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The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ (CFD) General Committee has named its new committee member for the 2020 celebration.
Following Public Relations Chairman Michael Martin is Mike Smith. Smith is a lawyer; and has a BA degree in Secondary Education and a Juris Doctorate. Smith has volunteered with the CFD Western Artshow and Sale for 19 years; been a CFD volunteer on the Public Relations Committee for 16 years; and was inducted into the HEELS this year.
The Cheyenne Frontier Days General Committee has begun the planning process for 2020 by reviewing the results of the 2019 event.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 28, 2019) – For the past 123 years, the spirit of the West has been the centerpiece of Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).
This year’s edition of the 10-day celebration embraced that same spirit while seeing new opportunities designed to enhance the fan experience. The most notable addition to Frontier Park is the Cheyenne Frontier Days Event Center at the southwest corner of the arena.
Constructed in less than a year, the multipurpose building is being used for offices, meeting rooms and has a special viewing area for sponsors and VIPs as well as a ticketed rooftop area. The building will be available year-round. It was well utilized for Cheyenne Frontier Days and will be a centerpiece in the master plan for future growth.
This year’s rodeo had 1,550 contestants competing for over $1 million in prize money with the addition of women’s breakaway roping and a tournament-style format. In 2018, there were 1,350 competitors with prize money at $845,788
At the Championship Finals on Sunday, 13,432 fans witnessed history when local favorite Brody Cress won the saddle bronc riding for the third time. Sunday’s attendance saw an increase of 1,000 tickets over 2018. Cress, from Hillsdale, is the first man to win three consecutive titles since the rodeo started in 1897. When he rides here again next year, he will be trying to beat his own record and join the legendary list of saddle bronc riders who have won here four times.
Action in the arena on Frontier Park started with a Wild West Show on July 19 with events that reflected rodeo’s history including women’s ranch bronc riding. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association action as well as the CFD Invitational Breakaway Roping started with qualification rounds July 12. The first full rodeo performance was held July 20.
The highest attended rodeo was on Saturday, July 27 at 14,215. All rodeo performances were broadcast on the Cowboy Channel. The Wrangler Network streamed the semifinals and finals, bringing the rodeo to a worldwide audience.
Professional Bull Riders (PBR) hosted their Last Cowboy Standing competition on July 22-23 as part of Frontier Nights. The last bull rider standing on Tuesday night was Chase Outlaw who had been seriously injured one year ago. It was one of the best night show crowds since Frontier Days added bull riding with 9,863 in attendance. The events were broadcast on PBR’s Ride Pass and CBS Sports.
Many of the activities during CFD are centered around animals. An estimated 6,000 make their way through the rodeo arena, parades and at the bull riding. Comprehensive reports showed 140 of those animals examined, 55 of them required treatment and all but two were expected to make a full recovery.
Rodeo attendance through nine performances was 97,373 slightly less than in 2018 but still higher than 2017. The night show featuring Post Malone boasted a capacity crowd of 22,500 and was the fastest selling concert in CFD history. Night show attendance was up at 120,518 and increase from 2018. Total attendance for the 123rd celebration was slightly higher than in 2018.
A partnership with Colorado State University’s (CSU) Equine Clinical Services program provided comprehensive care for the third year. The CSU Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation veterinarians provided care similar to athletic trainers for contestants. Onsite services included digital radiographs, ultrasound, acupuncture, chiropractic care and shock wave therapy. The Justin Sportsmedicine Team was on site and along with local medical personnel provided over 400 treatments.
Other numbers were in line with previous years. Four parades were estimated to have over 90,000 visitors. Three pancake breakfasts saw 22,713 meals served and 50,998 visited the Indian Village.
Military Monday continues to be popular. All branches of the military were honored with active personnel and veterans receiving free admission. The U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leapfrogs, thrilled rodeo and night show fans by jumping into the arena at Frontier Park and the USAF Thunderbirds are always a big hit. The Thunderbirds also performed over F.E. Warren Airforce Base with approximately 19,500 people in attendance.
