Top cowboys headed to Sisters

Commissioner Tony DeBone proposed the honor. Sisters Rodeo Board of Directors accepted the award in a ceremony at the Deschutes County offices on Wednesday morning, June 10.

"We are very excited about this," said President Glenn Miller, "because it doesn't happen all the time. It's nice to know that the county feels that we have done good things, not just for Sisters, but for all of Deschutes County."

The Sisters Rodeo will mark its 75th year with many of the top competitors in the world of rodeo battling for bucks and buckles in the arena east of town.

An exciting battle for high scores in bareback riding will be one of the highlights of Sisters Rodeo this weekend. Redmond's Steven Peebles, winner of the Dodge Circuit Finals Championship in Florida this winter and a six-time NFR (National Finals Rodeo) contender, will face Bobby Mote, four-time World Champion Bareback Rider and current leader in the PRCA. In this event. Mote, who has won many buckles at Sisters, including All-Around Cowboy, is returning to his Central Oregon roots from his Texas home.

They face tough competition from Terrebonne's Austin Foss, No. 5 in national standings; Ryan Gray, another former World Champion and Sisters event winner; and David Peebles, who, at No. 11, is hot on the heels of his big brother, Steven. David won big at the National Western Stock Show this winter.

World champions and leading contenders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will compete at Sisters Rodeo, with a contingent of local cowboys and cowgirls in the top 20 rankings. There are nearly 550 entries in the professional rodeo and Xtreme Bulls.

Forty bull-riders begin the charge on Wednesday night during Xtreme Bulls, vying for eight seconds aboard some of the best bulls in the nation, courtesy of Flying Diamond Stock Contractors. Among them are a former Sisters winner and World Champion, Shane Proctor, and four current top-20 riders.

Rodeo performances kick off with a roar in the team bronc riding competition. This event, independent of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is a crowd favorite at Sisters and many other rodeos in national circuits. It is managed by the Professional Wild Horse Racers Association.

In the rodeo bull riding competition, former Sisters buckle winners and world champions Wesley Silcox and Steve Woolsey are riders to watch, along with Cody Campbell, currently in the Top 20.

Tie down roping brings 2014 World Champion Shane Henchey, who will face competition from Derrick Begay, currently No. 2 in Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association standings. But watch for Terrebonne's own Russell Cardoza, currently No. 6 in all-around competition, and Clint Robinson.

Team roping carries a full plate that includes Header Derrick Begay at No. 2 and Healers Russell Cardoza and Brady Minor in the Top 10, along with many top-20 competitors.

A fan favorite, barrel racing brings Layna Kight, who led at the end of the year in 2014 standings into NFR, with top-20 contenders Kaley Bass and Megan McLeod. Local six-time NFR qualifier Brenda Mays (2012 Barrel Racing Average Champion) has her sights set on a Sisters buckle, and Vicki Mays, her sister, is ready to be in the money.

Steer wrestling is loaded with talent, with 2014 World Champion Hunter Cure leading a pack including Ty Erickson, No. 2, Beau Clark No. 6 and Luke Branquino, No. 8. This is an opportunity per chance to see some of the fastest times in Sisters history.

Taos Muncy is a cowboy to watch in saddlebronc, secure at No. 4, but he will compete against No. 5, Jacobs Crawley and Jesse Wright of the famous Wright brothers family of rodeo winners. The big, brawling horses in saddlebronc reflect the rough and rolling historic life in the West, when cowboys took the toughest hits.

Sisters Rodeo will begin June 10 with Xtreme Bulls followed by four rodeo performances June 12-14. For tickets and information, call the ticket hotline at 541-549-0121 or 1-800-827-7522, or visit the ticket office at 220 W. Cascade Ave. in Sisters. The ticket office will be closed after Thursday, June 11.

Tickets may be purchased at the gate two hours before each performance, as available.For information visit www.sistersrodeo.com.