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  • Kenyon finds home in Gooding

    Kenyon finds home in Gooding

    Well-known announcer has a great history with well-known Idaho rodeo

    GOODING, Idaho – Steve Kenyon is from Oregon, lives in Texas and makes Gooding his home for about a week every August.

    It’s a great place to be for a man with one of the most recognized voices in rodeo. Now in his 21st year announcing the Gooding Pro Rodeo, Kenyon looks forward to his annual visit.

    “When I first started going to that rodeo, it was just a small-town rodeo,” he said. “Every year, Don Gill does the right things to make that rodeo better, little things, little improvements. When he got to the point where me showing up with a sound system wasn’t adequate, he hired Jill (Franzen) Loden.”

    Loden has been handling sound at rodeos for better than a decade, and she’s a two-time winner of the Music Director of the Year. Some of that is because of the work she does at the Gooding Pro Rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 18-Saturday, Aug. 20, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 17. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena.

    “In my opinion, hiring Jill was the single best thing Don’s done,” Kenyon said of Gill, the fair and rodeo’s manager. “The electricity and energy that she provides in that place is just unbelievable.”

    The rodeo has been nominated for the PRCA’s Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year and is often recognized for its rambunctious crowd.

    “For a small town and a small county – the city has about 3,000 people and the county has roughly 15,000 people – this is a big-money added rodeo,” Kenyon said. “That rodeo adds equal money in breakaway roping.

    “It attracts every single big name in rodeo. A lot of the guys have gotten to be known in the community by doing little things like going down to the local Stampede Burger and signing the wall and doing things around the community like that.”

    What makes a great rodeo? World-class competition is a good start, and Gooding has that. There also has to be a level of entertainment, and organizers and volunteers work to make sure that happens. They want everyone involved to get the most bang for their entertainment dollars.

    Kenyon has experienced that over the last two decades, all while watching the Gooding Pro Rodeo blossom into the spectacle it is today.

    “This is one of the most unique rodeos in the PRCA,” he said. “It’s not just the contestants; we get the top 15 in each event. It’s not just because of the stock; we bring in three of the premier stock contractors in ProRodeo with Summit, Korkow and Mazca.

    “It’s because of that crowd. That crowd is incredible. I don’t know if it’s legal or sanitary, but there’s a little group that sits in that spot where the contestants know. A guy could jump out and ride for 85 or 90 points or a guy could have an ugly dismount and be 72 points, and they’ll hold up the sign that says ‘Beer Worthy,’ and guys are trotting over there to get a free chug.”

    It just adds to the experience.

    “The people in Gooding have so much fun, and they are so into this event,” Kenyon said. “The rodeo is a major part of the little fair in Gooding. I think the rodeo has become the major identifying factor of the community.”

    That says something about the residents and about the town’s rodeo. Cowboys from all across the country will make sure to put their names in the hat to compete in Gooding.

    “I hear it all the time: ‘I’m not going to miss Gooding,’ ” Kenyon said. “The contestants like Gooding. They like the fact that they have great contestant hospitality and the caliber of stock that Gooding gets. They don’t have a concern over the arena or ground conditions.

    “The people in Gooding put on a first-class event. The rodeo is almost on a National Finals Rodeo level when it comes to livestock. So much of what is done in Gooding is to make it a top-flight production, and the contestants can win some good money and have fun.”

    When it comes to the Gooding Pro Rodeo, the sentiment from one person to another seems to be the same.

    “That crowd makes it the most entertaining few days of rodeo you’ll ever experience in your life,” Kenyon said.

     

  • Childhood Years of Karen Vold

    Childhood Years of Karen Vold

    Edited by Lilian Landreth

    A note from the editor: Karen Vold has played an integral part in Vold Rodeo Company since her marriage to Harry Vold, whom she met through her trick riding career. Karen continues to run the school she founded, Red Top Ranch Trick Riding School in Boone, Colorado, where she also shares life lessons with her students. Rodeo News is honored to share these lessons through Karen’s testimony, told in her own words. This is a multi-part series that will conclude in the December issue.

     

