CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 31, 2022) –The 126^th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) crowned a mixture of repeat and new champions on Sunday, July 31. Fourteen individuals left Frontier Park with coveted titles from America’s biggest outdoor western celebration known as the “Daddy of ‘em All.”

Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, the final pair to rope on Championship Sunday, set personal and CFD records. They stopped the clock in 7.5 seconds to win the team roping. Tryan, from Billings, Montana, and Corkill, who lives in Fallon, Nevada, won Frontier Days for the second time roping together. They earned their first CFD championship in 2013.

Corkill, who also won titles here in 2009 with Chad Masters and last year with Clay Smith, joins three others who have won four championships at Frontier Park in a single event. With his winnings here, Tryan became the first team roper in the history of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) to pass $4 million in career earnings.

Andrea Busby, a Wyoming native who now lives in Brock, Texas, was the final barrel racer to compete. Five previous racers had stopped the clock in less than 17.3 seconds when Busby rode her mare Tito (registered name Blazin With My Dude) into the arena. Tito, who was making just her fifth run in a professional rodeo, crossed the finish line in a time of 17.13 seconds to win the title.

Busby, whose Wyoming roots are deep, grew up on a ranch near Lusk that has been in her family for more than a century. She made the 140-mile trip to Cheyenne many times growing up. She said that she always hoped she would ride and win at CFD, so this title made a childhood dream a reality.

Tim O’Connell of Zwingle, Iowa, joined the ranks of rodeo legends who have three bareback riding championships at Cheyenne. O’Connell, who has won three world titles, rode Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ horse Sozo for 88.5 points to win by a single point. He joins ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboys Joe Alexander and Clint Corey as well as fellow three-time world titlist Will Lowe as three-time winners at “The Daddy.”

Stetson Wright of Milford, Utah, rode another Sankey horse – Pendleton Roundup’s Marquee – for 88 points to win his second consecutive CFD title in saddle bronc riding. Wright had surgery on his hand in early July and stayed home for less than two weeks. He admits he may have started back too soon as he bucked off the first seven horses he got on after surgery. This week he turned the corner and has been on a winning streak. Wright’s family – his father, three brothers and four uncles – have competed at CFD, but Stetson is the only one to win championships at Frontier Park. He also has two CFD all-around titles.

Ora Taton, a 53-year-old cowboy from Rapid City, South Dakota, also won a second CFD title. Taton won the steer roping in 2003 and repeated the feat 19 years later. He was the first steer roper to ride from the box on Championship Sunday and set a pace of 13.6 seconds that no one else could beat.

Three timed events crowned co-champions on Sunday. In breakaway roping Macy Young of Whitman, Arizona, and Tiffany Schieck of Floresville, Texas, both caught their calves in 4.0 seconds. This was Young’s first time to compete in Cheyenne. She was not part of the invitational field when the event first was introduced in 2019; there was no CFD in 2020 due to the pandemic, and last year she was pregnant with her daughter Hadley. Schieck was roping here for the first time since 2019.

Ryan Thibodeaux of Stephenville, Texas, has competed in Frontier Park on Championship Sunday several times, finishing as reserve tie-down roping champion in 2019. He was the second roper to compete Sunday and turned in a time of 10.3 seconds. Two ropers later, eight-time National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifier Cory Solomon of Prairie View, Texas, tied Thibodeaux’s time. None of the next eight ropers could post a faster time.

Trell Etbauer of Goodwell, Oklahoma, grew up watching his father and uncles compete at The Daddy. His dad Robert won two world championships, his uncle Billy won five world titles and one CFD title, and his uncle Dan won two CFD titles, all in saddle bronc riding. Trell won the all-around title here in 2014. He set the pace in steer wrestling with the fastest time of the rodeo – 5.4 seconds –as the second cowboy to compete. No one came close to matching his effort until the final competitor, Justin Shaffer of Hallsville, Texas, managed to stop the clock in 5.4 as well. Schaffer had the quickest time in the finals last year, but a 10-second penalty cost him his shot at the title, so this year’s performance was redemptive.

Etbauer was riding a horse named Corduroy that his uncle Billy had raised and given to him as a wedding present 13 years ago. Trell had won calf roping money at Cheyenne riding Corduroy and started steer wrestling on him after an injury sidelined his steer wrestling horse last season.

