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  • Blackfoot Rodeo Earns Nomination

    BLACKFOOT, Idaho – While the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on so much of the world, organizers of the Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo pressed forward to make sure the event happened.

    “Cowboys don’t quit, and neither did we,” said Valorie Blanchard, chairwoman of the volunteer committee that produces the event. “It was a hard fight for everybody that didn’t have a rodeo and everybody that did. I feel for every committee because I know what we had to go through just to have our rodeo.”

    Because of that and because of the event that was produced, the Gem State Classic has been nominated as a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Small Rodeo of the Year, a title the committee earned in 2019. It’s quite an honor to be recognized as one of the top 21 rodeos in the country, but it’s even a bigger deal in 2020.

    “We worked closely with the health department, and we put in prevention plans as much as possible,” she said. “Because of restrictions, we were only able to have 25 percent of our normal attendance. Thank goodness our sponsors stuck with us.

    “It’s rough out there, but we refused to cancel. It was a hard year, but it makes us appreciate it more because we had to persevere through it.”

    The committee awards are broken down into four categories: large indoor, large outdoor, medium, and small. The Blackfoot committee actually increased its “added money” – dollars generated by the local organizers that are mixed with entry fees to make the total purse – but kept it within the threshold to continue to be considered a small event. Only the top five (top six in one category this year because of a tie in votes) rodeos receive nominations each year.

    “We know that small rodeos are the heart and soul of the PRCA,” said Blanchard, whose group works with the Eastern Idaho State Fair and is an annual part of the exposition. “We know we have our place and are proud to be part of the association.”

    As with many sports around the world, rodeo was hit hard by the pandemic. More than half of the more than 600 rodeos that are part of the PRCA were canceled, while many others postponed. The Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo was able to maintain its dates and still produce a high-quality event.

    “When you bring the best, you’re going to get the best out of it,” said announcer Steve Kenyon, the voice of the Gem State Classic. “Then, when you couple that with really slick production, you can’t help but have a great rodeo.”

    It also happened because many people came together to make sure a classic event happened and helped bring some normalcy back to this part of the country.

    “We owe a lot of this rodeo happening to the Eastern Idaho State Fair board members and Brandon Bird,” Blanchard said, referring to the fair’s general manager. “He had a lot to deal with and did everything he could to make this happen.

    “In my eyes, the significance of this nomination is even greater than our first nomination. We had to work three times harder this year, so we really appreciate it more.”

  • WCRA and PBR Announces Top Four Leaderboard Athletes Advancing to the Main Event of the Historic Women’s Rodeo World Championship

    WCRA and PBR Announces Top Four Leaderboard Athletes Advancing to the Main Event of the Historic Women’s Rodeo World Championship

    Leaderboard pool roster of 60 athletes per discipline also revealed ahead of the $750,000 event slated to be held in tandem with the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast in Texas

     AUSTIN, Texas- Ahead of the inaugural, $750,000 Women’s Rodeo World Championship, WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) and PBR (Professional Bull Riders) have announced the Top 4 leaderboard athletes per discipline that will automatically advance to the main event of the historic, all-women’s sporting championship.

    Sixty additional women’s rodeo all-stars from each discipline have also been revealed as the first group of contestants to advance to the pool competition, set to comprise the WCRA Leaderboard Pool for the landmark Women’s Rodeo World Championship.

    The Women’s Rodeo World Championship will pay equal money in all four competing disciplines (breakaway roping, barrel racing and team roping, heading and heeling). Each discipline champion will collect $60,000, while the All Around Champion will earn a $20,000 bonus.

    The championship event will hold its qualifying rounds from November 8-12 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth Texas, with the final six from each of the four disciplines advancing to run at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas alongside the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast. Competing from November 13-15, team roping will compete on Nov. 13, followed by barrel racing on Nov. 14 and breakaway roping on Nov. 15.

    The following athletes in each discipline earned the top four spots on the Women’s Rodeo World Championship leaderboard (W20) in their respected disciplines by nominating their efforts on the Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) and will be directly seeded into the main event:

     

    Breakaway Roping Barrel Racing Heading Heeling
    JJ Hampton (Stephenville, Texas) Hallie Hanssen (Hermosa, South Dakota) Lari Dee Guy (Abilene, Texas) Kelsie Chace (Dublin, Texas)
    Josie Conner (Iowa, Louisiana) Chenessa McGraw (Hamilton, Montana) Bev Robbins (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) Danielle Lowman (Gilbert, Arizona)
    Kelsie Chace (Dublin, Texas) Maggie Poloncic (Gillette, Wyoming) Kayelen Helton (Stephenville, Texas) Lorraine Moreno (Mathis, Texas)
    Hope Thompson (Abilene, Texas) Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi (Lampasas, Texas) Jackie Crawford (Stephenville, Texas) Jessy Remsburg (Leighton, Alabama)

     

    The athletes ranked No. 5-64 on the W20 leaderboard will compete in two preliminary rounds of competition to qualify into the main event. A roster of all athletes competing in the WCRA Leaderboard pool can be found HERE.

    Athletes who did not earn a position on the WCRA Leaderboard can still compete in the championship event through the open pools. Open entries for the Women’s Rodeo World Championship will remain open until October 25 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Entry fees are $750 and are taken on entrytool.com. All female athlete’s ages 13 and up are eligible to enter the event.

    The Women’s Rodeo World Championship will be carried on a CBS Sports Network telecast, and streamed LIVE on RidePass, available at RidePass.com or via the RidePass app available on iOS, Android and Roku

    Tickets for the 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast are on sale now and can be purchased online at ATTStadium.com or SeatGeek.com, or via the phone to PBR Customer Service at (800) 732-1727.

