The 33-year old man capitalized on his opportunity during the July 4 matinee. “I knew I had a good steer, I just had to score sharp.” His new horse was also cause for the win. “I had Bobby, my horse, up here, and he gave me a good chance. It felt good.”

Bobby, Pearson’s twelve-year-old bay gelding, is a second horse to his famous mount, Scooter. Scooter, whose registered name is Canted Plan, is the 2017 American Quarter Horse Association Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year and is owned by Pearson and fellow steer wrestler Kyle Irwin. Pearson bought Bobby earlier this year, to give Scooter a break, and Bobby has stepped into his new job well. “He’s sure fit the role real good,” he said. “We’ve won a lot of money on him, and I think he’s going to be real good.”

Bobby also carried Rowdy Parrott to a new record in the steer wrestling on Wednesday night in St. Paul.

Aboard Bobby, the 24-year-old cowboy turfed his steer in 3.4 seconds, breaking the old record of 3.5 seconds set by three different cowboys: Mike Fuller in 1986, Luke Branquinho in 2002, and Shawn Greenfield in 2016.

In the steer wrestling, cowboys often share horses. Bobby is ridden by not only Pearson and Parrott, but by Pearson’s traveling partners Irwin, Ty Erickson, 2016 World Champion Tyler Waguespack, and Cole Edge. The five men are traveling together over the July Fourth holiday, and St. Paul is their last rodeo after a busy Cowboy Christmas season. Pearson is grateful their schedule will slow down for a bit. “We’re glad. It’s been a lot of driving all night.” They have two days off before they start back up. “We go to (the) Calgary (Stampede) now, and we’ll go up there and relax, get to bulldog, and chill out.”

The Calgary Stampede starts on July 6, and the men plan on being in Calgary by noon on July 5. “We’ll be there by lunch, let our horses rest, and we can rest a little bit.”

Pearson won second place at the Greeley (Colo.) Stampede on July 3, which was about the only place he’s won money over Cowboy Christmas. “It’s been a little slow,” he said, of his winnings. “I won second at Greeley last night, and that was good to save the Fourth.”

After winning his first world title last year, Pearson has been able to relax. Winning a gold buckle “takes the pressure off me, because (being a world champion) is your ultimate goal, and when you have that done, you can just go relax and steer wrestle.”

Other high scores and fast times from last night’s competition at the St. Paul Rodeo are bareback rider Tim O’Connell, the 2017 St. Paul Rodeo champion and the reigning world champion (85.5 points); bull rider Tyler Bingham, (86.5 points); tie-down roper Stetson Vest (9.7 seconds); saddle bronc rider Rusty Wright (85.5); team ropers Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, (4.5 seconds); and barrel racer Tanya Jones (17.68 seconds).

The rodeo continues July 5-7, with performances beginning nightly at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available online at StPaulRodeo.com and at the ticket office at the rodeo grounds. For more information, visit the rodeo’s website or call the rodeo office at 800-237-5920.

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Results from the matinee and evening performance, St. Paul Rodeo, July 4, 2018

Bareback Riding
Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa 85.5 on Bridwell Pro Rodeos Ted; 2. Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev. 85; 3. Shane O’Connell, Rapid City, S.D. 83.5; 4. Jamie Howlett, Weatherford, Texas 83.

Steer wrestling
1st round leaders:
1. Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss. 4.0 seconds; 2. Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. 5.0; 3. Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. 5.5; 4. Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La. 5.6.

2nd round leaders;
1. Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La. 3.4 seconds; 2. Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss. 4.1; 3. (tie) Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. and Jake Trujillo, Los Alamos, N.M. 4.2 each.

Average leaders (on two head)
1. Tyler Pearson, 8.1 seconds on 2 head; 2. Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. 9.2; 3. Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore. 9.6; 4. Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore. 10.5.

Bull riding
1. Tyler Bingham, Honeyville, Utah 86.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Smokin Hummer; 2. Lex Oakley, Dekalb, Texas 83; 3. Levi Gray, Dairy, Ore. 78.5; 4.Aaron Williams, Pisno Beach, Calif. 77.

Tie-down roping
1st round
1. Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas 9.7 seconds; 2. Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla. 10.0; 3. Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas 11.6; 4. Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas 12.6.

2nd round
1. Seth Hall, Albuquerque, N.M. 10.7 seconds; 2. Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas 11.1; 3. Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas 14.4; 4. Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla. 16.2.

Average leaders on two head

Saddle bronc riding
1. Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah 85.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Goliath; 2. (tie) Call Marr, Twin Butte, Alb. and Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alb. 81 each; 4. Quincy Crum, McArthur, Calif. 80.

Team roping
1st round
1. Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Clint Summers, Lake City, Fla. 4.4 seconds; 2. Dustin Egusquiza, Mariana, Fla./Kory Koontz, Stephenville, Texas 4.8; 3. Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore./Ty Arnold, Midway, Texas 5.3; 4. Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas/Forrest Fisher, Navasota, Fla. 6.6.

2nd round
1. Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga./Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil 4.5 seconds; 2. Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn./Joseph Harrison, Overbrook, Okla. 4.7; 3. Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas/Forrestt Fisher, Navasota, Texas 6.0; 4. Shay Carroll, Hico, Texas/Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore. 9.6.

Average leaders on two head

Barrel racing
1.Tanya Jones, Culver, Ore. 17.68 seconds; 2. Amanda Lewis Waller, Elgin, Ore. 17.75; 3. Bailey Cline, Roseberg, Ore. 17.85 seconds; 4. Colleen Kingsbury, Powell Butte, Ore. 18.01.

Cutline: Tyler Pearson, 2017 world champion steer wrestler, leads the steer wrestling at the St. Paul Rodeo after the third performance, July 4. The rodeo continues through July 7. Photo by Hoot Creek.

1. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas 20.9 on 2 head; 2. Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas 22.7; 3.

Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas 24.1; 4. Ricky Canton, Navasota, Fla. 24.4.

1. Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas/Forrest Fisher, Navasota, Fla. 12.6 seconds on 2 head; 2.

Jordan Weaver, Powell Butte, Ore./Joe Beers,Ontario, Ore. 13.3; 3. Corey Fitze, Fortuna,

Calif./Adam Fitze, Fortuna, Calif. 14.1; 4. Dillon Holyfield, Lewiston, Idaho/B.J.

Roberts, Hermiston, Ore. 14.9.

** All results are unofficial. For more information, visit www.StPaulRodeo.com. - ### -

From Nebraska to Oregon

Steven Dent 84 on Big Stones' Gold Dust

Hoot Creek Photography

Media Contact:
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FROM NEBRASKA TO OREGON

Cornhusker cowboy, former St. Paul Rodeo champ, leads the bareback riding after the first performance of the St. Paul Rodeo

St. Paul, Ore. (July 3, 2018) – The Oregon State Beavers just came from Omaha, Neb. and a win at the College World Series.

And Nebraska cowboy Steven Dent traveled to Oregon, to set the pace at the 83^rd annual St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo.

Dent, 32, a bareback rider, scored 84 points on the Big Stone Rodeo horse Gold Dust on the first night of action at the rodeo.

It was a repeat matchup for the pair. Six years ago, he rode Gold Dust to win the 2012 St. Paul Rodeo with a score of 88 points.

The Mullen, Neb. cowboy realizes there are five more performances to go, and his 84 point ride may not stay in the lead, but it should win him a check.

Dent has been to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR), pro rodeo’s world championship, eight times (2007-2008, 2010-2014, 2017) and would like to qualify a few more times before his rodeo career is done. He and his wife Kay ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills, and they have three children, ages five, three and one, so rodeo is one of many of his irons in the fire.

Last year he struggled to qualify for the WNFR “Last year I had to bust my butt clear to the end (of the rodeo season, to make the WNFR).” He has a plan for this year. “I’d like to have $100,000 won by the end of July and throttle back, and go (to the rodeos) where I want to.”

He has about half of the $100,000 won so far, and knows there’s a chance to make up the remainder. “There’s so much money (to be won at rodeos) this month, it’s not unheard of to win $50, $60,000 in July. I feel like I’m riding good and I’m drawing really well.”

After rodeoing for the past dozen years, the call of home is stronger than ever. He won rodeos in Dickinson, N.D. and Prescott, Ariz. this week, and when he told his wife, she was happy. “She said, ‘Perfect. The more you win, the more you get to be home,’” he said. “That’s my motivation.”

Dent rode at St. Paul then headed to Portland to take a red eye flight to Denver, where he will meet up with one of his traveling partners, Ty Breuer, who will pick him up. They will drive to Belle Fourche, S.D., to ride in the rodeo on Wednesday afternoon. There, they will meet with the third traveling partner, J.R.Vezain. All three men are bareback riders and are WNFR qualifiers.

Other high scores and fast times from today’s competition at the St. Paul Rodeo are steer wrestler Aaron Vosler, Cheyenne, Wyo. (4.4 seconds); bull rider Elliott Jacoby, Fredricksburg, Texas (90 points); tie-down roper Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash. (8.3 seconds); saddle bronc rider Johnny Espeland, Tygh Valley, Ore. (79 points); team ropers Jordan Weaver, Powell Butte, Ore. and Joe Beers, Ontario, Ore. (5.5 seconds; and barrel racer Morgan Breaux, Tomball, Texas (17.64 seconds).

July 4 features two rodeo performances (1:30 pm and 7:30 pm) and the annual parade at 10 am. The Tack Room Saloon, one of the top 20 cowboy bars in the west, opens at noon. The rodeo runs through July 7. Tickets are available online at StPaulRodeo.com and at the ticket office at the rodeo grounds. For more information, visit the rodeo’s website or call the rodeo office at 800-237-5920.

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Results from the slack and evening performance, St. Paul Rodeo, July 3, 2018

Bareback Riding

1. Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb. 84 points on Big Stone Rodeo’s Gold Dust; 2. Kirk St. Clair, Blodgett, Ore. 73; 3. Brent Bannon, Prineville, Ore. 69; 4. Cauy Poll, Klamath Falls, Ore. 62.

Steer wrestling

1^st round leaders:

1. Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore. 4.7 seconds; 2. Trevor Knowles, Prairie City, Ore. 5.2; 3. Cimarron Thompson, Hobbs, N.M. 5.3; 4.Justin Resseman, Colbert, Wash. 22.2.

2^nd round leaders:

1.Aaron Vosler, Cheyenne, Wyo.4.4; 2. Errol Frain, 5.3; 3. Nik Hamm, Brush Prairie, Wash.5.4; 4. Gary Gilbert, St. Cloud, Fla. 5.7.

Average leaders (on two head)

1. Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore. 10.5 seconds on 2 head; 2. Aaron Vosler, Cheyenne, Wyo. 18.8; 3. Gary Gilbert, St. Cloud, Fla. 20.9; 4. Trevor Knowles, Prairie City, Ore. 5.2 on 1 head.

Bull riding

1. Elliott Jacoby, Fredricksburg, Texas 90 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Hou’s Bad News; 2. Laramie Mosley, Satanta, Kan. 86.5; 3. Reid Barker, Comfort, Texas 86; 4. Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho 82.

Tie-down roping

1^st round leaders:

1. Caleb Smidt, Belleville, Texas 10.3; 2. Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas 10.6; 3. Scott Kormos, Wortham, Texas 11.0; 4. Ricky Canton, Navasota, Texas 11.1.