The bull riding competition was feast or famine. Nine of the 12 finalists bucked off their bulls before the eight-second buzzer sounded. Garrett Smith of Rexburg, Idaho started the scoring with a 90-point effort on Dakota Rodeo’s bull Scary Larry. Josh Frost of Randlett, Utah, who is ranked second in the PRCA standings, matched Smith’s total on Dakota Rodeo’s bull Stretch.

But Caldwell, Idaho’s Brady Portenier made the ride of the day. He earned 92.5 points when he rode Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ bull Let’s Gamble. Portenier, who qualified for the NFR in 2020, jumped from 23^rd to 16^th in the PRCA bull riding standings with his earnings at Frontier Park. That puts him in close contention for a return trip to Las Vegas to ride bulls in December.

The all-around title went to Coleman Proctor of Pryor, Oklahoma. Proctor, who has qualified for six NFRs in team roping, recently began steer roping. He and partner Logan Medlin finished seventh in the qualifying round of team roping but did not advance beyond the quarter finals. The steer roping was a different story. Proctor won third in the first round and first place in the second round. He finished fourth overall in the event which was enough to earn him the all-around championship.

The 127th edition of Cheyenne Frontier Days is scheduled for July 21-30, 2023.

2022 Cheyenne Frontier Days Champions with total money

Bareback Riding, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, $10,264

Breakaway Roping, Macy Young, Whitmann, Ariz., $15,497

Breakaway Roping, Tiffany Schieck, Floresville, Texas, $18,078

Tie-Down Roping, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, $11,403

Tie-Down Roping, Ryan Thibodeaux, Stephenville, Texas, $11,000

Steer Wrestling, Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., $12,226

Steer Wrestling, Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, $12,010

Team Roping, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., $16,400 each

Saddle Bronc Riding, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, $12,198

Barrel Racing, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, $15,948

Steer Roping, Ora Taton, Rapid City, S.D., $12,453

Bull Riding, Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho, $10,287

All-Around, Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Oklahoma

(money won in team roping and steer roping)

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 31, 2022)- The following are unofficial results from the 126^th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Sunday, July 31, 2022.

Bareback Riding: 1, Tim O’ Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 88.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s Sozo, $8,481. 2,  R.C. Landingham, Hat Creek, Calif., 87.5, $6,425. 3, (tie)Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., and Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 86.5, $3,855. 5, (tie) Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., and  Yance Day, Tahlequah, Okla., 85.5, $1,542.

Breakaway Roping:  1, (tie) Macy Young, Wittmann, Ariz., and Tiffany Schieck, Floresville, Texas, 4.0 seconds, $10,699 each. 3, Emma Charleston, Reeds, Mo., 4.1, $6,641. 4, Alli Masters, Leon, Iowa, 4.3, $4,427. 5, Lynn Smith, Elfrida Ariz., 5.0, $2,582. 6, Devan McAdow, Hyannis, Neb., 5.3, $1,844.

Tie Down Roping: 1, (tie) Ryan Thibodeaux, Stephenville, Texas, and Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 10.3 seconds, $8,600 each. 3, Blane Cox, Cameron, Texas, 11.1, $6,800. 4, Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, 11.9, $5,600. 5, Kase Bacque, Huntsville Texas, 12.6, $4,400. 6, Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas, 13.3, $3,200. 7, Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., 13.6, $2,000. 8, Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 13.8, $800.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 88 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Pendleton Roundup’s Marquee, $8,180. 2, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Cali., 87.5, $6,197. 3, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley Alberta, 87, $4,461. 4, Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 86.5, $2,974. 5, Dean Wadsworth, Buffalo Gap, Texas, 85.5, $1,735. 6, Tanner Butner, Daniel, Wyo., 85, $1,239.

Team Roping: 1, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 7.5 seconds, $9,200 each. 2, (tie) Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz., and Paden Bray, Stephenville, Texas; and Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn., and Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 8.3, $7,400 each. 4, Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho, 8.7, $5,600 each. 5, Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., 9.6, $4,400 each. 6, Brayden Parker and Dustin Searcy, Scottsdale, Ariz., 9.9, $3,200 each. 7, Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla., and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 10.2, $2,000 each. 8, Turner Harris, Killdeer, N.D., and Matt Kasner, Cody, Neb., 10.4, $800 each.