    More information about the Women’s Rodeo World Championship including payout, overview schedule and format can be found at www.womensrodeoworldchampionship.com or by contacting support@wcrarodeo.com.

    Since launching in May of 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $7,700,000 in new money to rodeo athletes.

    About WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance):

    WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) is a professional sport and entertainment entity, created to develop and advance the sport of rodeo by aligning all levels of competition. In association with the PBR, WCRA produces major rodeo events, developing additional opportunities for rodeo-industry competitors, stakeholders, and fans. To learn more, visit wcrarodeo.com. For athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system, visit app.wcrarodeo.com.

    About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):

    PBR (Professional Bull Riders) is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 700 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top 35 bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. PBR’s digital assets include RidePass, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of IMG, a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.

    Media Contacts

    For WCRA – Kyle Jones

    Kjones@wcrarodeo.com or 775-304-2545

     

    For PBR – Kacie Albert

    Kacie.albert@img.com or (908) 343-3348

  • PRCA announces 2020 award nominees

    PRCA announces 2020 award nominees

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – It’s common for rodeo athletes and fans to use the hashtags “grateful” or “blessed.” Each year, that gratefulness is expressed at the annual PRCA Awards Banquet before the start of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

    The final online ballot process will be open Oct. 19-23 for applicable voting PRCA members. Eligible voters will need to keep an eye on their email’s inbox for voting information on Oct. 19.

    The winners for each category will be announced at the PRCA Awards Banquet at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 2.

    The following men, women and committees are the nominees:

    Donita Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award

    Cindy Rosser

    Duane Reichert

    Edie Longfellow

    Gene Hyder

    Kay Gay

    Stock Contractor of the Year

    Beutler & Son Rodeo Co.

    Cervi Championship Rodeo

    Frontier Rodeo Company

    Pete Carr Pro Rodeo

    Stace Smith Pro Rodeos

    Announcer of the Year

    Andy Stewart

    Bob Tallman

    Randy Corley

    Wayne Brooks

    Will Rasmussen

    Secretary of the Year

    Amanda Sanders

    Brenda Crowder

    Eva Chadwick

    Sandy Gwatney

    Sunni Deb Backstrom

    Bullfighter of the Year

    Cody Webster

    Dusty Tuckness

    Evan Allard

    Nathan Jestes

    Wacey Munsell

    Pickup Man of the Year

    Chase Cervi

    Jason Bottoms

    Josh Edwards

    Matt Twitchell

    Rex Bugbee

    Clown of the Year

    Cody Sosebee

    JJ Harrison

    John Harrison

    Justin Rumford

    Keith Isley

    Timer of the Year

    Amy Muller

    Brenda Crowder

    Jayme Pemberton

    Shawna Ray

    Toby Dunlavy

    Music Director of the Year

    Bradley Narducci

    Brandy Edmonds

    Jill Franzen Loden

    Josh Hilton

    Randy Mayer

    Photographer of the Year

    Dale Hirschman

    Dan Hubbell

    James Phifer

    Matt Cohen

    Robby Freeman

    Comedy Act of the Year

    Gizmo McCracken

    John Harrison

    Justin Rumford

    Keith Isley

    Matt Tarr

    Dress Act of the Year

    Haley Ganzel Proctor

    John Payne

    Madison MacDonald & Piper Yule

    Rider Kiesner & Bethany Iles

    Tomas Garcilazo

    Small Rodeo of the Year

    Alamosa, Colo.

    Blackfoot, Idaho

    Jerome, Idaho

    Mesquite, Texas

    Yuma, Colo.

    Medium Rodeo of the Year

    Belle Fourche, S.D.

    Burwell, Neb.

    Cave Creek, Ariz.

    Coleman, Texas

    Guymon, Okla.

    Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year

    Cody, Wyo.

    Deadwood, S.D.

    Dodge City, Kan.

    Gooding, Idaho

    Prescott, Ariz.

    Spanish Fork, Utah

    Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year

    Arlington, Texas

    Denver, Colo.

    Fort Worth, Texas

    Rapid City, S.D.

    San Antonio, Texas

  • Clayton Hass heading back to NFR

    Clayton Hass heading back to NFR

    Clayton Hass has made three trips to the NFR and ended this season in the 12th spot with $41,840.34 won in the steer wrestling. He competes in team roping as a header and tie down roping as well. He went to the NFR 2014, 2015, and 2016. “In 2017 I missed it by $300,” said 36 year old from Weatherford, Texas. “I went through a couple transition years and changed some things, like my horse, who got crippled so I started a new horse. He was young, but worked great. I was trying to train instead of doing my job.”

    Clayton started early in rodeo – 7 years old. “I grew up on a ranch in Texas, so it just went from there.” He joined the Nutrena team and is now part of the Record Rack team, preparing to go to his first Bucks for the Brave this November. “I think it’s a great opportunity to give back to the guys that serve our country. It’s awesome to see what they’ve gone through and how they come out of it.” Clayton is an avid archery hunter. “I hunt everything from waterfowl to elk, deer – I’ll try anything once.” He hunts in Montana and south Texas, bringing home meat for his family every year. His wife, Alex, is an excellent cook and she loves the elk and exotic animals. “We’re always coming up with new recipes.”

    He got his first bow in high school. “Growing up I heard how much fun it was, so I tried it. Once you harvest your first animal, you never go back. It’s more of a hunt.”

