| Hayes Weight comes up big at Cache County Fair and Rodeo |
| It was like they saved the best for last — or at least nearly last. On the fourth and final night of the Cache County Fair and Rodeo in Logan, Utah, the fourth-to-last bull rider dazzled the capacity crowd. Hayes Weight did something no one else has been able to do. He rode Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Scuba Steve. Weight not only covered the eight-second ride — by the closest of margins — but walked away with the top score for the four-day rodeo. The 26-year-old from Goshen, Utah, continued his hot streak with an 89-point trip Saturday night. “That first jump my rope felt a little loose, so I knew I had to ride him right, ride him jump for jump,” Weight said. “It was a dogfight every jump. When you get tapped off one like that, it’s really amazing.” Did he realize how close he was to not making a qualified ride? “Oh yeah, I felt my rope sliding across his back, and he got me stretched out,” Weight said. “At that point, I knew I was close and felt I was going to make it. As he whipped me down, I heard the buzzer and was really excited to hear that … He bucks hard and has some tricks to him.” After his ride, Weight was making his way back to the chutes and upon hearing the score let loose a loud yell. “To have that good of a trip and win it, I just have to thank God and all glory to him,” Weight said. It was the second meeting with Scuba Steve for Weight, who had climbed aboard the bull at the Stetson Wright Invitational back in May. “I kind of knew what he was going to be, but he bucked harder tonight,” Weight said. “I was pretty excited about it. I love getting on a bull that hasn’t been ridden. There is a lot of pressure, but to be able to go out there and slay dragons so to speak, to be able to put my faith in God and glorify him that way, I love it.” Winning has become the norm for the two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier. He recently won the Days of ’47 in Salt Lake City and during the Cowboy Christmas portion of the season rode his way to more than $50,000. He began the week in the No. 4 spot in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. “I’ve been super blessed lately,” Weight said. “Coming into the summer run, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to make the Finals. After being blessed, drawing well and being able to capitalize at some of these rodeos. I’m just super thankful to be healthy and going down the road … I need to keep going and keep pushing. Every day matters. There are a lot of great rodeos left to be won. I need to stay focused on one bull at a time.” Weight had to wait for two more bull riders to go and a re-ride before knowing for sure he had captured first place. When the dust settled, the cowboy earned another first-place paycheck as only two riders out of 11 made the whistle Saturday night. Cutter Kaylor out of Jasper, Texas, had a 77.5-point ride on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Otis. “I was trying not to pay attention to what the other guys were doing because I’ve got to go and do my job,” Weight said. “It’s the same as getting on an unridden bull, there is some pressure, but I look at it as a chance to go make a statement and glorify God.” Weight has been a regular at the Cache County Fair and Rodeo since 2018. He had never won in Logan before Saturday night, but had won some checks. “They always have good bulls here, they bring the good stuff,” Weight said. “And everybody brings their riding britches. So I’m thankful to show up tonight and get the win.” The only other cowboy Saturday night to finish atop his event for the rodeo was bareback rider Donny Proffit with a 86.5-point ride on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Wild Mike. However, he had to share first place as Jess Pope had also picked up a 86.5-point mark on Wednesday. Proffit started off the Saturday performance as the first rider and began the rodeo with a bang. “I didn’t know much about that horse other than it’s a young one of Legacy’s,” Proffit said. “I just went out there and tried to do my job. It worked out and I set the bar … It’s been a bit of a dry month, so this will help a bunch.” It was a big night for several of the bareback riders. Three of the top four finishers rode in the final performance as Cooper Cooke was third with an 86, and reigning world champion Dean Thompson came in fourth with an 85. “There was a good group of guys out there,” Proffit said. “At the end of the day if you are trying your absolute best, that’s all you can do. I’m happy it worked out.” The Diamondville, Wyo., cowboy has come to Logan before but has never done well. The 24-year-old hopes that trend has changed. In the saddle bronc riding, a score of 87.5 from Thursday night held up by Q Taylor. There were several solid rides on Saturday as Ross Griffin had the best ride of the night with an 