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  • Back When They Bucked with CR Hall

    Back When They Bucked with CR Hall

    C.R. Hall didn’t let anything get in the way of his dream of being a rodeo cowboy.
    Including the color of his skin.
    The black bareback rider and steer wrestler was raised in New York City and never got on a horse till his high school years.

    Then, through hard work and determination, he became a rodeo contestant, competing all over the East Coast and throughout the nation.
    He was born in 1943 in Vicksburg, Miss., the fifth child of William and Penola Hall.
    But his dad died before he was born, so his mom packed up her five kids and headed to New York City, where her sister was living.
    His mom never told her kids how her first husband, William, passed. “It was a mystery,” he said. “Mother refused to tell us. When we’d ask what happened to dad, she said, ‘you don’t want to know.’”
    C.R. assumes that his mother kept their dad’s cause of death a secret from her kids so they wouldn’t form prejudices. “The way I look at it, she didn’t want (the reason for his death) to transform us, to give us a reason to fight.”
    The family lived in Spanish Harlem, on 99th Street and 2nd Avenue in New York City, with Hispanics, blacks, and a few whites. The area had plenty of gangs: the Viceroys, the Dragons, the Untouchables, the Red Wings, all territorial, and if a person traveled through a gang’s territory, they had to tell why they were there and who they were going to see.
    C.R.’s mom was tough. She worked twelve hours a day, cleaning office buildings from 6 pm to 6 am, then seeing her kids off to school.
    The kids knew, when the streetlamps came on, they needed to be in the house or the neighborhood, and if they weren’t, she’d find out. “We listened to her, because we didn’t want to witness the strap,” he said.
    She laid down the law with her kids.
    “I don’t have to worry about my family,” she would tell people. “Because if the police station ever calls me and says ‘we have your son or daughter in the precinct, I’ll say, ‘keep them. Because I don’t raise convicts or drug addicts.’ That struck fear into us,” C.R. said.
    “She beat our butts a lot, but she stuck to her rules, and her rules were strict.”
    It was a chance encounter with horses after high school graduation in 1962 that started C.R. down the rodeo path.
    He and friends went to the Bear Mountain State Park along the Hudson River, the first time C.R had been out of the city. They decided to go horseback riding, and when C.R. got on the horse, the guide asked him how long he’d been riding. When C.R. replied that it was his first time, the guide said, ‘no, you’ve been riding longer than that. You’re a natural.’ That gave C.R. confidence and piqued his interest.
    When he got back home, he found the Park Riding Academy in the Bronx, where he went to ride every Sunday for several hours. His skills improved, and after a year, the academy owner suggested that C.R. could save money by buying his own horse. So he did, and went to the academy two or three times a week to ride, “as much as I could, and I got better and better.”
    There were steers at the barn, and professional cowboys Gene Lorenzo and Jack Meli were there. C.R. would watch them steer wrestle. One day, Gene asked if he’d like to join them. C.R.’s quick answer was no.
    But Gene coaxed him onto his steer wrestling horse and told him to point the horse at the box and nod his head.
    The steer came out, Gene hazed, and C.R. froze.
    “I wasn’t getting down (onto the steer) so Gene reaches over and pulls me down,” C.R. said, Gene talked him through the technique and C.R. turfed the steer.
    After that, he started going to the Cowtown (New Jersey) Rodeo every Saturday night with them, acting as their groom, warming up and tacking up their horses, and learning a lot through observation.
    After a year of that, Gene encouraged him to get his PRCA permit and suggested, because of C.R.’s small size, that the roughstock events would be his best choice.
    He tried bull riding and saddle bronc riding, but neither seemed to fit. So he tried bareback riding, and “that felt better than the other two,” he said.
    But it still took awhile to get the hang of bareback riding.
    For the first two years at Cowtown, “I got creamed every time I got on. People would come up to the fence when I got on because I’d make spectacular falls.”
    But another cowboy admired his try and perseverance. Teddy Fina, a bareback rider, showed him techniques and gave him advice. Teddy’s own grit rubbed off on C.R. “The determination and drive that I witnessed in him spilled over to me,” he remembered.
    He went to Larry Mahan’s riding schools, which helped tremendously, and he still remembers a compliment Larry gave him. “Charlie, you got a lot of try,” he said.
    Early in his career, he went by the name “Charlie Reno.” Jesse was his first name, but he didn’t like the references to Jesse James. Charlie Reno was the nickname he got at the barn where he kept his first horse, named Reno.
    He got his PRCA permit in 1966, and earned his card a year later.
    In 1968, he competed in Ft. Worth, the Cow Palace in Sacramento, Houston, and Madison Square Garden before breaking his neck and sitting out for two years.
    He attended two steer wrestling schools instructed by Butch Myers and became good friends with the family.
    C.R. married his first wife, Barbara, a barrel racer, in 1965. They divorced, and in 1972, he married Marie.
    In 1972, he broke his wrist, and with his marriage to Marie and the start of his family, he quit rodeo competition.
    He and Marie had their first son, Alexander, in 1975, and their second son, Jeremiah (Jerry), in 1981.
    “I had a choice,” he said. “I needed a paycheck every week. I made the choice to stay home and work and take care of my family.”
    But when the Red Pony Ranch, a riding academy in Lakewood, New Jersey, hosted an American Rodeo Association (now the American Pro Rodeo Association) rodeo in 1978, C.R. was there, and he got his APRA card.
    Red Pony, five miles from his house, hosted a series of APRA rodeos, so C.R. competed there. The first year, in 1978, he was leading the bareback riding with three rodeos to go when he broke his foot. Being out for the remainder of the season dropped him to runner-up.
    So the next year, he determined to get so far ahead that, if he got hurt, nobody could catch him. He did just that, finishing the 1979 season as bareback riding titlist, all-around champ, and third in the steer wrestling.
    In 1983, he retired a second time from competition and began producing rodeos as the Hall and Sons Championship Rodeo Co. He put on PRCA, APRA, and International Pro Rodeo events in Red Pony, and throughout New York and showdeos with timed events only.
    He became vice-president of the APRA in 1981, voted in, he believes, because he was always helping others.
    He also hosted rodeo schools and taught the bareback riding, with instructors Frank Hollis for the saddle bronc riding and Bruce Semeria for the bull riding. Pete Leibold served as pickup man and flank man, among other duties.
    All the while, he was working full time at the grocery store, being promoted up to the management level.
    Prejudice because of his skin color was rare, but it did happen.
    At first, his family discouraged him from rodeo, saying there were only white cowboys. “They said, I wouldn’t get a fair shot, the same fair opportunities afforded to the white cowboys,” he said.
    “Mom was afraid for my safety. She came from the deep, deep south. She knew how people could be.”
    He did witness prejudice against him because of his skin color, but incidences were few and far between. “The people who knew me as a cowboy and a competitor, they weren’t prejudiced against me.”
    He remembers competing in Durant, Okla. when a young white teenage boy followed him around. “I was the only black guy behind the chutes,” C.R. recalls, “and this kid was walking behind me, like what’s going on with this guy? He must be putting on the bareback rigging for somebody else. He can’t be doing this for himself.” The boy’s mouth fell wide open when C.R. got on the horse and readied to ride.
    At the same rodeo, he remembers the judge telling him, ‘I don’t know why you’re riding, because you’re not going to get (any points.)’ C.R. told him, “When I ride you won’t forget how I rode.” He remembers the ride, too. “The horse bucked and I rode the hell out of him, but I didn’t win any money on him. Then again, it was people who didn’t know me.”
    C.R.’s philosophy was to do what he loved doing, no matter what anybody else thought.
    “My dream was to be what I wanted to be. You can’t let people take your dream from you. Somebody can’t tell you you can’t do something. If you love it, you’ll do it no matter what and suffer the consequences.”
    He retired from the grocery business in 2004, then started his own transport business, delivering rooftop air conditioners to building sites, traveling throughout the tri-state area.
    In 2010, he closed his transport business, due to the high cost of diesel. But he went crazy sitting at home, so he answered an ad to be a New Jersey transit bus driver, and began driving bus. He drove for ten years before retiring in 2020.
    He and Marie have four grandchildren: grandsons Gavin and JJ and granddaughters Dakota and Jenah.
    His faith is strong, like his mama’s was. He knows who is in charge: God. “Don’t let man tell you where you’re going. (God) is in charge, he’s the one who knows, from day one, he knows how you came in and how you’ll go out. He’s your Creator, he created everything in your life, so listen to Him.
    “If you have an issue, put it in God’s hands. He’s the miracle worker. If anybody can solve it, it’s him. You have to lean on His understanding and His timing, not your timing.”
    Rodeo enriched his life, with good friends and life skills.
    “I made a lot of friends. The people that were just starting out, that nobody would help, I’d help. Those guys trusted me. I was sincere, I wasn’t afraid of competition.” His friends were true friends. “Those guys were the best. We traveled together, and they had my back, they really had my back.”
    Rodeo is a difficult sport, and because he learned it and became proficient in it, it benefited him throughout the rest of his life.
    “Rodeo made me better in everything else I’ve ever done, because rodeo was the hardest thing I’d done and I accomplished it. So everything else was easy.”

