconds; 2. Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla. 8.4; 3. (tie) Kadin Boardman, Jackson, Mo. and Jax Clegg, Coweta, Okla. 9.1 each; 5. Roan Hudson, Arcadia, Fla. 9.4; 6. Nolan Richie, Bristol, S.D. and Lane Livingston, Seymour, Texas 9.5 each; 8. Pax Vogel, Mattfield Green, Kan. 9.8; 9. Logan Wiseman, Paola, Kan. 9.9; 10. (tie) Dallen McIntire, Thayer, Iowa, Colton Greene, Rock Springs, Texas, and Tom Crouse, Osage City, Kan. 10.1 each.
Team roping co-champions: Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla./Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla. and Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D./Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D.
- (tie) Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla./Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla. and Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D./Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D. 4.4 seconds each; 3. (tie) Brye Crites, Welch, Okla./Rance Doyal, Hartshorne, Okla. and Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo. 4.5 each; 5. (tie) Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Okla./Coleby Payne, Stephenville, Texas and Blake Hughes, Sulphur, Okla./Casey McCleskey, Hedley, Texas and Brent Mibb, Pryor, Okla./Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla. 4.7 each;8. (tie) Mason Appleton, Chelsea, Okla./Cooper Freeman, Carthage, Mo. and Zack Woods, Walters, Okla./Gavin Foster, Elmore City, Okla. 4.8 each; 10. Wheston Jones, Okla./Lane Reeves, Wann, Okla. 4.9.
Barrel racing champion – Jordon Briggs, Tolar, Texas
- Jordon Briggs, Tolar, Texas 17.05 seconds; 2. Rainey Skelton, Llano, Texas 17.12; 3. Hico, Texas 17.22; 4. Sara Winkelman, Big Lake, Minn. 17.27; 5. Summer Kosel, Glenham, S.D. 17.33; 6. Quincy Sullivan, Peralta, N.M. 17.46; 7. (tie) Sadie Wolaver, Weatherford, Okla., Timber Allenbrand, Paola, Kan. and Katie Sowada 17.48 each; 10. Cayla Small, Afton, Okla. 17.53; 11. Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla. 17.56; 12. (tie) (tie) Sissy Warren, Glenwood, Iowa and Nikki Singler, Ashland, Wis. and LaTricia Duke, Three Rivers, Texas and Jamie Olsen 17.59 each.
Bull riding champion – JB Mauney, Stephenville, Texas 90
- JB Mauney, Stephenville, Texas 90 points on Andrews Rodeo Co.’s The Kracken 2. Braden Richardson, Jasper, Texas 88.5; 3. Hudson Williams, Midlothian, Texas 86; 4. Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas 84.5.
Steer roping champion – Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D.
First round: 1. Brian Garr, 11.9 seconds; 2. Cody Lee 12.0; 3. (tie) Trenton Johnson and Trey Wallace, 12.7 each; 5. Brodie Poppino, 13.2; 6. Jess Tierney 13.3
Second round: 1. Jess Tierney 9.6; 2. (tie) Brodie Poppino and Slade Wood, 10.6; 4. Tanner Stec 11.1; 5. Billy Good 11.2; 6. Coleman Proctor, 11.3.
Third round: 1. Scott Snedecor 9.1; 2. Cole Patterson 9.4; 3. Rocky Patterson 10.1; 4. Kyle Cauthorn 10.2; 5. Matt Phipps 10.8; 6. J. Tom Fisher 10.9.
Average: 1. Jess Tierney 30.0 seconds on three head; 2. Brodie Poppino 35.1; 3. Cody Lee 36.9; 4. Martin Poindexter 43.4; 5. Brian Garr 53.1; 6. Cole Patterson 21.2 on two head.
** All results are unofficial. For more information, visit WildBillHickokRodeo.com.
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Team Cavender’s Cooper Lane
“I remember thinking, they’re all winners in and outside of the arena, I want to be a part of that team.”
Cooper Lane was four years old when he entered his first rodeo and would never have imagined how that entry would shape the direction of his life. The 17-year-old saddle bronc rider from Keller, Texas caught the rodeo bug watching his older cousin’s rodeo when he was just a tiny little boy. His uncle Justin Lane, who spent 15 years as a PRCA saddle bronc rider and finished 16th in year-end standings twice, encouraged his parents to let him enter the mutton busting at a PBR in Fort Worth. Cooper fell in love with bucking stock that day and rode his way to the finals in the short round that night at AT&T Stadium, where he was inspired by the pro guys and bucking bulls under the bright lights. Then when Cooper was in eighth grade and he met athletes from Team Cavender’s, he had a similar feeling, “I remember thinking, they’re all winners in and outside of the arena, I want to be a part of that team.” He wondered if he had what it took to be a part of the team, a question that was later answered in his favor. Now as a member of Team Cavender’s, he hopes other kids are looking up to this team just the same, “they’re a great group of people and winners, I like being a part of that culture.” His strong faith is what keeps him moving forward, “I want to be on the big stages for God’s glory, not my own… I’ve been putting God first and letting everything work out, and it’s been going pretty good lately.”
