Jackson Hole Rodeo 2018

JACKSON HOLE

RODEO 2018

SOUVENIR PROGRAM

Throwing loops

Inside the sport that involves flawless timing and hours of practice.

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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P.O. Box 7445 Jackson, WY 83002 (307) ­733-2047 www.jhnewsandguide.com PUBLISHER: Kevin Olson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Adam Meyer EDITOR: Johanna Love MANAGING EDITOR: Rebecca Huntington DEPUTY EDITOR: Melissa Cassutt PHOTO EDITOR: Ryan Dorgan Contributing photographers: Bradly J. Boner, Ryan Dorgan, Travis J. Garner, Rugile Kaladyte EDITORIAL DESIGN: Kathryn Holloway, Andy Edwards COPY EDITORS: Jennifer Dorsey, Mark Huffman, Tom Hallberg WRITERS: Allie Gross, Isa Jones, Mike Koshmrl, Emily Mieure, Kylie Mohr, John Spina CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Sarah Wilson

RYAN DORGAN / News&Guide

Buskin Wilson caps off the night with a bull ride last summer at the Jackson Hole Rodeo.

Throwin’ Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Team roping takes hours of practice and flawless timing.

Rodeo Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ADVERTISING ARTISTS:

Learn the basics of the events.

Lydia Redzich, Ben Shafer,

Phil Wilson Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Taylor Ann Smith ADVERTISING SALES: Karen Brennan, Chad Repinski, Tom Hall, Megan LaTorre, Oliver O’Connor ADVERTISING COORDINATOR: Maggie Gabruk PRODUCTION: Production manager: Chuck Pate Prepress manager: Jeff Young Post press supervisor: Charles R. Pate PRESSMEN: Dale Fjeldsted, Steve Livingston, Dayton Fjeldsted CIRCULATION MANAGER: Kyra Griffin CIRCULATION: Hank Smith, Jeff Young

Phil Wilson shares what it takes to make a rodeo great.

Ranching Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 What happens in the arena mirrors what happens on the ranch.

Anatomy of a Bull Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Separating a good ride from a great one.

Mutton Bustin’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Kids earn experience on the backs of sheep.

Rodeo Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Jackson Hole News&Guide photographers catch moments from the arena.

Rodeo Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The more bling, the better.

Rodeo Scorecard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Try your hand at judging the roughstock competitions.

Roots of Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Facts and figures on our local rodeo.

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RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

The heeler’s rope is generally longer and more rigid than the header’s.

Throwin’

loops

team roping involves flawless timing and hours of practice.

By Allie Gross

I

n the sport of team roping, swinging is the easy part.

Bill Lewkowitz has been roping in the Jackson Hole Rodeo for 20 years. He thinks of the five- to 12-second affair as a meeting of five minds.

“If everything goes right, roping looks like it’s easy,” he said, “but think about how many minds are involved in roping.”

There’s the header, tasked with roping the steer’s horns, and the header’s horse.

There’s a steer grappling to get away.

There’s the heeler, who has to rope both of the steer’s hind legs together, and then there’s his horse as well.

All these pieces fit together — between when the steer leaves the chute and the clock starts to when the two ropes are tight and the ropers face one another — in only a matter of seconds.

You can train to rope a dummy all you want, Lewkowitz said, but it doesn’t matter unless you can ride.

“Horsemanship is the most important thing,” Lewkowitz said. “Having a good horse and knowing how to ride it is paramount.”

Horses used for team roping are usually American Quarter Horses that are well-trained in the sport. Beyond horsemanship it also takes cooperation with a partner, the ability to act on your feet and an instinct that’s only developed through hours of practice in the arena.

Team roping is unique in a lot of ways.

It’s the only event in the rodeo that’s not individual: Team ropers work with a partner. It’s also a diverse sport, with women competing against men and teens competing against longtime ropers.

It’s a practiced, honed technique.

“The good thing about it is it’s not how physically fit you are — because you’re on a horse — or how old you are or how strong you are,” Lewkowitz said. “It’s a technical skill.”

The team is broken down into a header and a heeler. All team ropers have one

role they prefer over the other, which they work to perfect. To qualify, the header has to rope the steer’s horns, around the neck, or one horn and the nose. The heeler must rope both hind legs, or else the team gets a penalty.

Ropers choose their ropes based on “feel” and personal preference, Lewkowitz said.

The nylon and poly-fiber ropes vary in their softness or stiffness. Heelers’ ropes are typically stiffer, while headers’ ropes are on the softer side — more flexible and elastic. The heeler ropes are also typically a few feet longer than header ropes.

