Kansas City, Mo.: (October 25, 2008) – Cowboy Jared Keylon is modest. The bareback rider won the gold buckle as year end champion of the Prairie Circuit at the American Royal, but he’s not bragging about it.
The humble Keylon didn’t think he had it in him to make a run at the year end title. “I’ve got to thank God as well as all my friends. They helped push me, like ‘why don’t you go harder’ and ‘why don’t you try to win it.’”
This year really wasn’t what Keylon had in mind. The Ft. Scott, Kans. Cowboy planned on competing at fewer rodeos so he and his fiancé could plan a September wedding. But plans changed, and after a few rodeos, he realized he should be on the rodeo trail more. “About midway thru the season I started to noticing I was doing pretty good. So I thought, well, I’ll go a little harder.” Keylon hit the rodeo road more, and as his winnings mounted, he decided to keep competing and try to be one of the top twelve money winners in the pro rodeo circuit of Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma that qualified for the circuit finals in Kansas City.
Keylon did more than just qualify for the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. He entered the rodeo leading the bareback riding with a total of $13,900. In Kansas City, he won first place at three of the four performances, adding $5,675 to his winnings.
The money Keylon has won will come in handy. The newlyweds weren’t able to take a honeymoon – Keylon competed in a rodeo following the wedding – but they’ll be gone next week for a delayed trip.
Rodeo Business
For all around hand Jeff Miller, rodeo is a business. While the cowboy has a full time job which pays the bills, he treats his tie down roping and steer wrestling more of as an occupation than as a hobby.
And the business of rodeo paid off for Miller tonight. He won the tie down roping aggregate title, the fastest time roping four calves, for the 2008 Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo.
The Blue Mound, Kans. cowboy loves to compete, but he wants to make it pay off, too. “I treat rodeo as a business. You about have to, with what was $4 diesel and a bad economy. Everything you do anymore is a business. It’s nice to be able to fund something that you love to do,” Miller said.
He has been competing since he was 7 years old, starting in junior rodeo. “It’s something me and my dad did together. My dad’s gone now, and this is something that I do for myself for personal gratification but when I’m competing, I’m closer to him, as close as I’m going to get,” Miller said.
For Miller, the American Royal is a good place to compete. It’s close to home for him, and family comes to support him. “It’s been really good to come to the Royal in Kansas City. I get more family here. It’s more like a home town rodeo,” Miller says.
The year end and aggregate champions in each event will represent the Prairie Circuit next April at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho.
`Other champions from this year’s Prairie Circuit Finals include steer wrestler Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla., team ropers Charles Pogue, Ringling, Okla and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kans., saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Nebr., barrel racer Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, Okla., and bull rider Blake Rowan, Muskogee, Okla.
Results, 4th Go-Round Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo
October 25, 2008
All-Around: Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, OK
Bareback Riding
1 Jared Keylon, Ft Scott, KS 85 points on Star Dust, Beutler & Son Rodeo; 2/3
tie Justin McDaniel, Porum, OK 83 points; 2/3 tie Dustin Murray, Wellston, OK
83 points; 4 DV Fennell, Neosho, MO 82 points
Bareback Riding Year End Champion – Jared Keylon, Ft Scott, KS
Bareback Riding Aggregate Champion – Jared Keylon, Ft Scott, KS
Steer Wrestling
1 Dean Gorsuch, Gering, NE 3.3 seconds; 2 Zac Parrington, Hoyt, KS 3.4
seconds; 3 Chancey Larson, Manhattan, KS 3.5 seconds; 4 Ronnie Fields,
Oklahoma City, OK 4.2 seconds
Steer Wrestling Year End Champion: Sean Mulligan, Coleman, OK
Steer Wrestling Aggregate Champion: Ronnie Fields, Oklahoma City, OK
Team Roping
1 Robert Kirchner, Ames, OK and Darin Suit, Ames, OK 4.9 seconds; 2 Adam
Rose, Willard, MO and Jeff Brown, Joplin, MO 5.6 seconds; 3 Justin Turner,
Vinita, OK and Darrel Radacy, Lookeba, OK 11.4 seconds; 4 Nick Sartain,
Yukon, OK and Shannon Frascht, Alva, OK 11.8 seconds
Team Roping Year End Champion Header: Charles Pogue, Ringling, OK
Heeler: Jake Long, Coffeyville, KS
Team Roping Aggregate Champion Header: Justin Turner, Vinita, OK
Heeler: Darrel Radacy, Lookeba, OK
Saddle Bronc Riding
1 Cort Scheer, Elsmere, NE 87 points on Mouse Trap, Frontier Rodeo Co; 2
Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, OK 83 points; 3 Clayton Zibell, Wann, OK 82 points;
4 Wes Bailey, Tampa, KS 81 points
Saddle Bronc Year End Champion: Cort Scheer, Elsmere, NE
Saddle Bronc Aggregate Champion: Cort Scheer, Elsmere, NE
Tie Down Roping
1/2 tie Trell Etbauer, Goodwell,OK 7.9 seconds; 1/2 tie Russell Wells,
Lindsay, OK 7.9 seconds; 3/4 tie Tyler Garten, Kingman, KS 8.4 seconds; 3/4
tie Steve Brickey, Tahlequah, OK 8.4 seconds
Tie Down Roping Year End Champion: Steve Brickey, Tahlequah, OK
Tie Down Roping Aggregate Champion: Jeff Miller, Blue Mound, KS
Barrel Racing
1 PJ Burger, Pauls Valley, OK 13.54 seconds; 2 Jodi Ray, Heavener, OK 13.59
seconds; 3 Kristie Riley, Checotah, OK 13.60 seconds; 4 Tana Poppino, Big
Cabin, OK 13.61 seconds
Barrel Racing Year End Champion: Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, OK
Barrel Racing Aggregate Champion: Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, OK
Bull Riding
No qualified rides.
Bull Riding Year End Champion: Blake Rowan, Muskogee, OK
Bull Riding Aggregate Champion: Noah Schmidt, Kechi, KS
All scores/times are unofficial.
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