Crowning Champs
North Platte, Neb. (June 19, 2021) – The steer wrestling champion of the 2021 Buffalo Bill Rodeo in North Platte never even planned on rodeoing this year.
Chance Howard, Cedarville, Arkansas, had a time of 3.4 seconds during the first day of slack, June 16, to best the field of 90 steer wrestlers and pocket $2625.
But it’s only because of his equine partner that he’s rodeoing.
The 30-year-old has competed professionally for the past twelve years, but this year, he had decided to stay closer to home, working for a metal shop owned by Travis Burgett.
He and Burgett also train horses on the side, and when the bay gelding that Burgett owns and Howards rides came along, the horse took to steer wrestling almost immediately.
“I wasn’t planning on rodeoing this year,” Howard said, “and this horse came along and he took to it too good not to go. It was a last-minute decision for me to go.”
Howard started the training on the horse, named Train, in December 2020, as a seven-year-old, and the horse took to it quickly. The pair has won regional rodeos and jackpots held around Arkansas.
He’s ranked 43rd in the PRCA world standings, far from a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification, but the rodeo season is young. He’s headed to Pecos, Texas, then on to Springdale, Ark., Greeley, Wyo., Oakley, Utah, and on from there.
But first, there’s a birthday party to attend at home. He and his wife Kelsey’s son, Luke, turns three on June 27. The family lived in Sadler, Texas, but now lives in Arkansas.
In the tie-down roping, JD McCuistion topped the field with a time of 8.0 seconds to win this year’s rodeo.
The Collinsville, Texas man had seen the calf he’d drawn and had a game plan. “I watched him go (on June 16) and I had his pattern. He was going to step out to the right pretty good.” The calf didn’t do exactly what McCuistion had hoped. When the chute opened, “the calf turned his head to the right, so I had to stay in the box a little longer than I wanted to. When I got him roped, I knew the hard part was done.”
The win in North Platte is a great way to kick off the busiest part of the rodeo season. “I’m just glad it worked out right and it got my summer started off just right.”
In the bareback riding, Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb., set an arena record with a 90 point ride on the Beutler and Son horse Bar Talk. Shadbolt, who is 25 years old, is on a hot streak, having won or placed at a number of rodeos in the last month. He is currently ranked sixth in the PRCA world standings.
Other champions at the 2021 Buffalo Bill Rodeo are saddle bronc rider Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La. (86 points); breakaway roper Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, Texas (2.4 seconds); team ropers Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas and TJ Watts, Eads, Colo. (5.1 seconds); barrel racer Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas (17.45 seconds); and bull rider Fulton Rutland, Stillwell, Okla. (85 points.)
During the rodeo, the 2021 Trail Boss Award was given to Marvin and Janet Mueller of Sutherland. Married for 36 years, the couple has been involved in rodeo in a variety of roles. Marvin was a team roper, a member of the Sutherland Rodeo Committee for 31 years, and a member of the Nebraska State Rodeo Association and the Mid-States Rodeo Association.
Janet was a high school rodeo competitor and has produced and secretaried many team ropings. She has been on the Sutherland rodeo committee for 15 years, judges 4-H horse shows, is a volunteer on the Miss Rodeo Nebraska committee, and is a Nebraska High School Rodeo Association director. The couple has three daughters.
NebraskalandDays activities continue next week with a junior rodeo, poker tournament, the Frontier Revue, a prime rib feed, Cowboy Cornhole Tournament, Cowboy pickleball tournament, and concerts by Luke Combs on June 25 and Toby Keith on June 26.
For more information, visit the website at NebraskalandDays.com
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Results, North Platte, Nebraska – Buffalo Bill Rodeo August 5-8, 2021
All-around champion: Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn.
Bareback riding – 2021 champion: Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb.
1.Garrett Shadbolt, Merriman, Neb. 90 points on Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Bar Talk; 2. (tie) Logan Patterson, Kim, Colo. and Blaine Kaufman, Pretty Prairie, Kan. 87.5 each; 4. (tie) Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah and Tanner Aus, New London, Minn. 86.5 each; 6. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 84.5; 7. (tie) Jamie Howlett, Rapid City, S.D. and Tyler Berghuis, Atwater, Minn. 84 each.
