2024 End Of Season Recap

They’re in.

Cowboys and cowgirls hit the ground running on June 7 in Conrad and Culbertson and didn’t stop riding, roping and racing until September 2 in Helmville.

In between, they put up their entries fees at 33 rodeos scattered across the Treasure State.

All with the same goal:

To qualify for the Northern Rodeo Association Finals presented by nuWest Builders.

The excitement-filled, pressure-packed Mountain Health Co-Op Tour has showcased another record-breaking season.

And it’s not finished.

The top 10 in each event qualify for the NRA Finals, Oct. 24-26 at Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell.

The NRA Finals for the junior events will also be held.

As an added incentive this season, the Finals qualifiers are now eligible for Tito’s Challenge, a $1,000 bonus presented to the high-money earner at the NRA Finals by Tito’s Handmade Vodka. The NRA’s newest nation-wide partner is also sponsoring the Finals added money and the team roping heelers.

Only bull riding and the all-around cowboy are guaranteed to have a new champion. Last year’s winners in the other nine disciplines return to defend their titles.

The Labor Day weekend provided two opportunities for competitors to clinch one of the coveted top 10 spots in the standings with rodeos in Hamilton and Helmville.

The RC Rockin’ Rodeo in Hamilton is an annual game-changer for the Mountain Health Co-Op Tour and this summer’s version did not disappoint.

Hamilton handed nine checks of a $1,000 or more and 27 of $500 or more.

Tie-down roping winner Jade Gardner went from the outside looking in to adding the Finals to his schedule. The 2020 champion from Ballantine tied down his calf in 10 seconds for a nice $1,164 check to put him in eighth place and within striking distance of standings leader Quinn McQueary of Belgrade.

Celie Salmond capped off a sizzling August with a breakaway roping win worth $1,276 in Hamilton. Salmond, the three-time reigning all-around cowgirl and year-end breakaway roping champion earned a staggering $6,395 during the month. She pocketed money in breakaway roping, barrel racing and team roping.

Salmond won breakaway roping at Twin Bridges, Darby and Valley View in Bozeman and won the barrel racing at Chinook and Hamilton.

Salmond leads the breakaway roping standings and trails sister Molly by $281 in the all-around cowgirl standings. Both Salmond sisters have qualified for the Finals in two events.

Dalton May was just as hot. The Coram bareback rider win titles at Superior, Deer Lodge, Twin Bridges, Boulder, Chinook and the season-end rodeo in Helmville to vault to the top of the standings.

May, who also placed second at Darby and third at Bozeman, Townsend and Hamilton, earned $4,616 in August.

Barrel racer Lisa Warfield of Helena had a profitable Labor Day weekend, winning at Helmville and placing third at Hamilton to jump to the front of a crowded field.

While those at the top half of the standings had their spots secure for the Finals, the real races were in the bottom half.

Less than $100 separated 10th from 11thplace in the standings for breakaway roping, tie-down roping, team roping headers and team roping heelers. It was less than $200 for bareback, steer wrestling and barrel racing.

The Finals will represent a cross-section of competitors. From teen phenom Ryder Gaasch, who leads the all-around cowboy and steer wrestling standings to Cut Bank’s Dustin Bird who won his first team roping heading title before Gaasch was born.

Gaasch won the Helmville steer wrestling in 3.2 seconds, matching the fastest time this summer and believed to be the second-fastest time in NRA history.

Two cowboys and three cowgirls have qualified in multiple events, increasing their opportunities for a whole lot more money.

Gaasch will be competing in steer wrestling and tie-down roping, along with Mitch Detton of Great Falls. This past June, the two teenagers were competing at the Montana High School Rodeo Association finals in the same building.

The Salmond sisters will be joined by Brooklin Baukol of Clyde Park in barrel racing and breakaway roping.

The stories are many for the Finals.

The endings for those stories will be written in Kalispell.