Cooper comes from a long line of rodeo athletes, and his parents are behind everything he does. His dad, Brent, has been behind the chutes with him at every rodeo since he was four, and his mother, Pam, “is a firecracker who either gives him a hug when he needs it, but also scares him a little bit.” His uncle helps and coaches him every chance he gets, but “Cooper did most of the work,” Justin said, “I think rodeoing in general teaches kids work ethic,” which is why he encouraged Cooper to rodeo from a young age. Cooper started his rough-stock career like many, riding sheep, calves and steers. Once he started junior high rodeo, he rode bareback and saddle bronc steers but only continued with saddle bronc when he entered high school. “It was always my dream to carry on the family tradition.”
There is not much Cooper does that doesn’t revolve around rodeo. However, he plays safety for his high school’s football team during the school year. As he begins his senior year and looks to the future, he plans to rodeo in college while majoring in business and working hard to win a college rodeo title. He looks up to Brody Cress, a six-time NFR saddle bronc qualifier and three-time average winner, for his professionalism in all aspects of life. Brody and his entire family are close family friends, and he’s inspired by the way Brody prioritizes his athletic ability and put his college degree to use with his business, “Level Up Wellness” which aims to help people better themselves and reach their full potential.
Cooper’s favorite part about being on the road to rodeos, aside from the passenger side naps, “even if it’s a 15-minute drive, I’ll probably sleep for 10,” is getting to experience a life with his buddies that most teenagers could only dream of. They make the most of everything together, from jumping in rivers, picking up friends along the highway, unsuccessfully dodging deer on the road, to showing up just in time for the evening performance after a long day of driving. At his first National High School Rodeo Finals last year, he ended third in the average, but this year found himself fifth at the Texas High School finals, one spot out of a second nationals’ qualification, which has made him hungrier for this sport. He will tell anyone that his biggest challenge in rodeo is getting in his head, “I overthink every little aspect,” which is why he likes hauling with his good friends and members of Team Cavender’s, John Crimber, Jase Stout, and Ethan Winkler who encourage him to keep things simple and striving for his dreams. -
On The Trail with Wacey Schalla
[ “I try to not over think it too much. I stay pretty mentally focused. I don’t let things distract me a whole lot.” ]
He’s racking up titles, stacking up prizes, pocketing checks while keeping his eyes focused on the future with the same determination he has when he nods his head in the chute. Wacey Schalla, 17, is no stranger to competition and for most his life has been no stranger to the top of the results board.
The talented “roughie” from Arapaho, Okla., won the 2023 National High School Rodeo Finals All Around and Bull Riding championships in Gillette on a recent Saturday night. By Wednesday he was back in Oklahoma at the Lazy E ready to ride to defend his title as the World Champion Junior Bull Riding Champion.
If there is an argument about whether champions are born or made, Wacey might tilt the scale to the “made” side of things. But his journey to this point is a map of just how that happens with what family friend and mentor World Champion Bull Rider Cody Custer describes as “overly committed to discipline.”
“In my mind, work ethic outweighs talent every time,” said Cody. “Wacey’s goal is to make a living riding bulls. Even when he was really little, if he didn’t ride well, he’d set out to do something about it.”
Wacey grew up at the bucking chutes with his dad, rough stocker/saddle bronc rider Luke Schalla. He soon had his own gear and was riding sheep, calves, steers and finally junior bulls. Luke and Wacey shared a moment at the NHSRF while touring the memorabilia set out for the 75th Anniversary of Nationals when they located photos of Luke with the New Mexico team in 1996. What did Wacey think about that? “He thought I was old,” laughed Luke.
Luke’s New Mexico rodeo roots and best friends are one of the reasons Wacey ended up rodeoing in New Mexico this past year. “My parents are still in Chama, NM with their Guide and Outfitting business,” explained Luke. “Our daughter Madison is a PRCA Specialty Act trick rider and was contracted to the NM State Fair Rodeo last fall and so we were going to be in the state a lot. And all my friends that I used to rodeo with now have kids that high school rodeo in New Mexico. Wacey is homeschooled so it just seemed like it might be a fun year to put together.”
