Tops in Hamel

By: Ruth Nicolaus

South Dakota man wins bull riding, donates portion of check to childhood cancer fund

Hamel, Minn. – The richest rodeo in the state, the Hamel Rodeo, wrapped up on Sunday night with cowboys and a cowgirl going home with big paychecks.

Mason Moody, Letcher, S.D., bested the field of bull riders with a score of 88.5 points on the J Bar J Rodeo bull named Loaded Dice.

The ride was picture book perfect, till the last second, when the bull fell backwards, pinning Moody’s leg under him.

But the 20 year old cowboy knew how to handle the situation.

“The ride felt really good till about the last jump,” he said. The bull “got off balance and fell backwards. Luckily I’ve been on enough bulls that I know the feeling of what’s happening, so you can save yourself.” Moody knew to keep his toes tucked in, because if the toes are pointed outwards when the bull falls, the foot “over-rotates, and it breaks,” he said. “So you keep your foot flat, so when he falls, the weight is on your leg, not your foot.” He was able to get out from under the bull safely, with no injury.

His winning check for $5,000 helps him to qualify for the big winter rodeos, and helps pay for expenses, too. “It puts fuel in the truck to keep going,” he said.

Moody has competed in the PBR Velocity Tour events, but during the summers, when the tour events slow down, he rides in PRCA rodeos. He likes the PBR events because he has time during the week to be home, unlike with PRCA rodeos. But he likes PRCA shows as well.

“Rodeo is fun, too,” he said. “You get to see a lot more of the country, and you’re not in an airplane every weekend.”

Moody is ranked first in the Badlands Circuit, pro rodeo’s regional classification for rodeos in the Dakotas. He’s qualified for two Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeos, and hopes to make his third this October.

His bull was designated as the Bonus Bull, which meant if he made a qualified ride, he’d earn an additional $500. He donated half of the bonus check to the Minnesota Lions Childhood Cancer Foundation.

“I make my living riding bulls,” he said, “and I love it. but at the end of the day, there are people who need this money way more than I do. I probably won’t ever meet those people, but I know it’s going to a good cause.”

In the bareback riding, three men topped the charts. Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., Jess Pope, Garnett, Kan., and Yance Day, Mannford, Okla., all scored 85.5 points. Aus is a seven-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier and is ranked ninth in the PRCA world standings. Pope is the reigning PRCA world champion bareback rider and is ranked nineteenth. Oklahoma’s Day has competed at the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo several times. Aus won the Hamel Rodeo in 2017 and remembers attending the Hamel Rodeo as a kid, when his dad, John Aus, a former bareback rider, competed there.

Other 2023 champions at the rodeo are team ropers Joe Beaver, Huntsville, Texas and Levi Pettigrew, Sallisaw, Okla. (4.4 seconds); tie-down roper Macon Murphy, Keatchie, La. (17.3 seconds on two head); steer wrestler Cody Metsker, Taylorville, Ill. (9.2 seconds on two head); saddle bronc riders Gus Gaillard, Morse, Texas and Isaac Richard, Eunice, La. (87 points each) and barrel racer Ashley Peterson, Birnamwood, Wis. (16.07 seconds).

The permit bull riding win went to Jacob Carige, Stephenville, Texas, for his 79 point ride on the J Bar J Rodeo bull Cowboy Kid. The permit bull riding is open to those cowboys who have their Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association permit and have not acquired their full membership yet.

The rodeo is a fundraiser for five area non-profit organizations, and in its previous 41 years, has raised over $2.45 million. This year’s funds will be divided equally between the Hamel Volunteer Fire Department, the Hamel Lions Club, the Heinzen-Ditter VFW, the John Pohlker American Legion and the Lord of Life Military Family Support Ministry.

The 2024 rodeo will be July 11-14. For more information, visit the website at www.HamelRodeo.org.