King of the Mountain

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best, broncs, Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, circuit, colorado, country, cowboy, cowboys, Elizabeth, elizabeth Stampede, horses, King of the Mountain, lincoln rogers, mountain states, rodeo, roughstock, rural, sport, the fence post, tradition, west, western, win, winning, Wyoming

A trio of rodeos were named 2022’s best rodeos of the year for their respective categories in the Mountain States Circuit (Colorado & Wyoming). I was able to talk with two of them about their reactions to earning the titles — Cheyenne Frontier Days for Large Rodeo of the Year and the Elizabeth Stampede for Medium Rodeo of the year. The article with some of my photography has been published on the website of The Fence Post magazine. https://www.thefencepost.com/news/king-of-the-mountain/

The cowboy and western spirit thrives in the two-state region (Colorado and Wyoming) that comprises the Mountain States rodeo circuit. In this image from 2022’s Cheyenne Frontier Days, untamed horses are let loose to run throughout the arena before each performance at the world-famous venue. Image by Lincoln Rogers – All rights reserved.

www.lincolnrogers.com

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ~ John 8:32

A Few More USAF Thunderbirds Photos

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Air Force, Air Show, amazing, best, country, excellence, F-16, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, fighting falcon, fighting falcons, flight, fly, flying, formation, inspire, jets, lincoln rogers, military, photography, pilots, skill, soar, speed, talent, Thunderbirds, United States, usa, USAF Thunderbirds, west, western, wings over warren, Wyoming

I have finished my story and photos for publication on the USAF Thunderbirds and Cheyenne Frontier Days and how the two have a shared history and respect between them. That should be published soon. In the meantime, I wanted to get a few more Thunderbirds photos put on this blog! I had a very good time photographing and interviewing. Many thanks to the Public Affairs personnel for both the USAF Thunderbirds and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY. They made it a pleasure.

Almost creating the appearance of a single, long aircraft, the USAF Thunderbirds fly a long sequence in extremely close formation across the sky during the 2022 Wings Over Warren air show at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY on July 27, 2022. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022

A high speed, close proximity flyby maneuver is demonstrated by two USAF Thunderbirds pilots during a practice session in preparation for the 2022 Wings Over Warren an air show at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. Showing the extreme flight speed, as well as the skill required for this maneuver, the track and pan photography method of shooting this image shows one of the F-16 Fighting Falcons (foreground) to be stopped and sharp, while the other (background) is displaying movement and action blur from the speed and sideways roll. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022

Practicing for the upcoming 2022 Wings Over Warren air show held annually in conjunction with Cheyenne Frontier Days, a quartet of USAF Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcons fly across the sky in a formation so close to each other that it appears to be just two extra-long jets in the sky. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022

A formation of five f-16 Fighting Falcons piloted by the USAF Thunderbirds team soars out of the clouds like they were born from them as the elite Air Force pilots practiced maneuvers in preparation for the upcoming 2022 Wings Over Warren air show in Wyoming on July 27, 2022. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022

One of the chief goals of the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration squadron is to inspire. Well… mission accomplished. I was inspired.

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ~ John 8:32

You can also find Lincoln Rogers on
www.lincolnrogers.com and the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
I like it there!

More USAF Thunderbirds

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Air Force, Air Show, amazing, best, country, excellence, F-16, fighting falcon, fighting falcons, flight, flying, formation, inspire, jets, lincoln rogers, military, photography, pilots, skill, speed, talent, Thunderbirds, United States, usa, USAF Thunderbirds, west, western, Wyoming

After photographing the practice session of the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration squadron on July 25, I was able to also photograph the 2022 Wings Over Warren Air Show at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY on July 27, 2022. I will post more photos as I work on them from the show, but I will start with this one that I like quite a bit.

USAF Thunderbirds demonstration squadron performs a close formation, high speed maneuver during the 2022 Wings Over Warren Air Show at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY (July 27, 2022). The Thunderbirds narrator described their proximity in this formation to be 18 inches away from each other. Image by Lincoln Rogers – All rights reserved.

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ~ John 8:32

You can also find Lincoln Rogers on
www.lincolnrogers.com and the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
I like it there!

