Charlie's Cowboy Blog

Follow me on The Rodeo Hand

2010-07-20T13:25:00.000-06:00

We’ve shared some Wyoming rodeo and ranch cowboy stories with you here and did so with honor over the last few years. I don’t profess to know how all this blogging world works. It’s still a “column” to me – a way to share the latest information we are privileged to receive. But those who do know how this social media stuff is most effectively disseminated explained to me yesterday that we are being repetitive and need to consolidate. So, please stick with us on “The Rodeo Hand” where I’ll still be providing most of the words until they boot me out of here to go to stud. Don’t I wish.

This is adios for “Charlie’s Cowboy Blog” and I tip a hatful of gratitude to those of you who’ve come to visit and share.

Thanks Pard,
Charlie

Calgary Update

2010-07-12T16:44:00.002-06:00

It rarely rains hard enough to stop a big professional rodeo and even more unlikely is stoppage of play in Calgary. A severe thunderstorm interrupted the western Canadian action briefly as lightning cracked and hail stones descended to the arena dirt. Mud ensued. It was good mud for University of Wyoming grad Todd Suhn as he won the fourth round of steer wrestling with a time of 4.5 seconds this afternoon. He’ll be back for the big Showdown Sunday at Calgary in which the winner gets a check for $100,000 in each event. Four contestants assured Sunday action by their times and scores today.

Cowboys and cowgirls compete in two groups and Pool A completed work today after four outings at the Calgary Stampede. Each day was a new rodeo with $10,000 up for grabs. Mills, Wyoming bareback rider Kelly Timberman won the first round last Friday spurring to a score of 85.5 points:

Kelly

Timberman was on the legendary Moulin Rouge this afternoon and finished with 82.5 points. Kelly, who won the world championship in his event in 2004, made Showdown Sunday in the Calgary field by earning a total of $10,500 in his four rides.

Ryan Gray, who grew up in Cheyenne and Laramie, was 88.5 points today in Calgary and placed second overall in his pool to insure his return for the $100,000 round.

Christmas Goodies

2010-07-07T11:28:00.003-06:00

The long and hard Fourth of July run of rodeos across the western U.S. saw some outstanding performances from Wyoming’s pro rodeo cowboys who wear the colors of Team Wyoming under a sponsorship contract with the state’s tourism office. It is the only signed agreement in the U.S. between a state agency and professional rodeo athletes.

The 2004 world champ in bareback riding is co-champion of the 2010 Prescott, Arizona rodeo which is touted as the oldest event of its kind in the country. Kelly Timberman of Mills, Wyoming scored an 86 in Prescott to strike the pay window for $4,800. Kelly won the Williams Lake, British Columbia rodeo that paid $3,200 and was in fine spirits after his July 3 outing for 84 points at the Cody Stampede netting another $1,400:

Kelly_cody
Timberman bounced up to #10 in the world standings following his “Cowboy Christmas” performances collecting nearly $16,000.

Midwest, Wyoming steer wrestler Les Shepperson showed his mettle by winning the Greeley (Colorado) Stampede over the Fourth and doing so with a strained MCL in his right knee. Les is now 31st in the world standings.

Gillette’s Chet Johnson is working with a similar injury situation only his MCL issue is with the left knee. Nonetheless, Johnson won the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche spurring to score 87 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Sundown to snare $3,700. He gathered another $ 1,100 at St. Paul, OR and is currently 34th in the bronc riding world standings.

Kanin Asay of Powell won the championship round of the Cody-Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls event in Cody, July 5. Asay pocketed a total of $7,700 toward his attempt to make the national finals in Vegas come December. We anxiously await the July 25 broadcast on ESPN2 of the Cody event.

Gillette bull rider Bobby Welsh has jumped to 20th in the world standings following a Cowboy Christmas dash that included a third-place finish at St. Paul, Oregon where Welsh scored an 88-point ride. The three other Team Wyoming bull riders – Clayton Savage of Casper, Asay, and Seth Glause of Rock Springs – are each within striking distance of the Top 15 holding down positions 25, 30 and 37 respectively.

Glause is a two-event cowboy and left the Cody Stampede pleased with his 86-point bronc ride that provided a paycheck of $5,000:

Seth_cody
Casper’s Jhett Johnson (heeler) has joined forces with the man who leads all headers thus far in 2010. Turtle Powell of Texas and Johnson will be throwing with gusto to get a national finals team roping bid. Johnson is currently in the #25 spot. The pair won third and more than $60,000 at the recent Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping Classic in Reno. Unfortunately that cash doesn’t count in the world standings race.

Jingle Bells

2010-07-01T09:53:00.003-06:00

There is darting through the air and dancing in the dirt for another Cowboy Christmas is here. Pro rodeo celebrates the yuletide season in late June and early July when the large number of events that pay well are condensed into a two-week period anchored by the Fourth of July.

Fireworks came early for a few of Wyoming’s top hands. Clayton Savage of Casper won the bull riding at Evergreen, CO and took co-champ honors in North Platte, NE. the same weekend (June 19-20) to collect another $3,400 toward a quest to make his second NFR.

2004 world champion bareback rider Kelly Timberman of Mills, WY gathered a nice $5,000 payday by spurring to a score of 88 points to win the 50th annual Daines Ranch Rodeo in Innisfail, Alberta June 20.

Kelly travels with his wife, Charidie, and their movements over the next few days are typical of what the pros must do over the Fourth. Timberman was up in Prescott, Arizona Tuesday and then popped up in Alberta, Canada yesterday. Entries are made at Williams Lake, British Columbia and St. Paul, Oregon before returning to the home-state Cody Stampede, July 3.

The big doings at Cody will conclude Monday, July 5 with the popular Cody-Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls event. Pro rodeos finest bull riders – 40 of them – are entered in that one. It’s a really good show and we hope to see you at the Stampede over the Fourth and Xtreme Bulls on the 5th.

Wyoming will have tables set up in front of the Cody arena where we’ll hand out our latest DVDs and other freebies. Several of the pro rodeo cowboys who wear our Team Wyoming moniker will be on hand to sign autographs.

Here’s the Wyoming line-up for Xtreme Bulls in Cody:

First Section – Bobby Welsh Gillette drew Cowboy Cool; Kanin Asay of Powell is on Dopey; and Tyler Willis from Wheatland has a swim scheduled with Josey Whales. Those bulls are all products of stock contractor JS Rodeo.

Second Section – No Wyoming bull riders but this section features reigning champ J.W. Harris, Cody Hancock, Dustin Elliott, Jesse Bail, and Clint Craig among others.

Third Section: Will Farrell of Thermopolis drew Bojangles and Clearmont’s Charlie Gorzalka is on Uh Oh. Both of those bulls belong to Frontier Rodeo.

Section Four – Seth Glause of Rock Springs, who won $1,100 last weekend at a Canadian rodeo, swings for a Home Run. That bull is owned by host stock contractor Mo Betta Rodeo.

Section Five – Clayton Savage of Casper drew Mo Betta bull Otis.

Tickets for the Cody-Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls are $20 for adults and $10 for children under the age of 12. Buy online at codystampederodeo.com or by calling 1-800-207-0744.

Kaycee a Must See

2010-06-22T16:27:00.001-06:00

We’ve been road warriors for about six weeks now covering the progress and completion of “Good Ride Cowboy” – a life-and-a-half size bronze of Chris LeDoux spurring Stormy Weather to a world championship. Artist/sculptor Mike Thomas of Buffalo, WY placed a replica in bronze of LeDoux’s favorite Guild guitar as base of the piece which weighs in at 3,500 pounds. Lori Hogan and Kristin Phipps of our staff helped out at the dedication ceremony Saturday in Kaycee where the population of 300 was multiplied by ten. LeDoux fans, friends and family came together for what Western Underground guitarist Mark Sissel aptly termed a “reunion.”

Lori and Kristin took a lot of pictures and we’d like to share them here:

Chris LeDoux Park Tribute

Our Mike McCrimmon is providing video footage to GAC (Great American Country) for airing by the network’s popular host, and big Chris LeDoux fan, Storme Warren on his show called “Headline Country.” We’ll let you know when to watch for that. In the meantime, Mike put together some shots for you to enjoy:

LeDoux sat

Once the tarp was pulled away it was clear that Chris LeDoux will live forever and his fans including Garth Brooks still ache to be in the presence of Chris’ smile or an unwitting participant in one of his practical jokes.

Chris LeDoux Memorial Park is not hard to find in downtown Kaycee. Please stop by, rest and reflect, the next time you’re in the vicinity. No doubt a LeDoux tune will come to mind. For me it was “Tougher than the Rest.”

Rest in Peace Wyoming cowboy. We miss you very, very much.

Our office has coupled the “Tribute to Chris LeDoux” DVD with a new one chronicling the making of the bronze. If you are interested in obtaining the collector’s set contact us or call the Chris LeDoux Memorial Foundation directly at: 307-738-2322.

Cowboy Catch-Up
The big news so far this summer rodeo season, in terms of the men who carry on smartly for Team Wyoming, is injury. Jason Miller, the 2007 world champion steer wrestler, broke a bone in his shoulder and suffered a partial tear of a rotator cuff when a steer stopped short on him during a run at Cody. Jason is taking six weeks off and has been told by Justin Medicine’s Dr. Tandy Freeman not to haze either if he expects to heal enough to compete again this year. Miller has a good attitude and is keeping his chin up. “Things could be a lot worse. Six weeks or six months isn't the end of the world for me. I will back at them sooner or later and with a vengeance,” Miller wrote me in an email. Jason will have Dr. Freeman’s crew check things over early at Cheyenne Frontier Days and if the outcome is positive he’ll return to action for CFD. If not, surgery would be the appropriate course to follow.

Kanin Asay, who won the bull riding at the national finals last December, is nursing a bad tear to his right palm sustained when stepped on in a chute a few weeks ago in Canada. The Powell, Wyoming bull rider feels ready to go for Cowboy Christmas starting in a few days and running through the Fourth of July – actually July 5 at the Xtreme Bulls event in Cody. The draws and dates over much of Cowboy Christmas aren’t pleasing to Asay and he, Bobby Welsh and Chance Smart won’t be able to let their seats cool on the plane they’ve chartered to make a run at the Top 15.

The lone Team Wyoming player in that coveted Top 15 headed into Cowboy Christmas is Mills, Wyoming man Kelly Timberman. The 2004 world champion bareback rider is in the 13th spot and ready to make his move upward.

LeDoux Bronze is Coming Together

2010-06-02T10:44:00.002-06:00

A heroic size bronze monument of Chris LeDoux spurring to a world championship in bareback riding will be dedicated in Kaycee, Wyoming June 19th. Many Wyoming people had a hand in the four-year effort. Here is a video update on the project as it nears completion:

news bronze

Chris LeDoux won the world championship in 1976 and his music career was highlighted by his band’s wildly popular concert performances particularly at venues connected with rodeos across the western U.S. LeDoux died of a rare form of cancer in 2005. He was 56 years old. He has been enshrined in both the Cheyenne Frontier Days and professional rodeo halls of fame. The schedule of events for the Kaycee park and bronze dedication can be found at: www.kayceewyoming.com.

Those who are making plans to overnight in the Kaycee area should contact the Kaycee Chamber of Commerce at the website listed above. There may be some camping spots available but most space it taken. The few motel rooms have been booked so it would be best to check in Buffalo or Casper.

We’ve been chronicling the building stages of the very impressive monument – along with the park’s progress – and will be showing that 15-minute video a number of times in downtown Kaycee, adjacent to the park, leading up to the bronze unveiling.

Steer Ropers Get Their Due

2010-04-26T16:12:00.000-06:00

Wyoming hosted the first-ever National Circuit Finals Steer Roping this month in Torrington. It was good to hear the expertise of announcer Jim Thompson and great to see so many younger ropers compete. Harold Bumguardner is one of the seasoned fellows instrumental in getting the event staged. Harold won the all-around at Cheyenne in ’84 and it was a real pleasure interviewing him then as it was in Torrington:

Torrington rope 4-26-10 Project 1-MPEG-4

Harold Bumguardner now lives in Torrington. He owns not only a Cheyenne all-around buckle but has also won championships at the Daddy in steer roping and senior steer roping.

WYO Man picks up a little CA Cash

Powell, Wyoming bull rider Kanin Asay was able to make a trip to the pay window to close out the Clovis, California rodeo this past weekend. Asay’s 85-point ride on a bull called Triple Threat was good enough for fifth place and $1,100.00

Asay’s good friend and fellow bull rider Chance Smart won the Clovis event scoring a 90 on Burch Rodeo’s (Rozet, WY) Magic Man.

Powder River Passing Reins

2010-04-14T14:33:00.000-06:00

The Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo last week and over the weekend gave us a great opportunity to spend time with the people that are behind the scenes but without whom we wouldn’t have a sport.

The Wyoming stock contractors on hand in Pocatello included Hal and Pete Burns of Burns Rodeo Co. in Laramie, Bill and Dona Vold Larsen from Triple V Rodeo in Casper and a whole pick-up load of the Franzen family representing Powder River Rodeo Co. out of Riverton. Hank and Lori Franzen started their bucking horse company with animals they purchased from the legendary Johnny Morris. Genetics have held strong and Powder River is now widely recognized as one of the top contractors in the business. The Franzens’ have encouraged their kids to be a part of rodeo and son John was one of the most active people in the mix at Pocatello. We had the chance to meet him behind the chutes before the rodeo one evening and give you the same opportunity here:

Powder River Rodeo

The Franzens’ daughter Jill ran sound at the national circuit finals and she is a gifted representative of a new generation melding rodeo and music.

LeDoux Day Approaches

The Chris LeDoux bronze and park dedication event is coming together nicely. A schedule of events is now posted by the folks in Kaycee. You can review it here: www.kayceewyoming.org

We’ll have another update posted on the bronze next week with Buffalo, Wyoming sculptor Mike Thomas as our guest of honor.

The Divine Miss C

2010-04-11T08:46:00.001-06:00

A very big and beautiful Wyoming horse bucked to perfection and carried bronc rider Jesse Wright to the championship at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho last night. Miss Congeniality is a 12-year-old who has been recognized as the best there is and is sure to attain that status again if she continues through the summer at the pace set Saturday night in the championship round. Wright had never been on the horse owned by Powder River Rodeo Co. of Riverton, WY but he knew it would be a challenge just to get his legs in place:

Miss Congeniality411

The 87-point-ride was worth $5,600 to Wright who netted more than $11K in Pocatello. Stock Contractor John Franzen spent some time with us in Idaho this week to talk about his family’s operation near Riverton. We’ll have that story for you here next week.

Cody Roper Slings Steady

Cody,WY team roper Justin Viles and partner Matt Robertson won money in every round at Pocatello including a second-place finish and $4,200 in the championship final tilt with a time of 6.3 seconds:

wyo team roper

Viles earned more than $7,600 heeling at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

Little Bo Bucks

A four-year-old bull owned by Burns Rodeo Co. of Laramie may be called Little Bo but he makes big bucks for those who can stay on for the eight-second buzzer. World champ J.W. Harris did so last night and the resulting 90 points sent J-Dub to the finals where he won his third Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo bull riding crown. Little Bo was a blast to watch:

Bull411

That was Little Bo owner Hal Burns giving the thumbs up to Little Bo who was named bull of the show in Pocatello.

Ryan Shines

Words of praise must be given to bareback rider Ryan Gray. He continues to show class every step of his pro rodeo life. He won Pocatello netting nearly $20,000 to take his 2010 total to nearly $100,000 with the summer still to come.

Burns' Bulls

2010-04-09T17:57:00.002-06:00

Anyone who knows Pete Burns realizes he would not likely have a son who didn’t talk and so we thought Hal Burns might be delightfully insightful behind the chutes chatting up his charges. Hal didn’t disappoint. Burns Rodeo Company of Laramie provided five of the dozen bulls that closed out first round action last night at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho. Only one was topped for a score. Several great riders could not keep their seats including world champion J.W. Harris on a Burns’ favorite, Kid Twist. We give your now, through the skills of our video man Mike McCrimmon, the irrepressible Hal Burns. Our video closes with Hal’s smiling watch of another Wyoming bull – “Q” – owned by Dancing Dona Vold Larsen of Triple V Rodeo Co. in Casper:

Bull

Hal Burns was right about Utah’s Steve Woolsey. He scored an 80 and is in great shape to make the Saturday finals should he stay on for the whistle tonight.

Wyoming Horse’s a Round Winner

2010-04-09T11:18:00.001-06:00

A Powder River Rodeo Co. horse called Show Boat rollicked out of the chute last night carrying reigning world champion bareback rider Bobby Mote to a first round win at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho. Mote and the Riverton, Wyoming based bucking horse have a steady relationship finishing in the money and last night’s score of 86 took Bobby to the pay window for a $4,600 check. Mote noted his background on Show Boat in recounting the latest outing:

bobbymote

Ryan Gray, who won the $50,000 prize at Rodeo Houston this year and travels with Mote, placed second in Pocatello’s first round. Gray grew up in Cheyenne and Laramie.

More Pocatello first round money winners with Wyoming connections:

Steer wrestlers Dean Gorsuch of Gering, NE placed second with a 5.0 run ($3,500) and Todd Suhn – Hermosa, SD – at 5.9 ($700) finished sixth. Both men attended the University of Wyoming and were outstanding members of the Poke rodeo team.

Justin Viles of Cody threw a fourth/fifth slot finish (5.9 seconds) in the team roping netting $1,300 for the heeler.

WYO Bulls Shine

Half of the bulls bucked out in Pocatello last night are Wyoming bred, and ornery. Only one was topped to the eight-second whistle. Our video producer Mike McCrimmon had a microphone on stock contractor Hal Burns of Laramie’s Burns Rodeo Co. and we’ll be giving you the rare chance to be in the middle of all the action once the footage is compiled a bit later this morning. You will want to come back to hear and see Hal’s crack commentary. It is not to be missed.

Two New Sparks

Congratulations and a rousing “here, here” to pro bullfighter Jeremy Sparks and his wife Jamie of Cheyenne. The Sparks’ are proud parents of twin boys born at 3:45 this morning in Denver. Jett came into this world at 6 pounds, I ounce and 19.5 inches long. Jude weighed five pounds and is 18.5 inches. Jamie had a rough go over the last couple of weeks and our happy thoughts are with her today.

Casper Cowboy

2010-03-31T10:40:00.001-06:00

“Casper ain’t prettified or gussied up. It’s a working stiff town. Cowboys and oil workers. Beer and guns. But it’s also a tolerant place that welcomes anyone who shares an affinity for open land and a do-as-you-please way of life.”
- Men’s Journal magazine, April 2010

We’ve come to know a number of folks who live the western life in the Casper vicinity. One of our favorite’s Jhett Johnson. The pro rodeo team roping heeler is back on the family ranch west of Casper after a winter rodeo season that saw him gather up about $11,000 and sustain a position well within striking distance of the coveted Top 15.

