Bailey Stoddard found out about 90 minutes before the start of the Washington County Fair Rodeo that she'd have an opportunity to race around barrels in front of Saturday's full crowd in Arlington.
“I went up to pay my entry and they're like, 'There's an opening in the performance. You want the opening?'” the Blair cowgirl said. “And I was like, 'Yeah, sure. Why not?'”
Stoddard and a host of local competitors took part on the opening night of the two-day rodeo, sponsored by Surfaces by GMI, and orchestrated by the Mid-States Rodeo Association and McKay Rodeo Company. She was scheduled to take part in the slack round after the main performance, but jumped at the chance to move up.
“It's more exciting because there's a bigger crowd and a lot more noise,” Stoddard said.
While Arlington's Hailey O'Daniel earned the performance's fastest time around the barrels, 15.04 seconds, the Blair native stopped the clock in 17.77 on her 18-year-old horse, Lexi.
“This is actually her last run,” Stoddard said. “This will be her retirement run.”
The only event to follow the barrel racing Saturday was the bull riding. Though no cowboys were able to get to the 8-second cutoff time, two Washington County riders appeared happy behind the chutes at the performance's conclusion.
“It's always nice to be at a hometown rodeo,” Fort Calhoun's Jesse Hartline said.
The cowboy, who said he recorded a few scores in Wahoo earlier this summer, was dumped by his McKay bull a bit early out of the chute.
“I felt pretty good about it,” he said. “He just took a good turn.”
Dustin Kirk of Arlington wasn't able to win any money in his bull riding debut either.
“I still have the adrenaline shakes right now,” he said after the fact.
The 2022 AHS grad said he was talked into giving rodeo a shot while in Norfolk where he is attending Northeast Community College.
“Well, my buddy and I, my roommate, we were up at the house one night,” Kirk said. “He rides and we were getting into it, talking about it a bit and I go, 'Hell, why not?'”
While he didn't accomplish an eight-second ride, the cowboy did reach his other objective.
“Get out of there when you can,” Kirk said. “That was pretty much my main goal.”
Earlier in the night, Taylor Arp of Arlington was recognized as the new Washington County Fair rodeo queen. She was crowned by her sister, Cassidy, and joined by her fellow contestants — Austyn Flesner, Joey Avila and Anna Taylor — in the arena to start the event.
Next, Taylor Davis and Jeff Johnston were unable to secure steer wrestling times before Fallon Crim of Ottawa, Kan., set the standard in the breakaway roping with a 2.8-second showing. Laney Hoier of Herman, O'Daniel, Libby Hegemann of Arlington and Blair's Bradie Crouse — a Gillette College (Wyo.) cowgirl — also competed in the event.
Cort Buss of Atkinson was unable to ride out a saddle bronc next before Cale Buss stopped the tie-down roping clock in 10.8 seconds for the first-performance win.
Several Washington County cowboys — David Anderson, Kevin Schwedhelm, Matt O'Daniel, JJ Schueth, Ryder Crouse, Harry Crouse and Randy Smith included — took part in team-roping, but a Kansas pairing set the best time. Mitch Murray and Linden Stueve stopped the clock in 11.2 seconds.
The rodeo continued Sunday with more Washington County participants left to compete and overall champions to be determined. Results will appear in a future Enterprise Media Group edition.
SURFACES BY GMI RODEO
Washington County Participants
1st Performance, Saturday
Barrel racing: Bailey Stoddard, Blair; Hailey O'Daniel, Arlington.
Breakaway roping: Laney Hoier, Herman; Hailey O'Daniel, Arlington; Bradie Crouse, Blair; Libby Hegemann, Arlington.
Bull riding: Dustin Kirk, Arlington; Jesse Hartline, Fort Calhoun.
Mixed team roping: Matt O'Daniel and Hailey O'Daniel, Arlington; Bradie Crouse and Harry Crouse, Blair; Cassidy Arp, Kennard, and Randy Smith, Arlington.
Team roping: David Anderson, Blair, and Kevin Schwedhelm, Fort Calhoun; Matt O'Daniel, Arlington, and Kent Martin, Elkhorn; JJ Schueth, Blair, and Cody Sharpe, Bennington; Wyatt Moore, Kennard, and Paul Sowers, Henderson (Iowa); Ryder Crouse and Harry Crouse, Blair.
Slack Round, Saturday
Barrel racing: Haley Arp, Kennard; Charley Hoier, Herman; Gracen Adams, Arlington.
Team roping: Rick Schmidt, Blair, and Pat Dimartino, Elkhorn; Mitch Barney, Blair, and Trey Frank.
2nd Performance, Sunday
Barrel racing: Annika Gaylord, Blair; Stacy O'Daniel, Arlington.
Bull riding: Brodie Wilkins, Arlington.
Mixed team roping: Mitch Barney, Blair, and Danielle Wray, Ord.
Team roping: Butch Levell, Fort Calhoun, and Clay Bauer, Arcadia.
Source: Mid-States Rodeo Association Day Sheets