“This was a year of great change,” said Jimmy Dean Siler, General Chairman of Cheyenne Frontier Days. “I want to thank our volunteers, sponsors, rodeo contestants and most of all our loyal fans. We are looking forward to 2020.”
2019 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Champions
(money is total earned during the rodeo)
Bareback Riding – Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif., 91 points, $11,784
Steer Wrestling – Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 6.9 seconds, $8,628
Team Roping – (header) Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, Mont., 7.8 seconds $11,979
(heeler) Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo., $11,979
Saddle Bronc Riding – Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyoming, 87.5 points, $12,585
Tie-Down Roping – Seth Hall, Albuquerque, N.M., 10.5 seconds, $12,615
Barrel Racing – Nellie Miller, Cottonwood, California, 17.22 seconds, $20,687
Bull Riding – Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 93 points, $13.253
Steer Roping – Trey Sheets, Cheyenne, Wyo., 45.6 seconds (on three) $19,903
Breakaway Roping – Jordan Jo Fabrizio, Canyon, Texas, 4.18 seconds, $17,515
All-Around – Stetson Wright, $16,007 won in saddle bronc and bull riding
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 28, 2019) – History was made on Championship Sunday of the 123rd Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD.) While this year’s rodeo debuted a tournament-style competition format, some familiar faces rode into the winner’s circle.
Local favorite Brody Cress became the first saddle bronc rider to win three consecutive CFD championships when he rode Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse Resistol’s Top Hat for 87.5 points.
Saddle bronc began in Cheyenne in 1897 and only Earl Thode, who won four titles between 1927 and 1934, has more wins here than Cress. Hall of fame cowboy Turk Greenough won three in the 1930s and 13-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) cowboy Cody DeMoss has won three beginning in the 21st century.
Cress, whose hometown is nearby Hillsdale, extended the traditional winner’s victory ride on horseback around the arena to three full laps – one for each of his titles. The cheers from the crowd grew louder with each trip.
“Frank (Thompson-the CFD arena director) told me to make three laps,” Cress said with a smile. “I’ve been listening to Frank my whole life, so I wasn’t going to stop now.”
The $12,585 Cress won in Frontier Park will help him on his quest for a third consecutive NFR qualification. He is currently ranked 28th and needs to be among the top 15 on September 30 to return to Las Vegas.
Nellie Miller of Cottonwood, California, became the first barrel racer since Kristie Peterson in 1998 to successfully defend her CFD championship. The 2017 world champion, who is currently ranked second in the 2019 standings, won $20,697 dollars in Frontier Park, making her the highest money winner of the rodeo.
“This is such a traditional-filled rodeo,” Miller said. “It’s so special to win here. My horse loves big pens and she runs well here.”
She rode the blue roan mare named Rafter W Minnie Reba (called Sister) that she raised and trained. They rounded the pattern in 17.22 seconds, an identical time to that set by Shali Lord of Lamar, Colorado, seven runs earlier. While both women shared the final round’s first and second place prize money, Miller won the tiebreaker to be crowned champion based on having the fastest time in the earlier rounds.
The 19-year-old professional rodeo rookie sensation Stetson Wright of Milford, Utah, has begun carving out his own place in the CFD record books. Wright became the first rough stock cowboy to win the all-around title at the Daddy of ‘em All since Chad Eubank in 2007 won money in bareback and bull riding.
Wright qualified for Championship Sunday in both saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He thought his shot at the all-around title might have slipped away when he bucked off Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s saddle bronc Utopia. But the money he had earned in the quarterfinals and semifinals in saddle bronc riding still counted toward the all-around.
The defeat in the bronc riding made Wright more determined to do well in bull riding, his favorite event. When the day began, he was second in the world championship standings, just about $16,000 behind five-time world champion bull rider Sage Kimzey.
Parker McCown of Montgomery, Texas, set the bar high when he scored 90 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s bull Hacksaw Ridge. Wright was the next-to-last cowboy to compete and he came within a single point of the CFD bull riding record with 93 points on Dakota Rodeo’s bull Safety Meeting.