    Along with rodeo and hunting, Clayton has a small construction company and trains horses. His wife, Alex, owns a children’s boutique, AddyMay Kid’s Shop.  She also trains a few horses and ponies. They have three children, Addy, Izzy, and Mac.

    Covid has made rodeo a little different. “There’s a lot more miles in between,” he said. “We got to rodeo more than I thought we would. There are a lot more one headers than ever, not as much money to be won and a lot more guys to split the money up.” He is excited that the NFR is moving to Texas. “It’s about 45 minutes from my house.” He spends time in between rodeos playing a little golf. “I’m above average – not great but decent.”

    He plans to continue rodeo and continue to build up his construction business. “

  • KING OF THE RODEOS

    KING OF THE RODEOS

    Championship rodeo to take place in Minot this weekend

    Minot, N.D. (October 7, 2020) – The best of the best for the Dakotas will be in Minot this weekend, to duke it out for the title of Badlands champ.

    The annual Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo will take place at the North Dakota State Fair Center October 9-11, with performances at 7 pm on October 9, 6 pm October 10, and at 1:30 pm on October 11.

     

    More than 100 cowboys and cowgirls, with about a dozen in each of eight events, will compete, said Max Weppler, organizer for the rodeo and a member of the PRCA’s Badlands Circuit committee. “The fans will see the best talent in the Dakotas,” Weppler said.

     

    This part of the country has its share of rodeo talent which will be on exhibit this weekend, Weppler said. “Some of the best saddle bronc riders and barrel racers, and other events, as well, come from the northern plains.”

     

    The rodeo will also include an expo and trade show.

     

    Tickets for the Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 3-12. They can be purchased online at gethookedup.com/rodeoticket.com (search for Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo), at 52 West (2815 S. Broadway A, Minot), and North Country Mercantile (2000 20th Ave. SE, Minot) and at the gate. The Sunday matinee is sponsored by EPIC Companies, Spicy Pie, Bud Light, Pepsi and the North Dakota State Fair. Discounted tickets are available at Spicy Pie in Minot.

     

    For more information, visit the Facebook page (Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo).

  • Featured Athlete: Baby the Steer Wrestling Horse

    Featured Athlete: Baby the Steer Wrestling Horse

    There’s a Baby making a big splash in the steer wrestling world, and she’s doing it with 5 Star Equine Products, too.
    Baby, a nine-year-old quarter horse, is a steer wrestling horse owned by Sam Dixon and ridden mainly by Jacob Talley, Justin Shaffer, and Will Lummus.
    The blaze-faced sorrel, off the race track, was purchased by Dixon in 2018. Jacob and Justin rode her in 2018 a bit, and they considered taking her to the National Finals that year, but thought she might not be ready for the big stage
    In 2019, Jacob was out with an injury for three months, so Justin, Will and Cody Harmon rode Baby. She responded well, carrying the three men, plus Dixon, to the pay window several times, including big wins in Salinas, Calif. “People started asking where she came from,” Sam said.
    Now, in her second full year of rodeo competition, Dixon says she’s won over $130,000 in the last two years.
    Equine products are often overlooked for steer wrestling horses, Sam thinks. Some of the steer wrestlers are big men, and it’s not a natural movement for a horse when the wrestler hangs off the side. It can cause horses to have sore backs. “Here we are, hanging off the side of them, and that puts a major strain on their back. Ever since we’ve been using 5 Star pads, we’ve never had a problem.”
    Sam had a horse at home with back concerns, and he switched products. “I got a 5 Star pad and since then I’ve never had any back problems” with the horse.
    The saddle pads clean up well, he said, and the material, one-hundred percent wool, “wicks the sweat away very well, compared to others.”
    He has a few 5 Star saddle pads that he customized with certain neon colors that will be put into use at the 2020 National Finals, but they’re a surprise. “We’re waiting till the Finals to bust them out. When we do, they’ll be very noticeable.”
    He and his wife Allison’s kids: daughters Bailey, Hadlie and Reiny, use the boots, pads, and breast collars. “I’ve always believed that 5 Star (products) were above and beyond.”
    At the 2019 NFR, Baby came out of nowhere. She was the backup horse for Will, and when things weren’t clicking for him, he decided to ride her in the eighth round. Dixon and the guys were a bit worried; she had been seasoned, but they were concerned that she wasn’t quite ready.
    There was no need to worry. Will was3.6 seconds that round to win it, and he rode her in the ninth and tenth rounds, placing in the tenth. Dixon was in a motel room, on night eight, trying to bring up the NFR with limited service, when his phone blew up. “I spent three hours answering phone calls and texts,” he beamed, “before he could download the video to watch her run.”
    Baby, whose registered name is Babysgonecountry, lets guys do their job, Sam said. “She’s so good in the box, as far as scoring. She stands still, and lets you do your job and not worry about it.” She’s also versatile. “She fits any situation you’re in. A long score, running them down like at Salinas or Cheyenne. Everybody likes her in the short scores, too, because she’s quick off your hand.
    But she comes with an attitude. “She is very much a woman,” Sam said. “She wakes up on the wrong side of the bed many days.” Her quirks can be overlooked. “She is so gritty,” Sam said. “It doesn’t matter what she’s doing, she gives one hundred percent every time.”
    Baby loves to run and often plays with the hazing horse. She thinks it’s a contest to be the fastest, Sam said. “She’ll put her ears back and it’s like a race to the back end. It’s pretty fun to watch. If you really get after her, she’ll catch another gear.”
    Sam has been a 5 Star customer for as long as he can remember, even before Terry Moore bought the business in 2012. “Since the Moores bought it,” Sam said, “they have gone above and beyond to make sure their stuff is right. They put a lot of time and money into it, and it shows.”