Steer wrestling – 2021 champion: Chance Howard, Sadler, Texas
1.Chance Howard, Sadler, Texas 3.4 seconds; 2. Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho 3.5; 3. (tie) Mike McGinn, Haines, Ore., Stockton Graves, Alva, Okla. and Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D. 3.7 each; 6. (tie) Hunter Cure, Holliday, Texas, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D. Riley Westhaver, Alva, Okla. Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., and Payden McIntyre, Douglas, Wyo. 3.9 each.
Tie-down roping – 2021 champion: JD McCuistion, Collinsville, Texas
1.JD McCuistion, Collinsville, Texas 8.0 seconds; 2. Hudson Wallace, George West, Texas 8.1; 3, (tie) Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo., Luke Potter, Maple City, Kan., and Cody Darnell, Gordon 8.3 each; 6. Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas 8.4; 7. (tie) Blair Burk, Durant, Okla., Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La., and Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla. 8.5 each; 10. (tie) Weldon Watson, Huntsville, Texas, Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas and Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas 8.6 each.
Saddle bronc riding – 2021 champion: Cody DeMoss Heflin, La.
1.Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La. 86 points on Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Red Man; 2. Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alb. 85; 3. (tie) Jacobs Crawley, Stephenville, Texas and Tanner Lockhart, Waterflow, N.M. 84; 5. Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alb. 83; 6. Ben Andersen, Eckville, Alb. 82; 7. Leon Fountain, Socorro, N.M. 81.5; 8. Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La. 80.5.
Breakaway Roping -2021 champion: Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, Texas
1.Shelby Boisjoli, Stephenville, Texas 2.4 seconds; 2, Emma Charleston, Reeds, Mo. 2.6; 3. Sawyer Gilbert, Buffalo, S.D. 2.8; 4. (tie) Peggy Garman, Sundance, Wyo., Katie Mundorf, Mullen, Neb., Lindsay Taylor, Jaice Walters, Yates Center, Kan. and Amber Coleman, Orchard, Neb. 2.9 each.
Team roping – 2021 champions: Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas/TJ Watts, Eads, Colo.
1. Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas/TJ Watts, Eads, Colo. 5.1 seconds; 2. Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn./JW Nelson, Alta, Iowa 5.2; 3. Jake McCullough, Hutchinson, Kan./Tyler Mahlandt, Udall, Kan. 5.3; 4. Brent McInerney, Alzada, Mont./Tanner McInerney, Alzada, Mont. 5.4; 5. JB James Jr, Bennett, Colo./Brock Hanson, Bennett, Colo. 5.5; 6. Paul Beckett, Laramie, Wyo./Jayden Johnson, Casper, Wyo. 5.6; 7. Cody Hilzendeger, Avon, S.D./Dustin Harris, O’Neill, Neb. 5.9; 8. (tie) Jade Schmidt, Box Elder, S.D./Jade Nelson, Midland, S.D. and Wyatt Muggli, Lane, Okla./Clay Elkington, Firth, Idaho 6.1 each; 10. Brooks Dahozy, Window Rock, Ariz./Levi Tyan, Wallace, Neb. 6.6.
Barrel racing – 2021 champion: Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas
1.Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas 17.45 seconds; 2. Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas 17.46; 3. Randi Holliday, Chouteau, Okla. 17.48; 4. Maggie Poloncic, Gillette, Wyo. 17.51; 5..Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas 17.56; 6. (tie) Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo. and Timber Allenbrand, Paola, Kan. 17.64 each; 8. Nicole Waggoner-Ludwick, Pueblo West, Colo. 17.65; 9. Brooke Wills, Kamloops, B.C. 17.69; 10. (tie) Emma Charleston, Reeds, MO and Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla. 17.73; 12. Korrina Hughes, Glenwood, Iowa and Cheyenne Wimberley, Stephenville, Texas 17.81 each.
Bull riding – 2021 champion: Fulton Rutland, Stillwell, Okla.
1.Fulton Rutland, Stillwell, Okla. 85 points on Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Crime Scene; 2. Lukasey Morris, Union City, Okla. 84.5; 3. Connor Murnion, Jordan, Mont. 83; 4. Toby Collins, Stephenville, Texas 77.
** All results are unofficial.
