Champions crowned at CFD Rodeo
Contestants from all corners of the country gathered in Southeast Wyoming to compete at the 2024 Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) Rodeo, where the top 12 athletes from previous rounds were given a clean slate to vie for top honors on Championship Sunday.
Known for its fast pace, large number of contestants and second-highest payouts on the summer circuit, the 128th annual rodeo took place July 19-28.
Steer roping
The first competition of the final round was steer roping, where Tuff Hardman of Atoka, Okla. clocked a time of 14.5 seconds and secured the win.
A 10th of a second separated the first- and second-place cowboys, as fellow Oklahoman Chet Herren of Pawhuska, Okla. finished in second place with a time of 14.6 seconds.
With a 16.2-second run, Trenton Johnson of Blue Mound, Kan. placed third, and Tyler Hargrave of Canyon, Texas had a run of 16.5 seconds to secure fourth place.
Jase Johnson of Jacksboro, Texas had a solid 16.9-second run, placing him in fifth.
Bareback riding
Clay Jorgenson, a young bareback rider from Watford, N.D., spurred his way to the top, winning on a proven bucking horse – Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail. He was the only rider to score 90 points on a bareback horse at this year’s rodeo.
With an 89-point ride, Orin Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba, Canada ended the Sunday performance in a two-way tie for second place with Wacey Schalla of Arapaho, Okla.
In fourth place, Waylon Bourgeois of Church Point, La. had an 88-point ride, and in a four-way tie for fifth place, Clint Laye of Cadogan, Alberta Canada; R.C. Landingham of Hat Creek, Calif.; Lane McGehee of Victoria, Texas and Jacob Lees of Caldwell, Idaho all scored an 85-point ride.
Steer wrestling
Denton Good, a 20-year-old from Long Valley, S.D., topped the scoreboard during CFD’s steer wrestling competition, sealing the deal with a 6.5-second run.
Caden Camp from Belrde, Mont., winner of the Parado Del Sol in Scottsdale, Ariz., took second at the CFD Rodeo with a 6.6-second run.
In third place, Dakota Eldridge of Elko, Nev. ended the final round with a 6.8-second run. Following the top contenders was local athlete Jacob Wang of Laramie, who ended the multi-day competition with a 7.2-second run, putting him in fourth place.
Rounding out the leaderboard was Trisyn Kalawaia from Hilo, Hawaii, securing fifth place with an 8.1-second run.
Team roping
With an 8.3-second run, Team Ropers Hayes Smith of Central Point, Ore. and Justin Davis of Cottonwood, Calif. were crowd champions during CFD’s Championship Sunday and took home first-place honors.
Trailing in second place was Coleman Proctor of Pryor, Okla. and Logan Medlin of Tatum, N.M. with a 10-second run.
In third place with a solid 10.8-second run was Kaleb Driggers of Hoboken, Ga. and Junior Nogueira of Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Cole Thomas of Meadville, Miss. and his partner Dylin Ahlstron of Hooper, Utah made a showing in the final round, pulling into fourth place with a 13.2-second run.
Hailing from Ellensburg, Wash., brothers Riley and Brady Minor landed in fifth place with a 13.6-second run.
Together for 16 years, the Minors are the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associationʼs (PRCA) longest running team roping partnership.
Saddle bronc
Up and coming Saddle Bronc Rider Logan Cook of Alto, Texas has been looking for a memorable win, and he found it on CFD’s Championship Sunday where he was crowned champion with a 90-point ride.
PRCA’s fifth-ranked Saddle Bronc Rider Wyatt Casper of Miami, Texas landed in second place with a score of 89 points.
In a two-way tie, Gus Gaillard of Morse, Texas and Kolby Wanchuk of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada secured third place with 88.5-point rides.
Lefty Holman of Visalia, Calif. and Zeke Thurston of Big Valley, Alberta, Canada finished in a two-way, fifth-place tie with 87.5-point rides.
Tie-down roping
In the final round of tie-down roping, Shad Mayfield of Clovis, N.M. led the pack.
Mayfield came close to winning the Daddy of ’Em All a couple of times in his career but fulfilled his dream with a 9.8-second run to win the tie-down roping title in front of a packed house at Frontier Park.
Following Mayfield, Chet Weitz of London, Texas secured second place with a 12.5-second run, and Dontae Pacheco of Blanco, N.M. took home a third-place win with a 12.9-second run.
Ty Harris of San Angelo, Texas ended the championship round in the fourth-place position with a run of 13 seconds.
Brayden Roe, a Wendell, Idaho cowboy, finished in the top five at the CFD Rodeo with a 13.1-second run.
Barrel racing
World Champion Barrel Racer Jordon Briggs of Tolar, Texas and her famous horse Rollo have been rallying all summer. Briggs stopped the clock at the CFD Sunday performance with a wicked 17.06-second run to secure the team’s first title in Cheyenne.
Three Rivers, Texas Barrel Racer LaTricia Duke won the first performance but fell short by two-tenths of a second in the final round, securing a close second-place finish with a run of 17.08 seconds.
Wenda Johnson of Pawhuska, Okla. took third place with a 17.24-second run, and Leslie Smalygo of Skiatook, Okla. rounded out the top four with a run of 17.40 seconds.
Montana Cowgirl Tayla Moeykens of Three Forks, Mont. was just two-tenths of a second shy of landing in the top four in the final round, finishing her run at 17.42 seconds in fifth place.
Breakaway roping
The 2024 CFD breakaway roping started off with a muddy slack where 200 women slowly dwindled down to the top 12 for the short go.
In the end, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged of Stephenville, Texas emerged victorious on 2024 Horse of the Year Onna, roping in 3.7 seconds to wrap up the win.
Shelby Whiting of Paola, Kan. took home second place with a 4.9-second run, and Kinlie Brennise of Craig, Colo. finished third with a strong performance and a five-flat run in the finals.
Jordan Jo Hollabaugh of Canyon, Texas ended in fourth place with a 5.4-second run, and Chenoa Vandestouwe of Weatherford, Okla., with a 5.6-second run, rounded out the top five breakaway ropers.
Bull riding
T.J. Gray, a 23-year-old bull rider from Dairy, Ore., matched up with Dakota Rodeo’s No Dose for a score of 90 points, earning him the championship crown.
With a score of 88 points, Ky Hamilton of Mackay, Queensland, Australia took home the second-place title, followed by Schalla in third place with a score of 83 points.
Parker Breding of Edgar, Mont., with a 78.5-point ride, secured fourth place, and closing out the leaderboard in fifth place was Cooper James of Erda, Utah with a score of 78 points.
Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