  • ProFile: Brenda Youtsey Reay

    ProFile: Brenda Youtsey Reay

    Brenda Youtsey Reay was the first girl to win the National High School Finals rodeo in the team roping in 1986. “I’m happy for all the kids that win the high school finals – -it pays for college educations as well as is a great honor for all kids.” Brenda’s story was quite similar to Quincy’s. “I started the year roping with Skeeter Duby and we were having a phenomenal year – everything seemed to be clicking for us and we were having an amazing year. Unfortunately, Skeeter got hurt – he injured his knee on the chute practicing and that accident ended Skeeter’s run at Nationals and forced me to find another partner. I was lucky enough to find a partner and ended the year roping with Brett Kamm. We ended up winning third in the state and qualified for Nationals. At state finals, my number one head horse also suffered an injury so I had one month to practice and decide what horse I wanted to ride at nationals. At that time I had a nice heel horse that was also my barrel horse that I thought scored very well and so I decided to ride him.” In 1986, the high school finals were held in Rapid City , South Dakota. “While traveling to Nationals, Brett’s horse got over the divider in the trailer so he had to ride one of his friend’s horses.” She attributes that win to setting specific goals, creating an action plan and a large amount of resilience. “My health teacher was teaching goal setting so I actually called the National office my freshman year to see if there had ever been a girl who had won the nation. After finding out there had not been, I set the goal to be the first girl to win the Nation. I actually still have my goal sheet and I wrote that long-term goal down and stuck to my short term goals to meet the end result.”
    Brenda grew up in Applegate, a small farming community outside Grants Pass, Oregon. Her dad (Jay Youtsey) was a calf roper, team roper and built Westline Horse Trailers, a custom horse trailer business which were some of the first living quarters in the 1970s. “We ran cattle, raised some horses, built horse trailers and did a lot of bass fishing. My mom, Beverley was a ranch wife and helped with the horse trailers.” Brenda competed in volleyball, basketball, track along with rodeoing in high school. When she graduated, she went to Blue Mountain Community College where she played volleyball, basketball and rodeoed. She also attended Eastern Oregon University and then obtained a degree in health and physical education from Southern Oregon State College. She has been a Health and Physical Education teacher for 29 years, 27 of them at Homedale Middle school. During her time in education she has been a volleyball, basketball and track coach. In 2017 Brenda was Idaho’s Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

    Brenda amateur rodeoed and attended local ropings with her family until her two boys, Bryan and Tyler became old enough to be involved in rodeo and sports. Along with her husband of 30 years, Mike they both focused on their kid’s development in school, sports and all of their other activities. “I became a mom and focused on my family and my career. At some point you realize your children are your biggest asset and your energy is focused on them. Watching both my boys compete and be successful was one of the biggest gifts I have ever been given.” She spent her time keeping their horses in shape, running the chute, untying calves and making sure they were focused on their education. “It was their turn to shine.” Mike was also an athlete and played college basketball, but always enjoyed the rodeo community and lifestyle and now he’s turned into a roper. “We have an arena at our house in Adrian as well as a family place in Morristown, Arizona and we all continue to rope together. We always say—the Family that ropes together-Stays Together!
    Only a few years from retirement, Brenda has spent many of her adult years giving service to others in the rodeo world. That included serving as the secretary for the Idaho Junior High Division for ten years. She also serves as the vice president of the Idaho Girls Rodeo Association, which she has been part of off and on since moving to Eastern Oregon. The Idaho Girls Rodeo Association has been around for 65 years, offering a place for competitors to compete side by side with their grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and nieces. She won the all around last year, competing in pole bending, barrel racing, team roping, steer stopping, and steer daubing and goat tying. Although it wasn’t her intention to start pole bending or doing the other events she entered so her and her eight year old niece, Jayne could rodeo together. This year Jayne started roping and won a new event to the association which was the dummy sled breakaway roping. ‘I am very excited to see Jayne get her first buckle and even more excited that she won it on Tyler’s old calf horse.’
    Brenda had a minor set this spring after recently getting bucked off “I got bucked off super hard – I fractured my back and ended up with contusions on my liver and lungs. Unfortunately, that put me out for a few weeks. At 18 that isn’t a big deal but at 51 that’s not fun and probably the most disappointing part of being bucked off not once but twice within 8 weeks. However, one thing that a lot of people don’t know about me is that I have lived with epilepsy since I was 16 years old. I figure if I can handle that set back I can handle getting bucked off a couple of times. But in all seriousness, I am grateful I wasn’t hurt worse and extremely grateful my son, Bryan loaned me his good horse so I could rope in the Idaho Girl’s Rodeo Finals last weekend.
    Brenda is still coaching and teaching and most importantly loves sharing her passion for competing, sports and lifetime wellness with her students.
    “I love everything about the rural lifestyle- we are blessed to live in an amazing rodeo heavy neighborhood – My bucket is full of gratitude and continued opportunity to grow as a person. I feel we can all choose our attitude in life and are in complete control of making that happen on a daily basis. From my family, career, to amazing life-long friends as well as ability to follow my dreams I have been a very lucky girl” she concludes. “I’ve very goal driven and that will always be how I am hard wired. I honestly never thought I couldn’t achieve something. At the end of the day, winning the nation never defined who I was but it did pave the road for me to realize how much is within our reach if we simply have the dedication, attitude, and desire to put in the work it takes to reach our goals.’

