News and Notes from the Rodeo Trail, April 6
by ProRodeo.com | Apr 06, 2015
Effective immediately, PRCA Director of Rodeo Administration Aaron Enget also will serve as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer. While continuing to serve as Director of Rodeo Administration, Enget plans to use his experience to help further the growth of the PRCA by acting on the policies and directives as put forth by the PRCA Board of Directors and the PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman.
Rado George (R.G.) Kekich, who qualified for the 1976 National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling and was a Gold Card member, passed away March 20. He was 78. Kekich joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association, the precursor to the PRCA, in 1969. In 1976, he finished 10th in the PRCA world standings with $14,675.
Joel (Jeff) Francis Lemaire, a PRCA Gold Card member who competed as a calf roper and team roper, passed away March 27 from Parkinson’s disease in Peoria, Ariz. He was 74. Lemaire joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association March 3, 1967. In addition to competing in the rodeo arena, Lemaire trained calf horses and made bits and spurs.
Darrel L. Radacy, a PRCA tie-down roper, steer wrestler and team roper, passed away Jan. 23 at the Weatherford (Okla.) Hospital. He was 48. In addition to competing in PRCA rodeos, Radacy was a horseshoer and he also loved roping, riding colts, and training horses. Radacy, who also was a member of the USTRC and TCRA, remained heavily active in many youth rodeo associations.
Terrence (Terry) Neil Reiter, a Rodeo Cowboys Association calf roper, passed away April 3 in Caldwell, Idaho. He was 76. Reiter trained Streak, the calf horse Jeff Copenhaver rode when he won the 1975 world championship. Reiter joined the RCA in 1963.
The Prescott (Ariz.) Rodeo Grounds recently got 800 tons of brand new sand, which equates to about four inches of new material installed over the entire historic arena. The 128th edition of the “World’s Oldest Rodeo” runs June 29 through July 5, and tickets are on sale now.
Jim Call, Orville Hefley and Bob Kennedy have been named grand marshals of this year’s Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo. The three men are longtime volunteers at the rodeo, and will lead the annual rodeo parade through the streets of downtown Clovis on April 25. Each man will receive an honorary cowboy hat and belt buckle. The 101st Clovis Rodeo runs April 23-26.
James Pickens Jr., who plays Dr. Richard Webber on the hit ABC TV show Grey’s Anatomy, is hosting his 6th annual charity roping event in Clovis April 21. The event is free to the public and features some of the best ropers in the world.
The ABC Rodeo in Lubbock, Texas, held a free children’s rodeo before the start of the April 3 performance at the City Bank Coliseum. Children younger than 10 years old were allowed to attend the event free with an adult after turning in coloring pages sponsored by United Supermarkets. During the event, children had the opportunity to ride a horse, practice roping, get their faces painted, get an autograph from the ABC Rodeo Queen Shayley Morriss and see the rodeo clown.
The Walker County Fair & Rodeo in Huntsville, Texas, also had a different type of rodeo on April 3. The Special Kids Rodeo took place before the evening performance, and gave special-education students from Walker County schools an opportunity to have their own hands-on cowboy and cowgirl experiences.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Just having Clay’s phone number in my phone was a big deal. Then, to get to rope with him was even bigger. Now, winning my first rodeo with him is a pretty cool deal, and for it to be in Austin at one of the bigger winter rodeos made it even better.”
-Team roping header Derrick Begay talking about roping with one of his idols, Clay O’Brien Cooper.
Courtesy of PRCA