PRORODEO Sports News - February 21, 2025

treasurer and secretary Edie Long fellow is a diehard supporter and fan of the circuit. She said the notoriety of the seemingly countless legendary rodeos in the region lead cowboys from other areas to take their talents to the Pacific Northwest. “We’ve got a lot of really good rodeos and longtime rodeos like the Pendle ton (Roundup), Ellensburg (Rodeo) and St. Paul (Rodeo) that have been going on for years,” said Longfellow, the winner of the 2024 PRCA Donita Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award. “Everybody knows them because they add so much money and are big-time rodeos for the contestants. And we get a lot of Texans and other people to join our circuit.” Longfellow first served as a PRCA secretary in 1967 and has dedicated her life to PRORODEO and the Co lumbia River Circuit. She reminisced on the early days of the circuit system and the excite ment and competition it brought to cowboys in different regions of the country. "I've always tried to make (Columbia River) the best circuit," Longfellow said when she won the award in November. "We have our ups and downs. But I think we're coming out of it again, and we're getting better. I enjoy the contestants and the fami lies. "Now I've been at it so long I'm work ing with the grandkids of the ones who started out, and I'm taking entry fees from them."

ProRodeo Hall of Famer and 1984 PRCA Team Roping World Champion Mike Beers is one of many legendary cowboys who spent time in Longfel low’s office and cut his teeth in the Columbia River Circuit. “I made it a point to go to pretty much every rodeo in my circuit,” Beers said. “I’ve actually rented a car and hauled ass from The Dalles (Ore.) to Salinas (California) so that I could go to Salinas but still make it to The Dalles. Charlie Crawford and I drove all night just to get there. “The circuit meant a lot to me, and we had a good representation of the Columbia River Circuit.” Over more than two decades, Beers won Columbia River Circuit champi onships. He won 12 all-around titles (including five straight from 1991-95), eight team-roping championships, eight steer wrestling buckles and two tie-down roping titles. Beers, born in Rufus, Ore., moved to Canada 12 years ago and doesn’t get down to as many Columbia River Cir cuit rodeos anymore. But he makes it a point to return to the Pendleton Round-Up every September. “The committees (in the circuit) are unbelievable,” Beers said. “If you go to Pendleton or Elleneseburg, the hospitality is second to none. The circuit system was great for our as sociation when they did it. It helped guys who wanted to stay in their circuit and gave guys who couldn’t really go full time a chance to go to a finals.”

The colors are presented prior to a perfor mance of the 2024 Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo in Redmond, Ore. PRCA Photo by Molly Morrow

PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS 17