Rodeo Life

Category: Articles

  • Chris Maros

    Chris Maros

    The month of May marks Chris Maros’s first year competing in the APRA. The cowboy from Newfoundland, Pa. began team roping two years ago after working the chutes for timed events in 2012 at the Malibu Dude Ranch in Milford, Pa.  “It really motivated me to work hard to compete at that level,” Chris explains. “I’ve only found a few sports in my life where I wake up every morning anxious to do them. I raced motocross and was a professional stand-up jet skier for many years, and practice wasn’t really work because I loved it so much. I don’t have to twist my arm around to do roping. I just love it that much!”

    Chris, 42, doesn’t come from a rodeo background, but his friends – including Kevin Daniel, Jimmy Madden, and Ricky Gonzalez – have helped him to get the knack of the sport. “I really look up to Kevin Daniel,” says Chris. “Because of his faith in God, he’s a very grounded person, even with his success in roping. When I started rodeo it was all so new to me, but he treated me the same way as a #6 roper or better.” Chris ropes daily with Chad Finley and rodeos with his roping partner Drew Young. While Chris heads at APRA rodeos, he ropes both ends for USTRC, NTRL and jackpot ropings.

    Another aspect of Chris’s involvement in the APRA is serving as the association’s Chaplin, which he has been doing since 2013. Chris says, “I’m helping with advancing Cowboy Church with Chris Prang, and he and I are helping Susie Graham with promoting Jesus Loves Cowboys further into the APRA. She (Graham) is well established in Cowtown. I admire her dedication to our Lord.” He further explains, “One of my favorite Bible verses is John 3:30, which is ‘He must become greater; I must become less.’ My real goal is to share the work of God with everybody. People can contact me through Facebook or the APRA website if they need prayer requests. I want the guys and girls to know that’s what I’m there for.”

    Chris and his wife Mindy are raising their two children, Lilly (seven) and Cody (three) on their farm outside of Newfoundland. Chris built their house and barn himself, along with a 300’ by 150’ outdoor roping pen. He also runs a small scale beef operation from his farm for himself and his neighbors. Chris enjoys bow hunting as well. He has two roping horses: Jack, his 16-year-old tried-and-true roping horse, and Rooster, the young gelding that Chris is finishing.

    When he is not roping, Chris is operating his marina business 24-7 Innovations with his wife Mindy, who works in the office. During his professional jet skiing days, Chris raced in the Budweiser Jet Sports Tour. Each year as a pro, he qualified for the Skat-Trak World Finals held in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. The top 200 riders in the world are invited to compete. In 1996 he finished seventh and in 1997 he nearly finished third until his jet ski broke down with only two laps remaining. Chris won seventh in 1998 but decided to retire due to an injured knee. That lead to the start of his marine service business which involves collision repair and engine work.

    “This year my biggest goals are to get enough money won to go to the APRA finals and to get to some bigger USTRC ropings,” Chris concludes. “I don’t burden myself too much with long terms goals and trying to meet them. It’s all in God’s hands and I’m going to work at it 100% with what He gave me.”

  • Ashley Lankford

    Ashley Lankford

    Ashley Lankford is a 17-year-old cowgirl from Collinsville, Okla. She has grown up astride a horse, and the rodeo arena has been the center of her world in the summer for nearly 10 years. Ashley competes in breakaway roping, team roping as a heeler, pole bending, and barrel racing. Her parents, Bill and Renee Lankford, used to work in rodeo. Bill worked behind the chutes and Renee was a timer, but they eased back from that when they began hauling Ashley to her rodeos.

    Ashley is inspired by rodeo legend Jim Shoulders when it comes to her involvement in the sport. “My dad knew him personally,” explained Ashley. “The way that he changed rodeo, his sportsmanship, and all of the great things he did inspire me.” While she plans to attend college and study in the medical field, Ashley hopes that rodeo will continue to be a part of her life after high school.