  • 5 Star Featured Athlete: Stevi Hillman

    5 Star Featured Athlete: Stevi Hillman

    STEVI HILLMAN IS THE NEWEST $1 MILLION COWGIRL ON THE RODEO TRAIL.

    The 5 Star Equine team member made the million-dollar mark at the 2021 National Finals Rodeo.
    On her sixth trip to the “big show,” she won two rounds (splitting the win in round nine) and placed three more times to finish as the number six cowgirl in the world standings. She jumped from eleventh place to sixth place, earning over $100,000 at the Finals.

    The “yellow dragon” carried Stevi through all ten rounds of this year’s NFR.
    Famous Lemon Drop, “Lemon Drop,” is a five-year-old palomino who showed up on Stevi’s radar in April.
    The mare was all-business and kept her space, but the two bonded quickly, and Stevi took her on the summer rodeo run.
    She knew the horse was successful at futurities and indoor arenas, but rodeos, with outside pens and varying conditions, was a question.

    But Lemon Drop shone. “She took to it extremely well,” she said.
    The horse has her own personality, Stevi said, describing her as a toddler with lots of energy. “She’s just like a little kid that never wears down. She’s spunky and a lot to warm up. Wild is a good word to describe her.”
    Not everyone can jump on Lemon Drop to ride her. “She’s a lot of horse. She’s little but she’s strong. You have to be very dialed in and sharp with your reactions and your timing, because she is aggressive and quick and fast and really strong. She’s a very, very confident five-year-old.”
    Stevi’s team includes other horses, in addition to Lemon Drop, who have excelled for her. The team started with Truck, a horse she began riding in 2014 and who is still in the rodeo trailer this year. It also includes Martini, Sharpie, Slick, Sherlock, Millie, Shiner, and several others. Each horse has played its part; some larger roles, some cameos. But they’re all important.
    “I take pride in the fact that these horses have all been part of my story,” Stevi said. “I treat them like family, and I’ve been blessed by all of them.”

    She has been a loyal 5 Star Equine customer since a friend gave her a saddle pad in 2012. “I’m all about my horses and their backs, and how they feel and how the saddle fits. Five Star has been a great part of my program and keeping my horses’ backs feeling good. And the pads last a really long time. That’s sold me on them.”
    The 5 Star Equine team provides their Wrangler NFR qualifiers with a custom-made saddle pad, made especially for each cowgirl. Stevi’s had her birth month flower on it, a marigold, her previous NFR back numbers, and yellow and gold crocodile print, “which looked really good on Lemon Drop.”

    She is no stranger to young horses and jokes that she does well with five-year-olds. She’s taken three different horses, all at five years of age, to the NFR: Lemon Drop this year, and Sharpie and Martini in past years.
    She has a zeal for training horses. “It’s my passion. I love taking a young horse to the next level. That’s probably why I get along so well with the five-year-olds. I understand them. Not everybody can run a five-year-old. You have to keep them together without scaring them.”

    Stevi and her husband, Ty, live on their place near Weatherford, Texas. They break their own horses and now own a stud with babies on the place. This year, she has four futurity horses and will rodeo a little and futurity a little more. “We’ll go to the big rodeos, but we’ll take some time to enjoy the closer futurities and the younger horses,” she said. “I have some great customers that have big hopes for their horses, and I’m super excited about that.”

     

  • Barrel racer sets arena record at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

    Barrel racer sets arena record at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

    FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 31, 2022) — Fast times are the expected in the barrel racing at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (FWSSR)

    Fans watched last week as world champion Jordon Briggs and her great horse “Rollo,” had the fastest time recorded in Dickies Arena at 16.25 seconds. That record only stood for two performances.

    On Monday, Wenda Johnson, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma stopped the clock in 16.17 seconds. Johnsons was riding Macgyver Moonflash “Mac,” one of two horses that she rode at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Johnson’s trip to Las Vegas to compete at rodeo’s championships last December was her first. A big win here could jumpstart her 2022 season to get her back there again next December.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Marty Yates won the tie-down roping here in 2019, the last time the rodeo was held in the historic Will Rogers Coliseum. The Stephenville, Texas, resident is known for fast times and his performance here was no exception. Yates stopped the clock in 7.7 seconds on Monday night for the win. If he has another fast time on Tuesday, he will be advancing to the semifinals and have a chance at a second FWSSR buckle.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This was Sage Steele Kimzey’s first rodeo of the 2022 year, the first as a dad and the first to collect money at in the bull riding. He was one of two successful riders and had the top score of 80 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Road to Nowhere. That garnered the Salado, Texas, resident $2,420. He and his wife, Alexis, just welcomed their first child into their family, a boy, Steele Randall Kimzey. Kimzey is the reigning world champion bull rider in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. His latest title is his seventh and he is closing in on the record for titles in that event set by Don Gay.

    All of these contestants will compete again Tuesday night and hope to add to their earnings. The top two money winners in each event will advance to the semi-finals on Thursday and Friday night. Wednesday night will feature the third-place money earners in a wildcard where two will advance to the semi-finals

    The top four from each semifinal meet in the championship round Saturday night at 7:30.

     

    FORT WORTH, Texas — The following are unofficial results from the FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, Monday, January 31, 2022.

    Bracket 7, Round 1

    Bareback Riding: 1, Dantan Bertsch, Tompkins, Saskatchewan, 86 points on Four Star Rodeo’s Dirty Harry, $1,760. 2, Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif., 85, $1,320. 3, (tie) Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, and Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 82, $660 each.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, (tie) Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., and Clayton Hass, Weatherford, Texas, 4.1 seconds, $1,540 each. 2, Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, 4.4, $880. 3, Dakota Eldridge, Elko, N.V., 4.7, $440.

     

    Breakaway Roping: 1, Loni Lester, Gonzales, Texas, 1.9 seconds, $1,760. 2, Joey Williams, Volberg, Mont., 2.1, $1,320. 3, (tie) Alex Loiselle, Paris, Texas, and Cadee Williams, Weatherford, Texas, 2.5, $660 each.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Cash Wilson, Wall, S.D., 88 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Mission Belles, $1,760. 2, Mitch Pollock, Winnemucca, N.V., 82.5, $1,320. 3, Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia, 81, $880. 4, Leon Fountain, Socorro, N.M., 80.5, $440.

     

    Tie Down Roping: 1, Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, 7.7 seconds, $1,760. 2, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, 8.0, $1,320. 3, Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont., 8.7, $880. 4, Lane Livingston, Seymour, Texas, 9.8, $440.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., 5.8 seconds, $1,760. 2, Cory Clark, Jefferson, S.C., and Blaine Vick, Breckenridge, Texas, 6.9, $1,320. 3, Britt and Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., 10.2, $880. 4, Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho, 11.6, $440.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Wenda Johnson, Pawhuska, Okla., 16.17, $1,760. 2, Emily Beise, Weatherford, Okla., 16.29, $1,320. 3, Stephanie Fryar, Waco, Texas, 16.55, $880. 4, Lacinda Rose, Willard, Mo., 16.67, $440.

     

    Bull Riding: (Two qualified rides) 1, Sage Steele Kimzey, Salado, Texas, 80 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Road to Nowhere, $2,420. 2, Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa, 72, $1,980.

     

     

  • Champions will be crowned at National Western Stock Show Rodeo

    Champions will be crowned at National Western Stock Show Rodeo

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 22, 2022) — Sunday’s final performance of the National Western Stock Show Rodeo promises to be action packed with seasoned veterans going up against newcomers in every event.

    Three-time world champion bareback rider, Tim O’Connell is one of those veterans. He earned the title in the Denver Coliseum in 2017, the same year he won his second gold buckle. This year, he is going up against rising star Rocker Steiner for the championship here. O’Connell won the Saturday morning performance and 18-year-old Steiner was at the top of the leaderboard during the evening.

