A young barrel racer out to run the qualifying round pattern for her first time at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 19 spent the better part of childhood in the announcer booth with her father, Justin McKee. He and his wife Jeannie were at ‘The Daddy’ to support daughter Kassidy. Justin is now a featured on-air talent for The Cowboy Channel. They’ll bring a crew to Cheyenne for live broadcasts of the afternoon performances starting Saturday. The McKees have a long-standing love affair with Cheyenne Frontier Days.
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
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This month’s Cheyenne Frontier Days Tech Backgrounds are brought to you by Public Relations Photography Volunteer — Judy Myers
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Cheyenne Frontier Days will host it’s annual Daddy of ‘em All® Volunteer Challenge Blood Drive on Monday, June 5 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Event Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Community and Cheyenne Frontier Days Volunteers are urged to participate in the blood drive.
Anyone who donates will be automatically entered to win one of several prizes including: two V.I.P. Rodeo Passes, two tickets to the SOLD OUT Zach Bryan Concert on July 23, CFD branded merchandise, and more.
Donors are encouraged to make an appointment to donate blood at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Blood Drive by visiting donors.vitalant.org and using the blood drive code: CFD. Donors can also call Steve Moehr at (307) 262-6222 to get scheduled for the June 5 Cheyenne Frontier Days blood drive. Walk-ins are welcome.