    The Lankford family lives outside of town, with several dogs and horses making their home complete. Ashley has a younger sister, Gabrielle, who is seven. The sisters enjoy riding together, but Gabrielle hasn’t decided if she wants to rodeo yet. She does, however, enjoy playing piano and cheerleading. Among the Lankford’s horses are Goose, Ashley’s breakaway and team roping horse, and Warrior, who she competes on in poles and barrels. Ashley finished both of her horses in the events that she competes in.  The Lankfords bought Goose from PRCA cowboy Josh Welch, who started the horse in tie-down and team roping. Ashley often practices roping the dummy in the arena in her back pasture, but several times a week she also ropes calves at a practice pen with her team roping partner.
    A junior at Collinsville High School, Ashley’s favorite subjects are math and science. She loves the hands-on learning that comes with experiments. Ashley is also involved in track and field this spring, with shot-put and discus as her field events. Another part of Ashley’s education is her participation in FFA. She is taking some time off from projects this year, but in 2013 she competed in the speech contest. This involved writing, memorizing, and delivering a six to eight minute speech in front of a panel of judges. “My topic was on animal cruelty in rodeo,” said Ashley. “I talked about how it wasn’t cruel and explained what the events were intended for originally.”

    When she is not with her horses, Ashley enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She is especially supportive of her sister Gabrielle, who is participating in several speech contests and even went to districts. As for her future goals, Ashley says, “I’d mainly like to improve in everything in every aspect of rodeo.” She is also striving to earn several college scholarships, and to compete in college rodeo when the time comes. Ashley wants to study in the medical field, and she is researching what type of doctor she would like to be.

    Ashley’s main goal for this coming summer is to compete in state finals. In 2012 , her freshman year, she qualified for state finals in the NHSRA, but was unable to compete due to a neck injury. She did, however, qualify for the NJRA finals rodeo in 2013 in breakaway and won a finalist buckle. As she continues to haul to rodeos and pursue the sport she loves best, Ashley concluded, “I’d like to thank my whole family – my mom and dad and my little sister, and the friends that have supported me. And God, for leading the way.”

  • Jolee Lautaret-Jordan

    Jolee Lautaret-Jordan

    Jolee Lautaret-Jordan has been living the rodeo lifestyle since her childhood. At 39, Jolee is pursuing the sport she loves through the GCPRA and the California Circuit. She is the 2013 GCPRA Barrel Racing Champion, having won the title once before in 2007.

    In addition to barrel racing, Jolee has also competed in team roping and breakaway roping. Her parents, Darrell and Dolli Lautaret also team rope. Jolee’s dad is a retired bull rider, and her mom is a former hunter/jumper turned barrel racer who trains all of the family’s horses. Jolee and her parents were team roping together in the GCPRA incentive up until injuries prevented Darrell from competing for a time. “I definitely look up to my family,” says Jolee, “my mom and my dad both. They’ve been very supportive of me. My mom has always trained the horses I’ve ridden and I’m always trying to be as good of a horsewoman as she is. My husband is a great supporter – he helps me with the mental and positive thinking and having the right perspective.”

    Horses are naturally what most of Jolee’s life is centered around. These include Down Home Daisy and Classy Rose Bug, the two mares that Jolee and her mom barrel race on. Daisy is their seasoned rodeo horse, while Rose is still going through finishing. Jolee began the 2013 rodeo season on Rose, but as the GCPRA finals drew near, Jolee hadn’t won enough to qualify for the finals that are held only 45 minutes from her house. She ended up trading horses with her mom, Dolli, and both women were able to compete at the finals. Jolee says that trading horses back and forth with her mom works to their advantage. “It keeps the horses fresh. Whoever has the best opportunity with one horse or the other rides that one. If one of us wins it all goes back to the expenses – it’s kind of a common pot.”

    Jolee and her husband Allan Jordan live at the edge of city limits in Kingman, Ariz. Their 20 acres are tucked in the foothills of the mountains. Allan rode bulls and competed in steer wrestling for 18 years, and today he works as a full time official with the PRCA judging rodeos. Jolee is a writer, and she writes for the WPRA. Her byline can also be found on examiner.com, an online program that she writes rodeo stories for. Additionally, Jolee works for Pro Rodeo Live and Rural Radio as one of the radio personalities that covers the NFR and other events. In addition to commentating the barrel racing and bull riding at the NFR, as well as the PRCA Champion Challenge, Jolee has also covered the PBR Finals.

    While she has done event analysis for the WNFR for two years, Jolee’s dream is to be one of the competitors again. She barrel raced at the WNFR from 2002 – 2004. “That’s a pretty big goal,” says Jolee. “I don’t feel like it’s totally out of reach, but you don’t want to kill yourself and your horse to get it done. Every year my goal is to make it to my circuit finals and the Grand Canyon finals. Our goal is to have more money won at the end of the year than we spent, but that’s a difficult one to accomplish,” she said with a laugh. “At the core of it (rodeo) I love the horses and the challenge of competing with your animals. It’s getting tougher and tougher now with all of the good horses their breeding now. It’s that much harder and feels that much better when you win.”