While header ropes come in at about 30 feet, heeler ropes are closer to 35.

Sometimes ropers base the stiffness of the rope on sizing a particular steer.

The bigger the horns, the stiffer the rope needed, Lewkowitz said.

The specialty saddle includes a horn that’s covered in rubber to allow for both ropers to wind their ropes around the saddle horn, a move called a “dally.”

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

RYAN DORGAN / news&guide

Team ropers Kade Williams and Blaine Mathews chase down a steer during last year’s Jackson Hole Rodeo.

Ride, rope or

turnand burn Inside the events of the Jackson Hole Rodeo.

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By John Spina

T

There are two cloverleaf patterns barrel racers can ride.

One circles the barrel to the right first (shown).

The other circles the barrel on the left first

he Jackson Hole Rodeo is an actionpacked event featuring fast horses, gnarly bulls and broncs and lots of flying dirt. But if you haven’t seen a rodeo before — or maybe it’s been awhile since you watched the action — here’s a quick primer of the events you’re about to witness. Hold onto your hat.

Hanging on for dear life: Bull Riding Often referred to as the most dangerous eight seconds in sports, bull riding requires a cowboy or -girl to ride a bucking, rearing, kicking, spinning and twisting 2,000-pound bull for that length of time while holding on with one hand.

Similar to bronc riding, contestants are scored on a 100-point basis, with both the rider and the bull scored from 0 to 50.

Judges rank contestants based on their control and rhythm as riders try to match their movements with the bull.

Points are deducted if a rider is constantly off balance. The ability to control the bull allows riders to rack up extra style points, often by spurring the animal. Riders who do not complete an eightsecond ride are disqualified.

Scores in the 80s are considered good.

Scores in the 90s are considered excellent.

Hold your horse: Bronc Riding Much like bull riding, bronc riding tests a cowboy or -girl’s ability to ride a bucking horse. Contestants can enter to ride with either a saddle or bareback.

Bareback bronc riding is considered one of the most physically demanding events in rodeo, with a high risk of injury.

Originally based on the practice of breaking wild horses, the event is now a highly stylized competition with horses specially bred for increased strength, agility and bucking ability.

The goal is for a rider to stay atop the bronco for eight seconds without touching the horse with his or her free hand. If contestants complete the ride they and their horse are ranked on a scale of 0 to 50.

To achieve top points the rider’s spurs have to be above the point of the horse’s shoulders at the first jump and touch the horse on every jump for the full time.

A bronc’s ranking is based on how high and aggressively it bucks as well as if it changes direction during its jumps.

Scores in the 80s are considered good.

Scores in the 90s are considered excellent.

START & FINISH Turn and burn: Barrel Racing Barrel racing is just a good old-fashioned race. With three barrels laid out in a triangle, the goal is for the rider to cleanly loop around each one in a cloverleaf pattern in the quickest time possible.

Running off pattern or failing to complete the course within the 60-second time limit results in a “no time” score and disqualification.

If a barrel racer or her horse hits a barrel and knocks it over there is a time penalty of five seconds. (Hitting barrels otherwise just means bruises.)

The race tests the horse’s athletic ability and the horsemanship skills of a rider.

The fastest times recorded range from 13 to 16 seconds. Times are relative, however, to the size of the arena.

Toss the loop: Roping Events Tie-Down Roping Tie-down roping involves chasing down a calf, given a slight head start, on horseback, lassoing the calf around the neck, dismounting from the horse and

restraining the calf by tying three of its legs together using a half hitch knot, also known as “two wraps and a hooey” or a “wrap and a slap.”

After being lassoed the calf must be stopped by the rope and cannot be thrown to the ground by the rope. If the calf falls the contestant must allow it to get back on its feet, costing him or her valuable seconds.

If the rider leaves the chute early, cutting down on the calf’s head start, a 10-second penalty will be assessed.

Once cowboys or -girls complete their hitch knots they throw their hands in the air to signal time and stop the clock. The timer waits for six seconds, during which the calf must stay tied before an official time is recorded.

Top professional tie-down ropers will rope and tie a calf in seven seconds. The world record is just over six seconds.

Breakaway Roping A variation of calf roping, breakaway roping does not require the calf to be >> continued on page 6

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

6 >> continued from page 5

thrown on its side and hog-tied.

In breakaway roping competitions the rope is tied to the rider’s saddle horn with a string. When the calf hits the end of the rope, the rope is pulled tight and the string breaks, marking the end of the run.

The top times for breakaway roping events break two seconds.

