Rodeo Redbluff Ca

Young bareback rider's learning curve continues

This time, Justin Miller didn't need the help from MapQuest to find the rodeo.

The PRCA Yellowstone Stampede is a less than a 10-minute drive from his house.

"This is a big deal because so many family and friends are here,'' said the Billings cowboy of competing in his hometown rodeo Saturday night.

"More pressure,'' he finished with a grin.

Miller did just fine, putting together a solid 76-point ride to earn a share of fourth place in the bareback riding at the PRCA Yellowstone Stampede.

Mac Erickson, of Sundance, Wyo., went 82 points on Tee to win the event. He was one of two event winners to emerge from the final performance. Augusta's Ace Mills also scored 82 points, aboard Heart Mountain, to win the saddle bronc competition.

Billings was the 88th rodeo on Miller's learning curve for his PRCA rookie season.

Like all young rodeo competitors, the 22-year-old Miller is learning the nuances of scheduling — maximizing potential money won at the cheapest travel costs.

"It was an educational year, for sure,'' he said. "Learning how to schedule was the biggest thing this year. I worked MapQuest, sometimes a month and half before the rodeos."

And the lessons weren't without some tough times.

"The Canadian rodeos, you lose money on the exchange rate,'' Miller said. "I was in Medicine Hat and I had some Canadian money, but not enough for the full entry fee. And I didn't want to use my credit card.

"And California is hard to schedule. I got stuck in San Diego for three days ... cash doesn't go very far in California. My parents (Doreen and Richard) have helped me out a lot."

The 2008 Billings Senior graduate didn't have cash flow problems early in the season. He reached the semifinals of San Antonio, Texas, but lost a tie-breaker to Boulder's Cody DeMers to advance to the finals. Miller also reached the finals of the rodeo in San Angelo, Texas.

"Traveling this winter was awesome,'' said Miller, who was among the top 20 in the world standings for a few weeks. "The year started out really good.

2011 Red Bluff Round-Up/Barrel Racing-Roping-Steer Wrestling ...

For the third year in a row, I made my way up to Red Bluff, CA for the Red Bluff Round-Up , and for the third year in a row, it was one of the best weekends of the year. A lineup heavy with National Finals Rodeo qualifiers, fantastic access thanks to the Round-Up committee, and (mostly) good weather made for four days of good shooting. So good that I had to break everything up into two posts, so this one will cover barrel racing, steer wrestling, and roping. Part 2 on the roughstock events: saddle bronc, bareback, and bull riding is here . Fellow Bay Area photographer Kelley L. Cox also shot the round up, you can see her pictures here .

I always get to town early enough to shoot slack, the qualifying round that determines who gets to move on to the main performances. Unfortunately I didn’t get there quite early enough, as many people were eager to inform me. Turns out that the Wednesday night barrel races turned into BIKINI BARREL RACES. To my Red Bluff people, for future reference, this is information I need to have IN ADVANCE.

Shooting slack usually provides good light because it’s early in the morning, and it also allows me to get coverage of the timed events so that I don’t have to shoot every single thing during the actual rodeo. Since there’s no halftime at rodeos, it helps to make time to reposition, change lenses, etc.

Rodeo, bulls, broncs & buckaroos

Rodeo, standard guide to the cowboy sport

Rodeo!

Rodeo

Rodeo, the sport of the cow country