News & notes from the rodeo trail, March 17
Lee Laskosky, a four-time steer wrestling qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (1989-90, 1992-93) and three-time Canadian Champion Bareback Rider Darrell Cholach head the 2014 induction class for the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Laskosky, 56, and Cholach, 50, will be joined at the Oct. 18 ceremonies in Calgary, Alberta, by Dave Garstad and Viola Thomas in the contestant category, Neil McKinnon (Builder) and Big Stone Rodeo bareback horse Chester Skoal Bandit. Laskosky, of Viking, Alberta, had his best season in 1993 when he finished fourth in the world standings with $90,795 and he finished seventh in the world in both 1989 and 1990 ..
Legendary casino pioneer Jackie Gaughan, the father of ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Michael Gaughan, died March 12 while in hospice care in his beloved Las Vegas. He was 93. The elder Gaughan once controlled 25 percent of the downtown gaming market and owned portions of some of the city’s most historic casinos. “He was old, old school – a man who took people at their word and long believed in doing business with a handshake,” Michael Gaughan told the Las Vegas Sun …
Longtime PRCA tie-down roper Cleo Hearn – he won the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver in 1970 – was honored this month by his hometown of Lancaster, Texas, when city officials named a two-mile equestrian trail for him. Hearn, 74, still competes regionally and has been active producing Cowboys of Color rodeos since 1968 …
A new website (www.BrocCrestaMemorial.com) has been launched by Kelline Cresta to provide information on the April 15 Memorial Roping in Cottonwood, Calif., and the scholarship that bears Broc’s name, while also standing as a tribute to her late son’s life. Broc Cresta, a two-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as a team roping heeler, died on July 28, 2012 in Cheyenne, Wyo. …
In recognition of its centennial, the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo Association has commissioned a history of its event in coffee table book form (9×12, hardcover, 120 pages). Clovis Rodeo: An American Tradition, written by Leslie Johnson Borassi and designed by Gail Perry Henricksen, is available to purchase online at www.clovisrodeo.com. Also, as part of the 100th anniversary celebration this May, the rodeo will unveil a 14-foot bronze statue at the head of the Old Town Trail depicting Lane Frost riding Growney Brothers’ legendary bull Red Rock …
Voting for the Utah Governor’s State of Sport Awards went live on March 16 and the first day saw 6,500 ballots cast, coming from 38 countries. Three-time World Champion Bareback RiderKaycee Feild is one of the favorites in the Professional Athlete of the Year category and visitors to the award website (www.stateofsportawards.com) can vote daily for their favorite candidate through midnight on April 16. To view the short promotional video for the state’s award program visit http://cosmicpictures.net/clients/client_folders/rr/SOSA/Utah-SOS-031414-qt.mov …
As expected, the Prescott (Ariz.) City Council voted March 11 to contribute $25,000 toward the cost of installing an observation deck on the Macklin Building for the World’s Oldest Rodeo …
California Circuit steer wrestler Taylor Nahrgang, of Paso Robles, has been promoted to marketing manager by the Weatherby firearms company …
The University of Wyoming Rodeo Club may be moving into the school’s athletic department and $100,000 was given to UW athletics for training, support, coaching and recruitment, according to a report in the Laramie Boomerang. The Board of Trustees is tasked with completing a feasibility report by Nov. 1 …
Three PRCA Championship Rodeo Camps are on the calendar this month, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, on March 22 and in Curtis, Neb., and Crossett, Ark., on March 29. Free instruction is provided by top PRCA cowboys for kids 8 and older who are interested in becoming a rodeo roughstock competitor. For full details, visit www.prorodeo.com/youthrodeo.aspx …
Cord McCoy, a 2005 bull riding qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and his brother, Jet, won the fourth stage of the CBS-TV reality series The Amazing Race which aired on March 16 as they compete for the ultimate $1 million prize. The cowboys received a trip for two to London with the episode win …
The Oregon Trail Rodeo in Hastings, Neb., is moving the annual event up a week from its usual Labor Day weekend spot to Aug. 22-24 at the Adams County Fairgrounds. The move will allow families who like to attend local high school and University of Nebraska football games on Labor Day weekend to enjoy the best of both worlds, said Sandy Himmelberg, fairgrounds manager …
PRCA photographer Cody Brinton has an entry in the Wyoming Short Film Contest (www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com/entry/6142892?=f4xtnr) about the wonders of his home state and is hoping to expand on the work if he is fortunate enough to get enough votes.
Courtesy of PRCA