The Fabulous Lazy E Arena – just southeast of Guthrie and northeast of Edmond/Oklahoma City – was opened in November of 1984, just in time for the ’84 National Finals Steer Roping Finals.
A year after one of America’s greatest horsemen got his first invitation to the Cinch Timed Event Championships – just to go out with a third-round groin injury – Cade Rice will give up his 2025 invite to Nebraska’s Riley Wakefield.
Unfortunately for Rice, who would love to try to win the $100,000 prize as the Cinch Timed Event Champion of the World, he’s set to compete in his first World’s Greatest Horseman competition, of which the finals in Fort Worth on March 1 is the same day the CTEC wraps up. The dates of the CTEC in Guthrie are February 27 – March 1.
“I’d been gearing up for it,” Rice said. “I was dang sure looking forward to it and working on all the events. But I’ve got a horse that’s capable, and the owners said ‘Go for it.’”
Rice, of Lipan, Texas, had taken Brian and Amy Bush’s cutting-bred roan stallion Jungle Cat to several big wins at heeling futurities in 2023. Insiders think the 8-year-old son of High Brow Cat out of a Peptoboonsmal/Mr Gun Smoke mare has a great chance of helping Rice win the $150,000 prize as the NRCHA’s World’s Greatest Horseman.
“I grew up watching Timed Event tapes and idolizing guys that can do all those events at such a high level,” said Rice, who heeled for Ketch Kelton last year during his Jr Ironman victory. “To win that would mean the world to me. It would be great if the dates were set up so I could compete at both.”
Lazy E’s general manager, Dan Wall, guaranteed the accomplished trainer hasn’t seen his last Timed-Event invitation. Rice is fairly busy this spring, anyway. He and his wife welcomed their baby son Ryle Michael Rice just three weeks ago (joining daughter Rhea Scarlett).
In the meantime, Wakefield of O’Neill, Nebraska, has competed at the past two editions of the CTEC, finishing a remarkable third in 2023 after he was called to substitute for Haven Meged at the last minute.
“This time, I feel like I have plenty of time to prepare,” Wakefield said. “I’ll be spending a full month focusing on all five events every day. And I’ll go down to Texas and get a better live-action feel in the tripping. Last year, I maybe came in thinking I was a tripper. I’d been running steers in my 220-foot-long barn at home.
Which is not the same as spotting the Lazy E’s big, strong steers tail around the end of the gate in that arena.”
Wakefield, 28, grew up competing in three timed events, and spent all summer entering all three in Canada. He got the No. 1 back number at the Canadian Finals Rodeo and just narrowly lost the all-around cowboy championship. He spends the most time working at his tie-down roping, but he also won the steer wrestling at the Pendleton Round-Up in 2022.
Wakefield’s ace in the hole will no doubt be the steer horse called Mississippi that he and his dad bought from Todd Everly. Jess Tierney had ridden him at the NFSR and CTEC when he won in 2017. In fact, the only horse Wakefield might need to borrow is a head horse, he said.
“My horses do their job and stay out of my way,” he said. “My heel horse won’t drag his rear end like Cade’s, but he will pin his ears and go to the cow and let me take as many swings as I want over one.”
Wakefield is clear about the fact that this event means more to him than any rodeo.
“This is what I train for; it’s what I do,” he said. “I try not to put it on a pedestal too much so I can keep the right mindset. In fact, I’d actually rather get the prospect of winning it off my mind. Because it’s something I’ve thought about every single day since my dad took me and my brother to watch when I was 11. We were just a couple of Nebraska farm boys, but we craved it.”
The 2025 Cinch Timed Event Championship, presented by Smarty Rodeo, has finalized the 25 athletes – including eight past champions – who’ll gun for the $100,000 first-place paycheck in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Feb. 27 through March 1.
Defending and three-time champ Paul David Tierney headlines the ’25 roster, which also includes veterans K.C. Jones and Kyle Lockett, plus first-timers Ketch Kelton and John Douch.
“This is my 11th year at the Lazy E, and I fully expect this to be the deepest lineup of really good, capable cowboys we’ve ever had,” said Lazy E General Manager Dan Wall. “We’ve got some new blood in the mix, and we have world champs on the wait-list who will be ready. A couple guys usually have to pull out due to injury just getting ready for this thing.”
