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  • Featured Athlete: Jimmie Smith

    Jimmie Smith breakaway roping. – Sam-Sin Photography

    Jimmie Smith is just glad to be alive, literally.
    In late June of this year, she was in a bad vehicle accident on Interstate 80 in Wyoming.
    Her trailer, loaded with horses, was hit by a semi-truck and trailer, which nearly pushed it through the back of the truck. One of her horses died, with the others being injured.
    But the Elgin, Texas cowgirl determined to not dwell on it, and even with having to connect with new horses, she finished in the top 20 in the WPRA world standings.
    A member of the 5 Star Equine team, Jimmie exclusively uses 5 Star saddle pads. As a barrel racer and a breakaway roper, the pads are on both her rope and barrel horses.
    “I really like them because they keep my horses sound and happy and they never have sore backs,” she said. “I can also customize them, exactly how I want them to match each horse.” She uses a 7/8 inch barrel pad and a 1 inch pad for her breakaway horses.
    She confesses that she doesn’t clean the pads often, but even then, they are easy to maintain and stay “super, super nice.”
    Jimmie also uses the breast collars and loves the variety 5 Star Equine offers. At the 2020 Wrangler NFR, she used several that she was able to match with her outfits and saddle pads. “I really like the bright colors,” she said, “the pink, turquoise, and purple.”
    A graduate of Texas A&M University, she competed at the College National Finals Rodeo three years in the breakaway, goat tying and barrel racing.
    She was aboard her horse Lena, and after college graduation in 2018, got her card and rodeoed on the palomino. Lena carried Jimmie to the Rookie of the Year title that year, and two years later, to the Wrangler NFR.

    Jimmie Smith barrel racing. -Thomas Duncan

    She ran Lena and her other barrel horse, Minnie, and breakaway roped, too.
    But the accident changed that.
    “It was not good,” she said. “It was very stressful.” Not only did a horse pass away and the others were injured, but she had to find a new truck and trailer and all the things that go in it.
    “It was a lot of regrouping,” she said. But she was determined to go on. “It was difficult, but I did not ever go home. I didn’t think going home to sit on it and think about it and dwell on it was the best choice, so I stayed” on the road.
    To replace her horses, she borrowed some mounts while her mom took horses home to recuperate.
    One of the barrel horses she borrowed is Manny Dot Com, “Viper,” owned by Lance Robinson and Keith Nellesen. Viper has done well, substituting for Lena, and winning second at Colorado Springs, third at Nampa, Idaho, and her set in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
    She is also on A Valiant Nicky, a horse owned by Kyle and Deda Potter, and one she rode last winter.
    Having to borrow horses was difficult, but a blessing, she said. “It’s opened a lot of amazing doors, and I’ve met some incredible people. The horses I have out here are absolutely phenomenal.”
    This year, Tess Wyley has traveled with her, and the two enjoy coffee and any kind of music, to get through the long miles of travel. Jimmie likes her coffee sweet and her music loud.
    She also enjoys sushi and trying out new sushi restaurants. Austin, Texas, near her hometown, has several good places, but she’s found excellent sushi in Seattle and at Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman, Montana. She’ll eat raw fish but not cooked fish. “It’s weird, but I don’t really like cooked fish.”
    She has also worked as a stunt double in the AMC TV series “The Sun”. Filmed in central Texas and the Boerne/San Antonio area, she was on horseback for some of the scenes. Jimmie was asked to double for the part of a 12-year-old, because of her youthful looks.
    She may not have made the 2021 National Finals, but she’s content with how well she did this year, having a major accident and changing horses in mid-stream.
    A friend reminded her she was fortunate to be alive. “It’s a blessing that I’ve done as well as I have,” she said.
    Jimmie’s mother is Dawn Smith; Dawn’s fiancé is Jonathan Hochman.

  • ProFile: Jim Dewey Brown

     

    Cheyenne 1998
    Jim competed at the 1998 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. – Dan Hubbell

    It’s double-duty for Jim Dewey Brown.
    The Arizona cowboy became general manager for Prescott Frontier Days in February and he will begin as commissioner for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association on Jan. 1.
    Although more than 1,100 miles separate his home-base and the NIRA office in Walla Walla, Wash., he will be serving both roles simultaneously.
    “I’m going to get a lot of frequent flyer miles,” Brown laughed. “Prescott is very, very proud and happy I have the position of commissioner because they see the importance of being connected to the youth of our sport and building those relationships so that when the kids go pro they can go to Prescott for the World’s Oldest Rodeo.”

    Brown, 44, earned a Masters in agriculture and a Bachelors in Animal Science from Tarleton State University while on their rodeo team and later as their assistant coach.
    “The cool thing with Tarleton was I could tailor my Masters to sports marketing and coaching classes,” Brown said.
    Brown started competing in high school rodeo in the spring semester of his junior year and climbed the ranks through college with Tarleton State. Now he wants to help others do the same.
    Brown also wants to help regional rodeos improve their productions to help grow college rodeo overall.

    “He’s a very well-prepared young man,” said standing NIRA commissioner Roger Walters. “He’s very personable and very organized and very driven and he wants everything to showcase itself to the best of its ability.”
    Brown was the New Mexico State University rodeo coach from 2002-15. There were 24 students on the team when Brown arrived, but that soon multiplied.
    “At my peak there was 92 and when I left there was 60-some kids on the rodeo team, which is much more manageable for one person,” Brown said.
    Under Brown’s leadership, the team had 157 CNFR qualifiers, 19 Academic All-Americans and 18 Scholar Americans.
    Brown coached six national champions: Matt Garza (TR 2005), Wyatt Althoff (AA 2008), Johnny Salvo (TD 2008 and ’11), Megan Albrecht (GT 2008), Bailey Gow (BA 2008).
    Helping younger students understand the steps they need to take to progress in rodeo is one of his goals. Some student-athletes get recruited, but Brown is more concerned about the ones who slip under the radar.
    “There’s some disconnect between high school and college and it’s important that we grow our student-athlete base and catch the kids who fall through cracks in getting to college rodeo,” Brown said. “One of the greatest things about college rodeo is it’s that next step — high school, college, then pro.”
    Walters has high hopes for his successor.

    Jim’s former student Trenten Montero qualified for the 2019 NFR. – Courtesy

    “I think he will do a lot more with social media than what has taken place during my tenure,” Walters said. “He will be good for students and sponsorships and just overall do a tremendous job.”
    Some of Brown’s students went on to excel professionally such as bareback rider Trenten Montero and breakaway roper Nicole Baggarley. Montero competed at the 2019 NFR and finished 10th in the world, and Baggarley is making her NFR debut this year, finishing 13th for the regular season.
    “The kids are what I am most proud of,” Brown said. “They’re outstanding individuals.”
    After 48 years of working in college rodeo as an assistant coach, coach, facility director, arena director and then commissioner for the last 13 years, Walters is looking forward to retirement.
    “I’ll be doing whatever my wife tells me to do,” Walters laughed. “We all need a to-do list and I have one so I feel like I’ll be good. I feel like new ideas and new blood will be good for the sport, especially college rodeo and Jim sure is the man to do that.”

