Rodeo: Big Sky Pro Rodeo Roundup begins Tuesday night

From good old rodeo fans to young rodeo riders, the Big Sky Pro Rodeo Roundup has its bases covered this week.

Now if only the bull riders can “cover” their bulls, which means last for eight seconds to earn a qualified ride.

“Our bulls have been really, really good,” said veteran stock contractor Ike Sankey, who is once again producing the Great Falls PRCA rodeo. “At Lewistown (a few days ago) they rode two bulls all week. So we’ll see what happens.”

The five-performance Big Sky Pro Rodeo Roundup begins Tuesday night and features 7 p.m. performances through Saturday at Montana ExpoPark. Many of the top names in all of professional rodeo will be in town, lured by a total purse of more than $150,000.

In addition to the professional roping and riding each night will also feature Mutton Busting, or sheep riding, for young buckaroos. The little tykes produce laughs; the roughstock produces drama.

In between there are timed events, featuring nimble steer wrestlers, smooth barrel racers and some of the quickest ropers in the West.

“It’s great to be part of one of the biggest rodeos and one of the better rodeos in the state,” said Lindsey Kunkel, one of several dozen Great Falls folks on the committee dedicated to the event.”

Delon Parker of Worden is among many talented team ropers who will be throwing loops this week. Parker and partner Ryan Zurcher of Wyoming will be out in the first performance Tuesday night as the event gets started in front of the ExpoPark grandstand.

This rodeo, which is a two-header in the team roping, tie-down roping and steer wrestling, has exceptional talent in the chutes and behind the scenes. Veteran announcer Will Rasmussen of Choteau returns to the mic and Sankey’s specialty act is Sally Bishop of Sure Shot Entertainment, a trick rider.

The clown is Donnie Landis, one of the best in the business who’s proved popular with Great Falls audiences in the past.

Parker, who currently leads the all-around standings in the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit, said his team roping horse, Trigger, fits him beautifully.

“I got kinda lucky,” Parker said. “It was a horse nobody else wanted and he ended up being the perfect one for me. I’ve had him a couple of years and he and I just work great together.”

“Trigger” is an 8-year-old palomino gelding.

Just like Roy Rogers’ old horse?

“Yep,” said Parker, 30. “Yellow just like Roy’s. And when his career’s over, mine will be too.”

Parker, who has made money at circuit rodeos in steer roping and tie-down roping, said a July trip to Great Falls is always worthwhile.

“It’s a great rodeo,” Parker said. “I love it. There’s not that many (circuit) two-headers. It’s fun to run two of them for that much money. You can tell how good the rodeo is by the guys that are there. There’s a lot of top 15 (in the PRCA world standings) in every event. And that’s fun.

“It makes it even better if a guy can get lucky and beat them.”

There’s an added bonus on Wednesday for team ropers in town for the Roundup. An open memorial team roping, named for the late Elmer Lattin, is planned Wednesday afternoon following the Big Sky Pro Rodeo Roundup slack. The open roping will be at the Great Falls Saddle Club.

“That’s dang neat,” Parker said.

Among the top cowboys entered this week are four-time reigning bareback world champion Kaycee Feild, and 2014 world champion Spencer Wright (saddle bronc).

The bronc riding also offers many of Montana’s best, including former world champion Jesse Kruse of Great Falls and former National Finals Rodeo star Tyrell Smith of Cascade.

There are extensive sections of slack both Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to accommodate all the entries. Among those in the slack are world champion bulldogger Luke Branquinho, and the top two-ranked steer wrestlers in the 2015 standings: Hunter Cure and Helena native Ty Erickson.

The barrel racing always attracts top riders and this year is no exception. Lindsay Kruse, the veteran Montana Circuit champion and current standings leader, is entered. And so is Montana native Lisa Lockhart, the South Dakotan who currently leads the WPRA world standings.

Lockhart is a Wolf Point native who grew up in Circle and has established herself as one of the best barrel racers in the land.

Among the bull riders looking for qualified rides are Montana stars like Beau Hill of West Glacier, Dakota Louis of Browning, Parker Breding of Edgar and Wesley Silcox, currently ranked No. 2 in the PRCA world standings. Breding is No. 5 in the standings this week.

Louis is slated to ride Tuesday night. Stanford star Luke Gee and Shane Proctor, the Washington man currently ranked fourth in the PRCA world standings, will also attempt to best Sankey’s bulls Tuesday night.

“They’re all good,” Sankey said. “There’s a big old flushy-haired grey brahman “Kiss Animalize. He’s really a cool bull. Shane Proctor won Sheridan on him. They don’t ride him a lot, but they should ride him.”

Brock Radford has drawn that bull on Wednesday night and Cole Wagner gets him on Saturday.

Among the winners at this rodeo last year were Kody Lamb (bareback), Billy Bugenig (steer wrestling), Aaron Tsinigine-Ryan Motes (team roping), Cody Wright (saddle bronc), Matt Shiozawa (tie-down roping), Shelley Morgan (barrel racing) and Garrett Smith (bull riding). Several are returning in attempts to defend their titles.

Kunkel is among many committee members dedicated to the Big Sky Pro Rodeo Roundup. Others include Blane Sherrit, Cheri Hansen, Cleve Loney, Crystal Ulsh, Dana Gallaher, Darrell Stroud, Jennifer Gruber, JD Kulbeck, Jim Senst, Jody Rempel, Larry Parker, Mike O’Neill, Ryan Jordan, Sara Kulbeck, Sarah Converse, Sonya Mahlum, Sparky Kottke, Tonya Jorgensen, Tia Dear, Virgil Hershberger, and Diane Kottke.

“There’s so many excellent people on the committee and we work well together,” Kunkel said. “We’ve built a a really good relationship with the county. I think we’re all on the same page.

“It’s great to put on a good show for Great Falls.”