We ran into Jhett a couple of weeks ago in Casper where he had to pick up some medicine for a sick calf. He hadn’t heard about the recognition in the current issue of Men’s Journal magazine that if you want to be a cowboy, Casper is the best place in the U.S. to do it. I read Jhett the quote that opens this story and here’s how he reacted:

Jhett 3-31-2010Project 1-MPEG-4

Jhett Johnson on the family ranch and many other rodeo and ranch scenes are compiled in a new Wyoming DVD “Rodeo Road” we have produced for free distribution to those who have interests in such matters. And if you are reading this blog, we take it you do. Just drop a line to: info@visitwyo.gov and put Rodeo Road DVD in the subject line (be sure to include your mailing address) or call us toll-free at: 800.225.5996

Houston Wrap-Up

2010-03-23T16:37:00.004-06:00

The battleship that is Rodeo Houston has come to dock for 2010 and leaves in its wake a Wyoming bred champ in the bareback riding who climbs to the top of the world standings after cashing the $50,000 Shoot-Out Round paycheck. Ryan Gray has many relatives in the “Cowboy State” and in nearby Colorado. Ryan lives in Washington but he’s got Wyoming credentials that include growing up in both Cheyenne and Laramie. He’s a college graduate and a Christian athlete that almost always has a smile on his face even when fighting through the physical pain all pro bareback riders have to endure. The pay-per-view broadcast of Rodeo Houston allowed us to capture the action at the finals over the weekend. Here are Gray’s two rides Saturday and part of his arena interview in front of 70,000 rodeo fans:

Ryan

Team Wyoming bull riders Bobby Welsh and Seth Glause got to the finals in Houston and while they were sprung early, the young men from Gillette and Rock Springs respectively pocketed healthy enough amounts of cash to hold down spots in the Top 30. Welsh made a beautiful wild card round ride of 85 to make the Saturday finals and adopted a new piece of headgear replacing his hat with a helmet:

Bobby Houston recut

Welsh said he wore a helmet for a few rides in high school and knew he could adapt to one easily. He has, adding: “I didn’t even realize I had one on.” Congratulations to Bobby and Sunni as they await their fourth in the fall.

Wheatland’s Tyler Willis finished second in the Houston XTreme Bulls competition and that money sent the traveling partner of Seth Glause to the #19 spot of the current world standings.

A Wyoming horse carried one of pro rodeo’s most respected champs to a second win in Houston. Rod Hay, who is 40 and won Houston for the first time in 1989, topped the 2010 Houston bronc riding on a Burch Rodeo Co. (Rozet, WY) horse called Lunatic Fringe:

lunatic

And we simply can’t put Houston in the record books without making note of another outstanding showing for Meeteetse, Wyoming bullfighter Dusty Tuckness. He never ceases to amaze with his displays of courage in the face of battle. Here is just one example from the two-and-a-half weeks of Houston’s bruising affair:

dusty

RodeoHouston Update

2010-03-10T14:07:00.002-07:00

Gillette, Wyoming bull rider Bobby Welsh has won a round and placed in another at the huge Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. His best outing was on a bull called “Big D” – a son of the famous bucking bull, Durango. Bobby stuck to his seat for a round-winning score of 88:

Total Houston money pocketed by Welsh so far nets at $4,750. There is a quite the pot o’ gold at the end of the RodeoHouston rainbow. A check for $50,000 is awarded each event winner once the field is narrowed to four by the finals, March 21.

Kelly Timberman, the 2004 world champion bareback rider, is in the money at RodeoHouston. The Mills, WY man who recently got hitched at a ceremony in Cheyenne, spurred a score of 81.5 last night to win $1,000. Here’s a look at his outing:

Kelly is second in his grouping at Houston and totals 160.5 on two rides. He’ll likely be headed to the semi-finals representing Wyoming in the bareback competition while Bobby Welsh will make the semis with his two scores for a total of 169.5 in bull riding.

A Good Ride

2010-03-09T09:36:00.001-07:00

Tom Parker went to high school rodeos in Wyoming with Chris LeDoux. Parker hailed from Lander and Chris competed out of Cheyenne. Tom was later called to military service and chose college afterward. Now he is the highly-regarded rodeo coach at Casper College. Among his charges in the last decade has been Chris’ son, Beau. “Chris would come out whenever he wasn’t on the road. He was very helpful,” said Parker. Family was everything to Chris LeDoux.

But in those early days all that mattered was riding bareback horses. He had a vast reservoir of “try.” He listened to the older riders and adapted his occasionally out-of-control style accordingly. Chris’ power was in his persistence…and guts. And you could see it all in his face. “I did everything I could to match that trademark grimace,” artist Mike Thomas told me this week. The Buffalo, Wyoming sculptor’s “Good Ride Cowboy” is being created in a bigger-than-life bronze statue that is now in the hands of the capable Hall family and their valued employees at Caleco (kah-LEE-ko) Foundry in Cody.

Our capable cameraman and editor, Mike McCrimmon, joined me at Caleco last Thursday evening to catch up on the LeDoux bronze progress. Let us share our findings with you here:

We’ll be visiting with Mike Thomas in his Buffalo studio in the near future and will return with an update in short order.

On this day we remember with sadness the loss of Chris LeDoux five years ago. There is anticipation too. Seeing that statue unveiled in Kaycee on land Chris and Peggy own will be very, very special. One of their boys used a pair of Chris’ boots to create prints in the still wet cement of the walk that leads to the statue. The prints fade and finally disappear at the statue base. He is still with us. Just listen to the wind.

The Legacy of LeDoux

2010-03-08T06:00:00.005-07:00

By Chuck Coon

Tomorrow will mark the fifth anniversary of Chris LeDoux’ passing. He represented the face, and spirit, of Wyoming to many thousands of people across our land and on many foreign soils. “His music helped me make it through my tour in Desert Storm in 91-92,” writes Craig Young in a Facebook entry. The social media outlet was originated as a tribute to Ledoux by Scott Sterrett of Wild Bunch Productions in Casper six months ago.

There are now more than 20,800 fans on the Chris Ledoux Tribute Rodeo Facebook site sharing personal memories of LeDoux. A man and his wife measure their driving trips by how many Chris LeDoux CDs they will listen to along the route. A married couple writes that their first date was a Chris LeDoux concert. One young man was buying a box set of LeDoux music in Nashville when the clerk told him of Chris’ death that day. “I broke down and cried in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop,” he writes.

Sterrett tells us that Garth Brooks has signed on to the Facebook site devoted to Chris LeDoux’s memory. I can tell you Garth did not hide his tears standing in the LeDoux kitchen near Kaycee, Wyoming where family and friends were gathered for a private memorial five years ago.

We spoke with Chris a few times. He was always willing to help a good cause whether promoting the move of the College National Finals Rodeo to Casper or offering his home country as a setting for public service announcements marking the Wyoming Centennial in 1990. He may have come to Wyoming from Texas, but Chris LeDoux was Wyoming through and through.
A cold day in 1965 offered a shivery Cheyenne welcome to the LeDoux clan. “I think it was ten below the first day we got here,” recalled Chris. “It was a little hard to get used to. But spring came and it was wonderful.” And there was a very large rodeo arena just a half-mile down the road from the family residence.

Chris LeDoux had already won a buckle at a rodeo in Texas and now he was within spittin’ distance of the chutes where all of the greatest champions in the world had competed. By 1968 LeDoux entered Cheyenne Frontier Days and the next year he placed in the bareback riding on a horse called “Chicken Fry.” He came back to the ready area and heard “Good Ride Chris” from several of his rodeo heroes. “I didn’t think they even knew my name. It was kind of like I was born right there in Cheyenne,” remembered LeDoux.

Five years later Chris came into the Cheyenne Sunday Finals ahead by ten points and felt that champion’s buckle within reach. It was not to be. Joe Alexander (The Great) spurred a bareback riding record score of 93 that day – a mark that would stay atop the pro rodeo record books for decades. LeDoux was nudged out by one point.

It was a blow for Chris LeDoux but he moved on and would rise to the world championship in bareback riding in 1976. He had fallen in love with a Wyoming girl and he was writing lyrics to match his guitar picking ever since his Mom, Bonnie, had bought him a Harmony guitar at Jay’s Music Store in Cheyenne.

People would come from long distances to buy tapes of Chris LeDoux’s music on sale under the grandstands at the Cheyenne rodeo. After those “worn-out tapes” made a line in a Garth Brooks song, Chris LeDoux with his band Western Underground would become hugely successful. Their appearances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days night shows in the 1990s were raucous, rowdy, and loud affairs. No one sat down for long except when Chris settled a little to sing a few of his favorites. Ed Bruce wrote a song that was a staple of LeDoux’ live shows for rodeo crowds in the West. We are pleased and grateful to offer you it – in its entirety – here:

While we miss him and wish he was still up there giving everything for the brand, we have Chris’ music and soon we’ll have a wonderful town park in Kaycee built on two lots the LeDoux family had purchased in the heart of the tiny downtown.

Sculptor D. Michael Thomas of Buffalo, WY is going to be on hand for a bronze dedication, June 19. Western Underground will perform after the bronze is unveiled. There aren’t many motel rooms in Kaycee so if you are planning to attend look at staying in Casper or Buffalo. You can sure check Kaycee but those rooms will be taken very soon.

The event will be laid back and informal. We’ll visit with one another and reminisce. Emcee Bob Price of KTWO Radio in Casper is scheduled to keep us informed leading up to the showing of Thomas’ bronze “Good Ride Cowboy.” It’s Chris in the midst of his world championship ride with a guitar as a base. The size is life-and-a-half. Our video man Mike McCrimmon and I got a look at progress last week at the Caleco Foundry in Cody. We’ll give you an update here tomorrow.

When I die you can bury me beneath these western skies.

Yippie Yi!

Thanks Pard.

Miller Tackles Tucson

2010-03-01T14:21:00.004-07:00

A wet last of February day at the Tucson rodeo ended by floating a nice and dry champion’s paycheck to Lance Creek, Wyoming steer wrestler Jason Miller. He wasn’t even going to compete in the Arizona affair this year because of the rain and potential for a thick, soupy arena that can, and has, fostered injuries to bulldoggers and their horses. Miller’s three runs totaled out at 20.5 seconds – good enough to win the average and a Tucson champion’s buckle. We spoke with the 2007 world champion today about his rainy run on Sunday:

Miller rode a good horse owned by fellow Wyoming steer wrestler Les Shepperson of Midwest who isn’t able to enter some of the big winter rodeos in Texas because of a serious injury last year in Houston that prevents Les from qualifying in 2010.

Miller’s earnings will move Jason well into the Top Ten of the current world standings heading into the long and laborious RodeoHouston which covers three weeks of March.

Cowboys Meet Lawmakers

2010-02-25T11:23:00.001-07:00

There were a lot of “Sirs” and “Mams” floating around the Little America Resort in Cheyenne this week. Five professional rodeo cowboys took time away from their pursuits in the warmth of Texas and Arizona to meet Wyoming legislators and people in the tourism industry here who have supported the only state program in the nation that sponsors contestants that have risen to the level of competing at the national finals. Those who came to sign autographs, meet & greet, and otherwise mingle included bull riders Kanin Asay and Bobby Welsh, bronc and bull rider Seth Glause, bronc rider Chet Johnson and bullfighter Dusty Tuckness. Coming off his first national finals, Tuckness is going to spend the first three weeks of March dashing and darting about RodeoHouston.

The winter rodeo season is in full swing and already there are injuries being nursed by Kanin Asay and Chet Johnson. Kanin, of Powell, WY, won the bull riding at the NFR in Las Vegas last December. He told us his last three bull rides this year have ended with hang ups. Muscles are strained and bruised as a result. “I just have to stop ridin’ like a sissy,” Asay said. Johnson is from Gillette. The reigning Canadian Champion bronc rider was stepped on after a dismount in Rapid City, SD earlier this month. Chet suffered a concussion and had to have stitches near his right eye. He feels better but is clearly not at a hundred percent.

The just-completed San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo was good to a few of Team Wyoming’s pokes. Clayton Savage of Casper made the finals in bull riding but did not score there. He came in with about $2,500 in winnings though and picked up another $4K in the San Antonio Xtreme Bulls event. Savage is sitting at #28 of the world standings. Jhett Johnson from Casper was also in the San Antonio finals with team roping pard Steve Purcella. They were just out of the money with a 5.4 second run but added over $3,000 to their earnings total thus far in 2010. Jhett is now just out of the Top 15 for heelers.

Kelly Timberman from Mills, WY is off to a nice start this year now married to his sweetheart Charidie. Timberman is holding down the #9 position in the bareback riding world standings and won about $1,500 in San Antonio. He’ll be among a large contingent of the Wyoming team members competing in Tucson this weekend.

Jason Miller of Lance Creek who is bull dogging with authority in 20-10 finds himself in the average lead heading into the finals weekend at Tucson. Miller has grappled two head in 13 flat. He is in the lucky #13 spot in the pro steer wrestling world standings.

WYO Timed Event Tango

2010-01-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

There’s some new pep in the big steps of Wyoming’s Jhett Johnson and Jason Miller. Their 2010 pro rodeo season began with each winning their respective events at the SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, TX.

Miller, the 2007 world champion steer wrestler, dogged a pair in 8.1 seconds and collected more than $3,500:

The Lance Creek, Wyoming native opens 2010 in the number eight position of the world standings.

Johnson and team roping partner Steve Purcella split the Odessa average with another pair of team ropers but a three paycheck total (two rounds and the average - $4,422) in Odessa is good enough to set Jhett sixth in the world standings for heelers to start the year:

Better than Average

2009-12-13T09:28:00.001-07:00

To those outside of the rodeo realm it must seem strange to hear talk of “average” and think it matters much. Just look at the beaming face of Powell, WY bull rider Kanin Asay and you know that winning the average at the national finals rodeo is a magnificent accomplishment that nudges the newlywed toward the pinnacle of his chosen profession. He rode a bull called Big Iron tonight and the big score was the highest of any ride at the 2009 NFR – 93 points. Asay finished second in the world standings winning $205,000. But it is the last ride that gave him a bull riding average championship – most points scored over the course of the entire finals. Please sit back and enjoy a look at Kanin’s ride, the aftermath and our interview with Asay standing with his new saddle, gold buckle and his best friend, first-time NFR bullfighter Dusty Tuckness from Meeteetse, WY. What shows below is courtesy of our talented video guru Mike McCrimmon:

Kanin Asay won almost $113,000 at the 2009 NFR. Bobby Welsh of Gillette finished fourth in the world standings this year and came ever so close to edging nearer to the top with his performance in the final round. Welsh came off his bull at 7.78 seconds. Clayton Savage of Casper was also in the top ten, finishing in the eighth position.

Kelly Skies

Kelly Timberman closed out his 2009 on a high horse. The Mills, WY 33-year-old won the world championship in bareback riding five years ago and continues to be among the elite pros in rodeo. Wise Guy is wild and Kelly matched him jump for jump:

Timberman finished third in the bareback riding average and that alone added $28,000 to his annual earnings. Kelly rose to fifth in the world standings for 2009 by gathering almost $72,000 over the last ten days.

We must also add that our Team Wyoming team roper, Jhett Johnson from Casper, netted just over $34,000 at this years’ NFR. He isn’t complaining.

Sincerest appreciation is given here to Winnercomm Productions (the company that brings rodeo to your television set) and the PRCA for allowing us to obtain video and to be close to the Wrangler Nationals Finals Rodeo action again this year.

We are most proud of Team Wyoming and hope to see you along the rodeo road in 2010.

The Rough Stock Squad

2009-12-12T18:43:00.002-07:00

Bobby Welsh, Dusty Tuckness, Kanin Asay and Clayton Savage. They’ve synched superbly in a short period of time and really came together at the NFR in 2009. We spoke to them a few nights ago to get their perspectives about counting on one another through thick and thin:

Buckle Up

Our video manager, Mike McCrimmon, has visited the Wyoming highlight reel from the first several rounds of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas to pull out a few juicy morsels for your perusal. Give yourself a minute, sit back and enjoy:

Happy Birthday Clay

Clayton Savage is celebrating his 23rd birthday today. Wyoming Travel & Tourism was pleased to recognize young Mr. Savage on this special day. He was signing autographs at our table outside the Wrangler Apparel booth in the Cowboy Christmas show where at high noon the howling began:

Red Boots Diary

Gillette bull rider Bobby Welsh has attained the ultimate prize for a cowboy. Comfortable boots. They are red and that color has drawn comments from many a rodeo announcer in the arena and during television broadcasts, especially on ESPN during Xtreme Bulls events. We now show you the secret of the red boots by way of Bobby’s own willingness to divulge their origin:

We will be back to fill this column late tonight with a recap of how Wyoming cowboys finished the 2009 NFR.

BIG WYO NIGHT

2009-12-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

We are going to have some fun tonight. Three Wyoming bull riders have proven their toughness and skill at the same time being watched over and helped to walk away from every ride by Meeteetse, WY bullfighter Dusty Tuckness. His fearlessness is certainly evident to all who’ve been watching the 51st NFR.

Last night two of the bull riding trio made successful trips. Clayton Savage of Casper was 86.5 on Foolish Pride and Savage would really like to start all over again here at the finals in Vegas:

Clayton’s Friday night paycheck was $10,000 for third place. Gillette’s Bobby Welsh topped the bull Crazy Train for an 83 and fifth place on the night:

Watch with Cowboy Pride tonight as Welsh battles Siverado’s Silent Assassin, Kanin Asay from Powell takes on the bull known as Big Iron and Savage is aboard Silent Image. All three of Wyoming’s riders have managed to remain in the top ten of the world standings through all the ups and downs of the NFR. Asay is third, Welsh fourth and Savage in the eighth position. Average wise Welsh leads everyone and Asay is second. Clayton Savage, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday today, is sixth in the average.

Burns Rodeo Company from Laramie will present two bulls for the final round tonight. Kid Twist and Conspiracy are going to be hard to handle for Colin McTaggart and Howdy Cloud respectively.

Kelly Timberman, the 2004 world champion bareback rider, is smiling at his draw for the final round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo tonight. The Mills, WY rodeo superstar will pack his punch on top of Wise Guy – a horse Timberman spurred to a huge score on the finals night at the regular season playoffs in Omaha. Last night in Las Vegas, Kelly matched kicks with the bareback horse Peaches and Cream to score 84.5 and take away third-place cash of $10,000:

The queen of Powder River Rodeo Company from Riverton, WY gets another chance tonight in the NFR final round. Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality had trouble in the chute box her first time out earlier this week. Odds are she’ll redeem herself and present a daunting challenge for bronc rider Bradley Harter. Miss C has a first jump that is a marvel to watch especially for a horse of her size. (We are not insulting her weight. She is just a big girl.) Owner Hank Franzen has a custom-made halter he’ll present to Harter and it will surely bring an anxious smile to the Texas man who’ll be first out in the bronc riding tonight.