  • Back When They Bucked with LaTonne Sewalt Enright

    LaTonne Sewalt in Houston, 1951
    LaTonne Sewalt in Houston, 1951 – J.B. Harris

    LaTonne Sewalt remembers the first barrel race she was in at Comanche, Texas. She was 9 years old and was riding her horse, Little Joe, just for fun, on a trick-riding saddle her folks had given her. She wasn’t even in western clothes, she was wearing shorts! The barrel race was about to start when her dad, Royce Sewalt, said, “OK, LaTonne, you’re next,” as he pointed at the arena gate that was opening. She was off and running. Little Joe was completely spooked when he saw the bright silver barrels they were headed for. He’d never seen bright shiny barrels before and he purposely stayed way far away. They didn’t score very well.
    LaTonne and her dad, a top-rated calf roper, trained Little Joe, a half-thoroughbred and half-Quarter horse, in the roping pen at home. They were using three old rusty barrels. Little Joe wasn’t quite ready for those ‘strange’ looking barrels. When they got home LaTonne’s dad painted those old rusty barrels bright colors, and in short time Little Joe never gave the color of the barrels another thought. He got better and faster.
    LaTonne went with her calf-roping dad to most all of his rodeos. Some rodeos didn’t have a barrel racing yet and when they did it was often called a “sponsor” event. If they did have barrel racing, her dad entered LaTonne and Little Joe.
    In early 1950 the Houston Rodeo had barrel racing for the first time. LaTonne and Little Joe won. She rode her bay horse around the clover leaf six times to outride her older and more experienced competitors. She was only 11 years old. She received $695 for winning, plus a buckle. Roy Rogers, the cowboy movie star featured at that rodeo, was appalled when he saw that the buckle little LaTonne received had a bucking horse on it. Rogers told her he would have a second buckle made for her. He also gave LaTonne a kiss as she received her winnings.
    Rogers got a photograph of LaTonne and Little Joe taken by a photographer at Houston and gave it to the Nelson Silvia Buckle Company, which had provided the buckles for the Houston rodeos. When LaTonne received the buckle there she and Little Joe were emblazoned on the buckle. In fact, that design was used extensively for years by Nelson Silvia on buckles being made for barrel racing events.
    LaTonne went to eight rodeos in a row and won all the go-rounds and averages: Childress, Jacksboro, and Texarkana, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; Little Rock, Ark.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Burwell, NE and an all-girl rodeo at Tulsa, Okla. for a total of $3,997. Her competitors were adult women, including Billie McBride, Florence Youree, Wanda Harper Bush, Margaret Owens, Amy McGilvray and Sherry Combs. “I’m sure they hated to see me enter,” said LaTonne. She won the 1950 World Champion Barrel Racing title at the Tulsa Pavilion, which was indoors, at the All Girl Rodeo Finals. LaTonne, still only 11, won $4,665.82 that year, and had 316 points higher than her nearest opponent Margaret Montgomery. The Girls Rodeo Association had only been in business since February of 1948 and this was their very first Finals.
    LaTonne Sewalt was born January 23, 1939 to Royce and Myra Sewalt in Brownwood, Texas. Royce was a calf roper and competed in rodeos because he was good enough to make a living at it. He used the money to buy cattle, which he would raise and then sell. He won the RCA World Champion Calf Roping title in 1946. LaTonne always wanted to be with her dad, whether he was just outside around the horses and cows, or at a rodeo. “It was a lot more fun than being in the house”, said LaTonne.

    Once she started to barrel race, LaTonne’s mother made all her outfits. LaTonne had a fascination with trick riders and her mother designed the clothes for her daughter similar to what the trick riders wore, which were very beautifully designed. Her younger brother, Ronnye, also roped calves, like her dad. “Mom was our biggest cheerleader,” said LaTonne, “She built our confidence and deserved a lot of the credit for our success.”
    LaTonne also won the GRA Barrel Racing World Championship again in 1954. She truly feels that her horse, Little Joe, never got the credit he deserved for being such a versatile and great horse. On occasion, she let some of the other barrel racers use Little Joe, and he always gave them all he had. Often they would be in the money, too. “He seldom knocked over a barrel or lost to another horse,” LaTonne remembered. In addition to his barrel racing talents, her dad also used the little bay gelding in calf roping and as a hazing horse. Little Joe died in 1958 due to a twisted intestine. Although she tried competing on a couple of other horses they just never could do what Little Joe had done.
    LaTonne graduated from Afton (Okla.) High School as valedictorian of her class in 1957. She continued to compete in barrel racing until 1960, but didn’t rodeo full time. But she always took time off from school to compete at the Fort Worth and Houston rodeos. The WPRA Reference Guide showed her in fifth place in 1958 and in 13th place in the barrel racing event in 1959. Until 1968, LaTonne was the youngest girl to ever win the Barrel Racing World Championship. That year, 10-year-old Ann Lewis, of Sulphur, Okla., won the title.
    LaTonne married Joe Green, a bull rider, in 1958. They had one daughter, Kellye Ann. They divorced later. Fred Enright became her husband in 1962, who was a former football and track coach who had moved into sales. They had daughter, Rene Michelle. LaTonne graduated from college cum laude in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration and a Masters Degree in Business Education.
    LaTonne was inducted to the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2004. Her dad, Royce Sewalt was inducted in 2002, and brother Ronnye, in 2001.

    LaTonne today – Courtesy

    LaTonne taught accounting and typing, now called keyboarding, for 35 years at Paschal High School in Fort Worth. She retired from teaching in 2003. She moved to Decatur, Texas, to be near her daughter, Rene Fuller, when her husband became ill. He died in 2016. Today she is enjoying her five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She says they are all within a short distance so she gets to see them often.

  • On The Trail with Creek Young

    On The Trail with Creek Young

    A framed $25 check for winning the first mutton bustin’ he entered at only two-and-a-half years old hung on Creek Young’s wall for years.

    As a kid, Creek’s grandma, Lois Porter, would read to him from Gary Paulsen’s series, “Tucket’s Travels,” about a boy in the mid-19th century and his adventures in the American West.

    Now, the cowboy from Rogersville, Mo., is living a 21st century version of those tales with a bull riding twist that’s taking him to the 2021 National Finals Rodeo.

    “He’s kind of an old soul so that’s where the nickname Old Man River comes into it,” said Creek’s friend and mentor, Denton Fugate, referring to Creek being a fan of Lil Wayne. “It’s not as modern as it was a few years ago I guess.”
    His aunt, Michelle Porter, didn’t know about the nickname yet her description of Creek was identical, but for very different reasons.

    “When he was little, he’d ask very deep questions and he was like an old man in a young man’s body,” Michelle said. “He loves his quiet time and is contemplated and focused. He has a strong moral compass and has this wisdom about him that’s like an old man. It’s impressive.”

    Creek blew the competition out of the water in the race for PRCA Rookie of the Year with $143,511 and finished No. 4 in the PRCA’s world standings.

    “Last year, I left the house with $10,000 and hoped I’d win enough to keep going,” Creek said. “By the middle of the summer run, the dollars were stacking up. Breaking $100,000 was pretty cool.”
    Denton watched Creek progress through the Missouri Family Rodeo Association and the Junior Pro Bull Riders-Missouri.

    “He has a really strong mental game but it took him a little longer to get the basics down because he’s always been taller than the average kid; but that’s hard for me to judge because I’m 5-6,” Denton said.

    At 6 feet tall and 150 pounds, Creek is taller than most of the 2021 NFR bull riding roster.
    “I don’t feel like I’ve ever had a problem or rode different because I’m taller,” Creek said. “I have more arm to give on the bulls and that makes it easier.”

    His journey on the other hand, has been anything but easy.

    Creek was born to Randy Young and Raneé Porter-Young on Nov. 15, 2000. Randy was a bull rider and bullfighter, but he died when Creek was a toddler.

    “I love bull riding for my own reasons,” Creek said. “I never connected it with him because I was so young. I love it for my own reasons because I had to find my own way.”
    His mom passed when he was 11 years old. But, every cloud has a silver lining and Creek’s was arguably better than gold.

    His aunt Michelle finished raising him while his rodeo family continued to grow. Michelle didn’t know anything about rodeo, but was determined to support her nephew’s dream.

    He also has two half-sisters and a half-brother who are several years older than him, Najee Donson, Derrion Donson, and Bailey Young.

    “I have an extended family, a rodeo family,” Creek said. “When my mom passed, people stepped up and made me feel better.”

    He listed Mollie Howard and her grandson, Josh Steele, both of his grandmas, Lois Porter and Barbara Young, his aunt and uncle, and a long list of friends and family including Charlie and Shanna McDonald family.

