Rodeo – Page 2 – North Platte Post Archive

Husker Cowboys Pepper Contestant List for Buffalo Bill Rodeo

Posted on June 16, 2014

Steer wrestler Brady Hageman, McCook, competes with the help of a fellow Nebraskan, Jeff Johnston, from Thedford. World champions and Huskers alike will be in North Platte for the Buffalo Bill Rodeo June 18-21.

North Platte, Neb. – June 16, 2014 – The contestant list has been set for the 2014 Buffalo Bill Rodeo, and 362 cowboys and cowgirls will make their way to town for thrills and spills for rodeo fans, and gold buckle dreams for the contestants.

The list is peppered with world champions and hometown cowboys alike. The reigning Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association Saddle Bronc champion Chad Ferley is entered, along with past champions like Will Lowe (bareback riding), Jeff Willert (saddle bronc riding), and Nebraska’s own two-time steer wrestling world champion Dean Gorsuch.

For Gorsuch, a Gering resident, the North Platte rodeo will be his first pro rodeo in several weeks. He tore an elbow ligament in practice and even though it doesn’t hurt while he’s steer wrestling, it hurts to do everyday things. “I tore it just practicing, and I didn’t know I’d tore it. It’s all braced up.” He will hit the rodeo road after North Platte, competing in Pleasant Grove, Utah and Reno, Nevada next week. Gorsuch will have Tommy John surgery in December, after he hopefully qualifies for his ninth National Finals Rodeo, pro rodeo’s world championship.

Dan Barner, Hershey, is another of the five dozen Huskers who will be at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo. The steer wrestler has won money at the rodeo, but has never won it. “I’ve come in about every place but first,” he joked. “It’s my hometown rodeo, and it’s a hard one to win.”

Barner and Gorsuch both competed at the Wild West Arena for state high school finals rodeo in the late 1990’s, and now it’s Dan’s son Braxten’s turn. Braxten, the five year old son of Dan and his wife Kellie, will compete on the Sunday after the rodeo. “He was in his first junior rodeo there last year,” Barner said, “and we’ve got him entered again this year. He loves it, he really loves it. It’s fun to watch him get into something I’ve enjoyed so much.”

For Gorsuch, it’s enjoyable to compete close to home. “A lot of the Sandhills people I know are there, a lot of family and friends.” Dean and his wife Bekah have three sons, ages nine, five and 14 months, and they will be in North Platte, cheering him on.

Of the eight champions from last year’s rodeo, five are returning to compete again. Jesse Bail (saddle bronc riding), Ty Blasingame (team roping), Nick Guy and Reed Petersek (who tied for the steer wrestling title), and Brittany Pozzi (barrel racing) will all ride or run in North Platte.

The rodeo, which runs June 18-21, begins at 8 pm each night. Rodeo clown and barrelman Justin Rumford will entertain. Bullfighters Quirt Hunt, Hershey, and Andy Burelle, Ardmore, Okla., will work the bull riding, and Hadley Barrett and Randy Corley, the father-in-law/son-in-law duo, will announce. Barrett grew up in the North Platte area, and Corley lived there for about twenty years. Beutler and Son Rodeo Co., Elk City, Okla., will provide the bucking horses and bulls.

Slack, the extra competition that doesn’t fit into the performances, will be at 7:30 am on June 18 and 19 and is free to the public.

Tickets for the rodeo are $20 for reserved seating and $13 for adults and $7 for kids ages twelve and under in the upper grandstand. They can be purchased at the NebraskalandDays office, online at NebraskalandDays.com, and at the gate. For more information, visit the website or call the office at 308.532.7939.

Nebraska cowboys by event and day they will compete at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo

Note: Cowboys and cowgirls may not compete due to injury or other reasons, or they may compete in a different performance than listed.

(Subject to change.)