    Most people don’t want to share unpleasant things about their past as they try to forget them, myself included. But at this stage in life when I have passed more than three-quarters of a century, I have reflected on how God has blessed me and brought me through stressful times, and want to express my gratitude to Him.
    In wondering why I’ve had to go through those times and what purpose they might have served, I’ve come to several conclusions. Maybe it was so I could better understand and have more compassion for others going through similar problems now or in the future. Others may find encouragement in knowing they aren’t the only ones who have gone through, or are currently going through, tough times.
    At this stage of my life, I can’t do the work I used to, but I can still serve the Lord by sharing my testimony and I owe Him that.
    Many people think because I was married to Harry Vold that my life has always been easy and glamorous. So please allow me to share the rest of the story! The Lord has dealt with me on the subject of forgiveness for many years.
    Mother came from a large family. She married my dad at 16. He was twice her age. I was born in 1939 and was the oldest of three children. She used to lay me on the kitchen counter to wash my hair in the sink and taught me to recite poems, and taught me how to act growing up; not to smoke or drink, even if you are the only one in a crowd. I’ve heard that many of the characteristics for life are formed by age six. Our parents drove my sister and I to Sunday School when we were young but they didn’t attend themselves.
    The last place we lived, before my parents were divorced when I was eight, was 66 acres of commercial citrus. We ran a riding stable on one end next to the Arizona Canal and on the other side of the house was desert as far as you could see. Years later it was sold and Sunnyslope High School was built on it.
    My dad belonged to the Phoenix Jaycees who put the Phoenix Rodeo on every March. He was the only man who was chairman more than one year because he kept it going during World War II. He hired the clowns, announcer, acts, stock contractor, etc., and they would come to our house for a dinner each year. I decided early in life I wanted to be a trick rider when I saw them perform and listened to their stories. The wives of the Jaycees had their own organization called the Dudettes. I was their mascot as a young girl.
    After my parents divorced, my mom’s sister—widowed when her twin daughters were five—came to live in a second house on our property. The twins and I were 19 days apart in age. One day when we were eight and our moms were gone to the store, we found some of their cigarettes and wanted to see what smoking was like. We went into a small bathroom and shut the door. There were no windows or vents, and I got sick and never smoked again. I couldn’t even stand the smell of smoke in a room. I was grateful when they passed the laws prohibiting smoking in public places.
    My mother told me that alcohol was the reason for their divorce, so I never drank because I was so bitter towards alcohol since that’s what caused my dad to leave. My sister came to visit me at the ranch years later in 2017. She had been close to our mother and her sisters. My sister told me that actually, our mother had fallen for Jack, the dance instructor the Dudettes had hired to teach them a dance for a big show they put on to raise money. Mother divorced our dad and married Jack. We moved to Los Angeles for one year and then back to our house in Phoenix with Bruce moving in with us. I hated L.A., except for the Rose Bowl Parade, as there were no horses and no dad. Bruce was the stepfather’s boyfriend. We kids were told we had to call him “Uncle Bruce”. I hated both him and the stepfather. Those were two very unhappy years for me. After my mom had a baby, Jack left with his boyfriend Bruce.
    After my folks had divorced, the barrel clown, Jasbo Fulkerson—who my dad had hired to come to Phoenix and was a dear friend—was killed in a truck accident. My dad was built like Jasbo, and Jasbo had taught him how to dive in the barrel headfirst and come up. So Dad gave up his construction business, took Jasbo’s place, and went on the road for six years with his bullfighting partner George Mills.
    Dad had given Mom all the property in the divorce. When I was 10 and still upset over the divorce, Dad talked Mom into splitting the cost and bought me a horse and trick riding saddle. Dad got the horse from a lady he had hired at Phoenix. He was part of a Roman riding act that jumped a convertible. She also broke horses for trick riding. She sold the horse because he had refused to jump several times. Until then I had learned to trick ride on a palomino owned by a lady that worked for us at the riding stable, Louise Tex Lee. She taught me the three tricks she knew and I practiced all up and down the canal bank.
    I spent lots of time in the summer sleeping in the barn with my horse, Gold Dust. I spent long rides on my horse praying to God. I didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus at that time but the Lord looked after me and allowed me to pursue my dream.
    The next husband my mother married was Hank. He was loud and foul mouthed and had served time in prison for raping an airline stewardess. There was lots of drinking, and wild parties. When I reminded my mom of what she had taught me, she said she was, “older and wiser now”. Hank had a bedridden son who my mother took care of until he died, as his mom didn’t want him. I truly hated that stepfather and wanted to go live with my dad, who had remarried and settled on Central Avenue in Phoenix. The city bus I rode to school went right past his house. He encouraged me to just get off the bus at his house regularly, and maybe they would get tired of coming after me and let me go live with him.
    Finally, they decided I needed to go see a psychologist because I kept running away. The lady doctor told me when I was in the room alone with her that after meeting and talking with my mom and stepfather, she already thought I should go live with my dad. I went to high school while living with my dad and his wife. There was a church within walking distance from their house. It was a square dance barn building where they danced on Saturday nights. Then the church would set up chairs and have a service on Sundays. The church finally bought it and my sister and I were the first ones baptized in their new baptistery. I loved the church, pastor, and people, and went to their Bible camp in Prescott every summer. My senior year at camp we were asked to step in the circle or raise your hand if you wanted to serve Jesus. I now had a relationship with Jesus and knew He was God’s Son and died on the cross for my sins, and had invited Him into my heart. But I still thought that to serve Him, you had to become a missionary and go to South Africa! I was going to be a trick rider. That was my heart’s desire and nothing was going to sidetrack that dream. I felt guilty but could not raise my hand. Little did I imagine that some 30 years later, I could serve the Lord through the avenue of a trick riding school in my own back yard, and not have to go to South Africa.
    One of the highlights of my teen years, after I got to go live with my dad, was being hired to trick ride in my first professional rodeo in Phoenix at age 14, with my dad clowning his last time at Phoenix before he retired.
    In my senior year of high school, my dad built a motel in Yuma, Arizona. He wanted me to move with him, but I didn’t want to move. I was involved in many activities and sports and wanted to graduate where I had gone all four years. He said if I didn’t go, I’d have to move back in with my mother. Instead, I went to live with my mom’s youngest sister and her family. They had two young daughters and I helped look after them. About a month before graduation, my mother and Hank had a 2-year-old baby drown in their swimming pool. My sister, who was crazy about the baby, and my mom were so upset that my aunt thought I should go and help them for a spell. Each time I tried to go back to my aunt’s, both my mother and sister cried and begged me to stay, so I did until I graduated.
    On the 25th anniversary of the Christian Church I had joined in high school, they wanted me to come back since I was the first one baptized in the church. The Lord had been dealing with me on the subject of forgiveness and literally saying I needed to put action to the subject. So while I went to the anniversary celebration, I also asked my stepmother to forgive me then got the phone number from my mom for the 2nd stepfather I was bitter toward. I never could reach him till the last night before I left Phoenix. Hank owned a bar and for some reason unknown to him he came home early that night and was sitting in his living room. He had remarried and his wife was gone to Oklahoma to visit relatives. I had been having supper at a cousin’s house and was ready to drive back across town to my dad’s in Scottsdale. Since I couldn’t get a hold of Hank I was hoping maybe since I had tried that would be good enough and anyway I was tired and thought he probably lived on the opposite side of town. I tried one more call and he answered! I asked to see him and he asked if my mom was okay. She had become afraid of him when she ended their marriage but he was grateful for her taking care of his youngest son from a previous marriage for so long. He gave me his address and it turned out to be right on the way to my dad’s. When I got there I told him that I had hated him for over 25 years. I asked for his forgiveness as well as forgiving him. He said he didn’t know I had ever felt like that. When he spoke he sounded like a croaking frog! When I walked out of that house, I felt like the weight of a house was lifted off my shoulders. 2 months later I heard he died of throat cancer. I thank God for allowing that meeting so I could be rid of my unhealthy hatred for so many years.
    A lesson learned: Nursing a grudge for a past wrong is like allowing the perpetrator to hold us hostage. We only continue to hurt ourselves. Jesus wants us to live in freedom from anger, bitterness, and resentment. Even if the person who hurts us never apologizes or admits the offense, we can learn to forgive and free our souls by seeking help from the One who has forgiven us. Once we let go of old grievances, we can fully embrace the new life that Christ wants us to have!

  • Empty Saddles: Jerrold A. Phillips

    Empty Saddles: Jerrold A. Phillips

    Jerrold A. Phillips, 77, of Nunn; died Sunday June 26, 2022, in Wellington, Colorado.
    He was born January 8, 1945, to Jack A. Phillips and Mildred A. Phillips in Greeley, Colorado.
    On June 16, 1972, he married the love of his life, Kathey Graham (Phillips) at the Justice of the Peace in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
    Jerry attended Nunn Centralized High School in Nunn, Colorado and received his diploma in 1963. On June 22, 1966, Jerry was drafted by the U.S. Army where he was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for Basic Training for the Infantry division. He served in Vietnam and later become a Sniper for the U.S. Army.
    He stayed in the Eastern Colorado area and worked for Monfort Feedlots for nineteen years. After leaving, him, his wife and kids decided to move to Northern Colorado where he become a Ranch Manager for eleven years. Jerry enjoyed spending his time on the ranch with his family, riding and training horses, camping, hunting, fishing, and roping.
    Survivors are his son, T.J. Phillips and his wife Jamie Phillips of Wellington, Colorado, a daughter Nikki Gomez and her husband Jose Gomez of Wenatchee, Washington. Two grandsons, JakotaPaul and Brance and one granddaughter, Breslin.
    He was preceded in death by his dad, Jack Phillips; his mom Mildred Phillips, his older sister Sonia Hutchinson; his beautiful wife Kathey Phillips; his oldest son, Randy Phillips; and his second oldest son, Shawn Phillips.
    Services will be at 2:00 p.m. Saturday July 9th at Sweetwater Ranch in Wellington, Colorado.
    He was loved by so many, and he will be missed.