     

    Charlie and Shanna McDonald family – Creek 13 years old is back row on the right with his friends Kelly McDonald and Quincey McDonald – Shelby Chante’ Photography

    “I don’t know if everyone understands how it (rodeo family) works, but I feel like it’s more common here than people think,” Creek said. “Maybe that’s because I’ve always done it.”

    While growing up, Michelle encouraged Creek to participate in football, basketball and track. Although he did well, it was clear that he wasn’t passionate about it.

    “I could tell he did not light up the way he does at his rodeos,” Michelle said. “It was so clear to me that I decided by sophomore year this isn’t that important. He knows where he is going and has strong friendships and is a well-rounded 15-year-old. So, I let it go and we shifted gears to ‘let’s make it happen,’ and he did.”

    Getting better and seeing his hard work pay off helped him grow into the bull riding powerhouse fans know today.

    “I wasn’t very good as a freshman and struggled with staying on,” Creek laughed. “I was always a little hesitant and scared when I was younger, and I did it anyway.”

    His fear faded over time and changed into a craving.

    “It got to where I always wanted to do it so I practiced all the time,” Creek said. “That was a turning point in my young career and that’s when I took it seriously.”

    He would get on practice bulls every Sunday and Wednesday with Quentin Vaught in Crane, Mo.
    Creek believes sophomore year is when he started to get serious and that’s about when Denton noticed something was different about Creek.

    Denton realized Creek has what it takes to go pro.

    Creek qualified for National High School Finals Rodeo his freshman and sophomore years of high school.

    “It was a cool experience and I made a lot of friends,” Creek said.
    Making friends and expanding his “rodeo family” has been a key component to his growth and success.
    He competed with the IPRA, and won the year-end and the rookie of the year titles with the ACRA in 2018.

    “I went to as much as I could for amateur rodeo,” Creek said.

    As his 18th birthday approached, Creek and Michelle sat down and discussed his plans.

    “I told him, ‘you know you want to be a bull rider and you live and breathe bull riding, so why wait until the spring to be riding if you can graduate in December and get started,’” Michelle said.
    His brilliant mind helped propel him onto the ProRodeo scene by graduating half a year early from Logan-Rogersville (Mo.) High School.

    “I doubled up pretty good on classes,” Creek said. “I just wanted to get out and be able to rodeo on my permit. There were some spring rodeos I wanted to go to and I didn’t want high school to interfere.”
    Creek made his ProRodeo debut by tying for fourth at the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, in early January 2019.

    “I remember vividly that it was a different feeling,” Creek said. “I was super excited, and just being a young kid at a ProRodeo was pretty exciting. I did well at it, so that was even better.”
    Creek moved to Fort Scott, Kan., to live with his friends while on his permit.
    “I was never broke, but I wasn’t living on a lot during my permit seasons,” Creek said.
    This year was a different story.

    Michelle speculates that COVID-19 putting a pause on his ProRodeo endeavors only fueled the fire.
    “Being able to get back out there and really do as much as he could possibly do without restrictions was exhilarating for him,” Michelle said.

    The 2021 season started slow by Creek’s standards, placing second at the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo for $1,475 in mid-October 2020 followed by a few hundred dollars at the Brawley (Calif.) Cattle Call Rodeo a month later.

    In November 2020, he scored his first big win at The Egg Xtreme Bull Riding Event in Oxford, Miss., for $4,004.

    “That was the first X Bulls I ever won and was my biggest win at the time,” Creek said. “I went to the Finals (NFR) and watched one perf and that was really cool, and that’s when I noticed I was serious about making it and not wasting my rookie year.”

    Creek hooked up with Trey Kimzey over an online game of “Fortnite,” and the two decided to travel together for the 2021 season, starting in San Angelo, Texas.
    Bigger wins followed, such as $15,000 at the Tri-State Rodeo in Fort Madison, Iowa, in September.
    “I watch him on the Cowboy Channel and read the articles and it’s just mind-blowing,” Michelle said. “It feels a little surreal that this is happening and I’m just so excited for him. He’s worked hard to get here.”
    Creek nailed a 90.5-point ride on Bar T Rodeo’s Exit Strategy to win the Strawberry Days Rodeo in Pleasant Grove, Utah, in mid-June.

    “I wanted to be sitting good enough at the end of the year to not stress about having a perfect Finals,” Creek said.

    He was no longer the same bull rider who finished third in the permit standings with $24,584 in 2020 and 13th with $17,025 in 2019.

    “I felt like I went pretty hard both years on my permit, but not really since I just stayed close to the house,” Creek said. “I started taking it seriously since I knew I couldn’t get my rookie year back if I messed around.”

    Messing around simply isn’t in Creek’s character.

    As a young child, Creek would repeatedly watch and study his old VHS tapes of Lane Frost and Tuff Hedeman.

    “I know little about the rodeo world, but Creek is so calculated and has thought it out and you can see it in his riding,” Michelle said. “That gives me peace and confidence in his abilities.”

    Creek was one of only a handful of bull riders to qualify for the 2021 ProRodeo Tour Finale in Salinas, Calif., where he raked in $12,316 to finish his rookie season with an exclamation point.
    Most of his earnings were invested back into rodeo, but he saved quite a bit of it. Now his goal is to keep improving.

    “I’m fourth this year, so then I want to be in the top three next year,” Creek said. “I feel inspired by what I could achieve. That’s what inspires me to keep going and try hard. I have a good start to what could be a good story eventually.”

  • MADISON OUTHIER CLAIMS SECOND CONSECUTIVE TITLE AS FIVE WOMEN ARE CROWNED WOMEN’S RODEO WORLD CHAMPIONS

    — Main Event to air on CBS Television Network on Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. ET. —

     LAS VEGAS – Backed by a dominant showing, including the fastest time of the week, 2020 Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC) Breakaway Roping World Champion Madison Outhier (Utopia, Texas) surged to the top of the leaderboard to win her second breakaway roping world championship on Friday evening at South Point Arena in Las Vegas. The 18-year-old became the first two-time champion in the event’s history.

    The ferociously contested Breakaway Roping World Championship race capped off a slug-fest between Outhier, WCRA Champion Shelby Boisjoli (Calgary, AB), and legendary cowgirl Lari Dee Guy (Abilene, Texas).

    Outhier delivered a groundbreaking performance at the event, as the string broke away from her saddle horn at an impressive 1.91-second time, topping Shelby Boisjoli’s 2.03-second run. The Texas Cowgirl is the only athlete to win the Prestigious World Championship and a WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo event (Rodeo Corpus Christi) in the same year. Outhier also defeated 8X WPRA World Champion Lari Dee Guy’s 2.07-second time.

    In an equally thrilling race, Rainey Skelton (Llano, Texas) was crowned the 2020 Women’s Rodeo Barrel Racing World Champion. After making her WRWC debut as the No. 9-ranked barrel racer on the challenger leaderboard, her jaw-dropping 15.229 push through the South Point Arena course propelled her to the top of tonight’s battle, beating Stephanie Fryer’s (Waco, Texas) 15.265-second effort and 2x WCRA Champion Michelle Darling’s (Medford, Oklahoma) 15.346 run. Taking the top time aboard her horse Fame and Jewels, Skelton netted $60,000.

    As the World Championship event continued on Friday evening, a hotly contested battle in the Team Roping began to unfurl. Mother-daughter duo Rylea (Stephenville, Texas) and Debbie Fabrizio(pueblo, Colorado) had fans inside Vegas’ Cowboy Central on the edge of their seat as they were first to run, earning a remarkable 6.65-second time. The Fabrizio’s time held onto the number one spot before 2020 WRWC World Champion Heeler Hope Thompson (Abilene, Texas) and Whitney Desalvo (Stephenville, TX) notched a valiant 6.28-second run. Lari Dee Guy and Jimmi Jo Montera (Greely, Colorado) backed into the box calm and collected and logged what would be a historic run for all female team ropers, with a 5.95-second effort. The pair took home $60,000 individually, a Jesse Jaymes Silversmith’s buckle and a Women’s Rodeo World Champion Title.

