PRORODEO Sports News - June 1, 2026

It was there they all envisioned themselves at the NFR in the yellow bucking chutes before heading inside to escape the 20-degree weather and watch the real thing on TV. It was also where they were able to truly let their personalities shine, spending the long and seemingly never-ending days of the COVID-19 pandemic coming up with antics such as giving each other haircuts most wouldn’t be caught dead to have now as young PRORODEO stars. But that’s what makes his childhood home – and Arapaho – special to Wacey. It’s a small, quiet grassroots town in rural Oklahoma that loves rodeo and the Western way of life. “I FEEL LIKE THIS IS AN AREA WHERE I CANNOT BE RECOGNIZED AS TOP 15 BULL RIDER OR BAREBACK RIDER IN THE WORLD,” WACEY SAID. “I CAN JUST DO MY DEAL AND MESS WITH MY BULLS. THIS IS A RODEO AREA. I CAN GO ALL DIRECTIONS AND SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE CHASING THE SAME DREAM AS ME. THIS IS MY HOME.” THE EARLY DAYS Wacey and Madison were born into rodeo. When Nikki and Luke met in college in Odes sa, Texas, where Luke was part of his collegiate rodeo team. Nikki, who didn’t grow up around

All-around cowboy Wacey Schalla raises his own bucking bulls in Arapaho, Okla. All photos from the Schalla Ranch in this story are PRCA file photos

Wacey Schalla and his father, Luke (gate), often buck some of Wacey’s bulls in the family’s arena. Often, they are joined by other PRCA cowboys, including bull rider Avery Mullins and Jace Trosclair.

Wacey and Madison share a close bond.

JUNE 1, 2026 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE 39