2^nd round leaders:

1. Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash. 8.3 seconds; 2. Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alb. 9.0; 3. Cimarron Boardman, Stephenville, Texas 10.5; 4. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas 12.0.

Average leaders on two head

1. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas 20.9 on 2 head; 2. Ricky Canton, Navasota, Fla. 24.4; 3. Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alberta34.5;4. Clayton Collmorgen, Lufkin, Texas 42.3.

Saddle bronc riding

1. Johnny Espeland, Tygh Valley, Ore. 79 points on Big Stone’s Rubels; 2. (tie) Jake Finlay, Goondiwndi, Australia and CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah 78 each; 4. Jake Wright, Milford,Utah 71.

Team roping

1^st round leaders

1. Bo Sickler, Kennewick, Wash./Tom Nelson, Jordan Valley, Ore.6.1 seconds; 2.Roger Nonella, Redmond, Ore./Dave Inman, Bend, Ore. 6.4; 3. David Temple, New Plymouth, Idaho/Dillon Bahem, Parma, Idaho 7.0; 4.Corey Fitze, Fortuna, Calif./Adam Fitze, Fortuna, Calif.7.1

2^nd round leaders

1. Jordan Weaver, Powell Butte, Ore./Joe Beers, Ontario, Ore. 5.5 seconds; 2. Jake Stanley, Hermiston, Ore./Bucky Campbell, Benton City, Wash. 5.7; 3. Corey Fitze, Fortuna, Calif./Adam Fitze, Fortuna, Calif. 7.0; 4. Dillon Holyfield, Lewiston, Idaho/BJ Roberts, Hermiston, Ore. 7.7.

Average leaders on two head

1. Jordan Weaver, Powell Butte, Ore./Joe Beers,Ontario, Ore. 13.3 seconds on two head; 2. Corey Fitze, Fortuna, Calif./Adam Fitze, Fortuna, Calif. 14.1; 3. Dillon Holyfield, Lewiston, Idaho/B.J. Roberts, Hermiston, Ore. 14.9; 4. Jake Stanley, Hermiston, Ore./Bucky Campbell, Benton City,Wash. 5.7 on 1 head.

Barrel racing

1. Morgan Breaux, Tomball, Texas 17.64 seconds; 2. Rose Jones, Quincy, Wash. 17.89; 3. Samantha Lane, Arlington, Ore. 17.99;4. Jackie Lynch-Swaggart, Walla Walla, Wash.18.04.

Cutline: Steven Dent leads the bareback riding after the first performance of the 2018 St. Paul Rodeo. The rodeo continues through July 7. Photo by Hoot Creek.

** All results are unofficial.For more information, visit www.StPaulRodeo.com.

- ### -

Contestants Converge

Sage Kimzey

at 2017 St. Paul Rodeo
Photo by Hoot Creek

Media Contact:

Ruth Nicolaus

319-321-2152

COWBOYS, COWGIRLS TO CONVERGE ON ST. PAUL

Big money, atmosphere entice contestants to rodeo

St. Paul, Ore. (July 2, 2018) – Cowboys and cowgirls, horses, trailers, and bulls are making a beeline for St. Paul, Oregon next week.

The St. Paul Rodeo, billed as the Nation’s Greatest Fourth of July rodeo, will take place July 3-8.

Over 600 cowboys and cowgirls will compete for a payout of over $350,000 in the rodeo, which is sanctioned by the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).

Out of the eight reigning world champions, seven of them will be in St. Paul: Tim O’Connell (bareback riding), Tyler Pearson (steer wrestling), Erich Rogers (team roping, header), Ryder Wright (saddle bronc riding), Sage Kimzey (bull riding), Nellie Miller (barrel racing) and Tuf Cooper (all-around).

Two of those world champions: Tim O’Connell and Nellie Miller, also won their events at last year’s St. Paul Rodeo. For Miller, her 2017 win was extra sweet: her dad, Sam Williams, who won the team roping at St. Paul in 1977, was there, along with her mom, her husband James, and their daughters.

Miller has run barrels in St. Paul six times and has always placed at the rodeo. She loves coming to St. Paul. “It’s probably one of my most favorite rodeos to go to,” she said, “just because of the atmosphere, and it’s so different than any other rodeo. My horses always seem to do good there.”

The St. Paul Rodeo arena is unusual, in that it has trees (arborvitae) in it. They were originally intended to mark the race track, when the rodeo included races. The races were discontinued, but the trees stayed.

For Miller, the trees are no distraction to her or her horses. “So far, I haven’t had one get too weirded out by them. (The horses) are usually paying attention to the barrels. The arena is a pretty wide open feeling. My horses seem to like that kind of a set up.”

Miller is currently ranked second in the world standings, on her way to her third Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (where PRCA world champions are determined) this December. She won the Reno, Nev. rodeo last month. Her horse, Rafter W Minnie Reba (Sister), is the 2017 AQHA Barrel Horse of the Year.

Out of the nine St. Paul rodeo champions, eight of them return to defend their titles: O’Connell (bareback riding) and Miller (barrel racing); Kyle Irwin, steer wrestling; Brady Portenier, bull

Media Contact: Ruth Nicolaus 319-321-2152

riding; team ropers Charly Crawford and Joseph Harrison; Shade Etbauer, saddle bronc riding, and all-around hand Rhen Richard.

For Charly Crawford, the 2017 team roping heading champion, winning his hometown rodeo was very special.

Crawford, 40 years old, grew up in Canby, just down the road from St. Paul, dreaming of someday roping where his heroes roped.