The invitation-only event, now in its 41st year, is dubbed “The Ironman” for its requirement that cowboys compete in five grueling rounds of five different rodeo events: heading, tie-down roping, heeling, steer wrestling and steer roping. Tierney, 35 and a South Dakota native, has banked $388,500 over his 14 years competing in The Ironman. His brother Jess won the title back in 2017, and their dad, ProRodeo Hall-of-Famer Paul Tierney, won four CTEC titles over three different decades. The Tierneys are to timed events what the Mannings are to football.
“It not only takes a huge physical toll on the body, but these guys have to line up the right horsepower – excellent calf and bulldogging horses,” Wall said. “It doesn’t matter how good a hand you are if your horse takes you out, or if you don’t find good partners to haze and help you team-rope.”
Another family well-versed in good horses and good help are the Keltons of Arizona. Former National Finals Rodeo header and National Finals of Steer Roping qualifier Chance Kelton competed in Guthrie 14 years and finished as runner-up a few times. Meanwhile, his son Ketch, 19, enters the 2025 Ironman as a favorite. He’ll try to become only the fourth rookie to ever win the title, after Mike Beers in 1986, Justin Thigpen in 2019, and Taylor Santos in 2020.
“There’s been a lot of preparation and coaching behind this,” Chance said after Ketch won his first of back-to-back Jr Ironman titles. “He’s prepared his whole life. We’re Timed Event Championship guys; this is what we do.”
Young Kelton, who also broke the Jr. Ironman’s aggregate record over four events, is accustomed to the adrenaline rush of competing in multiple events. The defending national high-school all-around champ made that particular short round in four different events. He’ll have stiff competition in Guthrie, though, from defending Ironman reserve champ Nelson Wyatt of Alabama and 2023 champ Cody Doescher of Texas, among others.
Meanwhile, 48-year-old Lockett of California is a crowd favorite. The seven-time NFR heeler has competed here 23 times previously and won twice, in 2005 and 2011. And Jones makes his 32nd appearance with five previous Ironman titles under his belt, having raked in $493,500 over the years in Guthrie. At 56, he’s the eldest cowboy gladiator with Ironman wins in three different decades.
“It costs you about $10,000 to show up at the Timed-Event, by the time you come up with practice cattle and horses, pay the entry fee and drive to Oklahoma,” the Wyoming native said. “But it’s worth the money and effort to get ready, if you’re a true all-around cowboy.”
To that end, a new presenting sponsor stepped in this year.
“Now that we’ve expanded outside roping for our training machines, we can help contestants prepare on all sides of this event,” said Amanda Shaffer, vice president of business development at Smarty Rodeo. “Our Smarty Bulldogger simulates both the horse and steer, side by side. And of course, Smarty and Heel-O-Matic have steer and calf trainers. The Timed Event Championships is one of my favorite events of the year to watch.”
Former CTEC champs Thigpen and Erich Rogers will return, as well as Marcus Theriot, whose father Herbert Theriot, a world all-around champion, also competed for years to become the Ironman.
“It takes a lot of patience, concentration and focus,” Marcus said. “I definitely feel like you have to be made for this event to win it.”
Tickets are on sale now, and for discounts at the host hotel, Hilton Garden Inn, reserve by Feb. 5.
2025 Cinch Timed Event Championship of the World Roster: Paul David Tierney, Nelson Wyatt, Cody Doescher, Jess Tierney, Erich Rogers, Dylan Hancock, Thomas Smith, Marcus Theriot, Blane Cox, Russell Cardoza. Seth Hall, Tyler Pearson, Clayton Hass, Brushton Minton, Billy Good, Kolton Schmidt, K.C. Jones, Cade Rice, Colby Lovell, Justin Thigpen, Clay Smith. Kyle Lockett, Jojo Lemond, John Douch, and Ketch Kelton
The National Ranch & Stock Horse Alliance (NRSHA) is pleased to announce that the Lazy E Arena is the new home of the NRSHA National Championship Show. The event is moving to Guthrie, Oklahoma, and will be held in conjunction with The Gathering at the E presented by Equinety, May 14 – 18, 2025.
AQHA and VRH have provided a platform to NRSHA to develop and grow the National Championship. That platform has helped to create the stability needed for NRSHA to take the next step in elevating the show. “We want to thank AQHA for hosting the NRSHA National Show for several years as the Alliance was getting started,” said NRSHA President Charles Pellham. “Now with 11 members in the Alliance, we felt moving to the Lazy E for NRSHA’s premiere show was a step in the right direction for the event to continue to grow.” This move gives the Ranch and Stock Horse Industry two major championships to qualify for each year.