    In team roping, Clay Tryan, another three-time world champion is also trying to win his second Denver title. Tryan, from Billings, Montana, is doing the heading for Jake Long from Coffeyville, Kansas. They Had the fast time in the morning performance at 4.2 seconds. Texas brothers Chase and Tyson Thompson also had a 4.2 second run during the matinee and are trying to win their first championship here.

    A win at the National Western can give any rodeo contestant momentum for the rest of the year. The rodeo here is traditionally the first big rodeo of the New Year and often moves contestants to the top of the world standings.

    Sunday’s championship finals starts at 2 p.m. with 12 contestants in each event. All previous scores and times are dropped and the winner will be the athlete with the fastest time or highest score at the end of their events.

     

    DENVER, Colo. — The following are money winners and qualifiers for the championship finals at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo, Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022.

     

    17th Performance —

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, 1, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 85.5 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Easy Money, $3,208. 2, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 84, $2,405. 3, Dean Thompson, Altamont, Utah, 83.5, $1,604. 4, Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 79, $801.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore., 4.6, $3,712. 2, Kyle Broce, Cheraw, Colo., 4.7, $2,784. 3, Josh Garner, Live Oak, Calif., 5.2, $1,856. 4, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 6.1, $928.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 4.2, $3,679. 2, Luke rown, Rockhill, S.C., and Hunter Koch, Vernon, Texas, 4.9, $2,759. 3, Tucker Menz, Boerne, Texas, and Blaine Vick, Breckenridge, Texas, 5.0, $1,839. 4, (tie) Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas; and Jase Staudt, Nathrop, Colo., and Riley Pedro, Honolulu, Hawaii; 5.3, $460 each.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Tanner Butner, Daniel, Wyo., 87 points on Burch Rodeo’s Maria Bartiromo, $3,252. 2, Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 84.5, $2,439. 3, Logan cook, Alto, Texas, 84, $1,626. 4, Kole Ashbacher, Arrowwood, Alberta, 81.5, $813.

     

    Tie Down Roping: 1, Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont., 8.3, $3,696. 2, Trevor Hale, Perryton, Texas, 8.5, $2,772. 3, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alberta, 9.2, $1,848. 4, Clint Graves, Oxford, Kan., 9.6, $924.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 15.18 seconds, $3,495. 2, Sarah Rose Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 15.20, $2,621. 3, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 15.22, $1,747. 4, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 15.35, $874.

     

    Bull Riding: 1, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 84.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Mangum. 2, Cullen Teller, Plant City, Fla., 84, $2,472. 3, Connor Murnion, Jordan, Mont., 81.5, $1,647. 4, Jeff Bertus, Avon, S.D., 80, $824.

     

    18th Performance —

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev., 86 points on Cervi Brother Rodeo’s Good Time, $3,207. 2, Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, 84.5, $2,405. 3, R.C. Landingham, Hat Creek, Calif., 83.5, 1,603. 4, Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., 82, $801.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 3.6 seconds, $ 3,712. 2, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 4.0, $2,784. 3, Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala., 4.1, $1,856. 4, Bubba Boots, St. Anthony, Idaho, 4.7, $928.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Chace Thompson, Knox City, Texas and Tyson Thompson, Munday, Texas, 4.2 seconds, $3,679. 2, Tyler Walters, Stephenville, Texas and Tyler McKnight, Pollok, Texas, 5.1, $2,759. 3, Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., 5.5, $1,839. 4, Kellan and Carson Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 6.3, $919.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Sage Newman, Melstone, Mont., 86.5 points on Cervi Brother Rodeo’s Mood Swings, $3,251. 2, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 85, $2,438. 3, Sterling Crawley, Huntsville, Texas, 83, $1,625. 4, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 80, $812.

     

    Tie Down Roping: 1, Kincade Henry, Mount Pleasant, Texas, 7.7 seconds, $3,695. 2, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 8.5, $2,771. 3, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 8.8, $1,847. 4, Michael Otero, 9.1, $923.

     

    Womens Barrel Race: 1, Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn., 15.21 seconds, $3,495. 2, Stephanie Fryar, Waco, Texas, 15.33, $2,621. 3, Cassidy Champlin, Pilot Point, Texas, 15.34, $1,747. 4, Emma Charleston, Reeds, Mo., 15.37, $873.

     

    Bull Riding: 1, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, 84.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Holy Water, $3,295. 2, Jack Gilmore, Ironton, Mo., 80, $2,471. 3, Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, 80, $1,647. 4, Clayton Savage, Banner, Wyo., 75, $823.

     

    19th Performance —

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 88 points on Cervi Brother Rodeo’s, Dream Machine, $3,207. 2, Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 84, $2,407. 3, Seth Hardwick, Ranchester, Wyo., 77, $801.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Adam Musil, Cresent, Okla., 4.9 seconds, $3,712. 2, Ringo Robinson, Huston, Idaho, 5.2, $2,784. 3, Riley Reiss, Manning, N.D., 5.4, $1,856. 4, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 5.6, $928.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah, and Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, 4.9 seconds, $3,679. 2, Coy Rahlmann, Ellisnore, Mo, and Douglas Rich, Herrick, Ill., 5.1, $2,759. 3, Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., and Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 5.5, $1,839. 4, Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho, 5.8, $919.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Creighton Curly, Allentown, Ariz., 85.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Found Me, $3,251. 2, Jake Finlay, Goondiwindi, Australia, 85, $2,438. 3, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 84.5, $1,625. 4, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 82.5, $812.

     

    Tie Down Roping: 1, Luke Potter, Maple City, Kan., 7.7 seconds, $3,695. 2, Cole Ford, Sulphur, La., 8.0, $2,771. 3, Ryan Jarrett, 8.7, $1,847. 4, Dakota Felton, Mountain Home, Texas, 9.0, $923.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Illyssa Riley, Hico, Texas, 14.96 seconds, $3,495. 2, Shannon McReynolds, La Luz, N.M., 15.07, $2,621. 3, Bradi Whiteside, Longview, Alberta, 15.08, $1,747. 4, BryAnna Haluptzok, Tenstrike, Minn., 15.17, $873.

     

    Bull Riding: 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 86.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Spumoni, $3,295. 2, Bubba Greig, Estherville, Iowa, 85, $2,471. 3, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 78, $1,647. 4, Tanner Eno, Coronation, Alberta, $823.

     

    Preliminary round winners –

     

    Bareback Riding: (First round) 1, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 84.5 points on Lancaster and Jones Unforgiven Too, $4,124. 2, Garret Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 84, $3,161. 3, Zacariah Phillips, Rozet, Wyo., 83.5, $2,337. 4, (tie)Leighton Berry, Weatherford,Texas, and Jamie Howlett, Roma, Australia, 82.5, $1,237 each. 6, Sam Peterson, Helena, Mont., 82, $687. 7, (tie) Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, and Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev., 81.5, $481 each. (Second Round) 1, Tim O’ Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 86 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Easy Money, $4,124. 2, Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif., 85.5, $3,162. 3, (tie) Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., and Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 84, $1,924. 5 (tie), Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev., and Keenan Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 83, $824. 7, Jamie Howlett, Roma, Australia, 82.5, $549. 8, (tie) Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, and Seth Hardwick, Ranchester, Wyo., 82, $206.

     

    Steer Wrestling: (First round) 1, Jaret Whitman, Belgrade, Mont., 4.0 seconds, $3,659. 2, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 4.2, $3,181. 3, (tie) Kyle Irwin, Ala., and Adam Musil, Crescent, Okla., 4.3, $2,465 each. 5, Heath Thomas, Hemphill, Texas, 4.4, $1,750. 6, Stetson Jorgenson, Blackfoot, Idaho, 4.5, $1,272. 7, (tie) Laramie Warren, Adair, Okla.; Bubba Boots, St. Anthony, Idaho; and Hunter Cure, Holliday, Texas, 4.6, $371 each. (Second round) 1, (tie) Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., and Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho, 3.6, $3,421 each. 3, Don Payne, Stephenville, Texas, 3.8, $2,705. 4, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 3.9, $2,227. 5, Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo., 4.0, $1,750. 6, Travis Munro, Townsville, Australia, 4.1, $1,273. 7, Gavin Soileau, Bunkie, La., 4.2, $795. 8, (tie) Nick Guy, Sparta, Wisc., and J.D. Struxness, Milan, Minn., 4.3, $159.