His dad, Chuck Crawford, was a bareback rider and team roper and took Charly to the rodeo, beginning when he was four years old. After competition, the team ropers would gather at the Crawford ranch, practice, and have fun. The list of ropers the young Charly got to hang around is legendary: Jake Barnes, Clay O’Brien Cooper, Leo Camarillo, Mike Beers, Dee Pickett, and others. “It was a blast,” he remembered. The ropers would rope with Charly on his practice cowboy toy in the living room. “We had a lot of fun.”

As a kid, he remembers racing with the other kids to retrieve the small paper American flag that was shot out of a cannon during the national anthem. That flag hung on his bedroom wall for years.

Last year was the second time Crawford has won the St. Paul Rodeo; he also won it in 2006. He has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals rodeo nine times. Crawford is one of the inductees into the 2018 St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame.

Cowboys and cowgirls from 24 states and three Canadian provinces are scheduled to compete.

Rodeo week kicks off on July 3 and continues through the seventh with nightly performances at 7:30 pm. A matinee performance will be held on July 4 at 1:30 pm. Tickets range in price from $16 to $28 and can be purchased online at StPaulRodeo.com, through the ticket office (800-237- 5920), or at the gate.

In addition to rodeo competition, fans can enjoy the Tack Room Saloon, fireworks following each night’s performance, and a variety of other activities. For more information, visit StPaulRodeo.com or call 800-237-5920.

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Cutline: Sage Kimzey, the four-time and reigning world champion bull rider, rides at the 2017 St. Paul Rodeo. The Oklahoma native is among the more than 600 contestants who will compete at this year’s rodeo, which runs July 3-7. Photo by Hoot Creek.

Horses, Bulls - Big Personalities

1 of 2

Media Contact:

Ruth Nicolaus

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For the St. Paul Rodeo

STOCK MARKET

Horses, bulls at St. Paul Rodeo are accomplished animals with large personalities

St. Paul, Ore. (June 27, 2018) – The St. Paul Rodeo is full of “stock.”

Not the stock found on Wall Street, but the four-legged stock: livestock.

Without the bucking horses and bulls, the rodeo wouldn’t happen; they are the silent stars of the show.

Tim and Haley Bridwell, owners of Bridwell Pro Rodeos, will bring many of those animals to the St. Paul (Ore.) rodeo July 3-7. They talk of their animals like a mom talks about her kids, knowing their accomplishments, personality, quirks, and their lineage. Their animals, like those owned by other pro rodeo men and women, are valuable and well treated.

One of their standout stars is Raggidy Ann, an eighteen-year-old strawberry roan mare.

The mare is one of Bridwell’s more accomplished horses, being selected to buck at the pinnacle of the pro rodeo world, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR), nine times.

Raggidy Ann is a bareback horse, and an “alpha female,” Haley said. In the pen, “she and her friends rule the roost.” She’s the type of horse the cowboys love to ride. Because of the way she bucks, she allows cowboys to get a lot of points. Her bucking style is “very patterned,” Tim said, “and all the guys know it. Her style is real flashy, and the cowboys are able to spur and show off their ability.” At the Livermore, Calif. rodeo in June, bareback rider Caleb Bennett scored 86 points to win third place on Raggidy Ann.

Raggidy Ann is also a mom. Her son, Capone, was born in 2008 and is both a bareback horse and a saddle bronc. Capone has been selected to buck at the WNFR three times, but his bucking pattern isn’t as consistent as his mom’s. He’s more of an “eliminator” – the type of horse that will throw cowboys off. “He jumps one way,” Tim said, “then another. He’ll jump forward, and he’ll jump high.”

When it comes to bucking horses, the Bridwells choose a stallion that bucks well, a mare that bucks, and breed them. The Bridwells are looking for size, intelligence, and heart in their bucking horses. “The main ingredient is heart,” Tim said. “You can’t make them buck.” Smarts are also important. “They have to know how to do their job, and be calm enough to take the cheering of the crowds and all the other activities that go on” at a rodeo.

The Bridwells are the primary stock contractors for the St. Paul Rodeo; other stock contractors will also bring horses and bulls. There will be about 180 bucking horses and about sixty bulls. The bulls will buck twice over the five day rodeo; the horses will only buck once.

It takes quite a bit of logistics and feed to house and care for 240 head of horses and bulls. The horses from different owners can be put in the same pen, but the bulls can’t. They will fight for domination amongst themselves, so they must be kept in different pens, each owner’s animals in their own pens.

Tim has been involved with bucking horses since 2005, beginning with the Growney Rodeo Co. in Red Bluff, Calif. Two years ago, he and Haley started their own company. They provide livestock for rodeos on the west coast.

Another mother/son duo owned by the Bridwells will bring to St. Paul is Indian Summer and Indian Burn.

Indian Summer is a fourteen-year-old brown mare who is a saddle bronc. Her son, Indian Burn, who is a five-year-old, was selected to buck at the WNFR last year.

Indian Burn is exceptionally large, weighing in at 1,550 lbs. His personality matches his size, Haley said. “He’s so gentle, he’s a gentle giant.” At the Bridwell ranch near Red Bluff, he had his hoof on the fence. Haley walked by and picked it up, pushing it off the fence. He’s also very smart and curious. “He’s always in your business,” attentive to what people around him are doing.

Indian Burn is friends with his half-brother, a horse named Beaver Bend who is by the same stud, but out of different mares. The horses become friends, nickering at each other when they come back from the rodeo arena and into the back pens.

Indian Burn has thrown off nearly all his riders. Out of eleven attempts, only one cowboy has made it to the eight second buzzer: Cort Scheer, at the City of Industry, Calif. rodeo last year. He got a score of 79 points, because “he barely stayed on,” Tim said.

During the rodeo season, the horses are on special rations. They eat about five pounds of grain and thirty pounds of hay a day, and fresh water is kept in front of them all the time.