  • Peyton Crowder

    Peyton Crowder

    Rodeo is the axis which Peyton Crowder’s life revolves around. She has been competing in the NJHSRA since she was in sixth grade, although she first competed in the rodeo arena when she was five. The 14-year-old’s interest in rodeo first took root as she watched her older brother compete. Following in his shadow, Peyton’s first few years of rodeo were none too easy. However, several horses made the difference in her competition, including Bucky and Maverick, a horse given to Peyton by her aunt. While Maverick was already trained, Peyton seasoned him for rodeo, discovering that the horse had a flair for the sport. “Maverick has been a godsend, thanks to Peyton’s Aunt Carol,” says Missy Crowder, Peyton’s mom. On Maverick, Peyton went on to compete in the NJHFR in barrel racing during her first year of junior high rodeo, placing as first runner up. Peyton competed at the NJHFR again in 2013, qualifying in barrel racing, breakaway roping, and team roping, and she is going into the spring rodeo season leading in the all-around.

    Peyton also competes in pole bending, goat tying, and ribbon roping. She team ropes as a header with her friend Morgan Darnell. In addition to competing in the NJHSRA, Peyton competes in the Mile Hi Barrel Horse Association. Barrel racing is her favorite event, and her greatest dream is to compete at the WNFR someday. In the meantime, Peyton spends much of her time with her horses. She runs barrels on Maverick, pole bends on Holly, team ropes on Ego, and does goat tying on Scooty. Both Ego and Scooty belonged to Peyton’s brother Wyatt, who passed his rodeo horses along to her. She will also be competing on her newest horse, Dani, this summer. While her horses are a tremendous part of her rodeo pursuits, Peyton also gratefully acknowledges the support of her parents Missy and Robbie Crowder, her brother Wyatt, her uncle Rick Harris, Carol Crowder, and her friend Charleen Ornellas.

    The Crowder family lives several miles outside of Fort Lupton, Colo. Their 70 acres are home to a number of horses and bucking bulls. Wyatt, Peyton’s brother, is a PBR stock contractor, and the 19-year-old’s bull The Rocker won the American Bucking Bull Inc. Classic title in 2013 at the PBR World Finals. Peyton is very proud of her brother’s accomplishments with his bucking bulls, and another one of her goals is to raise a PBR bucking bull of her own. Peyton divides the majority of her time between her horses, her bulls, and raising Miniature Australian Shepherds. Peyton’s mom calls her a true animal lover, and Peyton takes great pride in raising good puppies. The money she makes from selling her puppies goes toward her rodeo entry fees.

    Peyton is homeschooled, and she is currently in the eighth grade. While bookwork is not her favorite thing, Peyton is an honor roll student, and she loves to finish her school and get out to her horses. She practices nearly every day, whether riding, roping, or working with her bucking bulls. Peyton’s main goal for this year is to compete at the NJHFR in barrel racing for the third consecutive year. But she also enjoys the journey to the NJHFR and she loves being a part of the NJHSRA and spending time with the people of the association.

    In conclusion, Peyton would like to extend her thanks to the three sponsors that keep her horses ready to rodeo – Rick Harris Horseshoeing, Dale Knobbs Chiropractic, and Formula 707.

  • Sidney Carey

    Sidney Carey

    Sidney Carey has been rodeoing for more than 10 years. The 18-year-old from Huron, S.D. climbed the ladder from junior rodeos, to junior high and high school rodeos. This is her final year competing in the SDHSRA and she has ambitious plans for the coming rodeo season.

    Sidney competes in barrel racing, goat tying, pole bending, breakaway roping, and team roping as a header. Out of those five events, breakaway roping and goat tying are her favorites. Both of Sidney’s parents, Blaine and Paullyn Carey, have competed in rodeo as well. Sidney is very thankful for the advice and support of her parents, as well as  what she has learned from her uncle, Shawn Carey, and from the family’s friend, Jody O’Brian. “She inspires me to do my best,” said Sidney.

    The Careys make their home about five miles north of Huron. Sidney has two younger sisters – Kallie, 16, and Tatum, 11. All three sisters compete in 4-H rodeo and the National Little Britches Rodeo Association. The Carey family has 16 horses and three dogs, along with roping calves to practice on in the summer. The entire family spends a good deal of time in their arena during the summer. The Carey sisters’ team roping partners come over and they spend the evening roping calves, tying goats and working their horses. “We keep it pretty fun,” Sidney said. She and her sisters also have competitions between the three of them, either roping the dummy or practicing roping tricks.  Sidney’s rodeo horses include Griz, her team roping horse, and Kimmy, her all-around mare. Kimmy was trained by Shawn Carey, Sidney’s uncle.