That earned Wright both the bull riding and the all-around championship and his own place in the record books. Wright comes from a legendary bronc riding family. He is the third-oldest son of two-time world champion Cody Wright; the brother of world champion Ryder and NFR bronc rider Rusty; the nephew of world champions Spencer and Jesse; and three other uncles have qualified for the NFR in bronc riding.
“I’d have figured one of them would have won it before now,” he said. “What really means the most to me is to be the first member of my family to win a title here.”
Wright, who turns 20 on Tuesday, won just over $16,000 in two events with more than $13,000 from bull riding.
Clayton Biglow of Clements, California, was the final bareback rider to compete. Former CFD champ Richmond Champion has just scored 89.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s Prairie Rose, so Biglow knew he needed 90 points or more to win the title and he delivered.
He made a wild ride on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse Witchy Woman and earned 91 points from the judges to win his first CFD title in four tries.
2019 has been Biglow’s best rodeo season thus far. He is ranked second in the world championship standings, about $27,000 behind four-time world champion Kaycee Field. The nearly $12,000 he earned in Frontier Park will help keep him within striking distance as the pro rodeo season begins its final two months.
The Cheyenne crowd had a chance to cheer for more than one local winner. Steer roper Trey Sheets grew up in western Nebraska and has made Cheyenne his home for the past seven years. He had the second-fastest time of the finals, but the championship in this event was awarded in the traditional format of total time on three runs. His 45.6 seconds was the best by four seconds.
In tie-down roping and steer wrestling, one of the first cowboys to compete in the finals set a pace that could not be beaten. Seth Hall of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the second roper and his time of 10.5 seconds earned the championship. Hall has competed at CFD about eight times but had only made the finals once before-in 2012.
“This is almost more than amazing,” Hall said of earning the championship in Frontier Park.
Eli Lord was the first steer wrestler to ride out from CFD’s Chute 9 and he stopped the clock in 6.9 seconds. The next 15 competitors got no closer than two seconds to Lord’s time. He credits his hazer, Linn Churchill, a former CFD steer wrestling champion with helping him win the title. Lord is the third CFD champion that Churchill has assisted.
Dustin Bird of Cut Bank, Montana, and Trey Yates of Pueblo, Colorado, are the 2019 team roping champions in Cheyenne. They won the final round in 7.8 seconds and each won just under $12,000. Bird is a former NFR qualifier, and Yates is the 2018 collegiate champion who roped at his first NFR last December. Their paychecks in Cheyenne will jump Yates into the top 20 in the heeling standings and put Bird in the top 30 in the heading.
Frontier Days added women’s breakaway roping for the first time and drew 242 entries. When the tournament-style competition ended, seven of the 16 ropers in the championship round turned in times in the four-second range.
Jordan Jo Fabrizio of Canyon, Texas, was the fastest of the seven – 4.18 seconds. She is the first breakaway roping in the CFD record book with winnings of more than $17,500.
“All of the breakaway ropers took time to take a group photo in front of the grandstand before the finals today and it really hit me how historic this is,” she said. “This will be something I’ll never forget and always treasure.”
Fabrizio took inspiration from the buckle she wore, a CFD champion tie-down roping buckle won by Raymond Hollabaugh in 1983. Fabrizio spent five years competing in college rodeo for West Texas A & M University where Hollabaugh is the coach.
Plans are already underway for the 124th edition of Cheyenne Frontier Days scheduled for July 2020.
Brody Cress made history at the 123rd Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Sunday. Cress, from nearby Hillsdale, Wyoming, became the first man in history to win three consecutive titles. His 2019 win came with an 87.5-point ride on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Resistol’s Top Hat. CFD photo by Dan Hubbell
CHEYENNE, Wyo., July 28, 2019 — The following are final round and overall Cheyenne Frontier Days results.