Steer Roping: (three times) 1, Ora Taton, Rapid City, S.D., 13.6 seconds, $11,451. 2, Cole Patterson, Pratt Kan., 14.0, $9,733. 3, Shorty Garten, Claremore, Okla., 16.6, $8,016.

Steer Wrestling: 1, (tie) Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., and Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, 5.4 seconds, $6,450 each. 3, Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, 6.2, $5,100. 4, Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont., 6.9, $4,200. 5, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 7.0, $3,300. 6, Mason Owen Couch, Bronaugh, Mo., 7.3, $2,400. 7, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 7.5, $1,500. 8, Cody Harmon, Dublin, Texas, 10.2, $600.

Barrel Racing: 1, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 17.13 seconds, $10,239. 2, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 17.21, $8,474. 3, Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., 17,24, $6,708. 4, Presley Smith, Danham Springs, La., 17.25, $4,943. 5, Katie Pascoe, Morro Bay, Calif., 17.26, $3,177. 6, Taycie Matthews, Wynne, Ark., 17.29, $1,765.

Bull Riding: 1, Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho, 92.5 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Lets Gamble, $8,276. 2, (tie) Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho, and Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 90, $5,329 each. 4, (tie) Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, and Tristen Hutchings, Monteview, Idaho, $2,382 each. 6, Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, $1,253.

Wild Horse Race: 1, Small Miracles, $10,470. 2 (tie) Team Krening, and Leon Stewart. $6,686.

• Reigning CFD Champions who will be defending their titles today include saddle bronc riding, Stetson Wright; bareback riding, Tim O’Connell; steer roping, Cole Patterson; and team roping heeler, Jade Corkill who won with Clay Smith last year and is roping with Clay Tryan who he won the title with here in 2013.
• Jade Corkill has won three CFD team roping titles with three different partners. No other team roper has had as much success in Frontier Park as he has since they added the event in 2001. He won in 2009 with Chad Masters who also advanced to today’s rodeo roping with Paul Eaves.
• Today’s team roping will feature more world championships than any other event at 13. In the heading, Clay Tryan has three, Matt Sherwood and Chad Masters have two and Erich Rogers has one. Paul Eaves has won two in the heeling and Jade Corkill has three.
• Coleman Proctor is the favorite to win the all-around championship here. He leads the steer roping and has already won money in that event and the team roping. He didn’t advance past the Quarter-Finals in the team roping.
• Taycie Matthews had the fastest run of the College National Finals Rodeo in the barrel racing last June. She is at the top of the ground after the drag, a position that has seen a lot of women excelling at here. She is second in the WPRA Rookie Standings. Presley Smith is third and is the first competitor here today. They are in contention for their first NFR qualifications and today could be a game changer for both young women.
• Ty Pope won the college title in the bareback riding and is waiting to make a commitment to Pro Rodeo until next year. He plans on going back to school next fall, then making a run for the Resistol Rookie of the Year title in 2023. He was in a three-way tie for sixth place and the rodeo is taking them all in the bareback riding.
• CFD’s titles are prestigious for several reasons, the history, the legacy and the money for certain. They are also some of the hardest to win. The Myers family has multiple world championships to their credit, but none of them have ever won here. Cash Myers has a chance to change that today with a win in the steer roping.
• Ora Taton won the steer roping here in 2000. If he has the fast time today, he will go down in history as having the most time between multiple titles.
• Katie Pascoe could be a second-generation winner if she does well in the barrel racing today. The wife of former NFL football player, Bear Pascoe is the daughter of world champion steer wrestler John W. Jones who won the championship here in 1988 and 1989.
• In the bull riding Trey Kimzey is the younger brother of seven-time world champion Sage Kimzey. Josh Frost’s older brother Joe Frost is a multiple time NFR qualifier. Trey and Josh have watched their brothers win at rodeos across the country, but never here. Today it’s the younger brothers’ opportunity to gain some family bragging rights.
• Breakaway roper Lynn Smith is a college rodeo coach at Cochise College in Arizona. Prior to starting at Arizona, she was at Central Wyoming College in Riverton. She has mentored many young women across the nation in the goat tying and is taking advantage of opportunities for breakaway ropers.
• Jennifer Canik could be the second member of her family to win a championship here. She was in her twenties when her older brother Stephen Canik won the steer wrestling in 1997 and qualified for the NFR. She was the national all-around women’s champion in high school.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 23, 2022) –Former world champion Tyson Durfey has been competing at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) for 20 years, but until he won Semifinals 2 on Saturday, he had never qualified for Championship Sunday.