  • Back When They Bucked with Roy Lilley

    Back When They Bucked with Roy Lilley

    “I’m pretty talkative and used to edit a magazine, so it just made sense to write a book,” said Roy Lilley, the 90 year old rough stock rider from Fort Collins, Colorado, who wrote a 567 page memoir called Just As I Am. The book took three years to complete.
    Born at the Table Mountain Ranch in Virginia Dale, Colorado, Roy was raised on the family ranch with two older brothers. “We had a lot of fun – and did a few ornery things. I followed my older brothers around everywhere.” His dad (Charles W. Lilley, Sr.) managed a family ranch. At the age of 10, the family moved to Fort Collins and his dad went to work for Producers Livestock in Denver and eventually the family moved to Lakewood.
    Roy worked on a dude ranch (Trail Creek Ranch) from the time he was a junior in high school. “As soon as I figured I could ride the milk cow, I entered the Larimer County Fair in the bull riding.” He borrowed his brother’s bull rope, Pete Burns spurs and came real close to riding a good bull. “He bucked me off hard on my shoulder, and I had to ride with my right hand the rest of the summer.” He was determined to rodeo. “My older brothers were doing it and felt like I could do it.”

    The first rodeo he went to, he drew a little bareback horse and won sixth – that was the first bareback horse he got on. He won a little money and that’s what gave him the encouragement to keep on. He had some natural talent.
    He spent the summer working at the dude ranch and rodeoing on the weekends. He started college at Colorado A&M, now Colorado State University and joined the rodeo team. He majored in animal science and joined the livestock club. “I didn’t go to the rodeo club right at first, but my brother managed the college rodeo that spring so I rode a bareback horse at that rodeo.”
    The next year he started riding saddle broncs. “You learned by doing,” he said. “I got my NIRA card the first year they had them (1949) and won the bull riding at the college finals in 1952, my senior year.” Following that, he had the best summer of his career. He won the amateur bronc riding at Cheyenne and the pro rodeo in Loveland. “I had a really good year,” he said. He was second all around and second in all three riding events for the year in the NIRA, getting beat out by Jack Bushbaum. The finals were held in Portland Oregon and he split the bronc riding 3 and 4 with Cotton Rosser. “Cotton Rosser said that I made one of the best college bull rides he had seen at the NIRA Finals Championship rodeo. That meant more to me than anything!” He can remember the ride jump by jump to this day.
    After graduation he went to Korea. “I had just rodeoed that summer just waiting to be drafted – we were deferred if we kept our grades up during college.” He was a supply sergeant for the field artillery of the Army. “I was there when the war ended and we were having a fire mission at the same time – we sat around for 10 months after at the demilitarized zone.”
    He came back to the United States and got out of the Army on June 20, 1954 and was on a bareback horse two days later at Woodland Park, Colorado. “I’d gained 20 pounds and hadn’t been on a horse since I left. I figured I could pick up where I left off. I rode the bareback horse and the saddle bronc in a haze and got bucked off more during the next three months than I had the three years I was rodeoing. I was drawing good and riding bad.”
    He kept at it. “I wanted to get good enough so I could quit with some pride. My problem was I was thinking too much.” He gradually got better and by the time he quit in 1956, he was pretty good. He quit riding bulls when he came back from Korea. “I had an epiphany in Korea,” he said. “All of my injuries came from being stepped on by bulls.”
    He knew he would never be good enough to make a run for the NFR, so he mostly went on the weekends. In 1955, he rode both of his horses in Cheyenne. That’s when there were five big rodeos close by and he made all of them. The further he got from home, the broker he got. “Pulling into Durango, I blew the oil line on my 1955 Chevy. I spent my last few bucks fixing that and borrowed enough money to buy gas. He made it home and kept going for another year. He placed at three out of the last four rodeos he entered before he quit.

    Roy was 26 and living at the farm at home. His dad was working in Denver and got a job as the director of the first school lunch program in Denver. He knew the director of American National Cattlemens Association (now called the Beef Association), and he was looking for an assistant. “I was rodeoing soso and my dad got really sick and I decided to get a job.” He applied for many different jobs and finally got the job as the assistant for $350 a month.
    “It was the best thing I ever did – it was a great job. I worked there for four years,” he said. He met his first wife, Ingrid, at the dude ranch and they dated. “I wanted to impress her, so I entered a rodeo. I hadn’t been on a bucking horse for four years, but I’d broke a few colts. I drew Pretty Sox, the best draw Earl Anderson had – I qualified on him, but Pinto Pete drove my head in the ground.”
    He got offered a job in California as the assistant director for California Cattlemens. He moved out there in August and started riding broncs again in California for the fall. He didn’t like California very much and missed Ingrid. He flew back to Colorado, picked her up, and they were married in Ely, Nevada on their way back to California. Their daughter, Elizabeth, was born but the couple didn’t make it and eventually divorced.
    He got a job as the Executive Vice President of the international Brangus Breeders association in Kansas City. His next wife, Maxine, had two kids when they married and they had another one, Jennifer. They moved the office after seven years to San Antonio. The couple lived in Beorne, Texas. He worked there until 1979. After 17 years, he left that job and became executive VP of Nebraska Stock Growers – later Nebraska Cattlemens and stayed there 17 years as well. Maxine passed away in August of 1991. “I owed whatever success I may have had from the fact that I learned from my mistakes.”
    He retired in 1996 and married Donice in 1997. The couple settled in Fort Collins and Roy is active in the community with Larimer County Office of Aging. He is also part of the Alumni of Colorado State University rodeo team. He and Donice are enjoying a quiet time of old age together. “A guy at 90 doesn’t make long range plans. I’ve enjoyed my life.”