Bareback Riding: 1, Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif., 81 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Witchy Woman, $8,259. 2, Richmond Champion, The Woodland, Texas, 89.5, $6,257. 3, (tie) Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, and Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas, 87.5, $3,754 each. 5, Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 85.5, $1,752. 6, Pascal Isabelle, Okotoks, Alberta, 85, $1,251.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 6.9 seconds, $5,948. 2, Reed Kraeger, Elwood, Neb., 8.7, $5,172. 3, Del Ray Kraupie, Bridgeport, Neb., 8.9, $4,396. 4, Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 9.2, $3,620. 5, Kyle Callaway, Blue Creek, Mont., 10.6, $2,845. 6, Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb., 15.2, $2,069. 7, Jeff Johnston, Thedford, Neb., 16.0, $1,293. 8, Joe Nelson, Alexander, N.D., 16.6, $517.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Seth Hall, Albuquerque, N.M., 10.5 seconds, $8,278. 2, Ryan Thibodeaux, Stephenville, Texas, 10.8, $7,199. 3, Austin Hurlburt, Norfolk, Neb., 11.6, $6,119. 4, Marcos Costa, Menard, Texas, 11.7, $5,039. 5, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 11.9, $3,959. 5, Tyler Thiel, Belle Fourche, S.D., 13.4, $2,879. 6, Chase Williams, Stephenville, Texas, 13.6, $1,800. 8, Tristan Mahoney, Florence, Ariz., 16.5, $720.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 87.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Resistol’s Top Hat, $7,918. 2, (tie) Jacobs Crawley, Boerne, Texas; Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa; and Sam Harper, Paradise Valley, Nev.; 86 and $4,399 each. 5, Mitch Pollock, Winnemucca, Nev., 84.5, $1,680. 6, (tie) Jake Watson, Hudson’s Hope, British Columbia and Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah, 84, $600.
Team Roping: 1, Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, Mont., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 7.8 seconds, $9,459. 2, Brenten Hall, Stephenville, Texas, and Chase Tryan, Helena, Mont., 9.3, $8,225. 3, Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M., and Caleb Anderson, Mocksville, N.C., 9.5, $6,991. 4, (tie) Pace Freed, Chubbuck, Idaho and Dustin Searcy, Weatherford, Texas; and Dustin Egusquiza, Mariana, Fla., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 9.6, $5,141 each. 6, Peyton Holliday, Chouteau, Okla., and Thomas Smith, Barnsdall, Okla., 9.7, $3,290. 7, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla., and Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Okla., 14.4, $2,056. 8, Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn., and Joseph Harrison, Overbrook, Okla., 14.6, $823.
Barrel Racing: 1, (tie) Nellie Miller*, Cottonwood, Calif., and Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., 17.22 seconds, $6,919. 3, Megan Champion, Ukiah, Calif., 17.24, $4,961. 4, Lacinda Rose, Willard, Mo., 17.53, $3,655. 5, Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Victoria, Texa,s 17.56, $2,350. 6, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 17.59, $1,305. *Miller won the championship based on fastest previous time.
Bull Riding: 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 93 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Safety Meeting, $10,077. 2, Parker McCown, Montgomery, Texas, 90, $7,706. 3, Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho, 87, $5,632. 4, Nic Lica, Garden City, Mich., 85.5, $3,853. 5, Joseph McConnel, Bloomfield, N.M., 84.5, $2,371.
Steer Roping: (final round winners) Dan Fisher, Andrews, Texas, 13.7 seconds, $1,870. 2, Trey Sheets, Cheyenne, Wyo., 15.6, $1,548. 3, J. Tom Fisher, Andrews, Texas, 18.4, $1,226. 4, Vin Fisher Jr., Andrews, Texas, 19.5, $903. 5, Marty Jones, Hobbs, N.M., 21.9, $581. 6, Roger Branch, Wellson, Okla., 25.8, $323. (overall winners) 1, Sheets, 45.6, $13,197. 2, Dan Fisher, 49.6, $10,922. 3, J. Tom Fisher, 49.9, $8,647. 4, Vin Fisher Jr., 51.3, $6,371. 5, Jones, 54.2, $4,096. 6, Branch, 59.4, $2,275.
CFD Invitational Breakaway Roping: 1, Jordon Jo Fabrizio, Canyon, Texas, 4.18 seconds, $10,573. 2, Chloe Frey, Eunice, La., 4.43, $8,010. 3, Kasey Eaves, Milan, N.M., 4.49, $5,767. 4, Linsay Sumpter, Fowler, Colo., 4.66, $3,845. 5, Daysha Steadman, Georgetown, Texas, 4.92, $2,243. 6, K.L. Spratt, Lysite, Wyo., 4.98, $1,602.
