John Papendick: South Dakota breakaway roper Sawyer Gilbert wins world rodeo title
South Dakota always has been part of rodeo royalty.
Whether it be rodeo queens or winning rodeo world titles, South Dakota has always been in the mix. And earlier this month, a 19-year-old South Dakota cowgirl added to the state rodeo legacy by bringing home a National Finals Rodeo title from Las Vegas.
Breakaway roper Sawyer Gilbert of Buffalo along with her horses Hollywood and Roger, won the world title Dec. 6-7. It is only the second year the breakaway roping world title has been held in conjunction with the NFR.
Gilbert won her title — the 36th NFR world championship ever to be won by a South Dakotan — in dramatic fashion over world runner-up Shelby Boisjoli. Gilbert earned $19,532 in Las Vegas for a season total of $71,654.
Her total was just $2,197 more than Boisjoli of Texas. Boisjoli and Gilbert were the last two contestants to rope in the last of 10 rounds, and Gilbert held only an $86 lead over Boisjoli.
Also competing in the NFR (top 15 in each event qualify) in Las Vegas this month were South Dakota barrel racers Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs and Jessica Routier of Buffalo. This was Lockhart’s 15th consecutive NFR (she finished 12th in the world with $116,845 earned) and Routier’s fourth straight trip (14th, $100,169).
Also in Vegas, South Dakotan Jordan Tierney of Oral gave up her historic two-year run as Miss Rodeo America 2020-21. COVID-19 canceled the 2021 pageant. Tierney was the fifth Miss Rodeo America from South Dakota (Pat Koren of Rapid City in 1965; Donna Keffeler of Sturgis in 1982; Leslie Patten of Belle Fourche in 1985; and Mackenzie Haley of Winner in 2011).
Tierney is the daughter of NFR world champion and PCRA hall of famer Paul Tierney, and Miss Rodeo South Dakota 1985, Robin (Bail) Tierney, who was second runner-up for Miss Rodeo America 1985. Paul Tierney won the world all-around cowboy title in 1980 and the tie-down title in 1979.
South Dakota cowboys have always played a starring role since the National Finals Rodeo got its start in 1929. That year, South Dakotan Earl Thode of Belvidere won two world titles (all-around and saddle bronc). Thode won another saddle bronc title in 1931.
In fact, 21 of the 36 world rodeo titles won by South Dakotans have been in saddle bronc, including in 2013 by Chad Ferley of Oelrichs and in 1980 by Clint Johnson of Spearfish. State riders won 13 titles in 20 years (1987-2006) from brothers Billy and Robert Etbauer of Ree Heights, Ferley, Jeff Willert of Belvidere, Tom Reeves of Eagle Butte and Johnson.
From 1949-59, Casey Tibbs of Fort Pierre won six saddle bronc titles.
Tibbs also won all-around (1951, 1955) titles and a bareback riding title in 1951. Marvin Garrett of Belle Fourche won three bareback titles (1994, 1995 and 1989) and his brother, Mark Garrett, won the 1996 title.
In 1990, Troy Pruitt of Lennox won a tie-down roping world title. And in 1946, Pee Wee Morris of Custer was the world bull-riding champion. Other South Dakotans has won world titles in categories such as averages as well.
Other South Dakota rodeo groups earned recognition this month from the pro rodeo cowboys and cowgirls associations in Las Vegas ahead of the National Finals Rodeo.
At the annual pro rodeo awards on Dec. 1, the Dacotah Stampede in Aberdeen was one of five finalists for small rodeo of the year. The winner was the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, OK.
Meanwhile, Rodeo Rapid City won the large indoor rodeo of the year national award for the second year in a row. Both South Dakota rodeos are produced by the Sutton Rodeo family of Onida.
Also, one of Sutton Rodeo’s team members, Brent Sutton, was one of five national finalists for pickup man of the year. Another South Dakota winner during the night was the Burke Stampede Rodeo which won the Hesston Sowing Good Deeds award for the rodeo’s charitable giving, civic involvement and educational activities.
Finally, the 102-year-old Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche was named medium rodeo of the year for the fourth straight year (2018-2021).
Long-time South Dakota journalist John Papendick is a freelance writer, public speaker and seeker of new life experiences. Email: papendickjohn@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Papendick column South Dakota rodeo wins big in Las Vegas