    Shelby Boisjoli (Calgary, AB) earned the 2021 Women’s Rodeo World Champion All-Around Cowgirl title. She won a $20,000 bonus and a custom saddle donated by Coats Saddlery, after earning 1,494 points during the three-day event along with nearly $64,000 in additional prize money. The Canadian cowgirl, who has over $73,000 in career-earnings with the WCRA, made history in Green Bay, WI during the WCRA Title Town Stampede when she faced off against sister Makayla in the shootout round, where she captured the title and $50,000 in prize money.

    WCRA and PBR have announced the 2022 Women’s Rodeo World championship event will be split between The Historic Cowtown Coliseum and Dickies Arena. The first three rounds of competition will be at Cowtown Coliseum May 16-17, with the final two rounds held at Dickies Arena in conjunction with PBR World Finals. 2022 Women’s Rodeo World Champions will again be crowned in the same arena as the PBR World Champion.

    WRWC is the largest annual purse for a women’s rodeo event. With the Conclusion of the 2021 Women’s Rodeo World Championship ($737,550 total 2021 payout), the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $9,737,550 in money to rodeo athletes since May of 2018.

    Fans can relive the action of the Women’s Rodeo World Championship Main Event the on a CBS Television Network on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. ET.

    -WRWC-

    About WRWC:

    In February 2020, WCRA and PBR announced a revolutionary event in women’s rodeo- the Women’s Rodeo World Championship. A first-of-its-kind, the event is open to any female athlete in the world competing in breakaway roping, barrel racing, and team roping. The 2021 Women’s Rodeo World Championship, scheduled for South Point Arena in Las Vegas, in conjunction with the PBR World Finals Nov 1-6 is the largest annual payout for a Women’s Rodeo event and will payout over $750,000 while crowning World Champions in the Women’s Rodeo disciplines; Team Roping, Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing.

     

     

  • GETTING THE GOLD

    GETTING THE GOLD

    Minot’s Badlands Circuit Finals crowns champs, designates titlists for the National Circuit Finals Rodeo

    MINOT, N.D. (October 10, 2021) – The curtain dropped on the 2021 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo in Minot, N.D., with gold buckles awarded to cowboys and cowgirls, and berths secured to the National Circuit Finals Rodeo next year.

    Two sisters came into the finals sitting first and second in the breakaway roping, but when it was over, only one was still at the top.

    Rickie  and Taylor Engesser, Spearfish, S.D., came into Sunday’s round in first and second place, respectively, but things didn’t go smoothly for either cowgirl in the round.

    Rickie, the younger of the two, broke the barrier, adding a ten second penalty to her time. “I didn’t do my job,” she said. “I got antsy in the box, and I broke the barrier.” And Taylor didn’t fare well, either, drawing a tough calf to rope and recording a no-time.

    Even with Rickie’s ten-second penalty on Sunday, she won enough through the regular season to finish as year-end champion.

    The sisters traveled together all summer and enjoyed competing at the same rodeos.

    “It’s a pretty big blessing to make it (to circuit finals) for both of us,” Rickie said. “We’re competing against each other, but we’re each other’s biggest supporters.

    “I wanted her to win (the year-end title) just as bad as she wanted me to win it,” Rickie said. “Ideally, it would have been really cool if we had tied. She’s my biggest fan and my biggest blessing.”

    The average title, the fastest combined times through the 3 rounds, went to Sawyer Gilbert, Buffalo, S.D.

    Gilbert, who is nineteen years old, roped three calves in a combined time of 8.7 seconds to win the average championship.

    She had a business plan for this year, her second qualification to the Badlands Circuit Finals. “I was riding my good paint horse, and wanted to take care of business. I knew if I got them roped in all three rounds, they’d probably pay me for it. That was my game plan.”

    Gilbert is also ranked second in the world standings and on her way to a qualification for the National Finals Breakaway Roping, the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association world event in December. But it hasn’t gone to her head. “You attack it one day at a time. It’s a run at a time. At the end of the day, it all comes down to one calf.”

    She’s won more than $50,000 in the world standings this year, which has swayed her to quit college and rodeo full time. “I didn’t go back (to college) this year because I wanted to be a breakaway roper,” she laughed, and she probably won’t return. “I know my mom wants me to, but she’s having a hard time arguing about it now.”

    A perennial bareback riding powerhouse won both the year-end and average title at the weekend’s Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo.

    Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., rode three horses for a combined total of 250 points to sweep the average, and finish the season with more than $21,000 in earnings.

    He had the year-end title sewn up before circuit finals even began, but the win is still special. “It always feels good to get a win here,” he said.

    The field of bareback riders at this year’s rodeo was cut from nine to three, due to injuries or surgeries for the other competitors, and Breuer missed having more contestants.. “It’s too bad the other bareback riders got hurt this year, that’s for darn sure,” he said. “It’s always more fun when your buddies are here and you get to ride against them.”

    Breuer has won either the year-end or average title a total of seven times, from 2014-2018. He hasn’t missed qualifying for a circuit finals since 2009, except for last year, due to a bicep injury.

    The 31-year-old has also competed at the National Finals Rodeo, pro rodeo’s world championship, five times and finished as high as thirteenth in the world standings in 2017.

    In the bull riding, Chance Schott repeated as the year-end titlist for the circuit.

    Even though the McLaughlin, S.D. man only made two out of three qualified rides, he won enough money to earn year-end accolades.

    “I had a couple of good Sutton (Rodeo Co.) bulls, and I wasn’t able to capitalize on them” in rounds one and two, he said. “But I was able to clear my mind and pull it all together today.”

    Schott, who finished the year in the top twenty-five in the world standings, was the 2020 year-end and average titlist.

    “This (buckle) is pretty special,” he said. “The first one holds a special place in my heart, but I still really like this one, just as much.”

    Out of the field of twelve bull riders, only three were able to made qualified rides on two bulls; no one covered all three bulls.

    Riggin Shippy, Colome, S.D., finished as the bull riding average champion (165 points on two head.)

    Other champions include Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D. (steer wrestling year-end) and Riley Reiss, Manning, N.D. (steer wrestling average); Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D. and Coley Nichols, Kinnear, Wyo. (team roping, year-end) and Cameron Irwin, Buffalo, Wyo. and Cash Hetzel, Lemmon, S.D. (team roping, average); Jade Blackwell, Rapid City, S.D. (saddle bronc riding, year-end) and Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D. (saddle bronc riding, average); Trey Young, Dupree, S.D. (tie-down roping, both titles); and Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D. (barrel racing, year-end) and Amanda Welsh, Gillette, Wyo. (barrel racing, average);

    The Badlands Rookie of the Year award went to Riley Curuchet, Kaycee, Wyo.; the Badlands All-Around was won by Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb.

    Deadwood, S.D.’s Days of ’76 rodeo won the title of Badlands Circuit Rodeo Committee of the Year.

    The year-end champion is the cowboy/cowgirl who won the most money throughout the regular season in the Badlands Circuit. The average champion is the cowboy/cowgirl who won the most money at the rodeo taking place this weekend, Oct. 8-10, in Minot.

    Both year-end and average champions will represent the Badlands Circuit at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo, to be held in 2022. In the event that the same person has won both titles, the second person in the year-end race qualifies for the National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

     

    – ### –

     

    Cutlines:

    Jade Blackwell, Rapid City, S.D., wins the Badlands saddle bronc year-end title. This is his first year-end win; he won the average title in 2018. Photo by Alaina Stangle Photography.

     

     

    Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D., is the 2021 Badlands year-end bull riding champion. He, along with the other champions, will represent the Badlands Circuit at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo in 2022. Photo by Alaina Stangle Photography.

     

    Year end and average winners for the Badlands Circuit

    3rd performance results from Oct. 10, 2021

     

    All-around Champion: Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb.

    All-around champion for the Finals: Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb.

     

    Bareback riding

    Bareback Riding Year End Champion: Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D.

    Bareback Riding Average Champion: Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 84 points on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Easy Money; 2. Andy Gingerich, Aberdeen, S.D. 78; 3. Nate McFadden, Elsmere, Neb. 77.

