Great rides, good times at Sisters Rodeo

The 76th Annual Sisters Rodeo bucked, snorted, and scrambled through Sisters June 8-12, with cowboys, cowgirls, and fans from across America packing the arena for a week of rodeo fun.

The rodeo kicked off Wednesday night with an Xtreme bulls performance, with many top-ranked bull riders from around the nation competing for a solid purse and a chance to move up in the world standings. Eight riders survived the first-go-round-pounding delivered by top bulls from the Flying Diamond Stock Company, and two additional cowboys were drawn back for a top-10 final round.

Sisters' favorite rodeo clown, J.J. Harrison, and highly respected bullfighters Rowdy Barry and Danny Newman were busy all night, keeping the bulls and bullriders separated and safe.

The final round shaped up as a showdown between crowd favorite Derek Kolbaba, out of Walla Walla, Washington; Chase Robbins from Marsing, Idaho; and Jeff Bertus from Avon, South Dakota. In the final go Jeff Bertus covered his second bull-Cash Out-for 83.5 points, giving him 164 in the aggregate and an Xtreme bulls champion buckle and almost $3,800 in prize money.

For Bertus, it was his first time at the Sisters Rodeo. Bertus told The Nugget he felt "lucky to draw two great bulls." Bertus said he loved his first experience at Sisters Rodeo, praising "The great crowd and arena atmosphere." Young and modest, Bertus asked The Nugget to be sure to extend his thanks to his family back home in South Dakota "for all of their support."

Kolbaba, who in 2015 was the youngest rider ever at the Professional Bull Riders world finals, was undeterred by his Wednesday night performance, and returned Sunday to win the Sisters Rodeo bullriding crown, and nearly $4,800 in prize money.

In tie-down roping, Jake Hannum, out of Plain City, Utah, took home the buckle and prize money with an aggregate score of 18.5 seconds.

Buck Lunak, a Cut Bank, Montana cowboy, beat out Canadian Ty Fast Taypotat, by a mere half-point to claim the bareback prize, and Chuck Schmidt continued the dominance of South Dakota cowboys in saddlebronc riding, tying an arena record with 88 points and taking home nearly $4,600 for his efforts.

In steer wrestling, Oregon favorite and Mount Vernon resident Trevor Knowles claimed the aggregate with a time of 9.8 seconds, a mere 1/10 of a second faster than runner-up Tanner Milan, out of Cochrane, Alberta.

California cowboys Spencer Mitchell and Justin Davis claimed the team roping crown with an aggregate time of 12.4 seconds, and Salem cowgirl Amber Leigh Moore collected $4,300 for her winning time of 17.43 seconds in barrel racing.

All Around cowboy honors went to Jared Parke, from Gooding, Idaho, who competed in both tie-down and team roping.

Sisters Rodeo was also proud to announce that the "Tuff Enuff to Wear Pink" campaign, where contestants and fans alike were encouraged to wear pink, raised $9,800 to be used locally for breast cancer awareness and treatment.

With top prize money, and a great atmosphere, this year's Sisters Rodeo was a resounding success, for both competitors and fans from across the country.

Darleene Arnce and her husband Ron, from Portland , told The Nugget, "Sisters Rodeo is just a great time. We love the camaraderie, and the announcer (Wayne Brooks) is fantastic. We've been to lots of rodeos, from Bishop to Las Vegas to St. Paul, and we just felt so comfortable (at Sisters Rodeo)."

Casey Smith, a former rodeo contestant visiting Sisters from Lubbock, Texas, told The Nugget that he loved the rodeo, comparing the hometown atmosphere at Sisters Rodeo favorably with rodeos in Texas and elsewhere. Smith's 9-year-old daughter, Makenlie, wanted everyone in Sisters Country to know that she thought the rodeo was "fantastic."