CFD Archives - Page 13 of 19 - Cheyenne Frontier Days

July 18-27, 2025

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Wyoming team ropers led the pack to win their progressive round at Cheyenne Frontier Days on Tuesday. Clayton Van Aken who ranches near Yoder set a point-total record for the University of Wyoming rodeo team after arriving in the ‘Cowboy State’ from California. Heeler Jayden Johnson from Casper once held a spot on the Laramie County Community College rodeo roster. Their professional work in the big Cheyenne arena was exemplary sending them on to the semifinals.

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

Tanner Aus won the bareback riding title at CFD in 2015. Aus has made six trips to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR), has passed the $1 million mark in career earnings and looks like he’ll make a return trip to Las Vegas in December since he’s currently ranked sixth. Anthony Thomas calls Texas, home now, but he’s originally from New Zealand. Canadian Kody Lamb is a singer/songwriter and holds a master’s degree in science and applied psychology from Tarleton State University.

Damian Brennan leads the Resistol Rookie of the Year standings in saddle bronc riding. The native of Queensland, Australia, qualified for the 2022 College National Finals Rodeo last month as a member of the Western Texas College team. In the middle of that week, he also won the saddle bronc riding at the inaugural Battle of the Broncs in Fallon, Nevada. Parker Kempfer of Deer Park, Florida, won the Southeastern Circuit Finals this year and is currently ranked third in his circuit. Winning a championship here could be life-changing for either of them.

There’s more on the line today for Stetson Wright in the bull riding than any other cowboy. While 13 bull riders must ride today to advance to the Semifinals — and only six will — Wright has to make a qualified ride in order to have a chance to win a third consecutive CFD all-around title – a feat no other cowboy has accomplished since the title was first awarded in 1944. Ky Hamilton’s win yesterday keeps him in contention to become only the sixth bull rider to win back-to-back CFD titles.

This year’s rodeo is missing Sage Kimzey, the reigning and seven-time world champion bull rider. Sage had shoulder surgery recently and is expected to be out the rest of the season. In spite of all of his wins, he has never won in Frontier Park and won’t have that opportunity this year. His younger brother, Trey Kimzey rode here yesterday and finished seventh yesterday, one spot out of advancing to the semi-finals. If less than six ride today, he will qualify, but it would be easier and better for him if he rode again and scored high enough to be at the top of the leaderboard.

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

Looking through the list of timed event contestants, today’s performance promises to be exciting. It starts with the WPRA-sanctioned breakaway roping which has become one of the rodeo’s most popular events since it was included here three years ago. The first time it was hosted at Cheyenne, it was invitational. When they had it again last year, it counted in the world standings and the committee’s portion of the purse was the same in that event as all of the others.

Today’s competition will feature world champion Jackie Crawford who has been a mentor and role model for a lot of young women hoping to have an opportunity to compete at rodeos like Cheyenne’s. There is also Madison Outhier who was the first woman to win that event at The American Rodeo where she earned over $100,000 while still in high school. Outhier has watched her father, Mike Outhier compete here and now will be adding to the family legacy. Taylor Hanchey won the qualifying round here and will hope to advance and become the first husband wife team to collect roping championships at Frontier Park. Her husband Shane was the tie-down roping champion here in 2018. Last year, Taylor qualified for the National Finals Breakaway Roping held in conjunction with the NFR. She has also competed at the NFR in the past in the barrel racing and became the first woman to qualify for both events.

If one of today’s tie-down ropers finishes at the top of the leaderboard on Championship Sunday, it will be the first time that they have won the “Daddy.” It’s amazing to think that none of them have won a title here knowing that there are five world titles represented and that out of the 12, half of them have qualified for the NFR. Among those is the reigning and three-time world champion Caleb Smidt who is likely to be riding “Pockets,” the horse that he earned those titles on. Caleb is from Bellville, Texas, but Pockets is a born in Wyoming, ranch-raised Quarter Horse that excels in any type of conditions.

Haven Meged took the tie-down roping world by storm in 2019 earning the college title for Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, then going on and winning a world title. Shad Mayfield won the high school finals that same year and got a big jump towards his first NFR qualification with money he earned in Cheyenne. Even without winning a title here, this rodeo will also have special meaning for Shad.

