Sisters Rodeo offers up a wild ride

The Sisters Rodeo offered up quite a bash for its 70th birthday, as arena records fell and fans were treated to a sight they'll not likely see again in the rodeo arena.

Scott Miller of Hemet, California, set a new arena record with an 87-point saddle bronc ride, on his way to collecting a $4,645.50 paycheck. Shawn Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon, put a steer on the ground in a blazing 3.6 seconds for a new arena record worth $2,020.33. Tyson Durfey of Colbert, Washington, put up a 16.9-second record aggregate in tie-down roping and walked away with $4,430.56 on the weekend.

But perhaps the most crowd-pleasing effort came not from a cowboy or a cowgirl but from a bull. On Sunday afternoon, one of the bulls bucked off his rider, then charged to the middle of the arena where he knocked over a barrel containing famed rodeo clown J.J. Harrison.

The bull must have thought he was engaged in some other sport, for he proceeded to roll the barrel halfway across the arena and through the out gate. The crowd went wild at this perfect "goal" and the bull stood there pawing at the arena dirt, waiting for another shot at J.J. The Dodge pickup men eventually roped him and got him out of the arena. Click here to see the YouTube video.

It was a rare highlight that left announcers and fans alike chuckling and shaking their heads.

The weather was the star of the show on Friday night. With rodeo fans used to cold temperatures and even snow to kick off rodeo weekend, mild temperatures and a sunny afternoon mellowing into a majestic twilight was worthy of celebration.

"I'm in a T-shirt and I'm not cold!" marveled longtime rodeo fan and horsewoman Kate Beardsely.

Many folks return to Sisters each year for the Sisters Rodeo. Lynette Hofler from Banks, Oregon, has been coming for four years. What brings her?

"The cowboys, of course - I guess the horses first," she said.

Hofler grew up as a barrel racer in Laguna Beach, California, and has fond memories of riding in the surf.

"We used to ride the horses on the beach every day," she said. "Having a horse swim underneath you is like nothing else."

Hofler brought a couple of friends along - each career nurses. They were having a ball, though Hofler expressed one quibble.

"The only disappointment is in Sisters there is no real place to dance," she said. "I took dance lessons for three months to get ready for Sisters!"

Spectators came from as far away as Spain and Belgium, and contestants were international as well. There were cowboys from Canada, Mexico and Australia on hand, vying for prize money in the rodeo with the biggest purse of the weekend in the entire U.S. The local folks were well-represented, too, with cowboys and barrel racers from Redmond, Prineville, Terrebonne and Madras filling the line-up.

The rodeo committee's decision to line the arena and screen it for rocks won praise from the rodeo community, which found the arena very consistent.

The committee honored its own, acknowledging its past presidents, who were this year's grand marshals.

They rode in the parade and circuited the arena in a beautiful vis-a-vis coach.

Peggy Tehan was presented with a custom belt buckle to acknowledge her 21 years singing the National Anthem to kick off rodeo performances. She also displayed some cowgirl poise on Friday night, as she had to move away from the bucking chutes as a bronc went wild and tried to climb out in anticipation of the wild horse race. She maneuvered her horse without missing a beat on her vocals.

With record-breaking performances, first class entertainment (see story, page 19) and hours and hours of volunteer effort behind it, the Sisters Rodeo put its 70th anniversary in the books in style.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 5415499941