  • Corah Brunson Presented By Shorty’s Caboy Hattery

    Corah Brunson Presented By Shorty’s Caboy Hattery

    Corah Brunson from Terry, Mississippi, is the 2022 Little Wrangler All Around Champion for the National Little Britches. The 9-year-old is also the 2022 Goat Untying and Barrel Racing Champion. Corah came back to Shorty’s Short Go in all four of her events: flag race, goat untying, barrel racing, and pole bending. Corah, sporting her blue hat, is easily recognized in the arena, and plans to continue that by ordering a red hat from Shorty’s as part of her prize line from the Finals. She will add Resistol hats, Yeti coolers, and 4 saddles, along with a truckload of other prizes. “I have never won anything like this,” she said. “This makes me want to work harder so I can win something like this again.”
    Corah has been riding since she was 18 months old. “I was trying to sell a horse and put her on a pony for three hours while they videoed the horse. She didn’t want off,” said her mother, Joy. “She was loping on a horse by herself without straps by the time she was two.” Corah comes from a fourth-generation rodeo family. Her parents, Joy and Wes, competed through high school and college. Joy made the state and national finals in Florida, competing in barrels and poles, and now trains barrel horses. Wes won a world title as a calf roper and competed in that as well as team roping and steer wrestling in college. Both her grandfathers are quick to help her practice and between both families, she is kept well mounted. “She works her tail off. She is at one of her grandparent’s place every night and every weekend we are at an event.” She has four cousins that often go every weekend with her. One of those cousins, Clarke Gordon, was the 2020 National Little Britches header in the Senior division.
    “Once I get on a horse, it makes me feel like all the pressure goes away,” said Corah. “It just clears my mind.” She brought five horses to the NLBRA finals, which included her brother’s (Wayne – 12) horse that he breakaway roped on at the Finals. Her favorite horse is her pole horse. Bigelow has been with her since she was three and her Daddy won a truck roping on him. “We’ve had a long time to connect, and he does the pole bending and the flag racing. This year I’ve worked hard at it and now I’m good at it.” Her work included “going slow a whole bunch of times and then going fast.”
    She had a lot of fun at the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo held at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla. “I went on the water slide and we got on our horses and played around on them, going trail riding and just sitting on them and talking.” They also went to Oklahoma City for a back number scavenger hunt in the old Stock Yards. They went to all the stores that participated and they had prizes for them. This is her fourth trip to the Finals and she ended her last year as a Little Wrangler in style.
    She moves up to the Junior Division next year and will add ribbon roping, team roping, goat tying, trail class and breakaway to her event roster. “I’m quitting goat untying and flag racing,” she said. “My favorite event is barrel racing – my parents give me good horses to do it and the time to practice it better.”
    She likes Little Britches. “It’s where all my friends are and I feel very honest when I’m there.” She hopes to be a horse trainer when she grows up, following in the footprints of her parents and grandparents.

  • Momma’s Message: Built to Last

    Momma’s Message: Built to Last

    “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
    Matthew 7:24-27
    What happened to building things that last? Everyone wants to point fingers at so many different things that are causing the many issues of the world today instead of looking at what’s happening in the home. Why are there so many shootings? Why is everyone so on edge or depressed? Why is there so much anger and hate?
    If you build a broken home, the world will be full of broken people. If you do not build your house on God’s word, and have him as your rock, you will crash. We need to go back to finding our answers in the Bible, not Google. We need to fight like crazy to keep our marriages together, instead of splitting so easily. According to a recent study, a total of about 12.7 million children under the age of 18 in the United States are being raised without a father.
    Society is filled with so many distractions and discouraging news that saturates our daily lives through social media, television, and countless other platforms. Screen time isn’t censored, violent video games are being played by kids way too young to be playing them, television is filled with trash, and much of the music is garbage with cussing and inappropriate, disrespectful behavior that many children are listening to.
    Our children are counting on us, and it is our job to raise them up to be kind-hearted, well-mannered humans. It’s not up to the Hollywood elites, a political party, or outside influences, it’s what happens in the home that is the most important. Showing love and affection for your spouse, playing with your children, taking the time to play games, read books, and have one-on-one time with them, playing outside, and just letting kids be kids should be our top priority.
    We need to protect our kids from the negative influences, and take our jobs seriously. It is up to us to build them a strong, unwavering foundation. I saw a recent quote that said, “If I could give my children three things, it would be the strength to follow their passion, the confidence to always know their self-worth, and the ability to know how deeply and truly loved they are.
    We must build a foundation that lasts for our children. We must be their role models, and set a good example for them to follow. We need to be their positive voice, and feed them encouragement daily. A simple, but powerful quote says, “The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.”
    Your house that you build needs a sturdy interior structure built on a firm foundation. That foundation needs to be concrete, your cement in life. God is that concrete, and his word is the cement. As for the house beams, they need to be solid.
    Picture a small framed house with the concrete poured for the foundation, the Lord’s Word for the foundation, and there are four beams that support your roof, they are the emotional beam, the spiritual beam, the physical beam, and the mental beam. Those beams must work together to keep the structure of the house solid.
    As for the shingles on the roof of the house, those are the everyday tasks that must be completed. The little things that you must do and maintain in order for the house to not have a leaky roof that leads to damage, and if not taken care of or fixed, will make it crumble and fall.
    Build a home that will last. You have to maintain your internal being to be able to be the best version of yourself for your children and the world to see, and you must build your family’s home on the rock, on God’s Word, so that no matter what storms your house must endure, it will remain standing firm on it’s foundation.
    “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

  • Karen Vold

    Karen Vold

    Karen Vold calls trick riding the desire of her heart. But the sport of daredevil skills and showmanship on horseback was even more than that to Karen, who held on to it like a lifeline through turbulent times in life. She learned to know and trust God through her experiences on the rodeo trail, and now has the privilege of sharing lessons learned through her trick riding school, Red Top Ranch Trick Riding School. “Because of rodeo, I’ve had a very wonderful life,” says Karen. “I started out with not such a great youth, but as I got older and got into trick riding, it got better. I thank God to not only trick ride, but to be in rodeo, where I met my husband.”
    Before Karen became Karen Vold, wife of the late, legendary stock contractor, Harry Vold, she was already leading a life heavily steeped in rodeo. “Dad (Andy Womack) was the only person at the Phoenix Rodeo who was chairman more than one year during the war, and he hired the announcers and clowns and specialty acts. They would come to our house and have dinner, and I was so enthralled with the trick riders and listening to their stories. So at a very young and tender age, I decided to be a trick rider.” When she was about eight years old, Karen learned to trick ride from Louise Tex Lee, a woman trick rider who worked at the Womack family’s riding stable in Phoenix. Later, Karen’s parents purchased a palomino, Gold Dust, from a trick rider who worked the Phoenix Rodeo, and he became Karen’s bosom friend and trick horse during her parents’ divorce. Louise had taught Karen three tricks that she knew, and when Karen got her PRCA card in 1953 at age 14, the Phoenix Jaycee Rodeo was the first PRCA rodeo she worked. Her dad also worked as the clown that year.
    When Karen was 18 and a senior in high school, her dad paid for her to have lessons with the world champion trick rider Dick Griffith at his ranch in Colorado, provided she learn the full shoulder stand the way Dick performed it. It was a more complicated stand that faced forward and required diving over the saddle horn, rather than the side shoulder stand. “I did learn that for my dad, and always did that particular trick as an honor to him,” says Karen. The following year in 1958, Karen took a hiatus from trick riding when she was crowned the Phoenix Jaycee Rodeo queen. Through them, she represented her home state as the first Miss Rodeo Arizona at the Miss Rodeo America pageant. “It added some very lovely adventures to my life and wonderful memories. There used to be a program called Queen for a Day, and they took me to California and I was on TV. I invited their program to the Phoenix Rodeo. At the Miss Rodeo America pageant, there were a lot of interesting things for a young girl to do and see. Jane Russell, who was a very popular actress in those days, was one of the judges. Arlene Kensinger was the chaperone for Miss Rodeo America for many years, and she taught me a lot of things that were helpful.”
    Karen returned to trick riding in 1959, and in 1962, she formed her own troupe, The Flying Cimarrons, who performed together for a few years before disbanding. Not long after that, Karen and Dick Hammond, a fellow student she met at Dick Griffith’s school, formed The Fireballs trick riding team, together with Dick Hammond’s wife, Bev, and brother-in-law, Butch Morgan. Karen still lived in Phoenix at the time, and the other members of the team, who lived in Colorado, came to practice at her place in the winter. They met Canadian stock contractor Harry Vold at the rodeo convention in Denver, and he asked them to come perform at several of his rodeos in Canada. “The first rodeo, it rained three days and three nights—I’d never seen so much water in my life. The rodeo was canceled, and we were so impressed that Harry paid us, even though he didn’t get paid for the rodeo.”
    The Fireballs were invited back to Canada the following summer, which further developed Karen and Harry’s friendship. They married in 1972, combining their families, including Karen’s daughter from her first marriage, Nancy, and Harry’s four children, Wayne, Dona, Doug, and Darce. Harry and Karen were also blessed with their daughter, Kirsten. Once Karen married Harry, she put trick riding aside to help run Vold Rodeo Company. Her knowledge of rodeo showmanship and attention to detail helped continue Vold Rodeo’s reputation, which earned Harry Vold the PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year award 11 times. One of many highlights for Karen was Vold Rodeo Company working in Helsinki, Finland, at the invitation of bull rider turned rodeo producer, Jerome Robinson. “I’ve had lots of favorite rodeos for different reasons. Naturally in trick riding, you love the big arenas. For Santa Fe and Colorado Springs, this is our 55th consecutive year putting those rodeos on, and Prescott is 50 years and we’re still putting it on. My daughter Kirsten is still in charge. First I was the stock contractor’s wife, and now I’m the stock contractor’s mother. Those places are special because you see the same people once a year like a family reunion, and the people make the difference.”
    Karen makes her home in Avondale, Colorado, and travels with Kirsten in the summers to the rodeos they’re producing. She also continues to run Red Top Ranch Trick Riding School, one of the few trick riding schools in the country, which she started in 1988. At 83, she teaches alongside Linda Scholtz, a former student of hers who was a professional trick rider for 20 years before coming to teach at the school. Karen also handles much of the cooking for the three-day schools and the rodeo crews coming through for Vold Rodeo Company.
    One very special person to Karen was her trick riding hero, Tad Lucas, whom she met when the women were both inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1978. Karen made another friend in author Tracie Peterson, who came to the trick riding school to research the sport for one of her historical fiction novels. “She’s a very famous author and has written over 100 books. I wrote two cookbooks and took a year for writing each,” Karen says with a laugh. “Those are the types of experiences I wouldn’t have had without trick riding or rodeo. When I was in high school, I went to a church camp in Prescott and I thought if I wanted to serve the Lord, I had to go to South Africa. Little did I realize that I could still serve the Lord in my backyard by teaching and having those schools. I can share what the Lord has done in my life with students and their parents. I enjoyed 53 years shared with my husband, providing wholesome family entertainment in rodeo business, and got to perform in trick riding. When you’re teaching, you feel the same thing you experienced when you were riding, and when a student is working hard on something and accomplishes it, you feel same excitement.”