Wild Horse Race: (final round winners) 1, Outlaw Liquors, $896. 2, Team Crazy Horse, $672. 3, BMC Construction/Applebaker, $448. 4, Shockers, $224. (overall winners) 1, BMC Construction/Applebaker, $6920. 2, Outlaw Liquors, $5,549. 3, Team Crazy Horse, $3,989. 4, Shockers, $2,526.
Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:
The second day of semifinals is shaping up to be even more exciting than the first with several world champions and former Cheyenne Frontier Days title holders in the field. While those veterans are hoping to win again, a rookie is taking the rodeo world by storm and hoping to win for the first time.
Stetson Wright will be competing in the saddle bronc riding and bull riding today making him a favorite for Cheyenne’s all-around cowboy championship. Wright is the youngest of the famed rodeo family from Utah. His father, Cody, is a two-time world champion. His uncles Spencer and Jesse have each won gold buckles as well as his older brother Ryder.
While there have been Wrights at the top of the leaderboard at most major rodeos, there has never been one to collect a buckle at the “Daddy of ‘em All.” Cody joined the PRCA in 1998 and there has been at least one member of the family competing here since then. Two decades without a title is unheard of for them and now it is the youngest who could bring it home to Utah.
Stetson will turn 20 on July 30th. He leads the world standings in the all-around category, is 18th in the saddle bronc riding and second in the bull riding. He needs to move into the top 15 in the saddle bronc riding and stay there until October 1st to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in two events. A win here would certainly help him do that.
Cody DeMoss will be among today’s saddle bronc riders and is hoping for his fourth buckle from Cheyenne Frontier Days. If he moves on to the finals and has the high score, he will join the history books as the second man to win four titles in that event. Earl Thode did that from 1927 – 34.
A star-studded field will compete in bareback riding today. Former CFD champs Richmond Champion, Tanner Aus, Orin Larsen and Tim O’Connell will be hoping for a chance to win a second buckle from the “Daddy.” O’Connell is a three-time world champion as well. They will be joined by Kaycee Feild, who has four gold buckles but has yet to win a title at Frontier Park.
Brothers Tim and Tyler Bingham have both qualified for the NFR, but not in the same year. When they have the opportunity to share rodeo memories with future generations, the 2019 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo could be a big highlight. They will be riding in the semifinals today and hoping for a score and a reason to stay here until Sunday. There is nothing that the brothers would like better than to be riding against each other for Cheyenne’s championship buckle.
Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:
In breakaway roping a pair of sisters had success yesterday and will be looking to add to their winnings today. Jordan Jo Fabrizio of Canyon, Texas, was first yesterday with a 4.15-second run and her sister Rylea Fabrizio, who lives in Stephenville, Texas, placed third. The duo would love to compete in the first breakaway championship round at the Daddy.
Lari Dee Guy has won nine Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) roping and all-around world championships. She finished second yesterday and is in good position to qualify for the finals. Jackie Crawford, who has earned 14 WPRA all-around and roping world titles, finished fourth yesterday and will need to rope well today to move on to Championship Sunday.
Nebraska native Austin Hurlburt is no stranger to Cheyenne. He competed on the Laramie County Community College Rodeo Team and will move to the University of Wyoming this fall. Before becoming a Wyoming Cowboy, he has a chance to become a CFD champion. He won yesterday’s tie-down roping and is in good shape to advance to the Sunday’s Finals.
Last year’s CFD team roping champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison roped themselves into a tie for second place yesterday. Should they qualify for Championship Sunday, Masters will have the opportunity to become the first three-time CFD champion in the team roping since the event began here in 2001. Kellan and Carson Johnson, a pair of brothers from Casper, will have to finish among the top two today to make the finals. They are the sons of 2011 world champion heeler Jhett Johnson.
