Crazy Horse Stampede competition grows

If the 508 total contestants did not set a combined competition record, the secretaries for the two sessions of the Crazy Horse Stampede Rodeo say they will be surprised.

In the opener Friday, June 15, 153 cowboys and cowgirls entered events sponsored by the Great Plains Indian Rodeo Association. That’s up by nearly half from 2011, said secretary Susan Heathershaw-Kolb.

And 355 competed in the June 16-17 Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association events, “tons more” than entered last year, said secretary Misty Korkow Clair. The athletes came from 14 states and Saskatchewan, Canada.

Two ropers emerged as the all-around champions from each session.

Stampede veteran Jake Longbrake of Dupree, SD defended his GPIRA champion title at the Stampede. Longbrake and different teammates racked up first-, second- and third-place finishes in livestock roping events.

Preston Billadeau of Parshall, N.D., won the champion’s buckle for the PRCA events, earning the top prize money by placing third in team roping and finishing in the money among tie-down roping competitors.

The next Crazy Horse Stampede Rodeo will be held June 14-16, 2013.