  • Back When They Bucked with Dan Ariaz

    Back When They Bucked with Dan Ariaz

    Story by Dan Ariaz

    It’s a marvel a career in fighting bulls would lead to a career in fighting the most dangerous insect on earth. The feared mosquito infects hundreds of millions of humans worldwide and kills millions a year. When the bucking chute opened, a door to save millions opened with it for Dan Ariaz. Although a massively muscled, enraged bucking bull was dangerous enough for the bullfighter, Dan, the tiny, biting mosquito offered him a more daunting challenge. Malaria, Bubonic Plague, Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, Yellow Fever, Encephalitis, Lyme Disease, Chikungunya, Zika, and Bluetongue in livestock and deer herds, are just a few of the diseases that ravage our populations. As he grew up to be a man, Dan’s knowledge of such diseases grew too. Dan was to devote his life into combating disease-carrying mosquitos.
    A man from humble roots, Dan was introduced to the ranch life in 1958 when his stepfather, Don Bowman, moved the family from Los Angeles to Smokey Valley, NV. From 1959 to 1962, the family lived on the Babbitt Ranch located near the Grand Canyon. There was no electricity and no heat except for a wood-burning stove. Instead of plumbing, outhouses were used, and water had to be hauled in by truck. Chores were overwhelming. Dan had to care for the ranch horses Dan’s stepdad broke to move cattle in the scorching summer and frigid winter. As a youngster Dan learned the harshness of life on the ranch. At twelve years old, Dan’s stepdad, introduced him to rodeo clowning and bullfighting. He found a new passion, securing rodeo as an integral part of Dan’s life.
    At fourteen, he moved to Tollhouse, CA to attend Sierra High School which was known for its outstanding agricultural program. Under the tutelage of Bob and Doreen McColaugh and Tom and Susanne Dean, Dan became a decorated FFA competitor. He excelled in market and showmanship cattle and sheep events throughout California with championship wins at the famed Cow Palace in San Francisco. While in FFA, he began competing in high school bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding (where he spent more time eating dirt and manure than staying on for the eight second ride). With his athletic ability, two good feet, and love for coming face to face with an angry horned bull, bull fighting was the perfect compromise. Another incentive was the cash from bullfighting he could put in his billfold.
    In 1968, Dan was drafted by Uncle Sam into the United States Marine Corps. After boot camp, he fought bulls for the All-Pro-Rodeo Armed Force Teams, which Andy Jaurequi stock contracted. After serving in the military, Dan attended Modesto Junior College, later transferring to the University of Nevada where he continued to fight bulls for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Also, during this time, he fought bulls for various stock contractors: RSC (Roddy, Sperick, Cook), Western Rodeo, Christian Brother, J Spear, Prunty and Gondolfo, and others.
    ‘Clowning around’ brought a new job opportunity for Dan. When in Reno, his clowning act needed a water truck, but Washoe County’s water truck was broken. This wasn’t a problem for the creative ranch kid with plenty of mechanical experience. Dan used a Coors beer pop top lid to adjust the points and fix the truck. The general manager of the Reno Rodeo arena noted his mechanical skills and desire to please, so he offered Dan a job maintaining the livestock pavilions of the Reno Rodeo grounds for Washoe County. The full-time job with insurance and retirement benefits provided enough incentive for Dan not to pursue a card-carrying Professional Rodeo Clown Association career and stay in Reno.
    The connections Dan had made in Washoe County and the investigative techniques he learned in the military proved useful. When the Washoe County Health Department posted a job for an environmental investigator, Dan applied and was hired. Responsibilities included tracking down those who damaged or vandalized public lands and fouled water sources. The Vector Control department specialized in insects that transmitted diseases to both man and animals. Occasionally, Dan’s responsibilities would intersect with Vector Control. Insect foggers that dispersed liquid Pyrethrum, a chemical derived from the chrysanthemum plant, were being used by the county to mitigate the bugs and when they wouldn’t start, Dan was the handyman they called. Fixing the foggers connected Dan with the Vector Control Coordinator who requested Dan be his replacement since he was leaving. As the new coordinator, Dan had a lot of learning to do. The only thing he knew about mosquitoes was the sting of their bite. Washoe County’s director of environmental health, Carl Cahill, assisted and supported Dan in his mosquito education, creative brainstorming, and equipment upgrading (all which eventually made Washoe’s County’s mosquito abatement program a success). Having been bitten by the mosquito, Dan now had the resources to bite back.
    As the door of cowboying was shutting, a new door was opening that would lead Dan to invent a mosquito-fighting machine. The start of this invention began in 1983, when Dan was fighting bulls at a collegiate rodeo where he saved a young cowboy, a microbiology student from Texas A&M, from serious injury. When this cowboy reached out to Dan to thank him, a mutual interest in mosquitos was discovered. The student was studying Bacillus Thuringiensis, a bacterium also known as Bti which is naturally occurring. It contains toxin producing spores that can target the larvae of black fly, fungus gnats, and mosquitoes. This product seemed to be a brilliant alternative to pesticides that were having disastrous effects on the environment. Washoe County’s expansive ranch lands became the testing ground for Bti.
    Such testing revealed a need for an invention. The new product utilized minute granules for application, which rendered the old foggers used to disperse liquid chemicals useless. Dan got to working on how to make something that could work with this new product. In his garage, he created the ARROGUN, a new fogger capable of granular distribution. By 1985, ARROGUN was patented, manufactured in the United States, and sold worldwide.
    Since then, Dan’s company, Bio Rational Vector Control, is recognized as a global leader in mosquito abatement. The company has invented a catch-basin which distributes granules into storm drains, a handheld fogger called The Bullet, electric foggers, a sand-fly injection system, and an amphibious dual-purpose vehicle. Now, Dan travels globally to Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean to teach the benefits of using environmentally conscious products to control mosquitoes. He continues to consult with governments in developing countries on mitigation of disease bearing insects. Presently, he is consulting on the construction of several high-end resorts outside the United States that need his expertise in combating vector-borne diseases. Dan’s well-earned nickname ‘Mazzie Dan’ (Mazzie means mosquito) or ‘Mosquito Killer’ is known throughout the world.
    After thirty years of fighting bulls, Dan’s last bull fight was at Truckee California in the early 90’s. By 1998, he had gone full mosquito. As president of the American Mosquito Control Association, he and his team lobbied Congress for funds to combat West Nile Virus. The millions of dollars helped to set up staff, education, health districts, and disease prevention programs. In 2009, Dan was awarded the Medal of Honor from the American Mosquito Control Association in recognition of a career distinguished by leadership, innovation, and dedication in mosquito control.
    A lot has changed for Dan. His arena has transformed from dust and dirt to humid swamps and beaches. He now ‘fights’ with a dipper, microscope, and soft chemical applications. His cleats have been traded for rubber boots and he no longer wears make-up, a wig, or a flamboyant clown costume, except when he regularly attends and supports the Rodeo Clown Reunions. The cowboy hat that now rests upside down on a closet shelf has been replaced with a baseball cap embroidered with a mosquito icon and the phrase, ‘Bite Me’. Whether he is wearing Levi’s or shorts, one thing that hasn’t changed is his trophy belt buckle that proudly displays his past in rodeo (and keeps his britches up). Dan loved his life of clowning and fighting bulls, but today he enjoys watching the action from his lounger. As the bulls get meaner and the purse gets deeper, cowboys remain tough competitors as they did in Dan’s era. Although there was a time when one bullfighter did the job of today’s two or three, the goal for these fighters remains the same: protect the cowboy from harm. Dan’s purpose is no longer fighting a nasty, snot-nosed bull to save a man’s life. Now his purpose is to save millions of lives by controlling diseases spread by mosquitoes. When the bucking chute gates opened, new opportunities arose for Dan, which transformed a rodeo clown-bullfighter into an acclaimed mosquito fighter.