    Team Roping: (First round) 1, Jr Dees, Aurora, S.D., and Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D, 4.6, $3,626. 2, Levi Simpson, Ponoka, Alberta, and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, S.D., 4.9, $3,153. 3, Dustin Egusquiza, Marianna, Fla., and Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 5.3, $2,680. 4, Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla., and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 5.6, $2,207. 5, (tie) Tanner James, Porterville, Calif., and Phoenix Everano, Pendleton, Ore., and Justin Pruitt; and Justin Pruitt and Blaine Turner, Batesville, Ark., 6.0, $1,498. 7, (tie) Tate Kirchenschlager, Yuma, Colo., and Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas; Pedro Egurrola, Florence, Ariz., and J.C. Flake, Laramie, Wyo.; and Tyler Waters, Stephenville, Texas, and Tyler McKnight, Pollok, Texas, 6.1, $368 each. (Second round) 1, Andrew Ward, Edmond, Okla., and Buddy Hawkins, Columbus, Kan., 4.3, $3,627. 2, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil, 4.4, $3,154. 3, (tie) Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho; and Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla.; 4.7, $2,444. 5, Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif.; and Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan.; 4.8, $1,498. 7, Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 4.9, $788. 8, Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., 5.1, $315.

    Saddle Broncs: (First Round) 1, CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah, 84.5 points on Cervi Brother Rodeo’s Assailant, $4,180. 2, Leon Fountain, Socorro, N.M., 84, $3,205. 3, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 83.5, $2,369. 4, K’s Thompson, Lundbreck, Alberta, 81.5, $1,532. 5, (tie) Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia, and Cameron Messier, Mandaree, N.D., 81, $836. 7, Kolby Wanchuck, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 80.5. $557. 8, (tie) Sterling Crawley, Huntsville, Texas, and Wyatt Hageman, Jay Em, Wyo., 80, $209. (Second Round) 1, Sage Newman, Melstone, Mont., 86 points on Burch Rodeo’s Rev Runner, $4,180. 2, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 85.5, $3,205. 3, Sterling Crawley, Huntsville, Texas, 84, $2,369. 4, (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah; Alan Gobert, Browning Mont., and Cody Ballard, Tumut, Australia, 83, $1,068. 7, Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alberta, 82.5, $557. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 82, $418.

     

    Tie-Down Roping: (First round) 1, Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 7.1 seconds, $3,643. 2, Riley Webb, Denton, Texas, 7.5, $3,168. 3, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 7.8, $2,693. 4, (tie) Quade Hiatt, Canyon, Texas; Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont.; and Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas; 8.0 and $1,742 each. 7, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 8.1, $792. 8, (tie) Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., and Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas, 8.2, $158. (Second round) 1, Michael Otero, Millsap, Texas, 7.5, $3,643. 2, (tie) Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas and Jesse Clifton, Springtown, Texas, 7.9, $2,930. 4, (tie) Blake Chauvin, Raceland, La.; Beau Cooper, Stettler, Alberta; Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo., and Kase Bacque, Huntsville, Texas; 8.0, $1,505. 8, (tie) Kincaide Henry, Mount Pleasant, Texas; Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas; and Bo Pickett, Caldwell, Idaho, 8.1, $106.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: (First Round) 1, Shannon McReynolds, La Luz, N.M., 14.72 seconds, $3,146. 2, (tie) Kelly Bruner, Milsap, Texas, and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 15.15 and $2,472 each. 4, (tie) Brittany Barnett, Stephenville, Texas, and Illyssa Riley, Hico, Texas, 15.16, $1,723. 6, BryAnna Haluptzok, Tenstrike, Minn., 15.19, $1,198. 7, Steely Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 15.22, $899. 8, Michelle Alley, Madisonville, Texas, 15.24, $599. 9, Cassidy Champlin, Pilot Point, Texas, 15.29, $449. 10 (tie) Shelly Morgan, Eustace, Texas, and Jackie Ganter, Abilene, Texas, 15.30, $150. (Second Round) 1, Sarah Rose Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 15.01 seconds, $3,146. 2, (tie) Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 15.05, $2,472. 4, Illyssa Riley, Hico, Texas, 15.11, $1,947. 5, Cassidy Champlin, Pilot Point, Texas, 15.13, $1,498. 6, Cheyenne Hattesen, Kerman, Calif., 15.14, $1,198. 7, (tie) Shannon McReynolds, La Luz, N.M., and Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 15.18, $749. 9, Emma Charleston, Reeds, Mo., 15.19, $449. 10 (tie) BryAnna Haluptzok, Tenstrike, Minn., and Ivy Saebens, Nowata, Okla., 15.23, $150.

     

    Bull Riding: (First Round) 1, Connor Murnion, Jordan, Mont., 85 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Little John, $4, 237. 2, (tie) Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, and Brady Sims, Holt, Mo., 84, $2,824. 4, Bubba Greig, Estherville, Iowa, 83, $1,553. 5, (tie) Coleman Entze, Golden Valley, N.D., 81, and Cullen Telfer, Plant City, Fla., 81, $847. 7, Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, 80.5, $564. 8, Clayton Savage, Banner, Wyo., 80, $423. (Second Round) 1, Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, 84.5 points on Cervi Brother Rodeos’ Dim Tricks, $4,237. 2, (tie) Fletcher Jowers, Waxahachie, Texas, and Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 84, $2,824. 4, Audy Allred, Cleveland, Utah, 83.5, $1,553. 5, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, 82.5, $988. 6, (tie) Lukasey Morris, Union City, Okla., and Jack Gilmore, Ironton, Mo., 82, $635. 8, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 81.5, $423.

     

     

  • Gray in contention for third National Western Stock Show Rodeo title

    Gray in contention for third National Western Stock Show Rodeo title

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 20, 2022) — Getting the championship at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo is an accomplishment that goes into the memory books of rodeo athletes as a bucket list win.

    Winning it twice is unusual and winning it three times is nearly unheard of. Adam Gray of Seymour, Texas put himself in position to accomplish that during the two rodeo performances in the Denver Coliseum on Thursday.

    Gray stopped the clock in 8.0 seconds to have the fastest run at the 10:30 a.m. performance. He came back and roped at the evening rodeo and while he wasn’t the leader of the pack, he still had a great run at 8.3 seconds. That has him tied at the top of the overall leaderboard with 2019 world champion Haven Meged at 16.3 seconds on two runs.

    These two will be part of Saturday’s Semifinals for sure where they get a clean slate. Each of the three rodeos on Saturday will have eight contestants in each of the events. The fastest four times and highest four scores from those three rodeos will compete on Sunday for the championship.

    Gray is the defending champion here from 2020, the first time the rodeo used a bracketed format to declare the champion. He also won it in 2015. The civil engineering graduate from Texas Tech got his education because of rodeo and is using his degree now at his job. Roping has been a hobby that he still enjoys and if he wins his third title here, the job might take a backseat as he pursues his seventh Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification.

    The tie-down roping was very fast on Thursday night. Bo Pickett from Caldwell, Idaho had the best run of the night at 8.1 seconds. Brenham, Texas, resident Wyatt Imus was just one-tenth of a second behind him. Then Gray tied with Colton Farquer from Oakdale, California with 8.3. Gray and Farquer will be watching the competition on Friday to see if they can hold their positions of first and seventh respectively and compete again Saturday.

    There are two performances of the rodeo in the Denver Coliseum on Friday at 1:30 and 7 p.m.

     

    DENVER, Colo. — The following are results from the PRCA and WPRA rodeo at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022.

     

    13th Performance —

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas., 82.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Fire’s Easy. 2, Wyatt Maines, Elkwater, Alberta., 81. 3, Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., 76. 4, (tie) Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., and Kyle Bloomquist, Raymond, Minn., 76.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 4.2 seconds. 2, Heath Thomas, Hemphill, Texas., 4.4. 3, Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho., 4.5. 4, Hunter Cure, Holliday, Texas., 4.6.

     

                Team Roping: 1, Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 5.6 seconds. 2, Justin Pruitt, and Blaine Turner, Batesville, Ark., 6.0. 3, Cooper and Tucker James White, Hershey, Neb., 6.4. 4, Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 6.9.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 83.5 on Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Boss. 2, Lucas Macza, High River, Alberta, 78. 3, Logan Cook, Alto, Texas., 76.5. 4, Tyler Corrington, Hastings Mont., 74.

     

    Tie-Down Roping: 1, Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 8.0 seconds. 2, Kason Dyer, Ottawa, Kan., 8.9. 2, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 9.1. 4, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alberta., 9.3.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, BryAnna Haluptzok, Tenstrike, Minn., 15.19. 2, Cassidy Champlin, Pilot Point, Texas, 15.29. 3, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 15.38. 4, Bradi Whiteside, Longview Alberta, 15.49.

     

    Bull Riding: (Three qualified Rides) 1, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas., 75.5 on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s The Conductor. 2, Clayton Appelhans, Colby, Kan., 71.5. 3, Tanner Eno, Coronation Alberta, 64.