Today’s barrel racing will see Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi trying to win her second CFD title and the first since 2007 when she rode her great horse Sixth Vision “Stitch” to the championship. Brittany has qualified for the NFR nearly every year since then. She also won the first of two world titles in 2007. She had a quick turn around this week to get here today. She competed in Salinas, California on Saturday where she won the championship at the California Rodeo, then started the journey back here. Now she is hoping to add to those earnings.

Sarah Rose Waguespack came onto the rodeo scene thanks to a little bay-roan mare Fame Fling N Bling. She ventured west from her home state of Georgia to give them a chance that resulted in trips to Las Vegas to compete at the NFR. Sadly, she lost Bling, but the legacy of that mare is living on. Sarah is now having success on Red Roan Ranger, who is a grandson of the mare that started it all. Along her adventures on the road, she met and married world champion steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack. The couple makes their home in Gonzales, Louisiana.

In the team roping watch for brothers Riley and Brady Minor who won the qualifying round and will be hoping for more success here in Cheyenne. The duo from Ellensburg, Washington are the most successful brothers to ever rope together in the history of the PRCA. They won their hometown rodeo, love big setups and fresh cattle so this rodeo is right up their alley.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 25, 2022) – Tyson Durfey of Brock, Texas, has more than $2 million in career winnings, 14 trips to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), a world championship and many other professional rodeo accomplishments, but the tie-down roper who always competes wearing a signature pink shirt has never won the championship at Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).

Durfey, who has developed a strong mentorship program and has nearly more than half a million followers on social media, told his followers he still gets goosebumps when he backs his horse into the box at Cheyenne. In Monday’s Quarter Finals 3 Durfey was the next-to-last cowboy to rope. He roped and tied his calf in 11.8 seconds to win the day by two-tenths of a second. He advanced to the Semifinals which will be Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30.

Monday was a special day for barrel racer Emily Beisel of Weatherford, Oklahoma. Beisel rode Beau, a nine-year-old bay gelding whose registered name is Biddin on Fame, to win Quarter Finals 3 with a time of 17.49 seconds. She gave all the credit to Beau as she pointed out that the barrel racing pattern at Frontier Park is unique and requires a special horse. “I didn’t enter here for a few years,” she said, “because I didn’t have the right horse.” Beau, who is one of the calmest barrel horses entering the arena, is proving to be the right one for Beisel at the “Daddy of ‘em All.”

The three-time NFR barrel racer who is currently ranked 9^th in the world championship standings was excited that her dad was able to watch her win the quarter-finals in person since he had never been to CFD. She wore red for Rita, her mother-in-law, whose 60^th birthday coincided with Beisel’s win. She will be back at CFD for the Semifinals this weekend.

The bull riding competition at CFD has a different format, with riders competing in back-to-back quarter-finals performances with the top six riders each day advancing to the Semifinals. Twenty riders compete, divided into two sections within each performance.

Creek Young, the 2021 bull riding rookie of the year from Rogersville, Missouri, rode Stace Smith’s bull #606 for 88.5 points to take the lead after the first section. Former world champion Cody Teel of Kountze, Texas, made the first 90-point ride of this year’s CFD when he rode Building Champions LLC’s bull Sometime Sober to take the lead. That lead was short-lived.

The final rider of the day, reigning CFD champion Ky Hamilton, matched up with Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s bull Fire Ant. Hamilton, a two-time NFR qualifier from Mackay, Queensland, Australia, scored 92.5 points to win Quarter Finals 3. He will return to Frontier Park with the goal of becoming the fifth bull rider to win back-to-back CFD championships since the event became part of the rodeo in 1936.

Quarter Finals 4 begins at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

CHEYENNE, Wyo (July 25, 2022)- The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (first performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Saturday, July 25. Payoff subject to change.

Bareback: 1, Yance Day, Tahlequah, Okla., 85.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Preacher, $2,447. 2, (tie) Lane Frost, Browns Valley, Calif., and Kyle Bloomquist, Raymond, Minn., 84.5, $1,529. 4, Matthew Smith, Saraland, Ala., 84, $611.

Breakaway: (Three times) 1, Devan McAdow, Hyannis, Neb., 5.2 seconds, $3,197. 2, Jennifer Canik, Iowa, La., 6.0, $2,459. 3,Taya McAdow, Keenesburg, Colo., 14.7, $1,721.

Tie Down Roping: 1, Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas, 11.8 seconds, $2,000. 2, (tie) Tom Crouse, Gallatin, Mo., and Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas, 12.0, $1,250. 4, Hudson Wallace, George West, Texas, 12.2, $500.

