Will Rasmussen announces some of the biggest and best Professional rodeos in the United States.  He has been chosen to announce the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo four times, the Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo nineteen times and  announced the first ever Wrangler Champions Challenge in Redding, CA.  He was chosen to host the Cowboy Corral show at the Thomas and Mack in Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo by Las Vegas Events.  A smooth, easy-listening voice, solid knowledge of rodeo and a style that is both entertaining and informative are the mix of elements that make him one of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s most popular rodeo announcers.

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The Choteau, Montana native’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 and recently inducted into Montana’s Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.  His mother was a timer and his father an announcer.  One brother is a competitor, while his youngest Flint is an eight time PRCA Clown of the Year.

Rasmussen says the thrill of announcing rodeos never gets old.  “It’s a great reward to have thousands of people to respond positively to something that’s happened and to know you helped that along,” Rasmussen says.

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Rasmussen’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.  “My job is to educate the folks that want to learn about the sport and to inform the folks that are already educated….and to entertain everyone!!”.

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The following is a list of some of the rodeos Rasmussen announces or has announced:

• Rodeo Austin-Austin, TX

• Oakdale Rodeo-Oakdale, CA

• The Redding Rodeo-Redding, CA(Wrangler Million Dollar Tour)

• Last Stand Rodeo-Coulee City, WA

• Wild Rogue Pro Rodeo-Central Point, OR

• Livermore Rodeo-Livermore, CA

• Strawberry Days Rodeo-Pleasant Grove, UT

• Greeley Independence Day Stampede-Greeley, CO

• Drummond PRCA Rodeo-Drummond, MT

• Sheridan WYO Rodeo-Sheridan, WY (Wrangler Million Dollar Tour)

• California Rodeo Salinas-Salinas, CA (Wrangler Million Dollar Tour)

• That Famous Preston Night Rodeo-Preston, ID

• Central Montana Fair & Rodeo-Lewistown, MT

• Big Sky Pro Rodeo Round-Up-Great Falls, MT

• Western Montana Fair & Rodeo-Missoula, MT

• Moses Lake Round-up-Moses Lake, WA

• Salmon Stampede-Salmon, ID

• Magic Valley Stampede-Filer, ID

• Lewiston Round-up-Lewiston, ID

I was raised in rural Cherokee County, Iowa. I grew up six miles from the Barnes PRCA rodeo ranch. My rodeo career started when I began helping the Barnes family at their rough stock schools when I was about 13. The Barnes Ranch was actually the first place I ever fought a bull. Ever since I can remember, all I wanted to do in life was fight bulls. My dad was a professional bull fighter for ten years before I was born. I grew up listening to his stories and looking at pictures of him. I was hooked. I started fighting bulls as a sophomore in high school at the age of 15. That spring I got my first job at a high school rodeo in Estherville, Iowa. From there I continued to make connections and worked on my bull fighting. I was accepted into the PRCA the summer after I graduated from high school. I was 18 at the time. I fought my first PRCA rodeo one day after my 19th birthday in my hometown of Cherokee, Iowa. In 2003 and 2004, I worked over 40 performances per year, in 9 states, from Nebraska to New Jersey. I ended my rookie year in the PRCA by working the Benny Binion Bucking Bull Sale at the NFR in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since 2003, I have been elected to fight bulls at the Great Lakes Circuit Finals in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2004, 2006, and 2008. During the fall of 2006 I was urged to become a clown/barrleman by some of my fellow rodeo peers as well as a bullfighter. I began putting some ideas and acts together. I traveled to Soper, OK during Christmas break from college in December 2006 and learned a lot about what it takes to be a good barrelman from PRCA barrelman and specialty act, John Harrison. In January 2007 I worked my first rodeo as a barrleman. I spent the rest of 2007 and 2008 fighting bulls and working as a barrelman. In the fall of 2008 I was approved for my PRCA clown/barrlman and specialty act card. In 2010 I was chosen to work the Prairie Circuit Finals as a barrelman and in January of 2014 I was chosen to perform at the First Frontier Circuit Finals. I also wear many hats outside of the arena. In May 2007, I graduated from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa with a Physics major and a minor in Math and Education. After, graduation I took a year off before accepting a job teaching high school math and physics in Soper, OK. I taught high school there for eight years. My subjects included Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Trigonometry, Chemistry, and Physics. After teaching, I accepted a job at an income tax preparation office in Antlers, OK. After working there for 3 years, in May of 2017 my family and I moved back to Iowa. Along with being a barrelman, I currently work at Foundational Analytical Lab as a feed and wastewater analyst, as well as getting my own tax preparation business off the ground. My wife Mandy, and I have a small herd of cattle, horses, and kids. Our three children are Gracie, 8, Stran, 5, and Trig 3.

Rider grew up being a 5th generation cowboy. He was competing in youth and Little Britches rodeos as far back as anyone can remember. He won his first buckle when he was just five years old. He was given a Will Rogers trick roping kit for Christmas when he was 9, Rider pushed the living room furniture back and would watch the instructional video over and over until he had mastered each trick. He started performing locally that next summer and began performing in professional rodeo by the time he was 1. Rider continues to practice the Cowboys skills of trick roping,guns spinning and whip cracking. In the early days of rodeo trick roping was held as a competition at most of the biggest rodeos in the nation. Rider competes at the nation's largest competitions for a trick roping and gun spinning and at age 23 has already won 2X World Champion All Around Western Performer,4X World Champion Trick Roper,2X World Champion Gun Spinner. Rider has performed in 49 States (needs to do a show in Hawaii) Canada,Mexico,Japan,China, Oman,Dubai,Lebanon and France, 3X Wrangler National Finals Rodeo specialty act,4X Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo specialty act.