     

    14th Performance —

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Jamie Howlett, Roma, Australia, 82.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s, Midnight Snack. 2, Nate S McFadden, Elsmere, Neb., 77.5. 3, Spur Lacasse, Calgary, Alberta, 76. Mike Solberg, Sunnynook, Alberta, 74.5.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo., 4.0 seconds. 2, Travis Munro, Townsville, Australia, 4.1. 3, Wyatt Jurney, Las Cruces, N.M, 4.4. 4, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 5.3.

     

    Team Roping: 1, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 4.8 seconds. 2, Chace Thompson, Knox City, Texas, and Tyson Thompson, Munday, Texas, 6.0. 3, Miles Kobold, Huntley, Mont., and Chase Gauger, Pryor, Mont., 7.8. 4, Lightning Aguilera, Athens, Texas, and Coleby Payne, Stevensville, Texas, 19.4.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia, 80 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s High Rolling Sidney. 2, Cash Wilson, Wall, S.D., 78. 3, Taygen Schuelke, Newell, S.D., 77. 4, Kash Deal, Faith, S.D., 70.

     

    Tie Down Roping: 1, Bo Pickett, Caldwell, Idaho, 8.1 seconds. 2, Wyatt Imus, Brenham, Texas, 8.2. 3, (tie) Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, and Colton Farquer, Oakdale, Calif. 8.3.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Ilyssa Riley, Hico, Texas, 15.11 seconds. 2, Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas, 15.51. 3, CJ Vondette, Rifle, Colo., 15.57. 4, Sissy Winn, Chapman Ranch, Texas, 15.61.

     

    Bull Riding: (No qualified rides)

     

  • On the Trail with Hailey Frederiksen

    On the Trail with Hailey Frederiksen

    Hailey Frederiksen, Miss Rodeo Colorado was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2022 on December 5th. The eight-day Miss Rodeo America Pageant was held at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The pageant was last held in December of 2019 due to Covid. Like many of the 32 queens across the country, Hailey, from Wellington, Colorado, represented the Centennial State for two years. She is the sixth Miss Rodeo Colorado to win the coveted Miss Rodeo America title, last won by Tara (Graham) Rowe in 2001.

    Hailey grew up in the saddle; she ran barrels in gymkhanas and jackpots. Born and raised in Platteville, Colo., she was in 4H for 11 consecutive years showing market and breeding swine. “I was a pig gal,” laughed the 24-year-old. Through 4H, she learned responsibility, stewardship, and an appreciation for what farmers and ranchers do on a 24/7 basis. “A lot of our family friends and neighbors are farmers and it drove my platform to be an advocate for agriculture – which I did through my reign as Miss Rodeo Colorado.”

    Hailey started competing in dance in high school and had to make the tough choice between horses and dance. She picked dance and went through the ranks of competitive dance at the studio –which included a trip to Las Vegas to compete. “Even though dance is as far away from western as you can get, it taught me stage skills and confidence which is so important when competing in queen contests.” She switched her focus to Poms team. “I discovered I enjoyed that, so I transitioned into competing with my Poms team. We placed third in state my senior year.”

    Hailey’s first queen title was as had held one title previous as the 2009 Johnstown Saddle Club Princess. She spent the year traveling with her mom’s old barrel horse. “Puffy had a mind of her own, but she took very good care of me.” The pivotal moment in that reign happened at the Estes Park Rooftop Rodeo, where Hailey met the reigning Miss Rodeo America (Megan Ridley Hollinder) and the reigning Miss Rodeo Colorado (Audra Dobbs McNicolaus). “I wanted to be just like both of them and here we are.”

    She went to college at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., and realized how much she missed her roots. “Until you take a step back do you appreciate what you were able to grow up with,” she said. It was during her junior year in college (2018) she held her second queen title as Miss Rodeo Deer Trail. “That began my journey back into queening.” She rode a 4-year-old mare that her mom was working on making a barrel horse. “Honey was a rock star with flags, parades, and everything.”

    She tried out for the crown of Miss Rodeo Colorado twice (2018, 2019). “I knew I was going to be there,” she said. “Not winning fueled my passion to do better and win.” The critique from the judges was at the end of the day they didn’t know who Hailey was. “I worked hard the next year on being genuine, passionate and inquisitive … they must have seen the change, because they picked me the next year and again this year, as Miss Rodeo America.”

    During her two year reign as Miss Colorado, she spent the first year traveling to rodeos outside the state of Colorado. “When Covid first hit, we didn’t travel. My first rodeo back at it was Woodward, Okla., in June. Those small rodeo committees appreciated having us there.” She traveled with Miss Oklahoma, Miss Idaho, and Miss Kansas. “Putting ourselves out there helped us fulfill our obligation to represent rodeo and the western way of life.” She also created a Kids Corral, producing a video every Wednesday at 10 am. “I posted more than 40 videos of me reading kid’s books or interviewing rodeo personalities like Justin Rumford and Shali Lord. I interviewed my farrier, my vet and even did some kids crafts, I had a lot of fun with it and it kept me present as Miss Rodeo Colorado.” She plans to continue the Kids Corral as Miss Rodeo America.

    She is quick to attribute her win to her parents. “They have been there for me the whole time – I might be the one on center stage, but this title is as much theirs as mine.” Her parents instilled in her to work hard for whatever she wanted. “Everything I’ve put my mind to requires a bunch of work, When I was a dancer, I wasn’t flexible, so I had to work at it. I never had the best animals in 4H, but I knew if I worked hard and walked my pigs every day I’d get to where I wanted to be.”

    Megan and Trevin have been the biggest supporters of Hailey. “Dad works in oil and gas, and mom is a stay-at-home mom. She taught yoga and fitness ever since I was a baby, but her main job was being a mom.” They were both home quite a bit and helped Hailey with horses and whatever she needed. “I barrel raced growing up, but my dad put a rope in my hand and now I’m team roping with him. My dad taught me a good lesson when I’d get frustrated; there’s always going to be another steer in the pen.” He just finished the arena at their new place east of Wellington and now they can rope whenever they want, picking from any of the five horses that they own.

    Trevin has always believed in Hailey and told her before the competition. “Honey this crown does not define you – all those that love you know you don’t need to bring that crown home.” Trevin designed and built the two carts that carried all her very carefully picked out wardrobe for the competition.

    She spent many hours preparing for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant. “I am very OCD – and organized. I’d been packing for pageant for at least a month. I had all my outfits – 15 garment bags on one rack, and 17 pairs of Justin boots and 7 Greeley Hatworks hats on the other cart, a suitcase and a duffle bag. All in one trip. Appearance is one of the major categories of the pageant. “It tells the story of you – it took a year to figure out what I was going to wear. I worked with countless designers getting the clothes I needed for pageant. You only have 8 days to impress those judges.” The part of the pageant that she really enjoyed was the interviews. “We don’t get much one on one time with the judges. Those interviews were only 15 minutes.”

    Her first stop as Miss Rodeo America is the National Western Stock Show, where she will make appearances every day for 16 days. Then she’s off to Lake Charles, Louis. Her schedule is filling up. “She is worthy of whatever God has planned for her,” said her mother, Megan. “There’s no wrong or right – you pray it works out for the good – be healthy and happy is all we can wish for her.”

    “I can’t wait to see what lies ahead and the opportunities that will be available to me … I’m thrilled to see where life takes me next.”