  • 5 Star Champion Featured Athlete Jimmie Smith

    5 Star Champion Featured Athlete Jimmie Smith

    In a word, the 2022 rodeo season has been all about driving for Jimmie Smith from McDade, Texas. Sky-high gas prices aren’t keeping her at home after 2021 almost sidelined her completely. “Last June, I was in a super bad semi-truck accident,” the professional barrel racer said. “That really shook things up. It took my good rope horse and barrel horse out of the trailer for the summer. But through the wreck, I met some really great people and that’s how I got paired up with Viper who kept me in the standings.” Jimmie and Viper landed in the 17th hole last season. Now she’s approaching the year with a new mentality that’s truly paying off.
    “Each year it seems like there are different goals. This year I’m just doing what’s best for me and my horses; minding our own business and taking care of ourselves.” Jimmie admits that she’s put a lot of pressure on herself and her mounts in the past three rodeo seasons. “I wanted to make the finals every year and keep up with everyone else by going to all the rodeos; especially over Cowboy Christmas.” Rather than going to every rodeo on the map, Jimmie is picking wisely. She’s hyper focused on competing in the rodeos that her horses will perform well at. “I’m trying to rodeo smarter. I’m choosing rodeos that I enjoy, which I usually have more confidence at anyways. I’ve stopped chasing rodeos and money.” Focusing on her horses is putting the joy back into rodeo as the pressure eases off. It’s a great strategy for Jimmie’s mental game as she’s looking to breach the top 15 this year just as she did for the first time in 2018.
    “I’ve rodeoed my whole life and then did college rodeo. I was more of a goat tier and breakaway roper originally. I made the college finals in both of those.” Even though Jimmie’s been a lifelong barrel racer, prior to 2016 it had been a while since she had a top mount to turn the clover leaf pattern. It was in the fall of 2016 that Jimmie found Lena On The Rocks. “I had been looking for a horse that would be the next best thing to raising babies since all my own were still too young to go yet.” Lena was 6 when she got paired up with Jimmie. Their first major event together was the Lucky Dog American Semi Final Qualifier in December. After qualifying for the American, Jimmie realized Lena was something special.
    “I was really focusing on my college rodeos, so I was saving Lena to make the college finals. I graduated from Texas A&M in May 2018, we went to the college finals and we entered all the rodeos that summer.” It was Jimmie’s rookie season and she managed to clinch the year-end title thanks to her partnership with Lena. That was the same year Jimmie landed her very first sponsorship contract with 5 Star Equine. “I really appreciate and love the atmosphere that 5 Star provides and all their products are American made. They’re super great to work with as a team.” When Jimmie qualified for the American semi final in 2016, she won herself a pink 5 Star saddle pad. It was her first experience with the brand and now she can’t imagine riding anything else.
    “I love my pink 5 Star pads. They keep my horses super happy, and I don’t have any issues with soreness in their back.” Jimmie rarely saddles her horses with anything but a pink 5 Star pad anymore. She enjoys matching her pad with her horses’ boots and her own shirt. She also uses their mohair breast collars to pull the entire 5 Star, usually pink, ensemble together. “I just really like that they keep my horses happy. I don’t have issues in their back, they’re never really sore when it comes to my pads and saddles fitting, they just fit accordingly. And my horses are able to perform to their best.”

  • Craig Sciba

    Craig Sciba

    Scoop O Petty, “Tag”, took home AQHA Horse of the Year at the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Perry, Georgia. The 21-year-old gelding has been the main mount for Craig Sciba for the past ten years. “We bought him when I was 4.” said Craig, from Victoria, Texas. “My grandma found him; and I’ve ridden him ever since. I started roping on him when I was young, and he’s just gotten better; he listens to everything I ask.
    “It’s great to have a horse that will do the same thing every time; he’s reliable. I’ve never had a run that was messed up because of Tag. You don’t recognize a horse when he does something good, it’s when they are bad that you recognize them.”
    Tag received the award because he accumulated the most points during the NJH Finals and his owner, Craig, was an active youth member of AQHA. His winnings included a saddle, and a $750 check presented by AQHA. Tag was nominated through the National High School portal prior to the Finals. Craig’s membership as a youth member of AQHA allows access to more than $500,000 in scholarships, an annual subscription to the AQHA Journal, and the ability to compete in the AQHA shows. As part of the membership drive, the annual cost of this is $19.
    Craig and Tag also won the Boys All Around Champion, the World Champion Ribbon Team – roping for his sister, Bella the World Champion Chute Dogger and reserve champion goat tier. “It’s hard to say that we are world champions – I don’t realize we were the best in the world – it doesn’t feel right, there’s other kids there equally as talented – I just roped better that week.”
    Craig is preparing for the next finals, the Texas Youth Rodeo Association finals. He ropes on Tag three or four times a week, and then rides him one other day. The other two days, Tag gets to be a horse in a 10-acre pasture. Even at his age, Tag is not on any supplements and has only been injected once. “My uncle is a vet, and he says Tag is sound and doing great.” If he needs it, Craig has access to use his sister’s horse (Quanah – a registered quarter horse) and the family has a new horse that Craig is working on. “She’s really good and energetic, but she hasn’t been roped on so it’s been a lot of work. It makes me appreciate Tag.”
    “It was a long shot to get All Around,” admitted the 14-year-old. “I was entered in three events and there were guys there in five and six events.” His game plan was doing the best he could. Going into the short go, he knew he needed to do his job in order to get the All-Around title. “I go at it the same way as I do any other round – make the run. In Ribbons we had to be 12 and we were a 6.3. I didn’t safety up at all. If I start thinking about all that then things go wrong.” His dad, Clay, is his main coach in the practice pen.
    Craig is moving into the high school competition next year and his goals for the future are simple. “Take one step at a time; high school next and probably college rodeo.”