Dayton Spiel is a 24 year old PRCA permit holder, new to PRCA Bull Fighting world, but not to Free Style Bullfighting.  He was a Top Ten finisher in the Bull Fighter’s Only 2017 and 2019 Tour and won the 2019 Rodeo Rapid City Free Style Bull Fighting event.  Dayton operates Spiel Fencing and runs his cow herd when not at rodeos.

21 years old from Custer MT. 3rd year PRCA member. Top 10 in the world in the PRCA freestyle bullfighting. 2019 Black Hills Round up freestyle bullfighting Champion. 2x second place winner at the Rodeo Rapid City Freestyle bullfights. 3rd place finisher at JDRF fighting for a cure Freestyle bullfights in Spanish Fork Utah. 3rd place finish at the National Western Bullfights in Denver Colorado. 2x EPB Bullfighter of the year as well. Tate just expanded his PRCA presence with the addition of his Barrel Man Card.  Look for him working both in and out of the barrel in 2020!  “If I’m not rodeoing you can catch me hunting or fishing or just being in the outdoors!”

Born and raised in the Rozet, WY area. I am into my third year fighting bulls pro and have been bullfighting for about eight years total. My dad and uncle fought bulls and that’s how I got started into the rodeo world. 

Growing up on the East Coast in Woodstown, New Jersey, Professional Rodeo Music Director Jake Ostrum’s love of America’s original sport of rodeo began at a young age. One would think Rodeo would be hard to find in New Jersey, but Jake lived only 1 mile from the longest running weekly PRCA Rodeo in the country, the legendary Cowtown Pro Rodeo.  It was at Cowtown where he spent his Saturday nights, every summer, for as long as he can remember. Jake has been a part of pretty much every aspect of rodeo from announcing to actually producing his own rodeo events.  However, his heart kept bringing him back to his true passion of music. Jake’s talent with musical instruments took him across the country, and even to LA for two years, but he realized his true Calling was a different kind of music on a different kind of stage, an arena. He began his professional rodeo career in 2010 as a music director and has since built a library of music of every genre that is second to none.  He spends countless hours refining his play list and cutting the perfect songs so that he can set the tone before, during, and after a rodeo. His songs and his ability to know just when to play them provides a level of entertainment that has been enjoyed around the PRO Rodeo world at events like The New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo, Kansas Largest Night Rodeo, and Rodeo Rapid City just to name a few. He has even been selected the last three years as the music director for the PRCA First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo. Sit back, relax, and be prepared to be taken on a musical journey from Hello to Happy Trails.

Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2020

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Joeli Walrath is Miss Rodeo Nebraska 2020.  Joeli grew up in Ashton, Nebraska and is  the daughter of Jamie and Jaci Walrath. Joeli’s small-town roots and involvement on the family farm instilled her love for agriculture. She began her rodeo career young competing in junior rodeos in barrels and poles and even a little steer riding.  She was raised in the  4-H program , FFA and was a member of the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association.

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Joeli is a 2016 graduate of Loup City High School.  She went on to attend college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she was a member of the  Univeristy of Nebraska-Lincoln Equestrian Team and Horse Judging Team as well as the rodeo club. While at the University of Nebraska, she studied animal science with an equine emphasis. Joeli graduated from UNL in December 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science.

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When not traveling and attending rodeos, Joeli enjoys spending time at home with her family, friends, and of course, her horses. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, cooking and baking. Joeli’s slogan for the year is “Be True. Be You.” She believes that being genuine and apologetically yourself is  the key to  what is most important – happiness. Joeli hopes not only to live by her motto everyday, but also to inspire others to be true to themselves. (Photo courtesy of KC Creations Photography.

Clay Guardipee has been a PRCA photographer for 2 years. He added the WNFR to his resume in 2019 and has been photographing rodeo since 2015. He is a Montana native that now resides in Mitchell, South Dakota where he runs his photography business RodeoReady. Along side his rodeo photography he also photographs family, seniors and weddings. Check out his  work on www.rodeoreadyshop.com , Facebook @RodeoReadyShop and Instagram @rodeo_ready.

They are called the “Gentle Giants”!  Come see them up close and personal at Rodeo Rapid City, January 26th-February 3rd, at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City SD.  This beautiful team of horses will be on display in the “Rodeo Zone”, located in the Ice Arena from 10:00 a. m. to 7:00 p.m.  They will then be hitched up and make an appearance in the Barnett Arena during Rodeo Rapid City events, driven by Jason Goodman, Percheron Draft Horse Program Manager.

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“We drive a 6 horse hitch of Percheron geldings that range in age from 7 to 11 years of age.  They average 18 hands in height and weigh 2000 pounds each.  The group of horses are Tuff, Mick Jagger, (the wheel team) Huey, Bode, (swing team) Rocket, Cyclone, (lead team) Preacher(the spare tire).  We are looking for another good young gelding to add to our band of brothers.”

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Jason Goodman has performed at Rodeo Rapid City in the past with the Specialty Act of the Year, Percheron Thunder.  The Young Living Percheron Hitch will be traveling from their home in Mona, UT.

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Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see these amazing “Gentle Giants” at Rodeo Rapid City!