Tonight’s finals will air at 9 Mountain Time on ESPN2.

Bull Champ Crowned

2009-12-12T00:39:00.005-07:00

JW Harris of May, TX earned his second consecutive world championship in bull riding a night early. He can’t be caught having come into tonight facing only two other men with an outside chance to overtake the staggering lead JW had entering the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Both challengers bucked off early. Kanin Asay of Powell was one of those riders and although Kanin went down tonight he is in great shape for a big average check. He is second and Bobby Welsh of Gillette is first in the average. Bobby was scored 83 tonight on a bull named Crazy Train.

Clayton Savage of Casper put $10,000 in his jeans tonight finishing third with a score of 86.5 on Foolish Pride. That same animal horned the pants of Meeteetse, WY bullfighter Dusty Tuckness in an earlier NFR round. Savage is sixth in the average race and has taken the tape off his rib injury. He has cracks in a couple of them but seems none the worse for wear. Ah, to be young and seemingly invincible.

Veteran bull rider Cody Hancock of Arizona was knocked out at the end of his winning ride. He was taken out of the arena on a stretcher and is receiving hospital treatment for a concussion. He was awake when rolled past us and I can tell you he wanted to stay for his victory lap.

Timberman Collects Again

2009-12-12T00:39:00.002-07:00

Kelly Timberman of Mills, WY collected $10,000 for his third-place finish tonight scoring 84.5 and inching his 2009 NFR earnings ever so close to the $35K mark. The 2004 world champion bareback rider is fourth in the average with one night remaining. Timberman surpassed the $1 million career earning milestone during this trip to the finals.

A Record Set and Reset

2009-12-12T00:38:00.005-07:00

Team ropers were sizzling tonight. One pair, JoJo Lemond and Randon Adams, set a new world record time of 3.4 seconds and five minutes later that mark was beaten by Chad Masters and Jade Corkill who finished their run in 3.3 seconds.

UW Grad Wins

2009-12-12T00:38:00.002-07:00

University of Wyoming graduate Casey McMillen dropped his steer in 3.3 seconds to take ninth-round honors in the steer wrestling competition.

Purple Passion

2009-12-11T19:40:00.001-07:00

He likes the color purple and rides with the passion it takes to be a champion. Kanin Asay of Powell, WY scored 87 on Grey Dog last night to win the eighth round of bull riding at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Only two men made qualified rides. A late re-ride attempt by Corey Navarre also fell short.

Asay always makes a thorough investigation of the bull he has drawn and knew what to expect out of last night’s mission. One fact coming to the fore in the last few years is that multiple generations of bucking bull breeding has turned out a large number of animals who most times out are beyond the grasp of just about any rider success when it comes to keeping a seat for eight seconds.

We spoke with Kanin after his success last night and he also delved into the assemblage of animals he and his fellow riders are facing at the NFR this year:

Powder River Let ‘er Buck

Two of the bulls out last night belong to the “bull guys” of Wyoming horse stock contractors Powder River Rodeo Co. based in Riverton. Lori and Hank Franzen run a tight ship and since horses are their forte they leave the bulls to people who specialize in that animal, in this case D & H Cattle out of Oklahoma.

The luck of the draw put Wyoming riders on D&H bulls last night. Clayton Savage of Casper – competing at his first national finals – drew Sure Fire. Look closely at how he refuses to give up. Savage lasted past the seven-second tick but not quite to eight:

As mentioned earlier, Kanin Asay had the other D&H bull and made a great outing to win the round. Powder River’s Hank Franzen spoke with us afterward:

Kanin Asay finds himself at the top of the average leaderboard with two rounds to go and still much ground to make up on overall leader in the world champ’s chase – JW Harris of Texas.

The Pride of Powell

2009-12-11T10:50:00.002-07:00

The purple was popping tonight for Kanin Asay. The Powell, WY bull rider stayed on a bull that tried ever so deftly to toss his man but in the end Grey Dog was mastered for a score of 87 and a best-of-show for Asay. WOOF! Kanin loves the color purple and was decked from head to toe with it tonight. His Wyoming fans stood and cheered wildly and it was not in vain. Put another one in the books for Kanin. He’s won two rounds at the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and seems poised to be back for more. Asay leads the average now but still has a steep mountain to climb in order to overcome world standings leader JW Harris. And while Bobby Welsh of Gillette did not score tonight he is in the hunt as well.

Powder River Rodeo Co. of Riverton, WY had a big stake in tonight’s bull riding. Their “bull guys” run a company called D & H Cattle out of Oklahoma. Grey Dog is one of their animals. Hank Franzen, owner with his wife Lori, of Powder River was beaming about a Wyoming rider winning the round. “We’re pretty proud to have him win it on our bull, that’s outstanding,” Franzen said.

Tune in here again mid-morning tomorrow. We’ll show you Kanin’s ride and our interview with the Powell man of purple. Hank Franzen will be with us too. It is going to be worth the wait. This was one big night for Wyoming.

Purple Stays

2009-12-10T09:43:00.003-07:00

Kanin Asay’s pink shirt (for “Tough Enough to Wear Pink night” at the NFR) clashed – I think – with his purple helmet but Kanin matched his bull, Who’s Next, last night to be one of only four riders who stayed on for scores. The way it’s been going four out of fourteen is pretty good for this national finals. The Powell mans’ score was 79.5 and it added $7,000 to his take home from Vegas thus far:

Kanin Asay is now fourth in the race for the coveted average-round money and Gillette’s Bobby Welsh is second. He is now third in the world standings while Asay is fourth. They have a lot of ground to cover in order to catch leader JW Harris who is $70,000 in front of the number two man, Corey Navarre, but Harris is not going to be competitive in the average money race so the gap can be made up quickly if Welsh and Asay get on hot streaks the final three rides. Harris is scheduled to sit again tonight as he recuperates from a broken bone in his right hand. He will ride Friday and Saturday nights.

Jhett’s Loop Gets Cash

Casper’s Jhett Johnson threw a beauty last night and with partner Steve Purcella netted a third-place time of 4.3 seconds in the team roping to win third place and $10,000:

Jhett is at $34,000 and counting so far in NFR competition. He and Purcella are eighth in the average. It pays eight spots.

Blazing Hazers

Two Wyoming cowboys who competed in the steer wrestling event at last years’ National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas have gone over to the other side in 2009. Jason Miller of Lance Creek and Les Shepperson from Midwest are prominent hazers. Miller is working with traveling partner and event leader Luke Branquinho along with Curtis Cassidy. Shepperson is hazing for Dean Gorsuch. We got to spend a little time in Vegas with Jason and Les and here is that report:

In the Money

2009-12-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Casper team roping heeler Jhett Johnson and partner Steve Purcella made a very cool $10,000 each in their third-place finish tonight with a time of 4.3 seconds. They’ve won $34K thus far and are eighth in the average.

Only four bull riders made the eight-second buzzer in tonight’s seventh round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. One of them was Powell’s Kanin Asay who was fourth scoring a 79.5 on a bull called Who’s Next. Kanin is now fourth in the average race while Bobby Welsh of Gillette has slipped to second. Current world champion JW Harris is well out in front of the pack this year but was not out tonight as he continues to nurse a broken bone in his riding hand. Harris plans to return for rounds nine and ten, Friday and Saturday.

Lance Creek’s Jason Miller hazed for pal Luke Branquinho and Luke won for the second night in a row. The reigning world champion steer wrestler has taken over the top spot in both the average and world standings. He’s made $70,000 in seven days at the NFR.

We’ll have Jhett Johnson’s heeling work in the seventh round and give you a viewing of Kanin Asay on his bull once the video is ready to transmit tomorrow morning.

Money in Barebacks

2009-12-09T15:43:00.002-07:00

Kelly Timberman of Mills, WY spurred like the champ he is and ended up splitting 3rd/4th/ and 5th position cash of $7,200 in last night’s sixth round of bareback riding at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. For those of you who don’t know, Kelly recently married his longtime girlfriend Charidie in Cheyenne. We want to give you a look at Kelly’s ride but also a peek into his psyche. He plans to do everything possible to make his marriage work:

Ryan Gray rode halfway through the national finals before finding his way to the pay window. Last night he got on a Wyoming horse and cashed in by winning second place and $13,500 on Pinball Wizard of the Burch Rodeo Co. string based near Rozet, WY. The ride was scored at 86.5 for the college grad who grew up in Cheyenne and Laramie:

Shake it Luke

Good buds Luke Branquinho and Jason Miller had their speed on in the steer wrestling last night. Luke threw down in 3.2 seconds - just a hair (.2 seconds) longer than the arena record. Jason, of Lance Creek WY, was his hazer. Everyone in the arena knew what would follow a 3.2 run and Luke didn’t disappoint:

The steer wrestling competition is tight at the lead with just $30,000 separating the top three big men.

Hunter’s Tail

You do what you must to catch a steer at the national finals. Hunter Cure of Texas showed as much last night when he had only a tail to hold and a long run to get the job done:

Shake it Luke

2009-12-09T00:41:00.001-07:00

Jason Miller of Lance Creek, WY is performing the hazing chores for reigning world champion steer wrestler Luke Branquinho here at the 2009 NFR. Miller won the world in 2007. The pair go down the road together most of the regular season and are close friends. Tonight they were in perfect synch and Luke blazed his way to a 3.2 second run to win the sixth round. Luke is nearly $53,000 richer from his work in Vegas so far.

The Branquinho/Miller win will be here for you to review along with a video feature about hazing showcasing Miller & Les Shepperson who is working alongside steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch.

Kelly & Ryan Shine

2009-12-09T00:40:00.000-07:00

Bareback riders with Wyoming in their bones spurred out to win good money in the Tuesday edition of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Kelly Timberman of the Casper suburb called Mills was marvelous on a horse named Cajun Queen to earn more than $7,000 for Kelly’s eight-second ride. Ryan Gray, who grew up in Cheyenne and Laramie, earned his first payday at the finals by taking a Wyoming horse to an 86.5 point finish, second place, and a check for $13,500. Gray bumped along on Pinball Wizard owned by Burch Rodeo of Rozet, WY.

Something’s Wrong, Very Wrong

2009-12-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

Their mamas told them there’d be nights like Monday. Had to be a Monday, didn’t it? No bull riders were able to make a scored ride last night so the good news for Wyoming contestants is they didn’t lose any ground in the standings. Bobby Welsh is still numero uno in the average race and there is more cash in that pay-out because the fifth round money ($55,000) is now in the average pot.

A lot of disgusted young men dragged their belled ropes past us after a struggle in the arena. Give credit to the bulls. They were incredibly good. Here’s a look at a few of the quick exits and close calls:

What you tend to hear after a section of bull riding like that is praise for the bulls and thanks given to the fact that everyone walked out of the arena on their own power. Casper’s Clayton Savage was among those you saw in that batch of wrecks. We spoke with him this morning and although sore he is ready to hunker down, strap on, nod his head and give it another go tonight.

Jhett Powers to Pay

Casper team roping heeler Jhett Johnson and partner Steve “Cheese” Purcella of Texas had a nice, smooth run Monday and left the arena with third-place checks of $10K apiece. They put a lock on their steer in 4.7 seconds:

Johnson and Purcella have won close to $24,000 so far and are sixth in the average.

The Mark of Zero

2009-12-08T00:19:00.008-07:00

No one could keep a seat very long in the bull riding tonight at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. A few came close to the eight-second whistle, most were gone in half that time. In the end, the best bulls there are in pro rodeo today proved to be too much for the top riders in our sport. A lot of frustrated cowboys dragged their ropes and bells back to the dressing room. Money that would have been doled out ($55,000) is now stacked in with the cash ($165,000) that will be paid out in the average round at the end of the finals.

One Wyoming cowboy managed to make a trip to the pay window after the fifth go-round. Casper team roper Jhett Johnson and partner Steve “Cheese” Purcella from Texas made a smooth 4.7 second run and picked up third-place money of $10,000 apiece.

A Nip of Tuckness

We gave you a small taste of the dazzling efforts by Meeteetse, Wyoming bullfighter Dusty Tuckness at the NFR earlier but now would like to expand that coverage. Here is a longer look at how a young fellow from a tiny town is making a huge impression on the rodeo world:

The Mark of Zero

2009-12-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

No one could keep a seat very long in the bull riding tonight at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. A few came close to the eight-second whistle, most were gone in half that time. In the end, the best bulls there are in pro rodeo today proved to be too much for the top riders in our sport. A lot of frustrated cowboys dragged their ropes and bells back to the dressing room. Money that would have been doled out ($55,000) is now stacked in with the cash ($165,000) that will be paid out in the average round at the end of the finals.

One Wyoming cowboy managed to make a trip to the pay window after the fifth go-round. Casper team roper Jhett Johnson and partner Steve “Cheese” Purcella from Texas made a smooth 4.7 second run and picked up third-place money of $10,000 apiece. (jhett pic)

A Nip of Tuckness

We gave you a small taste of the dazzling efforts by Meeteetse, Wyoming bullfighter Dusty Tuckness at the NFR earlier but now would like to expand that coverage. Here is a longer look at how a young fellow from a tiny town is making a huge impression on the rodeo world:

B. Welsh Be Good

2009-12-07T11:38:00.002-07:00

Bobby Welsh has it going on at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He is four- for-four. The Gillette, WY man is the only rider to match the bucks, twists and spins of every bull he’s drawn in Las Vegas. Welsh leads the average (total scores) by 59 points. Clearly, everything can change in one night but Bobby is on a roll. He won the round last night with a score of 89.5, picking up another $17,000 paycheck and a go-round buckle. Welsh spoke with us afterward and he doesn’t plan to dwell on his accomplishments thus far:

Powell’s Kanin Asay is making a run at the bull riding gold buckle as well. Like Welsh, Kanin faces long odds in overcoming JW Harris who is well ahead of the pack but his hand injury is a factor to consider as to how the rest of this action filled finals will play out.

Dusty Dancing

For a writer it is difficult to admit the shortcomings of a well-turned phrase but in this case it is a fact. Words can’t come close to properly describing the work last night at the national finals rodeo by bullfighter Dusty Tuckness. Tomorrow, or perhaps later today, we’ll have an in-depth feature piece to show you about Dusty. For now, let’s have our pro-video maestro, Mike McCrimmon, give you a taste of what fans in the arena and on national television saw from the Meeteetse, Wyoming rising rodeo star in the fourth round of the Big Show:

Dusty Tuckness is just 23 years old and is performing at his first NFR.

Bobber's Up

2009-12-07T00:28:00.001-07:00

Bobby Welsh likes to fish so you know he has patience. Tonight he waited calmly and watched many bull riders get thrown off prior to the whistle. Only two men rode for a score before Welsh’s turn and Bobby, after a re-wrap, signaled he was ready and wowed the packed Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas sticking to his bull for a score of 89.5 to win the fourth round. The numbers now look like this: Welsh is first in the average. He has won $40,600 at the national finals – more than any other bull rider. And Welsh, of Gillette, is now standing at a total earnings level of $133,000. Still a far cry from the $219,000 in the bank for leader JW Harris but Bobby keeps nipping away at JW’s spread with the future of this event uncertain for Harris due to a broken bone in his riding hand.

Tomorrow morning we’ll be providing video highlights of Bobby’s ride and an interview with him after his stunning victory.

Dusty on Duty

In the morning we will also have a look at some amazing cowboy saving body sacrifices by Meeteetse, WY bullfighter Dusty Tuckness. He was really beaming after work that included not one but two dives between riders and bulls and a wide assortment of calisthenics as a result. The crowd was thrilled, the riders were grateful, and Dusty was living out a dream.

Kelly Cash

A bareback riding score of 84.5 for Kelly Timberman gave him a fourth-place finish in the fourth round and another $7,000 in winnings to date at the 2009 national finals. The paycheck also sent Kelly over the $100,000 mark for the year.
The Mills, WY man is the 2004 world champion bareback rider.

Remember to come back and see us mid-morning Monday when you will be able to relive some very exciting moments for Wyoming cowboys Bobby Welsh and Dusty Tuckness.

Cowboy Christmas

2009-12-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

Pro rodeo's Christmas is all about the money you can make over the Fourth of July holiday period when there are several big rodeos each year. In Las Vegas, Cowboy Christmas is a ten-day western shopping extravaganza. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal and first lady, Nancy, strolled the aisles this year during their visit to support Team Wyoming. Our story includes the Governor's comments and a insider probe of one specialized western products business based in Wilson, WY. Also, Brit West owner Britain Roberts explains how she got into business and her custom product line:

Bad Bulls Good for WYO

2009-12-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

There are always going to be a couple of nights in the national finals rodeo bull riding competition when the bulls are destined to deny riders a score. Eight seconds may not seem like a long time but if you are straddling a bucking, twisting beast that doesn’t want you on top of him it can seem like an hour. Eliminators, as they are often referred to, have learned many tricks and will not hesitate to use them. Two of Wyoming’s three bull riders at the 2009 finals in Las Vegas made it through to the whistle last night and made great strides toward challenging current champ JW Harris who is temporarily sidelined with a broken bone in his riding hand.

Powell’s Kanin Asay outlasted a bull known as Ricky Bobby to score 85.5 and earn $10,000 in a third-place finish. “I’d seen him a couple of times and the scores were in the 90s. All I could think was keep hustling and keep trying,” Asay told us after his ride. The bull has roots with Powder River Rodeo Company based in Riverton and Asay says he is one of those eliminators that just doesn’t want to let the rider get a seat in the middle. “He wants you in or out, but I talked to a lot of people for advice and they all told me to stay forward, keep my shoulders square.” The bull gave everything he had in terms of trying to force Kanin’s riding hand to buckle forcing him to let loose, but a driving shoulder and perfectly timed balance allowed Kanin to “get on over him” and win the battle:

Bobby Welsh of Gillette won fourth-place cash of $7,000 last night and he is the only NFR bull rider who has not yet been bucked off early. Many will tell you once Bobby hits his groove he’s the most consistent rider there is, yet he remains relatively unknown outside the confines of the Cowboy State. “I stay under the radar and I like that,” Welsh said. Like the other riders here who’ve not won a world championship that gold buckle is Bobby’s goal and what he’s dreamed about for a long time. He took another step toward making the race more interesting by completing his duties at the Saturday night “Eliminator” session on a bull nicknamed “West Coast Offense”:

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Stat-wise Bobby Welsh is the only man to score on all comers and thus he is the number one man in the average race. The rider with the most points on the most bulls at the end of the finals will earn an extra $44,000. Kanin Asay has won more money than any other bull rider after three rounds - $27, 500. And Asay holds the number two spot in the average.