  • On the Trail With Statler Wright

    On the Trail With Statler Wright

    The last of the Wright’s is making his run for the Resistol Rookie of the year, joining his three brothers, Rusty, Ryder, and Steston, on the rodeo road. The Utah All State Linebacker, owes his love of riding broncs to Covid. “I was part of an undefeated football team – we took state two years in a row – and then Covid hit and we couldn’t play anymore,” said the 18-year-old who graduated six months early to hit the rodeo trail. “I got after dad to let me get on, and ever since, it’s been a full head of steam.”

    Growing up, he didn’t participate in much of what his older brothers were doing. “If they needed help, I was the pickup man, I did get on one saddle bronc steer and the only saddle that would fit me was too big and after that I didn’t get on another bucking horse until I was a junior (in high school).” He liked going with Stetson to ride bulls. “My freshman year, I got on a few and the third bull I got on slammed me and broke my collar bone; I hung it up after that.”

    The main reason Statler started riding later in life was due to his size. Statler got his mom’s genes for being bigger than the rest of his siblings. “My dad was 6’4”,” said his mother, ShaRee. “He was always eager to rodeo. Cody (his dad) was hesitant because Statler was bigger than the other boys. When you grow that fast, you get hurt easier. Cody would just tell him in due time, you will get on.’” ShaRee has supported her husband as well as all her kids in whatever endeavors they pursued .. except riding bareback and bulls … and she continues to be their biggest fan. “Now we’ve got five grandkids and one on the way. As a mom with busy kids and lots of grandkids you don’t have time to think about anything else.”

    Cody started all four of his sons to ride bucking horses the same way, on a saddle horse. “He told us that if we could spur a saddle horse, then we could spur a bucking horse – the kicking helps you throw your feet forward,” explained Statler. “I started riding bucking horses right handed and I bucked off to the left. Dad told me to ‘get my riding boots on and walk across a real thin metal pole. Whatever arm you stick up to balance is the one you use to balance.’ I stuck my right arm up and so I started riding left-handed and it’s worked out.”

    All the boys lean heavily on Cody for advice as well as entering. “It’s the respect that they have for him – not just as a cowboy that’s done it, but as a dad and a person … we are a super close family – we all live within a couple miles of each other,” explained ShaRee. “We are always together when they are home.” Their younger sister, Lily Jo, is chasing cans when she’s not playing softball or basketball. “My boys always tease that as athletic as they are, she got far more genes than any of them.”

    ShaRee has spent her life supporting her rodeo family. “I remember when Cody and I were married, we had Rusty and Ryder; he was pouring concrete for his dad. Cody put together a video of his bronc rides to send to Shawn Davis, the rodeo coach for college of Southern Idaho. He told Shawn that he wanted to be a bronc rider needed to be learning from someone like Shawn. When Shawn accepted him to CSI, he packed up his clothes in a truck with a camper shell and headed to CSI.” ShaRee stayed behind with Rusty and Ryder. Cody found an apartment after a couple months of living in the back of his truck and we moved to Twin Falls, Idaho.”

    Cody, one of 13 siblings, came from a small town called Milford, Utah, in Southern Utah; a town with no stoplight and where the Wrights are the main attraction. He ended up a father with 13 NFR qualifications and two world titles and three sons with a combined 15 NFR Qualifications and seven world titles, and a young daughter, Lily Jo, who is capable of joining her brothers either as a barrel racer or softball or basketball star. Statler feels very blessed. “I love being the youngest (of the boys). I get to be in the truck with three world champs. As a rookie, you don’t get that privilege and it’s awesome.”

    All three of his brothers give him advice on different things. “Stetson likes the pressure moments and it’s all on you and coming out on top. Got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Rusty is like the all around situation- he’ll tell you what you need to hear. He knows everything it seems like. He’s good with the bronc saddles, he knows a lot about those. Ryder – he’s the motivator – I love it when I go after Ryder, he’s on the back of the bucking chutes. He always says; ‘lift and stay back’ – that’s the one jump that’s mandatory is the mark out – Gas it and give it to ‘em. All these guys were trial and error and they get to tell me what to do and how to do it.”

    As far as getting advice from his dad. “He’s still the boss – I can totally get in trouble with my dad, I’m the king of it. I’ve always been the troublemaker. My dad does the entering, from the horses to the days to get up. I love it – they’ve all been pro rodeoing and I get to benefit from that.”
    Growing up with a football background has helped him as well. “I was either the leading tackler or second with that – I was all over the field, either guarding the receiver or stopping the run. I had to read what the quarterback was going to do. You still have to try like it’s 0-0 like anything else. I’m not number one but the come behind win is always better than the pull away win.”

    In his pursuit of the Resistol Rookie of the Year, Statler has been on more bucking horses this year than he’s on in the last two years. “I love it – I love getting on bucking horses. Waking up getting to do what you love there’s nothing better.” He also loves it when the little kids come over to take a picture. “I’ve only been graduated a month and to have that impact on that kid is mind blowing to me.”
    Cody has instilled the most important quality he could to his family – humbleness. “If they feel they got jaded, he tells them ‘You do you and don’t worry about anything else’. Cody is super humble and he’s instilled that in his kids – to appreciate the opportunity to do what they do and be competitive at it.

    “They know their dad opened lots of doors for them,” concluded ShaRee, “but they work hard – people may not realize they aren’t winning because their last name is Wright – they put a lot of work into it. They appreciate the family for the guidance, but they put the time in. Just because you’re a Wright, the work never ends. There is always a way to do better. It’s a humbling sport for sure.”