84.5, which finished in a three-way tie for fourth. Kade Bruno was seventh with an 84. Griffin, who is from Tularosa, N.M., is trying to finish the season strong and build some momentum for next year. “It’s been a good year, a building year to get into the big winter rodeos,” Griffin said. “I’m chipping away, one rodeo at a time … I got to do the victory lap last year (for the best score in a performance), so I’ve had some good luck here before.” Bruno, who began the week sixth in the world standings, drew the same horse in Logan as he had a year ago in Vain Reflections. The Challis, Idaho, cowboy was second in 2024. “That horse jumps out there and does her job every time and gives you a chance,” Bruno said. “That’s two years in a row I’ve had her here. That doesn’t happen very often.” Winners from the Cache County Fair and Rodeo include all-around cowboy Cole Clemons ($4,794, tie-down roping and team roping); bareback riders Jess Pope (86.5 points on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Single Matt) and Donny Proffit (86.5 points on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s Wild Mike); steer wrestlers Will Lummus and Seth Peterson (3.6 seconds); team ropers Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp (4.1 seconds each); saddle bronc rider Q Taylor (87.5 points on Legend Pro Rodeo Stock’s Woodstock 99); tie-down roper Cole Clemons (7.4 seconds); barrel racer Katie Halbert (16.81 seconds); and bull rider Hayes Weight (89.5 points on Legacy Pro Rodeo’s No. 102). |
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| Ty Erickson finds momentum, playoff points at Farm-City Pro Rodeo |
| Ty Erickson needed a boost entering the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Ore. The 2019 PRCA Steer Wrestling World Champion and nine-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier entered the event just outside of the top 25 of the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings with a fourth-straight trip to Las Vegas hanging in the balance. Erickson made up some ground and picked up pivotal PRORODEO Playoff Series points in the Beaver State, sealing the top spot in the average at 7.6 points on two head. “Anytime you can get a big win like Hermiston, it’s a big deal,” Erickson told the PRORODEO Sports News. “Especially for me because I’m a little behind now. It’s really big for me because it kind of puts me back in the race.” The Helena, Mont., cowboy clocked a 3.8-second run to win the opening round and apply pressure to the rest of the loaded field. In the second round, he matched the 3.8-second run to tie for second with Will Lummus and Riley Duvall in the round and clinch the average title. He bested Lummus’ average mark of 7.9 seconds. Erickson credited his horse, Crush, last year’s Nutrena Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year presented by AQHA, for putting him in position to get the job done. “I think it was just good horsepower,” Erickson said. “I was riding my horse Crush, the horse of the year from last year, and he worked great. I had Gavin Soileau hazing, and he did a great job. “It changes everything in steer wrestling when you have a bulldogging horse that stands flat-footed and lets you focus on your job.” The sizable payday in Hermiston gives Erickson momentum in the race to get back to Las Vegas but also helped push him up in the PRORODEO Playoff Series standings as the race for the Cinch Playoffs at the Puyallup (Wash.) Rodeo nears. The Cinch Playoffs from Sept. 5-8 in Puyallup, and Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup presented by Texas Precious Metals from Sept. 26-28 in Sioux Falls, S.D., give cowboys a chance at massive payouts in the final month of the regular season. “They pay so much money now,” Erickson said. “A guy has to make it a priority to get to Puyallup and Sioux Falls because it takes so much money now to make the NFR. It’s a pretty big part of making the NFR now, so you have to get to them.” Erickson plans to stay the course with just over seven weeks remaining in the regular season. “To get good starts and make good runs is my mindset everywhere,” Erickson said. “I know I’ve got the hazing power. I know I’ve got the bulldogging horse to do it. I just need to draw well, make good runs everywhere and see what happens.” Other winners at the $535,764 PRORODEO Playoff Series event included all-around cowboy Wacey Schalla ($13,559, bareback riding and bull riding); bareback rider Schalla (175.5 points on two head); team ropers Andrew Ward/Jake Long (10 seconds on two head); saddle bronc rider Brody Wells (90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Annual News); tie-down roper Riley Webb (16.5 seconds on two head); barrel racer Tayla Moeykens (16.81 seconds); and bull rider Rawley Johnson (89.5 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Stand By Me). |
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| Stetson Wright, Brody Wells score big at Lea County |
