Peggy Garman sets CFD breakaway roping record

Jul. 21—CHEYENNE — Peggy Garman's first breakaway roping run of the 126th anniversary Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo was a struggle from the start and ended in a no-time.

Her second run was unforgettable.

The Sundance, Wyoming, cowgirl stopped the clock in an arena record time of 3.0 seconds to win Wednesday morning's wild card round.

"I was disappointed after my run (Tuesday) because I blew the start out and missed a really good calf," Garman said. "I went back last night and relaxed and let my horses relax. It was nice and cool this morning, and my horse felt good when I got on him.

"When I got into the box, he didn't want to stand up for me, and the judge said I had 5 seconds to nod before I was turned out. I just nodded and (my horse) was amazing for me. The calf stepped right into my loop and I just nailed him. I was shocked when I saw the time."

Garman's run came on the heels of Alex Loiselle matching the arena record time of 3.4 seconds, which Carole Hollers posted during qualifying in 2021.

Garman came so close to breaking the barrier on her first run Tuesday afternoon that the barrier actually hit her left foot as she exited the box. The feeling of that rope caroming off her stirrup broke her concentration. By the time she regained her focus, she was throwing her loop past her draw.

"Watching the video, you can see where I get kind of pulled back and thrown off balance," Garman said. "My horse is so fast, and he closed the gap on the calf before I could get squared back up and centered."

Garman laid low for most of the rodeo season, but started going hard around July 4. She is ranked No. 71 in the most recent Women's Professional Rodeo Association standings with a little more than $7,500 in earnings.

She earned a spot in CFD's tournament thanks to finishing in the top 12 of Wednesday's wild card round. It's a result that has German rethinking her summer plans and turning her attention to chasing a spot at the National Finals Rodeo.

"Last year, I stayed closer to home and in my circuit," German said. "This year, I'm doing well enough I can keep going. I think this solidifies that I need to keep entering the rest of the year and see what happens and where the cards fall on Oct. 1."

Garman's record-setting run was one of four that either tied or broke Hollers' arena record.

Martha Angelone of Stephenville, Texas, placed second in the wild card round with a 3.1.

"I messed up on my scoring and got way too close to my calf," Angelone said. "(Wednesday), I made sure I let him get out in front of me so I could make a faster run.

"I wanted to make sure I was a little bit off the barrier and had everything out in front of me this round."

Angelone advanced to the finals of the tournament last year, but missed her calf during the final round.

"Hopefully this means I'll get a chance to redeem myself," she said.

Angelone is currently No. 1 in the world standings and describes this season as the best she's ever had. She attributes a lot of that to two new horses she bought.

"Other people were letting me on their horses, and I ended up winning a bunch on them," Angelone said. "I liked them, so I offered to buy them. I have a lot better horsepower this year. They're definitely winners, and they've really helped me a lot."

Loiselle — who hails from Paris, Texas — briefly held the lead and a share of the arena record after going 3.4 on her wild card run. Garman rewrote the record book 12 runs later, but that didn't do anything to dampen Loiselle's spirits.

"The wind started blowing really hard when I was up (Tuesday), and I couldn't really get my rope out in front of me where I needed it," Loiselle said. "Everything was calm, and I got a really good calf and scored well."

This is Loiselle's second time competing in breakaway roping at the "Daddy of 'em All." She also advanced to the tournament rounds in 2021, but didn't move on to the semifinals. Loiselle likes the breakaway roping setup in Frontier Park Arena.

"I love having to score them and go rope," she said. "There are so many rodeos where it's just about roping them as fast as you can. I love getting to come out here, ride and rope a calf and see how it works out.

"It tests your roping ability and horsemanship."

Josie Goodrich of Stanfield, Oregon, shared third with Loiselle at 3.4 seconds.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.