After spending his junior high through sophomore years rodeoing in Oklahoma, qualifying for Nationals every year in one or more rough stock event, Wacey packed his gear bag as a junior and came to New Mexico. With some extra travel time, he made it to all the rodeos, even flying into one that conflicted with him competing at a Stetson Wright Invitational. Wacey’s mom Nikki recalls, “It was a crazy trip of getting from Utah to Durango, and then rolling into the rodeo in Farmington an hour before it started. But he won both the Saddle Broncs and the Bulls that day.”
Wacey finished the season with state Bull Riding and Bareback titles and third in the Saddle Bronc Riding. He proudly joined Team New Mexico in Gillette competing in all three rough stock events, placing in Barebacks and Bulls and earning the 2023 NHSRF Bull Riding and All-Around titles.
“It was pretty neat,” he said. “Very first day of the NHSRF, I won the first perf in the Bareback Riding (80.5 points) and I didn’t really expect it to hold, but it did. I had to wait three days to know that, but the next day I got on my Saddle Bronc horse and I missed him out, probably to make the short round. That Wednesday I got on my first bull, he wasn’t too good, I was only 62 points. And so I didn’t expect to win the Bull Riding but it all kind of worked out.”
Even with three events, Wacey says his process behind the chutes is pretty simple. “I try to not over think it too much. I stay pretty mentally focused. I don’t let things distract me a whole lot.” Other than that, Wacey says he’s pretty particular about his gear being in order and likes to keep his ropes and gloves pretty new.
Wacey’s recall of his week-long climb to the NHSRF championship was fairly clinical considering the actual mechanics of any successful rough stock ride, let alone the grueling mental and physical toll of three events. Both titles came down to Wacey’s last bull ride in the short go. “I knew I couldn’t have drawn better,” Wacey recalled. “Grady Young won the short round the year before on that bull. Everybody wants to draw him. I knew what he was, and I was pretty confident I’d get him rode.” A jumping hard right spin in the gate and 86 points later, Wacey owned the short-round and the 2023 title.
Cody Custer summed it up. “Fast forward to today and he’s graduated from high school early, he’s committed to a year of college at Clarendon and the day he turns 18 this November, he’ll have his PRCA permit and be on this way. The difference with Wacey is his discipline. I continually at schools use him as an illustration.”
Wacey concurs. “I’m buying my permit as quick as I can and hopefully go to the NFR in 2024. So that’s my plan.’ Recognizing that he will also be college rodeoing he adds, “It’d be pretty awesome to make the College Nationals the same year.”
When Wacey’s not shoving his hand in a bull rope or getting set to nod from the back of a horse, his main entertainment he says is “Cowboy Channel on the road. That’s about it. I try to keep up with some of my good friends like Justin Woodard (top-ranked PRCA Rookie bullrider). He came by the NHSFR twice to watch me ride.”
If he was in a situation to pick just one event, Wacey is quick to say he’d be pretty crazy not to stick with the bull riding, although stacked up against the bareback riding, he says he enjoys them equally. He just started riding saddle bronc horse this past year. “He was small and just not ready for them, so we waited.” Said his dad. “But he’s coming along.”
In the background and working toward a tomorrow he cannot yet see, entrepreneur Wacey has his own bucking bull business. “I mostly have a bunch of 2-year-olds that I buy and sell,” he said. “I have a few cows and I raise a few calves every year. I want to get where I have my own rodeo company and bucking bulls, that would be pretty neat. As of now, if I have a good bull. I end up selling him.”
Wacey told of a recent success with a young bull that was given to him. “He was not outstanding at all. He was a psychopath; he’d flip over in the chutes and he wouldn’t eat. My dad and I took him over, we bucked him for a while, and he got pretty crazy again. He didn’t like anybody, was real hooky. So we just fed him and he grew up and a couple years later he became pretty much our family pet. He got really big and we were hauling him to some junior rodeos. He was never getting rode, so we decided it was probably best for him to go and do better things. I ended up selling him to Chad Berger. First time out, Chad hauled him to a PBR event and he bucked off the number one guy in the world. That was kinda neat.”
Wacey is quick with recognizing his dad Luke and Cody Custer as his heroes, his mentors. He also says Clay Taylor has been extremely important to him since started getting on bulls at the age of 13. His sponsors are Taylors Rafter C Cattle and Vexil.
By all accounts, Wacey likes to fly under the radar in his quiet confidence and not draw attention to himself. He also has been described as “a really good human being.” None of those things will hinder his success, although Cody laughingly said, “Getting this guy to do interviews is like trying to get him to talk to a group of pretty girls but he better get used to both.”