News & Notes from the Rodeo Trail, September 20
Three contestants from the Pendleton (Ore.) Roundup were involved in a fatal crash Sept. 16 when the car they were in rear-ended a commercial vehicle, according to Oregon State Police. The crash was reported around 8:15 p.m. (PDT) on Interstate 84 near milepost 193. Police say the right, front passenger in the Volkswagen Jetta, identified as 24-year-old Richard Schleicher from Oklahoma, was killed in the crash. Police say 20-year-old Jate Frost of Utah was driving the Jetta and going east when the car rear-ended a commercial vehicle hauling potatoes. Frost was seriously injured in the crash and flown to a hospital in Washington. A third passenger, 21-year-old Jesse Hopper who was also from Oklahoma, was left with serious injuries and was taken to OHSU in Portland.
The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, a charity of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, has been gifted $50,000 from the Teton Ridge Foundation, the philanthropic wing of the newly created western brand, Teton Ridge. Visionary entrepreneur, Thomas Tull formed Teton Ridge to preserve the traditions and values of America’s iconic western culture and heritage by investing in western performance sports, athletes, events, branding and land conservation. The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund was established by the Justin Boot Company, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association in 1989 to provide financial assistance to athletes injured through their participation in professional rodeo activities. The donation from the Teton Ridge Foundation will assist the organization in relieving injured riders of financial stress from living expenses, physical therapy and more. “With no guaranteed salaries or injured reserve provisions in the sport of rodeo, professional athletes often feel financial hardship when they sustain serious, sidelining injuries,” said Tom Glause, Interim CEO and COO of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “Teton Ridge Foundation’s contribution will help us continue to be a hand up for rodeo athletes and their families.” To date, more than $9 million has been awarded through the JCCF to more than 1,200 injured rodeo athletes and their families.
Courtesy of PRCA