Bareback riding

Wednesday, June 18

Wyatt Gewinner, Weeping Water

Friday, June 20

Nate McFadden, Elsmere

Steer wrestling (2 go-rounds)

Slack Wednesday, June 18 and Performance Saturday, June 21

Logan McDonald, Alliance

Dillon Simonson, Purdum

Collin Chytka, Broken Bow

Jeff Richardson, Fullerton

Slack Wednesday, June 18 and Performance Friday, June 20

Jake Kraupie, Bridgeport

Brett Gumb, Burwell

Del Ray Kraupie, Bridgeport

Slack Wednesday, June 18 and slack Thursday, June 19

Richard Coats, Hastings

Brady Hageman, McCook

Carter Coble, Ogallala

Brady Wakefield, O’Neill

Kyle Sanderson, Chambers

Ty Talsma, Verdigre

Chad Johnson, Thedford

Trevor Haake, Grand Island

Jeff Johnston, Thedford

Kyle Whitaker, Chambers

Ty Melvin, Arthur

Mike Stephen, Springview

Dustin Dailey, Long Pine

Gabe Taylor, Valentine

Linn Churchill, Valentine

Dru Melvin, Hebron

Performance Wednesday, June 18 and slack Thursday, June 19

Dan Barner, Hershey

Miles Spickelmier, Henderson

Tyler Kester, York

Slack Thursday, June 19

Dean Gorsuch, Gering

Tie-down roping (2 go-rounds)

Slack Wednesday, June 18 and Performance Saturday, June 21

Troy Pruitt, Gering

Bridger Chytka, Curtis

Slack Wednesday, June 18 and Performance Friday, June 20

Kyle Whitaker, Chambers

Garrett Nokes, McCook

Brady Wakefield, O’Neill

Boe Brown, Valentine

Riley Pruitt, Gering

Slack Wednesday, June 18 and Slack Thursday, June 19

John Klooz, Purdum

Levi Fisher, Hershey

Saddle bronc riding

Wednesday, June 18

Bryce Miller, Nelson

Thursday, June 19

Tanner Olson, Bartlett

Callan Connelly, Ogallala

Friday, June 20

Ryan Bestol, Hyannis

Saturday, June 21

Travis Sheets, Hyannis

Team roping (2 go-rounds)

Performance Wednesday, June 18 and Performance Saturday, June 21

Terry Graff, Long Pine

Jeff Johnston, Thedford

Matt Kasner, Cody

Ken Kohl, Surprise

Dustin Harris, O’Neill

Brady Wakefield, O’Neill

Ty Talsma, Verdigre

Performance Thursday, June 19 and Performance Friday, June 20

Jeff Richardson, Fullerton

Todd Pinneo, Rising City

Brandon Wyckoff, Bayard

Dustin Wyckoff, Broken Bow

Trent Barrett, North Platte

Levi Tyan, Wallace

Travis Warren, Mullen

Tucker White, Hershey

Performance Thursday, June 19 and Performance Friday, June 20

Brent Reichmuth, Humphrey

Barrel racing

Slack Thursday, June 19

Brenna Kohle, Stuart

Ginalee Tierney, Broken Bow

Cheryl Wallace, Broken Bow

Becky Pearson, Broken Bow

Lindsey Salestrom, York

Bailey Lord, Potter

Robyn Neal, North Platte

Performance Thursday, June 19

Jimi Hurlbut, Overton

Gayle White, Dickens

Performance Saturday, June 21

Jessica Leach, Rockwell

June Holeman, Arcadia

Kori Conley, Roca

Annie Haselbalch, Bennet

Bull riding

Wednesday, June 18

Bart Miller, Oshkosh

Thursday, June 19

Cody Sierks, Brewster

Buck Moon, Sargent

Jordan McAllister, Gering

Trey Kerner, Sutherland

MPCC Rodeo Hires Timed Event Coach

Posted on June 12, 2014

The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team has announced the addition of Garrett Nokes to its coaching staff.

The MPCC Rodeo team officially became a team and part of the athletic department in April when the college’s Board of Governors voted to allow them that distinction and take away the ‘club’ title. MPCC Rodeo’s head coach Dustin Elliott said the move from club to team helped with the addition of Nokes.