  • Good People Make Good Nations

    Good People Make Good Nations

    Our recent 4th of July celebrations caused me to ponder our nation. This is my summary.
    Good ideas, taken to an extreme and governed by the exceptions, die of their own kindness.
    This is why government can never be the essence of a good and lasting nation. Governments take what seem to be ‘good ideas’ and legislate them. The problem is kindness and compassion cannot be mandated. Good people already do those things because they are good people.
    Good people need very few laws to guide them. Societies need a few. In my mind, not that you asked, the ‘good people’ to ‘good society’ cycle needs to start somewhere. To me it starts with the individual. One person at a time. You. Me. This is ancient wisdom. Before Plato, who mentions this idea, humans have known this.
    Good people are good. They do good things. Good people find good people. They do good things together. They cooperate and get things done. They give and take and share their ideas in a safe and healthy way. They have core values of honesty, courage, loyalty, fierceness and kindness. They protect what they have built from those who seek to steal it. They are self-sacrificing for a good cause and want the best for others.
    As a result, they attract good spouses and together they build a strong and safe world for each other. They support each other in the life journeys of easy and hard. They love hard, bond and speak kindly and honestly to each other. Of course, as goes with humans, that proves itself physically. They have children.
    Their children grow up in principled, emotionally, and physically safe and structured homes. They are imprinted early with the values of good humans. Not taught as much as caught. The values are lived in front of the children in such a way that they are planted deep in the child’s mind and heart. They become the normal and expected way life should be lived. Respect. Honor. Integrity. Mercy. Strength. Contribution. Humility and Initiative are practiced daily in tangible ways. Forgiveness and grace are the standard. They know these things, not because of a speaker on a campus, but because that is how life is lived in good homes. They become good people because they were saturated and matured by good people.
    So, they attract good people. The cycle continues and they raise good children. They create good homes that make for good neighborhoods. Good neighborhoods make good communities. Good people band together and build hospitals, schools, libraries, roads, parks, benevolent funds, scholarships and civil laws. Again, good people need very few laws. They can, in good faith and love, figure their own stuff out.
    Good cities, make good counties which make good states in the case of the US. Good states make a good nation. Good nations make good laws that serve its good citizens and care for the exceptions. Out of a good citizenship, this nation is strong and kind. It defends what it has worked hard to form. It does not let the exceptions become the rule. It sees needs in areas around the world and serves them out of its strength and abundance. Out of its goodness.
    There will always be those who rebel and behave like deconstructionistic narcissists who insist they are special and need accommodation. They will see it as their right, all others be damned. They care for nothing that has been built because they have built nothing. They seek, not to contribute to the strength and unity, but rather seek to tear down to serve their own specialness and be accommodated. They will force their distinctiveness on the masses and demand accommodation. These do not make good neighbors. In fact, they make contentious neighbors generally and probably don’t contribute to the benevolence fund or the parks they want benefit of.
    Two illustrations: Susie and I saw an emergency roadside assistance vehicle on the side of the road. It had a flat tire and was out of commission. Roadside assistance vehicles can assist no one when they don’t have the reserves to help. My decades of Mountain and River Rescue work have a code. Stay alive. A dead rescuer helps no one and in fact, becomes another liability. Good nations must do the things needed to stay strong.
    Nations must be built by good people making good homes and neighborhoods. In turn they make good cities and states. In turn, it follows, that they band together and unify, make a good nation. Bottom-up works. Top-down never does for long.
    Good people make good nations. Not the other way around.

  • Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo qualifying rounds see new records

    Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo qualifying rounds see new records

    CHEYENNE, Wyo. (June 21, 2022) – While the 126th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo hasn’t officially started yet, competition has been going on for nearly a week at Frontier Park.

    With this year’s rodeo expected to top over $1 million in prize money and the legendary status of the “Daddy of ‘em All,” contestants came from across the U.S. and Canada hoping for an opportunity to advance into the quarter finals of the tournament style rodeo. Two women did that in record setting style.

    Breakaway roper Peggy Garman, from Sundance, Wyoming had a disappointing first run competition on July 20 when her loop failed to connect. The breakaway roping field started with 200 that were split into two pools where 30 from each advanced. The remaining 140 spent the night in Cheyenne to compete in the wildcard round, held Wednesday morning before the barrel racing qualifying competition.

    For fans of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, a day at Frontier Park, or watching on the Cowboy Channel online was time well spent on Wednesday, July 21. Garman was one of the early ropers to go and set the pace and a new arena record at 3.0 seconds. Riding her great horse “Cash,” the Wyoming cowgirl breathed a big sigh of relief. It was a huge confidence booster for Garman.

    “This is such a prestigious rodeo and to be able to add my name to the record books is unbelievable,” she said. “I struggled after yesterday, but had some good friends talk me through that and get

    me pumped up to rope today.” This is the third time that breakaway roping has been featured at CFD. The previous record was set by Carol Hollers at 3.4 seconds in 2021.

    Garman wasn’t the only contestant pumped up and ready to compete. In the barrel racing it was the horses that took center stage, in particular Firewaterfrenchfame, “Apollo.” Ridden by Summer Kosel of Glenham, South Dakota, they broke an arena record in the barrel racing that was set over 25 years ago by Kristie Peterson and the famous French Flash Hawk, aka “Bozo.” They stopped the clock in 17.03 seconds in 1996.

    Kosel’s time of 17.02 not only set the record, it also earned her the biggest check out of qualifying rounds at $7,414. When Peterson and Bozo had their run at Cheyenne, they ran from the opposite end of the arena. There are a lot of factors involved that make having an arena record accurate, but Kosel is now in the books as having made the fastest barrel racing run at CFD.

    Team ropers Riley and Brady Minor have accomplished more as a brother duo than any other team roping family members in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, but one title has eluded them, the one from Frontier Park. With the younger of the duo, Riley, heading and Brady catching hind feet, they stopped the clock in 7.2 seconds to win $3,590.

    Trell Etbauer is very familiar with Cheyenne Frontier Days. He traveled here as a toddler to watch his father, world champion saddle bronc rider Robert Etbauer compete. Then he competed in the saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling and tie-down roping here in 2014 and won the champions package as the all-around cowboy.

    This year, Etbauer is after a steer wrestling title and came one step closer on July 19 when he stopped the clock in 5.7 seconds to win the qualifying round and $3,382. He will now hope to add to those earnings during the quarter finals and keep advancing all the way to Championship Sunday.

    Cash Enderli, a college student at Weatherford College in Texas and resident of Liberty, Texas had the fast run in tie-down roping at 9.8 seconds. He won $5,172 and now has an opportunity to compete in front of a crowd for the first time at CFD. He had never competed here until July 18th and was the best out of nearly 200 tie-down ropers.

    All of these contestants will advance to the quarter finals where there will be 72 competitors in each discipline as well as in the bareback riding and saddle bronc riding. The bull riding quarter finals will see 60 competitors each making two appearances.

    The first quarter finals will start at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 23.

     

     

    The following are results from qualifying competition at the 126th Cheyenne Frontier Days, July 16-20. 2022.

    Steer Roping: (first round)1, Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 12.5 seconds, $6,585. 2, Corey Ross, Liberty Hill, Texas, 13.4, $5,726. 3, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., 13.5, $4,867. 4, Clay Long, Stephenville, Texas, 14.1, $4,008. 5, Cash Myers, Kaufman, Texas, 14.2, $3,149. 6, Taylor Santos, creston, Calif., 14.6, $2,290. 7, (tie) Reo Lohse, Kaycee, Wyo., and Rob Denny, Willcox, Ariz., 14.8, $1,002. (second round) 1, Coleman Proctor, 11.4, $6,585. 2, Tom Fisher, 12.7, $5,726. 3, Tyler Waters, Stephenville, Texas, 12.8, $4,867. 4, Pake Sorey, Pendleton, Ore., 13.1, $4,008. 5, Hudson Wallace, George West, Texas, 13.2, $3,149. 6, Roger Nonella, Redmond, Ore., 13.6, $2,290. 7,(tie) Cole Patterson, Pratt, Kan., and Ora Taton, Rapid City, S.D., 13.9, $1,002 each. (Championship Finals qualifiers – total on two) 1, Proctor, 24.9. 2, Patterson, 29.7. 3, Myers, 30.9. 4, Lohse, 31.8. 5, Ross, 33.0. 6, Cooper Mills, St. John, Wash., 33.8. 7, Jess Tierney, hermosa, S.D., 34.3. 8, Chad Mathis, Morristown, Ariz., 36.4. 9, Zac Parrington, Hoyt, Kan., 36.5. 10, Rob Denny, Willcox, Ariz., 36.6. 11, Buck Mekelburg, Yuma, Colo., 37.2. 12, Shorty Garten, Claremore, Okla., 37.9.