De Panted in Vegas

Everyone knows you can lose your shorts in Vegas but who would want a pair of baggy pants? A bull in the Eliminator session, that’s who. “Foolish Pride” decided he’d take a run at Meeteetse bullfighter Dusty Tuckness’ britches and succeeded:

Tonight’s fourth round action can been seen on ESPN2 beginning at 7 Mountain Time.

All video footage of the rodeo action is being provided to you on this site courtesy of the PRCA and the great people at Winnercomm Productions who are responsible for all of the rodeo you see on ESPN.

Editing chores for Wyoming Tourism are the responsibility of Mr. Mike McCrimmon.

WYO Bull Riders Advance

2009-12-05T23:35:00.003-07:00

A pen of bulls that would justly have once been called “eliminators” threw most riders in tonight’s third round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas but Wyoming was two-for-three. Kanin Asay of Powell walked off with third-place money totaling over $10,000 and Gillette’s Bobby Welsh took fourth adding $7K to his cache. Bobby is the only man who has been able to stay on for a score every time out so far at this years’ WNFR. Kanin has won more money than any other rider ($27,367.79) and Welsh and Asay are #1 & #2 in the average.

JW Harris’ once seemingly insurmountable lead in the bull riding world champ chase is still relatively safe but he is sitting out at least two rounds due to a broken bone in his riding hand. Harris leads Asay by nearly $100,000. With seven rides remaining and the coveted average money slipping away from Harris’ grasp the race has become at the very least….interesting.

Kanin Asay and Bobby Welsh have risen to the second and third positions in the world standings. We spoke with both men after tonight’s rodeo and we’ll have those interviews and much more video to share with you tomorrow morning.

It is imperative now though to display a great photo (by Kristin Phipps of Wyoming Travel & Tourism) of bullfighter Dusty Tuckness losing his pants tonight. He has performed masterfully throughout his first national finals and it probably isn’t fair to show this shot to begin our coverage of the Man from Meeteetse. But we just can’t help it.

Please re-join us here tomorrow. We’ll have a much more thorough discussion about the actions of our Wyoming riders and take a look at the annual shopping extravaganza known as Cowboy Christmas in Las Vegas.

Clayton Rides

2009-12-05T13:34:00.001-07:00

The first time in the box he was thrown back and forth, up and down and all around and finally jettisoned over the front end of his bull for the knock-out punch. Casper bull rider Clayton Savage was pulled from the bull and given some time to refresh. A few rides later at the first Friday night edition of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Savage got back on Sooner Shaker and spurred him to an 87, second place, and $13,500. And he unknowingly performed this uncanny act wearing a bareback riding friend’s cowboy hat. We give you a night to remember for Wyoming and rodeo fans everywhere:

Clayton Savage says it felt great to complete his first successful performance at a national finals and he has sights set on doing so eight more times this year. Bobby Welsh of Gillette took his 58 in favor of a re-ride and that turned out to be the right choice. Only six men rode for scores last night. Bobby picked up a sixth-place check for $2,700 and held his number one stance in the average. It is early but check that bull riding leaderboard. Three out of the top four spots are filled by Wyoming’s Welsh, Asay and Savage respectively.

A Lot of Bull

Wyoming-owned bulls had a nifty night Friday with two throwing their riders early and one bucking his, Tate Stratton, to an 80-point score and fifth-place money. Powder River Rodeo Co. of Riverton let out Disco Dancer for Stratton’s dancing pleasure. Burns Rodeo of Laramie had Conspiracy and Kid Twist taking to the arena floor as dance partners who weren’t in the mood for harmonic convergence with the men on them:

Round 3 of the WNFR airs live tonight at 7 Mountain Time on ESPN Classic. For those who’ve not been able to catch the broadcasts yet there will be easier access for three rounds starting tomorrow evening on ESPN2.

Head Bang & Belly Fire

2009-12-04T01:39:00.000-07:00

We will be talking for many years about what Clayton Savage did tonight in the second go of the 2009 WNFR. He’s performing at his first national finals rodeo and made the eight-second whistle for the first time, scoring 87 points, winning second place and $13,500 in the process.

But that isn’t what we’ll be talking about. The Casper, WY bull rider isn’t ready to say so but the replay clearly shows he was knocked out in the box by a bull called Sooner Shaker. Someone forgot to tell him Clayton’s a Cowboy not a Sooner. Nevertheless, the heaving bull sent Savage over the front end hard, banging his head against either the chute slats or the bull. In any case for a few seconds Clayton was silent, eyes shut and head hanging. Then he woke up and appeared to say “I’m fine.” Helpers pulled him off the bull and he was wobbly at best.

“I remember the bullfighter saying ‘he’s out, he’s out,’” said Savage. I remember saying that I was not out. They gave me a little breather and asked me if I wanted to go again. I thought I’m ready so I might as well do it.”

Now here’s the part some boxers, ultimate fighters, and a few linebackers would understand while the rest of us get a lesson in what it means to be tough. “It made me mad and put some fire in my belly,” said Savage. “Somebody told me to ride him and I said ‘I’m not only going to ride him, I’m gonna spur him.’ So that’s what I did. I got him back.”

When we visited with Clayton he was wearing his black felt hat although the color scheme was speckled with many brownish additions. Clayton doesn’t recall his hat going to the ground at the moment of his head-on collision. He didn’t know he had bareback rider Heath Ford’s hat on until Savage finished his tremendous topping of Sooner Shaker. “I pulled my hat down, looked, and it wasn’t mine,” Savage recalls. “I need to clean mine but the way it went I might as well borrow Heath’s hat for the rest of the week.”

We will be talking about Clay Savage’s first scored bull ride at the NFR for a long time. Take a good look at his close-up on television during the broadcast tomorrow night. What happened left a mark on the outside but doesn’t come close to revealing the hardness he’s harnessed within.

I feel a real closeness to Clayton Savage. We’ve followed him since high school. He lost his Dad in a ranch accident. He hasn’t had it easy, ever. And now he’s shown you what I already knew. Some are called, but few are chosen. Given the chance, this young man is going to leave a legacy in professional bull riding. You can see it in his swollen, black & blue eyes.

We’ll have complete bull riding video highlights from Friday and Clayton’s interview posted here tomorrow as soon as is humanly possible – if the computer cooperates.

Clickety Clack Around We Went

2009-12-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

One Wyoming bull rider won his first go-round buckle at the national finals rodeo while another backed out of his chute to stay on for a second place finish. Newlywed Kanin Asay pocketed $17,139 for his 89-point effort atop a re-ride bull. His first mount was uncooperative in the chute and unwilling to let Kanin get a proper start. The Powell, Wyoming lover of the color purple rose to the occasion and could not have done a better job at his chosen profession come his turn on a bull called “Hot Diggity Damn.” We checked in with Asay shortly after his outstanding effort. He was ever so joyous – and almost speechless – about finding a way to win:

Bobby Welsh of Gillette is a very gritty young man who you just can’t help but root for and his 86.5 last night to open the national finals was clearly a work of determination:

Both Bobby and Mr. Asay climbed over the $100,000 mark for 2009 by clearing more than $30,000 between them last night. Kanin inched up to #3 in the world standings and Welsh is in the number five hole. The Jhett Stirs Court The first team to rope at the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was heeled by Casper’s Jhett Johnson. His work with header Steve Purcella netted the duo a second-place finish in the first go-round and paychecks of $13,500 apiece. Jhett is very glad to be back at the NFR:

Timber Man The 2004 bareback riding world champ was “spurific” last night taking it to a horse known as Good Time Charlie for a score of 85.5 and third-place cash totaling over $10,000. Kelly Timberman of Mills, WY was pleased to open the NFR so well and got all he could out of his eight-second outing:

Round 2 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo will be aired nationally on ESPN Classic at 8 p.m. Mountain Time tonight.

Cheyenne is Big Outdoor Champ Again

2009-12-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

Eight-time world champion bull rider Donnie Gay remembers looking at newspaper pictures of the action in Cheyenne while he was still in high school. It was a rodeo he wanted to see and compete in and last night Gay was pleased to open the envelope that named Cheyenne Frontier Days the 2009 “Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year.”

Cheyenne has been a regular winner of the award presented at the annual PRCA convention staged the night before the national finals rodeo begins in Las Vegas. Winners are picked in several categories based on the votes by all card-carrying PRCA members.

Wyoming stock contractors played a big role in the winning tallies in two other rodeo categories. The Estes Park, Colorado event won top honors as “Small Rodeo of the Year.” The lead stock provider at Estes is Powder River Rodeo Company of Riverton. And “Medium Rodeo of the Year” for 2009 is Deadwood, South Dakota. Burch Rodeo Company of Rozet, WY is stock contractor for that show.

Here is the rundown of cowboys/draws for tonight’s opening round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo:

Bull Riding
The three Wyoming bull riders will be bunched in a grouping to fill three out of four slots so fans will have a lot of rooting to do in a short period in tonight’s final event. Clayton Savage of Casper takes on a bull called “Oochie Coochie.” Powell’s Kanin Asay challenges “Wises One Willy” and Bobby Welsh of Gillette has Franklin Rodeo’s “Good Vibration.”

Bareback Riding
2004 world champ Kelly Timberman from Mills has drawn “Good Time Charlie” out of the Classic Pro Rodeo string.

Wyoming fans will want to keep a close eye on the steer wrestling as two state favorites are hazing throughout the competition this year. Jason Miller of Lance Creek, who won the world in 2007, is helping two doggers make their runs and Les Shepperson from Midwest is handling hazing chores as well. Les was injured at Rodeo Houston last winter and was sidelined the rest of the season. Miller finished a little out of the Top 15 this year.

Governor Dave Freudenthal and First Lady Nancy are here in Las Vegas to support Team Wyoming, and Wyoming-based businesses. The First Couple will attend the first rodeo tonight.

The first round will be televised on ESPN Classic starting at 8 Mountain Time tonight.

Fightin’ Bulls & Havin’ Fun

2009-12-01T10:26:00.002-07:00

The rodeo world is converging on Las Vegas and while most contestants have been taking a little time off before the Wrangler National Final Rodeo’s first round, Thursday, Wyoming bullfighter Dusty Tuckness and partner Andy Burrelle were judged champions in their craft after the dust settled at a PBR event in Atlanta, Georgia the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Five bullfighting teams qualified and were judged simultaneously with the PBR riders/bulls. Fighters were assessed in a number of categories including: turning back the bulls, follow through, aggressiveness and degree of difficulty.

Three days and many outings later, Tuckness of Meeteetse, Wyoming and Burrelle of Oklahoma scored the highest and were named the best in the business.

Tuckness is very pleased with the victory in Atlanta:

The Challenger Cup was televised nationally on Versus.

We caught up with Dusty on the day he was preparing to pick up a tux for best friend Kanin Asay’s wedding ceremony. Both young men are going to see each other a lot the next two weeks. Dusty is working his first as a national finals bullfighter and Kanin returns donned in his favorite color purple to ride bulls.

We are unsure as to how Kanin’s new bride is accepting of this choice for a honeymoon but a few winning rounds for her hubby will buy a bigger diamond or two for that new ring.

Gillette’s Chet Champions Canada

2009-11-17T15:50:00.002-07:00

Bronc rider Chet Johnson from Gillette, WY is riding high after winning the Canadian Finals Rodeo, Nov. 11-15, with a final round 86 on the Canadian version of Miss Congeniality. Johnson won $32,500 over the five-day event to bring his season total in Canada to $54K – making him the number one man. It was a very close finals for bronc riders in Edmonton,AB. Johnson beat out all of his Canadian competitors in terms of money won throughout the year and is the only American to carry away a Canadian champ’s buckle and bronze in 2009. The Canadian Miss C threw Chet off very early at the finals in Edmonton last year. The arena is usually devoted to professional hockey’s Edmonton Oilers and the house was packed for the rodeo each performance.

We spoke with Chet just an hour ago and he is still, understandably, on Cloud Nine:

Chet will return to the U.S. tomorrow and has to undergo a minor medical procedure in Fort Collins, CO on Thursday.

Tuckness Achieves Dream

2009-10-12T11:05:00.003-06:00

Those of us who grew up athletes of sorts might have dreamt that one day we’d knock in the winner at the World Series or score the go-ahead goal in the Stanley Cup finals but a very select few actually suit up to play professional sports. Dusty Tuckness of tiny Meeteetse, Wyoming wears a special kind of uniform – baggy cutoff overalls held up by suspenders and adorned with long kerchiefs hanging from the sides, a brightly-colored western shirt, cowboy hat and clown makeup painted on his face. He is a professional rodeo bullfighter. Only certified in the pro ranks since 2006, the young Wyoming talent has ascended the ranks quickly to reach the pinnacle achievement by attaining a slot in the arena for the 2009 Wrangler National Finals in Las Vegas (WNFR). “I’m speechless. This is amazing, a dream come true,” Tuckness said.

A final round of voting last week by pro bull riders currently making up the top twenty in the world standings confirmed Tuckness’ position and he is honored. “It’s a great feeling to know the top twenty riders would like to see me at the world series of rodeo,” he responded.

Tuckness, whose father Timber has been a professional bullfighter since 1993, grew up in rodeo and spent many hours watching national finals tapes with his dad. “I feel like I’ve accomplished something I had as a goal when I was a kid and I’m just looking forward to it,” he said.

The Meeteetse cowboy kept bull riders from harm at several big rodeos during the 2009 regular season including the shows in Houston and Fort Worth, the Dodge National Circuit Finals in Pocatello and the Xtreme Bulls events in Cody, WY. Tuckness and close friend Kanin Asay from Powell staged a special bull riding and fighting event in Cody this summer as well.

Asay and two other Wyoming bull riders – Bobby Welsh of Gillette and Clayton Savage from Casper – will be competing at the national finals in Las Vegas. “It’s cool to be around those guys. They knew early on they’d made the finals and encouraged me to stay positive that I’d be there with them,” Tuckness said. He was an alternate selection for last years’ WNFR.
Dusty Tuckness is a Christian-athlete and often leads bible study groups at rodeos around the West. He is also sponsored by Wyoming Travel & Tourism. “Dusty impressed me from the very beginning and we were anxious to have him join our team,” said Diane Shober, state tourism director.

When it’s time for bull riding in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for the first go-round at the national finals December 3, one Wyoming bullfighter plans to be ready. “When I walk into that arena I’ll just be in awe that I am there,” Tuckness said. “If anything I’ll be a little nervous and certainly excited thinking this is my shot. The hard work’s over and now I’m just going to fight bulls."

Omaha Shakes Out Top 15

2009-09-28T15:11:00.003-06:00

The final numbers will take a few weeks to determine officially but as of this writing the money won by Casper’s Jhett Johnson team roping at the River City Roundup in Omaha is enough to fuel Jhett’s trip to the 2009 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Johnson and partner Steve Purcella did not make any cash in the final rounds Saturday night but they still left Omaha with nearly $3,800 solidifying the #14 heeling hole for Jhett with only one major stop left in pro rodeo’s regular season.

Bobby Welsh of Gillette didn’t make any cash Saturday night either but he took home nearly $9,700 from the first two rounds in Omaha.

Saturday night’s final rounds were good to Kelly Timberman from Mills, WY. The 2004 world champ won more than $13K on two horses – almost $10,000 in one fantastic eight-second spur to score 89 points on a horse called Wise Guy:

Timberman left Omaha with $16,600 added to his 2009 regular season money bringing him to nearly $90K for the year.

Ryan Gray, who grew up in Cheyenne and Laramie, won the Omaha bareback riding championship and added a hefty $32,000 to his regular season take as a result.

We can’t leave Omaha’s finale of the Wrangler Tour playoffs without showing you the luminous Luke Branquinho. He won the steer wrestling tour title for the second year running with this dazzling 3.4 second toss:

Luke travels with Lance Creek Wyoming’s Jason Miller who did not make enough cash in tour rodeos this year to compete in the playoffs. At this writing it seems clear that Miller has been dropped out of his #15 spot by Blake Knowles who earned more than $13,000 in Omaha.

WYO Might

2009-09-26T10:53:00.001-06:00

There was nearly a sigh of relief visible in the manner of Casper’s Jhett Johnson after he and team roping partner Steve Purcella stopped the clock at six seconds flat last night to collect fourth place money of $2,100 and finish tied for fourth/fifth in the average to bring their money total so far in Omaha to nearly $3,800. They secure a spot in the championships tonight where the top eight in each event compete and then the top four have at it to decide the winners at the 2009 River City Roundup. There are just a few rodeos left in the regular season and none (with the possible exception of the Heartland Finals in Waco, TX next month) have near the money available to change the world standings on a significant basis. Jhett had to finish the year in the money on almost every throw of his heeling rope in order to have a chance to make the national finals. And he did. Johnson was more than pleased with the run last night and gave his partner credit for staying focused:

Bobby Welsh of Gillette is Mr. Consistent in his playoff run. He has ridden all six bulls to the whistle thus far between Washington State and Omaha. Last night, his 82-point ride secured him second in the average even though getting started was difficult Friday since the bull didn’t seem to want to participate:

Welsh has won more than $7,000 thus far in Omaha.

There is plenty more of Wyoming to root for in the Omaha finals tonight. Kelly Timberman of Mills, WY made the cut and will seek a repeat bareback riding champ’s buckle here. Ryan Gray who grew up in Cheyenne and Laramie finished in the top spot in the bareback average.

Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality, owned by Hank and Lori Franzen’s Power River Rodeo Co. of Riverton, is due out in the first round tonight. Fans will surely be amazed at her initial high mark out of the chutes. She’ll be topped by Louisiana’s Heith DeMoss. Fasten your seatbelt Heith! The Omaha rodeo will be crystallized in highlight form and shown on ESPN2, Sunday, October 25 at 10 a.m. mountain time.

Bubble On

2009-09-25T09:58:00.002-06:00

It is bubble time in professional rodeo. Many contestants are within reach of the coveted Top 15 and have only this weekend to make the cut for the national finals rodeo. Gillette saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson is among a six-pack of pals close enough to secure a trip to Vegas by what they are able to accomplish here at the River City Roundup in Omaha – the playoff finale of this years’ Wrangler Tour. Chet drew a tough ride last night as Checkout is known to be tricky. Johnson stayed for the whistle but his 73 did not bring a trip to the pay window.

Jhett Johnson of Casper was just out of the money at 6.2 seconds team roping with partner Steve Purcella. The solid run sets them up well for the semis/finals Saturday if they can stay around the six-second mark in the second round tonight.

Bobby Welsh of Gillette won more cash than any other cowboy in the first round of the playoffs in Washington State and is in good standing to continue his fabulous finish to the regular season after an 82-point ride last night in Omaha on a bull called Black Diablo:

Welsh split third and fourth place money to collect more than $2,600 for his opening nights’ work. Second round action in Omaha’s Qwest Center tonight is a repeat of Thursday – all twelve who’ve made it in each event get another shot.