“When the board approved our budget and the move to the athletic dept they were interested in involving McCook in a bigger capacity,” Elliott said. “Then it was brought up about an assistant coach and they wanted that person in McCook. I had already talked to Garrett well before the athletic department move was even a consideration and asked him if in a few years when the team got bigger if he’d be interested, and he was. Things moved a lot quicker than we all expected and after the board meeting in McCook I called him and asked again if he was ready and he was.”

Elliott also said that Nokes will be able to handle any problems that might arise at the MCC campus and it will help promote the team on a larger scale.

“I prefer him there,” Elliott said. “That way if there are any issues with athletes attending that campus we have a coach there. Also since we are an area wide sport it just spreads our impact on community awareness out to show everyone we are serious on building the best program in the country.”

Nokes has had a successful career in rodeo. His best year came in 2005 when he qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling. He placed 11th at the finals and finished the 2005 season fourth in the world in that event. He has been successful at local rodeos as well. He won the all-around and was co-champion in the team roping of the 2012 Buffalo Bill Rodeo during NEBRASKAland Days in North Platte.

Elliott said that his experience and stature in the community will help with coaching and recruiting.

“He’s well qualified and is a timed event person, which only diversifies our coaching staff to accommodate all athlete events,” Elliott said. “He puts on several clinics annually to begin the teaching of potential MPCC athletes at an early age. These kids in the area know him well and respect him so I know a lot of them will be very comfortable knowing what his coaching style will be like when they attend MPCC to rodeo.”

The MPCC Rodeo team made great strides during the season that will be completed following the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., which runs June 15-21. For the first time in team history MPCC is sending an athlete to the CNFR. Bull rider Tyler Viers from Comstock won the Great Plains Region and goes in to the finals ranked seventh in the country. Elliott said the addition of Nokes will only help the team make even more strides in becoming a power in college rodeo.

“About half the schools I can think of have a two coach system,” Elliott said. “A lot of them are a male/female combination of husband and wife. Partly because of finances of rodeo programs and the two ends of the arena, and rodeo is family oriented. But there are some programs like Iowa Central, which I refer to a lot because they are in our region, a community college, in the athletic department, and their program is 7 or 8 years old, where they have a rough stock coach, and a timed event coach just like what we put in place. It only makes it better for our athletes knowing that their coaches know what they are talking about. I think we as a pair will make a great team to be able to push every athlete that attends MPCC and rodeo’s to their very best because the coach can teach them.”

Oklahoma Rodeo Clown to Entertain at Buffalo Bill Rodeo

Posted on June 9, 2014

Justin Rumford will clown at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte June 18-21. The Ponca City, Okla. cowboy is a two-time PRCA Clown of the Year, and his newly born triplets are providing plenty of comic material.

North Platte, Neb. (June 9, 2014) – The only difference between a stand-up comedian and Justin Rumford, is that he does his “schtick” in the middle of a rodeo arena.

Rumford, who lives in Ponca City, Okla., will be the rodeo clown and barrelman for the 2014 Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte June 18-21.

The 34 year old cowboy grew up in the rodeo business, the third generation of Rumfords in the family’s stock contracting company. He competed in junior high, high school, and college rodeo and became a full time steer wrestler. But after blowing out his knee, he had other ideas. He coached a college rodeo team and worked for Bennie Beutler, the stock contractor for North Platte, driving truck, and loading, sorting and feeding livestock.

He was a natural at making people laugh, but being a clown never occurred to him. It was only after he worked as clown at a couple of events that he changed his mind. “I worked a bull riding in Pretty Prairie (Kan.), and they gave me a thousand bucks. And I thought, why the heck am I working so hard for $800 a week, when I can make $1000 a weekend? So I jumped ship. I love rodeo,” he cracks, “but the one thing I love more than that is making money.”

And lucky for rodeo fans, Rumford became a full time rodeo clown.

Now he entertains at rodeos across the nation, from the East Coast to the West Coast, Texas to the Canada border. He’s even been selected –twice – as the Clown of the Year for the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association. The humble man was honored. “I don’t know if I deserve it, but I’m fortunate to accept it.”

