Ron Richardson holds granddaughter Rowan Lee at the 2014 Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte. Ron and his wife Nancy have never missed a year of the rodeo.
Five generations of North Platte family have attended rodeo
North Platte, Neb. (May 18, 2015) – Ron and Nancy Richardson’s granddaughter is getting a special rodeo treat.
On her birthday, which is May 23, the soon to be three year old will get a pair of spurs from her grandma and grandpa and a pair of boots from her mother, just in time to wear them to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.
Little Rowan, who is Ron and Nancy’s granddaughter, is the fifth generation of her family to attend the rodeo, held in North Platte the third weekend of June each year.
Her mom, Brooke Lee, has gone to the rodeo with her parents, Ron and Nancy, since she was a little girl. And Nancy, who grew up in Wellfleet, attended the rodeo with her grandparents, beginning when she was just a toddler.
Actually, Nancy estimates she’s never missed a year of the rodeo since she was two, and Ron hasn’t missed many years, either. Before NebraskalandDays came to North Platte, and the rodeo was a separate event held in August, Ron’s grandparents and parents had box seats in front, when the rodeo was held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.
And their own kids went with them when they were young. Jason, who is married to Suzanne and lives in North Platte, and Brooke, who is married to Cody Lee, have gone every year and still attend. Jason and Suzanne’s daughter Daytona has also attended the rodeo.
It’s made great memories, Ron said. When Jason was two or three, his parents dressed him in a Ted Kimzey (a former North Platte rodeo barrelman) look-alike costume and put him in the kids’ parade. Jason won the best dressed costume, and a photographer took a picture of him and mounted it, two feet square, in his studio window. “We got more comments off that thing,” Ron said. “Jason had a ball.”
Nancy remembers getting a picture taken with Rex Allen, and her brother and cousins, back when the rodeo invited a celebrity each year. In 1985, Rex Allen returned for a second visit to the rodeo, and Nancy had her picture taken with him again, this time with Brooke.
Ron and Nancy love good rodeos, and they’ve traveled all over the nation to see them. They’ve been to Frontier Days in Cheyenne and went to Arlington, Texas for the American Rodeo this past March. And they have plans to go to the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up in 2016.
They’ve seen rodeo livestock all over the country, but Ron considers the North Platte livestock to be the best. Bennie and Rhett Beutler of Beutler and Son Rodeo provide the horses and bulls in North Platte. “Beutler has some of the best stock, second to none, in the U.S.,” Ron said. “They’ve been here since the rodeo started, so they must be doing something right. They’re just good.”
Ron, who spent his youthful weekends and summers on the family ranch twenty miles north of Sutherland, appreciates good horseflesh, and his favorite parts of the rodeo is the saddle bronc riding, the tie-down roping, and the bulldogging. “I like good broncs,” he said. “I like it all, but I like the saddle bronc riding the best. And I like to watch good calf roping horses and the bulldogging, in that order.”
This year’s rodeo begins at 8 pm each night, June 17-20 at the Wild West Arena in North Platte. Tickets range in price from $7 to $15 and are available online at NebraskalandDays.com, at the NebraskalandDays new office (2801 Charlie Evans Drive at the Wild West Arena), and at the gate. For more information, visit the website or call 308.532.7939.
The Mid-Plains Community College rodeo team competed in the Black Hills State University rodeo this April 24 – 25 in Spearfish, South Dakota and the women’s team placed seventh with 60 points.
In individual events, Mati Humphrey placed fifth in barrel racing with a time of 28.72 seconds.
For the season, in the Great Plains region of the National Interllegiate Rodeo Association, the men’s team is currently in eighth place with 1,070 points. The women’s team is in 10th place with 170 points.
Individually, Duell Puttergill is in sixth in saddle bronc riding. In bull riding, Keali’i’auka Kaai is in fourth place with 290 points, fifth place is Colter Glendy with 230 points. Tyler Viers is sixth with 190 points. Tyler Wriedt is in 11th place with 80 points and Dakota Rice is tied for 12th with 70 points. Tyler Murray is tied for 11th in steer wrestling.
