Rodeo Contestants to Watch July 24, Third Performance – Military Monday

Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:

Bareback rider Lane McGehee is the reigning College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) Champion. He qualified to compete in the CNFR as a freshman from Sam Houston State University and won the title with a 16-point lead. He has also been making a mark on the pro circuit. Montana’s Justin Miller is having his best season yet. He’s currently sitting 10^th in the world standings and will ride Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Seminole Wind. Good rides here could solidify his standing and help him qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR). Richmond Champion won the CFD championship in 2014 and would love to be the first cowboy since Will Lowe to win this rodeo twice.

Chase Brooks can ride a saddle bronc like it was his granny’s rocking chair, but his other favorite thing to do is trade Pokémon cards. A two-time CNFR qualifier, Brooks is a Montana Circuit contestant who has a chance at a big breakthrough if successful this week. Cort Scheer is no stranger to the winner’s circle at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He won the Rookie Saddle Bronc riding in 2008 and has hopes to follow in the steps of two men who have won the CFD Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding and Saddle Bronc Riding Championship. Guy Shopka in 1983 and 1988 and Dan Etbauer in 1986 and 1996.

Oklahoma cowboy Roper Kiesner competes in saddle bronc riding today. His brother Rider entertains the CFD crowds with his trick roping and gun spinning. The duo has been competing on NBC’s ‘Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge’ along with a pair of women trick riders as team Saddle Up. With four team members having no obstacle course experience, team Saddle Up was the surprise winner of the first episode of the season.

Bull rider Cody Rostockyj might not be afraid to climb aboard Dakota Rodeo’s bucking bull Brown Sugar during Monday afternoon’s performance, but he certainly won’t get near a horse. A 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, Rostockyi doesn’t think twice about swinging a leg over a bull, however, if his daughters ask him to hold their horses, he becomes very nervous since he has always had a fear of horses. Former world champion Cody Teel won the CBR championship in this arena in 2015, the same year he won the WNFR average. He’d love to add a CFD title to his remarkable bull riding resume.

Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Tie-Down Roping and Barrel Racing:

Our timed-events will be star-studded today with a slew of former CFD champions, NFR qualifiers and world champions on the roster.

This rodeo was made for guys like Trell Etbauer who grew up in families of cowboys that just loved roping and riding. He was the 2014 all-around champion here and will be competing in tie-down roping and steer wrestling, the events he won with before.

Also vying for the all-around title will be Clayton Hass, who will be team roping and steer wrestling. Hass is traveling with world standings leader Ty Erickson and the reigning world champion steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack, who are also competing today.

The newly-crowned college champion steer wrestler Denver Berry is also on today’s roster. Berry has some mighty big boots to fill in this arena. His father, world champion Ote Berry earned the steer wrestling title here twice and got money nearly every time he competed at Frontier Park.

The reserve world champion tie-down roper has had a lot of success here in the past. Marcos Costa joined the PRCA in 2014, qualified for the finals here in 2015 and finished seventh. Costa is originally from Brazil and came over here to rope. He taught himself English and is known for being a very accomplished horseman. Marty Yates who won the title that year is also up today along with the 2015 world champion Caleb Smidt.

Canadians Levi Simpson and Jeremy Buhler took the team roping world last December when they won world championships at the NFR. They are inside the top 15 in the world standings right now and a win here would certainly help them move up. They will rope here today, then fly to Salt Lake City to compete there tonight and return here to rope on Tuesday. Also, watch for reigning and two-time college champion Wesley Thorpe who is heeling for Cody Snow. Both qualified for their first NFR last year.

Second-generation barrel racer Kenna Kaminski will ride for the first time at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo today. She along with the other barrel racers competed in slack to advance into the performances. Kenna came here as a young girl with her mother, Kelly Kaminski, who is a two-time world champion. Emily Miller, who is holding down a job as a dental hygienist while trying to qualify for the NFR is also on today’s roster. She got a big win at the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo in April to give her a real opportunity.