The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Duane Reichert is traveling to Steamboat Springs this weekend to be the rodeo clown for the last weekend of the Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo series.

No matter what the New Underwood, S.D., clown has up his billowy sleeves, he’ll be in for quite a contest when it comes to entertaining fans of the summer-long series.

There have been 18 nights of rodeo in Steamboat, but competitors will rope and ride tonight and Saturday with more on the line than at any other time this summer. The season-spanning championships in nearly every discipline are up for grabs, and cowboys figure to flock to Steamboat Springs for a crack at capturing the titles.

The rodeo kicks off its last weekend in town at 7:30 p.m., at the Brent Romick Rodeo Arena in downtown Steamboat.

Even in areas where a few hundred or a thousand points separate first from second place, a lot of ground can be made up with one last ride, rodeo board member Char Mighton said.

“We’ve been doubling points all through August as an incentive,” said Mighton, who has had a hand in organizing the rodeo all summer long. “Someone might be able to get 1,000 points this weekend. We won’t know until Saturday night who’s going to win.”

Each dollar award typically counts as one point, but those points have doubled in August, so riders could potentially net well more than 1,000 points just with one ride. Belt buckles go to the winners of each of the rodeo’s nine main competitions, including the winner of the season-long saddle bronc competition. That cowboy will have the chance to take home a little something extra, too.

The top six Steamboat se­­ries saddle bronc riders will be invited back later Saturday night after the regular competition to ride for the Pat Mantle Saddle Bronc riding championship. At stake there will be an extra $2,000 and a commemorative Winchester rifle.

Mantle was a Steamboat-area cowboy who often worked the local rodeo as a pick-up man. He died in 1992, but has stood as one of the most indelible figures in Yampa Valley rodeo since. The award is meant to reflect Mantle’s stature in Steamboat.

Brandon Munn of Wheat­land, Wyo., holds the lead in the saddle bronc standings with 3,754 points, well ahead of Chad Mosher of Calhan, who has 2,177.

Both figure to ride Sat­urday, first to chase the season championship, then to capture the 17th annual Pat Mantle award.

— To reach Joel Reichenberger, call 871-4253

or e-mail jreichenberger@steamboatpilot.com