2024 was the inaugural year for The Gathering at the E, and the show quickly gained the reputation as the place to be in 2025 for ranch horse enthusiasts from across the country. The event is owned by the Lazy E and managed by Stock Horse of Texas. The event was designed to promote a fun, family-friendly atmosphere that celebrates the abilities of the ranch horse and riders inside a competition pen and on the trail. The Gathering at the E is a ranch horse show that allows competitors the opportunity to compete in beautiful, wide-open meadows – complete with an authentic water crossing feature, a large outdoor covered arena, and a world renowned, climate-controlled arena in the heart of Oklahoma.
The decision to move the NRSHA National Championship to Lazy E Arena is the icing on the cake for The Gathering at the E. Between SHTX’s full slate of ranch horse classes, an AQHA Versatility Ranch Horse Show, a Ranching Heritage Challenge and now the NRSHA National Championship, you won’t want to miss ‘Gathering at the E’ in 2025!
Stay tuned for more information to be released soon.
ABOUT NRSHA:
The National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance (NRSHA) was founded by six partnering associations in an effort to preserve and promote ranching traditions and heritage through competitive ranch and stock horse events on a national level. Since its inception, the Alliance has added five additional associations who work together for the good of the ranch horse. The groups come together annually to crown national champions in a variety of ranch horse events. For more about NRSHA, visit www.ranchhorse.net
ABOUT LAZY E ARENA:
The Fabulous Lazy E Arena – just southeast of Guthrie and northeast of Edmond/Oklahoma City – was established in December 1984, just in time for the ’84 National Finals Steer Roping Finals. Originator of the E, E.K. Gaylord II had a vision that both the National Finals Steer Roping Finals and the National Finals Rodeo would happen the same time, in the same area, creating the most epic days rodeo had seen. While the plan only worked for one year, as the NFR moved to Vegas in ’85, the legacy and standards E.K. set from the beginning still carry on today. From giving PBR its start to the Timed Event Championship of the World, the Lazy E has hosted world champions, world championships and personalities galore. In 2005, Gaylord sold the property to a partnership from Nevada, and in October 2013 the property was sold to the McKinney Family from Midland, Texas. The ownership group has long recognized not only the tremendous facility, but also the importance of the Lazy E’s place in Rodeo and Oklahoma history. The Family has committed to maintaining the Lazy E as the World’s premier western entertainment facility. Many updates and renovations are taking place at the Arena which will only enhance the lure of the Lazy E to the general population. www.lazye.com
August 15, 2024, Guthrie, Oklahoma – Fresh off winning the all-around championship at the National High School Finals Rodeo in July, teenage rodeo star Ketch Kelton of Mayer, Arizona, has accepted his first invitation to compete at the world’s most prestigious professional timed-event competition in 2025 inside the Lazy E Arena.
The Timed Event Championship of the World – where each cowboy competes in five different timed events and the eventual winner is dubbed rodeo’s “Ironman” – will be held in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Feb. 27 through March 1, with tickets going on sale November 7. Kelton will join a field that already includes champs like World Champion Team Roper and native Oklahoman Clay Smith and reigning and three-time champ Paul David Tierney, among others.
“I wasn’t expecting an invitation this soon,” said Kelton, 18. “It’s cool to have this opportunity at this young an age.”
The teenager is also the back-to-back champion of the Jr Ironman, or youth version of the Timed Event pinnacle. Kelton won that event in 2023 by breaking the aggregate record in heading, heeling, tie-down roping and steer wrestling to earn $20,000. He clinched the title again this spring to take home another $21,750.
Ketch Kelton at the CTEC as a child versus winning the JR Ironman in 2023. Images courtesy Lazy E and the Kelton family by James Phifer.
Incidentally, the 2025 Jr Ironman contestants are also starting to be announced. Invitations were extended to top finishers from both the National Little Britches Rodeo Association Finals and the Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo, including Colin Fox, Damian Padilla, Jake Holmes, Kreece Dearing, Jake Shelton, Wyatt Williams, Luke Tippman, Jesse Vesperman, Leo Loucks and Micah Kearney.
Kelton’s feats as a Jr Ironman prompted Lazy E’s general manager, Dan Wall, to personally invite him to take part in the pro competition along with 12 other contestants announced thus far. But Ketch also virtually grew up at the Timed Event Championships, considering his father, Chance Kelton, competed there 14 times and finished as runner-up a few of those years.
