The Casper Journal :: Casper's Community Newspaper

“I get tunnel vision when I get on the bull. I try to focus on one spot. If I lose the spot, I usually get bucked off,” said Casper College freshman Kris Newman about holding on to a bucking bull for as long as he can.

He and his older brother Nick placed fourth and third respectively in the finals in bullriding at the 53rd annual Ropin’ and Riggin’ Days Rodeo, which were hosted by Casper College and held Apirl 18-20 at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds.

Nick is in his last year at CC, and plans to work in house framing after graduation.

“You have to take the fight to them instead of letting them take the fight to you,” he said about how he stays on the bull.

He plans to be involved in rodeo for the rest of his life. In his free time, he likes to hunt waterfowl with his dogs, and even can roast a duck.

Cherri Newman of Casper is proud of both of her sons, and enjoys watching them perform.

Eleven teams from the region took part in bullriding, goat tying, bareback riding, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle broncs, breakaway roping and tie down roping.

The Casper College men’s rodeo team tied with Central Wyoming College for second place overall. The CC women took fifth.

Casper College freshman Travis Darling won second place in the rodeo finals in saddle bronc riding. He stayed on a bucking horse long enough for a score of 143 before landing on the dirt floor of the arena near the stomping hooves.

“It’s the most fun thing in the world; there is nothing like it,” is how Darling describes the feeling he gets from his favorite rodeo event.

Darling is an aviation major who said he plans to “ride broncs until I can’t walk anymore.”

O.J. Huxtable, an agriculture business major, won second place in steer wrestling. He and Dustin Smith also placed fourth in the team roping event.

Other Casper College students who placed in the finals were Smith with a fifth in tie down roping and Troy Bechen with a sixth in bareback riding.

Only two more rodeos remain before the College National Finals Rodeo, which will be held in Casper from June 8-14. The top three individuals in each event and the top two teams will qualify.

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