World's best riders to be at Sikeston rodeo

SIKESTON -- Trick Pony, Brad Paisley, Chris Cagle and Chris LeDoux won't be the only superstars performing at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo this week.

The top cowboys and cowgirls in the world will also be in attendance, showing off their riding, roping, wrestling and barrel racing skills, hoping to earn a share of over $100,000 in prize money.

"You're going to see the best that rodeo has to offer," said rodeo general chairman Rob Clay. "You've got Jesse Bail, who is a world champion bull rider and roughstock rider coming here. You've got Paulo Crimber, Charmayne James, Sherry Cervi. Those are just a few of the names we're going to have. We've got the top contestants in all the events."

Several cowboys scheduled to appear are at the top of the PRCA Jack Daniels World Standings.

Seven of the top 10 bareback riders in the world will be here, including top-ranked Will Lowe.

In 33 rodeos, the Canyon, Texas native has earned over $80,000 this season and holds a comfortable lead in the standings. Former bareback champion Pete Hawkins will also return to Sikeston.

Hawkins, from Weatherford, Texas, is currently ranked No. 3 in the world rankings with $51,000 in winnings.

Other top-ranked bareback riders scheduled to appear include No. 5 Larry Sandvick, No. 6 Mark Gomes, No. 7 Darren Clarke, No. 8 James Boudreaux and No. 9 Cody Jesse.

Several of the world's best saddle bronc riders will also be in Sikeston. Rod Hay is the most notable of the bunch, currently ranked second in the Jack Daniels Standings with $75,336 in winnings.

Other top riders coming include No. 3 Dan Mortensen, No. 5 Jesse Bail, No. 6 Rod Warren, No. 8 Jeffrey Willert and No. 9 Cody Wright.

Along with being ranked in saddle bronc, Bail is also third on the All-Around Cowboy list. Others in the top 20 on the all-around list include Cody DeMers, Chad Klein and Casey Branquinho.

Bull riding is always a crowd favorite and the top competitors in that event will be here as well. Terry Don West is the top-ranked rider in the world, earning a whopping $124,534 in 34 rodeos.

The Henryetta, Okla., resident has almost double the winnings of second place with the No. 2 rider on the circuit checking in at $64,927.

Other top bull riders that will be in town this week include No. 3 Tyler Fowler, No. 4 B.J. Schumacher, No. 5 Clint Craig and No. 10 Cory Melton.

Sikeston will also draw a very strong field for the barrel racing competition. Most competitors in the top 25 will be here, including top-ranked Melanie Southard of Cushing, Okla.

With three other major rodeos going on at the same time across the country, how was Sikeston able to draw all these big names?

"We've got good added money and a good total purse," explained Clay. "This year our added money is $12,000 an event. When you put in their entry fees, you're looking at over $120,000 of total winnings."

The rodeo will offer up bareback riding, bull riding, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping and barrel racing Wednesday through Saturday at the rodeo grounds. Unlike most years, bull fighting is not scheduled. "It was just a casualty of the economic times," explained Clay. "It's not a sanctioned PRCA event anymore, and a lot of the bullfighters are not willing to jeopardize their career for one night of fighting bulls. We've had to pay for it ourselves the last couple of years and it's something we just couldn't afford to keep doing."

There are other changes that will come with this year's rodeo. For the first time, all events will take place before the musical act takes the stage each night.

"We moved the star to the end, so all the rodeo events will take place from seven to about nine," said Clay. "We consulted with a lot of rodeos around the country and they made the same change. It helps with the flow of the rodeo."