The Bridwells love their job and their animals, and they want that to show through to rodeo fans. “We want our fans to see a glimpse of what we do on a daily basis,” Haley said “We wish they could know our animals as intimately as we do. They are so different, and there are so many things that are fun to see, as they grow and develop into their own. We are invested in our animals first and foremost, and making their life good.”

Other stock contractors who will have animals at the St. Paul Rodeo include Big Stone Rodeo, Cessford, Alberta; Big Stone, Moreno and Growney Rodeo, Cessford, Alberta; Corey and Lange Rodeo, Moses Lake, Wash., and Korkow Rodeos, Pierre, S.D.

The 83rd annual St. Paul Rodeo kicks off July 3 and runs through July 7. Performances begin each night at 7:30 pm with a 1:30 pm matinee on July 4. Other attractions at the Nation’s Greatest Fourth of July rodeo include fireworks following each night of rodeo and a big parade through St. Paul at 10 am on July 4.

Tickets are on sale and range in price from $16 to $26. They can be purchased online at www.StPaulRodeo.com, at the rodeo ticket office, or at the gate.

For more information, visit the website or call the rodeo office at 800.237.5920.

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Cutlines:
Capone: Capone, a ten-year-old saddle bronc, bucks off a cowboy at the 2018 Livermore, Calif. rodeo. The horse, owned by Bridwell Pro Rodeos, likes to buck off cowboys.

Raggidy Ann: Raggidy Ann, a bareback horse, is an “alpha female” in the herd owned by Bridwell Pro Rodeos. A strawberry roan, she will buck at the St. Paul Rodeo July 3-7.

Booster Club Beneficiary - Parking

Media Contact:
Ruth Nicolaus
319-321-2152
For the St. Paul Rodeo

PARKING CARS TO RAISE FUNDS

St. Paul High School athletic teams, other organizations benefit from rodeo

St. Paul, Ore. (June 25, 2018) – The kids on sports teams at St. Paul (Ore.) High School are called upon each July to help out.

Their job: man the parking lots for the biggest event that takes place in St. Paul: the St. Paul Rodeo, the Nation’s Greatest Fourth of July rodeo.

The rodeo, which attracts 50,000 people to the little town of 450, is used in a variety of ways as a fundraiser for groups in the community.

The Jaycees provide entertainment in the Bull Pen (the beer garden), the St. Paul Catholic Church serves barbecue chicken, and the high school athletics programs park cars and sell concessions.

It’s a big job, and it requires every student from grade six through those who will be seniors in high school each fall.

Each team takes a night: the football team might take the first night, the girls basketball team might take the matinee show, and so on. And because many of the youth play more than one sport, they may work more than one show.

It’s a great way for the kids to learn how to be part of the community and how to be part of something bigger than themselves, said Karen Tuck, a lifelong St. Paul resident and the mother of two children, Megan, age seventeen, and Lance, who is fourteen. “You learn at a young age what it means to be part of a community and what it takes. Everybody has to do their share to pull off such a big event, like the rodeo.”

It takes everybody in town to step in and volunteer during rodeo week. With only one paid employee on the rodeo staff, several hundred volunteers do everything from sell tickets, souvenirs and concessions, to serving as usher, and even spending months before the rodeo prepping the grounds with fresh coats of paint.

There’s not a big expansive parking lot for the rodeo, so every spot in town is utilized: the church and high school parking lot and business lots downtown allow the kids to park cars, to benefit the booster club.

The booster club uses the funds raised for a variety of things: uniforms, defraying the cost of travel to play-offs and state competition, improvements to the track, even keeping athletic programs going. St. Paul High School is a 1A school, the smallest in the state, and as many small schools cut sports that are expensive, St. Paul High hasn’t had to do that.

Many of the kids who are parking cars got their start in concession stands as sixth graders or even younger, serving the easy things and learning how to be part of the “team.” Learning how to work together is crucial, Tuck said. “They learn how to show up and get things done, that things have to be cleaned before we start, and cleaned up afterwards. The work doesn’t end with your shift, and you make sure things are done right and left better than you found them.”

The volunteer work also is beneficial to the youth as they apply for scholarships before graduation. “They definitely have a long list of volunteer things they’ve done in their community,” Tuck said.

Megan Tuck has volunteered at the rodeo since she was in sixth grade, starting with selling candy. She doesn’t mind the volunteer work and actually enjoys being with her friends, even though on July Fourth, “you’re not on the river, you’re working the rodeo.”

Her mom Karen grew up volunteering at the rodeo and now her kids are doing the same, along with her classmates. “A lot of people, like me, grew up in St. Paul, came back to raise our kids here, and the circle of life continues in St. Paul,” Karen said.

“It takes a village to put on a rodeo.”

In addition to the St. Paul High School Booster Club, 26 other organizations benefitted from the 2017 rodeo, either through donations made by the rodeo association or through working at the event. Last year, over $73,000 was given to those organizations.

The 83^rd annual St. Paul Rodeo runs July 3-7, with performances nightly at 7:30 pm and a 1:30 pm matinee on July 4. The annual parade is at 10 am on July 4, and fireworks follow each nightly performance. The Tack Room Saloon is open each day for adults ages 21 and over, and the Wild West Art Tent is also open.

Tickets are on sale and range in price from $16 to $26. They can be purchased online at www.StPaulRodeo.com, at the rodeo ticket office, or at the gate.

For more information, visit the website or call the rodeo office at 800.237.5920.

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Haley Scott, a 2018 St. Paul High School graduate, volunteers her time parking cars for the St. Paul Rodeo. Students in grades six through twelve who participate in sports work the parking lots. In return, the rodeo donates money to the high school’s booster club. Photo courtesy Karen Tuck.