Mid-Plains has two more rodeos left in the season. May 1 – 2 they compete in the Hastings College rodeo. May 8 – 9 they travel to Dickinson N.D. to participate in the Dickinson State University rodeo.
The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo team traveled to Brookings, S. D. and competed in the South Dakota State University Rodeo on April 10 – 11.
Mid-Plains finished in seventh place in the men’s team standings with 60 points and 10th in the women’s team standings with five points.
Individually, in steer wrestling, Tyler Murray finished in fourth at 15.7 seconds and Tyler Wriedt finished in eighth at 18.8 seconds. In breakaway roping, Kalie Jacobson finished in eighth with 3.1 seconds in the long round.
In the updated Great Plains region, Mid-Plains is seventh in the men’s team standings and the women are 10th.
In the individual standings, Duell Puttergill is fifth with 230 points in saddle bronc riding. Tyler Murray is tied for eighth with 200 points in steer wrestling. In bull riding, Mid-Plains has four cowboys in the top 15 in the region. Keali’i’aukai Kaai is in fourth place with 290 points; Colter Glendy is in fifth with 230 points; Tyler Viers and Dakota Rice are tied for 10th place with 70 points.
The Mid-Plains rodeo team’s next action is April 17 – 18 at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln rodeo.
Governor Pete Ricketts (center) rides down Goodhue Boulevard with members of the UNL Rodeo Team in front of the Nebraska State Capitol after proclaiming Rodeo Week.
Lincoln – Monday afternoon, Governor Ricketts joined members of the UNL Rodeo Association and UNL Rodeo Team on horseback to proclaim Rodeo Week in Nebraska ahead of the 57th Annual UNL Rodeo, which will be held April 17th and 18th at the Lancaster County Events Center. Before joining members of the UNL Rodeo Team for a ride down Goodhue Boulevard just south of the State Capitol, the Governor signed and read the proclamation designating April 12th-18th as Rodeo Week from horseback at the Governor’s Residence.
The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team recently signed five recruits for the 2015 – 2016 season.
They are Shane Weber, Rowdy Moon, Riley Weehler, Trey Engel and Garrett Wickett.
Weber is a saddle bronc rider from Burwell. He is currently third in the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association. Weber will be seeking a degree in electrical technology.
Moon is a bareback rider from Sargent. Moon has qualified for the National High School Rodeo finals and is leading the state in bareback. Moon plans on studying business while attending Mid-Plains.
Weehler is a tie-down roper and team roper from Maloy, Iowa. Weehler is a two-time Iowa state champion and has qualified for nationals three times. He is currently fourth in the tie-down and second in the team roping for the state of Iowa. Weehler will be an agri-business major.
Engel is a bull-rider from Clarks, Nebraska. Engel is a two-time Iowa State Champion in bull-riding and a three-time national qualifier. Engel will study diesel technology in college.
Wickett is a bull-rider from Pierce. Wickett qualified for nationals as a junior and is currently second in the state. Wickett plans to major in agri-business in college.
Julie Timmerman, of Burwell, is the 2014 Miss Old West Trail Rodeo queen. She is currently enrolled at Mid-Plains Community College.
She may be rodeo royalty, but Julie Timmerman doesn’t let the status go to her head. The Burwell native is too busy focusing on a prize bigger than any crown she could ever win – a quality education.
Timmerman, 21, is Crawford’s reigning Old West Trail Rodeo queen. She is also a student at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte where she competes on the MPCC rodeo team. Timmerman credits her crown, MPCC and rodeo with helping her achieve her career goal of becoming a veterinarian.
“They go hand in hand and have done a great job of preparing me for the real world,” said Timmerman.
She said the college has taught her the importance of hard work, rodeo competition instilled the values of perseverance and self-discipline and rodeo queen contests sharpened her public speaking and interview skills.