| When Q Taylor and Tanner Butner left southeastern New Mexico earlier this week, they had to like their 88-point rides sitting atop the saddle bronc riding leaderboard. When the dust cleared Saturday night at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, they finished tied for fourth. It got a bit Western in Lovington on the final night of the nine-day exposition, with Stetson Wright and Brody Wells sharing the victory with 91-point rides. “Oh, yeah, I’m having lots of fun,” said Wright, 26, an eight-time world champion from Beaver, Utah. “These last couple of weeks, I’ve seemed to hit my groove in bronc riding again. The bull riding clicked was fast coming back, but the bronc riding was so slow. I finally just started creeping up, winning and getting on horses like that.” Wright matched moves with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Northern Exposure to set a new standard. Two rides later, Wells scored big during his rematch with Carr’s Larry Culpepper – he was 90 on the red roan at Pecos, Texas, in June. “Larry is a legendary bronc,” Wells said of the bronc that’s bucked at the National Finals Rodeo six times. “I probably watched Cort Scheer win a round at the 2019 NFR on that horse a thousand times when I was younger. It’s an honor to put your saddle on him. A bronc like that doesn’t come around too often. He’s a special horse.” Each man pocketed $7,299, big earnings with less than two months remaining in the regular season. Wright entered this week 14th in the world standings with nearly $115,000 in earnings. He’s atop the money list in both the all-around ($366,668) and bull riding ($299,521). In Saturday’s bull riding, Wright was bucked down by Carr’s Hostel Take Over. He suffered a concussion. Before he wrapped his hand to the bull, he was happy with his bronc ride. “That was everything that I wanted,” Wright said of his matchup with Northern Exposure. “I didn’t have high expectations of that horse coming in. It’s a young one. They’ve had some low scores, and most of the guys buck off. I just gave him a little more rein, and I was hoping it would help. It looks like it did. I’m just pumped up to be here.” He sat out all of the 2024 campaign with a hamstring injury. It was the first time in five years that someone other than Wright had earned the PRCA all-around world title. He’s back in the hunt for a sixth, and being back on the rodeo trail has been the perfect medicine. “I got super hungry (to compete again),” Wright said. “I got so deprived of it, I couldn’t even think straight. Everybody told me that I should be done, that I should hang it up and find a new career. I couldn’t wrap my head around that. I just kept dreaming I’d be back in these situations, these moments. This was everything. “A ride like that is what I shoot for every day. That’s what all these guys are out here doing. I’m just glad to be part of it.” While he competed at his first NFR a year ago, Wells understands the sentiment. Having the opportunity to test his skills on a horse he’s already found success was just icing on the cake. While he was 90, Wells finished second to Tanner Butner. Larry Culpepper, however, guided Zeke Thurston to 92 points to win Oakley, Utah, and Sage Newman to 88.5 to win the Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City. This was the bronc’s third victory in a row. “To have him here in Lovington where they’ve got a pile of money up in a one-header, you want to have a bucker like that,” Wells said. “I just showed up trying to be aggressive and glad to hang out. He actually bucked a lot harder than the first time.” Other winners at the PRORODEO Playoff series rodeo were all-around cowboy Coleman Proctor ($8,749 in team roping and steer roping); bareback rider Cole Franks (87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pink Smoke); steer wrestler Gary Gilbert (7.7 seconds on two head); tie-down roper Marty Yates (17.8 seconds on two head); breakaway roper Cheyanne McCartney (5.0 seconds on two head); team ropers Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin (10.4 seconds on two head); steer roper Slade Wood (39.0 seconds on three runs); bull rider Hunter Kelly (87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s E. TO); and barrel racer Helen Nowosad (17.37 seconds). |
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| Hudson Bolton making name for himself in Resistol Rookie season |