A sellout crowd watched the roper from Brock, Texas, win the tie-down roping with a time of 10.7 seconds. Durfey has competed in the tie-down roping at 14 National Finals Rodeo’s (NFR) and is instantly visible in any arena where he always wears a bright pink shirt to promote breast cancer awareness. The father of three has one of the largest social media followings in pro rodeo. He recently admitted to his followers that he still gets goosebumps when he backs into the roping box at the “Daddy of ‘em All.”

Only 12 in each rodeo contest event qualify for  Sunday’s Championship Finals. In Semifinals 2 on Saturday the top 6 in each event advanced, joining those who moved on from Semifinals 1 on Friday.

Jacek Frost of Browns Valley, California, was riding bareback horses at the National High School Finals Rodeo this past Saturday. Fast-forward a week and the 18-year-old high school reserve champion was competing, and winning, against some of pro rodeo’s best. He scored 85.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s horse Neurotic Toddy to tie for first place in Semifinals 2 with Utah’s Dean Thompson. Thompson is another young gun who competes in multiple events in college rodeo for Western Texas College. He rode Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ horse Mustard to advance to Championship Sunday. The third bareback rider to share the leaderboard in Semifinals 2 was Caleb Bennett of Corvallis, Montana. Bennett, who has made eight trips to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and is ranked eighth this season, rode another Sankey horse named Outlaw Tunes.

Alli Masters of Leon, Iowa, caught her calf in 4.2 seconds to win the breakaway roping. She competed at the College National Finals Rodeo last month for Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Masters was two-tenths of a second faster than Bradi Good of Abilene, Texas. Good is making her second consecutive trip to Championship Sunday with hopes she can win a CFD championship like her dad Shay Good did in steer roping.

Jennifer Canik of Iowa, Louisiana, had the most unusual run of Semifinals 2 in roping. The left-handed cowgirl caught her calf quickly, but the slack in her rope went above her horse’s head, spooking him into bucking. She had just let go of the rope and set back in the saddle when she was thrown and landed hard on her back. A long two seconds passed before she waved her hat to the crowd, stood and took a bow. Despite all that, her time of 5.2 seconds was fourth, putting her into Championship Sunday where she’ll be trying to win a CFD title like her brother Stephen Canik did in the steer wrestling in 1997.

Although Q Taylor is Canadian, the saddle bronc rider lives in Casper, Wyoming, where he competes on the Casper College Rodeo Team. He had not won much this season in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)  until he rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s horse Dry Creek for 86 points to win Semifinals 2 and $3,051. The Nanton, Alberta, cowboy bested a field that included three world champions.

Paul David Tierney of Oklahoma City and Tanner Braden of Dewey, Oklahoma, were the first team ropers of Semifinals 2. They set the pace with an 8.7-second run that no other team was able to beat. Neither Tierney’s father Paul, a member of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, nor his brother Jess, who will compete in the Championship Finals in steer roping, have won a CFD title. Paul David is aiming to be the first in his family to win a title at Frontier Park.

The final steer wrestler of the day was Jesse Brown of Baker City, Oregon, and he blew away the rest of the semi-finalists with a 6.9 second run. Brown has qualified for the last two NFRs and is currently ranked 14^th in the PRCA standings. A win in the championship round along with the $4,060 he earned on Saturday could virtually guarantee him a return to rodeo’s premiere event in Las Vegas in December.

Leslie Smalygo of Skiatook, Oklahoma, and her horse Gus (registered name Justaheartbeattafame) have been on winning streak during July. So many of her friends made a comment about them being “on fire” that the blonde cowgirl dyed her hair the colors of flames. The duo clocked the fastest time of the six quarter-finals and two semi-finals – 17.16 seconds –to win the day. She is currently ranked 17^th in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Like Brown in steer wrestling, a win on Championship Sunday added to the $5,120 she earned today would help her bid to qualify for her first NFR.

Garrett Smith of Rexburg, Idaho, is having his best season since 2019. The three-time NFR bull rider is currently ranked fifth. He topped the bull riding field in Semifinals 2 with an 89.5-point effort on United Pro Rodeo’s bull named Paradise.

