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Senator Tim Johnson Tours Center 
Senator Tim Johnson visited the Casey Tibbs Rodeo Center on January 13, 2012. We were honored to have him at the Center. Sen. Johnson toured the facility and favorably commented on the museum and displays. He also took in the view from the 2nd story and got to see how the recovery has progressed since the flood of 2011. This was Sen.Johnson's first visit at the rodeo center. Congratulations to Lisa Lockhart and Jill Moody Two South Dakota females placed in the NFR Barrel Racing! Lisa Lockhart, of Oelrichs, SD placed 10th - barely squeezed out of 9th place. Jill Moody, of Letcher, SD placed 12th. This was Lisa's third year and Jill's fourth year at the NFR! Congratulations Jill and Lisa! We're proud to have you represent South Dakota! NFR Average Final Results Barrel Racing 1) Lindsay Sears/Sugar Moon Express – 139.50 - $45,865.38 2) Christina Richman/Xtrared – 142.20 - $37,211.54 3) Brenda Mays/Judge Buy Cash & Judge My Fame – 142.95 - $29,423.08 4) Sherry Cervi/MP Meter My Hay – 145.29 - $21,634.92 5) Jeanne Anderson/Flaming Fire Bug – 146.68 - $15,576.92 6) Jody Sheffield/Skip The Finances – 150.15 - $11,250.00 7) Angie Meadors/Mulberry Canyon Moon & Heza Bug Leo – 151.24 - $7,788.46 8) Tammy Fischer/Easy Dash Oak – 151.40 - $4,326.92 9) Brittany Pozzi/Yeah Hes Firen – 153.44 10) Lisa Lockhart/An Oakie With Cash – 154.65 11) Jane Melby/RC Back In Black & RC Brooks A Streakin– 155.47 12) Jill Moody/Chasin Firewater & GS Doco Daisy – 163.54 13) Britany Fleck/Dasher Dude – 172.38 14) Carlee Pierce/Rare Dillion & Blue Moon Fling– 173.46 15) Sue Smith/Real Claim To Fame – 175.91 Congratulations to South Dakota's own Jake Rinehart of Highmore! Jake won the sixth round in steer wrestling at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. Jake roped in $17,885 in 3.6 seconds. That’s almost $5,000 per second – not bad for a night’s work! He also won in a three-way tie with two other competitors in the ninth round of steer wrestling, splitting a pot of $42,693. Jake’s earnings have totaled more than $124,000 for the year.
To qualify for the NFR event only the top 15 rodeo circuit competitors are chosen to compete.The son of Brady and Wendy Rinehart, Jake started wrestling steers in his early teens. Now at 29 years old, steer wrestling is a bit easier now with his 6-foot, 8 inch, 280 pound frame. The sport demands a great amount of strength and he still takes a lot of bumps and bruises but he’s doing what he loves and it shows. We tip our hat to you Jake! Congratulations!
NFR Standings from Las Vegas, December 6, 2011
Steer Wrestling 7th Jake Rinehart Highmore
All Around 3rd Jess Tierney Hermosa
Saddle Bronc 6th Chad Ferley Oelrichs
Saddle Bronc 7th Jesse Bail Camp Crook
Saddle Bronc 12th Chuck Schmidt Keldron
Steer Roping 15th Jess Tierney Hermosa SD Places 7th Overall at NHSFR South Dakota was represented very well at the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Gillette, WY in July. The SD Girls Team placed 17th, while the SD Boys Team placed 4th. Overall, South Dakota was named the 7th Team Overall.
In addition to doing great as a team, several SD contestants placed in the top ten of their events individually. For the All-Around category, SD had three place in the top ten. Levi Lord was named 10th place All-Around Rookie Cowboy. Kristi Steffes placed 6th as All-Around Cowgirl. Shane O'Connell was named 6th place All-Around Rookie Cowboy; Shane also placed 4th in the barebacks. Tanner Bothwell placed 8th in the bull riding. In the timed events, there was Jace Melvin (2nd place in the steer wrestling), Drew Cowan (3rd place in the tie-down roping), and Seth Anderson and Wyatt Treeby (8th place in team roping).
Miss Brielle Yackley, who was won the title of SD High School Rodeo Queen at the State Rodeo Finals in June, won first runner-up in the National High School Rodeo Queen competition. Brielle placed first in three categories: Impromptu Question, Horsemanship, and Personality.
Two South Dakota horses recieved recognition as well. Since 1989, the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has recognized the top horses in the six timed events. This year's Boys AQHA Horse of the Year was PC Oaks Yo Wood, owned by Drew Cowan. The Girls AQHA Horse of the Year was BKJ Sammy 203, owned by Shania Jonston.