“There’s been a lot of preparation and coaching behind this,” Chance said after Ketch won his first Jr Ironman title. “He’s prepared his whole life. We’re Timed Event Championship guys, this is what we do.”
The younger Kelton said the best mental strategy at the grueling event is taking it one run at a time. The Timed Event Championships differs from the Jr Ironman in that it adds steer roping, which Kelton said will be his favorite discipline in 2025.
“It’s the funnest event, ever,” he said. “There’s just something about it that makes it so much fun. It takes more finesse than anything else.”
While he hasn’t competed as much in that event, Chance is a former National Finals Steer Roping qualifier who still ties steers at the house. As for the Timed Event Championships schedule, it prompts adrenaline and the need to hurry and get different horses ready. But that will be like what happened at the NHSFR, where young Kelton recently made the short round in heading, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and reined cow horse. In recent years, he’s been mistake-free on major stages in final rounds.
“I guess I take a final run like just another run,” he said. “You can’t think about it too much. It comes from all the jackpotting I’ve done. I grew up in the jackpotting capital of the world.”
Kelton is classified as an 8 header and 9 heeler, incidentally, in team roping’s Global system. It appears the newest rookie at the Timed Event Championships may be just as competitive next spring as the veterans.
The current field that has been announced to-date includes Paul David Tierney, Nelson Wyatt, Cody Doescher, Jess Tierney, Erich Rogers, Dylan Hancock, Thomas Smith, Marcus Theriot, Blane Cox, Russell Cardoza, Clay Smith, JoJo Lemond, and Ketch Kelton
ABOUT LAZY E ARENA: The Lazy E Arena – just northeast of Oklahoma City – was established in December 1984, just in time for the ’84 National Finals Steer Roping Finals. Founder Ed Gaylord had a vision that both the National Finals Steer Roping Finals and the National Finals Rodeo would happen at the same time, in the same area. While the plan only worked for one year, as the NFR moved to Vegas in ’85, the legacy and standards he set from the beginning still carry on today. From giving PBR its start to the Timed Event Championship of the World, the Lazy E has hosted world champions, world championships and personalities galore. In 2005, Gaylord sold the property to a partnership from Nevada, and in October 2013 the property was sold to the McKinney Family from Midland, Texas. They’ve committed to maintaining the Lazy E as the world’s premier Western entertainment facility.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. April 4, 2024 – The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), in partnership with the Oklahoma Ford Dealers is preparing for the 40th Annual OCA Ranch Rodeo on August 16 and 17 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla. Today, OCA is announcing the teams that will be competing in the event. The OCA Ranch Rodeo consists of twelve ranch teams of ‘real ranch’ cowboys that compete in five different events mirroring many of the activities of daily ranch life.
The 2024 participating ranches include: A Bar Ranch, Claremore; Barron-Highsmith Cattle Co. & Short Ranches, Oologah; Drummond Land & Cattle Co., Pawhuska; Stuart Ranch, Waurika; Daube Cattle Co. & 3C Cattle Co., Ardmore; McPhail Land & Cattle Co., Medicine Park; Buford Ranches, Hominy; Gray G Bar Ranch, Shidler; Quarter Circle 99 Ranch & Double R Operations, Loco; Lazy Rafter Slash Ranch, Lenapah; Trentman Ranch & Steirwalt Ranch, Pawhuska and Shidler; Whitmire Ranch & Sumner Ranch, Delaware.
The competition is fierce, but the cowboys do not take home much more than bumps and bragging rights. They participate with one goal: to support the Children’s Health Foundation (CHF).
“The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association’s Ranch Rodeo has a close relationship with the Children’s Health Foundation (CHF) and entails raising more than $630,000,” said Kent Trentman, Ranch Rodeo Committee Chair.
The event has affectionately been called, ‘Cowboys Helping Kids’ because of our long-standing relationship with Children’s Health Foundation.
“We’ve hosted many ‘Miracle Children’ over the years and met their families. Those connections make our mission real and heart-felt for the participating cowboys and the committee that works to coordinate the event,” Trentman continued.
CHF funds children’s medical research and treatment for children right here in Oklahoma. The funds raised for CHF in Oklahoma, stay in Oklahoma.