Team Roping Team roping takes calf roping to the next level with two mounted riders and a full-grown steer. It is also the only rodeo event in which men and women compete as a team.

The first roper is referred to as the header. He or she is responsible for roping the front of the steer, usually around the horns, but it is also legal for the rope to go around the neck or around one horn and the nose, resulting in a “half head.”

Once the header has successfully lassoed the steer, he or she wraps the rope around the horn of the saddle, known as a dally, and turns the horse to direct the steer so as to expose its feet to the heeler, the rider responsible for lassoing the steer’s rear legs.

As soon as the heeler wraps his or her dally the header turns his or her horse

RYAN DORGAN / News&Guide

Mike Stevie cinches his rope in open roping at last summer’s Jackson Hole Rodeo.

to directly face the steer and heeler, and both horses begin to back up slightly to stretch out the steer’s hind legs, immobilizing the animal and concluding the race.

A five-second penalty is assessed if only one leg is caught by the heeler, and a 10-second penalty if either rider leaves

the chute early cutting the steers head start short.

A successful professional-level team takes between four and 12 seconds to stretch the steer — as always, depending on the length of the arena and skill of the team.

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RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

Phil Wilson readies the water truck last summer between slack events and the night performance. Wilson, who has always been on the production side of rodeo, has run the Jackson Hole Rodeo since 2009.

Behind the

chutes

Phil Wilson answers questions about his family’s rodeo roots.

A:

By Isa Jones

I

t’s hard to think of the rodeo without thinking of the Wilson family.

The Wilsons helped found the town of Wilson and founded the Jackson Hole rodeo. Now WW Productions, the Wilsons’ family company run by Phil Wilson, carries that tradition into the future. The rodeo has been thriving in Jackson since the early 1900s, and WW Productions has operated the summer event since 2009. In 2017 the lease was

renewed for four more years.

The rodeo runs every Wednesday and Saturday, starting at the end of May and running through the end of August.

Before the season officially started, the News&Guide spoke with Phil Wilson about the event, his family’s involvement and what makes for a rowdy, raucous good ol’ fashioned rodeo. The following has been edited for clarity and space.

Q:

How long has your family been involved with the rodeo?

We’ve probably been involved in rodeo for most of our lives. My wife’s father rodeoed over at Wilson. My uncle rodeos here. We’ve been involved in rodeo a good number of years. Walt [Wilson’s father-in-law] hasn’t been here for 50 years, so it’s a long time.

Q: A:

You’ve got a long rodeo history.

What makes a successful rodeo?

It’s the community that we have that gets involved. It’s like when >> continued on page 9

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM >> continued from page 8

we got the Business of the Year award [from the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce] last year. That was really an accomplishment as a rodeo.

We feel very blessed to have received that type of award.

That comes from your community, and the most important player in our rodeo success is the community.

Q:

What are you doing to ensure the rodeo has a strong future? How do you bring an Old West tradition into the 21st century?

What we do is we try to keep the Old West image and do a production type of rodeo. Meaning we try to make everything fastpaced, everything very much leaning toward entertainment with no hesitation. And yet give [spectators] a one-on-one knowledge while they’re here why we do the things we do at the rodeo.

A:

Q: A:

What’s your favorite event?

I don’t really have a favorite event. I have grandkids in every event, that kind of eliminates having a favorite. I like them all.

Q:

Did you compete when you were younger?

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A:

I did not. I was always on the production side of rodeo.

Q: A:

What’s your favorite memory over the years?

I’ve had a lot of them.

Last year, when a grandson leapt over the top of a fighting bull at the arena, he flipped over it. That was a neat memory. Some of the events with my sons and grandsons and granddaughters have been special.

Q: A:

Do all of your kids and grandkids compete?

Out of the nine grandchildren, seven of them compete.

Q: A:

What do you think makes Jackson Hole’s rodeo special?

I think what it is people are interested right at the present time in the Old West. You get people here from all nations. Twenty-five to 30 percent of our spectators aren’t from continental U.S. If you come to Jackson Hole, one of the first things you think about when you think of the Old West is the rodeo.

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Ranching

roots

What’s now sport came from work.

By Melissa Cassutt

T

here’s a lot of ranch in the rodeo.

Though the rodeo arena is filled with fast rides and flash, the roots of roughstock and roping events trace back to the ranch.

“Every ranch had a horse that nobody could ride,” professional bull rider Levi Wilson said. “But another ranch had a cowboy that couldn’t get thrown off. That’s how rodeo started, right there.”