Wyoming Roper Reaches the Top 15

2009-09-21T14:40:00.004-06:00

Pro rodeo’s playoff system to closeout the 2009 Wrangler Million Dollar Tour has completed its first round in western Washington State. And the rodeo in Puyallup, WA was especially good – a healthy pull y’all up – if you will, for Casper team roper Jhett Johnson. He had been fixed well below the Top 15 all year and then went out with partner Steve Purcella of Hereford, TX to win the playoff opener in Puyallup and jump to #15 while collecting more than $14,000. They came back to the big Pendleton Roundup in Oregon this past weekend and left with another $2,600 and Jhett moved up to #14 in the world standings. We spoke today with Jhett who is in Texas for a little practice before heading to the River City Roundup (the finals of this year’s playoffs) in Omaha Wednesday:

The top twelve teams compete in the playoff championship round at this week’s River City Roundup in Omaha. The same is true for the other events and Wyoming will be well represented there by bull rider Bobby Welsh from Gillette and Gillette saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson. Welsh won more money than any other contestant at Puyallup pocketing more than $23,000.

Wyoming Travel & Tourism will have a booth set up in front of the Quest Center in Omaha where visitors can meet our cowboys and pick up free autograph sheets. We are also giving away a couple of Wyoming vacation packages including a Yellowstone winter excursion in cooperation with park concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts. A trip to next summer’s Cheyenne Frontier Days is also being given away.

WYO Pro Rodeo Notables

Powell, WY bull rider Kanin Asay won a round at the Xtreme Bulls national championships in Ellensburg, WA scoring 91 on a Burns Rodeo Co. (Laramie, WY) bull called Kid Twist. Asay amassed about $14,000 in Ellensburg and is now in the #6 position in the world standings. Bobby Welsh is fourth and has surpassed the $100,000 mark for the 2009 regular season. Casper’s Clayton Savage is in the seventh spot assuring three Wyoming bull riders have NFR slots and therefore a chance at a coveted world champion’s gold buckle.

Meeteetse’s Dusty Tuckness is a nominee for Bullfighter of the Year. All contestants, participating contract personnel, and dues paying rodeo committees have a vote in the outcome. The winners in all categories will be announced Wed., Dec. 2, during the PRCA Awards Banquet at the South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Cheyenne Frontier Days is once again in the running for Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year.

Music from Moorcroft

2009-08-17T16:26:00.002-06:00

If you grow up in a place where there are only two people per square mile you can sing as loud and often as you want and not really cause much of a stir, except maybe with the cattle. Chancey Williams is singing for crowds now as frontman for Chancey Williams & The Younger Brothers Band. They played the big saloon on Frontier Park every night of the 2009 Cheyenne Frontier Days. A new CD is getting attention and a regular gig in Las Vegas is a far cry from the open country around the town of Moorcroft in northeastern Wyoming’s Crook County.

Like a lot of Wyoming kids, Chancey was raised on rodeo. He rode broncs all of high school, three years at Casper College, and one year at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The band started in Moorcroft and continued to grow in popularity and skill. Chancey kept up with the books and graduated from UW with a master’s degree in Public Administration. He is definitely administering to the public now in a country-rock sort of way.

We visited with Chancey after a set at the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas last week:

To stay on top of what’s happening with this up and coming group from Wyoming go to: www.theyoungerbrothersband.com

Bull Fight at the WYO Corral

There’s a new posse in town. Wyoming has three bull riders who are in the top ten of the world standings. A bullfighter from Meeteetse has a good shot at being named to work the national finals in December. Quite the foursome – Kanin Asay and Dusty Tuckness from Park County; Bobby “Red Boots” Welsh from Gillette and Clayton Savage of Casper. We had the chance to spend some time with the group before they competed at a special bull riding event at Wyoming’s State Fair in Douglas last week. Mr. Savage won the event, by the way. Our intrepid video-man Mike gives you an inside peek at this gang we’ll call Dusty & the Long Riders:

State Fair Play

2009-08-11T09:46:00.008-06:00

The middle of the top ten bull riders in the world standings as of this week all call Wyoming home. Bobby Welsh, Kanin Asay and Clayton Savage are #4, #5 and #6 respectively with winnings ranging from $66,000 to $77,000 thus far. If you are a rodeo fan you know that money has gone to travel, food, and family. The chance to actually show a profit for the year is by placing in a few rounds at the national finals in December. Until then, it’s rodeo to rodeo – paycheck to paycheck.

If you can, plan a visit to the Wyoming State Fair this week to meet these young men and show them your support as they ready for the big dance in Las Vegas. Bobby and Kanin have been a part of our state sponsorship program since their first national finals appearances and we know how proud they are to wear “Wyoming” red. Clay will be joining us, we believe, in short order.

Kanin likes the color purple and even wears a helmet of that shade. Our little “Wyoming” patches adorn that helmet and clashing red/purple aside, Kanin was threatened with a fine for sticking those home patches on his headgear. The Powell, WY man reached a compromise with the PRCA and continues to keep Wyoming on, and in, his noggin.

Bobby and his wife have three kids and boy did they need the cash that Cheyenne Frontier Days brought by Bobby sticking to all three draws. They live near Gillette, WY and are hoping to win enough in Las Vegas to purchase a nice, roomy, motorhome. Near the end of Frontier Days last month I looked in the rough stock riders “ready” area and saw Bobby reading a bible lesson to his fellow riders. He wasn’t preaching. He was proclaiming, and explaining, his beliefs. He is becoming a leader.

We first met Clayton as he was prepping to ride at the Evanston, WY rodeo a few summers back. He was pretty retro 1970s in his look and he clearly had talent in spades. I’ve heard a few of the experts say Clayton’s straight-armed riding style and his get-off (dismount) are liable to lead to injury. My assessment of the world these fellows live in is they know what works best for them. Clay told us he grew up riding the furniture at Mom’s house in Casper and there was no stopping what he was going to do once old enough.

We don’t have a pro football team here in Wyoming. There are no professional sports, at least at the highest level, other than rodeo. I like sports. I like to root for someone who wears my colors. The aforementioned bull riders get on for themselves naturally but I like to believe they’re riding for me too. I clap and holler when they win and feel bad when they buck off early. I worry for them because what they do is so dangerous. I know they are highly skilled and would not be where they are if they didn’t know how to keep themselves as safe as possible. I want them each to one day own a world champion’s buckle – maybe two, or three.

Come out to the state fair early Thursday. The bull riding event starts at 7 p.m. and will feature our young men headed to the national finals. At 3 p.m. we will be set up next to the Pepsi free entertainment stage. There will be freebies galore and a chance to meet the riders. They have free autograph sheets to give you along with a smile and a handshake.

As a special bonus, bullfighter Dusty Tuckness from Meeteetse is going to be with us. He joined the Wyoming team this year and has done numerous public appearances, and press interviews, since winter when he was fighting bulls at the big rodeos in Houston and Fort Worth. He is widely acknowledged as one of the best at his trade. Dusty is very popular with the fans, his rodeo colleagues and dare I say with the ladies. Blush. Dusty was an alternate at the national finals last year and could very well get the votes to make the A-team bullfighting crew in 2009. Of course, Dusty will be working Thursday night in the state fair rodeo arena helping his pals make it safely back to the chutes. Dusty and Kanin are close friends having been reared in the same county and garnering their rodeo chops at the rodeo arena in Cody.

See you in Douglas! Meet the boys. Pick up free DVDs and have fun listening and dancing to Wyoming’s own Chancey Williams and The Younger Brothers Band. Showtime is 3 p.m, Pepsi free entertainment stage, at the Wyoming State Fair.

Daddy Dearest

2009-07-28T13:26:00.007-06:00

Working in the “ready area” where rough stock cowboys prep, wait, and recount their rides at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) has its privileges. Here are a few nuggets I didn’t get a chance to share the past ten days while writing the highlights for The Rodeo Hand:

• The bareback riders organized a fundraiser/auction at Frontier Park last Friday night. Recently, fellow rider Tom McFarland was pushed against a chute by his horse with such force McFarland’s arm was broken in 22 places. With a wife and three kids – and no way to earn money – McFarland is in physical pain and financially very strained. His friends just would not let this situation go unaddressed. Will Lowe invited me to the event noting dozens of cowboys, outfitters, companies and individuals had donated items. Will, who would go on to win Cheyenne, gave a go-round buckle won at the national finals. There were hunting trips galore, Lowe said, and a lot of rodeo memorabilia. I couldn’t make the auction called by Royce Ford but on Saturday Royce said he was pleased with the take. The McFarland family will be receiving $30,000. The auctioneer may have been wearing olive drab britches he spirited from the Salvation Army for five bucks but his voice brought a five-figure night for a family in need.

• Clint Cannon leads the world standings in bareback riding and the Texas cowboy will soon be the lead actor in a movie scripted, produced and directed by a Frenchman. The crew spent a few days in Cheyenne and the rodeo family story is being based on true-life circumstances mostly surrounding the relationship between Clint and his dad, Jay, who competed professionally for 20 years. We chatted with director Frederic Laffont while seated for a break in the rough stock riders ready area.

The film should be ready for the big screen in Europe next year. We’ll keep you posted as to its availability in the U.S.

• Seth Glause, the Rock Springs, WY bronc and bull rider and newest member of Team Wyoming, is out for the season with a knee injury. Seth, upset enough about his own inability to compete, saw two close friends and traveling partners suffer head injuries at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Bull riders Tyler Willis from Wheatland and Patrick Geipel of Elbert, Colorado were both knocked out in the arena. Willis’ injuries require surgery and clicking below will show you why he may consider buying a helmet.

Geipel was rendered unconscious but his helmet protected him from more serious injuries and facial surgery.

Xtreme Crowds

2009-07-07T11:34:00.004-06:00

A family of five from New York told us they enjoyed their first rodeo so much at the July 4th Cody Stampede they stayed overnight and came back for the Xtreme Bulls event the next night. An extended family of seven from Mexico spoke little English but made it known they wanted to meet some pro rodeo cowboys and anxiously stopped by our booth area three or four times during the Cody-Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls hoping to get an autograph. They returned after the riding was completed and waited in line an hour before getting to meet bullfighter Dusty Tuckness of Meeteetse, WY and Wyoming bull riders Kanin Asay from Powell and Seth Glause from Rock Springs. Pictures were taken, hats and autograph sheets signed, questions answered.

‘Did you win?” more than one kid queried.
“No, but I tried,” said Glause.

One woman whispered to a friend. “My daughter likes country music so I want to get his autograph. I know he’s one of those singers,” she assured her pal. I passed this information on to Seth and he said, “Yeah, like I can sing.” He got a good chuckle out of the whole thing.

We only had two chairs therefore Kanin Asay was low on a stool during most of the fan gathering. That’s okay. He’s young. He also stood and signed and posed and laughed and answered questions for more than an hour. Then Kanin and his traveling partners headed up the road to the Calgary Stampede. They departed the Cody arena around 10pm.

A lot of new rodeo fans were made Sunday night in Cody. There was the group of thirteen from the UK and Australia attending their first rodeo. “How do you speak cowboy?” they asked our video man, Mike. Being a Casper, Wyoming native this was not a hard question to answer. “I don’t really know,” said Mike. “Just start every sentence with ‘Y’all’ and be sure to remove your hat when you first meet a lady. Also, don’t leave your hat on the bed. It’s bad luck.” .

You had to feel good watching all those folks waiting to meet our cowboys. And if you get the chance this year I hope you do the same. Rodeo people aren’t perfect but they sure are good. Manners matter to them. A handshake is a contract. And when they get bucked early, or miss a loop, they smile and say, “I tried.” And then they’ll try again.

Seth Glause and Kanin Asay may not have scored inside the Xtreme Bulls arena in Cody but they sure made some points with fans afterward. Our talented video person, Mike McCrimmon, has some highlights for you and they’ll come at you as follows:

1. Seth Glause in the Fourth of July Cody Stampede rodeo. He lands an 83-point ride and finishes in the money.
2. Kanin Asay staying on for 7.76 of the required eight seconds, July 4.
3. A batch of work from bullfighter Dusty Tuckness on July 4-5.
4. Kanin Asay and Xtreme Bulls ESPN television announcer Dan Miller (a Cody resident) before the competition on July 5.
5. Money-winning performances by Wheatland’s Tyler Willis and Casper’s Clayton Savage in the Cody-Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls championship round, July 5.
6. The fan gathering at and near our Wyoming Travel & Tourism booth after the Xtreme Bulls

event in Cody.

Cowboy Christmas in Canada

2009-07-01T09:26:00.004-06:00

On this the most American of U.S. holiday weekends a growing number of pro rodeo contestants are spending their traditional “Cowboy Christmas” in Canada. It doesn’t hurt that there is a $100,000 pot of gold up for grabs in each of six events that comprise the Calgary Stampede’s championship round.

Gillette saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson is quite fond of competing in Canada. He took home a truckload of Canadian dollars last year. Well, that’s not entirely true. Johnson made so much money up north he opened a bank account there. Chet is in the first pool of bronc riders out in Calgary starting Friday. Kelly Timberman from Mills, and the 2004 world bareback champ, is in the first pool of men in his event.

The Calgary Stampede is by invitation only for contestants and two Wyoming bull riders are very happy to have received the call up to Canada. Bobby Welsh of Gillette and Kanin Asay from Powell are in the same pool of bull riders who will strive for their best outings of the year beginning July 7.

Asay had the chance to join the Calgary pool that opens July 3 but opted to stay in the states to compete in his hometown rodeo – The Cody Stampede. The only Wyoming edition of Xtreme Bulls is July 5th so that provides Asay a good opportunity to shine twice in front of his longtime fans and his family. Rodeo fans traveling to Cody this weekend will also see Meeteetse product Dusty Tuckness handling bull fighting chores. Dusty was proud host, along with his close friend Kanin, of a special bullfighting and bull riding event in Cody, June 14. Here’s a minute of the action as edited by our own Mike McCrimmon who saw his camera gain the affection of more than one horned critter:

Seth Glause of Rock Springs is going to be on top of bulls going for the Cody crown in both the Stampede on the Fourth of July and the Cody-Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls the next day. That event will be taped by our friends from Winnercomm Sports, edited, and aired nationally on ESPN2 at 12:00pm mountain time, July 19. The Cody event will feature five bull riders who own world champion buckles. It is the first Xtreme Bulls ever to have that many champs in one setting. You can still grab a ticket at: www.codystampederodeo.com or by calling 1-800-207-0744. Ticket prices are $25 for general admission.

Long Rider with a Cause

2009-06-26T15:15:00.006-06:00

Ross Welfl was a bull rider when he was a young man. The Cody, Wyoming native is older but may not feel wiser some of the days he’s riding horseback along the roads from Cody to New Mexico this summer. He’ll be doing a lot of nights alone under the stars and spend a few with family and friends. We met him yesterday along Wyoming Highway 20-26 between Shoshoni and Casper. Welfl went on a ride for charity once before, back in the early 1980s, but not near as far as he’s going this time to raise money for the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

Ross Welfl is calling his trek “Coins for Cancer” and you can donate by sending money to: Bank of the West, 1330 Sheridan Ave., Cody, WY 82414 The tax ID number is: 62-0646012 You can also give online and follow Ross’ progress by going to: www.coinsforcancer.blogspot.com

Roping Light

2009-06-23T12:21:00.005-06:00

Last night there was a delightful lightning show low in the sky over east Cheyenne. I woke up about 12:50 this morning and could not turn away from the silent popping of branch-like patterns that bristled alternately sometimes providing the brightness level of a Wyoming full moon. Massive cloud formations were outlined in front of some of the electrical charges. Shapes gave way to imaginative interpretation of form. Was that one a moody Abe Lincoln? Another quiet zap. That sure looked like a mama grizzly digging for grubs.

I heard a couple of big rigs pull off College Drive. No doubt the drivers had video or cell phone cameras at the ready. These are times I wish I could shoot pictures properly and had the equipment to at least make an attempt. Alas, I am just a writer and a talker. Shooting is the forte of my colleague Mike. By this time, maybe 1:20 in the AM, I recall the existence of an ancient video camera stuffed underneath a Thomas Molesworth chair situated in my cramped study. At the time of the chair’s purchase on a screened front porch along 18th Street, I was told by an unassuming older gentleman seller he remembered as a boy seeing painted ladies doing business in the old Plains Hotel lobby occupying said furnishings. But that’s a story that will have to wait its turn.

I gather the camera and its electrical connection and head outdoors to capture the lightning before it fades. Herein is the result. Nothing like Mike could have brought to you but he did edit the video and add music to it for a nice thirty seconds or so of unique ogling. And you might justifiably wonder: what has this to do with a cowboy story? Nothing really, except one of those silent bolts shined the black plastic head of my roping dummy in the backyard and I thought to myself, man, I sure suck at roping.

The sky popped awhile longer and I was given to consider again what has often made me feel blessed to reside under these Wyoming skies. While I am sure many other eyes caught the lightning action, it seemed nature and her beautifully mystical weather disturbance was offering this hour-long broadcast at no cost, to no one but me.

Irish Jacked About Wyoming

2009-03-10T14:34:00.015-06:00

“Irish Jack” Enright and his wife started visiting Wyoming more than a decade ago from London to spend time on a ranch near Laramie. The couple fell in love with the Two Bar Seven almost immediately and came back every year – some times twice a year:

‘That got to be pretty expensive,” said Enright. Along the way, Enright took an interest in cutting – another expensive proposition. “You don’t have to be rich to get involved in the sport but it sure helps. Unfortunately, we’re not rich,” said Enright. Cutting involves the horseback act of singling out a cow from a herd and isolating it from the rest. Enright’s proven a natural at the sport and competed in the World Finals last month in Amarillo. “We did our best and had a great time,” he said. The native of County Kerry, Ireland has resided in Cheyenne the past four years and is now serving as president of the Wyoming Cutting Horse Association. The lifelong horseman can’t explain what captivated him about cutting. “It’s very difficult to describe. I’ve jumped horses, ridden cross-country, the whole deal. But this just gets in your blood. I think it is more addictive than drugs,” he laughed:

Enright’s rural Ireland upbringing in the 1960s included much cleaning of “cow sheds” and very little television. “There was only programming for a few hours in the evening and my favorite show was ‘The Virginian.’ That was a big treat,” Enright said. The weekly western was set in Wyoming but coming to the “Cowboy State” never really appeared a possibility. “We were living in London and out of the blue one day my wife said maybe we should go over to America and visit a ranch,” Enright recalled. He explained his childhood memory of a television western and Wyoming was their choice:

Enright is employed by the Jeffrey C. Wardell Academy in Cheyenne where he works with troubled youth. “We’re like natives now, living our dream, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” he said. Enright was asked to join the Mounted Marshall unit at Cheyenne Frontier Days a few years ago and that parade duty involves crowd control along with a number of other jobs. The annual ten-day western celebration also brings a significant contingent of Irish people to Cheyenne. “Our house is an extension of Frontier Park during that time. We had seventeen people visiting last year,” Enright notes. “Some had to stay outside in tents.” The gift of gab and a kiss of the Blarney Stone brought about a 2009 fund-raising project for the cutting horse association that would be hard to match. Calling on friends and family, Enright has arranged a seven-day trip to Ireland for two that includes airfare, car rental, accommodations and numerous activities. The dream list covers a couple of rounds at the famed Ballybunion Golf Club, a dolphin viewing tour, castle visits, a trip round the Ring of Kerry and a lot more. “We’ll take care of all the arrangements and there will be someone there to call if any needs come up during the trip,” Enright assured.

