DAYTON, Iowa – Ryan Melby didn’t mind playing in the mud Friday night during the opening
night of the Dayton Championship Rodeo.
An all-around cowboy from Backus, Minn., Melby posted a 4.6-second run in steer wrestling
to take the first-round lead, and he did it in the deepest mud puddle in the middle of the Dayton Rodeo
Arena. But that was just part of the joy for the cowboy.
“I haven’t been going that much this year,” said Melby, who travels the rodeo trail with his wife,
Jane. “I’ve been hauling my kids around to rodeos, so that’s taken most of my time.”
Dayton is just one of Mom and Dad’s places to play, competing for rodeo titles at rodeos close
to home. Typcially, the youth rodeo schedule keeps them plenty busy. This year they have hauled their
children to the National Junior High School Finals Rodeo, the Little Britches Finals Rodeo and many
spots in between. Still, the younger Melbys excelled – Cayla, 12, won the barrel racing title at the junior
high finals; Colton, 14, won ribbon roping at the Little Britches finale.
“I really enjoy that they’ve taken to rodeo and are pretty good at it,” Ryan Melby said.
It’ll be a busy weekend for the family. Ryan run in team roping Saturday morning and evening
in the two go-round competition, and Jan will race her horse around the cloverleaf barrel racing pattern
Saturday night. Ryan returns for Monday afternoon’s final performance and his second round in steer
wrestling. The weather and ground conditions are expected to be considerably better than they were
Friday night.
“It doesn’t matter what the ground was like, I put it all down on every trip,” he said, referring
to his style of steer wrestling. “Sometimes when it’s slick, you’ll slide in the ground further, but I’m a
smaller guy, so I have to rely on my technique.”
Dayton Championship Rodeo
Dayton, Iowa
Sept. 3-6
First performance
Bareback riding: FIRST ROUND : 1. Kyle Brennecke, 75 points; 2. Tanner Aus, 74; 3. Tim O’Connell, 61.
SECOND ROUND: 1. Aus, 80; 2. Brennecke, 76. AVERAGE: 1. Aus, 154 on two rides; 2. Brennecke, 151; 3.
O’Connell, 61
Steer wrestling: 1. Ryan Melby, 4.6 seconds; 2. Jacob Burkes, 6.0; 3. Rodney Burks, 6.5; 4. Jon Ragatz.
Team roping: 1. Mel Potter/Garrison Dixon, 6.8 seconds; 2. Dustin Chohon/J.W. Beck, 7.1; 3. Adam
Rose,Gabe Gwaltney and Wayne Knutson/Chad Martin, 7.3.
Saddle bronc riding: FIRST ROUND : 1. Troy Crowser, 79 points; 2. Tyrel Larsen, 78; 3. Justin Hegwer,
64. SECOND ROUND: 1. Crowser, 79; 2. Larson, 73. AVERAGE: 1. Crowser, 158 points on two rides; 2. Larson,
151; 3. Hegwer, 64.
Tie-down roping: 1. Dusty Forre, 9.2 seconds; 2. Steve Kuntz, 9.9; 3. Dennis Luetge, 13.2; 4. Kadin
Boardman, 16.8; 5. Josh Foutch, 19.9.
Barrel racing: 1. Jennilee Thompson, 16.32 seconds; 2. Carina Morris, 16.53; 3. Nicki Cracknell, 16.54;
4. Julie Meyer, 16.76; 5. Brooke Owen, 16.86.
Bull riding: FIRST ROUND : 1. Will Landon Crain, 78 points; no other qualified rides. SECOND ROUND:
1. Jake Weber, 69; no other qualified rides. AVERAGE: 1. Crain, 78; 2. Weber, 69.