Saddle bronc riding, the “classic” rodeo sport, started in dusty ranch arenas years ago, with ranch hands judging the ride of a brave cowboy willing to climb on the back of an unbroken colt, according to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Much like today, riders were judged on their style while riding the bucking horse.

But while the rodeo has ranch roots, what’s seen in the arena is a bit different than what’s typically occurring on ranches today. Horsemanship and training has come a long way from simply riding through the buck, and on the flip side, the bucking stock in today’s rodeos is bred to do just that.

Roping events — tie-down roping or team roping (see “Ride, rope or turn and burn” on page 4 for a breakdown of rodeo events) — retain the most obvious connections to ranch work and the skills that are still used by working cowboys.

“As far as roping, a bunch of it hasn’t changed,” Wilson said.

While Wilson spends most

BRADLY J. BONER/Jackson Hole Daily

Rodeo competitors in calf roping must first rope the animal from horseback, then dismount and “toss” the calf to the ground and restrain its feet. The routine is derived from doing ranching chores that required cowboys to catch and restrain calves for branding or medical treatment.

of his time on the back of bulls or caring for his family’s bull stock south of Jackson, he grew up with a rope in his hand and has spent some of his adult life helping doctor cattle on ranches in Texas.

“If you got a sick calf, you go out there and rope it, head and heel,” he said. “You’ll get him tied down safely and doctor him without hurting him.”

Team roping is the same concept, albeit sped up, with cowboys and cowgirls trying to perform the move the fastest of any other pair.

While riders are racing the clock, care for the stock is still a focus in the arena. Roping steer are often fitted with horn wraps, a padded helmet-like hat that’s fitted over the animal’s head and horns. Riders

are penalized for treating stock too rough; for example, tie-down ropers are disqualified if they perform a “jerk down,” a move that flips a roped calf over backward.

Well-timed and skilled roping, however, can be a work of art, whether in the arena or on the ranch. Brad Mead, who owns the Mead Ranch in Jackson, used his roping skills as a teen in the rodeo arena, and still uses them during branding season.

“The people who do this well look almost like they’re fly-fishing,” Mead has said. “They pick [a calf] and it’s very nondramatic.”

Bull riding, however, comes with a bit more showmanship — and always has. The sport developed on the haciendas of

Old Mexico in the 16th century. It started as a variation of bullfighting, then morphed to riding the bull until the buck stopped, according to American Cowboy.

Wilson said he suspects the first bull ride started as a bet, a “There’s no way you could ride that” type of challenge.

“That’s the cowboy attitude, you know what I mean?” he said.

The ride has since evolved to the eight-second event of today.

The sport is a Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Associationsanctioned event, and in 1992 the Professional Bull Riders Inc. solidified the sport’s popularity and clout with the formation of the organization.

A great bucking bull can become its own legend.

Bodacious, for example, is known as “the world’s most dangerous bull” and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in 2017. The 1,900pound bull died in 2000, but his legacy lives on.

Such famous bucking bulls can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, a nod to the role genetics has played in developing the sport.

Still, when rodeo is stripped down of its flash, the skills needed to be great in the arena are the same ones needed to ranch well.

“The bulls and horses are bucking harder than they ever have because of all that awesome breeding,” Wilson said.

“But when it boils down to it, it’s all just the same cowboy stuff.”

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RUGILE KALADYTE / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Jackson Hole native and pro bull rider Buskin Wilson inspired his nephew, Levi Wilson, to take up the sport.

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By Melissa Cassutt

L

evi Wilson has been riding bulls since he was big enough to get on them, sitting tall on the back of his family’s mini bull stock at age 10 or 11.

He soon graduated to the “big bulls” — the family currently keeps a stock of about 60 at its ranch in South Park. The bulls in the Jackson Hole Rodeo arena are Wilson bulls, the most famous being Red Dome, a red brindle >> continued on page 22

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

Bustin’

mutton Sheep give kids first runs in rodeo arena.

By Kylie Mohr

G

TRAVIS J. GARNER / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Derek Grant competes in the mutton busting competition at the Teton County Fairgrounds.

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rab some wool and hold on.

Mutton busting, the sport where kids attempt to ride sheep, spans generations of Jackson Hole Rodeo-goers.

It’s often the way the youngest rodeo aficionados start in the arena, with their heads tucked and little hands gripping fistfuls of wool.

“Kids just love putting on a pair of chaps and a cowboy hat,” Brandon Wilson said.

“I remember my first pair of chaps and cowboy hat,” he said. “You want to be like one of your heroes, and if you’re in the rodeo world, that’s usually a bull

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM >> continued from page 12

rider. It’s a way to live out your dreams as a kid.”