Rookie Saddle Bronc: Results pending

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 84.5 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Conference Call, $2,354. 2, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 84, $1,765. 3, Ryder Wright, Beaver, Utah, 83.5, $1,177. 4, Will Pollock, Utopia, Texas, 83, $588.

Team Roping: 1, Miles Kobold, Huntley Mont., and Clint Brower, Lander, Wyo., 8.6 seconds, $2,000 each. 2, Jeff Johnston, Thedford, Neb., and Jhett Hillman, McAlester Okla., 8.7, $1,500 each. 3, Wyatt Imus, Brenham, Texas., and Caleb Anderson, Mocksville, N.C., 8.9, $1,000 each. 4, Paul Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla., and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 9.0, $500 each.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Will Lummus, Byhalia, Miss., 5.9 seconds, $2,000. 2, Justin Kimsey, Douglas, Wyo., 6.0, $1,500. 3, Caden Camp, 6.3, $1,000. 4, Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 6.8, $500.

Barrel Racing: 1, Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla., 17.49 seconds, $2,353. 2, Suzanne Brooks, Seminole, Okla., 17.63, $1,765. 3, Rachelle Riggers, Lewiston, Idaho, $1,176. 4, Presley Smith, Denham Springs, La., 17.72, $588.

Bull Riding: 1, Ky Hamilton, Mackay, Queensland, Australia, 92.5 points on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Fire Ant, $2,397. 2, Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas, 90.0, $1,797. 3, Creek Young, Rogersville, Mo., 88.5, $1,198. 4, Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont., 86.0, $599.

Wild Horse Race: No qualified rides

Australian bull rider Ky Hamilton laid the groundwork for winning his second consecutive Cheyenne Frontier Days on Monday by lighting the scoreboard for 92-and-a-half points. It was the high-marked roughstock ride thus far at ‘The Daddy’ in 2022.

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

Contestants from the National High School Finals Rodeo are finding their way to Cheyenne. Among them is bareback rider Jacek Frost, whose older brothers Joe and Josh have been here in the bull riding and gone on to qualify for the NFR in that event. Jacek finished his high school career as the reserve world champion. Now, he is competing on one of rodeo’s biggest stages at the 126th “Daddy of ‘em All” and will be hoping that the momentum from Gillette carries on in Frontier Park.

Statler Wright became the fourth brother of his immediate family to win a high school championship on Saturday. Statler joins his brother Rusty and Ryder as saddle bronc riding champions at the NHSFR. Stetson, who has won four championships here in the last two events was the 2017 all-around champion there. Their uncles Jake and Spencer also earned those titles. Injuries have been an issue for the uncles and Rusty, but Ryder, Stetson and Statler will all compete in the saddle bronc riding today. Stetson is the first member of his family to earn a saddle bronc riding championship here and he did that last year along with the all-around championship. In 2019, he won the bull riding and the all-around.

Stetson will compete in the bull riding today and tomorrow. He is joined by his traveling partner and last year’s winner at Cheyenne, Ky Hamilton. The bull riding is star studded with 10 NFR qualifiers and two world champions. Stetson is one of those. The other is Cody Teel who won the PRCA’s world title 2012 has been focusing on the Professional Bull Riders. He will be competing at their event tonight as part of the Missouri Thunder team.

Last year, Montana’s Parker Breding rode more bulls at Cheyenne than any other contestant. However, his ride in the final round garnered him 85 points, four points shy of Ky Hamilton’s score so Hamilton got the champion’s package. Parker is just inside the top 40 in the world standings.

Clayton Savage is the oldest bull rider in today’s field. At 35, he is making a comeback after battling over 60 injuries and being diagnosed with epilepsy. Clayton has been to the NFR three times, the last ten years ago. He is currently in 35th place and needs to add at least $10,000 to move into the top 15, something that could happen at Frontier Park.