Congratulations to all the NHSFR participants! Western Athletes Excel at 2011 NHSFR The 2011 National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) was held July 18-24 in Gillette, WY. Over 1,500 student athletes competed in 13 events, and when the dust settled, the western U.S. claimed multiple top 10 finishers and national champions. (Click Here for Full Article) SD High School Rodeo Finals The South Dakota State High School Finals Rodeo was held in Belle Fourche, June 23-26. Over five hundred contestants participated in the the rodeo, all competing for a chance to qualify for the National Team. The top four contestants from each event were selected to be on the National team. Results can be found on the SD High School Rodeo Association website.
The National High School Finals Rodeo will be held in Gillette, WY, July 17-23. South Dakota Professional Rodeo Team FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: South Dakota Rodeo Sharon L. Baker 605.415.7460 South Dakota Professional Rodeo Team A new concept for rodeo in the state of South Dakota was announced Saturday night, January 8, 2011, in Belle Fourche, at the coronation of the new Miss Rodeo South Dakota (MRSD), Vanessa Ternes. As her first official duty as the new MRSD, Miss Ternes announced plans for an official State Rodeo Team. Making the announcement on behalf of Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer, Paul Tierney, of Oral, SD, Miss Ternes told rodeo fans and supporters of a new initiative to move the South Dakota state sport of Rodeo to the next level, by creating a state supported team of professional rodeo cowboys and cowgirls. Named to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2008, Paul Tierney made his mark on professional rodeo as a World Champion Calf Roper and World Champion All Around Cowboy. Still active part-time in rodeo competition today, Tierney strives to help rodeo excel as the nation’s original sport. The accomplished rodeo legend dared to look into the future of what rodeo might be and found an extraordinary model right next-door in Wyoming, the Cowboy State. Team WYO was begun five years ago and operates as part of the state’s tourism department. Recognizing its western heritage and the draw of rodeo as a vacation event, Wyoming adopted its top professional rodeo athletes to become official state ambassadors, and ex-officio members of its tourism efforts. With similar vacation interests and rodeo as its official state sport, many South Dakota rodeo athletes, supporters and fans, see a similar potential for this state to further utilize its traveling western athletes to promote the state’s natural features. The impact that our roving rodeo participants can have on luring vacationers to South Dakota as they travel the nation can be huge. Since neither South Dakota or Wyoming supports a professional athletic team similar to so many other states, it makes sense to work with and promote the athletic talent that is so abundant and admired in these western cultures. For many vacationers to this area of the nation, rodeo is a destination as well as a life-long experience. The rodeo community will be continuing its work in the coming weeks to seek further legislative and state wide support for its dual benefit concept for the future of the state’s sport. Teamed up with the mission to enhance the tourism goals of South Dakota, rodeo will be able to grow to new potential and increase the potential accomplishments of the state’s rodeo contestants. Representatives of the concept for an official state rodeo team will have a presence at the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo later in January and into early February. Information on the project will be available there and fans and supporters will be able to sign support forms in encouragement of pairing up rodeo and the state’s tourism interests. 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Moody Wins NFR Title By: Travis Mester, The Daily Republic LAS VEGAS — Jill Moody was not satisfied with her 10th and final go-round of the barrel racing competition at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo on Saturday night. The Letcher native completed her run in 13.85 seconds, which was her third-worst time of the 10-day competition. But it ended up being good enough. Moody took home her second career NFR average title and was named the reserve world champion in the event. “I was actually a little disappointed in my run,” Moody said Sunday afternoon. “I knew what needed to happen for me to win, and Sherry (Cervi) was very capable of posting a time to beat me.” Moody led the average standings by just two-hundredths of a second over Cervi entering the final run. After finishing her run, Moody had to watch Cervi, who had clinched the world championship in the event after Friday’s ninth go-round, take to the course with a chance to snatch the average title for herself. But Cervi knocked over the third barrel during her run and finished in 18.86 seconds. “After the ninth round, it was really close,” Moody said. “I needed to outrun her in the 10th round and having to go first, it made it a bit nervous having to watch her once I was done.” But in the end, it was Moody that outlasted a field that she called the toughest barrel racing competition she has ever seen. On her way to the championship, Moody and her horse, Dolly, broke the 25-year-old NFR barrel racing average record. Charmayne James’ mark of 138.93 was set in 1986. Moody finished her 10 rounds with a score of 138.26 on her way to a $44,910 payout for the average title. “You can’t go into a competition with that caliber or horses and just make 10 clean runs and expect to win,” Moody said. “This year, these girls were really, really tight all the way through. “I had eight good runs and one mediocre run and one kind of crappy run. But, the numbers added up.” Moody, 45, also rode Dolly to the average championship at the NFR in 2008. Then, Dolly came down with pneumonia and was forced to miss the 2009 season. “You always wonder, when your horse has an illness or an injury of any type, how they’ll come back,” Moody said of Dolly, a 10-year-old gray mare. “She came back as strong, or stronger, than ever.” Moody said she knew what needed to happen for her to clinch the title entering Cervi’s final run. Apparently, her faithful fans also were aware. “My mom and dad were standing in the stands and cheering so my sister had to pull them down,” Moody said. “It is inappropriate to cheer when someone knocks over a barrel, but I think they were pretty excited.” Lisa Lockhard, an Oelrichs native, placed third in the barrel racing competition with an average score of 144.09. Other South Dakota competitors at the NFR included Agar native Joe Gunderson, who took seventh in the average standings in the bareback riding competition. Todd Suhn, a Hermosa native, placed sixth in the steer wrestling competition. Belvidere’s Jeff Willert and Quinn’s J.J. Elshere each competed in the saddle bronc competition. Elshere took fourth in the saddle bronc average standins, while Willert placed 10th. McKenzie Haley: Miss Rodeo America Screams, tears and an overwhelming sense of pride. That's the reaction family and friends had when Miss Rodeo South Dakota, McKenzie Haley, was crowned Miss Rodeo America 2011 on Saturday, Dec. 4, in Las Vegas, NV.