| Hudson Bolton couldn’t ask for a better Resistol Rookie season. The 19-year-old Milan, Tenn., bull rider began the 2025 season competing outside of the PRCA, which made him miss most of the winter run. He had his first big performance at a PRORODEO event at the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo in April, placing second overall to bank over $8,000 in earnings. It was his first major payday as a PRCA card holder, and it set the tone for the rest of the season. And perhaps his career. “I missed a little bit of the winter rodeo season, but I didn’t let it bother me,” Bolton told the PRORODEO Sports News. “I really got started (in April) and I was doing good.” Bolton followed up the Clovis performance with another big payday at the Hugo (Okla.) Pro Rodeo. He also collected checks in Gladewater, Cleburne, Weatherford and Coleman during a Texas run in June. A nagging groin injury nearly kept Bolton out of action during the middle of the summer run. It was an injury he initially suffered over a year ago. But it occasionally flares up. In true cowboy fashion, Bolton rode through the pain, recognizing the opportunity to compete at the NFR Open at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo doesn’t come on a yearly basis, no matter how highly ranked a cowboy is. So, he fought through it, a decision that paid off as he won the first round of his group with an 86.5-point ride on New West Rodeo Productions’ Baller for a $7,500 check and an experience he will never forget. “I didn’t really have time to take off because the season is going so well,” Bolton said of the injury, adding that it started to feel better as he prepared for the NFR Open, which was July 8-12 in Colorado Springs, Colo. “Once I got to the NFR Open I knew it was a lot of money on the line. I had a nice bull. He set me up perfectly. The win jumped me up quite a bit.” Bolton has continued to shine at rodeos across the country. He collected checks at 10 rodeos between the NFR Open and the end of the month. As a rookie, he must be strategic with his route to various rodeos. He follows the money. And with the help of his friend Gray Essary, a plan is always in place for Bolton to do just that. The strategy worked to perfection Aug. 2. That’s when Bolton and Essary saw a large sum of ground money carry over at the Cowtown Rodeo in Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J. Bolton was already in New York for the Gerry Volunteer Firemen’s Rodeo, where he won $8,189, so the trip to Cowtown made sense. Aboard Cowtown Rodeo’s Sippin Sauce, Bolton had an 87-point ride. He collected $11,374 with the win. It was the second-highest payday of his career, and it moved him to the No. 2 spot in the Resistol Rookie Standings with $94,216 won on the season as of Aug. 5. But most importantly, it moved Bolton inside the Top 15 of the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings, putting him in contention to qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this December. “I just have to keep doing what I’m doing,” Bolton said. “I need to keep my head down and not look in the rear-view mirror.” Bolton’s next trip will be against Rafter H Rodeo Livestock’s Deal Me In at the Lea County PRCA Rodeo Xtreme Bulls in Lovington, N.M., Tuesday night, with a share of over $37,000 up for grabs. He’s going against a loaded field, with eight-time PRCA World Champion Stetson Wright in attendance, as well as seven other cowboys currently in the Top 15 in the world. “Just keep rockin’ away at it,” Bolton said. “It’ll all work out.” |
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| When rodeo and pie collide: Abbyville a hidden gem in PRORODEO |
| Small-town rodeos are a norm in the PRCA. Towns of a couple thousand or a few hundred people welcome PRORODEO athletes and fans for weekends at a time, hoping to put their small town on the map. Each rodeo has its own quirks. Some accompany horse races alongside rodeo action. Others, like Pendleton, Ore., serve strawberry shortcake. But they all come together to form the grassroots of PRORODEO. Abbyville, Kan., may be in a league of its own. The town spans just 124 acres in central Kansas, one mile south of Interstate 50. A simple blink of an eye and motorists traveling east or west along the interstate will miss it. There are no schools in Abbyville. The high school closed more than six decades ago, the elementary and middle school shortly after. There are no banks. The post office is a small building near the center of town. City hall is even smaller. Just one road in Abbyville is paved – Main Street. It’s lined with small houses with friendly neighbors and goats playing on four-wheel all-terrain vehicles in fenced-in yards. But for one weekend every year, the townspeople of Abbyville – all 75 of them – come together to put on Abbyville Frontier Days, the 2022 PRCA Small Rodeo of the Year and self-proclaimed “Pie Capital of PRORODEO” that draws in generations of families and out-of-towners. “Pie and rodeo. It’s a unique combination,” said Jeff Welker, an Abbyville native and president of the Abbyville Frontier Days committee. “It’s a family reunion. Nothing makes my heart feel better than seeing third and fourth generation families coming through the gates.” Rodeo Origins Abbyville is essentially hidden. The town rests an hour northwest of Wichita and 30 minutes southwest of