According to Trentman, the Oklahoma Ford Dealers have supported the OCA Ranch Rodeo since the beginning as the presenting sponsor.
“The Oklahoma Ford Dealers believe in our mission and have been extremely loyal and generous over the years,” Trentman said.
The OCA is the trusted voice of the Oklahoma Cattle Industry and works to protect and empower Oklahoma cattlemen today, to serve tomorrow. OCA is the only voice that speaks solely for the cattlemen of Oklahoma and represents beef producers in all 77 counties across the state. The OCA officers, board of directors and membership encourages you to join us in our advocacy efforts to ensure less government intervention, lower taxes and a better bottom line. For more information about OCA membership, the theft reward program or activities call 405-235-4391 or visit www.okcattlemen.org.
Introducing the prestigious AQHA Top Horse fan-voted award, a testament to the exceptional equine talent showcased in the Cinch Timed Event Championship and Jr Ironman presented by WCRA.
BIG CTEC NEWS! $1,000 Award Cinch Timed Event Championship AQHA Top Horse Award, and $500 Award – Jr Ironman AQHA Top Horse Award! Nominate an AQHA registered Quarter Horse that you are competing on to be eligible for the award. You can nominate at contestant check in. You will need the horse’s registered name, registration number and owner information. If a copy of the registration papers is available, that will speed up the verification procedure!
The AQHA Top Horse Award will be awarded to the horse that FANS select after CINCH Timed Event Championship judges narrow the selection to 10 AQHA horses!
Voting will open after the first round of the Jr Ironman and the third round of the Cinch Timed Event Championship.
Bama Montana 2018 Bay Gelding Bamacat x Short Candy (Shorty Lena) Rider: Clayton Hass Event: Heading and Heeling Owner: Slick Robison Rope HorsesHorse: Time To Sven Rider: Eli Green Event: Heading Age: 7 (Gelding) Owner: Kyndall Green
Winning the first Timed Event Championship of the World ever held in 1985 was one of late roping revolutionary Leo Camarillo’s proudest career achievements. Camarillo struck again in 1989, and his 3.3-second TEC steer wrestling record set all the way back in 1986 still stands today. We roll into this week’s 40th annual Cinch Timed Event Championship knowing how proud The Lion was to have his name on that banner that will hang from the rafters of this fabulous Lazy E Arena for the rest of time alongside the rare few who’ve managed to climb and conquer the Timed Event mountain.
“In my family, we were ropers first and ropers last,” Leo once told me. “But we took a lot of pride in gritting our teeth and bulldogging, too, not just to showcase ourselves, but also our horsemanship, technique and try. For me to go back to bulldogging country (Checotah, Oklahoma is the Steer Wrestling Capital of the World) and set a record that still stands is something I’ll go to my grave pretty proud of.”
That he did. And only 19 cowboys have laid claim to the title of Rodeo Ironman. There have been a handful of repeat champions. The great Trevor Brazile has won the prestigious Timed Event a record seven times. KC Jones, who at 56 is returning for another round in 2024 to show the young bucks how it’s done, owns five TEC buckles. Paul Tierney has four TEC titles; Jimmie Cooper and Daniel Green, three; and Kyle Lockett and Paul David Tierney join Camarillo at two titles each.
But what we’ve seen in recent times—in today’s world of now predominantly single-event cowboy specialists, who will this year vie for $210,000 here—is that the list of cowboys capable of doing five-event battle has become increasingly rare as every event in rodeo today is tougher than ever before. It’s been Jess Tierney in 2017, Jordan Ketscher in 2018, Justin Thigpen in 2019, Taylor Santos in 2020, Marcus Theriot in 2021, Erich Rogers in 2022 and Cody Doescher in 2023.
Cowboy King
“To me, the coolest thing about the Timed Event is that nobody goes into it without a weakness of some sort,” said Cowboy King Brazile. “Nobody rides into the Timed Event like they do every other event they enter throughout the year, because at this event you’re going to have to do some things you don’t have great comfort in doing. Part of who wins the Timed Event is about who handles being uncomfortable the best.”
Brazile’s 26 gold buckles put him in a league of his own in rodeo’s history books. How do those seven TEC titles rank?
“Those Timed Event titles mean a ton to me,” he said. “I’ve said throughout my career that I didn’t want to be labeled as anything other than a cowboy. The (world) all-around buckles and the Timed Event buckles mean the most, because of the versatility it takes to win both.”
