Mound City cowboy wins big in 2010

Jeff Miller, Blue Mound, Trenton Johnson, Mound City and Stewart Gulager, Garland, pose with Gulager's top steer wrestling horse, Bumble Bee. All three cowboys had a good year at rodeos in 2010 and are off to a good start this year. As of press time, Gulager and Bumble Bee were placing high at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. All three cowboys will be at Mound City Aug. 12-13.(Submitted Photo)

Trenton Johnson had a good year in 2010.

The 22-year-old Linn County native was in his first full year of Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) competition and his rookie year in International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) rodeo.

Johnson got off to a strong start at a large IPRA rodeo in Evans, Ga., in March, 2010. "I traveled there with my neighbor and mentor, Jeff Miller, Blue Mound," he said.

He won the tie-down calf roping and was second in steer wrestling. His Georgia winnings ranked Johnson high in both the tie-down and all-around standings in the IPRA.

"My two main rodeo goals last year were to qualify for the PRCA Prairie Circuit Finals (Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska) and make a run for Rookie of the Year in the IPRA. To accomplish these goals, Johnson, Miller and steer wrestler Stewart Gulager, Garland, concentrated on Prairie Circuit PRCA rodeos and IPRA-approved rodeos in the Midwest. The cowboys often competed at four to five rodeos a week during July and August -- the heart of the rodeo season.

The three cowboys traveled nearly 2,000 miles to Saint-Tite, Quebec, Canada, in November for the largest IPRA rodeo of the season -- $90,000 added money. At Saint-Tite, Johnson won the tie-down roping average; Miller won the final go-round of the tie-down roping and Gulager won money in the steer wrestling.

At the IPRA Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, Johnson won the first round of tie-down roping, placed in two other rounds and won the average for the finals. At the conclusion of the 2010 IPRA season, Johnson was crowned Rookie of the Year in both tie-down roping and All-Around Cowboy standings.

Meanwhile, in the PRCA, Johnson was also having success. He tied for first in steer wrestling with his friend Cole Wilson, Kincaid, at Mound City and placed in tie-down. He also won money at Pretty Prairie and Longford, plus Woodward, Anadarko and Vinita, Okla. Johnson qualified for the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, Wichita, in tie-down roping where he won a go-round.

At the end of the season, Johnson was ranked eighth in tie-down roping and sixth in the All-Around (two or more events) race in the Prairie Circuit. He also was named champion tie-down roper in the Kansas Lottery Rodeo Series. The series features 12 Kansas PRCA rodeos.

Johnson attended North western Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla., on a rodeo scholarship. He qualified for the Collegiate Finals Rodeo in 2010 and 2011. This year he won the All-Round Cowboy title in the Central Plains Region (Kansas and Oklahoma) with wins in tie-down, team roping and steer wrestling. He graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in agriculture business.

Johnson will compete in tie-down and team roping, as well as steer wrestling at this year's Linn County Rodeo at Mound City, Aug. 12-13. In the two weeks prior to Mound City, he and his various traveling partners, Miller, Gulager and Cole Wilson, are rodeoing hard. Johnson is scheduled to compete at Abilene, Dodge City and Coffeyville, Kan., Dalhart, Texas, and Ponca City, Lawton and Poteau, Okla.