‘It’s a beautiful sport’

Saige Smith knows what it takes to win in the Wrangler Rodeo Arena. The high school sophomore from Touchet, Washington, won the short go-round of senior barrel racing at last year’s Junior World Finals in Las Vegas. But Smith surprised even herself Tuesday. Competing in the inaugural Kelly Kaminski Run for Vegas pole bending event, […]

Winning in Vegas

Aspen Autry was back to her winning ways Wednesday. The 12-year-old barrel racer from Kim, Colorado, won the first round of the Kelly Kaminski Run for Vegas junior division with a 13.911-second run. Autry is the defending world champ in the event. “I like this because it’s an average and me and my horse are […]

Team Roping Wednesday

Caden Tinsley is a man of few words. Instead, the 16-year-old team roper from Midland, Texas, lets his work in the arena speak for him. Wednesday in the 17 & Under #10.5 division of the Junior World Finals, Tinsley and roping partner Newt Lemond of Andrews, Texas, didn’t have their best day – they had […]

Timed

When people think of New Jersey, rodeo is probably one of the last things that comes to mind. But the Garden State isn’t just home to the Jets and Giants of the NFL (yes, it says New York on the schedule, but both teams play their home games in Jersey) and Tony Soprano. New Jersey […]

Championship Monday

There were some familiar faces from the Longhorn state in the winner’s circle as the 2019 Junior World Finals roughstock competition came to a close Monday at the Wrangler Rodeo Arena. Two Texas cowboys — Bradlee Miller from Huntsville and Kash Loyd from Cleburne – both won world championships for the fourth year in a […]

Exceptional Rodeo

The first four rounds of the National Finals Rodeo didn’t go as planned for steer wrestler Kyle Irwin. He placed sixth in the second round but failed to finish in the money in any of the other three rounds. None of that mattered to the Robertsdale, Alabama, cowboy on Monday, however. Irwin was one of […]

Going for a three-peat

Chris Villanueva knows what it takes to win a world title. In fact, the Mesquite, Texas, bull rider knows what it takes to win back-to-back titles. Villanueva will try to make it three in a row Monday when he rides in the finals of the 16-18 division of Leal’s Junior Bull Riding at the Junior […]

Tennessee Travelers

Rhea Webb might want to get used to coming to Las Vegas in December. Webb arrived in town last week from Byrdstown, Tennessee, along with her sons Cy, 9, and Lane, 16, both of whom are competing in the Junior World Finals at the Vegas Convention Center. Cy, who won the peewee saddle bronc riding […]

Familiarity breeds success

Sometimes, familiarity has its advantages in the world of bull riding. That proved to be true for both John Crimber and Gavin Firnekas on Saturday at the Junior World Finals at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Crimber scored a Wrangler Rodeo Arena-record 91.0 points on Air Time to take the second-round lead in the 12-13 […]

There’s nothing funner in the whole wide world’

Mason Stuller has had a pretty good run in the rodeo arena. The 16-year-old from Venata, Oregon, moved to the top of the leaderboard in Novice Bareback Bronc Riding at the Junior World Finals on Friday at the Las Vegas Convention Center with an 85.5-point ride on Girl Crush. “I didn’t know anything about that […]