    Sidney is a senior at Wolsey-Wessington High School. Math and science are the subjects she enjoys most, and she is also very fond of playing sports. Earlier in the school year, Sidney played volleyball, basketball, and ran cross country. Additionally, Sidney is in 4-H, which she has been a part of since she was eight. On top of 4-H rodeo, she does home living projects, which has included making picture frames, using lasers to etch designs onto mirrors, and even making a trophy table which Sidney put her belt buckles in.

    If she had a day with no obligations, Sidney might spend it sleeping in and riding her horses, but it’s more likely that she’ll be up early to load horses and haul to a rodeo or jackpot. One of Sidney’s favorite rodeos in the SDHSRA is the Watertown Rodeo. “It’s a good rodeo, and afterwards all of the kids go to Thunder Road and do cart racing. It’s pretty intense,” she said with a laugh.

    Highlights of Sidney’s 2013 rodeo season include winning fourth in breakaway in the South Dakota 4-H finals rodeo, even after she broke out, having originally been positioned in first. At the same rodeo, she received the Never Quit Award, given in memory of Shirley Gerard. Of her goals for 2014, Sidney said, “I would like to win the all-around at most of the rodeos I go to, and win a saddle in any of my events.” Sidney is also working to qualify for the 2014 NHSFR. She plans to rodeo more with the SDRA in addition to competing on the South Dakota State University (SDSU) rodeo team this fall. She will be filling her semesters with rodeoing and earning her degree in civil engineering. As she pursues her dreams for the future, Sidney explains what drives her to rodeo. “It’s mostly the people, and the friends that you make. I’ve grown up around it, and it’s a way of life for my family.”

  • Abi Deveraux

    Abi Deveraux

    “Rodeo is just what I love and I couldn’t imagine my life without it,” says 16-year-old Abi Deveraux. “It keeps me sane and I love going down the road and spending the spring, summer and fall with people just like me.” Abi is starting her second year of competing in the WHSRA, but she has been rodeoing since she was five years old. Her dad, Craig Deveraux, was a PRCA saddle bronc rider who competed for many years before retiring from the sport. He is Abi’s rodeo coach and role model. “He’s basically the reason that I’m able to do rodeo,” Abi says of her dad. “I’m not kidding when I say I wouldn’t be anywhere without my parents.”

    Abi competes in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, and team roping. “Whatever I’m winning at is the one I like best at the time!” she says. Abi’s barrel and team roping horse is a gray gelding named Chopo. Abi bought him in 2013 and she says they are beginning to figure things out between the two of them. She competes in pole bending on her buckskin ranch mare Penny, who is just a fun horse to ride, according to Abi. The little mare took them to the NHSFR in their event in 2013. Finally, Abi’s breakaway horse is a red roan named Benny. “He’s one of those horses that you can cover a lot of country on in one day, and rope calves in the arena on him the next,” Abi says.

    The Deveraux family lives about eight miles outside of Newcastle, Wyo. Abi’s parents are Craig and Jolene Deveraux, and she also has twin 13-year-old brothers, Jake and Cooper. They will be starting junior high rodeo this year. The three siblings enjoy practicing together, and Abi says, “The best practice sessions are when we’re all together. It’s intense and we’re all going like crazy!” The Deveraux family has cow/calf pairs and yearlings that they run on their two ranches that are 14 miles apart. They also hold a horse sale every year in June. “We keep about 45 horses around here. We’re constantly riding them,” Abi explains. Her dad buys prospective horses and the family finishes training any of the green horses they buy. “I have ten horses that I could hop on to practice on at any time. That’s how I stay sharp – I have a whole pen of talented horses to ride,” says Abi.

    Abi is a sophomore at Newcastle High School. She enjoys her Ag. class and playing basketball on her school’s team. She is also involved in FFA judging horses, and she will be going to state FFA in the near future. In her free time, Abi enjoys spending time with her family, from playing cards to watching movies together or enjoying a lively conversation. If she had a day to do whatever she wanted, Abi says, “We’d start the day off saddling up a couple of good horses and I’d ride with my brothers. Then maybe we’d go fishing while it’s hot, then come back and rope.”