     

    Average results:

    1. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 250 points on 3 head; 2. Nate McFadden, Elsmere, Neb. 225; 3. Andy Gingerich, Aberdeen, S.D. 224.

     

    Steer Wrestling

    Steer Wrestling Year End Champion:  Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D.

    Steer Wrestling Average Champion: Riley Reiss, Manning, N.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb. 3.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Joe Wilson, Martin, S.D. and Riley Reiss, Manning, N.D. 3.8 each; 4. Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D. 4.2.

     

    Average results:

    1. Riley Reiss, Manning, N.D. 12.2 seconds on 3 head; 2. Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb. 12.3; 3. Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D. 12.5; 4. Billy Boldon, Oglala, S.D. 13.4.

     

    Team Roping

    Team Roping Year End Champion Header: Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D.

    Heeler: Coley Nicholls, Kinnear, Wyo.

    Team Roping Average Champion Header: Cameron Irwin, Buffalo, Wyo.

    Heeler: Cash Hetzel, Lemmon, S.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. (tie) Guy Howell, Belle Fourche, S.D./Levi O’Keefe, Belle Fourche, S.D. and Bodie Mattson, Sturgis, S.D./Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb. 4.5 seconds each; 3. Cameron Irwin, Buffalo, Wyo./Cash Hetzel, Lemmon, S.D. 5.1; 4. Jade Schmidt, Box Elder, S.D./Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D. 6.1

     

     

     

    Average results:

    1. Cameron Irwin, Bufaflo, Wyo./Cash Hetzel, Lemmon, S.D. 15.2 seconds on 3 head; 2. Jade Schmidt, Box Elder, S.D./Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D. 17.4; 3. Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D./Coley Nicholls, Kinnear, Wyo. 19.6; 4. Layne Carson, Grassy Butte, N.D./Elliott Gourneau, Kennebec, S.D. 24.6.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding

    Saddle Bronc Year End Champion: Jade Blackwell, Rapid City, S.D.

    Saddle Bronc Average Champion: Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D. 81 points on Muddy Creek Rodeo’s Jack Rabbit; 2. (tie) Lane Schuelke, Newell, S.D., Dylan Schofield, Philip, S.D. and Taygen Schuelke, Newell, S.D. 78 points each.

     

    Average results:

    1. Ty Manke, Rapid City, S.D. 242 points on 3 head; 2. Taygen Schuelke, Newell, S.D. 237; 3. (tie) Dylan Schofield, Philip, S.D. and Cash Wilson, Wall, S.D. 236 points each.

     

    Breakaway Roping

    Year End Champion: Rickie Engesser, Spearfish, S.D.

    Average Champion: Sawyer Gilbert, Buffalo, S.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. Sarah Morrisey, Ellensburg, Wash. 2.5 seconds; 2. Katie Mundorf, Mullen, Neb. 2.7; 3. Sawyer Gilbert, Buffalo, S.D. 2.8; 4. Lynn Smith, Elfrida, Ariz. 3.5.

     

    Average results:

    1. Sawyer Gilbert, Buffalo, S.D. 8.7 seconds on 3 head; 2. Rickie Engesser, Spearfish, S.D. 19.3 on 3 head; 3. Sarah Morrisey, Ellensburg, Wash. 5.0 seconds on 2 head; 4. Taylor Engesser, Spearfish, S.D. 6.3 on 2 head.

     

    Tie-down Roping

    Tie Down Roping Year End Champion: Trey Young, Dupree, S.D.

    Tie Down Roping Average Champion: Trey Young, Dupree, S.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. Trey Young, Dupree, S.D. 8.8 seconds; 2. Chase Lako, Arthur, N.D. 9.5; 3. Ranch Johnson, Philip, S.D. 10.0; 4. Jason Vohs, Dickinson, N.D. 10.2.

     

    Average results:

    1. Trey Young, Dupree, S.D. 27.4 seconds on 3 head; 2. Ranch Johnson, Philip, S.D. 30.4; 3. Tanner Stec, Bassett, Neb. 33.7; 4. Clint Kindred, Oral, S.D. 40.8.

     

    Barrel Racing

    Barrel Racing Year End Champion: Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D.

    Barrel Racing Average Champion:  Amanda Welsh, Gillette, Wyo.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. Amanda Welsh, Gillette, Wyo. 13.32 seconds; Allison Pauley, Honey Creek, Iowa 13.36; 3. Ellie Bard, Sheridan, Wyo. 13.39; 4. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 13.65.

     

    Average results:

    1. Amanda Welsh, Gillette, Wyo. 40.21 on 3 runs; 2. Ellie Bard, Sheridan, Wyo. 40.85; 3. Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D. 41.34; 4. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 41.42.

     

    Bull Riding

    Bull Riding Year End Champion: Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D.

    Bull Riding Average Champion: Riggin Shippy, Colome, S.D.

     

    3rd round results:

    1. Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D. 86 points on Mosbrucker Rodeo’s Head Games; 2. Jeff Bertus, Avon, S.D. 79; 3. Coleman Entze, Golden Valley, N.D. 78; no other qualified rides.

     

    Average results:

    1. Riggin Shippy, Colome, S.D. 165 points on 2 head; 2. Coleman Entze, Golden Valley, N.D. 163; 3. Jeff Bertus, Avon, S.D. 160; 4. (tie) Chance Schott, McLaughlin, S.D. and TJ Schmidt, Belle Fourche, S.D. 86 points on one head each.

     

