Last Year’s Champions Gear Up for Rodeo Rapid City

Rodeo Rapid City, once again, was honored with Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year in Dec., 2023. That makes five times Sutton Rodeo has brought home the trophy, and 21 times being nominated.

For professional rodeo athletes from South Dakota, Rodeo Rapid City has a hometown feel. Last year’s bronc riding champion Shorty Garrett said, “All my close family and friends can be at that rodeo. You can feel the support you’ve got in your home state right there in that event center whenever it’s time to go.”

The large purse – $166,886 paid out last year – and state of the art facilities are an added bonus. In 2021, the Summit Arena at the Monument was completed, much to the pleasure of spectators and competitors. “That new [arena] is awesome. It sure makes a big difference,” Garrett said.

Garrett is from Eagle Butte and qualified to the National Finals Rodeo in 2020.

The last time Garrett drew South Point at Rodeo Rapid City 2022, he won it, breaking the arena record with 90.5 points. His traveling partner, Isaac Diaz, dominated a round on South Point at the NFR in 2018 with 90 points. “He told me ‘You’re gonna love it,'” Garrett said.

In 2023, South Point – the Badlands Circuit Saddle Bronc of the Year – showed up next to Garrett’s name again with the same end result: a first place check. This time they scored 89.5.

Garrett has a long history of being successful riding Sutton bucking horses, including riding Sutton’s Prom Night for his first Rapid City win in 2017.

His timed event counterpart, Billy Boldon, won the steer wrestling at the 2023 Rodeo Rapid City with a time of 4.1 seconds.

Boldon, a full-time rancher and part-time rodeo cowboy, takes full advantage of the Badlands Circuit rodeos near his home in Oglala, South Dakota. But when his season goes well, he hits the road. “I wasn’t really planning to rodeo last year as hard as I did,” he said. Wins at crucial early rodeos like Rapid City and the NILE ProRodeo in Billings, Montana meant that he had enough money won to keep going.

This year, he will operate in the same manner. “I never really have a plan. We’ll just see what my me and my traveling partners decide to do. I’ll dang sure try to make the [Badlands] Circuit Finals. If it’s going good, I’ll probably go rodeo a little more. If not, I’ll come back and Circuit rodeo.”

Similarly, Garrett, who has been hungry to qualify for his second NFR, knows well the outcome of best laid plans. “Last year during the time of Rapid, I was sitting third in the world. Didn’t have good luck drawing after Houston. Everything kind of fell apart and I started slipping down the standings. I’d rather be sitting third at the end of the year than at the end, but it’s always nice to have a good year all the way through and get a big jump on it.”

His goals in 2024 are simple: “Stay healthy and draw good all the way through.”

Both Garrett and Boldon are longtime competitors at Rodeo Rapid City. In high school, both competed in the invitational 20X Extreme Showcase Rodeo for top high school rodeo athletes.

The full schedule of slacks and performances can be found at suttonrodeo.com/rodeo-rapid-city.

“I look forward to competing there,” said Garrett.