  • On The Trail with Malcom Heathershaw

    On The Trail with Malcom Heathershaw

    Malcom Heathershaw will spend the next few months healing up from breaking both bones (ulna and radius) in his left arm. “I drew a pretty wide stud and I was the first one out. I was three seconds and my stirrup on the left side snapped off – it sling-shotted me off the left side. My body weight folded my left arm. I tried getting up – it hit me like a bullet.” He had surgery where they inserted two plates and now is healing.

    The Quinn, South Dakota, cowboy started riding steer saddle broncs in junior high and got on his first saddle bronc in eighth grade. He got his start by his dad (Mike) and other family members. “I have a lot of cousins that do it.” The biggest thing that helped me this year was a new practice that has been set up in New Underwood, SD. Louie Brunson started a weekly practice deal and everyone came down and provided us with a chance to get better. There have been a lot of rough stock coaches and pick-up men that have come to help. It was there that I really made a change for the better last spring. If you stick to it long enough you can always change the outcome of your goal.”

     

    “I can relate that to my dad. His parents weren’t big on rodeo and he grew up learning from his older brother and mainly taught himself. He was very talented in his younger days – went to some pro rodeos – but as he got older he went to amateur rodeos and was in it for the sport of it instead of the world title.”

    “These older guys are giving back to the younger boys,” said Mike, who ranches and raises commercial cattle and Quarter horses. Mike helps several of the boys in his community. “I just liked to ride and they kept paying me for a little while in my younger days. I got to know and helped a lot of the younger boys get started back in the day and now they are giving back to my son. You can’t teach them anything on their back, but once you get them staying on, it’s another level.” Mike hopes that Malcom will pursue college. “We are paying for his tuition on the installment plan. I can throw things at him and he learns. He’s about to go to the next step and take advice from his cousins, who have won many Saddle Bronc Titles themselves, Cash Wilson and Jeremy Meeks.

    Along with a commercial cow herd the family owns Rockin T Quarter Horses. “We raise 15 to 20 baby colts a year,” explains Anita, a Title 1 teacher at Wall School in Wall, South Dakota. “In August, we take the colts up to the shed and spend three or four days halter breaking them. We do it slowly and then we sell them private treaty – we get a lot of repeat customers. My dad used to raise horses, his goal was to raise good looking buckskins.” They raise horses that can be used on the ranch or rodeo. “Our goal is to raise some nice bloodlines and good looking horses.” Malcom gets on the younger horses and gets them going good.

    “It’s a lot of fun,” said Malcom. “It’s a humbling experience doing that – it carries on to people – you’ve got to be able to read stuff to work with animals and it helps me deal with people.” Malcom is a junior and heads to school at 7:30. He used to drive in with his brother, Matthew, but since Mathew plays football, they take separate cars. They both drive older model Cadillacs. His classes include science, English, history, and math. “I’m a history buff, so I like that class.” Matthew and Malcom are a year apart, with their birthdays falling July 18 and 19.

     

    Matthew is a calf roper. Both boys started in steer saddle bronc riding and roping calves. Once they got to high school, they each chose to focus on one event – Matthew stuck with tie down roping and Malcom went with saddle bronc. Riding broncs has become Malcom’s passion – growing up he excelled at football and basketball and is a very good student. “You’ve got to find your passion and he’s developed such a passion and a drive for saddle bronc riding – he thinks about it all the time,” said his mom, Anita. “When he started riding this spring he was really struggling, his dad, who is his main coach and who has mentored many young cowboys worked hard at trying to figure out the problem. He ended up getting a bigger saddle and that seemed to help a lot. His dad and he are so dedicated to get where he wants to be.”

    Malcom ended his year fourth at state finals. His year started out rough – with the help of the practice pen and a new saddle, he got better each time he rode. At Nationals he ended up fourth as well. “I knew I was placing pretty good going into the short round and knew if I I just stayed on, I might get up there because the horses in the short go were tougher. I was ready to do good. My horse was probably one of the better horses I’ve gotten on; nice and smooth and even and I could show him off a little more.” It didn’t sink in that he ended up fourth in the nation for a few hours. “I was in awe that I got that far.” His goals for the future are to get better at rodeo, go to college, and keep performing at a higher level. “I know I want to continue to rodeo and work at the same time but I want a steady job to pay the bills.”

  • Scarlet’s Web dies at 19

    Scarlet’s Web dies at 19

    Storied bronc had a distinguished career with 13 NFRs, six round wins

    DALLAS – For most of her life, Scarlet’s Web was one of the greatest bucking horses in rodeo. She will be remembered as such by the men who rode her for hundreds of thousands of dollars over her lifetime.

    The Pete Carr Pro Rodeo bay mare died Saturday, Sept. 29, after suffering an aneurysm at Timbercreek Veterinary Clinic in Canyon, Texas. Scarlet’s Web was 19 years old and in her first year of retirement after a long and storied career in rodeo, where she was selected 13 straight times to perform at the National Finals Rodeo.

    “She was definitely one of my favorite horses ever to ride,” said Tilden Hooper, a seven-time NFR qualifier who rode the magnificent mare to two NFR round wins in his career: the 10th round in both the 2008 and the 2018 championships. “You knew every time you drew her that she was going to take you to the money.

    “From a rider’s standpoint, she was going to get up in the air and give you a chance to go on. She was fun to ride. With some horses you win on, it’s more of a fight. With her, it felt more like a dance. She was nice to ride, but she had enough action that she was really electric.”

    Her last performance was at the NFR 10 months ago, and it was a fitting end to a magnificent career. Since her first appearance in 2007, she guided cowboys to round victories six times, an unprecedented number that sets the standard for winning bucking horses.

