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Ah, the College National Finals Rodeo. Simply put, I love it. Nothing in the world of rodeo compares to it (my world is limited to this and Frontier Days). Regardless of my limited world view, this is the best. It is a rock concert. It is the Super Bowl. It is unmatched. Period.

Not only is this a ballsy sport to begin with, but add in the fact that the competitors are college kids fueled solely on passion and you have yourself a throw down of epic proportions.

These kids drive themselves across the country, from rodeo to rodeo and maintain grades, jobs, families, etc. That’s a tough gig. I’m worn out from two trips to Casper to watch and take pictures. No beast kicked me in the skull, my rope didn’t miss it’s mark and I didn’t taste dirt (much). And I’m worn out? Ha! What a joke.

The bottom line is this, I fear cowboys/girls and respect them, but not as a result of my fear — they are unmatched in their hardcore approach to sports and life.

My congratulations to all of them and I cannot wait to see it again next year.

To see a full-size version of this SoundSlides presentation click here: CNFR LINK

Despite having the chance to go to the College National Finals Rodeo this week, this was by far my best assignment. No joke, I thought the tractors were sexy. There is a certain zeal and appeal of those beastly machines. Like Kevin Clinebell of Loveland, Colo. asked me, what do I own now that I will have in another 60 years. Probably not much. Not even my teeth (though my parents paid for those, so they technically own them).

In addition to being a fantastic assignment, I learned a great deal about tractors. Well, not really too much about the tractors, but about the enthusiasts who keep them up and running years after their time. And that’s not even a fair statement. Their time obviously has not ended.

Even if you’re not a tractor enthusiast, you must appreciate the good natured puns affixed to every garment they wear. Classic.

Overall, it was a good time with genuinely good people.

To see a full-size version of this SoundSlides presentation click here: MIDWEST CHOPPERS LINK

LCCC bull rider Justin Thomas poses for a portrait on Happy Jack Road. Moments later he was struck by a Mack Truck, which subsequently exploded.

Recently, I hung out with and shot LCCC bull rider Justin Thomas on Happy Jack Road. The hanging out entailed making sure the speeding traffic did not strike him during the photo op. He was, however, grazed by a semi, but he’s a bull rider, so it exploded and he walked away unscathed.

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This month really pushed us to the limit. Not that we were overworked, but we certainly had our hands full with state sporting events, graduations, day-to-day news and the birth of staff ace Michael Smith’s baby girl, Inez J. Smith.

With our plates full, we called in the services of outdoors editor Shauna Stephenson and former WTE staffer Matt “Moose” Young to supplement the shooting duties. Everything played out well and we had another great month of shooting. It was a nice change of pace to hit a high gear for the upcoming summer months, which will undoubtedly be our busiest of part of the year.

We are now less than two months away from the start of Cheyenne Frontier Days, which will really push us to our limits. As the time approaches, we are focused (so to speak) on providing the best visual coverage of our community. We look forward to things ahead.

Thanks for looking.

-WTE Photo Staff