Haylie Turley has been named Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) Lady-In-Waiting 2024 after a selection process including submitting a written application, an accomplishment book, a horsemanship skills demonstration, and an interview.
Haylie is the daughter of Sherry and George Anadiotis and Scott and Crystal Turley. She is a 2022 graduate of Cheyenne East High School. Haylie dedicated her high school years to 4H cattle showing and FFA leadership and showmanship. Currently, she is attending Laramie County Community College, where she is pursuing a degree in nursing with a goal of transferring to the University of Wyoming to obtain her BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and eventually a doctorate in nursing practice, which will allow her to further serve Wyoming.
It has been Haylie’s lifelong dream to be a part of Cheyenne Frontier Days. She has looked up to the men and women dedicated to the western lifestyle. When she started riding, she realized this was her chance to be the next generation to live and breathe the brand. Haylie was a CFD Dandy and drill leader for four years. She also continued her volunteerism on the Parades Committee for a year as a Mounted Marshall assisting in the safety of spectators and participants on parade days.
“It is with the utmost pride and honor that I have been selected as the 2024 Miss Lady-In-Waiting! Representing Cheyenne Frontier Days is a timeless tradition that I am more than grateful to be a part of. I am beyond excited to represent and serve 3,000+ volunteers, the people of Cheyenne and the legacy of rodeo. I hope to always put the interests of the people, contestants, and volunteers first, as they are the heart and foundation of CFD. I promise as Miss Lady-In-Waiting to do my best in educating and promoting this beautiful way of life,” Haylie said.
Haylie Turley will work with Miss Frontier, Caitlin Garcia in 2024 to represent Cheyenne Frontier Days.
The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ (CFD) General Committee has named its new committee members for the 2024 celebration.
Following Grounds Chairman Wally Reiman is Doug Finch. Finch is the Chief Executive Officer at Finch Enterprises, Inc. He has volunteered on the CFD Grounds Committee for 17 years and was inducted into the HEELS Organization in 2017. Finch has also served on the Cheyenne Frontier Days Board of Directors for 4 years.
Byron Mathews will be replacing Brian Rico as Operations Chairman. Mathews is the State Fire Marshal and Director of the Department of Fire Prevention and Electrical Safety. He previously worked with Cheyenne Fire Rescue for 24 years, serving as a firefighter through the ranks of Division Chief. Mathews has been involved with CFD for 20 years with the Parades Motorized Division.
Following Mike Smith as Public Relations Chairman is Shellie Hardsocg. She is a special educator at Laramie County School District #1. Hardsocg has been a volunteer on the Public Relations Committee since 1993 and has been a committee lead for 9 years. She was nominated PR Volunteer of the Year in 2009 and inducted into the HEELS in 2013.
The Cheyenne Frontier Days General Committee has already begun the planning process for the 128th Cheyenne Frontier Days.
They say records are made to be broken, and that certainly was the case at the 127th Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).
The event that started in 1897 is a full-blown celebration of the Western Lifestyle that includes rodeos, concerts, parades, Indian Village, trade shows, carnival and more.
National Day of the Cowboy has become synonymous with CFD’s opening Saturday, the first performance of the rodeo. July 22 and the second Saturday, July 29 rodeos were sold out.
Rodeo competition started July 15 with contestants qualifying for a spot in the Quarter Finals of the tournament-style rodeo. Throughout the competition nearly 1,600 competitors were after a piece of the $1.2 million purse.
The rodeo’s Quarter Finals were July 22 – 27 with the highest scores and fastest times advancing to the Semi Finals July 28 – 29. Championship Sunday featured 12 contestants in each event where the highest score or fastest time won. Two records were set during that performance. In the saddle bronc riding, Louisiana’s Ryder Sanford rode world champion bucking horse The Black Tie for 92.5 points beating the previous 91 set in 2010. The barrel racing was extremely fast with South Dakotan Summer Kosel beating the arena record she set here last year. Kosel stopped the clock in 16.97 seconds. Then Sue Smith, from Idaho, had her turn and had a 16.89-second run.
Through nine rodeo performances, 116,960 fans were in attendance, a significant increase from 108,662 last year. The Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals were broadcast live on The Cowboy Channel. Additionally, RFD-TV broadcast competition and qualifying rounds were available on The Cowboy Channel+ app.
CFD officials continued their quest to bring light to suicide prevention and awareness through the Pick-Up Man Initiative Combats Suicide and yellow feathers on cowboy hats were prevalent. It encourages people to “pick up” someone in need. “The World Needs More Cowboys” is a very popular song that Wyoming’s own Chancey Williams wrote and performs. CFD is behind that and partnered with Williams to promote anti-bullying, respect, and kindness.
All branches of the military were honored on Military Monday with active personnel and veterans receiving free admission. Special opening ceremonies featured military personnel and their families bringing in a big American Flag, a parade on the track of military vehicles and recognition of Gold Star families.
