It’s been nearly a decade since Richmond Champion lived up to his name bareback riding at Cheyenne Frontier Days. The Texas native, now transplanted to Montana, proved on July 22 at ‘The Daddy’ he could still keep up and surpass the young guns, winning his section with an 85-point ride. Champion likes the tournament-style progressive format Cheyenne has adopted in which the top four advance in each event to semifinal competition starting Friday.
Seth Peterson earned two degrees at the University of Wyoming, and has gotten by a pair of steers at Cheyenne Frontier Days advancing to the semifinals. The North Dakota native finished in the top four on July 22 in front of packed house of more than 15,500, loving every minute of it. Peterson is head rodeo coach at Colorado State University, but he is first and foremost a cowboy, especially on a horse called ‘Coors’
Cheyenne Frontier Days split 200 breakaway ropers into two groups for their preliminary qualifying round on July 18, and two women who excelled at Central Rocky Mountain Region colleges proved they could compete with anyone. Nebraskan Brandy Schaack split first and second place in Group 2, netting her calf in 3.9 seconds to earn more than $3,700 aboard her beloved ‘JuJu.’ Schaack was an all-around cowgirl for the University of Wyoming and now teaches third graders in Chadron as well as coaching girls at Chadron State. Laramie native Abbea Faris won third-place honors with a time of 4.2 seconds out of Group 1 at Cheyenne on July 18 to pick up a check for $2,300. Faris was on the college rodeo teams in Cheyenne and Casper, during which time her life course was reset.
It was a great day of tie down roping at Cheyenne Frontier Days and in fact it was the best ever. The arena record of 9.9 seconds set in 1997 was matched twice during the first qualifying round July 17. The record was surpassed two times before 205 ropers completed their work. Oklahoma’s Tyler Milligan was fastest of them all stopping the clock at 9.3 seconds to collect a check for more than $5,100.
The Cheyenne Frontier Days Arena Director sat a little taller in the saddle on July 16, watching his son’s qualifying round Team Roping run with partner Brayden Wiesen. Zane Thompson grew up on Frontier Park. His father, Frank, took over Arena Director position from Tom Hirsig around 12 years ago. Hirsig is now Cheyenne Frontier Days President & CEO. Zane & Brayden are both graduates of Burns High School and they finished well within the top 60 advancing to the first Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo performance. Frank Thompson won a World Champion’s Gold Buckle Steer Wrestling in 2000. The entire family is deeply involved at “The Daddy.”
More than 130 cowboys completed both preliminary rounds at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 15, setting the steer roping field’s top twelve who will return for Championship Sunday. It is fitting a Wyoming family who’s competed at “The Daddy” since 1943 would have a representative at the Cheyenne Legacy Steer Roping Finals. Troy Tillard from Douglas won a CFD Champion Buckle in 2004. Saturday he finished two steers in 31.4 seconds, fourth in the average.
The unofficial start of Cheyenne Frontier Days will kick off July 15 with rodeo qualifiers. The Daddy of ‘em All Rodeo is a modified, tournament-style format. Timed events will have qualifying rounds to make it into the rodeo performances beginning July 22. Rodeo qualifiers are free to the public.
Qualifying Schedule:
On Sunday, July 16 CFD will round up bucking horses from the pasture north of Cheyenne along I-25, and through the city streets into Frontier Park. The roundup begins at approximately 8 a.m. at the intersection of I-25 & Horse Creek Road north of the city. It then moves along I-25 on the Eastern frontage road to Hynds Blvd., turns south to Central Ave., to Kennedy Road, and then moves from Kennedy Road to Hynds Blvd., and into Frontier Park.
Approximate arrival times at the following areas are as follows:
Please note: The Wyoming Highway Patrol will not allow parking along I-25 at any time during the Roundup. Central Ave., between Kennedy Road and Hynds Blvd., will be closed while horses are on Central Ave.
This month’s Cheyenne Frontier Days Tech Backgrounds are brought to you by Public Relations Photography Volunteer — Christine Kronz
No Calendar
Desktop | iPhone | Samsung Galaxy | iPad/Tablet
Calendar
(Cheyenne, WY) – Ivan L. Moody, best known as the lead singer and songwriter for critically acclaimed, platinum selling hard Rock band, “Five Finger Death Punch, has officially moved to Cheyenne, WY. The artist, actor, and entrepreneur is excited to announce the grand opening of his two businesses – Moody’s Rock Stop and Ciara Coral.
Moody’s Rock Stop is a rock & roll-based convenience store & fueling station which is designed for everyday “recharging.” The musically themed stop-and-shop, located at 901 W. Pershing Blvd., will also sell the Rock star’s personal line of specialized products and become the only gas station in the military town to offer a discount to current and former armed service members, for which Ivan is a proud advocate for.
Ciara Coral is an intensive outpatient facility that focuses on treating addiction and mental health disorders. The facility is located at 433 E. 19th St. #2 and will offer personalized treatment plans for each individual. Ivan has been open about his struggles with addiction and mental health and hopes to help others by opening this facility.
To celebrate the grand opening of these two businesses, Ivan will be hosting a special block party-style event on Saturday, July 15, from 1 to 5 p.m. The celebration will feature live music, food trucks, and chances to win free tickets to Five Finger Death Punch’s show with Papa Roach at Cheyenne Frontier Days.
This exciting grand opening event is open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend. As an added bonus, a select group of fans and community members will be chosen to attend a private ceremony at a later date, where Ivan will be given a Key to the City for his incredible contributions to the community.
“I would like to use this opportunity/grand opening to introduce myself to my newfound family – the city of Cheyenne. Both of these new ventures mean so much to me and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone!”, said Ivan Moody. For more information about Moody’s Rock Stop and Ciara Coral please attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony July 15 at Moody’s Rock Stop – 901 W. Pershing Blvd. Cheyenne, WY 82001.