  • Wright Adds Another Title to His Resume’ in Fort Worth

    Wright Adds Another Title to His Resume’ in Fort Worth

    FORT WORTH, Texas (Jan. 19, 2022) Stetson Wright added another title to his impressive resume’ Wednesday when he won the Bulls’ Night Out championship at the 125th edition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
    The 22-year-old Utah native already has five world championships to his credit – three all-around and one each in bull riding and saddle bronc riding. He’s also the first rough stock rider to win the all-around cowboy world championship since Ty Murray in 1998.
    Bulls’ Night Out, a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Xtreme Bulls competition, features two nights of action with 40 bull riders each night and the top 10 of those 40 competing in a second round. The highest score on two bulls wins the championship.
    After Tuesday night, Grayson Cole of Fredonia, Pennsylvania led the long round with 90 points and was also the overall leader since no one rode a bull in Tuesday’s second round.
    From the first section on Wednesday, the competition was fierce. Trey Kimzey of Strong City, Oklahoma scored 88.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s bull Best in Show to lead the first section by half a point over Washington cowboy Caleb McMillin.
    Josh Frost of Randlett, Utah who finished as reserve world champion at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December, tallied 86 points on Four L & Diamond S Rodeo’s bull Last Cigarette to start the second section. Then Wright rode another Four L & Diamond S bull – House of Pain to tie Kimzey with 88.5.
    The second round would determine the championship. In that round the riders compete in reverse order with the highest score going last with ties broken by a draw. Wright drew the chance to be the final rider of the night.
    The first four cowboys bucked off, then Frost scored 86.5 on Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s bull Ground Assault, giving him a total of 172.5 points on two bulls. Then the next four cowboys hit the dirt. Wright was matched against NFR bull Johnny Thunder from the Rafter G string. If he bucked off, Frost would be the champion, but Wright never faltered. He stayed on the bull’s back for the required eight seconds and earned 90 points from the judges.
    With the win the 2020 world champion bull rider vaulted into first place in the Xtreme Bulls standings and bounced into the top three of the bull riding world standings. He earned a total of $19,654 – $17,058 of which counts for world championship points.
    Coleman Berry of Poolville, Texas made an 83-point ride to win the junior bull riding, $500 and a trophy buckle.
    The 125th edition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo continues Thursday at 7:30 p.m. with the Texas Champions Challenge rodeo which features winners from five of the state’s biggest professional rodeos along with a freestyle bullfighting competition.
    The FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament begins Friday night and will crown its champions on Saturday, February 5.

    FORT WORTH, Texas — The following are unofficial winners from Bulls’ Night Out at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, January 19, 2022.
    First Round: 1, Grayson Cole, Fredonia, Pa., 90 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Farmers Only, $5,562. 2, (tie) Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, and Trey Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., 88.5, $3,708 each. 4, (tie) Jace Trosclair, Chauvin, La., Dalan Duncan, Heber City, Utah, and Caleb McMillan, Soap Lake, Wash., 88, $1,421.51 each. 7, Parker McCown, Montgomery, Texas, 86.5. 8 (tie), Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, and Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 86, $278 each.

    Short Round: (two qualified rides) 1, Wright, 90 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Johnny Thunder, $6,675. 2, Frost, 86.5, $5686.

    Total on Two: 1, Wright, 178.5 points, $9,271. 3, Frost, 172.5, $7,018. (on one) 3, Cole, 90, $5,253.42. 4, Kimzey, 88.5, $3,399. 5, (tie) Trosclair, McMillan and Duncan, 88, $1,648 each. 3, McCown, 86.5, $927.

    Jr. Bull Riding: 1, Coleman Berry, Poolville, Texas, 83 points. 2, Myles Turner, Comanche, Okla., 79. 3, Taylor Waugh, Azle, Texas, 77.

  • Steiner’s bareback riding success continues at National Western

    Steiner’s bareback riding success continues at National Western

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 17, 2022) — The National Western Stock Show Rodeo is high on all rodeo contestant’s bucket lists to win.

    For Rocker Steiner of Weatherford, Texas, that win became a possibility on Tuesday in the Denver Coliseum. The third-generation competitor joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association when he turned 18. He won the fourth rodeo that he entered in Odessa, Texas, then made the trip to Denver with his world champion father and grandfather to compete in Denver.

    His dad, Sid Steiner is a world champion steer wrestler, and the eldest Steiner, Bobby was the world champion bull rider in 1973. Rocker’s mother, Jamie, is a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier in the barrel racing who was here helping sister Steely compete in that event earlier in the rodeo.

    Winning money in the two preliminary rounds is important, but not nearly as much as advancing to Saturday’s semi-finals. Rocker is in great position to do that after scoring 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s horse Jason’s Pride at the 10th performance Tuesday night. Combined with his 75 from Monday, he is now tied for seventh place in the overall standings and looking good to advance.

    The top 24 contestants in each of the events get to compete in one of three semi-finals on Saturday. Each rodeo features eight of the best from all preliminary competition where they start with a clean slate. Of those eight, the four with the best results will be in Sunday’s finals which will include 12 in bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding.

    A new set of contestants will be working towards a semi-finals qualification competing in performances at 1:30 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

     

     

    DENVER, Colo. — The following are results from the PRCA and WPRA rodeo at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo, Tuesday, January 18, 2022.

     

    Tenth Performance —

     

    Bareback Riding: 1, Rocker Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Jason’s Pride. 2, Zach Hibler, Wheeler, Texas, 77. 3, Kolt Dement, Rusk, Texas, 76. 4, Evan Kesler Betony, Tonalea, Ariz., 75.

     

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 3.9 seconds. 2, Tucker Allen, Oakview, Calif., 5.1. 3, Tyler Ravenscroft, Nenzel, Neb., 5.8. 4, Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala., 5.9.

                Team Roping: 1, Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., 4.8 seconds. 2, Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., 5.1. 3, Brent and Tanner McInerney, Alzada, Mont., 5.4. 4, Britt and Jake Smith, Brokenbow, Okla., 6.5.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1 (tie), Cody Ballard, Tumut, Australia, on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue and Alan Gobert, Browning, Mont., on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Classic Equine Scarlet, 83 points each. 3, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 79. 4, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 77.5.

     

    Tie-Down Roping: 1, Kalai Oberiga, Kealakekua, Hawaii, 9.6 seconds. 2, Nolan Ritchie, Bristol, S.D., 9.9. 3, Tate Matthew Thomas, Sterling City, Texas, 10.3. 4, Darnell Johnson, Fowler, Colo., 11.0.

     

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Sarah Rose Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 15.01 seconds. 2, Brittany Pozzi – Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 15.05. 3, Kari Boxleitner, Loveland, Colo., 15.53. 4, Brittney Barnett, Stephenville, Texas, 20.24.

     

    Bull Riding: (one ride 1, Jack Gilmore, Ironton, Mo., 82 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Pocket Change.

     

     

  • Saturday at National Western sees contestants moving to top of leader board

    Saturday at National Western sees contestants moving to top of leader board

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 15, 2022) — Saturday was a stellar day at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo for the Bradshaw family of Beaver, Utah.
    CoBurn Bradshaw was consistently one of the best saddle bronc riders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association from 2015 to 2018. He qualified for rodeo’s championship, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) each of those years and won the title for having the highest total score through 10 rounds of competition in Las Vegas the last time he was there.
    The next year, he was outside the top 15 that qualify. Then he was busy building a business to support his family. Bradshaw is married to a member of the famous saddle bronc riding family, the Wrights. He and his wife Rebecca, who is an aunt to current world champion, Stetson Wright, made the trip to Denver a family affair.
    Their oldest son, Lafe, competed in the fan-favorite mutton bustin, then they got to watch as dad got on his second horse in the saddle bronc riding where he scored 83-points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Thunder on Saturday morning.
    Bradshaw rode his first horse here on Friday night and leads that round. He has the highest total on two rides with 167.5 points. With that total score, he will be back here in one week to compete at the rodeo’s semifinals.
    Dawson Hay took the lead in the second round of saddle bronc riding Saturday night. Hay, who just competed at his second NFR rode Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue for 85.5 points. Hay, a second-generation saddle bronc rider, has a total of 165 points and is also looking good for the semifinals in the Denver Coliseum.
    Rodeo competition continues on Sunday with performances at 2 and 6:30.

    ###

    DENVER, Colo. — The following are results from the PRCA and WPRA rodeo at the National Wester n Stock Show Rodeo, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022

    Fourth Performance —

    Bareback Riding: 1, (tie) Ty Blessing, De Soto, Kan., on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Lightning and Henry Watkins, Ririe, Idaho on Cervi Brother’s Frontier Hostage, 78.5 points each. 3, Dean Thompson, Altamont, UT, 78. 4, (tie) Kash Wilson, Gooding, Idaho and Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, 77.

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Nick Guy, Sparta, Wisc., 4.3 seconds. 2, (tie) Josh Garner, Live Oak, Calif., and Billy Bolden, Oglala, S.D., 4.8 each. 4, Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D., 4.9.

    Team Roping: 1, Clay Holz, Springfield, S.D., and Ty Talsma, Avon, S.D., 5.5. 2, (tie), Zane Murphy, Cheyenne, Wyo., and Dusty Taylor, Craig, Colo.; and Coy Rahlmann, Elsinore, Mo., and Douglas Rich, Herrick, Ill., 5.6 seconds each. 4, Cory Kidd, Statesville, N.C., and Lane Mitchell, Stephenville, Texas, 7.9.

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah, 83 points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Thunder. 2, Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alberta, 82.5. 3, Creighton Curly, Allentown, Ariz., 77. 4, Weston Patterson, Waverly, Kan., 73.

