LOVINGTON, N.M. – When the Eli Young Band announced itself to the music world, it did so with great gusto. Its debut album, Jet Black & Jealous, entered the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart at No. 5; it was No. 2 on iTunes. It featured the band’s first Top 10 song on country radio, “Always[...]

Since the last week of June, I’ve been to Clear Lake, S.D., back home, to Park Rapids, Minn., for July 1-3, then drove 900 miles overnight to Choteau, Mont., for a one-performance rodeo on the Fourth. I knew I was going to be rolling in just after the performance started, so I put on my[...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appeared in the July 2011 edition of Women’s Pro Rodeo News. It was the cover story, and it was great getting to know a little more about a young Texas roper. Jaymee Roach likes to have fun. She likes to smile and laugh, and, her friends say, she likes for others[...]

The Calgary Stampede has been a world-class operation for many years. It might be getting better. Beginning at 2:30 p.m. Central Time Sunday, the top 10 contestants in each event through nine straight performances have earned the right to compete for the $100,000. That’s pretty incredible. What’s more incredible is the list of top names[...]

A big announcement in the world of rodeo is coming soon. I’ll keep you posted, but I might be releasing it as early as Friday. Keep checking back.

EAGLE, Colo. – For a rodeo cowboy, there are few things that can top winning one’s hometown rodeo. Cody Martin is hoping to find out when the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo kicks off its 2011 run, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 27-Saturday, July 30. Back-to-back wins in the Rocky Mountain community would be[...]

LOVINGTON, N.M. – There’s a lot to Dale McCracken. The Missouri man has multiple personalities, but it’s not a disorder. Like a superhero donning his cape, McCracken paints his face with greasepaint and enters the world of his alter-ego, Gizmo, a comedian who has entertained rodeo crowds for much of his life. It’s as if[...]

PIMA, Ariz. – As folks in this region understand, sometimes it takes just a spark to ignite a wildfire. World champion team roper Matt Sherwood is hoping that’s the case for his 2011 season. The spark came during the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Fourth of July run, where Sherwood and partner Cory Petska of Marana,[...]

SYDNEY, Australia – The last time Cord McCoy was in the picturesque city of Sydney, he and his brother, Jet, were on a sprint around the world for the $1 million first-place prize on the CBS-TV reality series “The Amazing Race.” Most recently, McCoy was Down Under fighting for another bull riding title while competing[...]

If you can’t be in Alberta for the Calgary Stampede, you can still catch all the fascinating action livestreaming on the Internet HERE. The show opened with rookie bronc riding, and the young cowboys were in a dogfight with the exceptional young horses in the mix. I’m not sure who all the commentators are, but[...]