Justin and his wife Ashley were blessed with triplet children, born in September of last year. Daughters Livi and Lola and son Bandy were born prematurely but are healthy and well now, and Justin already has plans for his kids in his clown acts. He’s planning on building a horse racing starting gate for three, and when the babies are three or four, they’ll ride into the arena on Shetland ponies, dressed in jockey outfits, and they’ll have a pony race.

And they’re providing him material for writing a book for expectant fathers of multiple children. When he and Ashley were waiting for their babies to be born, Justin read up on having multiples. “I went on Amazon and bought all these books, and they’re a bunch of lies,” he joked. “I’m writing a book: The Truth About Triplets – A Rodeo Clown’s Confession. I’m writing about everything from four years of infertility treatments to bed rest, to me rodeoing when Ashley was in the hospital. I think it’ll be a great book, and I hope it helps fathers of multiples. I put real life experiences about what it’s like, and I didn’t sugar coat anything. I guarantee, I didn’t sleep the whole month of December,” (when the babies came home from the neonatal ICU.)

And he’s planning on bringing the babies to North Platte with him. His wife and kids were with him for rodeos in March and April, and he misses them when he’s gone and they’re at home. “I have a 44 foot (travel) trailer, and I can bring the whole family with me. I’d rather be miserable on the road (with them) than happy by myself.”

Justin will entertain with his comedy and acts during each night of the Buffalo Bill Rodeo June 18-21. General admission tickets are $7 for children and $13 for adults. Reserved seats are $20. For more information, visit NebraskaLandDays.com or call the NebraskalandDays office at 308.532.7939.

Buffalo Bill’s Tradition Continues

Posted on May 19, 2014May 12, 2014

D.V. Fennell, Porum, Okla., rides at the 2013 Buffalo Bill Rodeo.

North Platte, Neb. (May 19, 2014) – North Platte is the home of the original Western Showman, Buffalo Bill Cody, and his entertainment.

And June 18-21, the tradition continues.

Several hundred cowboys and cowgirls, horses, bulls, calves, steers, and trucks and trailers will converge on North Platte for the annual rodeo named after the showman, to compete for prize money and gold buckles.

For cowboys, the Buffalo Bill Rodeo is the unofficial kick-off to the Fourth of July run, the most lucrative time of the year for pro rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. With North Platte’s central location, cowboys compete and often go on to the Reno, Nev. rodeo.

For the fans, the Buffalo Bill Rodeo committee hires some of the best personnel in the business and several with local ties. Announcers Hadley Barrett and Randy Corley call the action. Barrett was born and raised in the North Platte area and Corley lived there part of his adult life. Bullfighters Andy Burelle, Ardmore, Okla., and Quirt Hunt, Hershey, will work to protect bull riders each night. Beutler and Son Rodeo Co., Elk City, Okla., will bring their bucking bulls and horses to North Platte. They’ve provided their award-winning livestock to the Buffalo Bill Rodeo since 1949.

New to this year’s rodeo is barrelman and clown Justin Rumford. The Ponca City, Okla. man, who is a two-time Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association Clown of the Year, will bring his brand of comedy to entertain fans.

The committee works hard to make it good entertainment for fans. “It’s a top-notch rodeo,” said Shelli Arensdorf, co-chair of the committee and a resident of Hershey. “Good personnel translates to a good rodeo for fans. (Personnel) really involve the fans, keep them entertained, involved and informed, and that two hours of rodeo flies by.”

And the aura from the old showman, Buffalo Bill, doesn’t hurt, either. “It’s where Buffalo Bill got his start. He had one of the first rodeos in North Platte,” Arensdorf said. The Wild West Arena is within view of Buffalo Bill’s home, which he built in 1886. “We’re across the parking lot from his home and the barn” where the shingles proclaim “Scout’s Rest Ranch.

The Buffalo Bill Rodeo takes place at 8 pm each night, June 18-21. Tickets are $20 for reserved seating and $13 for adults and $7 for kids ages twelve and under in the upper grandstand. They can be purchased at the NebraskalandDays office, online at NebraskalandDays.com, and at the gate. For more information, visit the website or call the office at 308.532.7939.