Hutchinson. The only sign of a town existing in the area from the interstate is the old Abbyville Farmers Co-Op building, which is no longer used. The main road from the interstate is dirt and curves through Kansas tall grass fields. Only once around the co-op building and over train tracks is the town revealed. One of the first sites is the Abbyville Frontier Days arena. It’s where about 3,000 or more fans flock to every May, creating standing room only for the rodeo’s two performances. It’s also where Connie Busick-Depew and her late first husband, Clifford “Pinky” Busick, helped establish the rodeo alongside Floyd Rumford over six decades ago. “This is where I grew up,” Connie said of Abbyville. “This is where my husband and I met, got married and lived here for a while. It’s always been special to our family. He was a dreamer and a promoter, and he wanted to do things like this all the time.” Not many believed in Pinky’s dreams, including his father. He gave Pinky $10 and told him to go start the rodeo if that’s what he wanted to do. There was little belief in the donation amounting to anything. Pinky took it and made it a yearly spectacle. When it’s time for the rodeo, Main Street is lined with colored flags and horse trailers. The front yards of locals become parking lots. But even as their normally quiet town becomes a destination, the people of Abbyville welcome them with open arms, smiles and a fork to try the famous pies. “It’s special for all my family,” Connie said. “My kids feel like they grew up here. It’s special to have the legacy live on of their dad, grandpa and now great grandpa.” From a high school to a PRORODEO arena Rodeo wasn’t always the centerpiece of Abbyville. The town’s only high school closed more than 60 years ago. The middle school followed, closing 50 years ago. Welker was part of the middle school’s last graduating class. To this day, he still holds some displeasure with the decision to close the schools. But his love for PRORODEO became a reality when they were was torn down and construction on the arena began. “The idea that we can make a rodeo go in a town that doesn’t have a high school, people thought we were nuts,” Welker said. “But the community came together, and we made it happen. We used it as a celebration for the end of school and before the wheat harvest.” Pinky and Floyd had plenty of help in making Abbyville Frontier Days what it is today. Fuel for the fire pit was donated by locals, as well as bleachers from the old high school. Kevin and Betty Davis, two locals of the town, helped build the bucking chutes. At first, they were on the north side of the arena, near Main Street. But as the rodeo grew in popularity for both stock and attendees, there wasn’t enough room backing up to the road. So, they moved them to the other end. The rodeo was an instant hit among the Abbyville residents. But Pinky and Floyd wanted more. Abbyville joined the PRCA in 1965, just two years after it was founded. It’s become a first for many of PRORODEO’s biggest names. Weston Patterson, a PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings Top 10 saddle bronc rider, grew up just 144 miles from Abbyville in Waverly, Kan. He watched his father compete at Abbyville in steer wrestling. He wrangled sheep as a mutton buster. When he obtained his PRCA permit card in 2020, he made his debut in Abbyville. Even during his best season ever, he made a stop in the small town. “I’ve always had a lot of success here,” Patterson said. “So to come to this small rodeo and pack it in with the atmosphere it brings. It’s special to me.” Justin “Rump” Rumford, a 10-time PRCA Clown of the Year, is a native of Abbyville. He recalls watching his grandfather join forces with Pinky to create the rodeo, and how impactful it was on the path he took in life as a competitor-turned-entertainer. “When I started rodeoing, I didn’t come back here for a long time,” Rump said. “A couple years ago I came back, and I had such a good time. I saw so many of my old friends bringing their families to carry on the tradition. I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to take a week off and bring my family back.'” Rump has risen in the PRORODEO entertainer ranks. He was barrelman of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2014 and has received many other awards for his act. Now living in Oklahoma with his family, Abbyville will always be home for him. That’s why he takes time away from bigger rodeos on the PRORODEO circuit to attend his hometown event. He helps with the chutes, the act and other areas as needed. Being home brings back memories for Rump. From Army crawling across his uncle’s lawn to steal alcohol to riding around town in a Volkswagen Beetle outfitted to look like a fire engine out of pure comedy with his buddies, returning home is always special. “It’s almost nostalgic,” Rump said. “When I come back here, I think of all the