ST PAUL – A young man made his time in St. Paul worth it.
Twenty-year-old bareback rider Sam Peterson scored 86.5 points to take the lead at the St. Paul Rodeo.
He scored 86.5 points on the Four Star Rodeo Co. bull Rand the Man to set the pace for the week’s competition.
Peterson bypassed two other rodeos, one in North Dakota and one in Colorado, to ride in St. Paul because of the horse.
“That’s an awesome horse,” he said. “I had a great opportunity, coming here, and I think I capitalized on it.”
Last year, the Helena, Mont. man finished the season in nineteenth place, four holes out of qualifying for his first ever Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, pro rodeo’s world championship.
That provided motivation and fire for this year. “I have a lot to prove,” he said.
Peterson travels with fellow bareback rider Weston Timberman, who scored 82 points tonight. Timberman, Columbus, Mont., leads the Resistol Rookie Race in his event. Peterson’s rookie year was last year; he finished the 2023 Resistol Rookie Race in fifth place.
In the steer wrestling, a Wisconsin native leads the pack.
Nick Guy, who now lives in Elizabeth, Colorado, had a 4.4 run on his first steer and a 4.3 second run on his second steer, both during slack on the morning of July 2, to set the pace with a time of 8.7 seconds on two runs.
It was after about 3 hours of sleep.
He and traveling partners and fellow steer wrestlers Austin Eller and Gage Hesse competed in Cody, Wyo. on July 2 then drove twelve hours to get to St. Paul, pulling in at about 3 am.
“I’ll be honest,” he said. “It seems like throughout my career, some of the bigger runs have come in the morning slacks after I drive all night. I’m a morning person, so it seems like if I can get a couple hours of sleep between two and 5 in the morning, I do well. I like running them in the morning.”
Guy, who is 39 years old, was aboard a ten-year-old palomino, a horse he purchased earlier this year from Rod Brown in Ponca, Neb.
“It’s taken me a couple weeks to figure him out,” he said. “I’ve been making some good runs on him, placing here and there. He fits my style really good.”
With it being the richest part of the pro rodeo season, Cowboy Christmas, the time over the Independence Day holiday, contestants are busy competing at as many rodeos as they can get to.
Guy is no different. Tomorrow he flies to Phoenix, Ariz., and he’ll make the trip to Prescott, Ariz., where he’ll compete on the night of July 3. Then it’s off to Oakley, Utah, where his wife, Alyssa, and their month-old son are waiting with the truck and trailer, to go to Calgary, Alberta, where he’ll compete at the Calgary Stampede.
“It takes a village” to make it down the road for cowboys and cowgirls, “and it takes a lot of plans and everything’s got to work out.”
He’s qualified for eight Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, and hopes to make his ninth this year.
“I’m down there in the standings aways, about fortieth (in the world). I have some winning to do, but if a guy starts placing at rodeos like St. Pual, then you know you can make it to where you want to be.
“I’ve only been to 27 rodeos, and I’ll go to 85. We’re just getting started. I’ll ride the wave, have some fun, and try not to overthink it.
Other high scores and fast times from slack and the first night of rodeo at the St. Paul Rodeo are bull rider Caleb McCaslin, Jones, Okla. (81 points); tie-down roper Nick Achille, Alvin, Texas (8.3 seconds); breakaway roper Britni Carlson, Hermiston, Ore. (3.2); saddle bronc rider Layton Green, Millarville, Alberta (81.5 points); team ropers Marcus Theriot, Lumberton, Miss./Cole Curry, Liberty, Miss., and Jack Graham, Lakeview, Ore./Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore. (5.4 seconds for each team); and barrel racer Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla. (17.20 seconds.)
The second performance of the St. Paul Rodeo takes place July 3 at 7:30 pm. The rodeo continues through July 6 with performances at 7:30 pm each night and a 1:30 pm matinee on July 4. Fireworks follow each night of rodeo.
For information, visit StPaulRodeo.com .
Results from the slack and evening performance, St. Paul Rodeo, July 2, 2024
Bareback Riding
1. Sam Peterson, Helena, Mont. 86.5 points on Four Star Rodeo’s Rand the Man; 2. Weston Timberman, Columbus, Mont. 82.5; 3. Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev. 81; 4. Gavin French, College Station, Texas 78.
Steer wrestling
1st round leaders:
1. (tie) Gage Hesse, Keenesburg, Colo. and Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho 4.0 seconds each; 3. Trever Nelson, Kiowa, Okla. 4.1; 4. (tie) Grant Peterson, Livermore, Colo. and Nick Guy, Elizabeth, Colo. 4.4 each.
2nd round leaders:
1. Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kan. 3.9 seconds; 2. Nick Guy, Elizabeth, Colo. 4.3; 3. Owen Redfeairn, Bakersfield, Calif. 4.6; 4. Jacob Edler, Alva, Okla. 4.7.
Bull riding
1. Caleb McCaslin, Jones, Okla. 81 points on Four Star Rodeo’s Damnation; 2. Hawk Whitt, Thermopolis, Wyo. 80; 3. Caleb McMillan, Soap Lake, Wash. 65.5; no other qualified rides.
Tie-down roping
1st round leaders:
1. (tie) Quint Bell, Paradise Valley, Nev. and Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas 8.6 each; 3. (tie) Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas, Cash Enderli, Liberty, Texas, and Colton Suther, Palo Cedro, Calif. 9.3 each.
2nd round leaders:
1. Nick Achille, Alvin, Texas 8.3 seconds; 2. Nathan Clawson, Tumwater, Wash. 8.5; 3. Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas 8.7; 4. Sherman Lasker, Brookshire, Texas 9.7.
Breakaway roping
1. Britni Carlson, Hermiston, Ore. 3.2 seconds; 2. (tie) KC-Gail Churchill, Waco, Texas and Melody Hale, Tenino, Wash. 3.3 each; 4. Mattie Turner, Wilsonville, Ore. 3.6.
Saddle bronc riding
1. Layton Green, Millarville, Alberta 81.5 points on Four Star Rodeo’s Star Born; 2. Lucas Macza, High River, Alb. 80.5; 3. Kole Ashbacher, Arrowwood, Alb. 79; 4. Nick Joyce, Juntura, Ore. 70.
Team roping
1st round leaders
1. (tie) Marcus Theriot, Lumberton, Miss./Cole Curry, Liberty, Miss. and Jack Graham, Lakeview, Ore./Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore. 5.4 seconds each; 3. Wyatt Imus, Brenham, Texas/Tyler McKnight, Pollock, Texas 6.4; 4. Cutter Machado, Santa Maria, Calif./Dalton Pearce, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 10.6.
2nd round leaders
1. James Arviso, Winslow, Ariz./Denton Dunning, Surprise, Ariz. 10.1; 2. Jordan Tye, Canby, Ore./Andy Carlson, Hermiston, Ore. 10.2; 3. Tanner James, Porterville, Calif./Truman Magnus, Mason, Texas 11.0; 4. Dan Williams Jr., Standish, Calif./Cody Stewart, Janesville, Calif. 15.2.
Barrel racing
1. Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla. 17.20 seconds; 2. Gretchen Miller, Bend, Ore. 17.52; 3. Jennifer Barrett, Buhl, Idaho 17.56; 4. Jodee Miller, Bellville, Texas 17.57.
** All results are unofficial. For more information, visit www.StPaulRodeo.com .
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