Rodeo Roundup

Two youth with ties to the area will compete in elite national junior rodeo action over the next week in Las Vegas, during the Yeti Junior World Finals and the World's Tuffest Junior Rodeo events.

Tymber Longgood, the granddaughter of Dave Sitton, Arlington will compete in the Junior Barrel Racing competition during the Yeti Junior World Finals rodeo. She will see action on December 14th at 1 pm. The daughter of Todd and Torri Sitton Longgood, the 12 year-old Echo 7th grader qualified by placing 2nd at the Producer's Gone Wild barrel racing event in Moses Lake this summer. Torri grew up in Fossil. Tymber will be riding Peanut, a 19-year old gelding.

Gooding, Idaho's Rio Curtis, the 16-year old son of PJ and Marne Curtis and grandson of Bruce and Lynn Wilkins, Condon, has qualified in three divisions in the Tie Down Roping. He will rope at the Yeti Junior World Finals in the 15 & Under Tie Down on December 9 at 9 am. The World's Tuffest Junior Rodeo competition will see Rio in action in the 19 & Under Tie Down on December 5 and 7 at 8:15 am. He has also qualified for the 15 & Under Tie Down and will compete on December 6 and 8 at 8:15 am. In April he swept the 15&U competition at the Goodrich Arena in Stanfield to qualify. Prior to the Idaho State High School Rodeo Finals held in Pocatello in June, he earned his berth in the 19&U division.

Rio's main mount will be BullsEye, a 4-year old gelding his family bred and raised. Rio has done all the training on the horse. His training program was accelerated when the family's regular mount suffered a devastating career-ending arena injury in early July. Bullseye saw his first arena competition a few weeks later and handled it so well he has been Rio's go to tie down horse since.

The Yeti Junior NFR action can be viewed on The Cowboy Channel. The link to follow the World's Tuffest competition can be found at www.johnsonsportline.com.