The Colorado Stampede Rodeo in Grand Junction is one of the early stops for cowboys and cowgirls taking off on the summer run across the Mountain States. This year the rodeo drew in top PRORODEO contestants again ready to get the summer started.
Among the standout performances across events, none stood out quite like Danielle Lowman in the breakaway roping. National Finals Breakaway Roping Qualifier, and a fan favorite, “D-Low,” is among the greats. Although not a Colorado native, she has clearly found her groove at the Colorado Stampede, where she has won the breakaway two times in a row.
If back to back wins wasn’t impressive enough, Lowman did so with identical times of 1.9 seconds. She was the only cowgirl either year to break the 2-second mark. Though known for her fast runs in the buildings that earned her the nickname “Texas Swing Queen”, she’s proving just as dangerous in the outdoor set ups.
Currently sitting in the top 40 in the world standings, Lowman has her sights set on the top 15 and making another trip to Vegas. Performances like this show she’s well on track.
The rest of the stampede was packed with exciting performances too. In the bareback riding, Darien Johnson took the win after scoring 83 points on Kirsten Vold Rodeo Company's Storm Valley. Wyoming man, Payden McIntyre won the steer wrestling title with a run of 3.8 seconds.
The team roping win went to Howard Hutchings and Scott Lauaki with a 5.2. Clint Franks was 85 points on Kirsten Vold Rodeo Company's Risky Mistress to win the Saddle Bronc. The tie-down roping proved to be challenging with a strong set of calves. By over half a second, Hayden Ford would be the best to be the tie-down roping champ.
Macee McAlister won the barrel race in a field of talented ladies and horses. Her 14.83 second run was one of only two times under 15 seconds. Dalton Rudman dominated the bull riding with 90 points on Kirsten Vold Rodeo Company's No. 93.
With strong performances, and some familiar names on the leaderboard, the Colorado Stampede once again set the tone and the bar high for a fun summer of rodeos ahead.
Photo by Hillary Maybery Photography