Mutton busting is a way for children to “be a cowboy and not just a spectator,” he said.

Like his dad, Tipton Wilson, 14, started riding sheep when he was around 3 years old. Now, he rides mini-bulls and wins competitions.

“When it came to my turn I felt like I was a part of the rodeo and I got to be there actually doing something,” Tipton said. “It was one of my favorite times because I got to go out there and do what I love to do. That’s all I loved to do: just get on sheep.”

Mutton busting helped Tipton feel like he was doing what his rodeo idols were doing.

“You know that later, when you grow up and get bigger, you’ll be able to do the same thing,” he said.

Sheep ridin’ strategies Is there any strategy for staying on?

Not really, Brandon Wilson said.

“It’s pretty haphazard,” he said. “The idea is to just keep a low center of gravity and hold on.”

Some kids ride backward so the bulk of their weight is closer to the center of the sheep. Others try to ride the sheep like a bull and sit up straight, a tactic that doesn’t always pan out.

“Other than that it’s just grabbing a

bunch of wool and holding on,” Wilson said.

His son approached the question a bit more philosophically.

“Just get out there and have fun,” Tipton said. “If your heart is really in it you’ll try your hardest and just kind of sit there and get a good hold and hope for the best.”

Tipton can thank a little luck — and his grandfather Phil Wilson — for introducing sheep to the family.

Phil Wilson rode calves, not sheep, as a child.

“No one had any sheep around here, period,” he said. “We were just never around them.”

(Read a Q&A with Wilson, who runs the Jackson Hole Rodeo, on page 8.)

Sheep as sport A twist of fate brought sheepherders through Jackson and some lost sheep on the way. It wasn’t worth their while to go back and get them, so Wilson gave them to his kids — one of whom is Brandon Wilson.

Phil Wilson said everything tends to go well as long as the first kid up doesn’t crash.

“If one of them sheds a tear, then you’ve got troubles,” he said.

Bull riders often act as spotters for the mutton busters, picking them off right before they hit the ground.

“It makes a better experience for

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them,” Wilson said. “They’re just thrilled to death, and they don’t have to hit the ground and bite the dust, as they say.

“You have to build your confidence up before you do it,” he said. “If you lose your confidence and become scared then your ride is over before you start. A lot of rodeo is a head game.”

Although Brandon Wilson said he’s seen “some pretty wild crashes,” that isn’t the norm. He and others involved in facilitating the event try to make it as safe and fun for kids as possible.

“It allows them to participate without having a huge amount of danger,” Wilson said. “I haven’t really seen many head injuries in the sport, but we still try to promote safety in every aspect of the sport.”

That means safety vests and helmets offered to every kid on a case-by-case basis.

“One thing we will not do is let parents force their kids on,” Wilson said. “We want them to have a good experience.”

When Tipton was little, his dad said, he loved riding so much he’d sneak back to the pen. If a child was crying and didn’t want to ride, he’d gladly take his or her place for a second or third try.

Brandon Wilson admitted he did the same when he was young, sneaking behind the chutes until he could be considered a contestant and “had a right to >> continued on page 23

TRAVIS J. GARNER / NEWS&GUIDE FILE

Mutton busting can feel a bit like bull riding for the rider, albeit on a smaller and less damaging scale.

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

A bareback rider makes some last-minute adjustments before climbing atop his horse during last year’s Fourth of July rodeo.

Views WESTERN

BRADLY J. BONER / NEWS&GUIDE

Rodeo royalty present the colors as an evening of rodeo begins.

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

Jackson Hole Rodeo employees pass the time before the start of the season’s second-to-last rodeo.

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

A young rodeo fan looks to the flag during the national anthem.

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

A young cowboy arrives at the rodeo using an alternative means of transportation.

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

Scott Carlson, of Evanston, stretches his stirrups ahead of his saddle bronc ride.

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

bradly j. boner / NEWS&GUIDE

A bullfighter enjoys a more relaxing dance before stepping into the arena during last summer’s Fourth of July rodeo.

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

Calloway Wilson tries his luck on a mini-bull during last year’s Jackson Hole Rodeo.

Wilson’s father, Buskin, is a professional bull rider.

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

A cowboy’s championship belt buckle hangs along the chutes during last summer’s rodeo.

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2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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Sadee Kreikemeier’s wedding present from her husband, Barry, was a pair of personalized spurs.

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE PHOTOS

Sadee Kreikemeier warms up for a barrel race during last summer’s Jackson Hole Rodeo.