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

The team roping has two former champions in it today. Tyler Wade won it in 2016 roping with Dakota Kirchenschlager. Trey Yates was the 2019 champion heeling for Dustin Bird. This year, they are trying to win their second buckles here together with Tyler heading for Trey. They are each 25th in the world standings so any money they earn at Frontier Park could help move them up in the world standings and give them the opportunity to be in Las Vegas in December for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Tyson Durfey won the 2016 gold buckle in the tie-down roping and since then he has used his rodeo skills to build a social media audience and is a huge influencer in the western industry. He has 491 thousand followers on Facebook, 156 thousand on Instagram and another 20 thousand on Twitter. He has started a mentorship program called No Limits, has been working with life coaches and finding his own inspiration to share. He missed last year’s NFR, is in 45th place this year and really needs to win some big checks to be back there again this year. Durfey told his followers that he still gets goosebumps when he backs his horse in the box at Cheyenne. Hopefully he advances to the Semi-Finals and then the championships and gets to do that two more times after today.

Steer wrestling should be fast today. Ty Erickson, the 2019 world champion from Montana would love to add a CFD title to his rodeo resume. After winning the gold buckle, he missed the 2020 and 2021 NFR, got married, added a daughter to his family and is ready to be back there again. Ty is currently 5th in the world standings, just two spots behind Will Lummus who has been one of the most consistent steer wrestlers in the PRCA since 2018 when he qualified for his first NFR. He has been there every year since and has his eye on that buckle. Will is currently in 3rd place. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin and went on to get his certification as a physical therapist.

Trell Etbauer is trying to be the first member of his famous bronc riding family to get to the NFR in a different event. He has been traveling hard this year and is currently 20th in the world standings. Etbauer has competed here in the saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. He was the best multi-event cowboy here in 2014 winning the all-around championship.

In 2019, a dream came true for Shali Lord when she and her great horse “Can Man,” tied for the win in the women’s barrel race. She and Can Man went on to qualify for the NFR. Lord is currently outside of the top 100 in the WPRA world standings. She will be riding a mare she calls CeCe today. A win here would help her move up in the standings and meet qualification guidelines for the 2023 big winter rodeos.

Also in the mix today is Emily Beisel who has been a fan favorite at the last three NFRs. Beisel was raised on a farm and is the first in her family to compete in rodeos.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (June 24, 2022) – With a name like Bronc, Bobby and Michelle Marriott’s son seemed destined to ride bucking horses from birth. Twenty-three years later Bronc Marriott rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s bucking horse named Worth the Whiskey to win Quarter Finals 2 of bareback riding at the 126^th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD).

Marriott, who lives in Woods Cross Utah, grew up in the world of professional rodeo. His dad was a bronc rider and long-time professional rodeo pickup man. A three-time qualifier for College National Finals Rodeo, Marriott turned pro in 2020 and is currently 29^th in the world championship standings. He added $2,400 to his season earnings and advanced to next weekend’s Semifinals where he will have the opportunity to add to his earnings and move on to the Championship Finals on Sunday, July 31.

Denton Good, a 2022 high school graduate from Long Valley, South Dakota, has spent the last week in Wyoming competing in the steer wrestling. He qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Gillette and competed in two preliminary rounds there, squeezing in qualifying round competition at CFD before competing in the Championship Round of the NHSFR on Saturday where he finished in the top six.

He was back in Cheyenne Sunday and won Quarter Finals 2 in the steer wrestling with a 6.6-second run. The 18-year-old will be one of the youngest athletes to compete in next weekend’s Semifinals.

Dawson Gleaves of Amarillo, Texas, has the nickname of “Sticky” and the CFD crowd saw why Sunday afternoon. The rookie bull rider stuck to the back of United Pro Rodeo’s bull Amish Burnout for a score of 88 points and the quarter-finals win.

Gleaves, who is ranked third in the bull riding rookie standings and 35^th in the world championship standings, attends Clarendon (Texas) College and qualified for the College National Finals last year. He advances to next weekend’s Semifinals and could “stick” around for the Championship Finals with another ride like he made in Quarter Finals 2.

Also moving on to the Semifinals are the husband and wife duo of Ryan and Shy-Anne Jarrett of Comanche, Oklahoma. Ryan, a former all-around world champion who now focuses mainly on tie-down roping, caught a berth in the Semifinals in that event and Shy-Ann qualified for the Semifinals in barrel racing.

CFD also hosted the Women’s Ranch Bronc Riding World Finals July 23-24. Allysa Spierings, a Wisconsin native who lives in Missouri and works at the Joplin Regional Stockyards, was crowned the champion.

The Quarter Finals 3 begins at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, July 25.

Unofficial results from Quarter Finals 2

CHEYENNE, Wyo (July 24, 2022)- The following are unofficial results from Quarter Finals 2 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Saturday, July 23. Payoff subject to change.

