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NEWPORT – This year’s Newport Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Rodeo attracted some 300 contestants, including elite ropers and multi-National Finals Rodeo qualifiers Brady and Riley Minor of Ellensburg and bareback rider Austin Foss of Terrebonne, Oregon.
Most of last year’s Newport Rodeo champs will return to defend their titles, except for Shane Proctor, 2011 PRCA champion bull rider, who is retiring from full time rodeo this year. Proctor won the saddle bronc riding at last year’s rodeo. Nikole Lake of Polson, Montana won the breakaway roping last year. She isn’t entered this year.
There are 33 saddle bronc riders entered this year, including Columbia River Circuit leader Nick Joyce of Juntura, Oregon and Newport’s Austin Krogh. The Columbia River Circuit is a regional circuit of PRCA rodeos in Oregon, Washington and Northern Idaho.
Bareback riding drew 22 entries, including Foss, a four-time NFR qualifier and two-time Newport Rodeo champ. Foss finished second in the world in 2014, with more than $200,000 in winnings that year. He joins last year’s champ, Rylee Heath of Yakima.
There were 18 bull riders entered, including last year’s champ Caleb McMillan, who is also entered in the tie down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping. McMillan, from Soap Lake, Washington, is the defending CRC all around champion and leading this year’s circuit all around standings.
There are 72 breakaway ropers, 60 team ropers, 47 barrel racers, 35 steer ropers, 31 tie down ropers, and 29 steer wrestlers entered.
Last year’s Newport champions who are returning include Heath (bareback riding), McMillan (bull riding), Kacie Kayser (barrel racing), Jacob Stacy (steer wrestling), Billy Buchanan (steer roping) and Cooper Mills (tie down roping).
There will be a slack performance held for the overflow contestants and steer ropers Saturday, at 10 a.m. That’s when the steer roping will take place. There is no admission charged for the slack.
Rodeo performances will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20 and 7:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