He hopes to have the raffle drawing in June to allow time for the trip before fall. Tickets are $25 apiece; five for $100. “Obviously times are tough so we don’t want to price anybody out of a chance at this,” Enright said. For more details contact “Irish Jack” by calling: 307. 514.2181. Information concerning the fund raising project is to be posted soon on the association website:

http://www.wyomingcha.com/ ---

2009-03-06T11:54:00.003-07:00

Calling on Cowboys & Girls

2009-01-30T10:12:00.005-07:00

A few years ago I watched a close friend and colleague become trapped in his failing body that finally stopped his heart at the age of 56. We mourned his loss to ALS and wondered why such a good heart lost its beat. Because of his obviously swift decline we knew Dave’s days were numbered on this life plain. His wife was anxious to have me wheel her husband around Frontier Park for a day at the rodeo – Cheyenne Frontier Days – realizing there would not be another opportunity. We rolled into the “ready” area where the rough stock riders hang out. Dave had met bareback riders Kelly Timberman and Scott Montague previously but those young men had not seen him for awhile. He could not really speak. Kelly and Scott’s eyes glistened as they signed Dave’s straw hat. They stayed with us for a trek up to the press deck and posed for pictures with Dave. I went over to the corner and turned to the wall, gulped back a burst of grief, and returned to take Dave to the car.

We drove a short distance to the backyard of our boss, Diane Shober. She was hosting her annual party and Dave was the guest of honor. Earlier in the week she’d asked me if I knew any musicians who might play for the event. Since the gravity of the situation was inescapable I knew of only one person who could handle it with the necessary grace, and talent. Brenn Hill lives in Utah so it’s not like he had to drive from the other side of town. He packed his wife and kids in the car and hauled across Wyoming to sing and play for Dave. There were many tears when we dedicated Brenn’s song “Call You Cowboy” to Dave. A short while later I walked over to Dave, knelt down, looked in his eyes and said “Hey there Cowboy.” From somewhere deep within Dave ushered a discernable “Thank you Chuck.” Dave’s arm is around the back of my head in the picture that leads this column. He passed away a month after that party.

Some years have passed but Dave Troyanek’s friendship and Brenn Hill’s act of kindness won’t ever be forgotten. He did not charge for performing for Dave. He announced to the folks gathered there that “any friend of Chuck Coon’s is a friend of mine.” Yesterday Brenn’s manager called from Nashville and gave me some really sad news I want to share in hopes a few of you might be willing – if able – to help the Hill family. Brenn’s son Briggs was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer last November 11th. A massive brain tumor was removed the next day. He spent more than a month in the hospital and is now home facing numerous treatments and challenges.

If life had given me the privilege of children I’d be more than proud to call Brenn Hill my son. He is a shining example of the Cowboy Creed. He believes God will help his family in this their time of greatest need. It is my hope you might be able to extend your kindness to this wonderfully Western family. My guess is if you are reading this you already know of Brenn’s music. He speaks from his heart. He boldly and publicly touts the heritage of American (and Canadian) agriculture. The three R’s – rodeo, ranching and roundups – are at the forefront of almost all Brenn’s songs. His wife would really like him to consider crooning a love ballad now and then. It is time for us to offer sustenance to this family in need. The amount of your donation doesn’t matter. The thoughts and prayers do. You can click here to find Brenn and help Briggs: www.myspace.com/brennhill and www.teambriggs.org

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Wrap Up

2008-12-17T08:47:00.007-07:00

Willy

There are a few items of interest we’d like to share in wrapping up our coverage of rodeo’s Superbowl. The Canadian horse Willy carried one steer wrestler, Californian Luke Branquinho, to a world championship at the 50th national finals rodeo. He was also rode by owner Curtis Cassidy and Lance Creek, Wyoming’s Jason Miller – who ended up winning more than $70,000 on Willy in Las Vegas. Here is our look at Willy with Jason Miller outside of the Thomas & Mack Center where Willy is well known, and left alone:

Willy earned more than $45,000 from Miller and Branquinho as they agreed to pay owner Curtis Cassidy a quarter of whatever money they made at the national finals.

Fifty Years of Fame

Since it was a big anniversary for professional rodeo it is fitting to take one last look back. Renowned cowboy singer and poet Red Steagall spoke with us for this next piece after Red’s performance in the arena. He is joined by three-time world champion bronc rider Hawkeye Henson and a Laramie man – Dick Laycock – who we met while walking the halls. One look at Dick made it easy to ask him to provide a Wyoming viewpoint of the national finals. Must have been that distinctive logo on his cap.

War Machine

Lastly, our talented video program manager Mike McCrimmon delved into the national finals day tapes to find all the best action and combined it with music from the new AC/DC – CD “Black Ice.” We used the song War Machine and I think you’ll agree it suits well with what these athletes are put through over ten grueling days.

Our thanks to Winnercomm Productions for their help at the national finals and for allowing us to tap into their taping of the event. All footage of the rodeo and arena entertainment was provided courtesy of ESPN (via Winnercomm) and the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association. Hope you’ll come back and see us next year. Until then, Powder River – Let ‘er Buck.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Championship Round

2008-12-14T09:01:00.004-07:00

Weather Agrees with Lady C

Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality took a classy Canadian cowboy for a classic bronc ride on the last night of the 50th NFR and Rod Hay was still smiling an hour later. “She’s honest and definitely has been a great horse all year. She had an outstanding day – strong jumps and kicks. There are just not enough of them like that,” Hay said. He won the 10th round and was glad to hit the trail with a check for more than $16,000 and a go-round buckle. We ran into Miss C’s owner outside of the arena after the rodeo. “She’s awful special. She never lets up and is always there at the end,” smiled Hank Franzen of Powder River Rodeo Co. based near Riverton who said his horse seemed to like the change of weather. Wind picked up during the day, Saturday, in Las Vegas and temperatures cooled quite a bit by evening. “She felt a lot better today than earlier in the week. She’s used to these temperatures,” Franzen added. Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality and Rod Hay combined for a score of 89 to win the round and it sure appeared as though the big beauty was raring to go right out of the chutes.

Miller Makes a Run

Lance Creek’s Jason Miller kept the pressure on his pal Luke Branquinho and Luke handled it well to win another world championship in steer wrestling. Miller was 4.1 seconds on his last steer adding $5,700 to his pot that finished the week full of more than $70,500 over the ten nights of work. Miller ended the year third overall climbing several rungs after a slow start to the finals. “I felt like I was behind every night before the sixth round. Then I got in a groove and things came around,” Miller said. He’d dearly love to have repeated his world championship year of 2007 but isn’t too disappointed. “I can’t complain. We’re all friends and we’ll be back slugging it out again next year,” Jason assures. Miller’s 2008 earnings totaled a shade over $160,000.

Team Wyoming Numbers

Wyoming Travel & Tourism sponsored six “Cowboy State” contestants at the 50th national finals. They did us all proud. In the bull riding competition, Bobby Welsh of Gillette finished 2008 third in the world standings and earned $77,000 in Las Vegas. Powell’s Kanin Asay will carry nearly $50,000 back home from the national finals and while Seth Glause of Rock Springs was unable to make the whistle over the ten rounds he gained a world of experience and you can bet he’ll be back.

Steer wrestler Les Shepperson from Midwest netted $20,500 from the NFR and he certainly plans to punch a return ticket.

Gillette saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson would like to have been more successful at the 50th finals but he got on Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality for a great match one round and collected close to $20K during his Vegas stay.

Thanks for visiting us here during the NFR and please come back again in 2009.

2008-12-13T07:14:00.001-07:00

Short Pay

Friday’s trips to the pay window for Wyoming contestants in this 50th national finals were few and of the four-figure variety. Kelly Timberman split fifth & sixth in bareback riding to take $3,500 back to his hotel room. Lance Creek’s Jason Miller remained solid in the average with a run of 4.1 seconds winning $2,700. Miller is second in his aggregate total and a good finish tonight assures the family will be able to buy a lot of hay for the winter. Barring bad luck for Luke Branquinho, it is another gold buckle year for Jason’s traveling partner and closest friend.

Bobby Can Win

Gillette, Wyoming bull rider Bobby Welsh stayed on for a low score last night but as we’ve said a few times now, any score is a good one in the current state of national finals bull riding competition. Bulls throw the men off short of eight seconds more times than not. Welsh once again chose not to take a re-ride option and heads into tonight poised for a legitimate shot at a world championship. Chance Smart is up by less than $30K and is well behind Welsh in the average. J.W. Harris also has a chance to beat Chance. Therefore as exhibited in the best, and most exciting, finals it will come down to the last three rides.

Ty Stops By

Twenty years ago I stood on the old, rickety press deck at Cheyenne Frontier Days with a 19-year-old from Stephenville, Texas who had rodeo in his blood and dreamed of one day wearing a world champion’s gold buckle. Ten years later he’d won nine buckles; two in bull riding and a lucky seven All-Around titles. He is justly referred to today as “The King of the Cowboys.” I saw Ty Murray again last night as the Thomas & Mack Center crowd greeted several past All-Around Champions. There stood Dean Oliver, Larry Mahan, Joe Beaver and so many more of the biggest names in rodeo history. And when Ty came out from behind the smoke, the fans erupted. Ty was gracious enough to share some time with us afterward and said he still gauges the sport he loves by how it is perceived by the rest of us. “Rodeo’s making some good strides. I always look at this sport from a fans’ standpoint. We’re still seeing the great cowboys. We’re still seeing the tough competitors. Getting to watch a guy like Trevor Brazile; that’s inspiring. To see a guy that’s not only good but is that dedicated and works that hard at it,” Murray told us. My good friend, camera guru Mike, put together more of our interview with Ty and you can click below to both hear and see it. I have to admit my comfort level with Ty remains fine but his wife, Jewel, standing there next to us did give my normally calm nature some jitters. She is, I think, one of the most gifted singer/songwriters and poets of her – or any – era.

A Salute to LeDoux

The dedications have been many at the 50th annual national finals rodeo. Last night’s big-screen acknowledgment of Chris LeDoux would certainly rank up there for Wyoming folks and really everyone who loves rodeo and how Chris represented the sport and the American West to the world. You can click on the video clip below to absorb some of that special moment.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Eight

2008-12-12T09:52:00.006-07:00

Not So Average

Steer wrestlers are dropping like flies, big ones, out of the competition for the big dollars doled out at the end of the national finals Saturday night. The average money is significant - $162,000 total with $43K for 1st, $35K 2nd and $27,500 for third and so on through eighth place. In the Friday night follies five doggers suffered no times in their runs. “Those steers weren’t as bad as we made them look,” said Jason Miller who had another great run and finished with a split of second and third places netting $11,660. The pen of steers used last night, thankfully for the last time here, took many steer wrestlers out of the average or aggregate time competition. Only three men – Miller, his traveling pal and close friend Luke Branquinho and former University of Wyoming rodeo team member Todd Suhn have times on all eight of their steers and are under a total of 40 seconds for all of them. Branquinho has a significant hold on 1st overall and a 1.3 second jump on Miller for the average. No question Luke has the edge in gaining another gold buckle. But in this year of extraordinary weirdness for the wrestlers, we shall see. It will be fun to watch. “We picked all of the steers so there isn’t anybody to blame but ourselves. It’s just so hard to say what they’ll do when they get in that little building,” Miller told me late last night after a rather hearty prime rib dinner. What did you expect he’d be chowing on? And yes, one of those four-legged critters out last night is apparently missing. I’m kidding so no need to call the animal rights hotline.

Brutal Bulls

You probably couldn’t see them on television, but Kanin Asay’s boots didn’t match last night. He wore a bigger one on the left foot and it had a slit down the inside so he could slide in without too much pain. He had that spare footwear from early this summer when he sprained the same ankle that got turned on him a couple of nights ago at the national finals. The boots stayed on and Kanin up to end last night as one of only two riders to get scores. “There wasn’t a bull out there that was easy to ride. Every single one has something about him,” said the Powell, Wyoming man. His had drop. “That straight shot he gave me was really hard to handle. He had more rolls and weird jumps than he normally does,” Asay noted. Kanin collected $13,000 for his work and is most thankful all the bull riders walked away from “eliminator” night relatively unscathed.

Cowboy Christmas

Our crack staff at the Wyoming Travel & Tourism office, board members, families and friends have been helping hand out Wyoming materials and introduce the cowboys we sponsor to visitors inside the huge “Cowboy Christmas” show in the Las Vegas Hilton Convention Center throughout the national finals. There are a number of Wyoming business people with booths there too. We’d like to introduce you to a couple of them in this story. Kathy Flickinger is with Cowboy Free Range Meat from Jackson Hole. Karen Roy and her husband started American Cowboy Coffee and are responsible for a new, and spirited, invigoration in the little town of Hartville, Wyoming.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Seven

2008-12-11T09:25:00.008-07:00

Miller’s Crossing

Wyoming’s world champion steer wrestler returned to top form last night to collect $10,000 and pass go in terms of gaining on the pack in the average race. Jason Miller notched a time of 3.6 seconds and third-place honors in the seventh round. He also moved up to third in the average and eclipsed the $100,000 mark in annual earnings. “I just haven’t been able to move out of the box very well until tonight,” Miller said. He feels better now. “I don’t want to get frustrated because there are a lot of chances and money left. It’s not over until Saturday night,” Miller advises. I’d ask for all the people back in Lance Creek to send their positive energy this way but I’m quite sure all eight of them are here. I know I saw five in the Thomas & Mack Center last night. The pen of steers used last night is the cowboy’s favorite group. Tonight’s group is the trickiest.

More Bucks For Bobby

Bobby Welsh of Gillette carried the Wyoming flag in the opening ceremonies of the seventh round and when his time to ride came at the end of the night he was stuck like glue scoring 85 to win second place and another $13,250. “He was really ‘droppie’ and tricky,” Welsh said of his draw. “I was glad he started coming around and getting a little easier.” By that time Bobby was a long way into the arena. He stayed square though and continues to climb the money ladder. Mike Moore won the round with a score just a half-point higher than Welsh. “I thought it would never happen,” said Moore afterward. He has had many injuries over the years and everyone behind the chutes was very happy to see Mike get the win. He came to Wyoming from Illinois to become a cowboy and Moore is a fine one. He also got his degree from the University of Wyoming and could very well choose a teaching profession back in the Chicago area after his rodeo career. You never know about bull riding at the national finals because the odds so favor the bulls. For example, only five riders were scored last night. Right now it is a race between leader Chance Smart, J.W. Harris and Bobby Welsh.

Kanin Carried Off

The Justin Medicine team always gets a lot of business by this time at the finals. The room was full much of the night with ice packing requirements and X-ray reviews. When Powell, WY bull rider Kanin Asay was carried off it looked a lot more serious. His face was twisted in a grimace and he was not walking on his own power. As the minutes went by we stood worried for the young man’s situation especially when considering the serious injuries he’d sustained early this summer. Best friend and alternate finals bullfighter Dusty Tuckness from Meeteetse walked out of the medical treatment facility and told us Kanin was okay and the injury was not that severe. We later spoke with Justin team leader, Dr. Tandy Freeman who said: “Kanin came off his bull and stepped pretty awkwardly on his left leg; felt a pop. He thought maybe he’d hurt his knee. We got him back to the training room where he got to feeling better. His ankle is swollen. It looks like he has a bad ankle sprain.” The doctor is quite sure Kanin can return to action tonight. And if he can, he will.

Wyoming Horse & Rider

Powder River Rodeo Company (Riverton) had a horse called Big Chill out last night marking the second time one of their animals was drawn by bronc rider Chet Johnson of Gillette. Chet won money again splitting third and fourth place and earning $8,500. Chet’s winnings total just under $20,000 at the finals so far. Kelly Timberman from Mills, WY also went to the pay window to collect $5,600 after topping bareback horse Dusty Dan from the Harry Vold Rodeo Co.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Six

2008-12-10T09:15:00.005-07:00

Stock Rocks

Wyoming livestock performed at its peak in the bull riding to end the Tuesday night edition of the NFR in Las Vegas. Three different contractors - Burch from Rozet, Burns out of Laramie and Triple V near Casper - had an animal bucking. The world’s best bull riders could not make the eight-second stay. Chance Smart and Wesley Silcox both went down early as did Mike Moore who learned his trade at Casper College and the University of Wyoming. He was aboard “Q” owned by Bill and Dona Vold Larsen. Every bull in pro rodeo has a number and 007 is the one assigned “Q” thus associating him with the gadget man in all of the James Bond movies. One thing’s for sure; once a rider gets through on “Q” he is both shaken and stirred. Powell’s Kanin Asay made a nice move up the ladder last night by staying on for a 75.5 and fourth place. Only four riders made it to the eight-second horn. Asay sprang to fourth in the average and gathered $7,000 for the sixth-round effort which was enough to send his annual earnings into six figures for the year.

Billy Tops 200K

Rodeo’s most recognized face, Billy Etbauer, rode his bronc to first place in last night’s round and surpassed the $200,000 mark in annual earnings by winning the sixth round on a Wyoming-owned mare. The seven-year-old lost her back legs for a moment right out of the chutes but recovered and gave Billy Etbauer a superb trip. “He’s famous for being first or dirt. Billy will do everything he can to get all the buck possible out of a horse, so you always like to have Billy on your horses,” said ‘Fu Man Chu’ owner Hal Burns of Laramie. Etbauer remained focused after that staggered start. “We had to kind of rebuild again,” Etbauer said. Pretty incredible work for a fellow in his mid-40s competing against young bucks half his age. With typical humility after the rodeo Billy told me he is “tickled to death to be here.”

Les Cowboys Up

He could have let a tough night get to him. We all suffer a bad run now and then but it almost always is only recognized by a handful of folks. Monday Les Shepperson chased a steer around a rodeo arena packed with more than 17,000 people and viewed over national television. We’ve talked about the all-important average and Les wanted to get a time after not succeeding in his initial drop on the animal. Our Midwest, Wyoming steer wrestler finally caught the darn cow and toppled him after covering pretty much all the dirt out there. But the time clock had expired. Tuesday was another day and Les came out strong. He wrestled his steer for a time of 4.2 to split fifth and sixth place and got a check for $3,500. Now there’s a Wyoming Cowboy.