USAF Thunderbirds

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#photography, Air Force, Air Show, amazing, best, country, excellence, F-16, flight, flying, formation, inspire, jets, lincoln rogers, military, pilots, skill, talent, Thunderbirds, United States, usa, USAF Thunderbirds, west, western, Wyoming

I had the privilege of being able to photograph a practice session the USAF Thunderbirds team was performing in preparation for an upcoming air show at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. The flying was impressive and inspiring and the team members I was able to interview were just great to speak with about what they do and their thoughts about being a part of the Thunderbirds team. I have had a bit of time to be able to work on just a few photos, so far, and thought I would share them. I will be putting together an article with photos for publication in the near future.

2022 USAF Thunderbirds practice session in Wyoming. I call this image Touching the Clouds. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022 – All rights reserved.

USAF Thunderbirds perform what I think they call a solo maneuver with one F-16 right-side up and one upside down in close proximity as they practice for an upcoming air show at F.E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming, July 2022. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022

USAF Thunderbirds practicing maneuvers for an upcoming air show in WY. July 2022. I am not 100% sure, but I believe this maneuver is called a Delta. Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022

USAF Thunderbirds show the iconic paint job on the bottom of their F-16 jets as they fly overheard in tight formation during a practice session for an upcoming air show at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming (July 2022). Image by Lincoln Rogers, 2022.

I had a blast photographing the practice and interacting with a number of great people from both the Air Force base and the Thunderbirds team. They were all outstanding.

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” ~ John 8:32

You can also find Lincoln Rogers on
www.lincolnrogers.com and the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
I like it there!

2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Victory Photos

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#photography, 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days, accomplaiment, America, American, bareback, barrel racing, breakaway roping, broncs, bucking, bull riding, cattle, Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, clay smith, Cole Patterson, country, cowboy, cowboys, daddy of 'em all, extreme sport, hailey kinsel, heritage, historic, history, horse, horses, jade corkill, Jim Shoulders, ky hamiltion, largest outdoor rodeo, lincoln rogers, livestock, marty yates, newt novich, rodeo, rough stock, roughstock, rural, saddle bronc, sawyer gilbert, sport, steer wrestling, Stetson Wright, success, successful, team roping, tie down roping, tim o'connell, tradition, victory, west, western, win, winners, winning, women's breakaway roping, Wyoming

The Fence Post magazine has previously published my article and photo spread images from the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days championship round of rodeo. One thing about Cheyenne is that there are always more photos to be shared from there than can fit into magazines!

As a result, I thought I would post on this blog 10 victory images from the 10 categories that win titles and buckles at the historic Wyoming rodeo. Due to space limitations, most of these images did not make the pages of the magazine, so I wanted them to see life here in this blog.

I hope you enjoy.

3-time PRCA world champion bareback cowboy Tim O’Connell rode MLW’s Irish Eyes to an 89-point score and a Cheyenne Frontier Days title during Sunday’s championship round on August 01, 2021. The win was O’Connell’s second Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo title.

Sawyer Gilbert of Buffalo, SD (middle) poses in front of the big crowd with her championship saddle after winning the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Women’s Breakaway Roping event. 2021 was the just the second year of CFD hosting the event and the first year they added even money with the rest of the rodeo events.

7-time NFR qualifier Marty Yates went first in the Tie Down Roping and posted the championship round’s fastest time of 10.3 seconds to win the 2021 CFD buckle on August 01, 2021.

Utah cowboy Stetson Wright rode a high kicking Feather Fluffer for 90 points in Sunday’s (August 01) championship round for the saddle bronc title at the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.

Heeler Jade Corkill was in process of throwing his loop for a successful run of 10.2 seconds to help win a Cheyenne title with Clay Smith. The win was Corkill’s third Cheyenne buckle (’09, ’13, ’21).

Montana Steer Wrestler Newt Novich tied a Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo arena record with this 5.1-second time in Sunday’s (August 01) championship round to win the buckle and a big check.

25-year-old Kansas Steer Roper Cole Patterson was all smiles when he was congratulated and interviewed inside the stadium arena after winning the title at the 2021 CFD.

