Cowboys, cowgirls and fans of rodeo packed Higgins Greig Road on Saturday and Sunday Sep. 2-3 for the annual Roy Rodeo, which has served the Roy community and rodeo participants for decades.
Shane Scott of Mulino was the rodeo’s top earner, bringing home $1,658.70 from his performance in the bull riding event. Dylan Hart of St. Helens brought home $1,309.50 for his winning efforts in the bareback riding competition. Jody Wallen of Arlington brought home $1,136.81 after winning the barrel racing competition. Annie Minor of Ellensburg brought home $1,204.74 for her winning efforts in breakaway roping.
Shane Erickson of Winnemucca brought home $675.12 for his efforts in the cow milking event, while Hayden Hall of Stephenville brought home $640.20 for winning the steer wrestling competition.
Hart, novice bareback, and Scott, saddle bronc riding, each won two more events at the Rodeo. Jordan Tye of Canby brought home $1,293.98 for his efforts as team roping header and Andy Carlson of Hermiston brought home $1,293.98 for his efforts as team roping heeler.
Chad Finley of Mt. Vernon brought home $1,125.20 for his winning efforts in the tie down roping event.
Locally, Brett Hale of Tenino brought home $223.10 after scoring an 8.80 as team roping heeler. He brought home an additional $558.72 for his efforts in the cow milking event, where he earned an 18.40 score. Travis Erb of Roy earned $624.68 for his efforts as team roping header, scoring a 7.50.
Teaka Dahlstrom and Melody Hale, each of Tenino, competed in breakaway roping. Dahlstrom brought home $340.47 after scoring a 4.00, while Hale scored a 4.40 to bring home $104.76.
Becky Sleeman, the Roy Rodeo’s treasurer, said though the September rodeo’s numbers might’ve been down from the last event in June, the weekend was still filled with excellent competition and smiling faces from attendants.
“(Saturday’s) gate was down a little bit, but that’s usually the case because there’s so many events going on in the fall,” Sleeman said on Sunday, Sept. 3. “The fair started up, the Ellensburg Rodeo is going on. But everyone is eating, that’s for sure. We have lots of souvenirs for sale too.”
Sleeman said the Roy Rodeo is the most important event each year in town. According to the 2021 census, Roy, Washington has a population of 814 residents yet the event typically draws thousands to the town each year.
“This weekend they’ll get to watch contestants with the stock, all the roping and riding events, pretty girls barrel racing and more. Also every Sunday at our shows, we have a stick horse race where we provide stick horses for kids in our audience. They come out and race for bicycles,” Sleeman said. “There’s a lot of excitement for our spectators.”
For Sleeman, the Roy Rodeo is more than just an annual event in the small town. Her family ties to the rodeo date back to the origins of Roy’s annual attraction, and she said family involvement is the most important aspect of the rodeo, to her.
“My name is Becky Sleeman, but I’m an Erb. My dad and mom were one of the original starters of the rodeo, and have been involved in the Roy Rodeo for about 70 years. I used to barrel race myself, and now my grandkids rope. I’ve been in rodeos for 60 years. My sister, and sister-in-laws all work here. My sister runs the kitchen, and then my brother has a group of guys that run the roping chutes. The whole family has been involved for a number of years,” Erickson said. “We want to teach our children because they’re growing up in it too now. The grandkids are here working. That’s the most important thing in our world, to have family structure, and the Roy Rodeo has provided that for a number of years.”
Sleeman said she’d love to see the community show up in support for the next Roy Rodeo events, which will occur the first weekend in June of 2024 and the first weekend of September of 2024.
“We’d love to have everyone come out in the spring and have a good time. Get to know the person next to you in the stands and enjoy,” Sleeman said. “I love it when you go somewhere and someone asks you where you’re from, and when you say Roy, they instantly bring up the Roy Rodeo.”
Participants in Saturday’s bareback riding included Levi Walters of Centralia, Dylar Hart of St. Helens, and Kyle Bounds of Harrisburg.
Saturday’s barrel racing competition featured a large group, including Sammi Lane of Arlington, Haylie barrett of Oregon City, Aysha Martin of Battle Ground, Brittany Swanson of Graham, Mackenzie Huggler of Roy, Rylee Jones of Montesano, Alivia Lusk of Chehalis, Mikaya Miskar-Owens on Graham, Beckett Stock of Roy, Glenda Meek of Port Townsend, Bobbi Johnson of Kent, and Anne Meek of Wenatchee.
The field for breakaway roping on Saturday included Anne Meek on Wenatchee, Krystal Pennington of Buckley, Erin Wiseman of Tenino, Annie Minor of Ellensburg, Bailey Patterson of Pendleton, Lana Bruhn of Port Orchard, Brooke Blevins of Redmond, Kaytee Gibeau of Port Townsend, Addison Klementis of Mulino, and Crusita Joblonski of Centralia.
Bull riding participants on Saturday included Benjamin Viveros of Yelm, Jesus Bosquez of Yelm, Jarron Owen of Centralia, Shane Scott of Mulino, Justice Forsythe of Montesano, Joseph Wahl of Chehalis, Nick Dean of University Place, and Justin Hugo of Lacey.
The calf roping field on Saturday featured Graysen Jaiemen of Olympia, Justin Talbott of Canby, Mason Chambers of Goldendale, Troy Erb of Grandview, Riley Carel of Enumclaw, Kyle Sloan of Ellensburg, Casey Hale of Eloy, Justin Farber of Battle Ground, Samuel Mundell of Kingston, and Blake Sofich of Scappoose.