“I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was before I started trying out for queen contests,” said Timmerman. “I feel like I’ve grown up a lot.”
Timmerman’s love of rodeo dates back to fourth grade when her mother bought her a horse.
“I’ve always loved going fast on a horse,” said Timmerman. “There’s a freedom to it.”
Subsequent participation in 4-H and high school rodeo fueled the interest.
“I competed in pole bending, barrel racing and goat tying for four years and tried for the Nebraska High School Rodeo queen title my junior year,” said Timmerman. “I knew I couldn’t leave all that behind when it came time for college.”
She began looking for schools that offered rodeo and narrowed her selections down to two.
“It was between MPCC and Torrington,” said Timmerman. “The MPCC rodeo team was just starting up, and I was excited about the idea of being part of that. I’m glad I chose MPCC. The instructors are excellent, are always available outside of class and are very flexible with my rodeo schedule.”
Timmerman represents the college in barrel racing and goat tying. The rodeo queen aspect has helped fund her education. She plans to graduate this spring with an Associate of Science degree from MPCC and transfer to Chadron State College next fall.
“I got a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to Chadron State College for winning the queen title,” said Timmerman. “So, after I leave Mid-Plains I will take my pre-vet classes at CSC. MPCC and CSC have a great working relationship, which makes it really easy to transfer credits.”
When she’s not studying, competing in rodeo or fulfilling her queen duties, Timmerman is gaining on-the-job experience working at the Sjeklocha Veterinary Clinic in North Platte.
Timmerman hopes to eventually open her own practice in rural Nebraska, possibly back in Burwell. Her dream is to become an equine and bovine specialist and serve as an on-call vet for area rodeos.
The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo team has completed the fall portion of their schedule. The rodeo team placed in three of the five rodeos which they participated in and finished seventh overall for the fall seasons.
As a team, Mid-Plains placed third in the University of Wisconsin – River Falls rodeo with 470 points; seventh in the Iowa State University rodeo with 130 points; and fifth in the North Dakota State University rodeo with 260 points
The Mid-Plains rodeo team has five individuals ranked in the top 15 in the Great Plains Region. Keali’i’aukai Kaai is in third place in the Bull Riding with 290.0 points followed by teammate Colter Glendy with 230.0 points. Tyler Wriedt is in ninth place with 80.0 points, Tyler Viers and Dakota Rice are tied for tenth with 70.0 points.
Tyler Murray is tenth in Steer Wrestling with 140.0 points and fifteenth in Team Roping Header with 70.0 points.
Duell Puttergill is currently fifth place in the Great Plains Region in Saddle Bronc riding with 230.0 points.
The team will begin their spring season when they travel to Brookings, South Dakota to participate in the South Dakota State University rodeo on April 9-10, 2015.
They will also compete in the University of Nebraska – Lincoln rodeo, the Black Hills State University rodeo, the Hastings College rodeo, and the Dickinson State University rodeo.
Further updates and information will follow as the season progresses.
North Platte, Neb. (June 20, 2014) – As lightning bolts flickered across the sky, lightning hit a pair of team ropers at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo.
Ty Blasingame and J.W. Borrego turned in the fastest time of the night and took the lead with a 5.0 second run in the second go-round.
The Colorado duo placed second in the first go round (5.4 seconds) and are in the lead in the average, the fastest time in two runs.
They saw their steer run last night, and knew he wasn’t the best in the herd. “We had a steer that stopped last night, and he was kind of an eliminator, so we made a game plan,” Blasingame said. He waited a bit before roping him, letting the steer get a little farther out. “I just let him out there a little bit extra, and roped him, and J.W. did a great job of heeling him after he set up, so it was a good game plan.”
For Blasingame, his game plans in North Platte have served him well. The Sugar City, Colo. man won the team roping in 2010 with heeler Josh Fillmore and again last year with Matt Zancanella. It’s a good reason to love North Platte, he laughed. “I love this rodeo. The good set-up, the good hospitality, people are awesome here, and theyhave good fans.”