What kind of cowboy wins the Timed Event, and the $100,000 champ’s check that goes with the coveted TEC title?
“Only a cowboy who’s really handy in all facets of rodeo, who’s also mentally tough, stands a chance,” Trevor said. “When you run 25 head in five events (heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping), a lot of stuff’s going to go wrong. It’s about who keeps rolling with the punches. I’ve had everything go wrong that possibly can at the Timed Event, just like everybody else. One of those years I won it, I took a 60 in the first event in the first round. You have to keep it all together in your head to be successful at the Timed Event.”
Older and Wiser
Jones won his first Timed Event title in 1993, and his fifth in 2012. And hey, he was contending for another one last year before his steer rope broke in Round 4.
“Heck, I wish I was 40 again,” Jones smiled. “I don’t care how old you are, you have to show up prepared. It’s 25 head, and you’re not going to draw at the top of the herd 25 times. You’re going to have to get by runners and whatever else they throw your way.
“Nobody has ever lucked into winning the Timed Event. You better have some skills, and it’s a big mental game, too. Drawing up and down, and switching events so fast takes shifting your focus from event to event, and fast. You have to be able to react to all the curveballs that come your way. There are times you can make up some time, and other times when you need to just set up a run and stay steady. It all comes into play, including strategy and gamesmanship, at the Timed Event.”
Jones roped calves and heeled for Mark Simon at the 1991 National Finals Rodeo. He won the 1994 Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping Classic heeling for Kevin Stewart. How do his Timed Event titles stack up in the career of this equine dentist who’s worked on horses’ teeth for the likes of living rodeo legends Cody Ohl and Sherry Cervi?
“I love the Timed Event, it’s been good to me and I’m so thankful for that,” Jones said. “I didn’t always get to go rodeo the way I wanted to when I was younger. But I could always work a good share of the year and still go to the Timed Event. I always look forward to it, because it’s something big to work toward. I may be getting a little longer in the tooth, but I still have a few goals and dreams. I’m not done, and I’m not backing down.
“There’s a reason not many young guys win the Timed Event. It takes a long time to really get a foundation in each event, and there’s a lot of knowledge that you better have tucked in your head if you’re going to go win the Timed Event. If you only have one main event—like most guys today—you have to work your tail off to figure out the foundation and fundamentals in four more. And that’s not an overnight process.”
Patriarch PT
Paul Tierney was the 1979 world champion calf roper and the 1980 world champion all-around cowboy. He was victorious at four of the 29 Timed Events he competed in.
“Getting to see cowboys compete in events they’re strong and weak in is part of what makes the Timed Event special to watch,” Tierney said. “We always talk about the mental game in our rodeo culture, and you get to see guys’ mental strengths and weaknesses at the Timed Event, too. There’s been an evolution at this event over the years. When the Timed Event first started, there were a lot of calf ropers and bulldoggers who had to learn to team rope to enter. The heeling is what eliminated a lot of guys back then.
“Today, the Timed Event includes more team ropers who have to learn how to bulldog and steer rope to enter. That’s because team roping only became a standard event they have at every rodeo in recent times, and everybody ropes now. But they don’t all steer wrestle now, like we did 25 years ago. The steer wrestling has become more of a pitfall now than it was back in my day. That, and the steer roping.”
Tierney says the steer roping was his toughest event to tackle each year, because it was his weakest. That’s traditionally the 25th of 25 runs it takes to complete the Timed Event course.
“All four years I won it, I was in the lead going into that last steer, and I was proud that I never failed to get my job done, even in my weakest event,” he said. “It takes a really disciplined person to win the Timed Event, and if you don’t have discipline, you will not be successful. Especially in 2024. Rodeo mode in my day and rodeo mode today are two very different things. These guys who rodeo today have to go so fast every time they nod their head. So you have to throw rodeo mode right out the window at the Timed Event now. This is not a one-header, and it’s not about winning go-rounds. The Timed Event is a marathon. It’s about making good runs, no matter what.
“I was always an all-around buff, and winning the all-around was my No. 1 goal. Larry Mahan and Phil Lyne were my heroes growing up, and I competed in six events at the College (National) Finals (Rodeo) one year. When I turned pro, I worked all three timed events (he roped calves, bulldogged and heeled), and steer roped when I could. Guys can be strong in even two or three events. But it takes five at the Timed Event, and that makes this event very special. These guys who compete at the Timed Event are the best all-around cowboys in the world. That’s why people come from far and wide to watch them compete. The cowboys who shine at the Timed Event are smart, strategic guys who outwork everybody. You have to be tough to win the Timed Event.”