    Abi’s goals for the coming year are to qualify for the NHSFR again and work towards winning a state championship. “Last year at nationals I qualified in poles, but I’d like to qualify in more events this year. I’d be most proud of a breakaway or goat tying championship.” Abi is interested in studying a subject related to sports medicine in college and she says, “I definitely want to college rodeo if I can and find a way to the WPRA.”

  • Kaylee Scales

    Kaylee Scales

    Kaylee Scales is going into the 2014 rodeo season already qualified for the NLBFR in her three events. The 13-year-old from Blanchard, Okla. went to nationals last year for the first time and made the Top Hand Team. “I don’t know what I’d do without it (rodeo),” says Kaylee. “It’s become not only a hobby, but my life. It’s my favorite of all the sports I do, and it’s a family event. I love competing with my animals and I meet all of these different people that I become friends with. It’s a really great thing!”

    Kaylee competes in barrel racing, pole bending, and goat tying. Her dream is to barrel race at the WNFR someday, as it is her favorite event and the one she competes best in. Kaylee describes the horses that she competes on. “I run barrels on Boogie – he’s 13 years old. I love to compete on him. He’s very powerful coming off the barrels and we fit together like a hand in a glove. My pole horse is Annie. She’s 23 this year and I got her when I was seven. She’s my absolute favorite! Apache does everything, and she’s also my brother’s roping horse. She’s 17 and we nominated her for Purina Super Horse of the Finals last year in the NLBRA.”

    The Scales family makes their home in the country outside of Blanchard. In addition to their horses, they also keep roping calves on their 20 acres. Kaylee and her 12-year-old brother Tanner often practice together in their arena. Their parents are Rick and Shelly Scales. Tanner also competes in the NLBRA, and he too will be competing at the NLBFR for the second time this summer. Along with their horses, the Scales never go to a rodeo without their two dogs, Izzy and Roper.

    Kaylee is a seventh grader at Amber-Pocasset High School. Her favorite subject is reading, and from 2011-2013 she was chosen as one of Grady County’s Top Readers. The award is given based on the number of books read and the reading level. Kaylee loves to read mysteries, and she also enjoys books by her favorite author Meg Cabot.

    Kaylee runs cross-country and track, and in addition to her involvement with student council, she is serving as the AM-PO class secretary. She also stays busy with showing pigs in 4-H, which she has been doing for the last nine years. In her free time, Kaylee can be found engrossed in a book or out playing with her horses in the pasture. If she had a day to spend however she wanted, Kaylee says, “I would spend it outside practicing with my horses, trying to get better for the next rodeo.”

    Goals that Kaylee has set for herself include winning a barrel racing national championship at the NLBFR this summer. She also hopes to college rodeo after high school and study to be a teacher. Several of her rodeo achievements in 2013 include first runner up for princess in the 2013 NLBRA royalty contest, she also was the all-around, junior girls, barrel racing, goat tying , and ribbon runner champion in the Oklahoma-North Texas Little Britches Rodeo Association. Kaylee and her family have helped to start the Central Oklahoma franchise of Little Britches, with Kaylee’s dad serving as the vice-president.

    Kaylee never goes to a rodeo without her family, grandparents, and her aunt and uncle. She looks to her parents as role models and she says, “My parents commit time out of their busy schedules to haul us up and down the road. I’m very blessed to have my family and God with me whenever I go rodeo.”

    Noble Outfitters recognizes youth accomplishments and supports programs like NLBRA. Kaylee will receive a Hands Duffle!
    Learn more at nobleoutfiters.com

  • Hannah Church

    Hannah Church

    Published in Arkansas Cowboys Association (ACA)