    ** All results are unofficial.  For more information, visit www.ProRodeo.com.

  • Leap of Faith

    Leap of Faith

    What does it mean to take a leap of faith? Why is it important to take the leap? Throughout God’s word we read to trust in the Lord with all our hearts (Prov. 3:5-6), commit our ways to the Lord and trust in him (Ps. 37:4-5), and to trust in the Lord for he will bless us (Jer. 17:7). We read that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), with faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains (Matt. 17:20), and if we have faith and believe, anything is possible (Mark 9:23). But, what does it mean to take a real leap of faith, and why is it important?
    Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Faith is having complete trust and confidence in something or someone. When we have faith, we have complete confidence that what we are hoping for we will receive. Whether it be that promotion you’ve been hoping for, that new house, that financial breakthrough, the healing on your sick relative, or those new shoes. Maybe its to lose weight, pass your final exams, your kids to make the right decisions on an overnight school trip, or like me, to one day walk again! Whatever it may be, if you want something that isn’t there yet, it first requires faith before it will come to fruition.
    The definition of wish is to feel or express a strong desire or to hope for something this is not easily attainable. We can wish for all the things mentioned above but wishes easily run out of steam. When you wish for something, you strongly want it but when you don’t receive it or see it happen that wish gets buried and often forgotten. When we have faith, we have a strong confidence that it will happen. When we have faith, no matter how long it takes, no matter what obstacles try to stop it, faith holds strong. But, like a wish; faith without actions is useless.
    “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” James 2:14. “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:17.
    The first and most important thing about faith is this; it is what allows us to spend eternity with our father. Having faith in God is what gets us to heaven.
    “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
    I wasn’t there when Jesus hung on the cross for my sins. I didn’t see him get mocked and spat on. I didn’t see with my own eyes the eternal sacrifice that God gave us so that he could spend eternity with us in his glory, but I’ve heard about it, read about it in the Bible, and choose to believe in my heart that these events took place for you and me alike. I have faith that Jesus came, died, and rose again for my salvation even though I didn’t see it. This faith gives me confidence that my best days are still in front of me. This faith gives me hope, that no matter what happens on this earth I will spend eternity in an even better place than I am now.
    Once we have faith in Jesus, it unlocks a whole new strength for our desires. You see, God is the God of the supernatural. So, when we go to him in prayer with a request, if we have faith and believe that we will receive it, it will happen (Matt. 7:7). Putting our trust and faith in God keeps us believing when it takes longer than expected. It keeps us hoping when we don’t see it happening. It keeps us trying when our mind and body gets tired. Putting our hope and faith in God here in the natural, allows him to do the supernatural.
    But, as I pointed out earlier, faith by itself is dead and useless. Without action, faith is not enough. You can have faith that you will lose fifty pounds, but if you keep sitting on the couch, watching tv and eating potato chips it probably won’t happen right? You can have faith that you will get that promotion, but if you keep showing up late, arguing with your coworkers, and slacking on your job tasks, it probably won’t happen. You can have faith that you’ll get that financial breakthrough, but without budgeting, money saving, and saying no to unnecessary purchases, it probably won’t happen. I can have faith that I will walk again, but without rehabbing, meditating, working out, trying to move my legs every day, never giving it up, and God’s divine miracle it probably won’t happen right? God can perform miracles. He is able to change our situation in the blink of an eye but he wants us to take a leap of faith so he can perform them for his glory.
    When we put action to our faith, it allows God to intervene and bless us. When you pray that God will help you shed those fifty pounds, start eating healthier and exercising, the weight comes off. When you pray for that promotion, start putting in more effort at your work, God sees that and will bless you for it. When you pray for a finical breakthrough, get a job, start saving your money, living within your means, and letting God direct your spending habits, you will have money in your bank account. When I pray to walk again, keep working out, keep rehabbing, keep trying to move my legs, and never give up, I will walk again.
    Joshua 3 tells us the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River. Moses had led them out of Egypt towards the land that God had promised them. They had been wandering through the wilderness for forty years. Just imagine it, a guy tells them he is going to lead them out of slavery to a land filled with “milk and honey”, and forty years later they haven’t reached it yet. I’m sure there was plenty of doubt among the group. I’m sure they were physically tired and mentally exhausted. I’m sure there were plenty of them that thought the whole thing was a hoax and that they were just on a life long scenic journey. Then, he dies, and the next guy takes over and tells them the same thing. I’m sure plenty of them said “yea right”. I’m sure plenty thought “This guy is a whack job just like the last. Why are we still following along?” But, because of good leadership, faith in God, and taking a step of faith, they cross the Jordan River into the promised land.
    In verse 7 and 8 we read, “The Lord told Joshua,” Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”
    Verse 13 tells us “The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”
    Verse 15-17 says “It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”
    This act of courage, leadership and faith allowed over a million people to cross the river on dry ground. It allowed them to reach the promise God had for their lives. Their leap of faith allowed them into the promised land. We see the people react to God calling them to take a step of faith. To take a few steps into the river and stop there. When God lays something on your heart, he’s calling you to action and to be patient. He’s calling you to act and let him do his work. Maybe he has a plan to affect more people than just you. Don’t get in a hurry. Don’t rush it. Take the step and wait on him.
    Then, we see that when we take the step, he has a plan and will do the supernatural. When we get our feet wet, he can perform his miracles. Even when the river is flooding. Even when it looks like there is no way. Even when it seems humanly crazy, when we take that step and remain patient, God will do what only he can do. First, we must have the courage to believe and have faith. Then, we must take the leap of faith and put our faith into action. Trust in God’s timing. Trust in God’s plan. Have faith and get your feet wet!

  • Donita Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award nominees +Contract personnel named for NFR, NFSR

    Donita Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award nominees +Contract personnel named for NFR, NFSR

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The PRCA Donita Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award honors contract personnel such as announcers, bullfighters, clowns, specialty acts, secretaries and timers who have been PRCA members for at least 15 years and have committed their lives to the rodeo industry, yet received little recognition for their commitment and contributions.

    The posthumous recipient of the inaugural Contract Lifetime Achievement Award was long-time PRCA secretary Donita Barnes, wife of ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee and PRCA stock contractor Bob Barnes and mentor to thousands of contestants and others involved with Barnes rodeos. The PRCA named the award in her honor in 2012.

    The 2021 nominees are:

    • Andrea Moon, a secretary and timer from Iron River, Mich., who has been with the PRCA since 1978. She served as the National Finals Rodeo’s secretary in 1990 and was a timer at the 1983 NFR.
    • Irene Singer, a secretary and timer from Calhan, Colo., who has been with the PRCA since 1970. She served as the NFR secretary in 2004 and was a timer at the 1996 NFR. Singer also served as the secretary for the National Finals Steer Roping in 2009 and the National Circuit Finals Rodeo in 1999. She was the assistant secretary at the 1998 NCFR, too. Singer also was one of the timers at the NCFR in 1990 and 2012.
    • The Harris Family. Grant Harris’ grandfather started producing rodeos in 1930, and in 1955 Grant’s father, Howard, started a weekly rodeo in New Jersey that continues to this day. Grant and Betsy Harris bought Cowtown Rodeo in 1978 and run the weekly rodeo that’s held in Woodstown-Pilesgrove, N.J. Grant has been with the PRCA since 1973, having competed in bull riding, team roping and saddle bronc riding. He was the First Frontier Circuit’s saddle bronc riding champion in 1975 and 1977-78. Betsy joined the PRCA in the late 1970s and served as assistant secretary for the 1994 NCFR and was the secretary for the 1995 NCFR. She was also a timer at the 1989 NCFR.
    • Jennifer Nicholson, of the Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls, has been with the PRCA since 1990 and lives in Three Rivers, Calif. The Riata Ranch Cowboy Girls have been nominated for Specialty Act of the Year four times (2011, 2013, 2015-16). They performed at the NFR in 1985-89, 1996 and 2014.
    • Kay Gay is a secretary and timer from Terrell, Texas, who has been with the PRCA since 1964.

    Recipients of past Donita Barnes Awards are: Donita Barnes (2011); Art and Linda Alsbaugh (2012); Fred and Norma Dorenkamp (2013); Quail Dobbs (2014); Cotton Rosser (2015); Karen Vold (2016); Jim and Julie Sutton (2017); Hadley Barrett (2018); Roy and Virginia Honeycutt (2019) and Cindy Rosser (2020).

     

    Contract personnel named for NFR, NFSR

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The contract personnel for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the National Finals Steer Roping were announced Wednesday by the PRCA.

    For the eighth time in nine years, two of the announcers for the Wrangler NFR remain the same. Randy Corley and Wayne Brooks will be on the microphone for the 10 nights in Las Vegas Dec. 2-11. They will be joined by announcer Roger Mooney.

    Corley, who was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017, will be making his 20th NFR appearance, while it will be the 10th of Brooks’ career. Mooney will be making his third appearance at the NFR and second in a row.

    Livestock superintendent John Barnes makes his 15th consecutive Wrangler NFR appearance. The chute bosses are Tony Amaral (timed events) and Tom Neuens (roughstock).

    Sunni Deb Backstrom, who was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2021, is the NFR secretary, marking the 16th year in a row she has been selected. Jennie Murray is the assistant secretary.

    Timers are Shawna Ray, making her second NFR trip in a row, Michelle Corley, who is making her first appearance as a timer, and Molly Twitchell, also making her NFR debut as a timer.

    BenjeBendele is the music director.

    Specialty acts for the NFR are Tomas Garcilazo, Madison MacDonald and Jessica Blair.

    At the NFSR at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., Nov. 12-13, Doug Mathis and Jody Carper will handle the announcing duties. This is Mathis’ second appearance at the NFSR and Carper’s seventh.

    Chute boss John Gwatney is back for his 12th consecutive trip, and the arena usher is Dalton Ward, who is making his first appearance. The NFSR secretary is Mikey Jo Duggan, who is making her third trip. The timers are Sandy Gwatney and Tammy Braden. Sandy Gwatney, John’s wife, is timing for the fourth time at the NFSR. Braden is timing for the third time.

     

     

  • Clint Johnson named 2021 Legend of ProRodeo

    Clint Johnson named 2021 Legend of ProRodeo

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — ProRodeo Hall of Fame saddle bronc rider Clint Johnson has been named the 2021 Legend of ProRodeo.