Two former CFD champions compete in today’s barrel racing semifinals. Brittany Pozzi-Tonnozzi (2007) and Stevi Hillman (2017) are both ranked in the WPRA top 10 and would love to come back Sunday to make their bids for a second CFD title. The highest-ranked barrel racing in the current standings is Shali Lord of Lamar, Colorado, who is fourth. She will compete first today and have the advantage of running on the “top” of the ground. She and her horse, Can Man, are likely headed to Las Vegas next December. Lord qualified for the first time in 2005 aboard a small bay gelding named Slider. She and Slider either got money or hit a barrel. He was one of the most dynamic and exciting horses to watch in any arena. Can Man has a totally different style and now while he is carrying Shali around the barrels at rodeos, Slider is at home in Lamar where Shali and Phy Lord’s son Slade has taken the reins.
Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:
Six of todays contestants in the bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding will get a chance to ride for a championship from the 123rd “Daddy of ‘em All.” Among the bareback riders is Will Lowe who finished fourth yesterday to advance. Lowe has three world titles to his credit and three titles from Frontier Park.
His third title came last year so he will be hoping to be among the six that are here on Sunday to defend his title. Ty Breuer and Steven Dent are also in the field. They travel together and are ranked sixth and ninth respectively. Breuer is having the best regular season of his career and credits part of that to his traveling partners. Tanner Aus is also in their group and while he didn’t advance to the semifinals, Aus will be hoping one of them gets to leave here with the buckle. Aus won this rodeo in 2015 and Dent was the all-around cowboy here in 2010.
Wyoming loves their cowboys and will get to cheer for two of their own in the bareback riding, Cole Reiner from Kaycee and Seth Hardwick from Ranchester. Those Wyoming fans will also be making a lot of noise in the saddle bronc riding when local favorite Brody Cress rides. He has won the “Daddy” the past two years. If he hangs on to win a third buckle here, he will go down in history as the only saddle bronc rider to win three consecutive titles.
Last year’s bull riding champion, Rugar Piva, is ready to defend his title as well. Piva rode yesterday to an 82.5-point score to advance to the semifinals. Four-time world champion J.W. Harris is on today’s roster and while he has won nearly every title available in rodeo, he has yet to get the coveted buckle that is given to Cheyenne Frontier Day’s best.
Foster McCraw had the biggest win of his career last February at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. He had one of the highest-marked rides here in the quarter finals and has momentum and confidence on his side. If he advances to Sunday’s rodeo and has the highest score there, he will win two of the biggest, oldest and most legendary rodeos in the same year.
Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:
The final group of steer wrestlers, team, tie-down and breakaway ropers will be working to advance to Sunday’s finals today. The barrel racers are competing in the semifinals and six of them from today’s performance will advance.
In the barrel racing watch for Kelly Kennedy-Joseph. She was tied for 70th to advance from the qualifying rounds into the rodeo performances. She went from being one of the slowest to the one of the fastest. The Colorado native lives just over an hour south of Cheyenne and has a huge fan club.
A couple of years ago, she was involved in a horse accident that had her taking a helicopter ride to the hospital. Doctors didn’t know how she would recover, and she still has headaches from the TBI she incurred. She set a goal to be back competing in 2018 and while it took longer than she would have liked, hse is back. She is riding a mare she calls “Jammer,” that her husband started and she trained. She needs to be among the six fastest times today to advance to Sunday’s Championship Finals. Defending champion Nellie Miller will also compete today.
Two legendary breakaway ropers are on today’s roster. Jackie Crawford is a many time world champion. Lari Dee Guy is also and accomplished roper that has a reputation for roping. Both of these women have had big influences in the roping world by teaching other women how to rope.
Brothers Kellan and Carson Johnson from Casper will be the first team ropers to ride in the arena today. They are hoping to earn enough money to advance to the finals. If they would win the title here, they would add something to their resume that their world champion father, Jhett Johnson has never won. There are several world champions in today’s team roping so expect the competition to be tough. Also watch for defending champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison to have a solid performance.
Rough Stock Events – Bareback, Saddle Bronc and Bull Riding:
Our past two bareback riding champions will be competing against each other today. Tim O’Connell won here in 2017 and went on to win his second world championship. He is the reigning world champion, but that title came with a price. In the 10th and final round last December, he had to make a ride. He did just that, but when he came off, he ended up underneath the horse with his hand still in the rigging. A torn rotator cuff and he was looking at a vacation. He started back mid-June and is now 23rd in the world standings.