Exceptional Rodeo

It is a special day for kids from Las Vegas when they are able to participate in the Exceptional Rodeo. Cameraman extraordinaire Mike McCrimmon and I went to the event this year so that you could get a feel for it. Our on-camera guests include barrel racer Lindsay Sears, Todd Suhn who is a Nebraska steer wrestler and alum of the University of Wyoming and bullfighter Dusty Tuckness from Park County, Wyoming.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Five

2008-12-09T09:58:00.008-07:00

Miss C & Mr. Johnson

It was a match made in Wyoming. A great bucking horse and a great bronc rider. Chet Johnson wanted nothing more than to somehow have the luck to draw Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality, the pride of the Powder River Rodeo Company string out of Riverton, at the national finals. And he did. They paired last night for a beautiful, and classic, rock down the Thomas & Mack Center arena in Las Vegas. I saw Chet before the ride and his eyes actually shone. He looked like a little kid who found his first gift left on the pillow by the tooth fairy. He walked at a trot. I am quite sure the ankle pain that had been annoying him disappeared. If you love riding bucking horses you want nothing more than to have a shot at an animal like Miss C. Not that there are many like her. Actually none. No horse her size can get the air under it she does. She is so big in the chutes it can be very difficult for the rider to fit his legs down her flanks. The chute help has to pull in her rather large head at a 90 degree angle and then slowly let her even out before the gate can be opened. We are talking one big girl with an even bigger heart. “People don’t realize how strong she really is because she seems to move in slow motion. She’s a powerful horse and I was really excited to ride her,” said Johnson. “It’s a lot harder than it looks.” Chet handled her last night but it wasn’t easy. “She’s just ripping stuff away from you buck after buck. Judges don’t usually mark her as well as the faster and flashier horses but she is twice as hard to ride,” Johnson said. He rode to a share of third and fourth place, scored 85.5 and took home $8,500. “I won some money so it gets better from here,” bets Chet.

Still Standing

Halfway through the national finals all of the bull riders are still standing. So physically abused, it is a wonder to me how they manage to stay in one piece. But the even bigger game is upstairs. “Anybody who knows anything about bull riding knows what a head game it is,” says Hal Burns, stock contractor from Laramie. Burns can’t do anything to get in the head of Wyoming bull rider Seth Glause but if he could, he would. Seth can ride any of the bulls here but so far he’s been unable to get a score. We are all encouraging him every day and night. He will do it. Getting past the first one is the hard part. The lanky Rock Springs bull rider is at the finals for the first time. It can be overwhelming even for us duffers. We are talking about a 19-20 year old person. Come on. How did you handle Vegas at 20? And you didn’t have to get on a large, horned, bred to buck and spin animal. I know you’ll join me in sending good karma this way for Seth Glause.

Wyoming’s other two bull riders encountered interesting nights in Round 5. Kanin Asay had a great ride but a bad “get-off.” He is fine though. Just a horn to the right hip for a stinger. That’ll leave a mark. Kanin got a check for $10,000 scoring 87.5 and took the ending in stride. “I felt like I was moving a little too fast on him. I heard the whistle and I was going to go one way but he came up to me,” he recalls. Happily though the riders all walked out and that’s what counts.

Bobby Welsh made the whistle on a bull that sent him all along the chutes and to the other side from where they started. “He had a bad trip but made me work my tail off,” Welsh said. The score was a 53 with an option for a re-ride that Bobby chose not to take. “I just feel in my spirit I needed the score. It worked out two years ago. I was 62 and everybody but Donnie Gay thought I should have taken the re-ride. I have the same feeling I did then and it all worked out in the end,” Bobby assessed. He is fourth in the average, a slot ahead of the overall leader, Chance Smart. Welsh is now in second place in the world standings just $30,500 out of the top spot. Every scored ride, no matter the score, is of extreme value from now on out. Watch that average, or aggregate points, race. The totals there are very likely to crown the next world champion in bull riding.

Check Please

A couple of other Wyoming contestants were in the money last night. Steer wrestler Jason Miller began to get back on track finishing fifth with a 4.4 second run to win $4,300. And bareback rider Kelly Timberman also garnered a fifth-place check.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Four

2008-12-08T09:08:00.008-07:00

Back To Back Jack

Two Wyoming bull riders, out one right after the other, collected more than $26,000 finishing first and third respectively in the Sunday night session of the NFR broadcast live nationally. “Relieved,” said Kanin Asay afterward. The Powell, Wyoming man felt out of sync in his previous outings. “My Mom says you’ve got to ride for 10 – try, try, and try until you know you’ve made it and so do the judges.” His bull chose not to cooperate and take the expected left turn out of the gate. Instead there was an immediate right away from Asay’s hand. “I felt really good getting around there but he eventually got me tipped into my hand. I didn’t freeze up. I did what I had to do to get back in the middle,” Asay explained. He is speaking and riding with clarity. Excellent sign for Kanin and his fans. Bad sign for the bulls yet to come. The 82.5 score was good for third and $10K. Right before Asay’s ride, the gate swung open for Gillette’s Bobby Welsh and his bull called North Star. “He had an off day. I was just matching him jump for jump and stayed aggressive, “said Welsh. He was top man with an 88-point-ride. Bobby was bucked off early the previous two times but didn’t let it bother him. “I feel like I’m riding great and there’s nothing sore on me. I’m going to finish out the week in glory,” he said with confidence. His $16,767 check for last night’s first-place finish catapults Welsh to the #2 spot in the world standings.

Fourth Time The Charm

Kelly Timberman won the world championship in bareback riding in 2004. He is from the Casper area and has become a fan, and media, favorite across the world of professional rodeo. The first three rides at this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo netted no money for Timberman who is competing at his fifth finals. “There are always ups and downs at this rodeo. I’m an athlete. I’m going to push myself to be the very best and with those struggles come success if you work hard at it, “Timberman reflected. Last night he rode a horse from Beutler & Sons nicknamed South Point – after the casino where go-round buckles are presented every night. A score of 87.5 gave Kelly the win and a trip to South Point along with just under $17,000. “Judges like the horses that stay close and buck in tight circles near the chutes. The difference between those horses and this one is the quality of his bucking. He kicks so hard every jump,” Kelly said. He was a little dejected after the first three nights at the finals but looks to be back on track. “It’s a privilege to be here,” Kelly smiled wearing the bright green selection of his chaps custom-made by former Kaycee bareback rider Larry Sandvick.

On Willy

Yesterday we went out to the area where the contestants keep their trailers to visit with reigning world champion steer wrestler Jason Miller about Willy the Canadian horse. He is carrying three of the 15 steer wrestlers at the 2008 WNFR. When time allows we’ll have a video feature on this amazing 22-year-old that I think you will enjoy. There’s only one Willy and we hope you will come back to this blog to find out more concerning the King of Cool.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Three

2008-12-07T09:17:00.004-07:00

Bullish Bookends

It was “eliminator” night in the bull riding competition Saturday night and only the first and last men out stayed on for eight-second rides. They matched scores as well with a 91.5 leaving the other thirteen out of the money including all three of the Wyoming contestants. One of the nasty bulls came from Wyoming. He goes by the nickname Twisted T in honor of his dad Classical T out of the Burns Rodeo Company stock from Laramie. Hal Burns says the young bull is related to their most famous animal, Mr. T, who bucked off all comers for a long time and was finally topped for a rider score in Cheyenne in 1989 on the same rainy day Lane Frost was killed. Twisted T is a five-year-old who has had some health problems that have necessitated the removal of one horn. Burns says the bull is coming into his prime and has a bright future. He’s only been ridden successfully once. There is a bull riding competition in Laramie, Wyoming named after Mr. T and the young twisted one was scored on there a couple of years back by Seth Glause. He is here at the finals for the first time, like Twisted T, and at age 19 is still giving his all to try and get his first score. Burns likes Glause’s competitive spirit. “He has a lot of ability and unlimited try. Seth does not open his hand. If he hits the ground he got thrown off,” Burns chuckles.

Star Treks

Many celebrities were spotted at the rodeo last night prior to the bulk of them heading to the big boxing match in town. Basketball greats Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal, actor William Shatner of “Star Trek” and “Boston Legal” fame, to name a few. We are led to believe that was Captain Kirk’s niece sitting next to him.

The brightest star of all was Reba McEntire who sang the national anthem. Her career was launched by singing our country’s song at the NFR in Oklahoma City in 1974. She was actually first paid to sing in a Cheyenne, Wyoming hotel lobby when Reba was four years old and the family was in town for Frontier Days. She was handed a nickel to belt out “Jesus Loves Me.”

Miss Rodeo America

A few years ago we got to know Stacy Jo Johnson by taping her audition for a national television show. She got the part and switched lives with a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Stacy worked on the sidelines of a Cowboys home game and the cheerleader took on real cowboy life at the Johnson 99 Ranch west of Laramie. Stacy was always smiling and we knew then the University of Wyoming student would go far. She was as close as it comes to being named Miss Rodeo America this week in Las Vegas. Stacy finished the competition as First Runner Up and won three separate categories – Congeniality, Personality and Speech. All of Wyoming should be extremely proud of this young woman’s accomplishments. Hopefully after Stacy finishes school she’ll choose to stay in Wyoming. I can tell you from personal experience that she could contribute mightily to our state’s future.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Round Two

2008-12-06T09:13:00.010-07:00

The 50th national finals rodeo is underway in Las Vegas. The third round will be shown at 7:00 tonight, mountain time, on ESPN Classic. A record number of Wyoming contestants are competing. You can read all about how they are doing and obtain special features throughout the WNFR by checking here every morning through December 14.

Wyoming Travel & Tourism has partnered with Wrangler to showcase the state and our cowboys at the annual Cowboy Christmas extravaganza in the Las Vegas Convention Center. (Wrangler booth #425) You can meet and get autographs from Jason Miller (11am-1pm); Les Shepperson (12-2pm) and Kanin Asay (1-3pm) today. Folks are also gathering up a packets of Wyoming travel information and shopping in the Wrangler store for tonight's rodeo. There is no admission charge to Cowboy Christmas.

Two a Days

Midwest, WY steer wrestler Les Shepperson wishes he could make two runs a day instead of one at the national finals while a good number of his fellow doggers would like to have skipped last night. There were four who finished with no times and thus went out of whack entirely when considering the all-important average or aggregate total once ten rounds are in the books. A fifth steer wrestler timed out at 14 seconds and when three runs should total about that much time it makes catching up with the pack very difficult. “This pen of steers was a lot trickier than the first night,” said Shepperson who threw his in 4.1 seconds finishing third and winning another $10K to bring his two night total to nearly $16,000. He is meeting the challenge of a first timer at the WNFR head-on and focused. “Most of the other rodeos you’re trying to pump yourself up. Here you’ve got to calm yourself down.”

There are three different sets of 20 steers being used at the finals, from three separate stock contractors. The steer wrestlers made the choices based on which ones they expected would stop the least. Hopes were that most or all would not pull up or otherwise trick the doggers until the animals had been out three or four times. Last night’s steers showed their apprehensiveness of the short arena even though it was their first run. That group will be out two more times. The contestant favorites came into play the opening night of the WNFR and are to return to action in rounds four, seven and ten. Those steers were first in a rodeo at Cheyenne this summer.

Les Shepperson: Round Two

Calling on Kaycee

Bryce Miller earned his bronc riding spurs in Kaycee, Wyoming. He now resides in South Dakota and is off to a start that has to make the Forbes clan proud. The Forbes family has been helping young bronc riders for decades and there isn’t any question they consider Bryce one of their own. He is leading the average after two rounds at the national finals and has earned more than $30,000. Miller is fourth in the world standings and appears capable nightly of making up ground on those ahead of him.

Bulls 3, Cowboys 0

Wyoming’s trio of bull riders left the national finals arena empty handed last night. Seth Glause and Kanin Asay still need to make their first buzzers. Bobby Welsh of Gillette also launched early, way early, and will no doubt find his way back to the pay window soon. He holds on to second place in the average and fourth in the world standings. Glause strained his shoulder during his outing last night but walked by us a few minutes after and said he was alright and ready for another go.

Miss C Monday

Powder River Rodeo Company’s Hank Franzen says he’s been told the amazing bronc Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality will buck out Monday for the first time at this year’s finals. She finished in the top three balloting for bucking horse of the year. Round 5, Monday, is termed the “TV Round” which is designed to give the viewing public the best looking crop of animal talent and there’s no doubt this young lady from Wyoming won’t disappoint. Her first buck out of the chutes is more of a launch and leaves you wondering how a horse that big can jump so high.

Three Wyoming Bull Riders & A First Fighter

2008-12-05T07:44:00.012-07:00

You’d have to really scour the record books to find the last time three Wyoming contestants made the finals in bull riding. So far I haven’t been able to see a match for it in the written record. They are fine young men and the one smallest in stature was tall dog at the pay window Thursday. Gillette bull rider Bobby Welsh started his quest for a world champion’s gold buckle by winning the first round of the 50th annual national finals rodeo in Las Vegas last night. Welsh rode a bull he’d never been on before and had fun. “He beat me out just a little bit but I recovered well and just kept going to his front end,” said Welsh. He knew a 90-point score would be possible if he stayed on after waiting a month for last night to arrive. “I’ve never been this excited early at the finals,” Bobby echoed in media interviews for audiences from Canada to Mexico after the night was over and the Welsh family had a little more than $16,000 to put in the bank. They’ve been traveling together all year. Bobby entered 92 rodeos and his wife barrel raced in about half that many. “We were really looking forward to tonight and weren’t disappointed.”

Kanin Asay, of Powell, was not able to make the eight and the aftermath looked a lot worse than the resulting torn shirt and upper arm cut. “I haven’t been on for awhile and didn’t ride like I should have,” said Asay. He was caught underneath the animal for a short time however he escaped mostly unscathed. “I’ll be good to go tomorrow,” he smiled.

Kanin Asay: Round-One

Seth Glause appeared ready to finish his inaugural national finals appearance with a scored ride but lost his grip less than a half-second before the eight-second horn. The 19-year-old Rock Springs cowboy is the pride of Central Wyoming Community College’s rodeo team in Riverton. His coach, Rick Smith, is here in Vegas and is sure to be offering counsel before his young charge gives it a second go. Seth is proud bearer of the number 50 back number at this historic finals now a half-century old. Another Wyoming man was out in the bull riding competition and could not have been more anxious. “It was awesome,” said bullfighter Dusty Tuckness of Meeteetse. He was in the alternate slot and got called to duty because of the broken leg sustained by Darrell Diefenbach two months ago. Darrell asked to stay out for a few more days and until his return Dusty is planning to make the most of his first chance to work in the national finals arena.

Seth Glause: Round One

Les Gets More WYO Dough

Les Shepperson surely honored the path blazed by his Dad. Frank won the world in steer wrestling in 1975. Les, from Midwest, came out strong in his first-ever national finals run dispatching his steer in 4.2 seconds to earn nearly $5,800. Must be that lucky can of Copenhagen in his shirt pocket.

Les Shepperson: Round-One

A couple of other Wyoming contestants took home cash in the first round of the WNFR. Gillette’s Chet Johnson collected $2,700 for sixth in bronc riding and world champion steer wrestler Jason Miller pocketed $1,350 in a sixth-place split. Six Wyoming cowboys hold in high regard a state tourism office sponsorship and four of them won money in Las Vegas last night. If those odds were greeting gamblers out on The Strip the town powers-that-be could never afford to build all those new casinos.

Chet Johnson: Round-One

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Gets Underway

2008-12-04T11:04:00.002-07:00

The 50th national finals rodeo is underway in Las Vegas. The first round will be shown at 10:00 tonight, mountain time, on ESPN2. A record number of Wyoming contestants are competing. You can read all about how they are doing and obtain special features throughout the WNFR by checking here every morning through December 14.

Wyoming Travel & Tourism has partnered with Wrangler to showcase the state and our cowboys at the annual Cowboy Christmas extravaganza in the Las Vegas Convention Center. (Wrangler booth #425) You can meet the contestants who will be handing out free autograph sheets every day, gather up a packet of Wyoming travel information and spend time in the Wrangler store picking up everything you need to dress right for tonight's rodeo. There is no admission charge to Cowboy Christmas.

Please check here for a short bio of the Wyoming cowboys who are sponsored by Wyoming Travel & Tourism.

Signing today at Cowboy Christmas are reigning world champion steer wrestler Jason Miller, his traveling partner - and first time WNFR qualifier - Les Shepperson, and bull rider Kanin Asay.

Powder River, Let 'er Buck!!!

Frankly Speaking

2008-12-04T09:48:00.003-07:00

My friend Gene Bryan calls him “the gentle giant” and Frank Shepperson carries that title well. He is to me what represents the very best of Wyoming’s ranching roots. His family had to work off the ranch most of their lives in order to keep the place afloat. By the 1970s, Frank had gone down the road throwing steers at pro rodeos long and hard enough to be able to take a run at a world championship at the national finals in Oklahoma City. He won his gold in 1975. The buckle and saddle were nice keepsakes. The money winnings didn’t compare to today - $14,500 a round now; $900 then – but he met the main goal Shepperson was reaching for all along. “We wanted to get together enough to where all we had to do was ranch. And that did it for me. It really worked well. I haven’t been back in the oil field or driving Caterpillar for other people,” says Frank with a smile.

Steer wrestlers often remind me of offensive lineman and linebackers in football. They are big men who do the little things right. They are a brotherhood of quiet, resourceful fellows. Often times you think of rodeo as the epitome of individual human endeavor versus an animal. In bull dogging there is the absolute need for teamwork. The hazer and dogger and their two blazing quick horses have to be in sync. It all happens so fast. Just one small error can throw the run into a wreck. More often than not they manage to make it work. Practice matters. Wyoming’s two steer wrestlers competing at the 2008 national finals worked many steers with friends in Texas and California before making the trip to Vegas.

Jason Miller, the reigning champ, was practicing in Casper within a short time of winning the title last December. Frank Shepperson was there watching. His son had brought in some “sorry and tricky” steers and they were run out of chutes at the small, indoor arena. Frank says Jason dropped on one and took awhile to muck him down. “He came over to me afterward and said ‘Frank, what do you reckon I did wrong?’” Frank gave his opinion but wanted to say: “You go back home and go into the bathroom, look in the mirror and ask that son-of-a-gun,” Frank told me. “I was the same way. It doesn’t sink in immediately that you are the champion, numero uno,” Shepperson recalls. Especially for Wyoming’s ranch cowboys who wrestle rodeo steers. There are cows to doctor and hay to buy, fence and windmills to fix.

This is going to be a very special finals for Frank. His son, Les, qualified for the first time. The 30-year-old has mostly answered to “Frankie” growing up but he is Les today and he can’t wait to display his own steer wrestling prowess. He is doing it for Dad. “He’s helped me a lot. I’ve always looked up to him. It’s a neat deal because I can practice so easy with a world champion right there at home,” Les said.