Buskin Wilson’s championship bull riding buckle has been his go-to since 1997.

Rodeovogue

Cowboy fashion is part utility, part style.

By Emily Mieure

W

hen it comes to rodeo fashion there are rules. From the crease in your hat to the shape of your boot toe to the buckle that helps hold up your wellpressed jeans, details matter.

Old-fashioned Western style — think denim, chaps, cowboy hat, bandana — was more about protecting the cowboy or cowgirl from the elements during a hard day at work. And a lot of that is still true today.

“The big thing is you ride horses all day every day so you

have to have clothes that are practical and durable,” said Sadee Kreikemeier, a lifelong barrel racer from Jackson.

But modern-day rodeo folk dress to impress more than their predecessors did.

“Dress sharp, ride sharp,” said Buskin Wilson, who’s part of the family that owns the Jackson Hole Rodeo.

“That’s the way we do it.”

Rodeo fashion differs among men and women and depends on the activity.

“When you’re out on the ranch you’re wearing something that’s more leather and simple,” Kreikemeier said.

“But when you come to the rodeo you put on your nice clothes like the blingy belts.”

Superstitious threads In the rodeo world belt buckles are like wearable trophies.

“You win them,” said Kreikemeier, who was sporting one from her title as Teton County Fair open barrel racing champion. “A lot of people are superstitious about them.”

Certain buckles are worn with certain belts, Kreikemeier said.

Wilson was wearing one he’s had since 1997, but not because it’s lucky.

“It’s just something I’ve always worn, and I don’t care if it gets scratched,” he said.

But some competitors are so superstitious they’ll wear the same one all the time or wear certain ones for certain competitions.

Put a lid on it There’s superstition when it comes to hats, too.

“You never put a hat on a bed,” Kreikemeier said. “It’s bad luck. And a lot of people are superstitious about not setting them upside-down because it dumps out the luck.”

>> continued on page 21

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM >> continued from page 20

When it comes to hat shapes, everyone has a different style.

“I’m not looking for a Tim McGraw hat,” Wilson said.

“And a bull rider hat looks a lot different than a roper hat.”

Wilson owns about 60 hats, he said. When you’re working with big animals every day, your hats get worn.

“A hat does get bent up quite a bit,” Wilson said. “But you want it to be crisp. You don’t want dents, but it does happen.”

Straw hats are for summer and felt hats are for winter.

“I’ve been through three straw hats this summer,” Kreikemeier said. “They get stomped on.”

And don’t ever touch a cowboy’s hat, Kreikemeier said.

“People are very particular about their hats,” she said.

Square footwear While the classic belt buckles and hats are still a big rodeo fashion staple, many trends have changed over the years.

Men used to wear more pointed-toe boots, but now square toes are all the rage, Wilson said, and not for any reason.

“That’s just the style,” he said.

High-end Western boots are worn to work in and to compete in. But cowboys and cowgirls own several of each.

“You have your work boots that you don’t mind getting muddy and dirty,” Kreikemeier said. “There are a lot of days when you’re knee deep in mud.”

A pair of rodeo boots might cost $500, she said.

“You have your exotic hides that you don’t really want to wear when it’s muddy,” Kreikemeier said. “You make sure you’re all clean and pressed and looking nice for the rodeo at night.”

Pressed and dressed Jeans vary in Western fashion. Levi’s used to be big with

cowboys and cowgirls, but now most are wearing Wrangler and CINCH, Wilson said.

“It’s about the fit,” he said.

“Basically the rule of thumb is when you sit down you don’t want the jeans to come up over the top of the boot.”

If a certain rodeo is sponsored by one of the brands, you can’t wear a denim competitor, Wilson explained.

But as long as your jeans are long enough and pressed down the middle, you’re ready for the rodeo runway.

When it comes to dressing up, some cowboys like what they call “rock ’n’ roll” jeans, the ones with fancy stitching.

And some ladies like “bling” on their backsides.

“Those are in,” Wilson said.

Bull riders used to wear chaps over their jeans to protect them from wooden bucking chutes, Wilson said.

Now they’re more a fashion statement, as most bucking shoots are made out of steel.

“It’s eye appeal,” he said.

“Some say the judges will score you higher with chaps because it makes the bull look like he’s bucking harder.”

Pearls and bling You can spot an old-fashioned cowboy if he’s wearing pearl snaps on his collared shirt, Wilson said.

“Everything is button now,” he said. “Pearl snaps are only for dress.”

Accessories are important to the overall rodeo look.

Kreikemeier’s purse is covered in fringe. And her spurs, although practical, are also a fashion statement.