    “I had the opportunity to get on her twice, once in Guymon (Oklahoma) when she was at the prime of her career, and again last year at the NFR,” said Tim O’Connell, a three-time world champion who rode Scarlet’s Web for 88 points to finish with the second-best score of the sixth round this past December. “To be 88 points on her then and there, it shows so much about a horse that was 18 or 19 years old and still bucking that well.

    “She gave you every opportunity in the world to win. She was always going to give you and honest go and an electric go at it every time. Those were some of the funnest 15 seconds of my life.”

    Born in 2001, she is the daughter of the mare Scarlett and the stallion Night Jacket, two of the greatest bucking-horse producers in the history of ProRodeo. At least four of Scarlet’s Web’s full siblings have bucked at the NFR, and dozens more of her half siblings have been there, too.

    Billy Jones, the general manager for Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, said the firm has two young Scarlet’s Web fillies at the ranch, one sired by Korczak, a Carr foundation stallion, and Lunatic Fringe, another high-producing stud.

    “Both those fillies are big and strong,” said Jones, noting the breeding program just continues to grow each year. “We expect them to be pretty good.”

    The groundwork is certainly there. Dr. Gregg Veneklasen operates Timbercreek and was just a few feet from Scarlet’s Web when she collapsed. He has built a solid foundry for breeding at his Canyon facility, with dozens of horses that reside there throughout the year.

    “We have a lot of good mares here,” Veneklasen said. “I buried her next to Kattle Kate, the mother to Big Tex, and to Dirty, the mother of Dirty Jacket. She’s buried right there by other Zinser horses that have died here.”

    Jim and Maggie Zinser developed a breeding program like no other 50 years ago, and other firms have begun to run with it over time. They were the original owners of Scarlet’s Web and her parents, and that legacy continues forward.

    “I’ve seen the filly by Lunatic Fringe out of Scarlet’s Web, and she’s really cute, and she’s a really loud paint with a medicine cap,” Veneklasen said, noting the paint characteristics passed on by the young horse’s sire and also Scarlet Web’s sire. “I’d say she’s 3 or 4 years old now, so she’s bound to have something to her.”

    If that filly is anything like her mother, she’ll be a cowboy’s dream.

    “Scarlet’s Web was just a good, reliable horse you could count on every time,” said Orin Larsen, who won the rounds he was in both times he was matched with the mare, once at The American in Arlington, Texas, and the other in Lovington, New Mexico. “She went to the NFR 13 consecutive times and was in our TV pen most of the time; I can only name two or three other horses that have that kind of resume.

    “I think that horse loved what she did until the day she died.”

    At age 16, she guided Steven Dent to a share of the 10th-round win at the 2017 NFR with an 88-point ride. A year later, she and Hooper matched moves for 89.5 points – a decade after the tandem scored 90 in the final round of the 2008 championship.

    She was definitely special, and countless cowboys will recall those moments. Dent, now retired at age 34, won the PRCA’s 2008 tour championship in Dallas on Scarlet’s Web, then added the top dollars as both neared the end of their distinguished careers nine years later.

    “She was always a money horse,” said Dent, who estimates his earnings on her back to be near $60,000 in just two times of riding the big bay. “I’m not sure she ever threw anybody off, but guys were always 87 to 91 points on her every time she turned her head out.”

    “There are not many of them that stay like that for that long. She’s as good a horse as I’ve seen in my career. If you needed to win a check and you had her, you knew it was going to be a good check and probably help you win first.”

    Only the greatest bucking horses in ProRodeo make it to the NFR in a given year, and Scarlet’s Web did it 13 times in a row. Virtually each year, the cowboys wanted her in fifth and 10th rounds, which featured the most electric animals in the game.

    She earned her spot in that field each season; once there, she proved why she was always one of the best ones in the herd. It was part of her legacy passed on through the bloodlines she held, but it also was a testament to the type of animal she was for nearly 20 years of life.

    “For a horse to be that good for that long, they must have a huge heart,” Hooper said. “She loved bucking, and you could tell it by the way she did it every time.”

     

  • Bob Tallman named 2020 Legend of ProRodeo recipient

    Bob Tallman named 2020 Legend of ProRodeo recipient

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – ProRodeo Hall of Fame announcer Bob Tallman has been named the 2020 Legend of ProRodeo.

    Tallman will be honored at the Wrangler Gold Buckle Gala on Nov. 30 at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth.

    “I’ve been the host of the Legend of ProRodeo event three or four times, and I asked (ProRodeo Hall of Fame director) Kent Sturman, ‘Is there somebody older than me who might not be in good health that is more deserving?’” Tallman said. “I have been so over awarded in 50 years, and in one week I got the call to work the (2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo), then I passed my real estate test and then I got a call from Kent Sturman. It was a Triple Crown week.

    “I’m going to give the credit to the selection committees. I’m going to give the credit to the Lord. As long as I can be humble enough to accept by those who chose this and I can be an example for others who will receive it (Legend of ProRodeo) in the future and that I can walk the walk and talk the talk and set the example in receiving it for the younger people coming up in the world, I accept it.”

    During a career that has spanned more than five decades, Tallman has announced more than 15,000 rodeo performances in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

    Tallman’s gravel-laced baritone and story-telling prowess are legendary in ProRodeo. In 2020, Tallman will work his record 26th NFR at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, Dec. 3-12. Tallman was named the 2019 PRCA Announcer of the Year for the 10th time and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2004.

