North Platte, Neb. – The Buffalo Bill Rodeo attracts the cream of the crop to North Platte this weekend.
Four-hundred thirty-six contestants will be in town for the rodeo, including eight world champions: bull rider Dustin Elliott, North Platte; steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch and tie-down roper Troy Pruitt, both of Gering; bareback rider Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas; tie-down roper and all around Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas, team ropers Nick Sartain, Dover, Okla., and Kollin VonAhn, Durant, Okla., and saddle bronc rider Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Montana.
Along with those world champions are plenty of home-state cowboys who have just as much a chance as the “big boys” at earning the gold buckle. Seventy-three Huskers are among the 400 plus contestants.
And for those Nebraska cowboys, the trip to North Platte is among the shortest trips they’ll take as they hit the rodeo circuit. For Gering cowboy Riley Pruitt, who is a three hour drive away, the trip is “absolutely nothing at all.” Pruitt, who graduated from Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington this spring, will rope against his dad, Troy Pruitt, who won the world tie-down roping championship in 1990.
Local cowboy Dustin Elliott will ride bulls in North Platte on Saturday night. He’s won the Buffalo Bill Rodeo twice, and for him, the rodeo is extra special. “It’s always good to sleep in my own bed, and then go win some money,” he said. Elliott, who has lived in North Platte since 2004, gave his first North Platte buckle to his father-in-law to wear. He is the 2004 Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association Bull Riding Champion.
Another home-state cowboy has had good luck in North Platte. Garrett Nokes, who lives in McCook, won the steer wrestling title in 1999 and the tie-down roping title the year prior. He will compete in those events, plus the team roping, and with his brother-in-law and friends living in town, will have his own cheering section. “I’ve always enjoyed that rodeo, and seemed to do well there.”
For Bump Kraeger, competing in North Platte fulfills a lifelong dream. When the Weeping Water man was growing up, his family took summer vacations to NebraskaLand Days to watch the rodeo. As a child, his heroes were the cowboys in the arena and he thought, “I have just as good a chance at walking on the moon as I do at competing in North Platte.” He has steer wrestled at the rodeo for ten years, and his son, Hoyt, a college sophomore at UN-L, will also compete there.
Whether they’re home-state cowboys or out-of-towners, fans will still get treated to the excitement, pageantry, and unpredictability of rodeo.
The rodeo kicks off at 8 pm each night, June 13-16. Timed event slack is June 13 and 14 at 8 am and is free to the public. For more information, visitwww.NebraskaLandDays.com