The two have roped together, off and on, since they were youngsters in Little Britches Rodeo and high school rodeo. They won the Ram National Circuit Finals earlier this year in Edmond, Okla. and, this year, are competing in the Mountain States Circuit (Colorado and Wyoming) and at bigger regional rodeos. “We go hard,” Blasingame said. “We’re going to go quite a bit over the Fourth (of July.)”
As youngsters, J.W. was the header and Ty was the heeler, but lately they’ve switched ends. “We thought that was a good way to go,” Blasingame said. “I couldn’t catch very many,” he laughed, “and he (J.W.) can’t handle one,” at the heeling end, he laughed.
Other leaders from the Friday night performance are bareback rider Seth Coursen, Casper, Wyo. (75), steer wrestler Brent Sutton, Onida, S.D. (5.0 seconds), tie-down roper Bryson Sechrist, Apache, Okla. (12.3), saddle bronc rider Chase Miller, Edmond, Okla. (78), and barrel racer Hope Delaware, Atwood, Colo. (17.78). No bull riders made the eight second buzzer.
A North Platte couple was awarded the 2014 Dale Studley Award. Todd and Anne Bissell have volunteered their time with NebraskalandDays for many years, withTodd serving as a Director and the couple cooking for countless NLD and rodeo functions.
The final night of rodeo in North Platte wraps up on Saturday, June 21 when champions will be crowned and custom engraved buckles awarded to winners. The big rodeo parade takes place on Saturday at 1 pm. For more information, visit www.NEBRASKAlandDays.com.
Travis Warren, Mullen, heads for Tucker White of Hershey at the Thursday night performance for the Buffalo Bill Rodeo. The fourth night of rodeo takes place June 21. Photo by George Hipple.
Results, 3rd Performance June 20, 2014
North Platte, Nebraska – Buffalo Bill Rodeo
Bareback Riding
1 Seth Coursen, Casper, Wyo. 75 points on Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.’s Molly Brown; 2 Wesley Cole, Goodwell, Okla. 70; no other qualified rides
North Platte, Neb. (June 19, 2014) – A home-state cowboy did well at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo today.
Two time world champion steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch turned in a time of 3.3 seconds during the morning slack to win the first go-round.
The Gering man drew a good steer, and took advantage of it. “I knew he was supposed to be good. I got a great start, and he was good,” he said.
North Platte was his first rodeo back after suffering a torn elbow ligament. The injury happened during practice, and Gorsuch hasn’t competed since he was at the Challenge of Champions in Spanish Forks, Utah last month. The elbow “feels good to bulldog,” he said, “but it hurts to do normal things.” He plans on having Tommy John surgery after the rodeo season ends, and after he has competed at the National finals Rodeo, he hopes. He knows he has to qualify for the NFR first. “I gotta make it there first, but we keep trying.” He’s currently ranked eighth in the world.
He competed on his second go-round steer during slack but didn’t fare as well. “My second one, I should have done a lot better. I was going to make another fast run, and I should have just slowed down.” His time was 11.1 seconds, too slow to place in the second go-round and in the average.
Gorsuch and his traveling partners, Rhett Kennedy, who is currently leading the second go-round with a time of 3.5 seconds, Gary Gilbert, Josh Peek, and Aaron Vosler, will leave for a rodeo in Pleasant Grove, Utah on Friday, then make their way to Reno, Nev., Greeley, Colo., and then Cowboy Christmas, the Fourth of July run, the busiest part of the pro rodeo season. Sometimes his sons Taydon (nine), Trell (five) and Teagan (14 months) travel with him, but not on this trip. They’ll stay home with mom Bekah, play baseball, and wait for dad to come home.
North Platte is a special rodeo for him, and as close to a hometown rodeo as he can have. “I feel like this is my hometown rodeo. You get to see family and friends, and I love it. My grandpa ranched north of Mullen and neighbored with (fellow NFR qualifier and bareback rider) Steven Dent. I love this rodeo.”