Trick Riders

Media Contact:

Ruth Nicolaus

319-321-2152

For the St. Paul Rodeo

FULL THROTTLE AHEAD

Canadian trick riders to entertain at St. Paul Rodeo

St. Paul, Ore. (June 18, 2018) – Fans at the St. Paul Rodeo are in for a real treat.

The Full Throttle Trick Riders will be on hand to entertain during each performance of the rodeo July 3-7.

Canadians Shelby Pierson and Emily Peebles are trick riders, performing gymnastic-like stunts while riding a horse galloping around the arena at full speed. Both women started trick riding when they were young; Pierson, who is eighteen years old, has been trick riding since she was eight; Peebles, who is twenty years old, started trick riding at age thirteen.

Growing up on a ranch outside Wardlow, Alberta, Pierson was on a horse as soon as she could walk. One of her elementary school teachers, Cassie Horner, was a professional trick rider who recognized the talent in her student and encouraged her to try it. “I could do flips and gymnastic moves,” Pierson recalled, “and trick riding and gymnastics lend themselves to each other well.”

When she was fourteen years old, Pierson got her Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association card, allowing her to entertain with her trick riding act at rodeos sanctioned by the PRCA, in the U.S. and in Canada. As she improved in her trick riding skills, her showmanship skills improved as well.

Now she, as founder of Full Throttle Trick Riding, performs at between 30 and 35 rodeos a year, mostly in the summer. She has carried the American flag at openings of rodeos but never for a Fourth of July show. She’s looking forward to being at the St. Paul Rodeo on the Fourth. “I’m so excited. Any other day of the year, when we bring in the American flag, everybody goes crazy, so I can’t imagine what it will be like on the Fourth.”

Pierson has a string of horses that have been specially trained for trick riding, using different horses for different stunts, depending on what the horse shows an affinity for. Her main horses are Smudge, Zip and Splatter. She trains her own horses, which is time consuming but helps her develop a relationship with each horse. “I like the work that goes into training,” she said. “It’s really rewarding when you see it all come together.”

Trick riding is an art that was common among cowgirls and cowboys in the early part of the 1900s. It was often a competition and a way for people to make a living. Cowgirls and cowboys would attempt to “out ride” each other for prize money by performing the most dangerous tricks they could think of on a galloping horse. The sport seemed to die out, but is making a comeback as entertainment during rodeo and equine events. “People used to go out (on horseback) onto race tracks and do crazy stunts. That’s how a lot of these really cool tricks got started,” Pierson said. Stunts like the Cossack death drag, the fender, the hippodrome, and the stroud layout and the vault are maneuvers that Pierson and Peebles will do in St. Paul.

Pierson and the Full Throttle Trick Riders are best known for their one-of-a-kind style of vaults. “The most unique thing that sets us apart from other trick riders is how fast our horses run,” Pierson said, “and our tricks. We jump off the horses’ bums and go under their necks.” They also involve fireworks in their acts.

Pierson and Peebles will be on hand during the St. Paul Rodeo to entertain during each rodeo performance.

Performances are at 7:30 pm each night July 3-7, with a 1:30 pm matinee on July 4. Other attractions to the St. Paul Rodeo, the Nation’s Greatest Fourth of July Rodeo, include fireworks following each night of rodeo and a big parade through St. Paul at 10 am on July 4.

Tickets are on sale and range in price from $16 to $26. They can be purchased online at

www.StPaulRodeo.com, at the rodeo ticket office, or at the gate.
For more information, visit the website or call the rodeo office at 800.237.5920.

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Cutline: Full Throttle Trick Riders will entertain during each performance of the St. Paul Rodeo. The Canadian cowgirls do gymnastic-like stunts off their horses, running full speed around the arena.

Poetry in (Rodeo) Motion

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Media Contact:
Ruth Nicolaus

319-321-2152
For the St. Paul Rodeo

POETRY IN (RODEO) MOTION

Oregon cowboy poet writes poem for St. Paul Rodeo

St. Paul, Ore. (June 11, 2018) – The St. Paul Rodeo has a lot of unique features.

It’s the “Nation’s Greatest Fourth of July Rodeo”, it has trees (arborvitae) in the arena, and it has unique foods like homemade strawberry shortcake and barbecue chicken.

And now it has its own poem.

Cowboy poet Tom Swearingen has written a poem about the St. Paul Rodeo. Swearingen, Tualatin, Ore., has attended the rodeo since he was a kid. About ten years ago, his cowboy poetry hobby started.

He wrote his first poem as a memorial piece for a good friend who had died, and it was well received by family and friends. That was his first inkling that he might have a talent for writing poetry. “It turned a light bulb on and gave me permission to think that maybe I could write.”

Since then, he’s progressed and flourished in his trade, writing more poetry and performing at cowboy poetry gatherings and invitations to speaking.

Five years ago, he was asked to recite at the Wild West Art Show, part of the St. Paul Rodeo. He’s recited his poetry there every year since then.

A few months ago, several members of the St. Paul Rodeo Association asked him to write a poem about the rodeo. Swearingen had been inspired in part by the St. Paul Rodeo to write a few poems, but not one wholly about that rodeo. It was a challenge but one he enjoyed. “I’m pleased with the poem and happy they asked me.”

Swearingen still attends the St. Paul Rodeo and will entertain in the Wild West Art Tent July 5-6 from 4 to 7 pm each night.

The Wild West Art Show is open each day July 3-7 with live entertainment by the Bronco Billy Band on July 3 from 4-7 pm and Swearingen and cowboy singer Andy Bales on July 5-6.

Swearingen’s poem will have its debut at the Hall of Fame Barbecue on July 2 at 5 pm. Tickets are available for sale online; they cannot be purchased at the door for the barbecue.