Competition Junky
Jimmie Cooper took the world all-around torch right after Tierney, in 1981. The dad of NFR team roping twins Jake and Jim Ross, and breakaway roping daughter, Jill Tanner, could not be more proud of his Timed Event accolades.
“Winning the world all-around championship is the toughest thing there is to win, and the Timed Event Championship is right there with it,” Cooper said. “The Timed Event is on the same level as a world championship, and it gets respect because of that. I’m very proud to have won the Timed Event, and the list of guys who’ve won it is amazing.
“I won that world all-around title the second year I rodeoed, and only rodeoed for seven years. When I quit rodeoing, the Timed Event really fit me better, because I didn’t have to stay out there on the road. I could really work toward that, and it gave me a lot of recognition without having to live on the road. The Timed Event took over a different season of my life, and I looked forward to going to the Lazy E to compete in it every year. Not all years went great, but those just lit a fire in me for the next one. We’re all competition junkies, and the Timed Event is right there with a world championship because of how hard it is to win.”
What do Timed Event champs have in common?
“Guys who win the Timed Event are consistently tough, and they can take the pressure,” Cooper said. “To perform at that level in five rounds of five events comes with a very high degree of difficulty. This isn’t a one-header where just anybody has a shot at success. And the Timed Event is one of a kind because of it.”
Missing in Action
There are two noticeably absent Cowboys who’ve been constant Timed Event contenders in recent times. Kyle Lockett’s a two-time TEC titlist, and is at 46 taking an injury time-out in 2024. Fellow Californian Lane Karney, who finished third last year and has several top-four finishes to his credit, raced home to his very pregnant wife, Jane, at Timed Event’s end last year to welcome their baby girl, Charlie, to the world and has since shifted his priorities.
Lockett had a mishap at a match calf branding in November and, “I broke the long bone in my left shoulder, and haven’t been able to rope much since,” he said. “I did rope in the American qualifier (West Regional Finals) in Vegas the other day, but didn’t make it through. You can’t show up at the Timed Event thinking you’re going to half ass it and do any good. Running 25 head under those conditions—big arena, and big, fresh cattle over a long score—is no joke, and there aren’t very many people who can pull it off when they’re healthy.
“The Timed Event separates the men from the boys, and I’m proud to be a part of its history. I love this event so much that if I had a chance to start all over again the morning after it ends, I’d stay every time. I’m planning on going back to the Lazy E and getting another W. I’m 46, but I can still do things 25-year-olds can do.
“I got to be there to watch and compete against guys like Jimmie Cooper and Paul Tierney, and they beat us into their 50s. The best guys can win the Timed Event at any age, and there are actually advantages that come with more experience. When you’re running 25 head, you will be faced with things that have never happened to you before. An older, wiser veteran won’t panic when that happens, and that helps him react and get by things a young guy might not be able to handle.”
Since last year, the Karneys have launched a booming real estate business, and are laser-focused on that and their young family.
“It’s a brotherhood back there behind the Timed Event chutes, and I’ll treasure that feeling for the rest of my life,” said Lane, who’s big brother to 2020 TEC champ Santos, and will be his best man this fall when Taylor marries Paul’s daughter and 2020-21 Miss Rodeo America Jordan Tierney. “In today’s world of single-event cowboys, it’s pretty cool to compete alongside a group of guys who are willing to bear down and try it on in five events. I’m sure going to miss that Timed Event camaraderie, but have turned a page in my life, and am all in on the next chapter.”
“It’s a brotherhood back there behind the Timed Event chutes, and I’ll treasure that feeling for the rest of my life,” said Lane, who’s big brother to 2020 TEC champ Santos, and will be his best man this fall when Taylor marries Paul’s daughter and 2020-21 Miss Rodeo America Jordan Tierney. “In today’s world of single-event cowboys, it’s pretty cool to compete alongside a group of guys who are willing to bear down and try it on in five events. I’m sure going to miss that Timed Event camaraderie, but have turned a page in my life, and am all-in on the next chapter.”
Generation Next
Three-time TEC titlist Daniel Green joins Camarillo, Lockett, Santos and Ketscher in the category of Timed Event champs from California. Though Daniel has retired from Timed Event battle himself, he’ll suit up to serve as heading and heeling help for his son, Eli, in this year’s Junior Ironman, which will pay the winner $20,000.