Champion Earns $1.1 Million in The American

Posted on March 2, 2014

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas cowboy Richmond Champion earned $1.1 million Sunday in The American, the richest one-day rodeo ever with a $2 million purse.

The 21-year-old Tarleton State junior won the bareback at AT&T Stadium to earn $100,000 and took the $1 million bonus offered to a qualifier who won an event against the top 10 in the National Finals Rodeo or Professional Bull Riding World Finals.

Champion, from The Woodlands, qualified for The American at a rodeo in Gillette, Wyo., in February, and won the semifinal event a week ago in Mesquite. He had an 84 to tie for third in the first round Sunday, then won the shoot out, scoring 90 points on Assault.

He then had to wait out five other events before he knew that none of the five other qualifiers had won after qualifying for the shoot out.

Buffalo Bill Rodeo Committee to host PRCA Camp in Curtis

Posted on February 21, 2014

Is another Billy Etbauer or Will Lowe among us, or maybe a Justin McDaniel, Taos Muncy or Steven Dent? The PRCA Championship Rodeo Camp Series may help identify and encourage just that – the next generation of rodeo stars. And the Hall of Fame Buffalo Bill Rodeo Committee is pitching in with the March 29th Camp in Curtis. Also scheduled to participate is former PRCA World Champion Bull Rider and current North Platte Community College Rodeo Coach Dustin Elliot.

Our mission is to provide a fun, positive rodeo experience. Camp curriculum includes an introduction to roughstock events with an emphasis on safety, fundamentals, chute procedures, livestock safety, overview of riding equipment, injury prevention and management, fitness and nutrition, introduction to PRCA business and goal setting. Instructors deliver encouragement to participants as they pursue both their rodeo careers and scholastic endeavors.

“This is our fourth event, and as always we hope

to help the next generation of contestants on the fast track towards competing at the PRCA level, “ says Buffalo Bill Rodeo Co-Chairman Jack Morris. “We, along with the PRCA, understand the importance of getting more people interested in being professional contestants. It’s important for the future of the sport.”

During its inaugural year, this nationwide program
hosted camps in five cities. Camps are geared at providing free learning opportunities for cowboys just starting out that either have had little or no direction in rodeo or have been competing in rodeo and want to further learn about the fundamentals from PRCA champions.

For more information on the PRCA Championship Rodeo Camps Series or to register visit the PRCA website at http://www.prorodeo.com/youthrodeo.aspx

National Finals Rodeo Will Stay in Las Vegas

Posted on January 25, 2014January 24, 2014

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The National Finals Rodeo is staying in Las Vegas after all.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Las Vegas Events announced Friday that they reached a deal to keep the 10-day event in Las Vegas through 2024.

The agreement stipulates that Las Vegas Events provide an annual $16.5 million purse and guarantee contestants $10,000 each year. Organizers also will provide cost of living increases for both purses and minimum payouts.

The PRCA was considering leaving for Florida after 29 years in Nevada, depriving Las Vegas of an event that generates $100 million for the local economy each December — the city’s tourism slow season.

Champion Bull Bushwacker to Retire at Season’s End

Posted on January 24, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Champion bull Bushwacker will retire at the end of the Professional Bull Riders season.

Bushwacker’s owner, Julio Moreno, said Thursday he wants the 8-year-old bull to retire on top.

Bushwacker will face the most recent cowboy to successfully ride him — reigning world champion J.B. Mauney — Saturday in Oklahoma City. Mauney’s 8-second ride in August in Tulsa ended Bushwacker’s streak of 42 consecutive buckoffs dating to 2009.

Moreno, says Bushwacker is to bulls what Michael Jordan was to basketball, but he said Mauney’s fearless approach always gives him a chance. As No. 1 in their respective ranks, they will meet for the 12th time.

Bushwacker will make his final appearance Oct. 22-26 in the world championships in Las Vegas.

College rodeo teams prepare for ‘2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo’

Posted on September 12, 2013

MPCC Rodeo Team-2013: Members of the 2013 Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team are (back row, l-r) Clay Chittick, Dakota Rice, Eric Rasmussen, Nic Tenbrink, Cody Fritz. In front are Faculty Advisor Mike Janecek, Sage Faust, Julie Timmerman, Tyler Viers, Logan Lewis and Coach Dustin Elliott.