Caleb Wareham of Whiting, Kansas, was crowned the 2022 CFD Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding champion at the conclusion of the event on Semifinals 2. The winner in that event is determined by the best total score on two bucking horses.

The 126^th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo will determine its 2022 champions in nine events and the all-around on Sunday, July 31, beginning at 12:45 p.m.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 30, 2022)- The following are unofficial results from Semifinals 2 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Saturday, July 30, 2022.

Bareback Riding: 1, (tie) Jacek Lane Frost, Browns Valley, Calif., on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Neurotic Toddy; Dean Thompson, Altamont, Utah on Sankey Pro Rodeo’s & Phenom Genetics’ Mustard; and Caleb Bennett, Corvallis, Montana on Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics’ Outlaw tunes, 85.5 points and $2,429 each. 4, (tie) Evan Keler Betony, Tonalea, Ariz., and Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 85, $911. 6, (tie) Yance Day, Tahlequah, Okla.; Bronc Marriott, Woods Cross, Utah and Ty Pope, Marshall, Mo., 84, $160.

Breakaway:  1, Alli Masters, Leon, Iowa, 4.2 seconds, $6,088. 2, Bradi Good, Abilene, Texas, 4.4, $4,612. 3, Macy Young, Whittmann, Ariz., 4.8, $3,321. 4, Jennifer Canik, Iowa, La., 5.2, $2,214. 5, Rheagan Cotton, Fairfield, Texas, 5.3, $1,291. 6, Devan McAdow, Hyannis, Neb., 5.9, $922.

Tie Down Roping: 1, Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas, 10.7, $5,200. 2, Hudson Wallace, George West, Texas, 11.0, $4,300. 3, Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo., 11.5, $3,400. 4, Kase Bacque, Huntsville, Texas, 12.2, $2,500. 5, Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas, 13.1, $1,600. 6, (tie) *Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., and Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont., 13.8, $450 each. *advances based on tie-breaker.

Rookie Saddle Bronc: (Round 1) 1, Isaac Richard, Eunice, La., 83 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Prairie Worm, $1,252. 2, Chance West, Chino Valley, Ariz., 80, $941. 3, (tie) Rowdy Dunklin, Cheyenne, Wyo., and Cable Wareham, Whiting, Kan., 79, $564 each. 5, (tie) Denton Ward, Goodwell, Okla., and Clancy Glenn, Parma, Idaho, 77, $226 each. (Round 2): 1, Reed Neely, Sanger, Calif., 8 on Korkow Rodeo’s What Feathers, $1,242. 2, Ira Dickinson, Rock Springs, Wyo., 81, $941. 3, Carson Bingham, Rigby, Idaho, 77, $677. 4, Lavern Borntreger, Elsmere, Neb., 76, $451. (Total on two): 1, Wareham, 154, $1,242. 2, Q McWhorter, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 150, $941. 3, Bingham, 149, $677. 4, Dunklin, 147, $451. 5, (tie) Jacob Benham, Dodge City, Kan., and Dickinson, 146, $226 each.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Q Taylor, Casper, Wyoming, 86 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s 86, $3,051. 2, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 84, $2,312. 3, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 83.5, $1,664. 4, Ross Griffin, Tularosa, N.M., 83, $1,110. 5, Will Pollock, Utopia, Texas, 82.5, $647. 6, Weston Patterson, Waverly, Kan., and Tanner Butner, Daniel, Wyo., 82 and $231 each.

Team Roping: 1, Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 8.7 seconds, $5,200. 2, Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn., and Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 9.1, $4,300. 3, Turner Harris, Killdeer, N.D., and Matt Kasner, Cody, Neb., 9.3, $3,400. 4, Brayden Parker and Dustin Searcy, Scottsdale, Ariz., 11.0, $2,500. 5, Britt Williams, Hammond, Mont., and Cayden Cox, Arroyo Grande, Calif., 18.0, $1,600. 6, Rio Nutter, Rapid City, S.D., and Daine McNenny, Hereford, S.D., 18.0, $900.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 6.9 seconds, $4,060. 2, Will Lummus, Byhalia, Miss., 7.2, $3,360. 3, Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont., 7.6, $2,660. 4, Mason Couch, Bronaugh, Mo., 7.9, $1,960. 5, Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 8.9, $1,260. 6, Denton Good, Long Valley, S.D., 9.1, $700.