    Hannah Church has a wonderful life. She has a job she loves, she gets to rodeo, and she even bought her first home last year! 
       The 22 year old cowgirl, a member of the Arkansas Cowboys Association, lives in Fifty Six, Arkansas. She’s rodeoed since she was eight years old, winning all-around, breakaway, and goat tying titles in the Arkansas Junior High Rodeo Association and qualifying for the National Junior High Finals in Gallup, N.M. two years. She’s been an ACA member since 2006.
        Her breakaway horse is a 17 year old gray named Skeeter. Her barrel horse is a 12 year old dun she’s had for two years.
        Hannah, who graduated from Timbo High School in 2010 (with nine people in her graduating class), attended North Arkansas College in Harrison, competing in the breakaway and barrels. 
        Now she is employed by United Country Diamond G Realty in Mountain View, selling commercial and residential real estate and auction. “If it can be sold, I do it,” she says. She’s had her real estate license two years and loves what she does, although the hours are long. “I work every hour,” she says. “Last night, I was still sending emails at 1:30 am. There’s never enough time in the day, when it comes to real estate.” But the business has been good to her, enabling her to buy her own home last year. 
        She makes her home in the Ozark Mountains, with the Ozark National Forest on three sides of the property. It’s beautiful country, with lots of deer, turkey, wild hogs, and brown bear. The bears will leave a person alone, but they don’t usually respect property. A few years ago, a brown bear tore apart her barn. As she walked down to feed one morning, she heard him. The bear couldn’t open the fifty gallon metal trash can where she kept the feed, so he picked it up and smashed it flat. He also tore up all the stalls. “They won’t turn and come at you, but you don’t want to mess with one, either.” 
        Hannah has been to the ACA Finals six times, winning the junior barrel racing in 2007 and 2008, the all-around in 2008, and the rookie barrel racer of the year in 2009.  She’s also an International Pro Rodeo Association member. 
        In her spare time, she loves to ride through the forest. She is the daughter of Jay Church and Georgie Church. She works with her mom, and her dad owns Select Cuts, an all-natural meat shop in Viola, Ark.

  • Millie Bankston

    Millie Bankston

    Published in Tri State Rodeo Association (TSRA)
    Millie Bankston is a breakaway roper in the Tri-State Rodeo Association. The Albany, Louisiana cowgirl was six months old when her parents put her on a horse, and “I fell in love,” she says. Growing up on a farm, she helped her dad and grandpa with the cattle work. The rodeo started from there.
        In high school, Millie competed in the Mississippi High School Rodeo Association in the barrel racing and breakaway roping. She graduated from Albany High School and went on to Southeastern Louisiana University, where she ran barrels, making the Ozark Region Finals. She graduated with a degree in general studies.
        Millie got her first Tri-State card in 1999, and has competed at their Finals about a dozen times. She won the breakaway championship in 2012. She is also a Professional Cowboys Association member. 
        She has two roping horses. Striker, a twenty year old bay with a coon tail, carried her to her 2012 title. Her second horse is Rock, an eighteen year old black gelding. Rock is unique. “If a horse can have OCD, he’s got it,” Millie says. “He’s the type of horse that if something is out of place, he notices it right away.” Both of her horses are very loving, she says. “I like to think they’re good at their job. I’m blessed to have two good horses.”
        She first met her husband, Wyman Bankston, when they were at a rodeo, and he was 13 and she was twelve. They didn’t meet again till they were in their twenties, and they married in 2005. He is an “absolute blessing,” she says. “He’s very loving, caring, and very supportive of what I do. But most of all, he’s a Christian.” 
        She works as the office administrator for her husband’s law firm in Livingston. They enjoy being together all day. “We have a wonderful relationship. We’re best friends.”
        She is appreciative of her parents, Harry and Linda Sherman, and all they did for her. “They have supported me since I was five and went to my first horse show. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve the goals I achieved.” Her dad passed away in 2011, and Millie dedicated her 2012 Tri-State title to him. “He loved to watch me rope.”  
        She is helping the next generation of ropers with her nephew Austin and her cousin Scott, and she knows how powerful rodeo can be for young people and families. It “can make a great impact on young kids, and it’s such a good family sport when there are bad things going on in the world. Rodeo can have such a positive impact on kids.” She notices how Austin and Scott look up to rodeo cowboys. “To be able to be that positive example and to be a Christian example is more important than anything I can do with a rope in my hand.” 
        Millie wants to serve as an ambassador for Christ with her actions and words. “The way God has moved in my life, put me in places, and used me, that’s what counts. You have to speak life into somebody. And if I can use rodeo to do that, that’s what makes me happy.”
  • Don Sunden