great memories I have with my grandpa. I get to work some of the biggest rodeos in the world and I’m so thankful, but there are some rodeos you can’t make up. Some of these places have their own lifeforce. That’s Abbyville.” A blessing in disguise The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on families, businesses and events across the world. But for Abbyville, it allowed committee members to open their eyes to changes that have made the rodeo flourish. “COVID for us was a blessing in disguise,” Welker said. “We didn’t have very much money in the bank that year. But we wanted to have a rodeo. We set a goal: If the county opened things up, we were going to have a rodeo July 3-4. We wanted to be the first (rodeo) in the area. So we put a rodeo together in one month.” Some of the changes put in place included tickets being flexible for either performance. Kids under 12 also got in free both nights. Sponsors loved the changes, as well as the fans. “Our sponsors were very supportive that year,” Welker said. “They were just glad somebody was doing something.” Wedding bells and steer roping When Kevin and Betty Davis began dating, the two were competing in steer roping. Both had their PRCA member cards and would routinely travel to various rodeos across the country together. They fell in love on the PRORODEO trail and elected to get married in Abbyville. The ceremony was anything but traditional. It was organized by the Rumford family and held in the PRORODEO arena in the center of town. Groomsmen walked out of the bucking chutes. Betty and Kevin read their vows in the middle of the arena. Betty and Kevin thought the wedding would be a small event. But the Rumfords had other plans. More than 300 people packed the east stands at the arena. The reception was held there, too, with people – Kevin and Betty included – steer roping to celebrate. “It was real special,” Kevin said, fighting back tears. “The thing I remember is looking over there and seeing all of my family that made it out here.” “It was the first time I had met them,” Betty added. “We only dated a few months before we got married. We just knew.” Pie Capital of PRORODEO The name speaks for itself. Abbyville began the tradition of serving homemade pies during the rodeo’s inception. Over 20 flavors are made throughout the week leading up to the rodeo, with over a dozen volunteers pitching in to bake at the town church and their homes. Ruth Smith tears up when thinking about the generation that came before her who started the pie-making tradition. She was one of many who vowed to carry it on when she became of age. She did just that alongside her two sisters. “They were instrumental in starting everything,” Smith said. “A lot of them have passed on. That’s why I’m emotional. It’s been going on for a long time and we would like to keep it going.” Just like it was passed down to her, Smith hopes to one day pass on the tradition to her kids and grandchildren. That’s a common theme in Abbyville, especially when it comes to the food. Keith Dellenbach knows that all too well. Dellenbach learned how to barbecue from his father, who made it a point to cook every year for Abbyville Frontier Days. They use a true pit method, digging a hole 2-feet into the ground, layering 500 pounds of foil-covered beef onto charcoal then covering it with sand. The process acts as an oven and begins just hours before the second performance. By the time the annual barbeque rolls around on Sunday following cowboy church service, it’s ready for all in attendance. From the pies to the barbeque to the concession stand, Abbyville is a family affair. Even those who have moved away return to volunteer for their hometown rodeo. It’s in their blood to help. It’s a passion project of sorts every year. It’s a tradition that has been passed down for generations and will continue to be for years to come. “My father put a lot of faith into it, and so do I,” Dellenbach said. “It’s a tradition for our town. It’s an important responsibility so I take pride in being able to do it right and thank God I’m able to do it at my age. But if I kick the bucket, my son can do it.” Passing the torch Abbyville is more than just a town to the natives and residents. It’s home. The simple four-letter word holds a different meaning for Abbyville. It encompasses the faith-based Christian community that isn’t afraid to lend a helping hand to their neighbors. “Going to next door and asking neighbors for stuff, that happens every day around here,” Rump said. “There are no gas stations, no stores, there’s nothing here. There’s not even a Dollar General within 25 miles, which is bad for rural America. You can’t get a pizza ordered here, which sucks.” Welker hopes to one day pass along Abbyville Frontier Days leadership to other natives or residents of the town. The rodeo is more than just a two-day event for the community. It’s engraved into the history