News and Notes from the Rodeo Trail, Feb. 2
by ProRodeo.com | Feb 02, 2016
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Association announced last week that Katy Lucas will join their Business Development Team as the Director of Marketing/Communications/Public Relations. She is the daughter of four-time Canadian Champion Tie-Down Roper Joe Lucas (who competed at the WNFR six times), and was also Miss Rodeo Canada 2015.
Dave Oyler, who has served on the Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo committee for 33 years, is retiring. In addition to his role with the rodeo, Oyler has been the Spanish Fork city manager for 41 years. Oyler’s retirement party is set for Feb. 4 at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds in the High Chaparral building at 475 S. Main. The hours of the party are 1-5 p.m.
Norman Lee Naylor, a First Frontier Circuit roper, passed away Jan. 23 in Mercersburg, Pa., after a long battle with cancer. He was 75. Naylor’s son, Tim Naylor, has won two First Frontier Circuit year-end titles in tie-down roping (2005, 2011) and two RAM First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo titles (2011-12).
Stevie J’Dale Smith, the daughter of Olie Smith, a steer wrestler who qualified for the 1985 National Finals Rodeo, passed away Jan. 31 at Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo, Texas, as a result of a car accident. She was 14. Smith, a freshman at Sonora (Texas) High School, was a passenger in a pickup truck that collided with another vehicle and overturned on a country road, according to the Texas Department of Safety. Survivors include her parents, Olie and Carla Smith, and her twin sister, Sterling. Memorial services will be held at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3 in the Sonora High School gymnasium.
The future of the Pratt (Kan.) Community College rodeo will be decided this month. The PCC Board of Trustees has to make a decision whether or not the PCC Rodeo team will host a rodeo at the college at their February meeting. The trustees listened to economic impact numbers during their regular monthly meeting Jan. 25 at the college. The rodeo program is going strong at PCC, but the cost of hosting a rodeo in dollars, time and student involvement has been the focus of discussion for almost a year. Many financial factors are being examined, and a decision should be made by the end of February.
There will be a new event at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo this year. The Youth Horse Challenge makes its debut, created for students who love to work with horses. The challenge is designed to allow kids to show off their skills when it comes to horsemanship. The event will be broken down into two age groups: 8-13 and 14-18. The winner of the older group will receive a $10,000 scholarship.
The third Great Florida Cattle Drive took place recently, with 400 participants herding more than 400 head of cattle more than 50 miles through Central Florida in a week-long journey. The purpose of the event is to draw attention to Florida’s deep cowboy history. Last week’s drive was the third one since 1995, and ended with a celebration at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kenansville Jan. 30.
Philanthropist Chandler Warden has been selected as the Grand Marshal of the 2016 Tucson Rodeo Parade, which runs in conjunction with La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. Warden, originally from California, has lived in Tucson since 1993. He has served in and contributed to many groups, including the Skin Cancer institute at the Arizona Cancer Center, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The event, tabbed the “World’s Longest non-Motorized Parade,” is scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 25.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“All the buckles and glory and big rodeos are things that most rodeo clowns want, but I just want people to say I’m a good guy. I’d say the first 10 years of my career, all I cared about was getting to work the NFR. Now, I’d rather just be a good dude.”
– Barrelman “Backflip” Johnny Dudley telling Ted Harbin how his priorities have changed since he first started out in rodeo
Courtesy of PRCA