    Don Sunden

    Growing up in Ft. Madison, Iowa, Don Sunden wanted to be a cowboy. “We rode horses on my grandpa’s farm; took the buggy to town for groceries, and did all the plowing with horses. We picked all the corn by hand. I lived in the best time period in the world. I’ve seen the horse and buggy and the airplane.” His hometown, Ft. Madison, was the drop off for all the stock going to Madison Square Garden rodeo, hauled in by rail. “I’d go down to the stockyards when I was six until I got out of school. We’d ride the hay wagon and help them feed the stock.” All the western stars would come through – Roy Rogers and Gene Autry – they had their horses there and Don remembers talking to them. Don went into the tool and dye making trade after high school and continued in that trade until he retired. “I did it in high school and then went to a factory and got an apprenticeship. I worked in one factory, then went to a machine shop where we built everything. I was the supervisor there for 16 years and moved around as a supervisor for years.”
    He met his wife in Ft. Madison in 1964, the same year he started with the IPRA as a bull rider and a judge. “We met in Pizza Hut and three months later we got married. She rode barrel horses. I never went to a rodeo in my life that she wasn’t there. She went to every one – She ran barrels up until 1970.” They have one daughter, Sherry. Ron started judging in 1964. He likes the IPRA. “It’s a working man’s deal, so most rodeos are on the weekends. I lived 20 miles from H-C Rodeo company, Tonch Hartsell owned it, and we’d go up there and I’d buck out his young bulls for him. I did all my practicing at his place. When I was well I could ride bulls, but when I got hurt, I’d judge.”
    He remembers a rodeo in 1969, in Green City Missouri. “I drawed the same bull at all three rodeos, and I bucked off all three times. The last time I got thrown 15 feet above the bull, got kicked in the face, crushed my face, broke every rib, both collar bones, and had internal injuries. I went back to the chutes and spit out all my teeth; I thought it was dirt.” They hauled Don to the hospital and he remembers insisting that they take his jeans off instead of cutting them off. “They were brand new,” he said. “They pumped blood in me and told my wife that I had 24 hours, and call the family. They packed my whole body with ice, and I was in there for two weeks because of the swelling of my head and my body. My face swelled up so big – my wife gave them a picture so they could rebuild my face. I had no feeling in my face for seven years.” As his daughter got bigger, they trained futurity horses. She rode in her first IPRA when she was 7. Don moved to her place two years ago. “She was a school teacher for 19 years and was a chiropractor and started 2 High Dollar Ranch Rehabilitation and Conditioning Center – she’s an animal chiropractor and wanted to do more. We bought a hydrahorse swimming pool and we’ve got infrared lighting, five vibration therapy plates, and a hot walker.”
    Don judges about 30 rodeos a year and was selected to be one of the judges at IFR44, along with Ronnie Barnett, Rick Chaffin, and Steve Ratchford. He judges CBRA bull riding, co-sanctioned rodeos and several senior pro rodeos in the states. When he’s not doing judging, he helps his daughter. “We work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week.” The bull riding accident gave Don a different perspective on life. “From that day on every day was a free day – I was supposed to die and I didn’t. I take each day for that day and don’t let anything bother me. Live every day for that day.”

  • Brad Sintek

    Brad Sintek

    There just aren’t enough second chances in life. But for many members of the National Senior Pro Rodeo Association, they are getting their second chance at rodeo life and competition. Due to the twists and turns in one’s life, many have had to forego rodeo in their prime adult years to attend to careers, families, and the demands of everyday life. They didn’t have the opportunity to compete as they would have liked to. Now, in the years after 40, they find that the time and resources are there for them to pursue a dream they thought might have escaped them. So it is with Brad Sintek.

    At 56, with daughters raised and on their own, a successful career well established, he’s now ready to ‘crack out’ on his second rodeo career. “I used to rodeo when I was younger but stopped when I was either 33 or 34. We had two young kids; I had my business to work, so I had to give up on rodeo. It has always been something that I have wanted to come back and do but never had the opportunity until recently. Every time I’d go to a rodeo, I’d dream about doing it but never thought it would happen.”

    Complicating the issue of making a rodeo comeback was overcoming health problems and weight gain. “I thought I was past ever being able to rodeo again because of health problems. My whole family went through a dark spell; my wife had cancer for a second time, then almost died from a blood infection caused by the chemo. I had cancer, my heart quit and I have a pacemaker now. My youngest daughter was in a real bad car wreck. This was while I was in my early 50’s. Everyone is healthy now but I did gain some weight that I had to lose.”

    In the spring of 2013, Brad experienced a life-changing epiphany of sorts. “In May of 2013 I did some soul searching and went on a mission to get back in shape. This went so well, one day in mid-summer while walking across my pasture, it dawned on me that I might be able to go back and ride again. I made this a mission, to get back in shape again. I had been thinking about a rodeo comeback for a month before I said anything about it to anyone. I wanted to mull this over and really be sure of what I was doing. I talked with my wife and she was very supportive. I’m a general manager of a company, and I went and talked to the owner about it and he was okay with it. I think he’d be my traveling partner if he could.” The next step for Brad was to check in with his doctors. “I didn’t want to do anything stupid, so I really needed to get their advice and I did get green lights, for the most part. After that, I made the decision to do it.”