The St. Paul Rodeo kicks off action July 3 and runs through the 7th. Performances are every evening at 7:30 pm with a 1:30 pm matinee on July 4. Tickets range in price from $16 to $26 and

are available online at www.StPaulRodeo.com and at the gate. For more information, visit the website or call 800-237-5920.

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Cutline: Oregon cowboy Tom Swearingen will be part of the entertainment at the Wild West Art Show at the St. Paul Rodeo July 3-7. The Tualatin man has written a poem about the St. Paul Rodeo. Photo courtesy Tom Swearingen.

Scholarship Winners Announced

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Congratulations are in order! ...more

Hall of Fame Announces 2018 Inductees

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Media Contact:
Ruth Nicolaus
319-321-2152
For the St. Paul Rodeo

HONORING RODEO COMPETITORS,VOLUNTEERS

St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame class is announced

St. Paul, Ore. (May 7, 2018) – The St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame has announced its 2018 class of inductees.

The class is headlined by team roper Charly Crawford and includes former bull rider A.J. Swaim, the Christensen Bros. bareback horse Smith and Velvet, Sam and Claudia Smith, and Dick and Eileen Buyserie.

Crawford, who won the team roping at the 2006 and 2017 St. Paul Rodeo, grew up attending the rodeo as a kid. Born and raised fifteen miles from St. Paul, in Canby, he competed at peewee rodeos in the St. Paul Rodeo arena and has never missed a year of pro rodeo competition there, since he got his PRCA card 22 years ago.

Crawford remembers sitting in the stands during slack, watching legendary team ropers like Leo Camarillo, Jake Barnes, Dee Pickett, and Mike Beers compete. “I watched a lot of runs in that arena,” he said. He also remembers, as a kid, chasing down the paper American flag that was shot out of the cannon during the national anthem each year. One year, he got it, and “I had it hanging on my wall for forever.”

Crawford’s favorite parts of the St. Paul Rodeo are the victory lap around the trees, the wild horse race and the wild cow milking. He loves the fans as well. “Every year that rodeo is packed. It’s electric in the arena. They do a good job of keeping the crowd into it. It’s fun.”

Crawford is a nine-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier (2005-07, 2009-10, 2012-14, 2017) who won the Oregon High School Rodeo team roping title in 1996. He is married to seventeen-time Women’s Professional Rodeo Association all-around winner Jackie Hobbs Crawford.

Former bull rider A.J. Swaim, Canby, Ore., grew up in Arlington, Ore., moved with his family to Redding, Calif., and came back to Oregon to attend college.

In 1972, his first year of rodeo, he competed in St. Paul, and he was there nearly every year till he quit riding bulls in 1985. The two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier (1975, ’77) won the St. Paul rodeo in 1982 and still wears the buckle. “For us, at that time,” he said, St. Paul “was our hometown rodeo.” He loves the small-town atmosphere at the big-time event. “I think it’s just great that such a little town can put on such an amazing event. During the rodeo, the town is like a balloon. It expands.”

In 1985, while sitting in a motel room in Denver, Swaim decided to quit rodeo. He was tired of the down time between rodeos and had been involved in residential construction. He went to work with fellow cowboy Bob Koch, who had introduced him to the building industry.

Swaim’s father, Bob, a bareback rider and steer wrestler, won the bareback riding at the St. Paul Rodeo in 1954, tying with Harry Tompkins. Swaim is a director on the Canby Rodeo board.

The Christensen Brothers horse Smith and Velvet is the animal inductee into this year’s St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame.

The big palomino was purchased by Bob and Henry Christensen in the mid 1960’s from the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Indian Reservation near McDermitt, Nevada. The gelding started his rodeo career as a saddle bronc horse, but after he gained a reputation for bucking for five or six seconds, then spinning, Bobby Jr., the son of Bob, turned him out to pasture for a year.

In 1975, Christensen loaded Smith and Velvet up and brought him back to rodeos, this time in the bareback riding. The horse, a late bloomer, had found his niche. “He was spectacular,” Christensen said.

Smith and Velvet started his rodeo career with a different name. At the time, the St. Paul Rodeo was the Christensen Brothers’ biggest contract, and Gene Smith, secretary for the rodeo, “had a lot of influence” with the committee, Bobby said, so the horse was named Mr. Smith after Gene. When Black Velvet Whisky began sponsoring pro rodeo stock contractors’ awards, the word “velvet” was added to the horse’s name, and the “mister” was dropped.

Smith and Velvet won the PRCA’s Bareback Horse of the Year four times (1977, 79-80, 82). He died in 1983 in a truck accident, as he was coming home from a rodeo in California. Smith and Velvet joins Henry and Bob Sr. in the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame. The horse was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame last August.

St. Paul residents Sam and Claudia (Ernst) Smith’s involvement in the rodeo began when both of them were children.

Sam remembers riding his Shetland in the arena and running livestock out on horseback. Claudia recalls picking strawberries to earn money for a rodeo outfit: new jeans and a shirt, to wear to the rodeo.

They married in 1959 and their involvement continued. They helped with the trail ride breakfast, and worked on regular rodeo committees as well.

Sam served as a rodeo director from 1975 to 1979. He was co-chair of the gates committee for twenty years, beginning in the 1990s, and Claudia joined the Wild West Art Show committee in 2001.

Their children: Jennifer Crosby, Kay Ford, Jeanne Zielinski and Monte Smith are also rodeo members. Jennifer and her daughter Jackie are both past St. Paul Rodeo queens.

Dick and Eileen (Hiller) Buyserie are the second director and member-couple to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Married in 1969, they began their time with the St. Paul Rodeo the next year. They helped with the gates and ticket office committees and worked as co-chairmen of the trail ride breakfast.

