His name is Don, but he answers to other monikers. That’s the life of an entertainer, which defines Don “Hollywood” Yates, from his Elvis impersonations as a youngster to his over-the-top behavior as “Wolf” on the 2008 season of “American Gladiators.” Don, Hollywood and the Wolf will come together as another piece of the entertainment[...]

Four-time and reigning bareback riding world champion Bobby Mote was scheduled for surgery Tuesday to repair a sports hernia – a hernia in the abdominal region just above the groin. It’s an ailment Mote has suffered with since last summer, yet he rode through the pain in through the latter half of the season –[...]

Karla and Kevin Hemphill looked at their youngest child, wondering what 3-year-old Cade had in mind for Halloween. They asked the rodeo-loving youngster if he wanted to be a cowboy, much to Cade’s dismay. “Why?” he asked. “I’m already a cowboy.” The Hemphills and their three children – including daughter Josie and another son, A.J.[...]

The Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo is in the books, and the champions included a couple of multiple world champions and some who are still holding tight their gold buckle dreams. Three-time world champion Will Lowe won bareback riding with an 85, while two-time and reigning world champion Cody Wright won saddle bronc riding with[...]

Often hidden directly in the limelight of any rodeo are the men who exchange their cowboy boots for a pair of cleats. Professional bullfighters are oftentimes the most talented athletes in any rodeo arena, and if they do their job well, you might never know about them. Why? Because they’re in the business of battling[...]

It’s been 10 years since I walked into the Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. I was transitioning into the role of rodeo correspondent for The Oklahoman newspaper, shadowing Bryan Painter, whom I was replacing on the rodeo beat. He was showing me around the International Finals Rodeo, the season-ending[...]

Heading into the final two performances of the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, a couple of once-young world champions are leading the way in the bucking horse riding events. Both bareback rider Will Lowe and saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy were just 20 years old when they won their first gold buckles,[...]

Both the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, and the National Western Stock Show in Denver took a break from their Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association performances. The Odessa rodeo, which features six performances, ran last Friday-Saturday, then resumed Wednesday night for the final four shows. The Denver event used Monday-Wednesday’s show times for[...]

This week the Houston media released the concerts that will take place during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and it looks to be a terrific showcase of musical talent. Over 20 nights, RodeoHouston will host the top rodeo contestants in the land, and they’ll serve as the opening act for consecutive nights of concerts.[...]

The rigors of the rugged 10 nights of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo can take their toll on the athletes involved. From sore muscles and strains to broken bones and torn ligament, folks who walk away from ProRodeo’s championship event without the gold buckles given to world championships tend to feel every ache, every pain.[...]