ProRodeo Sports News - May 4, 2018

Saddle bronc rider Stetson Wright rode Western Rodeo’s Pandora for 84.5 points and the win at the Lakeside (Calif.) Rodeo, April 28. Wright added two more titles to his name, winning the bull riding competition and the all-around cowboy title. He earned $5,782 at the rodeo. Crowd pleaser Gene Hyder photo

Branch book on Wrights set for release May 15 The lives of the Wright family, from Bill and Evelyn Wright to their 13 children (former Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion Cody Wright is the oldest) to many grandchildren, are chronicled in a new book, “The Last Cowboys,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Branch of the New York Times . “The Last Cowboys,” scheduled for a

Booth is a sophomore at FHSU and competes in steer wrestling and team roping. Since 1997, the Phillipsburg Rodeo Association has awarded scholarships to FHSU students who compete in rodeo. The Phillipsburg Rodeo Association is the organization behind Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo, which will be Aug. 2-4. For more information on the rodeo, visit www.KansasBiggestRodeo.com. Franklin (Tenn.) Rodeo awards scholarship The Franklin (Tenn.) Rodeo has awarded a scholarship to a student at the University of Tennessee-Martin. Jonny Walker, of Parkers Crossroads, Tenn., is the designee for the 2018 scholarship award. Walker, a bareback rider, is in his first year of studies at UT-M. Walker graduated from Ranger (Texas) College in May 2017, before trans- ferring. He competed in the Tennessee High School Rodeo Association, winning the bareback riding reserve title in his event in 2012-13 and competing at the National High School Finals Rodeo the same years. He is studying ag business and will graduate in May 2019. He is ranked second in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Ozark Region and competed at the Franklin Rodeo last year, where he made a qualified ride. The Franklin Rodeo takes place May 17-19. Montana Western rodeo coach to retire University of Montana Western (Dillon) rodeo coach Iola “Olie” Else plans to retire after 31 years. Else is the driving force behind UMW’s rodeo team and equine studies program, with the nation’s only four-year degree in natural horsemanship. “This is the end of an era,” Else said on www.nbcmontana.com. Else said she served 31 years of service to UMW’s rodeo team, 25 years as head coach. Her team has been ranked in the Top 10 in the National Collegiate Rodeo Association every year. Team vice president Treyjan Olson is staying involved in the hiring process for the next head coach but said Else’s tenure will be unmatched. Else will retire from coaching after the College National Finals in June.

May 15 release from publisher W.W. Norton & Company, is the result of more than three years’ worth of Branch’s thorough reporting. Readers not only get an inside look at the grind of professional rodeo, they’re also immersed into the world of cattle raising. For 150 years, the Wright family has run cattle at their ranch on Smith Mesa in southern Utah, outside Zion National Park. Upcoming PRCA Rodeo Camps The next PRCA Rodeo Camp will be May 5 in Gerry, N.Y. The camp will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ET). There also will be a PRCA Rodeo Camp on May 19 in Dayton, Iowa. The camp will run 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CT). Registration for the camps is required at www.prorodeo.com/prorodeo/rodeo/youth-rodeo. Phillipsburg (Kan.) awards scholarships Fort Hays (Kan.) State University students Shae Biedenbender, of Westmoreland, Kan., and Travis Booth, of Castle Rock, Colo., have been awarded $500 scholarships courtesy of the Phillipsburg (Kan.) Rodeo Association. Biedenbender, a freshman, competes in breakaway roping, goat tying and team roping (as a heeler), and will add barrel racing to her repertoire this spring.

ProRodeo Sports News 5/4/18

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