Summit to bring in other contractors to make Utah’s Own Rodeo better
SALT LAKE CITY – J.D. Hamaker and his partners are maestros of sorts.
A horseman by trade, he is co-owner of Summit Pro Rodeo alongside Daniel Beard and Byron Juma, and they are the livestock producers of Utah’s Own Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7, with the final performance at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, in the Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City. Tickets can be purchased at UtahStateFair.com/tickets.
It’s their job to not only produce the three-day affair, but also to help make music with the contestants and put on a concert for the thousands who will pack into the stadium. Summit owns some of the best animals in ProRodeo, and the owners of the organization understand the importance of making the competition magnificent. The best way to do that is to have the most even set of livestock possible in each event.
“We’re just trying to keep the quality of the rodeo up all the way through,” said Hamaker, a former bronc buster who got into the stock-contracting business a few years ago by happenstance. “We’ll have a load of horses from Muddy Creek, which is Chancey Wilson out of South Dakota, and we’ll have Kirsten Vold come in with a load of horses.
“If we didn’t have them, it would be my good ones mixed in three performances with the next 50 head not being as quite as good. It will get the level of the entire rodeo up to the same level.”
When it all comes together, it’s a better opportunity for the cowboys and cowgirls who depend on the sport to make a living, which, in turn, makes for a better show for the fans. Combined, every layer must be orchestrated in a way that is appealing for everybody.
“The rodeo made a stock-contractor change last year, and Summit Pro Rodeo did a phenomenal job,” said Garrett Yerigan, who will announce the rodeo for the third straight year. “It was my first experience working with Summit, and I was very impressed. The horses and bulls all performed very well. Both ends of the equation – from crowds to livestock – are really something people should pay attention to with this rodeo.”
Nearly 400 contestants have put their names in the hat to compete in Salt Lake City in early September, and they will be chasing for their share of the money that’s featured. The Utah State Fair has $60,000 in local cash, which will be added with the contestants’ entry fees to make up the overall purse.
With that kind of money available, it’s vital for every contestant to have a chance to win money. What they don’t want is a drawing contest, where the guy with the best horse, bull or steer is most likely going to win. They want the animal they’ve been matched with via random draw to give them a good opportunity at cashing in.
When Hamaker rode bucking horses, cowboys knew there were just a handful of top animals in the mix, and the contestants that drew them were likely going to lead the way to the pay window.
“The trend has been where the stock contractor will bring in sub-contractors,” he said. “Your best can only go to so many places, so we get sub-contractors to help with that when we can.”
The days of a single contractor providing all bucking stock for a rodeo are quickly fading away. The bigger the event, the bigger the need for great animal athletes. Even Summit Pro Rodeo understands this and uses a similar approach to the business: Beard and Hamaker have the broncs, and Juma handles the bull power.
“Byron is pretty much the bull half of the company,” Hamaker said. “It helps separate the pressure, so it’s not just one load on one person. That’s kind of the way rodeo has gone. It seems like most every company in the United States right now has two guys, a bull guy and a horse guy. Very few companies have one guy that has the horses and the bulls.”
Summitt produces 14 rodeos a year and provides animals at several other events. The firm produces the National High School Finals Rodeo and some college rodeos, so it’s a bit hectic from June to October. It’s come full circle for Beard, Juma and Hamaker, the latter of whom quit rodeoing and built a business before even considering the idea of having bucking animals.
“My boys grew to the point where they wanted to start rodeoing,” he said. “We started putting a few horses together for them to practice on, and then there were some of their friends around that wanted to get on, so we’d get a few more.
“Pretty quick, we had enough horses to start contracting some high school and junior rodeos they were going to. We bought out an amateur company, then bought out a professional company, and it just escalated.”
That growth and development is why Summit Pro Rodeo has grown into a powerful company. In 2020, the firm won the PRCA’s Remuda Award, which is given to the stock-contracting company that has the most consistent pen of bucking horses. There’s a good chance Summit can win the award again.
“What I appreciate is their ability to sort of swallow their pride and bring in the help of other contractors to that rodeo,” Yerigan said. “They weren’t there to make themselves look like the greatest ever. They were there trying to make the rodeo look like it was the greatest ever.”