Frontier Nights was very popular with 134,134 in attendance compared to 103,798 last year. Part of the entertainment was Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series. This year’s PBR had 18,448 in attendance, slightly down from 19,756. It was broadcast on CBS Sports Network and Ride Pass on Pluto TV. In addition to rodeo and night show tickets, there were 32,399 gate admission tickets sold bringing total attendance to 283,493.
Animals are the centerpiece of Frontier Days with approximately 6,500 of them included in the rodeo, parades, and bull riding. On-site veterinarians checked animals multiple times daily. Only four animals required treatment and unfortunately two did not recover.
Four parades and three pancake breakfasts were part of the celebration in downtown Cheyenne. Fans lined the streets for the parades featuring all kinds of horsepower and celebrating CFD’s history. The Kiwanis worked to feed 18,588 pancake breakfasts.
The Native American Indian Village on Frontier Park had activities for all ages, from storytelling, hoop dancing, flute playing and seeing authentic crafts. Approximately 46,824 people made their way through the village.
“Wow, just wow,” said John Contos, CFD General Chairman who is finishing the first of his three-year term. “This marks my fortieth year of being involved with Frontier Days and it is an incredible event. We have amazing volunteers and a very supportive community. CFD has a legendary reputation, and we couldn’t do it without everyone involved, from volunteers to sponsors, staff, competitors, and performers. There are a lot of cogs in the wheels that turn, and we are dedicated to making the world’s best Western celebration even better next year. We can’t thank everyone involved enough.”
The Dandies are a group of girls that volunteer, working countless hours throughout the year, practicing riding horses while holding sponsor flags. The girls learn to work in a team, be responsible, and have great public speaking skills. The Dandies girls continue to make the rodeos an amazing experience, promoting the Western way of life.
Q Taylor was high and tight, spurring within a point of Cheyenne Frontier Days saddle bronc riding arena record on July 29 in the semi-finals competition that moved the Canadian cowboy on to the championship on July 30. Taylor chose Casper College as a home for becoming a better rodeo cowboy, following the advice of a friend and talking with T-Birds head coach Jhett Johnson along with his assistant coach for rough-stock riders, Sandy Bob Forbes. The plan worked, advancing Q’s skill to the point of being in contention for rookie-of-the-year honors and potentially qualifying for his first national finals in Las Vegas.
CHEYENNE, Wyo., July 28, 2023 — Friday was a day for Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) Rodeo fans to cheer for contestants with ties to the Cowboy State.
It started in the bareback riding when Donny Proffit from Diamondville, Wyoming, scored 85.5 points on Stace Smith Rodeo’s Southland’s Mental Illness. That was good for second place and now the University of Wyoming senior is advancing to the Championship Finals. He finished behind Clayton Biglow from Clements, California who won the CFD title in 2019, the same year he won the world championship. Also advancing to Sunday is Wyoming native Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifier Cole Reiner who grew up around Kaycee and Buffalo.
The big winner in Semi Finals 1 in breakaway roping lives in the far northeast corner of the state. Shayla Hall is a ranch-raised cowgirl who lives near Colony. She went to high school in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, as it was closer to the ranch, then earned a track and field scholarship to the University of Wyoming.
The talented athlete has now graduated, married Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) team roper Brenten Hall and is focused on the rodeo arena. That concentration worked well in Frontier Park on Friday as she stopped the clock in 4.6 seconds to win the day. She will be roping again on Sunday and hoping to be the first Wyoming woman to win a breakaway title at the “Daddy of ‘em All.”
Rodeo fans may not have heard of Q Taylor, but if he continues to ride like he did here on Friday, he will join the ranks of elite saddle bronc riders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Taylor grew up in Alberta, Canada, then moved to Wyoming to attend Casper College where he qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo. Prior to Cheyenne’s rodeo, he was 17th in the world standings, just two spots out of the top 15 who qualify for the NFR and compete for world championships.
He scored 90 points on Saturday on Andrews Rodeo’s All or Nothin’ to win Semi Finals 1. That was just one point off the arena record of 91 set by Cody DeMoss in 2010. He placed in the Quarter Finals and earned almost $2,000. With his ride today, he added another $3,000. He is hoping to leave Cheyenne with a new buckle as the champion and add even more money to his earnings. He is likely to move into the top 15 with the money he earns here.
Stetson Wright is on track to add to his CFD buckle collection. He has earned five of them in Frontier Park so far. He had the high marked ride in the bull riding on Friday at 90. He rode Dakota Rodeo’s bull named Trump Train for 90 points and will be in the bull riding on Sunday. He won that event here in 2019.
He will compete Saturday in Semi Finals 2 in saddle bronc riding. He is a two-time and defending champion here in that event so his ride on Saturday will determine if he gets to ride for that buckle as well on Sunday. He also has won two all-around titles here and is the favorite in that category this year.
Semi Finals 2 begins Saturday at 12:45 p.m. where the last group of Championship Finals qualifiers will be determined.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 28, 2023)- The following are unofficial results from Semi Finals 1 (seventh performance) and Finals qualifiers at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Thursday, July 27.