The cow milking competition on Saturday included Troy Erb of Grandview, Mike Thiele of Goldendale, Mason Chambers of Goldendale, Justin Talbott of Canby, Paul Erickson of Warren, Jason Stewart of Pendleton, CJ Crume of Grants Pass, Wade Meeske of Goldendale, Kane Thiele of Goldendale, Jesse Sleeman of Roy, Jason Minor of Ellensburg, and Gary Bruhn Jr. of Port Orchard.
Dylan Hart of St. Helens was the lone participant in Novice Bareback on Saturday at the Roy Rodeo.
Joseph Wahl of Chehalis and Nick Dean of University Place were the two competitors in the novice bronc competition on Saturday.
Saddle bronc participants at Saturday’s Roy Rodeo included Wyatt Ohler of Prosser, Shane Scott of Mulino, Kdyn Cooper of Prosser, Matt Shannon of Prineville, Seth Hart of St. Helens, and Judd Fielder of Maple Valley.
Samuel Mundell of Kingston, Ty Sherman of Moxee, and Patton Wright of Milton Freewater were the three competitors in Saturday’s steer wrestling competition at the Roy Rodeo.
The team roping field on Saturday at the Roy Rodeo included Taylor Speer of Selah and Ethan Burton of Nathes, Mike Thiele and Wade Meeske of Goldendale, Ryan Powell of Marsing and Tate Peterson of Yakima, Kane Thiele and Mason Chambers of Goldendale, Casey Hale of Eloy and Jesse Sleeman of Roy CJ Crume of Grants Pass and Preston Young of Terrebonne, Gary Bruhn Jr. of Port Orchard and Riley Carel of Enumclaw, Chase Helton and Jason Stewart of Pendleton, Brent Baggarley of Yakima and Matt Erb of Roy, and Quade and Tanner Patzke of Klamath Falls.
On Sunday during the Roy Rodeo, Dylan Hart of St. Helens, Cooper Cano of Carlton and Kyle Bounds of Harrisburg kicked off the event with bareback riding.
They were followed by Jodi Fox of Mount Vernon, Adriene Steffen of Sisters, Alecia Fox of Hermiston, Amanda Marriott of Canby, Teri Bangart of Olympia, Stevie Rae Willis of Terrebonne, Sophie Fountaine of Snohomish, Allison Vankoll of Ridgefield, Jade Benevides of Touchet, Jill Hines of Snohomish, Rose Jones of Quincy, and Jordan Minor of Hermiston.
Breakaway ropers on Sunday at the Roy Rodeo included Stevie Ray Willis of Terrebonne, Jade Benevides of Touchet, Melody Hale of Tenino, Madison Teeter of Chehalis, Jenifer Frohman of Yelm, Trisha McCoin of Terrebonne, Britni Carlson of Hermiston, Madden Shanks of Terrebonne, Jordan Minor of Hermiston, and Adriene Steffen of Sisters.
Bull riding at Sunday’s Roy rodeo included Connor Dean of Elk, Colton Dougherty of Powell Butte, Ky Bothum of Terrebonne, Landon Houghton of St. George, Benjamin Viveros of Yelm, Kobie Olson of Cascade, Nick Dean of University Place, Justin Hugo of Lacey, Justice Forsythe of Montesano, Jace Catlin of Toledo and Gabriel Jacques of Albany.
Sunday’s calf roping event included Jordan Tye of Canby, Hayzen Hoffman of Chehalis, Joe Hoffman of Chehalis, Justin Reno of Springfield, Blaize Hoffman of Hermiston, Russell Cardoza of Terrebonne, Shane erickson of Winnemucca, Brett Hale of Tenino, Tim Messner II of Terrebonne, and Kass Kayser of Ellensburg.
Cow milking at Sunday’s Roy Rodeo included a field of Taylor Collins of Winnemucca, Marcus Marriott of Canby, Shane Erickson of Winnemucca, Austin Thompson of Yoncalla, Russell Cardoza of Terrebonne, Sam Willis of Terrebonne, Brett Hale of Tenino, and Bobby Winn of Reardan.
Dylan Hart of St. Helens was the only participant in novice bareback at Sunday’s Roy Rodeo, while Joe Huggler of Roy was the only competitor in the novice bronc competition.
Sunday’s saddle bronc competition included Danny Alires of Bickleton, Mike Reed of Columbia City, and Hayden Hall of Stephenville.
Steer wrestling competitors at Sunday’s Roy Rodeo included BoDee Foster of Hermiston, Kyle Galbraith of Snohomish, Hayden Hall of Stephenville, Russell Cardoza of Terrebonne, and Jake Raley of Brush Prairie.
The teams in Sunday’s team roping event included Jerry Kent of Brush Prairie and Steve Hoffman of Hermiston, Tim Messner II and Sam Willis of Terrebonne, Brett Hale of Tenino and Bobby Winn of Reardan, Russell Cardoza of Terrebonne and Jake Raley of Brush Prairie, Shane Crossley of Hermiston and Dale Benecides of Touchet, Justin Reno of Springfield and Tyler Kaess of Jasper, Trevor McCoin of Terrebonne and Shane Erickson of Winnemucca, Mike Marriot and Marcus Marriott of Canby, Andy Carlson of Hermiston and Jordan Tye of Canby, and Blaize Hoffman of Hermiston and Denver Eng of Stanfield.