    Johnson will be honored at the 14th annual Wrangler Gold Buckle Gala on Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. (PT) at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

    “I just found this news out, and it is pretty exciting,” said Johnson, 65. “I absolutely did not think this was an option for me. This is quite an honor. There’s been a list of prominent people who have received this honor, and I’m quite excited to be among them. I would like to thank the selection committee for choosing me, and I’m looking forward to a fun event.”

    Johnson began his rodeo career at age 10, and his smooth, consistent style of riding saddle bronc horses led to 11 consecutive qualifications for the National Finals Rodeo from 1979-89. In those 11 career NFR trips he won four world championships (1980, 1987-89) and finished no worse than sixth in the world standings. He also won the NFR average in 1989.

    “When you think of legends, you think of greatness. When you think of legends in rodeo, you think of those that accomplished greatness both inside and outside the rodeo arena,” said Kent Sturman, Director of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “Clint Johnson is a four-time world champion and achieved an overwhelming amount of greatness in the rodeo arena throughout his career, starting in 4-H rodeo, continuing through high school and college rodeo and during his tenure in professional rodeo. And Clint is one of those cowboys who has demonstrated greatness outside of the arena, continually giving back to a sport that he loves by serving on boards, conducting schools and clinics, and providing his expertise to many programs and events throughout rodeo. He was an obvious choice as this year’s Legend of ProRodeo.”

    Johnson was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1992 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

    “None of these honors, like the Legend of ProRodeo and being in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, are expected,” Johnson said. “Going through my career I tried to stay under the radar, but the Legend of ProRodeo is a great honor to be recognized by members of the organization and my peers.”

    Johnson, who spent four years on the PRCA Board of Directors serving as vice chairman, was born in Spearfish, S.D. Johnson lived there until moving to the Amarillo, Texas, area where he has lived since 1988.

    “Rodeo is the No. 1 sport in South Dakota,” Johnson said. “It was the thing to do when I was growing up. We all wanted to be cowboys, and we all wanted to be bronc riders. I was lucky enough to live that dream. I kept my goals pretty simple and tried to make the best ride I could every time. I wasn’t worried about winning rodeos. I was lucky enough to have a real fortunate career and I have received honors no one could dream of.”

    Johnson also won his share of prestigious rodeos, including taking home the Calgary Stampede Rodeo’s $50,000 bonus three times.

    Johnson also won in Cheyenne, Wyo., Salinas, Calif., Reno, Nev., San Antonio, Fort Worth, Texas, Ellensburg, Wash., Red Bluff, Calif., Greeley, Colo., San Francisco, Spanish Fork, Utah, and Prescott, Ariz.

    Since Johnson stopped rodeoing, he’s been in the ranching business.

    “I have a small ranch operation and run a few cows,” he said.

    Johnson is the 16th man to be honored as a Legend of ProRodeo, following Jake Barnes, Jim Shoulders, Clem McSpadden, Harry Vold, Larry Mahan, Shawn Davis, Dean Oliver, Donnie Gay, Benny Binion, Mel Potter, Neal Gay, Michael Gaughan, Keith Martin, Cotton Rosser and Bob Tallman

  • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ announces new Women’s RODEOHOUSTON® Event

    Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ announces new Women’s RODEOHOUSTON® Event

    Women’s Breakaway Roping will debut at the 2022 RODEOHOUSTON Super Series 

    HOUSTON (Sept. 7, 2021) — Today, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced that women’s breakaway roping will debut at the RODEOHOUSTON Super Series in 2022.

    Breakaway roping, sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), is an allwomen’s event that has recently been added to professional rodeos across the country. At the National Finals Breakaway Roping in Arlington, Texas, the 2020 WPRA World Champion was crowned.

    “Breakaway roping is the fastest-growing event in rodeo, and we are thrilled to feature our second women’s rodeo event at RODEOHOUSTON in 2022,” said Chris Boleman, Rodeo president and CEO. “Like women’s barrel racing, breakaway roping is fast-paced and requires strong horsemanship skills, and it’s an event that promises to keep rodeo fans on the edge of their seats.”

    Breakaway roping will be held seven nights during the 2022 RODEOHOUSTON Super Series, a tournament-style competition that crowns an event champion in bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, women’s barrel racing, and now, women’s breakaway roping. RODEOHOUSTON will offer equal pay in the breakaway roping event. Champions in all events earn $50,000 on top of their Super Series earnings.

    “This is truly a monumental day for the women in breakaway roping,” said Jimmie Munroe, WPRA President. “Not only will they have the opportunity to compete and showcase their talent on one of rodeo’s largest stages, but they will do so with equal prize money. The WPRA has had a long-standing relationship with RODEOHOUSTON and we are excited to expand our partnership to feature a second all-women’s event at this historic rodeo.”

    2022 Women’s Breakaway Roping Schedule:

    • Breakaway roping will be included in one performance in each Super Series, with performance dates to be announced.
    • The top two athletes from each performance will advance to the Semifinal round, for a total of 10 athletes.
    • Top four athletes from the Semifinal round will advance directly to the Championship Shootout Round on Saturday, March 19.

    “It’s been great to see breakaway roping have the success it is having at PRORODEO® events across North America,” said Tom Glause, PRCA Interim CEO. “RODEOHOUSTON welcoming the ladies of breakaway is yet another example of that.”

    RODEOHOUSTON has been a WPRA sanctioned event for decades, with earnings from the RODEOHOUSTON Super Series counting toward qualification for the NFR and the WPRA World Standings.

    “The WPRA is very pleased and excited that RODEOHOUSTON has decided to add breakaway roping to the line-up of their iconic rodeo for the 2022 edition,” said Jolee Jordan, WPRA Roping Director. “It is awesome that WPRA members will have the opportunity to compete at the largest rodeo in ProRodeo and we look forward to growing the ropers’ relationship with RODEOHOUSTON in the future.”

  • HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO™ ANNOUNCES NEW WOMEN’S RODEOHOUSTON® EVENT

    RODEO ANNOUNCES NEW WOMEN’S RODEOHOUSTON EVENT

    SEPTEMBER 07, 2021

    Rodeo Announces New Women’s RODEOHOUSTON Event
    Women’s Breakaway Roping will debut at the 2022 RODEOHOUSTON Super Series
    Today, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced that women’s breakaway roping will debut at the RODEOHOUSTON Super Series in 2022.

    Breakaway roping, sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), is an all-women’s event that has recently been added to professional rodeos across the country. At the National Finals Breakaway Roping in Arlington, Texas, the 2020 WPRA World Champion was crowned.

    “Breakaway roping is the fastest-growing event in rodeo, and we are thrilled to feature our second women’s rodeo event at RODEOHOUSTON in 2022,” said Chris Boleman, Rodeo president and CEO. “Like women’s barrel racing, breakaway roping is fast-paced and requires strong horsemanship skills, and it’s an event that promises to keep rodeo fans on the edge of their seats.”

    Breakaway roping will be held seven nights during the 2022 RODEOHOUSTON Super Series, a tournament-style competition that crowns an event champion in bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, women’s barrel racing, and now, women’s breakaway roping. RODEOHOUSTON will offer equal pay in the breakaway roping event. Champions in all events earn $50,000 on top of their Super Series earnings.

    “This is truly a monumental day for the women in breakaway roping,” said Jimmie Munroe, WPRA President. “Not only will they have the opportunity to compete and showcase their talent on one of rodeo’s largest stages, but they will do so with equal prize money. The WPRA has had a long-standing relationship with RODEOHOUSTON and we are excited to expand our partnership to feature a second all-women’s event at this historic rodeo.”

    2022 Women’s Breakaway Roping Schedule:

    • Breakaway roping will be included in one performance in each Super Series, with performance dates to be announced.
    • The top two athletes from each performance will advance to the Semifinal round, for a total of 10 athletes.
    • Top four athletes from the Semifinal round will advance directly to the Championship Shootout Round on Saturday, March 19.

    “It’s been great to see breakaway roping have the success it is having at PRORODEO® events across North America,” said Tom Glause, PRCA Interim CEO. “RODEOHOUSTON welcoming the ladies of breakaway is yet another example of that.”

