Campbell is Xtreme, etc.

Among local rodeo action this past Saturday, the “ceremonial” Stampede Week here in the Cody country really began with the 12th annual Cody/Yellowstone Xtreme Bulls tour stop on that night.

In front of a reportedly near-capacity crowd at Stampede Park, Boudreaux Campbell won the event by scoring a 90-point ride.  The 19-year-old who calls Crockett, TX, home earned $5,358 for it.  According to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the total payout of that competition was $17,860, which made it the richest Xtreme Bulls affair of any such tilt come this 4th of July holiday season – also known as “Cowboy Christmas.”  Campbell said that he’d come to town last summer though didn’t ride well and so being victorious this time around meant a lot.  (He was one of about 40 of the world’s top bull riders who were slated to be here come this latest edition of the event.)

Aside from Xtreme Bulls on that evening, there was another Bull Fighters Only contest (captured by reigning champion Weston Rutkowski, who defended his crown with a score at 90.5) as well as a Junior NFR Qualifier bull riding event for kids 10-18 years old.

Now, all of that is followed by the 99th Year of the Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede bucking off over this Sunday night and then capping earlier Wednesday evening (slack outings for tie-down roping, team roping as well as steer wrestling can be seen among the mornings at the rodeo grounds).  It was the highest-paying PRCA rodeo by Independence Day 2017 at $343,861 – making the Cody Stampede one of the gold rodeos to the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, and the richest/largest one-header come this country is anticipating 773 contestants for 2018.