As the “2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo” presented by First National Bank draws near between 250-300 college cowboys and cowgirls representing 13 colleges in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Great Plains Region are preparing for the competition.

The NIRA Great Plains Region awarded the collegiate rodeo competition to Mid-Plains Community College earlier this summer. Members of MPCC’s 2013 Rodeo Team are Clay Chittick of Maywood, Sage Faust of Plattsmouth, Cody Fritz of Meriden, Matisyn Humphrey of Ogallala, Logan Lewis of Sutherland, Eric Rasmussen of Riverdale, Dakota Rice of Kellogg, Nic Tenbrink of North Platte, Julie Timmerman of Burwell and Tyler Viers of Comstock. Mike Janecek is their Faculty Advisor and they are coached by World Champion bull rider Dustin Elliott. For more information about the team, visit the “Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team” page on Facebook.

Other colleges in the Great Plains Region include Black Hills State University, Dickinson State University, Hastings College, Iowa Central Community College, Iowa State University, Mitchell Technical Institute, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, North Dakota State University, Northeast Iowa Community College, South Dakota State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The “2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo” will take place during Rail Fest, Sept. 20-21, at the Nebraskaland Days Wild West Arena in North Platte. It will begin at 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights.

General admission tickets for each night are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Tickets are available at the Nebraskaland Days office, 509 E. 4th St. in North Platte, or online at https://www.elevate.com/boxoffice/?cref=bd322850-b5ac-4bc3-b8cd-406ccad7fbac. They may also be purchased through the MPCC website at www.mpcc.edu.

Make your plans now to attend the ‘2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo’ during Rail Fest

Posted on September 5, 2013September 5, 2013

Plans are being finalized for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s “2013 Railtown U.S.A. Collegiate Rodeo presented by First National Bank” that is scheduled to take place during Rail Fest,Sept. 20-21, at the Nebraskaland Days Wild West Arena in North Platte.

According to Chuck Salestrom, Mid-Plains Community College Area Associate Vice President of Marketing, Public Information and Development, although the college rodeo is associated with Rail Fest, it is not a component of the annual event.

“We are grateful that Don Kurre and his staff are allowing us to team up with the increasingly popular Rail Fest event. The activities of Rail Fest typically take place during the daytime hours of the weekend and are focused mainly on celebrating the bond between the Union Pacific Railroad, its employees, our community and the thousands of railroad enthusiasts who come to North Platte for the weekend,” he said. “The Rodeo will take place on Friday and Saturday nights and will hopefully provide an enjoyable evening of entertainment for those who may not have ever been close to a rodeo before. After all, North Platte is the ‘Birthplace of American Rodeo’ and since the Buffalo Bill Rodeo is such a world-class event we’re planning to model our Railtown USA College rodeo after it.”

Salestrom noted that the NIRA Great Plains Region awarded the collegiate rodeo competition to MPCC earlier this summer. Twelve men’s teams and nine women’s collegiate rodeo teams from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin compete in the Great Plains Region.

Salestrom said the college is appreciative of the Nebraskaland Days organization for their support of the Rodeo.

“This Rodeo just wouldn’t be possible without the help and support of the folks at Nebraskaland Days,” he said. “Among other things, they are allowing us use of the Wild West Arena and are also selling tickets for us though their office. We’re extremely grateful for all they are doing to help.”

Another organization that has stepped up to the plate is First National Bank-North Platte, Salestrom said.

“We’re excited and grateful to First National Bank for joining us in what is expected to be a great weekend of quality rodeo events,” he said.

The rodeo will begin at 7 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights. General admission tickets for each night are $10 for adults and $7 for children. Tickets are available at the Nebraskaland Days office, 509 E. 4th St. in North Platte, or online athttps://www.elevate.com/boxoffice/?cref=bd322850-b5ac-4bc3-b8cd-406ccad7fbac. There is also a link to purchase tickets on the MPCC website at www.mpcc.edu.