NDWS-logo-two-161x161Valley City  (CSi) The North Dakota Winter ShowPRCA Rodeothis yearThis year features the  stock contractor and rodeo producer, Sutton Rodeo, of Onida, South Dakota.

In  all three performances,will be specialty act and trick roper, Rider Kiesner, along with clown and barrelman, Justin Rumford. Other rodeo personnel will include bullfighters Josh Rivinius, of Elgin, North  Dakota, and Colin LaMont, of Lodgepole, South Dakota, along with pickup men JJ Hunt, of Ridgeview, South Dakota and Mike Greenleaf, of Greensburg, Kansas.

Rodeo performances are scheduled for Saturday, March 7th, at 2 and 7 pm, and Sunday, March 8th, at 2 pm. Tickets are $20, or $10 for kids 10 and under. At Sunday’s performance however, kids will be admitted free, with the purchase of an adult ticket per child. The first 100 kids will also receive a free cowboy hat, so come join in the fun!

Specialty Act – Rider Kiesner

Rider Kiesner, of Granbury, of   grew up a 5th generation cowboy and was competing in youth and Little Britches rodeos as far back he can remember, winning his first buckle when he was just 5 years old. Since he was 9 years old, he knew he wanted to be a trick roper, thanks to the Will Rogers trick roping kit he received for Christmas. He would push the living room furniture back and watch the instructional video over and over, until he had mastered each trick. He started performing locally that next summer and, by the time he was 11, was performing in professional rodeos. Rider continues to practice the cowboys’ skills of trick roping, gun spinning and whip cracking.

He competes at the nation’s largest competitions for trick roping and gun spinning and, at age 23, is already a 2X World Champion All Around Western Performer, 4X World Champion Trick Roper, 2X World Champion Gun Spinner, 3X Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Specialty Act, 3X Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Specialty Act and, in 2014, was nominated for Dress Act of the Year. He has performed in 49 States, all but Hawaii, as well as Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, Oman, Dubai, Taiwan, South Korea, Lebanon and France. Rider is looking forward to performing during the North Dakota Winter Show!

Rodeo Clown/Barrelman – Justin Rumford

Justin Rumford, of Ponca City, Oklahoma, is a rodeo clown at events from coast to coast. He provides the laughs and banters with the announcer, but during the bull riding his more dangerous job begins. Justin is a barrelman, the cowboy who works the barrel, providing an oasis of safety for bullfighters and bull riders, in case an angry bull decides to chase them.

He grew up in a rodeo family and competed in junior high, high school and college rodeo. He was a full time steer wrestler, until a knee injury; after which he assisted with the Cody, WY rodeo for three seasons, and then began working as a livestock truck driver. Justin never considered being a full time rodeo clown, but after a few tries as clown, he changed his mind. “I worked the Pretty Prairie Bull Riding, in Kansas, and they gave me $1000. And I thought, why the heck am I working so hard for $800 a week when I can make $1000 a weekend? So I jumped ship for that.”

Lucky for rodeo fans, Justin is still clowning, and winning honors at it. In 2012, 2013 and again in 2014, he was honored as the PRCA’s Clown of the Year. The award is voted on by his peers and rodeo committees, and Justin is humbled to get it. “I don’t know if I deserve it, but I’m fortunate to accept it. It’s unbelievable.” Justin and his wife Ashley are the proud parents of triplets, daughters Livi and Lola, and a son, Bandy, born in September of 2013.

Bullfighters

Colin LaMont grew up on a family ranch near Glenham, and has been bullfighting professionally since 2006. Earned through years of hard work and dedication, Colin was given the opportunity to protect the bull riders at the 2010-2014 Badlands Circuit Finals. The job of protecting the cowboys is not taken lightly by Colin, as he finds it an honor to be chosen by the bull riders to protect them. Colin and his wife Whitney, along with daughter Landree, currently ranch near Lodgepole, SD.

Josh Rivinius, of Elgin, ND, began his rodeo career at an early age, from riding calves and steers, to steer wrestling and bareback riding through high school. He soon found fighting bulls was his specialty and, in 1997, attended Sankey Rodeo School, where he developed his skills. His achievements include being a 10x Badlands Circuit Finals Bullfighter, 2x Tour Finale Bullfighter, and bullfighting at the Black Hills Stock Show, National Western Stock Show, Ram National Circuit Finals and College National Finals. When not running around bulls, Rivinius spends his time at home managing a commercial cow operation.

Announcer – Will Rasmussen

Will Rasmussen, of Choteau, MT, is a veteran rodeo announcer who, since advancing to the PRCA ranks in 1994, has shared his style of announcing with rodeo fans in Montana and across the United States. Will’s trademark is his enthusiasm for the sport and his ability to involve the entire audience in each of the rodeo events. His commentary is down-to-earth, sprinkled with rodeo facts and trivia that make the show understandable and enjoyable for veteran fans and first-time enthusiasts. “I’m committed to getting the audience totally involved in every performance,” he says.

The Montana man’s love of rodeo stems from his experience as the oldest child of the “Rodeoing Rasmussens,” a family in which just about everyone was involved in the sport of rodeo. His mother is a timer and his father an experienced announcer. One brother is a competitor, while his youngest brother, Flint, is an 8x ‘PRCA Clown of the Year.’ His personal knowledge of the sport, sense of humor and timing blend together for a quality presentation. “I guess it’s my sense that you need more than just a rodeo,” he says. “People want to be entertained.”