A win here could make the difference in O’Connell’s sixth trip to Las Vegas to compete for another gold buckle. That is the position that Will Lowe found himself in a year ago. Then he won Cheyenne for the third time and went on to qualify for the NFR for the 15th time. Lowe is 33rd in the world standings and if he wins Cheyenne again, he will need to make a decision about the remainder of the season.
Brody Cress will be here defending his past two CFD championships in saddle bronc riding. Cress who grew up here used his past two wins at Frontier Park to qualify for his first two NFRs. Just days after winning here last year, he decided to jump off of a horse after the ride and broke his ankle. He was high enough in the standings to qualify for the NFR, so he had surgery and took the rest of the season off. He got on his first bucking horse in Las Vegas. He would have liked to have more time, but that wasn’t an option and getting back to his old riding form has been a challenge. He is 29th in the world and another win here could make a huge difference in his 2019 season.
Also watch for Wyoming’s own smiling Chet Johnson who has yet to get a title here. Johnson is a native of the Cowboy State and nothing would make him happier than winning at the “Daddy.”
Roscoe Jarboe used a win here in 2016 to qualify for his first of three NFRs. He is 25th in the standings and all he has between him and a trip to Las Vegas is a few eight-second rides. He is joined by other NFR qualifiers Chase Dougherty, Elliot Jacoby and Boudreaux Campbell. Also, Ruger Piva, last year’s champion will be here to defend his title.
If Dougherty rides, it might be due to his balance. While in college at Montana State University, he could be seen riding a unicycle around campus because he thought it helped improve his balance and bull riding skills.
Timed Events – Steer Wrestling, Team, Tie-Down and Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing:
Yesterday, we watched Wyatt Lindsay stop the clock in 5.4 seconds in the steer wrestling and he will be looking for another fast time today. Lindsay was just three-tenths of a second off of the 5.1-second arena record. Lindsay is a former student at New Mexico State University where he qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo twice. He tried all of the events growing up but loves steer wrestling because of the speed involved.
That speed will come into play today as he makes his second run at this year’s rodeo. Cattle typically run faster the second time through and often get farther down the pen before they are caught. Cheyenne’s 30-foot head start makes this event especially challenging.
Marcos Costa has been coming to Cheyenne Frontier Days nearly every year since he made the trip to the U.S. from Brazil. Costa joined the PRCA in 2014 and could barely speak any English. He taught himself the language, took every opportunity to learn about tie-down roping from anyone he could and became the first man from Brazil to earn an individual world championship in 2017. He watched his friend Junior Nogueira win the all-around championship in 2017 for their native country. Nogueira was the reserve world champion in team roping that year and also won enough money in the tie-down roping to win the gold all-around cowboy buckle.
Costa qualified for the finals here in 2014 and finished fifth. He placed fourth yesterday and will need to add to that today to have any chance at being at the Championship Finals on Sunday.
Hannah Lee, a native of Nesbit, Mississippi, who won high school state championships in Tennessee, has likely punched her ticket to the finals in breakaway roping. She won yesterday’s round and earned more than $2,600 for her efforts. Even if she fails place in today’s round, odds are good she’ll be one of the top four in this set. Louisiana’s Chloe Frey is in a similar position after winning second yesterday and earning more than $2,000.
A pair of WNFR team ropers – Kelsey Parchman of Tennessee and Matt Kasner of Nebraska – are in the driver’s seat in today’s set of team roping after winning yesterday’s round. They have a great chance to return on Sunday and finishing in the money today would cement their place in the finals. Reigning CFD champions Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison need a fast run today to win enough to advance, after clocking 20.8 yesterday. They are currently ranked 8th in the heading and heeling world standings, respectively.
Another former CFD champion, heeler Cesar de la Cruz and his partner Lane Ivy will be looking for a quick time today after failing to connect for a qualified run yesterday. He won the championship here in 2010.