Hamilton winners: Ty Owens, Helena, bareback; Cade Costello, Newell, S.D., saddle bronc; Isaiah Sprecher, Deer Lodge, bull riding; Jhet Murphy, Helena, steer wrestling; Jade Gardner, Ballantine, tie-down roping; Coby King, Dillon-Kyler Erickson, Jackson, team roping; Celie Salmond, Choteau, barrel racing; Shanda Armstrong, Helena, breakaway roping; Sylvia Eash, Fortine, junior barrel racing; Brooks Bolich, Belgrade, junior breakaway roping.

Helmville winners: Dalton May, Coram, bareback; Junior Boss Calf Ribs, Heart Butte, saddle bronc; Caleb Oshea, Helena, bull riding; Ryder Gaasch, Dillon, steer wrestling; Kyle Bignell, Polson, tie-down roping ;Justin Jones, East Helena-Austin Rath, Toston; Lisa Warfield, Helena, barrel racing; Haven Wolstein, Helena, breakaway roping; Tye Brown, Helena, junior barrel racing; Bentz Bolich, Belgrade, junior breakaway roping.

NRA Finals qualifiers

Bareback: Dalton May, Coram; Leighton LaFromboise, Helena; Wyatt Warneke, Great Falls; Trevor Kay, Chester; Tucker Zingg, Crow Agency; Azreal Lara, Columbia Falls; Ty Owens, Helena; Ethan Frasier, Ashland; Morgan Buckingham, Miles City; Jordan Larson, Charlo.

Saddle bronc: Jason Colclough, Libby; Paul Allyn O’Hair, Livingston; Brand Morgan, McAllister; Hunter Haskins, Superior; Wyatt Hotz, Philipsburg; Garrett Varilek, Dillon; TW Flowers, Buffalo; Parker Mothershead, Joliet; Judd Applegate, Deer Lodge; Caiden Gray, Miles City.

Steer wrestling: Ryder Gaasch, Dillon, Jaxsen Petersen, Helena; Austin Whitehouse, Helena; Reno Ward, Deer Lodge; Justus Peterson, Dillon; Logan Beattie, Helena; Mitch Detton, Great Falls; Jhet Murphy, Helena; Tatum Hansen, Glasgow; Kolby Bignell, Helena.

Tie-down roping: Quinn McQueary, Belgrade; Ryder Gaasch, Dillon; Cash Trexler, Corvallis; Kevin Peterson, Dillon; Mitch Detton, Great Falls; Carson Stevenson, Hobson; Jesse Medearis, Belgrade; Jade Gardner, Ballantine; Casey Collins, Billings; Jack Cornwell, Glasgow.

Team roping headers: Shawn Bird, Cut Bank; Ian Austiguy, Dillon; JR Winter, Townsend, Nolan Conway, Cut Bank; Ben Folsom, Jackson; Justin Jones, East Helena; Miles Kobold, Huntley; Chad Turner, East Helena; Jace Bishop, Malta; Dustin Bird, Cut Bank.

Team roping heelers: Zach Schweigert, Livingston; Sam Levine, Wolf Creek; Shane Bessette, Great Falls; Austin Rath, Toston; Colten Fisher, Shepherd; Gavin Beattie, Helena, Alonzo Skunkcap, Browning; Ike Folsom, Jackson; Matt Williams, Rexburg, Idaho; Jesse Benson, Malta.

Barrel racing: Lisa Warfield, Helena; Brittney Sporer, Cody, Wyo.; Milee Dailey, Pray; Molly Salmond, Choteau; Payton Levine, Wolf Creek; Brooklin Baukol, Clyde Park; Alexis McDonald, Gardiner; Celie Salmond, Choteau; Ashlee White, Livingston; Jessica Stroop, Helena.

Breakaway roping: Celie Salmond, Choteau; Molly Salmond, Choteau; Kayla Stephens, Corvallis; Rachel Ward, Philipsburg; Shawnee Sherwood, Powell, Wyo.; Shanda Armstrong, Helena; Katelin Conway, Cut Bank, Haven Wolstein, Helena; Nicole French, Stevensville; Brooklin Baukol, Clyde Park.