PRORODEO Sports News - June 1, 2026

T raver Johnson entered the 2026 PRORODEO season with big aspirations. The reigning Resistol Steer Wrestling Rookie of the Year, Johnson was intent on making his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo appearance as a sophomore. Instead, it had been a bit of a struggle through mid-May; he had earned $13,145 and wasn’t ranked among the top 50 in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford Steer Wrestling World Standings. That changed Saturday, when he claimed the Redding (Calif.) Rodeo’s bulldogging title, placing in both rounds and winning the aggregate with a two-run cumulative time of 9.5 seconds, a second ahead of the runner-up, New Mexican Tyke Kipp at the Playoff Series Rodeo. “I’m behind the eight-ball a little bit right now,” said Johnson, 22, of Eltopia, Wash. “I try not to look at the standings too much, but my goal is to just keep going at them and see where the chips fall. “We’re going to go hard and still try

to make the Finals.” Those two Saturday runs on the final day of competition in Redding may have been the change of pace he needs. Four and a half months remain in the regular season, and there are dozens of lucrative rodeos on the hori zon. The main factor to future success happens to be Johnson’s guiding light at the northern California rodeo. “Horsepower,” he said. “I was riding my good horse, Potter, that I’ve had since last year, and then my bud dy, Bode Spring, was hazing for me. That was pretty much the key to it.” Johnson acquired the gray gelding from Kyle Whitaker, a 10-time Lind erman Award winner and Johnson’s former rodeo coach at Montana State University. “We started jumping steers on (Potter) at the school like two years ago, and then Kyle sold him to me last spring,” Johnson said. “He’s just been great. He took to bulldogging pretty easy. We even mounted four guys on him (Saturday), and he was outstand ing. He’s just the right size, I think, and he just tries his butt off.” Partners like that can make all the

difference, especially for an ath lete that is looking to change things around. “The last month in California was pretty rough,” he said. “I haven’t real ly won much. We were just going to a couple rodeos this weekend, so I just went home and practiced a little bit. I was just trying to get the ball rolling again. “Hopefully the momentum has switched now.” Other winners in Redding were all-around cowboy Stetson Wright ($13,536, saddle bronc riding and bull riding); bareback rider Weston Timberman (86.5 points on Brook man Rodeo’s Lonesome Smile); team ropers Coleman Proctor/Travis Graves (9.7 seconds on two head); saddle bronc rider Stetson Wright (86.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rode os’ Scarlett Lady); tie-down ropers Chase Webster and Joel Harris (17.2 seconds on two head); barrel racer Sydney Graham (17.28 seconds); and bull rider Stetson Wright (89 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Cheeseberger Edd).

JUNE 1, 2026 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE 47