“My husband got me these as a wedding present,” she said.

The silver and copper handmade spurs are engraved with her initials and flowers. On the inside, they say: “Love, Barry.”

“They’re sentimental,” she said. “When you’re talking cowgirls, spurs are a big wedding gift. They’re almost as expensive as a diamond ring.”

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>> continued from page 11

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that has bucked twice at the National Finals Rodeo.

The 20-year-old has held a Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association card since he was 18, at least that’s how long he’s had his permanent card. Rodeo runs in his blood — his uncle, Buskin Wilson, is a pro bull rider, his family keeps bucking bull stock and when they’re not rodeoing themselves they’re organizing the Jackson Hole Rodeo, a twice-weekly event that showcases the best riders of the region.

“My whole family is part of rodeo. My uncle rode bulls and he’s still riding them — that really helped pull a guy in,” Wilson said.

He travels the country to ride roughstock, landing in Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia this past winter. He offered to share some tips on how bull riding is scored, something readers can try their hand at on page 25.

“Rodeo, instead of one team versus another, it’s you versus yourself or you versus the animal. I think people are drawn to that,” Wilson said. “I think they’re drawn to the excitement — man versus beast.”

“I think they’re drawn to the excitement — man versus beast.”

— Levi Wilson, pro bull rider

Judging the Bull 50 points, split between two judges “The bulls are judged on their ability,” Wilson said.

“The higher they kick, the faster they spin, the higher their front end gets off the ground — their overall electricity.”

Two judges keep their eyes locked on the bull, tallying points for a combined final score. The possible total is 50.

While that accounts for half of the ride’s potential points — a full ride tallies 100 points — the bull a rider pulls is also “luck of the draw,” Wilson said. Riders are assigned mounts from a random draw prior to the event.

If a bull performs particularly badly, judges may offer the cowboy a re-ride.

Many mounts become memorable rides and some become favorites. Wilson’s top bull in his own herd was Too Cool, an iconic Wilson family bucking bull who died last winter.

He nearly cried over that bull’s death, he admitted.

His uncle definitely shed some tears, he said.

But in the arena, it’s man versus beast.

“Our bulls buck hard. Just as hard as anywhere else,” Wilson said. “Most of our bulls are older, tried-and-true bucking animals.”

The traditional bucking bull is often a cross with a Brahman bull, which is “what gets the hump, the big horns — and the mean,” he said.

Judging the Cowboy 50 points, split between two judges A lot of skill and style goes into a great bull ride, Wilson said. Though today’s bulls have methodical and thoughtful breeding behind the buck, the rides still mirror the rides of yesteryear, he said. >> continued on page 24

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM >> continued from page 13

hang out with the big boys.”

Children’s attitudes aside, sheep aren’t always the most willing participants.

“Sheep are not exactly the easiest animals to get to perform,” Brandon Wilson said.

“They can be pretty sheepy.

They’re stubborn. Very stubborn.”

The sheep he uses are usually the younger, bigger ewes, or female sheep, that didn’t breed and have a baby that spring.

“If you’re a sheep rancher you’re all about making babies and selling the babies to the market next fall,” Wilson said.

“A ewe that doesn’t take is no good.

“So we provide a place for them to come out and live on the place and run around and keep our feeders cleaned.”

Rams are occasionally used, but they can be more assertive.

“We don’t want that for the kids,” Wilson said. “We

don’t want them having a bad experience at all. Ewes tend to be more docile and a little bit easier to work with in that respect.”

The Wilsons are strong advocates for keeping mutton busting around for generations of rodeo peewees.

“I know sheep can’t talk, but I know they’d rather be sitting at our rodeo, maybe running around the arena once or twice a week, than be in a slaughterhouse,” Brandon Wilson said.

“I’ve never seen any adverse effects of letting kids ride them,” he said.

His father said everyone — from locals to tourists — gets a kick out of watching kids mutton busting.

“The parents get to take pictures,” Phil Wilson said.

“If they’ve never been around rodeo, it’s a big deal to have their young boy or girl get to ride a sheep. They can send pictures to grandma and grandpa.”

1110 W. Broadway • Jackson, WY • Open daily 5am-midnight • Free Wi-Fi

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346479

346425

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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1

3

4 5

2 RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

>> continued from page 22

“What it boils down to has been the same for a long time,” he said.

“We’re riding these bulls the same way the first greats did it.”

1. Stay centered.

Cowboys should stay seated in the center of the bull, Wilson said.

“If they’re sitting in the middle — up and down — not getting thrown from side to side,” that equates to more points.

