EAGLE,Colo.– Clint Cannon hated to admit it, but 2012 wasn’t panning out to be what he had hoped. “I just felt like I couldn’t find that niche where I could get over the barrier,” said Cannon, a three-time bareback riding qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That changed the last week of June inPecos,Texas,[...]

LOVINGTON,N.M.– Maybe it was the concerts. Maybe it was the rodeo. Maybe it was the overall entertainment experience. Whatever IT was, it worked at the 2011 edition of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, which had a record attendance of 97,928. “I always go back to the cost of admission,” said Dean Jackson, chairman of[...]

The opening performance of Pool B at the Calgary Stampede wasn’t too kind on steer wrestler Stockton Graves. Graves, a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Newkirk, Okla., posted a 17.1-second run on his first animal. He made up for it on Day 2, though, with a 3.8-second run. That was good enough to[...]

EAGLE, Colo. – A great bull ride is equal parts bucking beast, equal parts athletic cowboy. When it comes together, fans walk away from the arena mesmerized, and they’ll talk about it for weeks to come. That’s what fans expect when they get to the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, set for 7 p.m. Wednesday,[...]

Just an hour and a half south of where I live, the top players in Major League Baseball are playing in the All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. I have some very dear friends in attendance, and it brings me, a lifelong Royals fan, great pride in knowing the team is hosting[...]

EAGLE, Colo. – When MGM Deuces Night bucks, bareback riders salivate. “If we could vote on the most desirable horse in the world to draw, I would say everybody would probably pick Deuces Night,” said Steven Dent, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bareback rider from Mullin, Neb. “If you had one horse, one ride[...]

LOVINGTON, N.M. – With nearly 98,000 people walking through the gates at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo last year, organizers realized one thing. “We learned a lot last year, but we also realize we’ve got a pretty good group of volunteers helping us every year,” said Dean Jackson, chairman of the Lea County Fair[...]

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Troy Lerwill is a combination of thing: athlete, daredevil, comedian. It wraps together quite nicely in a package called “Showman.” It will all be on display during the five performances of the 2012 Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, set for 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1-Sunday, Aug. 5, at Roundup Arena. “Troy is[...]

Chet Johnson, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Sheridan, Wyo., has been showing off at the Calgary Stampede. The 2009 Canadian Finals Rodeo champion won Pool A’s second and third go-rounds and has pocketed $11,000 over the last two days. Now he’s secured a bye into the final round next Sunday and a[...]

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – After spending several months on ProRodeo’s injury list, bull rider Jacob O’Mara needed some good things to happen. They did at the Navajo Nation Fourth of July PRCA Rodeo, where O’Mara tested his ability on the Carr Pro Bull Morning After. The result was a rodeo-winning 89-point ride worth $4,119 and[...]