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 Wooten Rodeo Company, located in Glen Allen,
Missouri has championship riders who are part of the National Rodeo
Association. Some have competed in the world rodeo championship.
This year’s performers come from several states including Indiana,
Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma.
After welcoming everyone, announcer Dillon Gross opened with a
prayer asking that God would place a hand on the rider’s shoulders
and a guardian angel in all four corners of the arena.
Asking veterans to stand and be recognized, Gross said we thank them
from the bottom of our hearts.
As a rider atop a horse carried an American flag around the track,
Gross talked about how great the flag is. He asked everyone to stand
and show pride in being an American.
Lesleigh Bennett then sang the National Anthem to help kick off the
evening’s events.
Before the events began, rodeo clown Tyler Pettigrew asked the crowd
to make some noise as he tossed free items into the stands.
Between events and throughout the events, Pettigrew joked around
with the audience and announcer. At one point, Pettigrew rode a
scooter onto the track, saying he was a Guber Driver. Gross called
for “security” to escort him out.
Other entertainment was provided by Cole Miner, who did rope tricks
with lassos. Miner also used the lasso to burst balloons Pettigrew
was holding.
As popular music played, the crowd sang along finishing the lyrics.
Children enjoyed dancing along to the music.
The main rodeo events testing the abilities and speed of cowboys and
cowgirls and included Team Roping, Tie-down Roping, and Cowgirl
Barrel Racing and Bull Riding.
As each event began, Gross encouraged the crowd to make some noise.
He told everyone to sit back, relax and have some fun.
The first event was bronc riding, in which the participant rides a
bucking horse that attempts to “buck” the rider off. One bronc rider
was a fourteen-year-old who has already won several championships.
Next up was cowgirl breakaway roping. In this event, the rider ropes
the calf and stops her horse. While the calf runs, the end of the
rope, which is attached to the saddle horn, breaks away, signal the
end of the run. The fastest time for this event was 1.8 seconds.
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In the cowboy tie-down roping event, the calves were
quick on their feet, and several riders were unable to rope a calf.
Once roped, the rider had to jump off his horse and pick up the
calf. Riders then had to keep the calf from running away by tying
its legs together. The winner of this event jumped off and roped the
calf in 14.5 seconds.
In the team roping event, two riders mounted on
horses had to rope a steer in the quickest time. Doing it quickly is
something Gross said requires great skill.
The team roping requires a “header” to get a rope around both horns,
one horn and the steer’s head, or the steer’s neck. The “heeler”
then jumps off his horse and ties the rope around the steer’s hind
legs. The team that won this event did it in 7.1 seconds.
In cowgirl barrel racing, horses and riders completed a cloverleaf
pattern around three barrels without knocking any down. The aim is
to complete the pattern in the fastest time. A fourteen-year-old had
the fastest time for this event, completing it in just over 14.2
seconds
The final event of the evening was bull riding. With bull riding,
competitors attempt to stay mounted on a bucking bull for eight
seconds while one hand holds a rope tied behind the bull’s front
legs. No stirrups, bridles or saddles are used.
As the lively bulls tried to buck off the rider, just one managed to
stay on eight seconds, scoring 84 points. One competitor was Lincoln
native Isaac Cook and though he did not win, he managed to stay on
the bull for a few seconds.
When the events drew to a close, Gross said this crowd was one of
the best crowds.
The rodeo provided a night of thrilling and exhilarating
entertainment for the whole family. Cheers from the crowd could be
heard throughout the grandstand, keeping the momentum going. As
Gross said, the champions turned the “wow” factor up to eleven.
Several said they put on a great show.
[Angela Reiners]
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