Moses Lake Roundup brings excitement to the Grant County Fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE — In the last few days of the Grant County Fair, community members were treated to the annual Moses Lake Roundup. From Thursday to Saturday, the rodeo took center stage with several events like bareback riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling and bull riding.

“I just love being able to go around all the crowds and different people that you see and being able to put on a show for them and get on great bucking horses. It's awesome, and I love it,” Jay McAllister said.  

McAllister competed in the bareback riding group Friday night. Originally attending school in Clarendon, Texas, he was invited by some friends to spend the summer in Soap Lake. He said he’s been riding professionally for over a year now. The atmosphere of the rodeo is exciting for McAllister, but there are special experiences that bring him into the sport.  

“Just being able to get on horses and the friendships you make along the way,” he said. “We all become family here at the rodeo and all over. It doesn't matter where you are, you find people that you know or you know you went to college with, or just old buddies that still rodeo, so it's great to see a bunch of people and have a lot of friendships.” 

TJ Gray out of Dairy, Ore., competed in Thursday’s bull riding events. Prior to his event, Gray was taping up his left foot. He said he broke a small bone in his ankle back in June, but it had healed in time for Thursday's rodeo. The tape was just a precautionary measure. 

Despite the injuries, the wear and tear bull riding takes on the competitor, Gray can’t stay away. He said he’s known that since he started riding calves when he was five years old.  

“This is what I have wanted to do since I was a little kid, and I just want to sacrifice about everything for it. So, yeah, you get beat up, but it's just part of the game, and we've known that forever,” Gray said.  

In his sixth professional year riding bulls, Gray hopped on his bull named Oops. He placed second with a score of 85.5 and a $400 payoff, according to the Moses Lake Roundup online results. Placing first on Thursday was Tyler Bingham and his bull Speed Dial with a score of 88. 

Gray said the most important aspect of bull riding is the mental side.  

“Once you figure out the physical side, anytime you're unsuccessful, it's probably caused by the mental side,” Gray said. “It's not necessarily (about) focus, just letting your subconscious mind take over and not think about the physical side or what you have to do, and just let your muscle memory take over and ride the bull for you.” 

In addition to the other rodeo events, the roundup had other attractions and themes for each night. On Thursday, it was Stomp Out Cancer. On Friday, it was Military Appreciation Night. The Grant County Youth Equine Program led the preshow ceremony by riding in with different flags representing various branches of the United States Military. Saturday’s theme is Man Up Night, to raise awareness for domestic violence.  

Each day, the roundup had mutton busting. Young riders as young as four years old got to ride sheep as long as they could hold on.  

Additionally, a fan favorite rodeo clown, John Harrison, helped host the festivities again this year. Harrison added a comedic flair to the weekend, often making jokes and leading the audience in short karaoke breaks between events. 

As the weekend wrapped up, Gray reemphasized his best takeaway from competing in the rodeo.  

“I’ve fallen in love with the atmosphere you get around here, it's kind of a big family,” he said. 

Results from the Moses Lake Roundup through Friday: 

Bareback riding leaders: 1. Sam Petersen, 87 points on Big Stone Rodeo Inc's Key-lix The Stock Broker; 2. R.C. Landingham, 85; 3. Cole Franks, 82.5; 4. (tie) Kade Berry, Tilden Hooper and Dean Thompson, 82 each. 

Steer wrestling leaders: 1. Cody Devers, 3.7 seconds; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.0; 3. (tie) Jesse Brown, Bodee Foster and Rowdy Parrott, 4.3 each; 6. (tie) Seth Peterson and Gavin Soileau, 4.4 each. 

Team roping leaders: 1. Coy Rahlmann/Cole Curry, 4.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne and Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 4.7 each; 4. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 5.0; 5. J.C. Yeahquo/Ross Ashford, 5.1; 6. (tie) Wyatt Bray/Cashton Weidenbener and Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 5.2 each. 

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Brody Cress, 88 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo's Cypress Toddy; 2. Ben Andersen, 86.5; 3. (tie) Shea Fournier and Gus Gaillard, 85.5 each; 5. Damian Brennan, 85; 6. Rusty Wright, 84.5. 

Tie-down roping leaders: 1. (tie) Beau Cooper and Marty Yates, 7.5 seconds each; 3. (tie) Joel Harris and Chance Oftedahl, 7.7 each; 5. Bryce Derrer, 7.8; 6. (tie) Andrew Burks, Tuf Cooper and Haven Meged, 7.9 each. 

Barrel racing leaders: 1. Michelle Alley, 17.08 seconds; 2. Leslie Smalygo, 17.14; 3. BryAnna Haluptzok, 17.22; 4. Megan McLeod-Sprague, 17.51; 5. Julia Johnson, 17.52; 6. Sherry Cervi, 17.68. 

Bull riding leaders: 1. Tyler Bingham, 88 points on Corey & Lange Rodeo's Speed Dial; 2. TJ Gray, 85.5; 3. Trevor Reiste, 85; 4. Jordan Spears, 82; 5. Tristan Mize, 81; 6. Billy Quillan, 80. 

Final results of the rodeo competition will be published once they are fully tabulated. 

    A steer wrestler takes on a four-legged opponent in the Moses Lake Roundup. Steer wrestling is one of seven events held during the rodeo at the Grant County Fair this year.

    A bull rider is thrown around during Friday’s bull riding competition. Friday’s rodeo was titled Military Appreciation Night, where the military members and veterans were honored throughout the evening's events.
  

    Rodeo Clown John Harrison engages with the crowd at the Moses Lake Roundup. Harrison, from Oklahoma, provided additional entertainment to the audience in between events at the rodeo.
  

    A young mutton buster does his best to hold on to a sheep at the rodeo preshow. Each night of the rodeo had a mutton busting show for fans to enjoy and young participants to have fun in.
  

    A bull rider is thrown off an animated bull during the Moses Lake Roundup at the Grant County Fair. The rodeo this year was nationally televised, and world ranked riders from all over the country competed in this year's events.