News and Notes from the Rodeo Trail, Sept. 18
ProRodeoLive.com will broadcast the Cowboy Capitol of the World PRCA Rodeo Sept. 22-23, beginning at 7 p.m. (CT) each day and at 2 p.m., Sept. 24.
Tanya Lynn McKinnon Bartlett of Mountain Green, Utah, a former Miss Rodeo Utah and 1996 Miss Rodeo America, passed away Sept. 13, after battling a rare form of cancer. She was 42. Bartlett was born on Sept. 18, 1974, in Logan, Utah, to Ross and Debra (Dickerson) McKinnon. While attending Utah State University in 1995, she was crowned Miss Rodeo Utah and later won the 1996 Miss Rodeo America Pageant in Las Vegas, Nev. She spent the next year traveling the country representing the sport of rodeo. She graduated Cum Laude from Utah State University in 1998 with a degree in Bio-Veterinary Medicine. In 2002, Tanya received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She returned home to practice veterinary medicine and in 2005 she opened her own practice, Equine Edge. She is survived by her husband, Matthew; her son, Bridger and her parents, Ross and Debra (Dickerson) McKinnon. Funeral services will be held Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. (MT) at the LDS Stake Center, 4270 Cottonwood Canyon Road, Mountain Green, Utah. Friends may meet with the family Sept. 19, from 5-8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 North Fairfield Road, and Sept. 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the church. Condolences may be shared at www.lindquistmortuary.com.
Las Vegas Events is seeking a production manager for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The annual event, held each year at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, is scheduled for Dec. 7-16. The production manager will work closely with the current NFR General Manager, LVE, NFRC and the PRCA on all aspects of rodeo production. For the full details of the position, including all duties and responsibilities, visit www.nfrexperience.com. All letters of interest and résumés may be sent to the following: WNFR Production Manager, c/o Las Vegas Events, 770 E. Warm Springs Road, Suite 140, Las Vegas, NV 89119. Résumés can also be sent directly to WNFRProductionManager@LasVegasEvents.com. All résumés must be received by Sept. 29, 2017, by 11:59 p.m. PT.
On Aug. 31, bareback rider Braxten Nielsen was severely injured while competing at the Magic Valley Stampede PRCA Rodeo, in Filer, Idaho. The horse reared up and smashed Nielsen against the back of the chute. The College of Southern Idaho Foundation – where Nielsen is a member of the school’s rodeo team – set up a recovery fund for him. And through an online GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com a total of $47,264 in donations toward a $50,000 goal had been raised as of Monday afternoon. The CSI volleyball team has also been fundraising at its home games. The CSI rodeo team is planning a concert and dance for November at the Expo Center. And at recent rodeo competitions, 50-50 raffles have been organized to help Nielsen and his family.
Greg Simas will be the voice of the Chisholm Trail RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. (CT) Oct. 19-21, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan, Okla. “For me, being a fan of rodeo, the Prairie Circuit Finals is a mini-NFR,” he said.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The gold buckle will be strapped on my hip until the day they put me down. It’s never going anywhere.”
– PRCA reigning world champion tie-down roper Tyson Durfey told the ProRodeo Sports News about what he has done with the first gold buckle he won last year.
Courtesy of PRCA