    Team Roping: (first round) 1, Riley and Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 7.1 seconds, $3,590. 2, (tie) Kyon and Clancey Kreutzer, Lake Creek, Texas, and Jr. Dees, Aurora, S.D., and Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 7.8 seconds and $2,957 each. 4, (tie) Jake Orman, Prairie, Miss., and Brye Crites, Welch, Okla.; Britt Williams, Hammond, Mont., and Cayden Cox, Arroyo Grande, Ariz.; and Reno Cash Stoebner, Stephenville, Texas, and Tyler McKnight, Pollok, Texas; 8.0 and $1,971 each. 7, (tie) Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M.; Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho; and Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif.; 8.1, $1,267. 10, Brayden Luke Schmidt, Benton City, Wash., and Andy Carlson, Hermiston, Ore., 8.2, $845. 11, (tie) Jay Ellerman, Fort Lupton, Colo., and Marcus Banister, Brighton, Colo.; and Beau Hebert, Shreveport, La., and Cody Hogan, Evelyn, La.; 8.3, $528. (Wild Card) 1, Hagen Peterson, Delta, Utah and Dylin Ahlstrom, Genola, Utah, 7.4 seconds, $2,394. 2, (tie) Chaz Kananen, Pocatello, Idaho and Colby Siddoway, Honeyville, Utah; and Cooper and Tucker James White, Hershey, Neb., 7.5, $1,971. 4, Brandon Beers, Powell Butte, Ore., and Daniel Braman, IV, Refugio, Texas, 7.7, $1,549. 5, Justin Yost, Citra, Fla., and Garrett Smith, Mt. Joliet, Tenn., 7.8, $1,267. 6, Garrett Tonnozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., 8.1, $1,126. 7, (tie) Marcus Theriot, Lumberton, Miss., and Cole Curry, Liberty, Miss.; and Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 8.3, $915. 9, (tie) Brandon Farris, Gracemont, Okla., and Derrick Jantzen, Ames, Okla.; and Cory Kidd, Statesville, N.C., and Lane Mitchell, Bolivar, Tenn.; 8.4, $634. 11, Miles Kobold, Huntley, Mont., and Clint Brower, Lander, Wyo., 8.7, $422. 12, Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz., and Colter Todd, Willcox, Ariz., 9.0, $282.

    Tie-Down Roping: (first round) 1, Cash Enderli, Liberty, Texas, 9.8, $5,172. 2, (tie) Colt Papy, Athens, La., and Rowdy Haferkamp, Cuero, Texas, 10.5, $4,260. 4, Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont., 10.6, $3,347. 5, (tie) Hudson Wallace, George West, Texas and Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, 11.0, $2,586. 7, Beau Cooper, Stettler, Alberta, 11.1, $2,130. 8, Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, 11.2, $1,826. 9, Jake Harris, Canyon, Texas, 11.3, $1,521. 10, Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, 11.4, $1,217. 11, Dakota Felton, Mountain Home, Texas, 11.5, $913. 12, Riley Webb, Denton, Texas, 11.6, $609. (Wild Card) 1, Lane Livingston, Seymour, Texas, 10.2, $3.448. 2, Zaine Mikita, Byers, Colo., 10.9 seconds, $3,043. 3, Walker Akins, Whitesboro, Texas, 11.0, $2,637. 4, Cash Edward Hooper, Carlsbad, N.M., 11.1. 5, (tie) Pryce Harris, Canyon, Texas, and Cody Craig, Wendell, Idaho, 11.2, $1,724 each. 7, Trevor Hale, Perryton, Texas, 11.3, $1,419. 8, Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo., 11.4, $1,217. 9, Tate Teague, Rankin, Texas, 11.5, $1,014. 10, (tie) Quay Howard, Canyon, Texas, and Chance Thiessen, Elk City, Okla., 11.8, $710. 12, (tie) Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, and Colton Farquer, Oakdale, Calif., 12.0, $203.

    Steer Wrestling: (first round) 1. Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 5.7 seconds, $4,016. 2, (tie) Cody Cabral, Hilo, Hawaii, and Gary Gilbert, Paradise, Texas, 5.8, $3,382 each. 4, Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore., 6.3, $2,748. 5, (tie) Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, and Marc Joiner, Loranger, La., 6.4, $2,114. 7, Denard Butler, Checotah, Okla., and Justin Simon, Florence, Ariz., 6.5, $1,268. 9, Ty Allred, Tooele, Utah, 6.6, $634. 10, Denton Good, long Valley, S.D., 6.7, $211. (Wild Card) 1, Caden Camp, Belgrade, Mont., 5.5, $3,286. 2, Colt Honey, La Junta, Colo., 5.7, $2,940. 3, Rhett John Witt, Valentine, Neb., 6.8, $2,594. 4, Jaret Whitman, Belgrade, Mont., 7.0, $2,248. 5, Walt Arnold, Coleman, Texas, 7.1, $1,902. 6, Wacey Real Bird, Sheridan, Wyo., 7.5, $1,556. 7, (tie) Brian Snell, Wheatland, Wyo., and Blare Romsa, Laramie, Wyo., 7.7, $1,038. 9, Denton Petersen, Payson, Ariz., 7.8, $519. 10, Winsten McGraw, Gill, Colo., 8.2, $173.

    Breakaway Roping: (Pool A) 1, (tie) Shawnee Sherwood, San Tan Valley, Ariz., and Taya McAdow, Keensburg, Colo., 3.6, $3,845 each. 3, Sloan Anderson, Whitehorse, S.D., 3.9, $2,386. 4, (tie) Sage Kohr, Gillette, Wyo., and Tayler Bradley, Goldendale, Wash., 4.0, $1,260. 6, (tie) Josie Conner, Iowa, La.; Sje;bu Scjweotz. Cave Creek, Ariz.; and Mollie Bassett, Vinita, Okla.; 4.1, $221. (Pool B) 1, Anna Jorgenson, Watford City, N.D., 3.7, $4,375. 2, Taylor Hanchey, Carmine, Texas, 3.9, $3,315. 3, Sierra Galusha, Warrensburg, N.Y., 4.1, $2,386. 5, (tie) Shelby Boisjoli, Calgary, Alberta, and Rheagan, Cotton, Fairfield, Texas, 4.3, $795. (Wild Card) 1, Peggy Garman, Sundance, Wyo., 3.0, $990. 2, Martha Angelone, Stephenville, Texas, 3.1, $750. 3, (tie) Alex Loiselle, Paris, Texas, and Josie Goodrich, Stanfield, Ore., 3.4, $450. 5, (tie) Angie Green, Huntsville, Texas, and Kaylee Cornia, Cokeville, Wyo., 3.5, $180.

    Barrel Racing: 1, Summer Kosel, Glenham, S.D., 17.02 seconds, $7,415. 2, Kassie Mowry, Dublin, Texas, 17.28, $6,356. 3, (tie) Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., and Cindy Smith, Hobbs, N.M., 17.39 and $4,943 each. 5, Cheyenne Wimberley, Stephenville, Texas, 17.44, $3,531. 6, Ivy Saebens, Nowata, Okla., 17.48, $2,824. 7, Tarryn Lee, St. David, Ariz., 17.52, $2,119. 8, Katie Chism, Tiskilwa, Ill., 17.55, $1,412. 9, Sarah Rose Waguespack, 17.58, $1,059. 10, Megan McLeod-Sprague, Marsing, Idaho, 17.61, $706.