Barrel Racing: 1, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 17.16 seconds, $5,120. 2, Taycie Matthews, Wynne, Ark., 17.28, $4,237. 3, Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., 17.36, $3,354. 4, Rachelle Riggers, Lewiston, Idaho, 17.47, $2,472. 5, Presley Smith, Danham Springs, La., 17.50, $1,589. 6, Lisa Lockhart, Oehlrichs, S.D., 17.67, $883.

Bull Riding: (five rides) 1, Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho, 89.5 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Paradise, $3,181. 2, Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, 86, $2,105. 3, Dawson Gleaves, Amarillo, Texas, 83, $1,216. 4, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 82, $1,216. 5, Jared Parsonage, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada, 80.5, $748.

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

Today is the final opportunity for any contestant to advance to Sunday’s Championship Finals. In the bareback riding, there are a bunch of rising stars including Rocker Steiner who just won the Calgary Stampede, is leading the Resistol Rookie of the Year race and is headed to his first NFR. The high school reserve champion, Jacek Frost is also on the list as well as Keenan Hayes who did well here the first time he entered, in 2021. Tim O’Connell will be trying to win his third CFD championship. He is the reigning champ. Other NFR qualifiers Caleb Bennett and Tilden Hooper will be doing their best to finish among the top half of the contestants and stay here through Sunday’s rodeo.

The reigning saddle bronc riding champion Stetson Wright will be here along with former champion Wade Sundell and Stetson’s older brother Ryder. Wyoming native Tanner Butner could have the ride of his life today. Butner who lives at Daniel is in the 15th spot in the world standings. If he is among the top six today and advances to Sunday, he would be the first Wyoming resident to win a saddle bronc riding title here since 2005 when Bryce Miller won it. Butner is a native. Miller claimed Wyoming as home while he was competing and spent much of his time with the Forbes family at Kaycee. Regardless, Butner is proud to represent the “Cowboy State,” and will be doing his best to keep the bronc riding title at home.

There is only one former CFD champ in the bull riding and it happens to be Ky Hamilton who won here last year. The native of Australia is traveling with Stetson Wright who came up short in this event. Garrett Smith has done well here almost every year he has competed and this year is no exception. The former high school rodeo all-around champion loves the western atmosphere and the big open arena. Cody Teel won the world title in 2015, the same year he got married. He is now a father, and while his focus has been on the PBR, he is very grateful to be doing well here and wants that momentum to continue today. He has been to the NFR five times, and has countless wins to his credit, but has yet to get the prestigious buckle from the “Daddy.”

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

Riley Webb is extremely happy he had the opportunity to compete at Cheyenne Frontier Days. The tie-down roper from Denton, Texas is one spot out of the top 15 that qualify for the NFR. That could change today. Riley is less than $1,000 out of the top 15 and is leading the Resistol Rookie of the Year race. He could increase his lead in that category and put himself in better position in the world standings with a win here.

Haven Meged grew up in Miles City, Montana, working cattle and basically being a working cowboy. Those skills have transferred over to the arena where he is one of the top tie-down ropers. The 2019 college and world champion will be trying to win his first CFD title. Tyson Durfey is another world champion hoping to cash in here. Durfey is a social media influencer that mentors others and is always looking for ways to improve.

Today’s team roping will see Paul David Tierney trying to win a title here and go down in history as the first from his rodeo family. His father, Paul Tierney, is a former world champion, his brother Jess will be here on Sunday in the steer roping. At the end of Sunday’s rodeo, there could be some bragging rights at stake. Chad Masters won the team roping here in 2009 with Jade Corkill who has already qualified for Sunday’s championships. This year Chad is roping with Paul Eaves. Both have two world championships to their credit and can be a very exciting team to watch.

Most of the fans won’t recognize Turner Harris who will be heading for Matt Kasner. Harris comes from a ranching family in North Dakota, mainly goes to circuit rodeos, but loves Cheyenne. He has roped here multiple times and has made the final round nearly every time he has come to Cheyenne. The big arena, long score and big cattle are perfect for this ranch cowboy.