3-time world champion barrel racer Hailey Kinsel and her popular mare “Sister” nailed down the fastest time of 17.30 seconds in the short go to win the CFD buckle on Sunday August 01, 2021.

Australian bull rider Ky Hamilton rode a leaping bull to earn the best score of the entire Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo and take home the 2021 CFD title.

Utah cowboy Stetson Wright acknowledges the applause of the big crowd as he was awarded the All Around title at the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Cheyenne, WY. Wright won the title by earning money in both the saddle bronc and bull riding competitions (placing 1st in saddle bronc and 4th in bull riding) to become the only roughstock cowboy to earn consecutive CFD All Around buckles since the legendary Jim Shoulders did it way back in 1963-1964.

You can find Lincoln Rogers on the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
https://usa.life/LincolnRogersWritingPhotography

A link to USA.Life.
I like it there!

More Photos From 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days

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#photography, 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days, All Around Cowboy, American, championship, championship round, Cheyenne Frontier Days, country, cowboy, cowboys, daddy of 'em all, fence post magazine, historic, history, horse, horses, Jim Shoulders, lincoln rogers, photo spread, photography, photos, PRCA, professional, rodeo, rural, short go, sport, sporting event, Stetson Wright, the fence post, the fence post magazine, tradition, west, western, win, winners, winning, Wyoming

I was busy at the 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2021. Although I could only attend for two days, I made the most of them, being able to put together stories about the CFD Museum, the chuckwagon cooking, and the championship round of rodeo.

The Fence Post magazine’s website has published more photography of mine from Cheyenne. Follow the link and take a look!

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/the-125th-cheyenne-frontier-days-in-2021/

Utah cowboy Stetson Wright acknowledges the applause of the big crowd as he was awarded the All Around title at the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Cheyenne, WY. Wright become the only roughstock cowboy to earn consecutive CFD All Around buckles since the legendary Jim Shoulders did it way back in 1963-1964.

Photographing and covering the Cheyenne Frontier Days is a great experience. I hope you enjoy the slice of the historic event that my images provide.

You can find Lincoln Rogers on the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
https://usa.life/LincolnRogersWritingPhotography

A link to USA.Life.
I like it there!

I Like Museums!

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125th Cheyenne Frontier Days, CFD, CFD Old West Museum, Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, cowboy, cowboys, cowgirls, exhibit, historic, history, lincoln rogers, Miss Frontier, Morgan Marks, museum, museums, old west, past, rodeo, travel, west, western, Wyoming

The people and events of history are fascinating and good museums tie them together in interesting ways. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is one of those interesting places and, if you ever visit, you will enjoy learning about Cheyenne Frontier Days and its colorful and cowboy past.

I had the chance to visit the museum during the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days (the 125th CFD) and talk to the museum’s Executive Director, Morgan Marks. My article and photography that came out of that visit is now out on the website of The Fence Post magazine.

https://www.thefencepost.com/news/cfd-old-west-museum-stronger-than-ever/

Part of a large display of banners honoring the 90 years of Miss Frontiers at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo, the first four Miss Frontier banners hang together on a wall in the museum. These banners represent the years 1931-1934.

Cheyenne Frontier Days itself is a bucket list experience. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is a part of the reason why.

You can find Lincoln Rogers on the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
https://usa.life/LincolnRogersWritingPhotography

A link to USA.Life.
I like it there!

Hailey Kinsel & “Sister” Dominate Cheyenne’s Championship Round

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#photography, barrel racing, Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, cowgirl, cowgirls, equestrian, equine, hailey kinsel and sister, horse, horses, lincoln rogers, palomino, partners, professional, rodeo, sister, speed, sport, teamwork, Texas, time, victory, west, western, win, winner, winners, winning, world famous, WPRA, Wyoming

Hailey Kinsel and her mare “Sister” have become a well-known story. Obtaining the gorgeous palomino mare as a two-year-old, Hailey and her mother trained the horse themselves and now have a powerhouse competitor on their hands. How much of a powerhouse?

Kinsel and 10-year-old Sister have won three consecutive WPRA barrel racing world titles and are household names in the sport, with a legion of fans following them both.

