COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS SEASON BEGINS

By Courtesy Ruth Nicolaus, Prairie Circuit
Posted Wednesday, July 2, 2008

BLUE HILL, NEBR. - (June 27, 2008) – For most of us, Christmas is six months away. Our thoughts haven’t turned to snow, Santa or shopping.

But in the rodeo world, Christmas is just around the corner – Cowboy Christmas, that is. The week before and after July 4th offers the richest and most lucrative rodeos in the nation, and cowboys and cowgirls will compete at as many rodeos as possible, attempting to heap up the prize winnings.

For three cowboys who reside in the Prairie Circuit, which is made up of Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, Cowboy Christmas is an opportunity to win some rodeos and make as much money as possible.

Bareback rider Steven Dent will compete at 10 rodeos in eight states and Canada, all within two weeks’ time. The cowboy from Mullen, Nebr. is currently in first place in the world standings, and he’s not about to let someone sneak up on him.

To help with fuel costs, Dent travels with 3 other contestants, and drives a converted minivan. He replaced the back seats with a bed, and kept the four captain’s chairs. “It’s not a huge bed, but you can stretch out and get comfortable and get a good night’s sleep,” Dent says. The minivan gets good mileage, so “we make it work.”

To get to as many rodeos as possible, sometimes cowboys will fly instead of drive. Dent and his traveling group will have to charter a flight from Red Lodge, Mont. to Cody, Wyo, to compete at both rodeos within the same day. Dent prefers commercial flights, however. “Those little planes scare me.”

Bull rider Thad Newell’s travel plans aren’t quite as extensive as Dent’s. He will compete at 3 rodeos – Prescott and Window Rock, Ariz., and Springdale, Ark. for his Cowboy Christmas. “A lot of driving,” Newell says, but with a fellow bull rider and traveling partner, that helps with cutting costs.

Newell, of Bristow, Okla., is ranked number one among Prairie Circuit bull riders, and Cowboy Christmas is crucial for him. “Right now I’m sitting at the bubble where I’ve got to start doing something if I want to make the National Finals Rodeo,” says Newell. At 44th place in the world standings, a successful run over the 4th of July would leap frog him towards the top. “If I win $10,000 more (over Cowboy Christmas), I believe I’ll be in the top 15,” says Newell. A $10,000 run is not unreasonable; last year, the cowboy with the most money won over Cowboy Christmas earned $36,000.

Jule Hazen requires more planning than bareback riders or bull riders when he travels to rodeos. That’s because his event, steer wrestling, requires him to bring his horse on which to compete. During the busy rodeo season, Hazen will often compete using another contestant’s mount, and he says it’s pretty common. “Over the 4th of July, that gets done a lot, when you can’t get your horses all over.
Hazen will hit seven rodeos over his Cowboy Christmas run, and drive to almost all of them, except for Calgary, Canada and Vernal, Utah, when he’ll have to fly. He has traveled on chartered planes but prefers the commercial flights. “We try to get commercial and hope they take off and land when we want them to.”

The cowboy from Protection, Kansas is the number one steer wrestler in the Prairie Circuit, and he loves the busy 4th of July run. “There are just so many good rodeos that add good money, and you can work them all.” Last year, Hazen and his traveling partners entered both the Red Lodge, Mont. rodeo and the Cody, Wyo., rodeo, and competed on the same evening in both shows. One rodeo started at 7 pm and the other a half hour later. “One hundred-eighty miles apart, and we made it (to both rodeos),” Hazen says. “We drove it. You gotta dodge a lot of cops.”

So as the nation celebrates another Independence Day, cowboys and cowgirls will hit the roads and the airways, hoping that Cowboy Christmas will help cement their place in the standings or catapult them towards the top. As bareback rider Dent says, “There are so many big rodeos, if you can get hot through July, you can make your year or break your year.” And here’s hoping they make it!

Upcoming pro rodeos in the Prairie Circuit include the Old West Trail Rodeo on July 2-4 (Crawford, Nebr.), the Cushing Community Rodeo on July 11-12 (Cushing, Okla.), Kansas’ Largest Night Rodeo on July 16-19 (Pretty Prairie, Kans.), the Woodward Elks Rodeo on July 16-19 (Woodward, Okla.), Nebraska’s Big Rodeo on July 24-26 (Burwell, Nebr.), the Kaw Valley Rodeo on July 24-26 (Manhattan, Kans.), the Wahoo Saddle Club PRCA Rodeo on July 24-26 (Wahoo, Nebr.), the Barber County Rodeo on July 25-26 (Hardtner, Kans.), and the Jayhawker Roundup Rodeo on July 28-30 (Hill City, Kans.)

About the PRCA’s circuit system:

In 1975, the PRCA recognized the need for an award system for cowboys who chose to compete closer to home because of family and professional commitments.

The Association created the PRCA’s circuit system, consisting of 12 geographic regions that include as few as one state or as many as 13. Each PRCA cowboy in the United States chooses a home circuit at the beginning of the year or is assigned to one that corresponds with his home address. Cowboys compete for points throughout the year and points earned within his circuit are applied toward the standings of his respective circuit.

Each circuit’s top cowboys in each event qualify for that circuit’s “Finals” at the end of the season. After all 12 circuit finals are completed, the top regular-season cowboys in each event and the winners of the circuit finals qualify for the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, held in Pocatello, Idaho.

About the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kansas City:

The American Royal will host the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo October 23-25, 2008 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. There, Prairie Circuit cowboys and cowgirls will compete to earn a berth at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo (DNCFR), held annually every March in Pocatello, Idaho. Two competitors from each event: the year end champion and the aggregate champion, will go on to represent the Prairie Circuit at the DNCFR.