The steer wrestling is full of talent starting with Trell Etbauer who is in the top 25 in the world standings, is a former all-around here and is trying to be the first of his bronc riding family to qualify for the NFR in a timed event. A win here would give him a significant boost in the standings and get his children each a buckle from the “Daddy.” Will Lummus is second in the world standings and is looking for his first gold buckle. The four-time NFR qualifier knows what it takes to be an athlete and take care of his body. His wife is a pharmacist and he is a certified physical therapist.

The reigning college champion is hoping to turn his professional season around here today. Walt Arnold won the title in Casper in June and is 43rd in the world. If he is among the top 6 today and advances to Sunday’s finals, he could win a college title and CFD championship the same year just like J.D. Struxness did in 2016. Struxness is also in the field and looking for his second CFD buckle

Taylor Hanchey was the first woman to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo racing and the National Finals Breakaway Roping. She competed in barrel racing in 2013 and 2015, but prior to 2013 considered herself more of a roper than a barrel racer. She hasn’t found her next great barrel racing horse, so she began roping again and qualified in breakaway last season. Her husband Shane won the tie-down roping title here in 2018 and she’d love to add her own to the family trophy room. Bradi Good qualified for the Finals last year in both breakaway and barrel racing. She missed the cutoff in barrels this year but has another shot in breakaway. Her dad Shay Good won the CFD steer roping title in 2015.

Lisa Lockhart was the barrel racing champion here at in 2015. She’s qualified for 15 consecutive and the South Dakota native is always a fan favorite. She is 23rd in the world standings and any money she wins here will help her get to a 16th NFR. Another fan favorite is Emily Beisel. The Oklahoman has qualified for the last three NFRs and rides horses that are known for their calm demeanor at the start. Shy-Anne Jarrett and her husband, tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett, are both competing today. Shy-Anne is in the barrel racing and Ryan is in the tie-down roping. If things go their way, they could have a chance to become the first spouses to win CFD titles in the same year.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 29, 2022) –The Friday crowd at Frontier Park watched as Semifinals 1 set half the field for Sunday’s Championship Finals at the 126^th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD). Twelve rodeo athletes competed in each event (12 teams in team roping) with just six advancing to Sunday’s competition.

In the bareback riding Garrett Shadbolt of Merriman, Nebraska, went to the winners’ circle for the second consecutive day. The father of two won Quarterfinals 6 on Thursday, then took first place in Semifinals 2 with a score of 86 points on United Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse named Pow Wow Nation. Shadbolt is currently ranked 12^th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s (PRCA) standings and aiming for a second trip to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December. Another cowboy advancing to Sunday is Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas. At age 39 he is competing, and winning, against men half his age. The three-time world champion has won the bareback riding title at CFD three times. If he wins the championship round, he will become the only bareback rider to win the “Daddy of ‘em All” four times.

Three-time world champions Clay Tryan of Billings, Montana, and Jade Corkill of Fallon, Nevada, also won for the second day in a row at Frontier Park. The pair won the CFD team roping championship together in 2013. A win Sunday could make Corkill the first four-time team roping champion at the “Daddy of ‘em All”. He won in 2009 with Tennessee roper Chad Masters and last year with Oklahoman Clay Smith.

A couple of Texas women tied for the win in Semifinals 2 of breakaway roping. Tiffany Schieck of Floresville and Martha Angelone of Stephenville both roped their calves in 4.6 seconds. Angelone has qualified for the National Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR) twice, winning the inaugural event in 2020, and is currently third in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) standings. Schieck, on the other hand, is not among the top 50 in the standings and a win at Frontier Park on Sunday would be the biggest of her career.

Reese Riemer of Stinnett, Texas, set the pace early in the tie-down roping with a 10.5-second run. The three-time NFR qualifier has not qualified for rodeo’s season finale since 2018. Today’s win, plus a win on Sunday, could put another trip to Las Vegas within reach for the 31-year-old Texan.

Two-time world champion Zeke Thurston of Big Valley, Alberta, rodeo Summit Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse Corina for 89.5 points to win Semifinals 2. Thurston has never won a championship at CFD, but his father Skeeter Thurston was the rookie saddle bronc riding winner at Frontier Park in 1982. With a winning ride on Sunday, Zeke could take another CFD title home to Canada for the Thurston family 40 years later.

Justin Shaffer of Hallsville, Texas,  took first place in steer wrestling in Semifinals 1 with a time of 6.5 seconds. One of his biggest career wins was at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in 2017. Winning here could be another. There is at least a 50-50 chance that Sunday’s steer wrestling winner will be a first-time CFD winner since none of the men advancing from Semifinals 1 have won in Frontier Park.