    Tie-Down Roping: 1 (tie), Blake Chauvin, Raceland, La., and Kase Bacque, Huntsville, Texas, 8.0 seconds each. 3, Kincade Henry, Mount Pleasant, Texas, 8.1. 4, Clint Graves, Oxford, Kan., 8.6.

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Jimmie smith, McDade, Texas, 15.25 seconds. 2, Dona Kay Rule, Minco, Okla., 15.32. 3, Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn., 15.40. 4, Abby Phillips, Marshall, Texas, 15.43.
    Bull Riding: (three rides)1, Tristen Hutchings, Monteview, Idaho, 80 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Wooster. 2, Clayton Savage, Banner, Wyo., 79.5. 3, Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, 70.

    Fifth Performance —

    Bareback Riding: 1, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 84.5 points on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Unforgiven Too. 2, Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 84. 3, Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev., 81.5. 4, Ty Fast Taypotat, Regina, Saskatchewan.

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Bubba Boots, St. Anthony, Idaho, 4.6 seconds. 2, Bridger Anderson, Carrington, N.D., 4.7. 3, Payden McIntyre, Douglas, Wyo., 4.8. 4, Chase Black, Caolville, Utah, 5.4.

    Team Roping: 1, Levi Simpson, Ponoka, Alberta and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas, 4.9 seconds. 2, Pedro Egurrola, Florence, Ariz., and J.C. Flake, Laramie, Wyo., 6.1. 3, Robert Ansley, Moriarity, N.M., and James Gilliland, Edgewood, N.M., 6.2. 4, J.C. and L.J. Yeahquo, Crescent, Okla., 6.4.

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1 (tie) Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah, on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Power Supply and Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Moving Shadows, 79.5 points each. 3, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 79. 4, Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 73.

    Tie-Down Roping: 1, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 7.8. 2, Matt Shiozawa, Chubbock, Idaho, 8.6. 3, J.D. McCuistion, Collinsville, Texas, 8.9 seconds. 4, Cody Craig, Wendell, Idaho, 9.6.

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Shannon McReynolds, La Luz, N.M., 14.72 seconds. 2, Kelly Brunner, Millsap, Texas, 15.15. 3, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 15.33. 4, Cody Craig, Wendell, Idaho, 9.6.

    Bull Riding: (one qualified ride) Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, 77 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Wound Up.

    Sixth Performance —

    Bareback Riding: 1, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 86 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s High River. 2, Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev., 83. 3, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 82. 4, Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 80.

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho, 3.6. 2, Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kan., 5.2. 3, Bubba Boots, St. Anthony, Idaho, 5.3. 4, Jace Garthwaite, Powell Butte, Ore., 6.0.

    Team Roping: (one time) Levi Simpson, Ponoka, Alberta and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas, 16.2 seconds.

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 85.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue. 2, Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 82. 3, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 80. 4, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 77.

    Tie-Down Roping: 1, Michael Otero, Millsap, Texas, 7.5 seconds. 2, Jesse Clifton, Springtown, Texas, 7.9. 3, Chris McCuistion, Collinsville, Texas, 9.0. 4, Trampus Quarnberg, Annabella, Utah, 9.4.

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 15.05 seconds. 2, Shannon McReynolds, La Luz, N.M., 15.18. 3, Emma Charleston, Reeds, Mo., 15.19. 4, Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., 15.29.

    Bull Riding: 1, Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, 84.5 points on Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Dim Tricks. 2, Andy Allred, Cleveland, Utah, 83.5. 3, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, 82.5. 4, T.J. Schmidt, Belle Fourche, S.D., 80.5.

     

  • First performance of Pro Rodeo kicks off at National Western

    DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 14, 2022) — Just three performances in so far at the 2022 National Western Stock Show Rodeo and action is already getting fast and furious.
    Friday saw the first set of contestants finishing their preliminary competition and a new set beginning. At the matinee performance, Don Payne of Stephenville, Texas, stopped the clock in 3.8 seconds in the steer wrestling. He is the first to be under four seconds. He also had the fast time in the first performance and leads the overall standings with a total time of 8.5 seconds and could well be back here next weekend for the semifinals.
    The Women’s Professional Rodeo Association barrel race on Friday featured a rising star who comes from a long line of world champions. Steely Steiner, from Weatherford, Texas, has the fastest time in the Denver Coliseum so far. Riding her great gelding “Cupcake,” she stopped the clock in 15.22 seconds.
    Steiner’s mother, Jamie is often competing right alongside in the barrel race. Her father, Sid Steiner is a world champion steer wrestler, her grandfather Bobby Steiner is a world champion bull rider and former stock contractor. Her brother Rocker Steiner bought his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association membership as soon as he turned 18 and will be competing in the bareback riding here on Monday and Tuesday.
    Rodeo is a multigeneration family affair for the Steiners. It looks like Cupcake will be taking Steely to the pay window at the National Western, but Jamie has also had success on the horse. The mother-daughter duo work together training horses. Mom gets them started then turns them over to the younger barrel racer to put finishing touches on them.
    Steely finished 47th in the world standings last year and is ready to make a bid for her first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification. She was a baby when her father won the steer wrestling world title in 2003. Her parents both competed at rodeo’s championships in 2000. They are hoping that the siblings get to be in Las Vegas competing for gold buckles.
    Friday also saw the first tie-down roping run under eight seconds. Ty Harris of San Angelo, Texas, needed to be fast and that’s just what he did. During his first run, he clocked in at 10.8 seconds. Then came back and stopped the clock in 7.9 seconds. That run will likely get him another opportunity in the Denver Coliseum next weekend.
    Rodeo competition continues on Saturday with three performances at 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 8 p.m.

    ###

    DENVER, Colo. — The following are results from the PRCA and WPRA rodeo at the National Wester n Stock Show Rodeo, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022

    Second Performance —

    Bareback Riding: 1, Seth Lee Hardwick, Ranchester, Wyo., 82 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Dark Rose. 2, Bronc Marriott, Woods Cross, Utah, 8. 3, Coop Cook, Victor, Idaho, 79. 4, Kody Lamb, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 76.5.
    Steer Wrestling: 1, Don Payne, Stephenville, Texas, 3.8 seconds. 2, Gavin Soileau, Bunkie, La., 4.2. 3, Chance E Howard, Cedarville, Ark., 6.9. 4, Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb., 11.7.

    Team Roping: 1, Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho, 4.7 seconds. 2, Landon Koehn, Manhattan, Kan., and Corey Renn Larsen, Whitman, Neb., 9.6. 3, Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah, and Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alberta, 10.3. 4, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M., 14.3.

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah, 78.5 points on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Minnie Pearl. 2, Ross Griffin, Tularosa, N.M., 75.5. 3, Jesse James Kirby, Cheney, Wash., 74. 4, Tanner Lockhart, Mancos, Colo., 70.

    Tie-Down Roping: 1, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 7.9 seconds. 2, Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas, 8.1. 3, Colten Wallis, Big Spring, Texas, 8.3 seconds. 4, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 8.7.

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Cheyenne Hattesen, Kerman, Calif., 15.14 seconds. 2, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 15.18. 3, Stephanie Fryar, Waco, Texas, 15.41. 4, Lisa Zachoda, Okotoks, Ablerta, 15.42.

    Bull Riding: 1, (tie) Stetson Wright, Big Rafter Rodeo’s Times Up and Fletcher Jowers, Waxahachie, Texas, on Milford, Utah, on Big Rafter Rodeo’s Karaoke, 84 points each. 3, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 81.5. 4, Chauk Dees, Sterling, Okla., 76.

    Third Performance —

    Bareback Riding: 1, Dean Thompson, Altamont, Utah, 80.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Zipper Trick. 2, Jayco Roper, Oktaha, Okla., 80. 3, Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, 77. 4, (tie) Kash Wilson, Gooding, Idaho, Shane O’Connell, Rapid City, S.D., and Kelby Schneiter, Colorado Springs, 74.

    Steer Wrestling: 1, Laramie Warren, Adair, Okla., 4.6 seconds. 2, Josh Garner, Live Oak, Calif., 4.8. 3, Sam Goings, Fallon, Nev., 7.2. 4, Chisum Docheff, Mead, Colo., 9.2.

    Team Roping: 1, Tanner James, Porterville, Calif., and Phoenix Everano, Pendleton, Ore., 6.0 seconds. 2, Marcus Theriot, Lumberton, Miss., and Jim Ross Cooper, Mutual, Okla., 6.1. 3, Dex Maddock, Adrian, Ore., and Joby Barquin, Meeker, Colo., 6.9. 4, Cory Kidd, Statesville, N.C., and Lane Mitchell, Stephenville, Texas, 7.5.

    Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah, 84.5 points on Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Vitalix Assailant. 2, Creighton Curly, Allentown, Ariz., 75. 3, Cable James Wareham, Whiting, Kan., 71. 4, Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alberta, 60.

    Tie-Down Roping: 1, Quade Hiatt, Canyon, Texas, 8.0 seconds. 2, Landyn Duncan, Weatherford, Texas, 8.4. 3, Blake Chauvin, Raceland, La., 8.6. 4, Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas, 9.2.

    Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Steely Steiner, Weatherford, Texas, 15.22. 2, Abby Phillips, Marshall, Texas, 15.34. 3, Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn., 15.47. 4, Lois Ferguson, West, Texas, 15.55.

    Bull Riding: (two qualified rides) 1, Coleman Albert Entze, Golden Valley, N.D., 81 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Time to Shine. 2, Clayton Savage, Banner, Wyo., 80.

  • Profile: Sawyer Gilbert

    Profile: Sawyer Gilbert

    2021 Breakaway World Champ

     

    When the 2021 World Champion Breakaway Roper was crowned in Las Vegas in December, she wasn’t even old enough to buy a drink or sit at a gaming table.
    Nineteen-year-old Sawyer Gilbert sat with her “rowdy” roping friends, while they drank, buying a few rounds for them and having fun alongside them.
    But that didn’t bother the Buffalo, S.D. cowgirl a bit.
    She grew up on the Gilbert Angus Ranch in the northwest corner of the state, doing chores since she could walk. The daughter of Lloyd and Patty Gilbert, the family had chickens when she was young, so her responsibility was to feed and water them. “Chores and responsibilities with animals have always been a part of my life,” she said. Chores “make you grow up real fast.”
    She helped with ranch chores as well, on horseback from a young age.
    Sawyer competed in junior high and high school rodeo, winning the breakaway roping at the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo in 2016, and the South Dakota state title as a freshman and sophomore (2017-2018). In high school, she competed not only in the breakaway but in the goat tying, team roping, and the cutting. Breakaway was always her strength but she loves doing the other events.
    After high school graduation in 2020, she attended Weatherford (Texas) College for a year on a rodeo scholarship. But she was unsure of a major, and because the breakaway event had exploded on the scene, she decided not to return.
    “I didn’t ever really want to be a student,” she said. “That sounds bad, but I never knew what I wanted to do in school.” Because she decided to rodeo full time, she made the decision to not go back. “I knew there were lots of commitments that go with being in school: college rodeos, hours spent on homework. School will always be there, so if I decide to go back, I can, but I don’t have to get it done right now.”
    After finishing second in the goat tying for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Southwest Region, she knew she’d qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo.
    So she turned her attention to the pro rodeo breakaway roping, and didn’t tie another goat till the CNFR.
    “I tied three practice goats before the College Finals,” she said. And while in Casper, Wyo., at the Finals, her mind was still on pro rodeo. “I had made it, and I wanted to win, but I was (in Casper) for three days and had to drive to Reno (for the pro rodeo). It was not one of my top priorities.”
    By mid-June, Sawyer had missed enough of the rodeo season to be outside the top fifteen breakaway ropers in the world. She hit every possible rodeo she could, trying to climb in.
    Then, at the Cheyenne Frontier Days, lightning struck; she won the rodeo, adding over $17,000 to her winnings and moving her into the top five in the world. After that, she never slipped out of the top five again.
    Six weeks later, Sawyer won the Pendleton Round-Up.
    She went into the National Finals Breakaway Roping Dec. 7-8 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas in second place in the world, behind Shelby Boisjoli. Shelby led the entire Finals, till the eighth round, when she missed her calf. Slowly, Sawyer was catching up in the rounds and when it was all done, Sawyer was the only cowgirl out of the fifteen to not miss a calf; a perfect ten head and an average win.
    The tenth round was suspenseful; Sawyer knew she had to catch. “Definitely walking into the tenth round it was a little high intensity,” she said. But Sawyer is good at refocusing the nerves for short rounds and important runs. “At the end of the day, it’s still just one run, just one calf, like any other calf I’ve roped. I just wanted to be strong at the barrier, get out of the barrier. I wasn’t trying to win the round. I had a good calf drawn, and I just knew I needed to get that calf roped.”
    Three horses took care of her during the 2021 season.
    Hollywood, Roger and Big Enough each had their role for the year.
    Hollywood, a sixteen-year-old sorrel mare, was her primary horse for much of the year. “She’s the most well-rounded horse I have,” Sawyer said. “She can do it all. At the normal rodeos over the summer, when you can see where the barrier is, she shines on those setups, because she is so fast and scores so well.” Hollywood took care of most of the NFBR rounds, but when she rared up once and got hot, Sawyer gave Roger a round.
    Roger, a paint gelding who is also sixteen, is for the short scores and slower calves. “He quarters and gets the rope broke off faster.” He does well in loud and chaotic atmospheres. “He’s a wired little animal, so he works better under pressure.”
    Big Enough is a horse borrowed from Sawyer’s younger brother, Grey, who rides him for high school rodeo in the tie-down and heeling. Big Enough has won horse of the year in South Dakota junior high rodeo; “everyone who swings a leg over him wins money on him,” she said.
    Sawyer trained Roger; Linsay Sumpter trained Hollywood.
    She doesn’t often cook when she’s on the rodeo road, but if she does, it’s with a can of her grandma’s famous canned beef, “steak in a jar,” as grandma Linda Gilbert calls it. “I could live on that stuff,” she said. “If I could have canned meat every single day of the week and prime rib on Christmas, I could live on that.” It goes along with her, in her trailer, along with baby potatoes and canned corn, and when she needs a quick meal, it all goes into one pot, to be warmed up.
    This winter, Sawyer is home in Buffalo, letting her horses rest, working out with weights and cardio, and training new horses, working on a second string. Her mother, a physician’s assistant specializing in sports training, has made workout plans for her, which include plenty of upper body weight lifting.
    Sawyer knows herself well enough to know she has a “one-track mind. I can only focus on one thing. I’m 110 percent in or absolutely not at all.”
    At the end of her pro rodeo career, she wants her name to be synonymous with breakaway roping. “When you think about breakaway roping,” she said, “you think about Sawyer.” She hopes to have a place in Texas, because of the opportunities to rope in the winter, but Buffalo will always be home.
    Sawyer loved the fourteen cowgirls she roped alongside of at the NFBR.
    “They were a great group of girls, all for each other and very supportive of each other and willing to help. That goes a long ways in helping the sport progress. Everybody wanted everybody to do well.”
    Sawyer placed in five rounds and won the average with a time of 46.3 seconds on ten head.

  • Like Mother Like Daughter

    Like Mother Like Daughter

    LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Jordon Briggs is definitely following in her mother’s footsteps. She added two very impressive titles to her name at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo winning the average title and the world title.

    Briggs of Tolar, Texas, not only won the average but set a new NFR average record inside the Thomas and Mack with a total time of 136.83 on 10 runs, surpassing Nellie Miller’s record of 137.32 set in 2017.

    “Oh man it means a lot,” said Briggs of the average title. “That was my goal coming into here. I knew I had the horse that could do that and he did it. I had so many people cheering for me. I even had bull riders I have never met cheering for me. It was great. I felt a lot of power behind me and didn’t want to let anyone down and my horse never does.”

    She definitely had the horse which was Famous Lil Jet “Rollo” that also won Horse of the Year honors in 2021. In fact, Rollo has not hit a barrel all year long. Talk about impressive. Briggs knows a thing or two about the importance of an average title as her Hall of Fame Mother Kristie Peterson won five in a row in the Thomas and Mack from 1994-1998.

    “I am a very average minded person and that is why this was my goal,” noted Briggs. “I was really disappointed the first year I made it that I didn’t place in the average. That is what I had out for blood this trip was that average title. And to set the average record was icing on the cake.”

    She also made history by becoming the first mother-daughter duo to ever win a WPRA World Title. Kristie won a total of four in her career. Briggs edged Hailey Kinsel for this year’s title when Kinsel was looking for her fourth title. Briggs ended the year with $297,460 while Kinsel was second in $281,156.

    “I can’t even believe it,” said Briggs about her first world title. “I am speechless about the world title. I don’t think it will really set in until I am out on that stage with everyone else. This week has been a dream come true.”

    Molly Otto finished second in the average in a time of 145.11 but walked away earlier in the night with the Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award given by the WPRA and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.