Home is 80,000 acres of Powder River country ranch where the cattle are rangy and the cowboys stout. Frank Shepperson wrestled rodeo steers to keep, and build upon, the family operation. Now it is Les’ turn. More power to him.

Horses That Buck

2008-11-24T09:36:00.017-07:00

Bill Smith competed in his first NFR in 1965 and a few years later after he’d started to make money and get noticed a reporter in Dallas asked Smith what he liked best about rodeo. “Horses that buck,” said Cody Bill – nicknamed for the town in Wyoming he called home. Rodeo announcers followed suit and would introduce Smith by mentioning his favorite part of the sport. Now that phrase has been turned into the title of a book written by Margot Kahn. “Horses That Buck” is in its third printing. Bill traveled to Oklahoma for a book signing session recently and didn’t have to scratch his name once by the second day because all the books had been sold. “I can’t really judge it, but I’ve been told it’s a page-turner,” said Smith. He won three bronc riding world championships and had many stories to tell Kahn. A love story between Bill and his wife Carole is evident from the beginning.

They moved to Thermopolis, Wyoming from Cody and started a quarterhorse ranch in 1981. It’s grown to become one of the most successful operations of its kind. They have two sales per year. Bill credits Carole for making it work. At the center of everything is a love of horses. “Before I could walk, I was riding. I’d ride anything and I always wanted to ride buckin’ horses,” Smith recalls. Carole was a professional barrel racer. They met along the rodeo road in 1973 – the year Bill won his third gold buckle. Thirty-five years later it is clear Carole and Bill’s bond, and nurturing of horses, remains as strong – or stronger - than ever.

Bill came from a poor coal mining clan that survived in Red Lodge, Montana where the two most famous families in the early days of rodeo resided. The Linderman and Greenough names are permanently etched in the Hall of Fame. “I saw the lifestyle they had and I saw my lifestyle. I knew that I liked theirs better,” said Smith. As a boy he became a fanatic about catching range horses, covering them with a borrowed saddle, and trying to ride.

When the mines shut down, the Smith family moved to Cody, Wyoming and Bill developed his skills at the Cody Nite Rodeo. He would grow to become the best bronc rider in the world during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For those of us who came of age during that tumultuous time in our country there is something quite comforting today about listening to Bill’s calm voice as he reflects on the height of his rodeo career: “I couldn’t handle half of the horses I tried to ride and I never saw one horse I didn’t love. ‘Descent’ was the best bucking horse I ever saw. When they retired him at the Denver Stock Show I sat there with tears running down my cheeks,” said Smith with a noticeable sheen on his eyes even now. Smith would mount ‘Descent’ more than anyone and came out five for nine. “He took anybody on and didn’t ask for any favors. I have so much respect for him.”

You quit competing in professional rodeo when you can’t win anymore. Bill Smith went out on top and while he has grave concerns about the current status of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association he harbors nothing but respect for the young people starting their careers in rodeo now. Smith’s brother, Rick, is rodeo coach at Central Wyoming Community College in Riverton. “There isn’t a kid on his team that I wouldn’t love to have in my house and around me all the time. They are so clean cut, well mannered and All-American,” he asserts.

One of those kids is Seth Glause who will compete at his first national finals this year in bull riding. Seth is also a bronc rider and one day wants to make the finals in both events. If he does you can bet a three-time world champ will be sitting in front of his RCA in Thermopolis confidently rooting for young Seth but equally excited about the bucks of his horse.

PHOTO CAPTIONS & CREDITS
*Bill and Carole Smith, 2006. Photo by Holly Clanahan.
Courtesy of America's Horse
*Bill Smith on his father's packhorse, ca. 1945.
Collection of Bill Smith
*Seth Glause of Rock Springs mentally prepares for his ride.

Lucky 13

2008-11-21T14:38:00.012-07:00

On March 13, 1949 he won the first rodeo contest he’d ever entered. He wore the back number “13” at the National Finals Rodeo and won the bareback riding competition in 1962. And on August 13, 1987 Ralph Buell shot a hole-in-one playing golf. “Thirteen is not unlucky for me,” says Buell.

Ralph is sitting at his dining room table in Cheyenne, Wyoming where he retired from a house painting business several years ago. Ralph and his wife have a lovely brick home in a section of town called Western Hills. You might know a house painter would have a brick house. Buell has propped on a chair a poster-sized photo of himself. I’d never met Ralph until a couple of weeks ago. I can’t say who Ralph Buell was before. Today he is slender, clear-eyed and gracious toward the strangers gathered around him. The photo depicts a much different person physically. I think it is safe to say Ralph has changed. As a doctor once told me many years back: “You have to modify your lifestyle.” Another medical person later said something to the effect that if I planned to enjoy retirement some alterations were in order. Maybe medical people convinced Ralph too. I’m not sure. Whatever happened; it worked. Good for him.

Buell rode bucking horses for a living from 1952 to 1968. He won twenty big rodeos including San Antonio, Fort Worth, Pendleton, Prescott and Cheyenne. He championed “The Daddy” the same year – 1962 – that he got the gold buckle at the national finals. It was the first year for the NFR in Los Angeles. The previous three were staged in Dallas. During most of the 1950s the biggest rodeo of the year brought cowboys to New York City for a month of competition in Madison Square Garden. Ralph Buell was there for eight years and found the time in New York pretty enjoyable overall. He still chuckles about the fellow and his kids who came up to him before the rodeo one night. “Anybody get hurt last night?” the man inquired. “Were they supposed to?” replied Ralph. The ranch-raised have a gift for quick comebacks.

Ralph had a nemesis horse he could never really master. “Come Apart” did just that to most who mounted for an eight-second try. Buell got past him during the 1962 national finals and that helped secure the champion’s buckle and saddle. The day (or round) money back then was about $400.

As I watched Ralph Buell thumb through his leather-bound book of picture memories it struck me that the most important, and meaningful, act in this person’s life had little to do with his accomplishments in the rodeo arena. Of much more value to Ralph and those around him is proving he was no longer that man pictured at the end of the dining room table.

Special Ks

2008-11-04T12:28:00.004-07:00

They stood tall in the middle of a Casper rodeo arena last weekend forming a line of very special “ks” – Kaleb, Kanin and Klayton Asay – each rail thin and over six-feet tall. Their last name is pronounced “A-see.” What we all could see and feel, through a teary haze once the singer began her version of “God Bless America,” was unabashed pride in our flag, our country, and our young people. Brothers Kaleb and Kanin were there to compete in the rodeo. Klayton was standing on turned American soil one more night before readying himself for a second tour of duty in the Middle East. None of the young men has reached twenty-five years on this earth. Klayton can’t talk about his job in the military. Word does spread nonetheless that he is a Special Forces Interrogator. Whatever his task you can be assured Klayton does it with honor. He is strong of mind, body and spirit – clearly a family trait.

Kaleb Asay is fast becoming a cowboy to watch in professional saddle bronc riding competition. He’s off to such a start that he has just been named rookie-of-the-year in his event.

Kanin Asay is one of pro rodeo’s best bull riders. He could have stayed home following a serious injury in early July. Kanin went head-to-head with a big bull several times. He remembers very little. Onlookers say there were probably four head bashings and Kanin was flopped to the side where he was hung-up and thrashed about mercilessly before going to the dirt and suffering further punishment from the bull’s powerful legs. A helicopter rushed Kanin to a Portland, Oregon hospital. A ruptured spleen was removed. There was an ear to reset since it was half torn off. An eye socket was smashed. But Kanin awoke determined to ride again. And by the latter part of September he was back at his chosen profession. Kanin Asay will return to the national finals next month in Las Vegas. He has a very long stretch of stitching from breastbone to navel but confidence is lighting his eyes again. His stride is long and straight. His Christian beliefs light every day.

He now dutifully dons a helmet which has already proved an invaluable addition to his gear. His helmeted hero, brother Klayton, is back in harm’s way. The least Kanin will do is ride his best and pray for Klayton. After all, Kanin can learn about and prepare for each bull. Klayton faces a mysterious enemy in a foreign land where no amount of training or experience insures a safe landing back in this country.

As the Asay men of Powell, Wyoming strained under the spotlight Saturday night and the singer – a veteran paratrooper in Desert Storm – gave her American song life, the brothers’ grandfather let tears stream down his face. He was not alone.

Ruling the Roost

2008-10-29T08:58:00.007-06:00

When the boss sidles up to you on shipping day and says “You’re coming to lunch” you are going to be at that ranch table and you are obliged to eat – a lot. This is a truth above all else when it comes to the kitchen, living room, mud porch and every other part of American West rural life: She is The Boss. I speak from experience. The latest was out on Miller Ranch last week. Bev Miller appeared at our side as we chronicled for television the day of cow gathering, sorting and shipping. Then Bev went back to tending a fidgety grandchild. Her son Jason – the current world champion steer wrestler of pro rodeo – rode over our way a little later. “The boss says you’re coming to lunch?” he quizzed. “It would be a sin not to,” I replied. He nodded in the affirmative and went back to chores at hand.

Once a lunch appearance was assured through those discernable only to cowboys signals I can’t really explain, the patriarch of the place, Pat Miller, ambled by and we had a good conversation. He explained the oil-rich history of Lance Creek, Wyoming and how there used to be a school full of kids, several grocery stores and even a landing strip. He spoke not with grim nostalgia but with pride. He has seen a lot of changes and isn’t about to dwell on a one. Much more important now is deciding on pastures for winter grazing.

Watching the Miller family and friends take care of business in the corral made me appreciate all the more a way of life that is, I think, what keeps a lot of us here that could have moved elsewhere. It is a spirit of freedom, clean air and water, and open space. We – Mike the Camera Genius and I – moved around the outer edges of the pens throughout the morning just about clueless as to the progression of events. “What are they doing now?” I ask Pat who is standing next to me. “We want all the calves getting shipped to be of similar size and look,” he says. And so the son-in-law points a finger one way to send the chosen 108 to market and bends a thumb back to indicate those animals that aren’t going away today. I know the steers were punching a trip ticket but how those heifers were deciphered for differences in appearance is way out of my league. They are all black, four legs, and their moms are bawling. It was a great way to spend the morning. We leave the corral realizing there was not one second spent worrying or fretting about personal or job issues. We were transfixed and transported to 1892 and …what is this four-wheeled thing with an engine anyway?

Beef was piled high back in Bev Miller’s kitchen. We all left our footwear outside. Everyone was directed to wash up. The food line moved quickly and the feast was on. I looked over at Jason and thought about what he said as he switched horses that morning: “I don’t know anybody that ranches because it pays so good. You get to live in the country. You’re your own boss. You get to ride horses and work cows every day. You can’t ask for anything better than that, I don’t think.”

Well said, Jason. Just remember who is boss.

MILLER RANCH
Pro rodeo’s champion steer wrestler Jason Miller is a top hand on the family cattle ranch. We travel to shipping day at Miller Ranch with photojournalist Mike McCrimmon and reporter Curtis Scott:

2008-07-24T09:26:00.005-06:00

Billy’s Back

The most recognized name and face in professional rodeo arrived in Cheyenne early and his back is hurting. Billy Etbauer rides broncs like no other and he’s aged well by staying in great physical condition. But he finished a ride a few days ago by striking a fence and he’s visibly seized up. Etbauer sought some medical assistance from the Justin Sports Medicine team in Cheyenne yesterday along with a consult with Cheyenne Dr. Skip Ross. Billy will do all he can to have his body ready for his first ride at frontier days tomorrow. If you know anything at all about this man who has graced his mid-forties by leading the world standings again, Billy Etbauer will be spurring with everything he has to try and win what has proved to be the most elusive individual championship for him – The Daddy Of ‘em All. Etbauer traveled for many years with his two brothers, Dan and Robert. Dan is working as a pick-up man at Cheyenne Frontier Days this year. There is no rodeo man on this earth who would be happier than Dan will be if he rides alongside his brother to bring him safely down from a gold buckle ride in Cheyenne.

Pouring Down Scores Up

The skies finally broke over the arena yesterday and it was a good gully washer for much of an hour. Mud made for some splashy rides and runs. It’s always great to see that spray sent forward by the steer wrestlers. There were some high marks in bareback riding once the rain came including the two top rides of the competition so far – a pair of 87-point scampers by Bobby Mote of Oregon and newcomer Tyrel Nelson who lives in Cheyenne.

Hawaiian Exhibition

Cheyenne is recognizing the 100th anniversary of the 1908 Daddy when a trio of steer ropers from Hawaii competed in, and won, frontier days. A few “paniolos” – Hawaiian for cowboys – showed their skills in the Cheyenne arena yesterday. They have a very unique way of roping a steer’s head to a rail. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum has a special exhibit open on the whole history of Hawaiian cowboys in Cheyenne. Give it a look if you get the chance.

Friday Highlights

If you are a Wyoming rodeo fan you’ll want to get up early and cheer on world champion steer wrestler Jason Miller tomorrow. He’ll be out for frontier days slack beginning at 7 a.m. It’s free and the Lance Creek, WY dogger would appreciate the cheers. Jason is attending the free pancake breakfast tomorrow to flip jacks and sign autographs. He should be downtown by 8:30. Several hours before that bullfighter Jeremy Sparks is scheduled to be interviewed by a team from “The CBS Early Show.” Pending a last-minute change of events, Jeremy is supposed to make a 4:50 a.m. curtain call for a nationally-televised appearance from Cheyenne Depot Square.

Welsh & Sparks & Cash

2008-07-23T08:37:00.005-06:00

Look at the picture closely. Bobby Welsh rides a bull at Cheyenne Frontier Days yesterday. Jeremy Sparks, the bullfighter, fronts the action drawing the bull’s attention and the bull takes notice. What will happen next? Looks to me like Bobby is going to fall off and Sparks is in for a stomping. Nothing could be further from what takes place. Welsh regains his balance and Jeremy does his job making sure Bobby gets the best possible score out of his eight seconds on top. Bobby‘s ride was scored a 78. Why would young men put themselves in such precarious positions? They can. From a young age a parent, mentor, or rodeo hero they saw on television gave them inspiration. And then adrenaline took over. A rodeo song I have on a compilation CD is probably findable on I-Tunes. If you don’t have the ability or desire to go web-hunting here are a couple of stanzas from “Bull Rider” as recorded by Johnny Cash. The song was written by Rodney Crowell who was married for a time to Johnny’s daughter Roseanne. To me, this holds up pretty well and really captures the intensity, drama, and reckless nature of an event that once the chute gate opens, no one can avert their eyes from watching. Frankly, the man in black was actually way before his time (as usual) and did “Bull Rider” circa 1979 in a mostly spoken rap:

Well first you got to want to get off bad enough to want to get on him in the first place.

And you better trust in your Lady Luck and pray to God that she don’t give up on you right now.

Live fast. Die young. Bull Rider.

One hand hold is all you got. It’s you and the bull against the clock and of course the crowd.

And once upon a spinnin’ ton, nothin’ else you ever done can pull this way.

You’re just outside the buckin’ chute, lose a spur you lose a seat and you lose yourself.

By now he’s buckin’ mean and dirty, slingin’ mud and cowboy boots and kickin’ clowns.

No fools. No fun. Bull Rider.

Weathering the Storm

2008-07-22T09:29:00.005-06:00

Done a Dirty

Bobby Welsh has the perfect build for a bull rider. He’s compact, close to the ground, and body balanced – above and below the beltline. This season most bulls are having trouble getting Bobby down early. The pride of Gillette holds a spot in the Top Five of all pro rodeo bull riders and has sights firmly set on another visit to the national finals in December. One of the David Bailey string called Gentle Ben was not so much gentle as downright nasty in the frontier days rodeo arena yesterday making a nifty move to toss Welsh a bit before the eight-second buzzer. “He did me a dirty right at the end there,” Welsh said. He’ll be back out today at Cheyenne trying for go-round money (#2) on Mr. Wilson.

Nose Job

Matt Bright went dark for a split second following his 79-point bareback ride yesterday at Cheyenne. A pickup man’s horse kicked Bright in the side of the nose popping it off center like a Mike Tyson roundhouse would have done in that boxer’s heyday. Bright, though battle-scarred, spent the rest of the rodeo displaying his hoof altered and cotton stuffed proboscis. “Cheap plastic surgery,” he remarked.

Asay Update

A Top Ten bull rider who is just coming into his own as one of the world’s best suffered serious injuries in Oregon early this month and initially Kanin Asay said he wanted to get back in the arena by the tour rodeo in Idaho come mid-August. Kanin’s brother Kaleb, who scored nicely in the saddle bronc competition at Cheyenne yesterday, now says Kanin plans to be ready to go by the famed Pendleton, Oregon tilt which starts September 10. I find that decision a wise one considering the extent of Kanin’s injuries and the need for a proper convalescence.

First Weekend Impressions

2008-07-21T09:04:00.003-06:00

My first Cheyenne Frontier Days view was from the airport tarmac arriving for a job beginning the day after the 1982 Daddy ended. Talk about your Monday morning “coming down.” A group of people who worked at the radio station that hired me showed up but they weren’t really there. I asked the one who could stand up, although with a definite lean, why everyone looked so tired. “We just had our annual rodeo. It’s quite a party.”

Indeed. The years have led me past the partying aspect that is without question still a major part of the frontier days ambience – mostly for the younger set. I think those of us who’ve stayed a part of the event find a niche and follow it. My job affords me the good fortune to both work and help out at the rodeo without having to take vacation time like so many must, and do, every year. Because helping the media on behalf of Wyoming is one of my chief duties, connecting journalists with cowboys falls within the job description.

We usually find a way to crank out a television feature or two as well. This year it is most likely to focus on bullfighter Jeremy Sparks. We may also acquaint viewers with the bull riding Welsh boys out of Gillette. Tune in for more later in the week.

The “ready” area for rough stock cowboys is where I hang my hat during the rodeo performances. If a press person needs to talk to someone it’s my job to find them. Not always easy since there are only a few “stars” and physical characteristics of this particular brand of cowboy athlete are very similar. But we usually get the job done and the cowboys are almost always happy to chat. One was a little reticent Sunday.

The other rodeo work he and his traveling pards had to do this past weekend made it necessary for Jesse Bail to put two go-rounds into one day yesterday at Cheyenne. He’s in good shape in saddle-bronc riding. He also rode two bulls to scores. However, the tally on the last ride was low (54) and Bail wanted to make the Sunday finals with a good chance to win so he took a re-ride. He was tossed early. His hip is hurting. Whose wouldn’t be? And he is peeved, mostly at himself, because of the number of chute seats he took. All that aside, what I saw was a young man with a truck full of grit. He was actually ready to get back out there and take on that last bull again. “I didn’t know him. I know him now and I want to ride him....right now.” Five rides, two horses and three bulls, in one day at the Daddy and Bail was ready to go again. There’s a cowboy who ought to change his last name.