Guymon Earns Rodeo Nomination

GUYMON, Okla. – Even though it was delayed by nearly three months, the
cowboys that competed were quite pleased with the 2020 version of the Guymon
Pioneer Days Rodeo.

The volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo has been nominated by
the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Medium Rodeo of the Year. It’s
a big tip of the hat from PRCA contestants and personnel for the hundreds of
man-hours it took and the decision to move ahead during the COVID-19
pandemic.

The PRCA has four divisions to honor rodeos of various sizes in regards to
their “added money,” which is the local dollars that are mixed with entry
fees to make up the overall purse. The largest rodeos are $10,000-up, and
Guymon is in the mix of events that feature $3,000-$9,999 in added money.

“This is a huge honor for our volunteers and for this community,” said Mitch
Egger, the committee’s chairman. “Being nominated means the cowboys
considered Pioneer Days Rodeo as one of the top five medium-sized rodeos in
the country this year.

“This is also a big deal for the contract personnel we had at our rodeo.
Frontier Rodeo was nominated again and has been the Stock Contractor of the
Year. Our secretary, Amanda Sanders, is nominated again.”

Frontier Rodeo is the reigning six-time winner and has had some of the top
stock in ProRodeo for more than a decade. While Frontier was the primary
livestock producer, the firm brought in other companies to help add to the
firepower of the bucking horses and bulls in the mix. It’s a tradition
that’s been part of Pioneer Days Rodeo for about two decades.

It paid off with two 90-point rides in bull riding, an 89.5-point ride to
win saddle bronc riding and an 89 to win bareback riding. In addition, there
were many fast runs in the timed events, making the competition as tough as
expected for the hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls that made their way to the
Oklahoma Panhandle in August.

“We’re pleased to be one of the few rodeos, if not the only one, to increase
our added money in this tough year,” said Ken Stonecipher, the rodeo
committee’s production manager. “We had great sponsor support, and we had
good attendance, especially on a sold-out Saturday night.”

This isn’t the first time Pioneer Days Rodeo has been recognized by the
PRCA. There have been several nominations over the years, and in 2002, it
was named the Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year. It all falls on a simple
philosophy.

“We want to produce the right kind of rodeo that makes for great competition
every year while also being an event that makes our community proud,” Egger
said.

It seems to be working.