    RODEOHOUSTON has been a WPRA sanctioned event for decades, with earnings from the RODEOHOUSTON Super Series counting toward qualification for the NFR and the WPRA World Standings.

    “The WPRA is very pleased and excited that RODEOHOUSTON has decided to add breakaway roping to the line-up of their iconic rodeo for the 2022 edition,” said Jolee Jordan, WPRA Roping Director. “It is awesome that WPRA members will have the opportunity to compete at the largest rodeo in ProRodeo and we look forward to growing the ropers’ relationship with RODEOHOUSTON in the future.”

    The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo promotes agriculture by hosting an annual, family-friendly experience that educates and entertains the public, supports Texas youth, showcases Western heritage and provides year-round educational support within the community. Since its beginning in 1932, the Rodeo has committed more than $500 million to the youth of Texas and education. The 2022 Rodeo is scheduled for Feb. 28 – March 20. The 2022 World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest is scheduled for Feb. 24 – 26. For more information, visit rodeohouston.com and connect with #RODEOHOUSTON online via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for all the latest news.

  • What is Your Calling

    What is Your Calling

    What is your calling? If you are like me this is a question you may have pondered on periodically throughout your life. Am I doing what I’ve been called to do? I am using my tools, talents, and gifts that God have given me correctly? Am I reaching the right people? Am I reaching enough people? Do you want me to sell everything and go be a missionary in Africa, or what do you want me to do? We are often confused on what God’s calling for our lives is.
    Often while I was rodeoing, I questioned myself if I was doing all that I was called to do. Was I doing enough? Was I walking in God’s will for my life? The closer I grew to God the more I wondered. The more I read my bible the more I questioned if I needed to sell all my stuff at home and go be a missionary in Africa or start a church and become a preacher. Many times, I wondered if I was doing enough for the kingdom and always felt like I should be doing something more for the Lord.
    After my wreck in 2018, I started questioning again. What do you want me to do Lord? What is your will for my life? What are you calling me to do? I continued to struggle. My passions and desires have been the same my whole life. The way I make a living has shifted from time to time, but my passions and desires have been in the ranching and rodeo industry. I desire to receive the “job well done my good and faithful servant” from the Lord the day I go to heaven. My passions have always revolved around horses and cattle. I live for it. I love every aspect of being a horse trainer. I love raising colts. I love raising cattle. I love trading cattle. I love the sport of rodeo and enjoyed riding bucking horses. I love everything about the ranching and rodeo lifestyle. I love being a cowboy and a horseman. I don’t even mind the part where you don’t get rich doing it. I just love working, and especially working in the horse and cattle industry and I was told young its better to be broke doing what you love every day, then be rich and hate your job and so far in my life I agree.
    Since becoming a father two years ago, I have a desire to raise my kid and kids to come with the morals I believe in. I have a passion to love my children unconditionally, discipline them when needed, show them who the Lord is, and show them the importance of having a relationship with Jesus. I love showing my kid how to saddle his horse, rope, ride, and work hard. I love showing my child how to use his brain and think through situations. I have a passion to be the best parent I can be and give my kid every opportunity to be whatever he wants to be. Whether it be a cowboy or a toothbrush salesman I just want to teach my children to work hard, chase their dreams, be the best at what they’re doing, and be able to give them every opportunity possible to be the best at whatever they want to be. I have a passion to love and provide for my wife. We have the same struggles and arguments that every married couple has, but I have a desire to love my wife and be the best husband I can be. I have a passion to take care of and treat well, the gift that the Lord gave me, my queen, to the best of my ability.
    I have a passion to help people out. Whether it be giving a young kid a rigging who has a passion to be a bareback rider, teaching the beginners the ropes of rodeoing, or paying a young kids entry fees who doesn’t have the means. I love paying it forward. I like to help people out in the ranching industry, finding people the best prices in the cattle market and connecting ranchers to buyers. I love just giving a helping hand, branding, gathering, shipping, even fencing, whatever it may be. I enjoy helping people who are having horse problems and need help connecting with their horses. I love helping people who are struggling to get by for the year financially. I like to help buy winter feed, water tanks, tires for vehicles or whatever it is that helps them out. Whether it be through encouragement, finances, advice, or using my story and testimonies to point people to Jesus who have walked in the same shoes as me. I just love helping people. That is my desire. The Bible tells us in Psalms 37, that if we take delight in the Lord, he will give us our hearts desires. If we commit everything we do to the Lord and trust him, he will help us out (Psalms 37:3-5).
    If you are loving the Lord, putting your faith and trust in his plan and timing, are seeking his will and are aligning your human will with God’s will for your life, he will give us our hearts desires. If these are the passions and desires from the Lord that I have for my life, why then do I question myself if I’m doing enough for the Lord? If I’m reaching enough people? If I’m walking in my calling? If I am fulfilling my will? Well, I along with many other saved Christians, have been confused with what God’s calling is. I recently did a Bible study, “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers that helped clear the question up.
    That devotional taught me what the call of the natural life is. The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My relationship with God and my contact with the Holy Spirit will shape my understanding of His call and will for my life. My contact with God will help me realize what I truly desire to do for him. The call of God is an expression of his nature. The service which results from that calling is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul in Galatians 1:15-16; “But before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.”
    You see, God calls each one of us to him. The righteous and lost alike are called to God. Before we are even born God equips us with gifts, tools, talents, passions, and desires. God wants us all to be saved, spend eternity in heaven, and be used by him on our walk through this life to point people to Jesus. God calls us to accept his grace and mercy, humble ourselves in repentance, trust him, and accept his sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as our salvation. It’s his free gift to us. No good deed earns it, and no sin is too great to deny us from it. The only thing that keeps us from receiving the gift of salvation is denying God and not accepting his gift of salvation. Denying his calling. The call of God is that simple. It is a call to an intimate relationship with our father. Just as I want to be the best parent and provide for my children, God wants to do the same thing for us, except he is perfect at it and I am definitely not.
    When we accept this calling of the natural life and build an intimate relationship with Christ, the works I do, deeds I perform, and services I provide are the overflow which pours out form a life filled with love and devotion. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identity with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand his call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation and obedience of absolute love. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of his nature.
    God loves every single one of us. He loves us right where we are. Whether we are righteous, saved and have drifted away, are a drug addict, alcoholic, or a murderer who is unsaved. Whether we are rich or poor, a good parent or bad parent, married or divorced, God loves us all! He calls us all to a relationship with him. When we accept his call, make him our savior, he sends his spirit to live in us. He has already equipped us with tools, talents, gifts, passions, and desires. The more time we spend building that relationship and become more intimate with God by, spending time reading our bibles, studying the nature of God who lives in us through the Holy Spirit, spending time in prayer seeking wisdom, guidance, and counsel, the more I will understand my passions and true desires. The more time I spend with God the more he is going to show me what I am good at. The more time I spend with God will result in more opportunities for God to use me. The more time I spend with God the more I can focus on what he desires me to be good at, and the more I will be made usable. The more time I spend with God, the more I will hear his voice and know where he wants me to go and what he wants me to do. We all can spend a little more time working on our relationship with God. I, along with everyone reading this, can spend more time reading my bible, more time in prayer, more time seeking him first in everything I do. We can all put out a little more effort to be in a better relationship with God. The more we do it the more it becomes a habit and becomes a natural part of our lives. That is our calling from God.
    As we spend more time working on our relationship with God, he is going to call some of us to give an uncomfortable amount of money, pray in a public place, pray for a stranger, help someone out that we don’t like. He’s going to call some of us to pack up and head to a different country to be a missionary. He’s going to call someone to start a church and be a pastor. He’s going to call us into uncomfortable situations to grow our character. He’s also going to use some of us right where we are at in our workplace, on our ranch, on the rodeo trail, or in our communities to be the light and spread the Good News to the people we live with when the opportunity prevails. God’s calling each and everyone of us to serve him, it is our job to have the ear to hear when God calls “I need somebody”, and having the obedience to say “here I am, send me.”