    “When you think of legends in professional rodeo, Bob Tallman has to come to mind,” Sturman said. “He is one of the best rodeo announcers of all time. He is a wealth of information and stories. He has seen it all in our sport and has worked tirelessly to inform the fans, give back to our industry and help to make the sport better than when he started. He was an obvious choice for the 2020 Legend of ProRodeo.”

    Born Oct. 25, 1947, in Winnemucca, Nev., Tallman tried his hand as a rodeo competitor, but he quickly discovered his forte was behind a microphone, as evidenced by his first PRCA Announcer of the Year Award in 1982.

    Tallman’s career began in Fallon, Nev., when he told a rodeo producer he thought he could do a better job than the announcer was doing. The producer told him to give it a try. Tallman earned $100 for that first job and has never looked back.

    “This (Legend of ProRodeo honor) was never on my radar,” Tallman said. “Any time you try in life to set yourself up for things like this, God doesn’t like that. It’s co-mingling the truth and honesty with something that’s going to bite you. I didn’t have a clue about this award. I want to give everyone else within the vicinity of that reception hope that they would be able to be standing in that same spotlight.

    “The toughest part of accepting an award this prestigious is to walk away from there gracefully and let people want to walk in your path with them.”

    Tallman is the 15th 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 and Cotton Rosser.

    The Wrangler Gold Buckle Gala will include a reception at 6 p.m. (CT), followed by a 7 p.m. dinner with live auction and program. Entertainment will be provided by musical artist Paul Bogart.

  • 2020 PBR World Finals Relocated To AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

    2021 PBR Global Cup USA Moves to Las Vegas

    Pueblo, Colo. (September 24, 2020) – The 2020 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Finals: Unleash The Beast will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 12-15, it was announced today.

    The richest and most prestigious event in bull riding, which offers a $1 million Monster Energy World Champion Bonus and coveted gold buckle to the PBR World Champion and a $300,000 check to the event winner, had originally been scheduled for T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas November 4-8 and has been moved due to state COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions.

    Additionally, the next PBR Global Cup, a five-nation, team-formatted event, which was to be held at AT&T Stadium in 2021, will relocate to Las Vegas in the spring of 2021. PBR will announce a specific date, time and venue in the future.

    The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, which had been scheduled at South Point Arena in Las Vegas October 31 – November 1 will now be held at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. November 6-7.

    PBR has competed in AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, annually for the last 10 years. The stadium hosted PBR as it set the sport’s largest single-day event attendance record, welcoming more than 46,000 fans in February 2018. The stadium also held two editions of the PBR Global Cup USA in 2019 and 2020.

    “The PBR World Finals, the biggest event in bull riding, will crown our next champion rider and bull in the NFL’s largest stadium in the heart of cowboy country, giving fans the sport they love in a comfortable, socially distanced environment,” said PBR Commissioner Sean Gleason.  “We are very grateful to Governor Abbott and the state of Texas, who moved at lightning speed to make this happen, as well as our partners in the city of Arlington, the Visitors Bureau, and AT&T Stadium for welcoming PBR and our loyal fans for championship week.”

    “When we heard about the potential opportunity to host PBR World Finals, we immediately began discussions to figure out a way to host this event,” said Dallas Cowboys Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones.  “We have an incredible relationship with PBR since the opening of our stadium and we’re as excited as ever to extend that relationship by providing a safe stadium environment for them to feature their sport once again.”

    “We’re incredibly excited about PBR’s decision to bring its World Finals to The American Dream City as the sport continues its rich history at AT&T Stadium,” Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said. “This larger-than-life, premier bull riding competition captivates an international audience and it’s the perfect fit for our world-class Entertainment District.”

    “For the past 26 years, Las Vegas has been home to PBR’s action-packed season finale, and we have looked forward to hosting them as much as they have been eager to come to Vegas,” said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.  “We look forward to welcoming PBR fans back to Las Vegas in Spring 2021 for more exciting bull riding action and Only-in-Vegas experiences and entertainment.”

    During World Finals week, fans can also attend the Women’s Rodeo World Championship at the Will Rogers Coliseum Complex in Fort Worth. Competition begins on November 9 and will culminate with Championship Rounds held inside AT&T Stadium during the November 13-15 World Finals performances.  Contestants competing in four disciplines—breakaway roping, barrel racing, and team roping (heading and heeling) —will compete for their piece of a historic $750,000 purse along with an all-around $20,000 bonus. Athletes in each discipline will compete for $136,000 in the main event, with each discipline champion walking away with a minimum of $60,000.

    Fans at the Fort Worth Will Rogers Memorial Center will also have the opportunity to attend the ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) World Finals, where the top 2- and 3-year old bulls in the world compete in two rounds of competition for a chance to win the 2020 ABBI Classic Champion title and $100,000.

    General public tickets for 2020 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast go on sale Monday, October 5. Additionally, PBR Direct four-day packages will go on sale September 28-30, with PBR Direct Single Day tickets on sale October 1-2. Tickets can be purchased at the AT&T Stadium Box Office, online at ATTStadium.com or SeatGeek.com, or via the phone to PBR Customer Service at (800) 732-1727.

    CBS Sports Network will televise all rounds of the PBR World Finals, in addition to pre-round shows previewing the action. The league’s OTT channel RidePass will also bring viewers all the action LIVE.

    Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. resulting in the shutdown of live sporting events beginning in mid-March, PBR was the first major professional sport to return to competition in late April with industry-leading safety protocols in place. PBR was also the first sport to host fans in indoor arenas with additional protocols instituted, beginning in Sioux Falls, S.D. July 10-12.  The sport has now hosted fans during seven event weekends safely and without incident.