Bareback Riding: 1, Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif., 85.5 points on Sanky Pro Rodeo & Robinson Bull’s Great Nation, $3,144. 2, Donny Proffit, Diamondville, Wyo., 84.5, $2,182. 3, Ben Kramer, Max, N.D., 84, $1,715. 4, Jacek Frost, Browns Valley, Calif., 83, $1,143 5, (tie) Kade Sonnier, Carencro, La.; Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas; and Cole Reiner, Buffalo, Wyo., 81.50, $381 each.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Shayla Hall, Colony, Wyo., 4.6 seconds, $5,983. 2, Martha Angelone, Stephenville, Texas, 4.7 seconds, $2.901. 3, (tie) Willow Wilson, Baggs, Wyo., and Bradi Good, Abilene, Texas, 4.9, $ each. 5, Bryana Lehrmann, Lexington, Texas, 5.2, 6 Cassidy Boggs, Stephenville, Texas, 5.8, $ .
Tie Down Roping: 1, Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont., 10.2 seconds, $5,200. 2, Britt Bedke, Oakley, Idaho, 10.5, $4,300. , 3, Luke Potter, Maple City, Kansas, 11.3, $3,400. 4, Quade Hiatt, Canyon, Texas, 12.3, $2,500. 5, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 12.6, $1,600. 6, Marcos Costa, Tolar, Texas, 12.9, $900.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Q Taylor, Casper, Wyo., 90 points on Andrews Rodeo’s All or Nothin’, $3,010. 2, Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La., 86, $2,280 . 3, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 85.5, $1,642. 4, Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah, 84, $1,094 . 5, Sage Newman, Melstone, Mont., 83.5, $638. 6, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 83, $456.
Team Roping: 1, Eric Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz., and Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 8.4, $5,200 each. 2, (tie) Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Dylin Ahlstrom, Hooper, Utah; and Jr. Dees, Aurora, S.D., and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 8.5, $3,850 each. 4, Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla., and J.R. Gonzalez, Maypearl, Texas, 9.0, $2,500 each. 5, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil, 9.3, $1,600 each. 6, Billy Bob Brown, Carbon, Texas, and Kirby Blankenship, Lampasas, Texas, 9.8, $900 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 5.8 seconds, $4,060. 2, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 6.4, $3,360. 3, Don Payne, Stephenville, Texas, 7.0, $2,660. 4, Rowdy Parrott, Bellville, Texas, 7.1, $1,960. 5, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 8.0 $1,260. 6, Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, S.D., 8.4, $700.
Barrel Racing: 1, Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, 17.37 seconds, $5,248. 2, Lacinda Rose, Willard, Mo., 17.43, $4,343. 3, Taycie Matthews, Wynne, Ark., 17.45, $3,438. 4, (tie) Wenda Johnson, Pawhuska, Okla., and Sharon Harrell, Wickenberg, Ariz., 17.65 seconds, $2,081 each. 6, Tara Seaton, Winslow, Ariz., 17.68, $905.
Bull Riding: (five rides) 1, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 90 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Trump Train, $3,203. 2, Cullen Telfer, Plant City, Fla., 88.5, $2,450. 3, Trey Holston, Fort Scott, Kansas, 87, $1,790. 4, (tie) Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont., and Tyler Taylor, Stephenville, Texas, 85.5, $989.
The following events do not have Semi Finals.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round winners) 1, Caleb Brangham, Big Piney, Wyo., 85 points, $1,242. 2, Hunter Greathouse, Santa Fe, Texas, 82, $941. 3, Lavern Borntreger, Elsmere, Neb., 79, $677. 4, (tie) Isaac Richard, Eunice, La.; Slade Keith, Stanfield, Ariz., and Denton Mars, Freedom, Okla., 78, $301 each.
Wild Horse Race: 1, Wagon Burners, $550. 2, Team Agin, $413.
The Indian Village, the place to be to wind down after a long day at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Completely free, with lots of shade, resting areas, vendors, and performances.
Semifinals action opens this afternoon at Cheyenne Frontier Days, and a pair of former Central Rocky Mountain Region college student-athletes advanced by winning the day team roping on July 27 in the big Frontier Park arena. Cooper White competed for the Gillette College Pronghorns while brother Tucker was a Lamar Community College ‘Runnin Lope. Cheyenne can turn around a year for cowboys and cowgirls trying to make the national finals. The Whites will be out today, shooting for a spot in the championship round on July 30.
Oklahoma barrel racer Wenda Johnson entered Cheyenne Frontier Days one spot out of the top fifteen. On July 28, she greatly improved her chances for a national finals qualification by advancing to the Cheyenne semis with the fastest time so far at ‘The Daddy.’ Johnson and her speedy steed ‘Steal Money’ stole the show. Each CFD barrel racer approaches the long entry to the electric eye start as it best suits their horse.
With the help of her childhood horse, Willow drew a good calf, scoring a 4.7 on July 26.