2. Toes out.

“What separates a really good ride from a great ride is you want your feet to be straight down from the rope and your toes turned out,” he said.

Unlike bronc riding, bull riders are not expected to be spurring the stock on. But spurring garners additional points.

“You want your feet to stay still until you spur on an animal,” Wilson said. “When you spur, you want your spur to come up.”

Extra points — or style points — are awarded when a rider is going above and beyond expectations.

“You can ride a bull with your feet down the whole time,” he said. “The spurring just shows that you have full control of the animal.”

3. Free hand high.

The rider chooses which hand will be strapped in by the tail, a flat braid that is pulled around the bull’s chest and wrapped around the cowboy’s hand.

Riders typically strap in with their nondominant hand and keep their dominant hand free.

“The arm that’s in the air — you want to keep it almost in front of your body,” Wilson said. “The free

arm is your balance.”

4.Chest out,chin tucked.

Riders should keep their heads down, focusing on the bull’s head or hump. Wilson prefers the latter.

“You want to be looking down at the animal,” he said. “I like to look at his hump and his shoulders instead of his head.”

Riders also are expected to keep their chests out, sitting up straight.

(At least, as straight as you can on a bull that’s trying to buck you into orbit.)

5. Stay ‘off the pockets.’

Riders should be seated more on their thighs than their tailbone, a move called “being off his pockets,” Wilson said.

“That just means that he’s not sitting down,” he said. “[Riders] are actually more up on their thighs.”

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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RODEO SCORECARD ready to judge the rodeo?

Partner with a friend to score what you see (Remember, scores from two judges make up the total.)

judge: Contestant

judge: Stock #

Rider Score

Stock Score

Sub Total

(out of 25)

(out of 25)

(+ 2nd judge scores)

Total Score

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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EXPERIENCE THE TETONS LIKE NEVER BEFORE

RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE

Kids sit and chat behind the chutes before the Jackson Hole Rodeo.

The age of the youngest rode competitor is 4.

Roots of

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• The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce named Jackson Hole Rodeo its Business of the Year in 2017.

• Three generations of the Wilson family punch a clock every day at the rodeo.

• In its early days the Jackson Hole Rodeo was located behind the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson, nestled up to the base of the Tetons.

• Dude ranches all around the valley once ran a rodeo circuit, with the competition moving from one ranch to the next throughout the summer.

• Some Jackson Hole Rodeo competitors commute several times a week from as far away as Ogden, Utah, and Twin Falls, Idaho.

• Jackson Hole Rodeo once owned the highest-scoring mini bucking bull (96 points) in history, though “Road Rash” went missing from his Idaho pasture last year and was never found.

By the Numbers

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4: Age of the youngest Jackson Hole Rodeo competitor 8: Number of states rodeo competitors hail from 74: Age of the oldest rodeo competitor 106: Number of years in the rodeo’s history 200: Number of competitors in the 2018 rodeo 250: Number of animals in the rodeo’s corrals 2,500: Number of seats at the rodeo’s stadium $7K: Sales of soda at the 2017 rodeo 40,000: Number of tickets sold at the rodeo last year $243K: Prize money distributed to rodeo competitors during 2017 competition

2018 JACKSON HOLE RODEO SOUVENIR PROGRAM

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2

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Glenwood St.

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tC

ree k

JH RODEO

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Deloney Ave.

13

Gill Ave.

17

Town Square

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Hansen Ave.

Center St.

Kelly Ave.

Pearl Ave.

12

TOWNOFJACKSON

Willow St.

Jackson St.

6

Flat C

reek

Dr. Sn

2. Silverado

pg 2

3. Big R Ranch & Home

pg 6

4. Cutty’s Bar & Grill

pg 6

5. Bar J Chuckwagon

pg 7

6. MacPhail’s Burgers

pg 9

7. St. John’s Urgent Care

pg 11

8. Jackson Hole Outfitters

pg 12

9. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

pg 14 & 15

10. Live Water Properties

pg 19

11. Virginian Lodge & Saloon

pg 21

12. Jackson Hole Airport

pg 22

ow ve. gA

Kin

3

ad W. Bro

way

N

pg 1

13. Jackson Hole Historical Society

11

Virginian Ln.

10

1. Shades of Jackson Hole

& Museum

pg 23

14. McDonald’s

pg 23

15. Fly Jackson Hole

pg 26

16. Boot Barn

pg 28

17. Scenic Safaris

pg 26

16 Scott Ln.

7

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE JACKSON HOLE RODEO, VISIT JHRODEO.COM.

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