of the town and the hearts of the people who inhabit it. They take pride in welcoming former residents back to town. They take pride in welcoming outsiders, both returning attendees and first-time rodeo goers. Some travel from across the United States. This year, two sets of families from Italy and one from Mexico were in attendance. There is still plenty for Abbyville Frontier Days to accomplish. Welker aims for more cowboys to make an appearance. He hopes to also be broadcasted live on The Cowboy Channel. Those goals will come in due time. But continuing to create a family-friendly environment where everyone feels a little bit of Midwest hospitality is at the forefront of everyone involved. “It’s not about the money for us,” Welker said. “If we make enough to put on a rodeo next year, we’ll be happy. Coming here, people can expect to be treated like family. That’s what makes Abbyville special.” |
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| Raising Expectations: First-time PRCA World Champions eager to get back to the top |
| Winning a PRCA World Championship changes things for PRORODEO cowboys. From the moment they receive their gold buckle, they’re announced as world champions when they back into the box or load up in the chutes and fans in every arena expect them to perform like champions at every event. The three first time PRCA World Champions, bareback rider Dean Thompson, steer wrestler J.D. Struxness and bull rider Josh Frost returned to Las Vegas June 2-3 for the annual NFR Media Day at South Point Hotel Casino. The trio acknowledged that their notoriety in the sport has increased but so has pressure to keep winning and they’re up for the challenge. “It’s crazy. It really is,” Thompson said of the feeling he gets when he’s announced as the reigning bareback champ. “There are not many guys going down the road that get that.” The Altamont, Utah, cowboy has been on the PRORODEO road since 2022 and first qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 2023. In his first trip to Las Vegas, Thompson competed but didn’t win a round. This past season, he placed in eight rounds and won Rounds 5 and 8 en route to his top finish. Thompson travels with a pair of world champions in Tim O’Connell (2016, 2017, 2018) and Jess Pope (2022). Recently, the group went to the airport and Thompson overheard O’Connell telling a fellow traveler that each of them was a world champion, and it caused Thompson to take a step back. “It was crazy when he said that because I’m around these world champs every single day and it’s such a big deal,” Thompson said. “The second a guy wins a world title; it puts so much respect on his name immediately.” Struxness secured his eighth qualification to the season’s culminating event last year and had never finished higher than fourth in the PRCA Steer Wrestling World Standings. Last December, everything came together for the 30-year-old, as he placed in eight rounds and was 36 seconds on nine head to win his first world title. “I wouldn’t say it’s too much different,” Struxness said. “You get a little more attention every now and then but as far as what I do it’s not really any different. The humbling part about rodeo is that you end the year as a world champ and then you’re knocked back to zero with everybody else to start the new year.” The Milan, Minn., native grew up in a state that isn’t typically associated with rodeo or the Western lifestyle. Struxness takes pride in representing the Land of 10,000 Lakes on the biggest stage in PRORODEO and said it’s an honor to be announced as a world champion before each run. “That’s something that I’ve been waiting to hear my whole life and I’ve been working toward for a long time now,” Struxness said. “It’s a huge feeling of achievement and a weight off your shoulders. But it also gives you a reputation to hold up.” Frost qualified for the NFR four times before making trip No. 5 this past December. He has experienced the full range of emotions at the NFR. In 2019, when he first reached the bright lights of Las Vegas, Frost bucked off all 10 bulls. From 2021-23, the Randlett, Utah cowboy made the most of his opportunities – even winning the NFR Average in 2021 – but finished as the reserve world champion three-straight times. In 2024, everything fell into place, despite a late season injury that nearly spoiled his season of destiny. “The cool part of having some of the worst experiences and best experiences of the Thomas & Mack is that I feel like I know how to handle every scenario,” Frost said. “It’s made me more mentally tough to where when something does go bad, I easily know how to bounce back. And when things go well, I know how to keep things going well.”Frost definitely kept things going well last December. He finished as the only rider to cover seven bulls, won Rounds 4 and 6, earned his second NFR Average Championship and secured his first gold buckle. Frost said he’s clearly perceived the support from the PRORODEO fan base since strapping on the coveted buckle. “It was really cool to get that gold buckle because for three years and even after winning reserve world champion that first year, people said, ‘This is your year,'” Frost recalled. “People knew that I’d been so close so many times, so it meant a lot for me to get it. I know how I feel as a fan watching my team or somebody, I want to win get so close. “ As for what’s next, all three cowboys hope to find themselves in the same position from Dec. 4-13 at the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. |
