MEEKER | After a one-week break, the Meeker Summer Rodeo Series returned last Thursday night for Week Four.
The night kicked off with steer riding, which featured three competitors. None were able to make a qualified ride, so the $213 jackpot rolled over and will be added to the pot.
In the open team roping event, Deena Norell and Joby Barquin took the win with a time of 7.37 seconds. Barquin shared that he and Norell had a specific game plan going into the run and are continuing to focus on improvements for future events.
The #8 team roping followed, with Colton Kreider and “Pastor D” claiming the win with a final time of 7.30 seconds. Pastor D returned to the arena in the dally ribbon roping event alongside teammate Nick Smith, where they roped their way to victory with a time of 14.35 seconds.
In the open breakaway roping, Deena Norell secured her second win of the series with a blazing time of 2.31 seconds. She previously won the same event in Week Two, stopping the clock at 2.85 seconds.
The ladies breakaway roping saw a shake-up at the top, ending the early-season streak of Ripley Bellio, who had won the event the first three weeks. Fallon Nielsen stepped up to take the Week Four title with a time of 3.29 seconds.
“Honestly, I didn’t really have a set game plan,” Nielsen said. “I just wanted to stay relaxed and have fun with it. My main focus was not letting the nerves take over and just making a smooth, clean run.”
Nielsen competed on her mare, Lena, whom she has been roping off for three years.
“Breakaway happens fast, so being in sync with your horse makes a huge difference,” Nielsen said. In the junior breakaway division, Rooster Velasquez claimed his second win of the series, this time with a 3.75-second run. He previously won in Week Three with a time of 4.57 seconds.
The open barrels event saw Rifle’s Taylor Davis come out on top with a winning time of 18.34 seconds. Davis, a familiar name this season, won the open breakaway event in Week One aboard her horse, Batman. She skipped Week Two to compete in the Million Dollar Barrel Race in Cedar City, Utah, and returned in Week Three to win the breakaway again with a time of 3.35 seconds.
After picking up her second win of the series—this time in barrels—Davis reflected on her partnership with the horse she ran that night.
“The horse that I ran Thursday night is Ruby,” Davis said. “We have a really good and strong partnership, as I have trained her myself, which has allowed us to be closer than horses I have run in the past.”
In junior barrels, Teyah Richens secured the win with a time of 18.93 seconds.
In mutton bustin’, Makena Krueger picked up her second win of the season, earning 82 points.
The evening wrapped up with bull riding, which featured two sections. In Section One, five riders attempted to make the eight-second whistle, but none were successful. Section Two featured four more riders, with the bulls once again going undefeated. With a 9-0 win for the bulls, an additional $1,000 will be added to the pot for this Thursday.
Week Five of the Meeker Summer Rodeo Series kicks off Thursday with slack beginning at 6 p.m. New this week, organizers will host the first annual Kids’ Pet Show at 7 p.m., just before the rodeo begins. The event is free to enter, with prizes for participants. All kids and pets are encouraged to join. To register, call 970-623-0855.