Despite the stunning accomplishments, the duo had not yet won the prestigious Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. Until 2021, that is. And they made sure to take care of that oversight in dominating fashion. Kinsel and Sister powered through the cloverleaf pattern in a blistering 17.30 seconds. To put it in context, second place was 17.47 seconds and third place was 17.62. In a sport where hundredths of a second count, the final result was dominant.

3-time world champion barrel racer Hailey Kinsel and her popular mare “Sister” blew into the first barrel during the championship round of rodeo at the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The duo nailed down the fastest time of 17.30 seconds in the round to win the CFD buckle on Sunday August 01, 2021.

“My horse is amazing,” said Kinsel as she made sure to give credit where credit is due immediately following the big win in Cheyenne. “By the grace of God she has carried me to some amazing places.  She is truly the best thing in my life.”

You can find Lincoln Rogers on the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
https://usa.life/LincolnRogersWritingPhotography

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Newt Novich Ties Cheyenne Steer Wrestling Record

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#photography, arena record, champion, championship, Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, cowboy, cowboys, daddy of 'em all, horse, horses, lincoln rogers, montana, newt novich, PRCA, Pro Rodeo, professional, professional rodeo cowboys association, rodeo, sport, steer wrestler, steer wrestling, tradition, west, western, win, winner, winning, Wyoming

Montana steer wrestler Newt Novich saved his best effort for last in the championship round of rodeo at the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) in Cheyenne, Wyoming. With Cheyenne employing the tournament style format since 2019, where the winner of the championship round also wins the CFD title, the final round sees a lot of “go big or go home” efforts from the contestants.

Newt Novich went big.

Montana Steer Wrestler Newt Novich tied a Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo arena record with this 5.1-second time in Sunday’s (August 01) championship round to win the steer wrestling buckle and a big check.

Catching up to the steer in just over 2 seconds, Novich completed his effort in a time of 5.1 seconds, which tied the arena record at the historic rodeo.

“This is huge,” said Novich when collecting his trophy buckle and saddle in front of the packed stands. “This is an honor to be a part of it. Man, this couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Asked what he wanted to say to any fellow Montana residents who might be watching the rodeo on television that day, Novich had an enthusiastic answer.

“Hey, just glad to represent you guys in Montana,” he stated with a grin. “We are bringing it back to Montana.”

Go big or go home? Novich was happy to do both, and is carrying a coveted Cheyenne buckle on his return trip to Montana.

You can find Lincoln Rogers on the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
https://usa.life/LincolnRogersWritingPhotography

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The “Wright” Kind of Legend

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#photography, accomplishment, All Around, All Around Cowboy, bull rider, Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, country, cowboy, cowboys, daddy of 'em all, daddy of them all, famous, history, horse, horses, Jim Shoulders, legend, legendary, lincoln rogers, photo, photography, PRCA, Pro Rodeo, professional, ProRodeo, rodeo, rodeo photography, roughstock, rural, saddle bronc, Stetson Wright, tradition, west, western, win, winner, winning, world champion, world famous, world's largest outdoor rodeo, Wyoming

How many people get to be there when an actual legend is created?

And if they are, how many people know in that moment they are witnessing its birth?

Anyone in the stands during the 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days championship round of rodeo (Sunday August 01) can say they were there when a new Cheyenne legend was made.

In its 125th year, the world famous Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo is rich with tradition and history. As the “World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo,” the venue has also created legends in the sport of rodeo throughout its long existence.

Utah cowboy Stetson Wright (shown here walking back to the chutes after a 90-point ride that won him the saddle bronc title) became the only roughtstock cowboy to win two consecutive Cheyenne Frontier Days All Around buckles since the famed Jim Shoulders did it back in 1963-1964.

If you are going to be a legend, Jim Shoulders is good company.

“It is pretty dang awesome, especially to have your name ranked up there with one of the greatest,” said Stetson Wright in an interview with me after the championship round was finished. “Hard to put into words, I guess. It is pretty special.”

Congrats, Stetson. And thanks for taking time to talk with me after the rodeo was complete.

You can find Lincoln Rogers on the conservative,
Pro-America social media platform USA.Life
https://usa.life/LincolnRogersWritingPhotography

A link to USA.Life.
I like it there!