Dick was well-known for his meticulous grounds-keeping of the stadium and grounds, as well as serving as concessions committee chairman, while Eileen distributed brochures and organized the first banking committee for the rodeo. Dick was a rodeo director from 1998 through 2012, serving as president in 2007-2008, and was in charge of the Wild West Art Show for several years. Eileen passed away in 2013, and their son Jeff and his wife Melissa are now co-chairs for the trail ride breakfast.

The 2018 class will be honored during the rodeo’s annual Hall of Fame barbecue on July 2 at 5 pm at the rodeo grounds. A meal will be served and a silent auction will raise funds for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. Tickets for the meal are $32 and are not available at the door; they must be purchased in advance. They can be purchased online atwww.StPaulRodeo.com.

This year’s rodeo runs July 3-7, with performances each evening at 7:30 pm and a 1:30 pm matinee on July 4. Tickets are on sale online.

For more information, visit the website or call the rodeo office at 800.237.5920.

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Cutlines:

Charly Crawford, a member of the 2018 St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame class, grew up attending the rodeo. He won the team roping at the rodeo in 2006 and again last year.

Former bull rider A.J. Swaim, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, competed in St. Paul several times. He won the bull riding there in 1982 and still wears the St. Paul buckle.

Dick and Eileen (Hiller) Buyserie began their married life in 1969 by helping at the St. Paul Rodeo. They are part of the Hall of Fame class of 2018. Eileen passed away in 2013.

Sam and Claudia Smith are part of the 2018 St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame class of inductees. They each got their start with the rodeo as youngsters, and after marriage, continued to volunteer with the rodeo.

A cowboy gets bucked off the bareback horse Smith and Velvet. The horse, owned by Christensen Bros., won numerous titles and will be inducted into the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame this July.

2018 Tickets on Sale Now

Saddle Bronc rider, Cort Scheer, 81.5 tie on Korkows Rodeo's Boogers Pet

Media Contact:

Ruth Nicolaus

319-321-2152

For the St. Paul Rodeo

TICKETS ON SALE FOR ST. PAUL RODEO

Rodeo tickets make good Christmas gifts

St. Paul, Ore. (December 15, 2017) – Tickets are on sale for the Nation’s Greatest Fourth of July rodeo!

The 83rd annual St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo runs July 3-7 and celebrates Independence Day with five days chock-full of fun!

The rodeo takes place each evening at 7:30 pm July 3-7, with two performances on July 4, including a 1:30 pm matinee.

All seats in the 10,500-capacity stadium are reserved seating, so purchasing tickets early guarantees a better selection for seats. Tickets sell quickly for the rodeo, said rodeo general manager Cindy Schonholtz, who urges people to buy them early. They can also be given as Christmas presents, she suggested.

Tickets range in price from $16 to $26 and can be purchased online at www.StPaulRodeo.com and at the gate the days of the rodeo.

The rodeo is a great place for families and friends to congregate, said Schonholtz. “We’re affordable family fun, and a tradition in the community. People put the St. Paul Rodeo on their bucket list, and once they come, they enjoy it so much they return every year.”

For more information, visit the website or call 800.237.5920.

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Cutline: Saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer competes at the 2017 St. Paul Rodeo. Tickets are on sale for next year’s event, which runs July 3-7, 2018. Photo by Hoot Creek.

Rhinestones at the Rodeo - New Court Selected

2018 Royal Court

Maddie Coleman (right), Queen Tess Scott (Middle), Princess Alexis Goughnour (left)

Media Contact:
Ruth Nicolaus
319-321-2152
For the St. Paul Rodeo

RHINESTONES AT THE RODEO

Cowgirls selected as 2018 St. Paul Rodeo Royal Court

St. Paul, Ore. (October 19, 2017) Three young women have been chosen as the Royal Court for the 2018 St. Paul Rodeo.

Tess Scott, McMinnville, Ore., Maddie Coleman, St. Paul, and Alexis Goughnour, St. Paul, have been selected to serve as queen and princesses.

Scott, a 2014 graduate of McMinnville High School, is the queen for the St. Paul Rodeo. She is a senior at Oregon State University, where she is studying agricultural sciences with a minor in crops science. At Oregon State, Tess is involved in Sigma Alpha, Steer-A-Year, and Crops Science Club. She is the daughter of Tom and Theresa Scott.

Coleman, a graduate of Sweet Briar (Va.) College, is a student at Oregon State pursuing a doctor of pharmacy degree. While at Sweet Briar, she was a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, the American National Riding Commission equestrian team, and she led science outreach activities for community youth. She is the daughter of Michael and Gail Coleman.

Goughnor is a senior at St. Paul High School. In high school, she is active in the Oregon High School Equestrian Team, FFA, DECA, and National Honor Society. She plays varsity volleyball and has served as the vice-president and president of her 4-H club. She is the daughter of Matt and Cori Goughnor.

The St. Paul Rodeo Royal Court was selected earlier this month from a group of horsewomen who demonstrated their skills, knowledge and expertise in horsemanship, current events, and other topics. They will represent the rodeo at various appearances and functions throughout the year, including the Rose Parade and Starlight Parade, Ag Fest, the Joseph and Pendleton rodeo parades, and various other events in the Willamette Valley. They are ambassadors of the St. Paul Rodeo, exhibiting goodwill and enthusiasm as they educate others about rodeo.

The 2018 St. Paul Rodeo is July 3-7. Tickets will be available in December. For more information, visit the website at www.StPaulRodeo.com or the Facebook page.

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Cutline: The 2018 St. Paul Rodeo Royal Court has been determined. Queen Tess Scott (in the middle), and princesses Maddie Coleman (left) and Alexis Goughnor (on the right) will serve as ambassadors for the rodeo.