Other leaders from the Thursday night performance are bareback rider Troy Vaira, Richey, Mont., (78 points), steer wrestler Denard Butler, Warner, Okla. (4.5 seconds), Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan. (9.2), team ropers Chace Thompson, Munday, Texas and Jett Hillman, Purcell, Okla. (5.1), and barrel racers Cindy Gillespie, Ransom, Kan., and Amy Prather, Goddard, Kan., both with times of 17.66 seconds. In the saddle bronc riding and bull riding, the horses and bulls won; there were no qualified rides in either event.
Tonight was Tough Enough to Wear Pink night at the rodeo, and three cancer survivors: Kandi Franklin, Brule, Amberlee Martin, Stapleton, and Terry Martin, North Platte, were honored. All three women went through the Callahan Cancer Center at the Great Plains Regional Medical Center.
Night number three of the Buffalo Bill Rodeo takes place on Friday, June 20 at the Wild West Arena in North Platte. Tickets are available online atwww.NebraskaLandDays.com, at the NLD office or at the gate.
Preston Kafka, Wagner, S.D. gets bucked off the Beutler and Son Rodeo saddle bronc Fist Full of Dinero at the 2014 Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte. Photo by George Hipple.
Results, 2nd Performance and slack, June 19, 2014
North Platte, Nebraska – Buffalo Bill Rodeo
Bareback riding
1 tie Troy Vaira, Richey, Mont. 78 points on Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.’s Roger Rabbit and Joe Gunderson, Agar, S.D. 78 points on Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.’s 423; 3. Casey Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 76; 4. Craig Wisehart, Kersey, Colo. 74
Steer wrestling
1st go-round (completed after slack)
1 Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. 3.3; 2. Tyler Haugen, Sturgis, S.D. 3.9; 3. tie Stockton Graves, Alva, Okla. and Chad Van Campen, Granada, Colo. 4.1; 5. Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla. 4.2; 6. tie Brad Johnson, Reva, S.D. and Dru Melvin, Hebron, Neb. 4.3; 8. Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss. 4.4
2nd go-round
1. Denard Butler, Warner, Okla. 4.5 seconds; 2. Cole McNamee, Pine Bluffs, Wyo. 4.6; 3. Benjamin Robinson, Colby, Kan. 5.2; 4. Dan Cathcart, Carpenter, Wyo. 5.6
Wellfleet resident Madison Clark competes in the team roping at a high school rodeo. She has qualified for the state high school finals rodeo in Hastings June 19-21.
Hastings, Neb. (June 16, 2014) The entry list has been set for the Nebraska State High School Finals Rodeo, to be held in Hastings June 19-21 at the Adams County Fairgrounds.
Nearly 150 high school rodeo athletes will compete in twelve events. The top four competitors in each event will earn a berth at the National High School Rodeo Finals in Rock Springs, Wyo., July 14-20, where they will represent Nebraska.
Included in the contestant list are North Platte residents Bailey Brown in the breakaway roping; Kandace Ward in the barrel racing, girls cutting and pole bending; Ryan Cox in the steer wrestling and team roping, and Levi Brott in the team roping. Hershey resident Cooper White will team rope, and Shawnie Stone-Swedburg will barrel race and do pole bending. Wellfleet resident Madison Clark will breakaway rope. Clark is the 2013-2014 Miss Nebraska High School Rodeo Queen.
The twelve events include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, breakaway roping, goat tying, pole bending, barrel racing, boys cutting, girls cutting, and bull riding.
The Finals, the culmination of 29 regular season rodeos, will be held at 10 am and 6 pm on June 19-20, with the short go-round on June 21 at 1 pm. After Thursday and Friday’s performances, the top ten contestants in each event will advance to the short go-round on June 21. The cutting will be held at 7 am on June 19-20, with the short-go round at 8 am on June 21. For more information, visit www.AdamsCountyFairgrounds.com or call 402.462.3247. For information on the Nebraska State High School Rodeo Association, visitwww.hsrodeo-nebraska.com.