    With a firm commitment to make his rodeo comeback, Brad accelerated his conditioning program. “On top of working out an hour-plus-a-day, six days a week, I started working with a personal trainer two days a week. I wanted to be as physically ready and prepared as I could be. I had been doing low impact and cardio work and then, under the direction of the trainer, I started working on strength and agility.”

    To reassure himself that riding saddle broncs was not a bad idea, he enrolled in a Sankey rodeo school that he attended in December of 2013. “I needed to make sure this was still a good idea and see if I could do it. It didn’t go great there, but it didn’t go terrible either. With each horse I got on, it got better. I came away still wanting to do it so I continued my work to get in shape.”

    Brad used his creativity and engineering skills to build a mechanical bucking horse to further his training. “I don’t have any way to get on practice horses here so I did some research to see what was available and decided that I would come up with my own version that more closely mimics the way a horse bucks. It runs off the PTO of my tractor and I get my wife to run it for me.”

    Brad and his wife, Becky (Rebecca) both grew up in Wyoming and now live outside Sandy, Ore. Their two daughters are Kaci and Brittany (Hull). Becky is involved in showing Red Angus cattle. “She has a 4-H group and she puts on livestock events at our place and I help out where I can.”

    Brad says that he draws inspiration from his grandfather, Elmer Irene. “He was just one of those guys you liked being around. He was a tremendous cowboy, he was known as being great pickup man, and he just always enjoyed life. I’ve always tried to take a page out his book for my own and be like him.” Brad says that his grandfather taught him that attitude is a choice and he explains, “You can chose whatever attitude you want to have, but having a good one is the right choice.”

    His next rodeo will at Wickenburg February 14 – 16 and he says that his goal is to, “…ride the next horse I get on and ride him right. That’s as far as I have planned. But I am going to go as many Senior Pro rodeos as I can and hopefully some in Canada.”

  • Goober Snider

    Goober Snider

    Goober Snider is one of the co-event directors for steer wrestling and has been in the Mid-States Rodeo Association for five years. Goober acquired his name from his parents. “It’s actually a nickname. I was born on the same day as my dad’s best friend that had that nickname too. So I have been called Goober since I was really little and it’s stuck with me.” His given name? Kent.

    As event director, he makes sure the cattle are right for the rodeo, the arena score is set up right, and any issues brought up by competitors are addressed and resolved. For Goober the Mid-States organization is just right and says, “All the rodeos are close and the people you meet are great. They are just good events to go rodeo at. I’ll get to about 30 rodeos each year. But because of my school schedule I sometimes have to work around that.” Besides competing in Mid-States, Goober is a member of NSRA and NIRA.

    He is attending Dodge City Community College where he is about to complete his degree in ag management. “This is my third year in school; I already have an associate’s of science in welding. I have a rodeo scholarship and that helps out a lot with the cost of college.”

    Goober owes his start in rodeo to his brother, Monte. “We used to show cattle when I was young, but when Monte was old enough to start high school rodeo, he talked our folks into letting him get started and I picked it up too. He’s two years older and has been my biggest influence. Monte was the state high school heading in 2009.”

    When it’s time to compete, Goober has a system he puts into play. “It’s about slowing down, doing the basics correct, and reacting to the run. I have a lot of ‘try’ and that keeps me competitive.” Just to be sure the mojo is good, you won’t find him putting his cowboy hat on the bed or carrying any 50 dollar bills. But most importantly, he says, “Don’t wear a belt buckle for a week after you win it. It’s bad luck to put them on too soon so I don’t chance it.” From his good friend and mentor, Steve McKay takes the adage, “Trust your pilot and respect your monkey.”

    Goober is quick to acknowledge the help he has received from family and friends. “There are lots of people that have helped me. First, my brother, he’s helped me out with my horsemanship, and life in general. My parents have always supported and encouraged me in what I do. Steve and Jace MacKay, Taylor Davis, Loren Gorsuch, have all helped me a lot. I’d like to thank my rodeo coach, Kent Crouch, for all he has done for me.”

    The 21-year-old bull dogger is the youngest of the family and along with his brother, Monte, has two sisters, Cara and Randi. His parents are Alan and Kathy Snider. Goober claims Bartlett, Neb. as his home and travels between home and school, a six-hour drive away. “I have a house in Dodge City that I stay at, my brother and I live there together.”

    During the week Goober is carrying 14 credit-hours at school, practicing with rodeo team after school, and working part time at the stockyards. Goals for the future are to continue to rodeo, make it to the CNF, and moving back to Bartlett after his college is complete.