“We all cried,” said Tracie Haley, McKenzie's mom. “We're just so tickled for her because she has worked so hard.”
 McKenzie, the 23-year-old daughter of Tracie and Jim Haley from Winner, SD is pursuing a degree in elementary education from Black Hills State University. This is the first time in 25 years there has been a Miss Rodeo America from South Dakota.
Receiving the title and crown was the culmination of hard work and dedication that McKenzie set her sights on at a young age. “She's said since she was 10 years old that she wanted to be Miss Rodeo America,” Tracie said.
The road to the crown has been marked by much determination on behalf of McKenzie's family. Tracie explains McKenzie is the oldest of five children who are involved in every sport there is. At times Jim stayed home with the family while Tracie and McKenzie traveled to rodeos. Other times, McKenzie's grandparents pitched in. “Our extended family played such a big role helping McKenzie get this far,” Tracie said.
Erin Retzer, Miss Rodeo South Dakota 1994 and First Runner-Up Miss Rodeo America 1995, is both aunt and mentor to McKenzie.
“Since McKenzie was 13 or 14, she spent summers with my family in Rapid City,” Erin said. In May, McKenzie moved in to prepare for the Miss Rodeo America competition. “It's been hectic. Every day there was something we were working on – talking about news, clothing and possible responses.
“It's been our thing together,” Erin said of her mutual love of rodeo and being a rodeo queen with niece, McKenzie. “We'd been to Miss Rodeo America pageants since [1995] and you notice questions that reoccur and what you should be prepared to answer.”
Erin said she worked with McKenzie on being “whole” throughout the week-long competition.
When Erin competed in pageants, she would joke with her parents, Keith and Geneice Gebhart, that she could never repay them for all they had done. At the time, her father said, “Your repayment will be helping someone else.”
“After McKenzie won,” Erin said, with tears of recollection. “He said ‘You've paid us back.'”
Hard work and dedication How does one prepare to be a Rodeo Queen? It's more than just horsemanship skills and appearance. For McKenzie, it meant studying at least six hours a day preparing for current event interviews, equine science knowledge and a written test directly out of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rule book. Not to mention the numerous appearances promoting the sport of rodeo.
Helping McKenzie along the way has been Cindy Wilk, South Dakota's National Director to the Miss Rodeo America organization and Junior Miss Rodeo director. For the past year, Wilk has overseen McKenzie in her Miss Rodeo South Dakota duties, and was with her throughout the week-long Miss Rodeo America competition.
“I watched her over the last year. She studied and studied for endless hours, rode several different horses and did everything she could to prepare,” Wilk said. “I can push them in the right direction to talk to people and to ride different horses, but what they do is all on their own.”
During the Miss Rodeo America competition, Wilk said McKenzie excelled in the speech competition, the topic of which is on each competitor's state. “She can speak very, very well; her speech was fantastic,” Wilk said.
In addition to scholarships, jewelry and clothing awarded to Miss Rodeo America, perhaps the best gift she will receive are the friendships forged among the 28 competitors. “The friendships McKenzie developed throughout the week really shone through,” Wilk said, recalling how Miss Rodeo Nebraska and Miss Rodeo California were waiting for McKenzie after her coronation press conference to congratulate her.
“This pageant really shows their love, number-one for the sport of rodeo, and for each other,” Wilk said.
McKenzie made her first public appearance as Miss Rodeo America at the Thomas & Mack Center on Sunday, Dec. 5 as part of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “The doors are just opening for McKenzie,” Wilk said. “She will go all over to promote rodeo and be a role model to everyone she meets. She will have a blast.”
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