“I miss being back in my prime, and the ability to compete at that highest, maximum level,” Daniel said. “I miss the excitement that comes with competing at the Timed Event. That was a great time in my life, and to have that versatility and mental strength to deal with the things that don’t always go right in 25 rounds meant a lot to me. You have to let the tough stuff go, and keep moving forward at the Timed Event.
“To win the Timed Event, you’ve got to be prepared physically and mentally, and you might need a break or two to go your way while you’re at it. Drawing the right steer or calf at the right time, or having the ball bounce your way when you need it to come in very handy at the Timed Event. There’s no way it’s all going to go perfectly over 25 runs, so being able to leave the bad stuff behind and go on to the next run is key. You can’t look back, and can only look forward. I never did well when I was trying to chase somebody, and trying to make things happen usually led to more mistakes. There will be bobbles in 25 rounds, but staying solid is the better bet at this event.”
Green has an inside joke with his breakaway roping friends that references the Timed Event champion banners that hang above this Lazy E Arena.
“I say, ‘If you want to be solid, rope them under Kyle’s banner,” Green grinned. “But if you want to win, you’ve got to rope them under my banner.”
Daddy Daniel is excited about Eli’s first hurrah in this arena that’s held such a special spot in his heart. The Junior Ironman is a 12-round contest—three each in heading, heeling, steer wrestling and tie-down roping.
“This is Eli’s first year, and it’ll be pretty cool for me to get back in this building with him,” Daniel said. “It’ll be a pretty special occasion for our family for me to see my son doing something I loved so much. You can watch something all you want, but we’ll just have to see how he feels when he gets into it. With the rule change that an adult can help the kids, which is new this year, it’ll be that much more special and memorable to be down in the dirt with my son.”
Fab Five
Like everything else in rodeo, the Timed Event will become harder to win over time as every event gets tougher. The last five years are living proof of that fact, with Thigpen striking in 2019, Santos getting the win in 2020, Theriot coming out on top in 2021, Rogers proving he’s more than a header in 2022 and Doescher becoming the first home-stater ever to get the TEC win for Oklahoma last year. A little-known Timed Event trivia fact is that Mike Beers was the first TEC rookie to win the title in 1986, and Thigpen and Santos are just the second and third cowboys ever to follow suit.
Thigpen and his wife were just starting to build a new house for their family when he hit the 2019 Timed Event jackpot.
“Maybe we won’t have to go to the bank for a loan now,” he beamed in the TEC winner’s circle.
Santos was coming off of his first NFR qualification in the tie-down roping in 2019 when he won $103,000 at his first Timed Event in 2020, just as COVID was shutting down rodeo with the rest of the world.
“It makes me proud to carry on a great tradition started by legends like Leo Camarillo, who was a close family friend, and carried on by guys like the best there’s ever been, Trevor Brazile,” said Santos, who went to Brazile’s for a pre-TEC tune-up before his first one. “Timed Event contestants are the kind of cowboys who’d come in handy if you needed help on the ranch.”
Theriot just qualified for his first NFR heading for Cole Curry in 2023.
“The Timed Event is the biggest, most prestigious event I’ve ever won,” he said at TEC 2021’s end. “There aren’t many chances to get it done, and only one guy wins it every year. People ask me what it takes to win it now that I know, and I tell them, ‘A lot of patience, concentration and just staying focused. I definitely feel like you have to be made for this event to win it.’”
Rogers has experienced about every emotion at the Timed Event, from the low of blowing out a knee bulldogging at the 2018 TEC, to finally finding the finish line in first place in 2022.
“The Timed Event is one of the premier events a guy can go to to show off your talent and versatility,” Rogers said. “You’re taking on not only the toughest set of all-around cowboy competitors in the world, but the cattle they bring in for this event also. They’re big and strong and tough, too.”
Doescher’s Sooner State W meant the literal world to his family.
“This is life-changing for us,” he said. “We live in a single-wide, and we’re trying to get out of it because we’ve outgrown it with three kids. We’re trying to get a place either bought or built. This money couldn’t have come at a better time. We’ve never seen this much money at one time.”
There’s never a bad time for a windfall $100,000 win. And with a tip of the hat to 40 years of tradition, the 2024 Timed Event titans are here to make more history.
