Ritzville Rodeo celebrates 54 years
One of the Wild Card Trick Riders stands on her horse as she presents the American Flag during the National Anthem at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30.
NANCE BESTON/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
One of the calf ropers catches his calf at the Ritzville Rodeo Aug. 30.
A cowboy ties his calf down during the calf roping event. The calf must stay tied for six seconds for qualifying time.
Members of the audience dressed in pink for the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30. The theme of Friday night's performance was “tough enough to wear pink” in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
One of the Wild Card Trick Riders stands on her horse during the team’s performance. There are four young women ranging from 11 to 15 years old.
One of the cowgirls catches her calf during the breakaway event at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30.
One of the bareback riders whips around on his horse at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30. There were only two qualifying riders for bareback at the Friday night rodeo.
A cowboy and cowgirl qualify for team roping at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30. Team roping requires a pair to catch the head of a calf and the back legs.
A cowboy tries to ride a bull at the Ritzville rodeo Aug. 30. There were no qualifying bull riders at Friday night’s rodeo.
RITZVILLE – The sounds of cheering, the cracking of pop cans and pools of pink shirts and cowboy hats fill the stands.
“Welcome to the 54th annual Ritzville Rodeo,” the announcer says.
A total purse of $9,000 in prize money was available this year at the Ritzville Rodeo, attracting a field of local and regional rodeo riders.
Horses start galloping in with flags from the Ritzville Rodeo sponsors, followed by a prayer from the rodeo announcer.
“Heavenly father, bless this arena that we are going to enter and exit this evening, watch over each and every cowboy and cowgirl that enters,” the announcer says.
Then the Canadian Flag enters the arena. Followed by the National Anthem and one of the Wild Card Trick Rider girls standing on horseback as her horse races through the stadium.
The stands were full of rodeo lovers, the beer garden was also packed and there were folks standing to catch a glimpse of the show.
The show begins with bareback riding. The cowboys need an eight second ride to qualify and the higher the kick the higher the score. Four cowboys participated and two of them had a qualifying ride. Peyton Robinson scored the highest with 73 points.
Following was calf roping, where a cowboy must rope a calf and tie three legs in as little time as possible. The calf must stay tied for six seconds for a qualifying time. The fastest cowboy wins. Seven cowboys competed, with Trent Hennigar having the fastest time at 16.47 seconds.
Next was breakaway, where a cowgirl gets one chance to rope a calf – fastest time wins. Ten cowgirls competed, with a handful of qualifying times. Jules Pyper was the fastest with a 4.2 second time.
The rodeo also had saddle bronc, involving a rider trying to stay on a bucking horse for eight seconds. Nobody had a qualifying ride Friday evening, the first night of the rodeo.
Following the bronc riders, ranch broncs used a roping saddle with a horn and lasso attached, traditional saddle bronc uses a saddle with no horn. There were also no qualifying riders Friday for this category.
Next was team roping, where a pair must catch a calf, the first must lasso the head and the second must catch its back legs. There were 12 pairs of riders in the competition. Trent Hennigar and Preston Winn had the fastest time at 8.92 seconds.
Next, was a show from the Wild Card Trick Riders. These four young women, Blayce Jess, 15; Paige Sullivan, 15; Reagan Wisdom, 15 and Eve Burns, 11, perform by doing tricks on their horses. There were cartwheels, handstands, drops from the horses, standing, flips and more.
Next was chute doggin’ and barrels.
The show ended with bull riding, with two junior bull riders and seven adult riders. There were no qualifying rides for bull riding.
Final rodeo results were not available by press time. They will be published in the September edition of the Basin Business Journal.
One of the calf ropers catches his calf at the Ritzville Rodeo Aug. 30.
A cowboy ties his calf down during the calf roping event. The calf must stay tied for six seconds for qualifying time.
Members of the audience dressed in pink for the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30. The theme of Friday night's performance was “tough enough to wear pink” in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
One of the Wild Card Trick Riders stands on her horse during the team’s performance. There are four young women ranging from 11 to 15 years old.
One of the cowgirls catches her calf during the breakaway event at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30.
One of the bareback riders whips around on his horse at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30. There were only two qualifying riders for bareback at the Friday night rodeo.
A cowboy and cowgirl qualify for team roping at the Ritzville Rodeo on Aug. 30. Team roping requires a pair to catch the head of a calf and the back legs.
A cowboy tries to ride a bull at the Ritzville rodeo Aug. 30. There were no qualifying bull riders at Friday night’s rodeo.