Bareback Riding: 1, Bronc Marriott, Woods Cross, Utah, 89 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Worth the Whiskey, $2,447. 2, Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, Canada, 82.5, $1,835. 3, Keenan Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 82, $1,223. 4, (tie) Evan Betony, Tonalea, Ariz.; Ethan Mazurenko, Kaycee, Wyo., and Caleb Bennett, Corvallis, Mont., 81, $203 each.

Breakaway Roping: 1, Anna Callaway, Billings, Mont., 3.5 seconds, $2,951. 2, Ashley Goforth, Azle, Texas, 6.5, $2,213. 3, Macy Young, Wittmann, Ariz., 14.1, $1,475. 4, Sara Montgomery, Wheatland, Wyo., 15.2, $737.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., 11.5 seconds, $2,000. 2, Zaine Mikita, Byers, Colo., 11.9, $1,500. 3, Riley Webb, Denton, Texas, 12.1, $1,000. 4, Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 12.5, $500.

Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding: Results pending

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Knights Showoff. 2, (tie) Ross Griffin, Tularosa, N.M., and Leon Fountain, Socorro, N.M., 84.5, $1,471 each. 4, Taygen Schuelke, Newell, S.D., 80.5, $588.

Team Roping: 1, (tie) Turner Harris, Killdeer, N.D., and Matt Kasner, Cody, Neb.; and Jay Tittle, Pueblo, Colo., and Cole Cooper, Montrose, Colo., 8.0 seconds, $1,750 each. 3, Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah, and Max Kuttler, American Falls, Idaho., 8.2, $1,000 each. 4, Kyon and Clancey Kreutzer, Lake Creek, Texas, 9.0, $500 each.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Denton Good, Long Valley, S.D., 6.6 seconds, $2,000. 2, Mason Couch, Bronaugh, Mo., 7.2, $1,500. 3, Gus Franzen, Kearney, Neb., 8.1, $1,000. 4, Shane Frey, Duncan, Okla., 8.2, $500.

Barrel Racing: 1, Taycie Matthews, Wynne, Ark., 17.65 seconds, $2,353. 2, Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., 17.82, $1,765. 3, Stephanie Fryar, Waco, Texas, 18.04, $1,176. 4, Shy-Anne Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 18.07, $588.

Bull Riding: 1, Dawson Gleaves, Amarillo, Texas, 88 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Amish Burnout, $2,397. 2, Brody Yeary, Morgan Mill, Texas, 86, $1,797. 3, (tie) Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas, and Shad Winn, Nephi, Utah, 85, $898 each.

Wild Horse Race: No qualified rides

Just two days into the Cheyenne Frontier Days afternoon performances there is a champion. Allysa Spierings from Missouri by way of Wisconsin won the first-ever Women Ranch Bronc Championships world finals. Contestants from the U.S., Canada and Australia were at ‘The Daddy’ for two riding opportunities and Spierings was the only one to stay on to the whistle both times. She started her rodeo life riding bulls but after a bad wreck changed to bucking broncs and loves it. Frontier Days made sure Spierings was well rewarded for her efforts.

Central Rocky Mountain Region college cowboys roped to the head of the team roping class in the first afternoon performance of Cheyenne Frontier Days on Saturday. The top four teams advance to a semifinals berth. Former Gillette College all-around cowboy Jon Peterson paired with Eastern Wyoming College alum Levi O’Keefe were #2 on the day. Rio Nutter will start his sophomore year at the University of Wyoming this fall. He and partner Daine McNenny finished first.

Oklahoma steer wrestler Denard Butler is enjoying his first Cheyenne Frontier Days. He won the Saturday afternoon performance with expert assistance from Cheyenne native Aaron Vosler hazing. Butler, who does some modeling work for Wrangler, had to coax Vosler to help because he was planning to be at another rodeo. It all worked out for both of them.

WATCH: Wyoming Team Ropers

RODEO CONTESTANTS TO WATCH

Rodeo Recap Monday Quarter Finals

WATCH: Military Monday

WATCH: Bull Rider Ky Hamilton

Rodeo Contestants to Watch

Young Cowboys Make Noise at CFD

WATCH: Women’s Ranch Bronc Championship

WATCH: Team Roping Saturday Qualifier

WATCH: Steer Wrestling Quarter Finals