Summer Kosel made history at Cheyenne Frontier Days during last week’s qualifying round of barrel racing by clocking the fastest time recorded at the “Daddy of ‘em All” in barrel racing. The South Dakota barrel racer proved that was no fluke by winning Semifinals 1 with a time of 17.34 seconds.

Josh Frost of Randlett, Utah, tallied 91 points when he rode Harper & Rodeo Company’s bull Blackout to win the Semifinals. Frost, who won the 2021 NFR title in bull riding for the highest cumulative score over 10 rounds, is currently ranked second in the PRCA standings. The younger brother of retired bull rider Joe Frost and second-cousin to bull riding legend Lane Frost is striving to become the first in his family to win a CFD championship.

CHEYENNE, Wyo (July 29, 2022)- The following are unofficial results from Semifinals 1 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Friday, July 29. Payoff subject to change.  

Bareback: 1, Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., 86 points on Universal Pro Rodeo’s Pow Wow Nation, $3,163. 2, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 85.5, $2,396. 3, Will Lowe, Amarillo, Texas,  84.5, $1,725. 4, R.C. Landingham, Hat Creek, Calif., 84, $1,150. 

Breakaway:  1, (tie) Tiffany Schieck, Floresville, Texas, and Martha Angelone, Stephenville, Texas, 4.6 seconds, $5,534 each. 3, Ashley Goforth, Azle, Texas, 4.9, $3,505. 4, Lynn Smith, Elfrida, Ariz., 5.2, $2,398. 

Tie Down Roping: 1, Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, 10.5 seconds, $5,200. 2, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 11.1, $4,300. 3, Blane Cox, Cameron, Texas, 11.4, $3,400. 4, Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 12.6, $2,500. 

Rookie Saddle Bronc: (Round 1) 1, Isaac Richard, Eunice, La., 83 points. 2, Chance West, Chino Valley, Ariz., 80. 3, (tie) Rowdy Dunklin, Cheyenne, Wyo., and Cable Wareham, Whiting, Kan., 79. (Round 2): 1, Reed Neely, Sanger, Calif., 82. 2, Ira Dickinson, Rock Springs, Wyo., 81. 3, Carson Bingham, Rigby, Idaho, 77. 4, Lavern Borntreger, Elsmere, Neb., 76. (Total on two): 1, Wareham, 154. 2, Q McWhorter, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 150. 3, Bingham, 149. 4, Dunklin, 147

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 89.5 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Corina, $3,051. 2, Riggin Smith, Winterset, Iowa, 86.5, $2,311. 3, Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 86, $1,664. 4, Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 84, $878. 

Team Roping: 1, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev., 8.4 seconds, $5,200 each. 2, Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz., and Paden Bray, Stephenville, Texas, 9.1, $4,300 each. 3, Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho,  9.7, $3,400 each. 4, Kellan and Carson Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 10.6, $2,500 each.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas, 6.5 seconds, $4,060. 2, Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, 7.4, $3,360. 3, Emmett Edler, State Center, Iowa, 7.5, $2,660. 4, Cody Harmon, Dublin, Texas, 7.6, $1,960.

Barrel Racing: 1, Summer Kosel, Glenham, S.D., 17.34 seconds, $5,119. 2, Cindy Smith, Lovington N.M., 17.53, $4,237. 3, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, $17.57. 4, Katie Pascoe, Morro Bay, Calif., 17.65, $1,647. 

Bull Riding: 1, Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah, 91 points on Hunter & Morgan Rodeo Company’s Blackout, $3,087. 2, (tie) Tristen Hutchings, Monteview, Idaho, and Brady Portenier, Caldwell, 86, $2,011 each. 4, Tyler Bingham, Howell, Utah, 83.5, $1,122. 

Wild Horse Race: 1, Leon Stewart, $678. 

Josh Frost continued his winning ways at Cheyenne Frontier Days. The bull rider from Randlett, Utah, had a 91-point ride on Harper & Morgan Rodeo’s Blackout to win Semifinals 1. Frost is second in the world standings and is hoping for a win in Frontier Park on Sunday to help him get back to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo next December where he is the defending champion for having the highest total score on ten rides. PRCA photo by Click Thompson