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| Badlands Circuit – 50th Year Celebration with PRCA through the Lord Legacy |
| For five decades, the Badlands Circuit has served as a proving ground for cowboys from both North Dakota and South Dakota, where talent is shaped, traditions are passed down and rodeo remains rooted in community. Among the names etched into its long history, the Lord family stands out. For Sturgis, S.D.’s J.B. Lord, the circuit was never about clinching titles, it was about raising a family and building a legacy that would last beyond his own career. The first time his son, Levi, backed into the box beside J.B., Levi saw more than a teammate. He saw the continuation of something that started decades earlier. “We won the circuit three or four times together after I turned 18,” Levi said. “Those years roping with him, those are my best memories.” For Levi and his father, J.B. Lord, the Badlands PRORODEO Circuit wasn’t just a place to compete — it was where family, tradition, and competition met. As the PRCA celebrates 50 years of the circuit system in 2025, the Lords’ journey serves as a living example of what the circuit was designed to do: support regional rodeo, develop top talent and build a lifestyle rooted in community. J.B. Lord, a 14-time PRCA Badlands Circuit Champion holding titles in steer wrestling, team roping and the all-around, spent decades hauling across the Dakotas. His success expands beyond his own, as his previous roping horse, Baywatch, was the 2012 Badlands Circuit Heading Horse of the Year. While he never chased the bright lights of Las Vegas at the National Finals Rodeo, he found everything he needed on the circuit: the chance to raise two boys in the cowboy way. “I’m thankful for everything I’ve won,” J.B. said. “But I left a lot on the table because I was raising my kids. And that’s okay. Watching them become successful men in and out of the arena is better than anything I ever did.” J.B. started competing when the Badlands Circuit was still in its early days, when just 10 to 12 rodeos counted, and team roping wasn’t even a standard event. That meant fewer opportunities, but he made the most of everyone. “I had a horse named Ray J that I rode for seven years and won a pile of money on,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good ones, but he stood out. That’s what it takes — good horses and grit.” Levi earned his PRCA card in 2014 and has since qualified for the NFR four times in team roping. Before the big arenas and bright lights, it was the local rodeos of the Badlands Circuit that taught him how to win and how to work. “It gave me a solid foundation,” Levi said. “Learning how to compete, how to handle pressure, how to rodeo like a professional. I got to do all that with my dad.” Now based in Texas, Levi still carries the spirit of the Badlands with him and finds meaning in returning to compete in the places he once roamed as a kid. “There aren’t a lot of team ropers who make it out of there,” he said. “So, when I get to go back, compete in front of the people who saw me grow up, that means a lot.” For J.B., who won the steer wrestling Badlands Circuit title at 53 and was leading it again at 54 before injury set in, it’s never been about the trophies. It’s been about the road, the horses, and the family riding alongside him. “I took them with me from the start,” he said. “Now I’m the one calling Eli or Levi for advice. It’s full circle. That’s a real treat.” As the circuit system turns 50, the Lords see a future as strong as its past. J.B. credits co-approved rodeos, stronger purses, and increased visibility as proof that regional rodeo can still thrive and help cowboys make a living. “It’s not just a weekend deal anymore—it’s a full-time job if you want it,” he said. “But it’s come a long way. I love the circuit system and everything it gave me.” The Badlands Circuit, renowned for its harsh winters, rugged terrain, and no-nonsense cowboys, continues to produce world-class talent, and the Lords are proud to be part of that tradition. “It’s cowboy country,” J.B. said. “The horses are tough, the people are tougher, and they’re just real. That’s the kind of place that makes a cowboy.” |
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Weekly Press ReleaseAug. 11, 2025
