As the clock nears midnight on Christmas Eve, we can find many things for which to be thankful. And like the children with wide eyes and wild dreams, we can hope Santa brings us our favorite goodies while we reflect on the real reason for the season with our close friends and family. If you[...]

I’d like to talk to the folks at the PRCA who are in charge of the annual convention and trade show, because I’d like to know how this year’s attendance compares to other years. There seemed to be good numbers during some of the talking points at the convention, but the numbers inside the trade[...]

During the PRCA Awards Banquet, I was honored to visit with Rick Thompson. During the 10 rounds at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, I was pleased to learn more about Derek Barton. The men of Talk Rodeo earned their honor. http://www.rodeoattitude.com/spur/eventnews/bullriding/talkrodeoorg-wins-broadcast-award-19400.shtml

No matter how he tried to paint a good picture in Las Vegas, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo had not been kind to Ardie Maier of Timber Lake, S.D. Outside those that were injured, Maier was having the worst ProRodeo championship. He’d earned a spot among the top 15 in the PRCA’s bull riding world[...]

I didn’t know A.J. Franzen, but plenty of my friends did. Franzen, of Carpenter, Wyo., died Dec. 18, in a car wreck near his home. He was 26. He was too young and leaves behind a young family – his son, Jace, and wife, Barbara, who is expecting a second child in May. I feel[...]

The nice thing about friends is they like to tell stories. Jerry Norton is a world champion bullfighter, one of the last guys to be crowned in the Wrangler Freestyle Bullfights finale during the National Finals Rodeo. He’s also been one of the featured bullfighters at the annual Dodge City (Kan.) Round-Up Rodeo, and every[...]

I made a whirlwind trip to western Kansas. Was on the road for 16 hours, in my hometown for 15. It was as close to rodeoing as most folks might get, and it’s pretty far from rodeoing. For cowboys and cowgirls, 15-hour stays are rare, especially in the heat of the season when there might[...]

The only thing more important to winning the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo average is a world championship. But how important is the average title? Of the nine ProRodeo contestants to win the 2010 world titles, four won the average – Dean Gorsuch tied Billy Bugenig with the best bulldogging cumulative time of 45.7 seconds, and[...]

Ten years ago, 47 cowboys finished the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association with more than $100,000 in earnings, led by Joe Beaver’s $225,396. This year, there were 82 PRCA cowboys over the $100,000 marker, led by Trevor Brazile’s $507,921. A lot has changed in the last decade, with more money available. But the cost of competing has[...]

After the third go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith took the South Point Hotel & Casino stage for the Montana Silversmiths Go-Round Buckle Presentation. That’s when Treston Brazile took the stage for the first time during the 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He waved his hat in the air[...]