Montana Circuit Finals Will Bring the Heat Despite Sub-Zero Temperatures

Newly crowned world champions, past circuit champions, and rookies alike are competing for titles in Montana this weekend. Despite the Arctic blast, they're all aiming for a spot in the NFR Open and a piece of the prize.

The PRCA's ProRodeo circuit system has twelve circuits in the U.S. (thirteen since Canada was included in 2018), with Montana being one of the three states with its own circuit. The top 12 money-earning competitors from each event in a circuit qualify for their circuit finals rodeos. Champions from these rodeos, as well as year-end winners from each circuit, are invited to the RAM NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., in July. 

Montana has 32 PRCA-sanctioned rodeos, with the season starting in October and ending on Labor Day weekend the following year. The Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit is a pioneer in the PRCA circuit system and has the second-highest payout circuit finals in the country.

Where & When

The Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals is scheduled to be held Jan. 11-13, 2024, at the Montana ExpoPark Four Seasons Arena located in Great Falls.

Sub Zero Forecast

Brutal wind chills are expected across Montana, with parts of north-central areas seeing wind chills down to 55°F below zero. The high for Great Falls is -1°F on Thursday, -16°F on Friday, and -14°F on Saturday. There is no question it is going to be cold.

The Montana ExpoPark Four Seasons Arena and warm-up area is climate-controlled, but that doesn’t mean the contestants and their beloved equine partners aren’t going to have to endure the elements.

“I’ve been claiming Montana (Circuit) since 2019,” said five-time Montana Circuit Finals Barrel Racer Brittney Sporer, who is originally from California.

Her husband, Sid Sporer, will also be competing in the team roping. 

“The first year we made it in 2019, it was -7°F, and I swore I would never enter this circuit again; then I met my now husband.”

Sporer winters in Texas, so she and her horses had to travel back north to compete at the Montana Circuit Finals. With a few years under her belt enduring cold temperatures, she has been preparing her horses to be at top level despite the sub-zero temperatures.

“I’ve been watching the 30-day weather on Accuweather and knew it was going to be this cold, so I pulled the blankets off my horses and let them hairy, so that way they had some insulations to their coats coming up here.”

Sporer is giving her horses every opportunity to adjust to the different climates, as well.

“I actually came up a week prior to my circuit finals, so that way they could get used to the cold weather, and they can get acclimated to the high elevation.”

Sporer has been sharing behind-the-scenes videos and day-to-day life of everything it takes to be a professional barrel racer on TikTok.

@brittneysporer

Yes I had a bite of my cookie first… and I love ranch. #montanarodeo #montana #rodeotok #rodeolife #barrelracer #barrelracing #rodeo #montanacircuitfinals

♬ I'm So Hungry - Karter Zaher

Who to Watch

Jaret Whitman, from Belgrade, Mont., has a lot on the line this weekend. Whitman is coming in leading the coveted All-Around race and the steer wrestling. 

Whitman comes into the finals with $19,526 in the all-around standings, with Delon Parker coming in second position with $14,853 and Luke Gee coming in with $14,258. 

While Whitman (steer wrestling) and Parker (team roping) are only competing in one event each, Gee will be competing in both steer wrestling and bull riding. 

With second and third not trailing by much, Whitman will need to have a successful finals to claim the All-Around title. 

The steer wrestling title race is even closer for Whitman, who is coming in with $16,987. Newt Novich, past Montana Circuit Champion and 2021 Cheyenne Frontier Days Champion Steer Wrestler, is coming in with $15,487. The 2022 Montana Circuit Champion and 2019 World Champion Steer Wrestler comes in third with $11,865.

Many of the other events are sure to bring the heat as well. Here is a complete look at the standings coming in:

All-Around

1. Jaret Whitman, Belgrade, MT, $19,526.86
2. Luke Gee, Stanford, MT, $14,258.15
3. Delon Parker, Worden, MT, $14,060.18
4. Kyle Callaway, Blue Creek, MT, $11,643.88
5. Hank Hollenbeck, Molt, MT, $11,534.36
6. Connor Murnion, Jordan, MT, $9,231.06
7. Ben Ayre, St. Glendive, MT, $8,945.86
8. James Ramirez, Churchill, MT, $8,693.68
9. Kevin Peterson, Dillon, MT, $7,280.50
10. Trevin Baumann, Hardin, MT, $6,700.42
11. Will Powell, St. Ignatius, MT, $6,428.04
12. Nolan Conway, Cut Bank, MT, $5,498.45

Bareback Riding

1. Richmond Champion, Stevensville, MT, $25,406.57
2. Sam Petersen, Helena, MT, $19,364.16
3. Trevar McAllister, Ronan, MT, $14,524.76
4. Tristan Hansen, Dillon, MT, $13,747.63
5. Weston Timberman, Columbus, MT, $11,219.68
6. Tucker Zingg, Crow Agency, MT, $10,681.98
7. Ty Owens, Helena, MT, $7,841.20
8. Spur Owens, Helena, MT, $5,087.45
9. George Gillespie, Darby, MT, $4,399.31
10. Trevor Kay, Chester, ID, $3,777.28
11. Calder Peterson, Glentworth, SK, $3,673.14
12. Nathaniel Dearhamer, Bozeman, MT, $3,524.24

Steer Wrestling

1. Jaret Whitman, Belgrade, MT, $16,987.02
2. Newt Novich, Twin Bridges, MT, $14,516.86
3. Ty Erickson, Helena, MT, $11,865.64
4. Caden Camp, Belgrade, MT, $11,387.82
5. Kolby Bignell, Helena, MT, $10,817.92
6. Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, MT, $10,721.96
7. Jaden Whitman, Belgrade, MT, $10,594.07
8. Luke Gee, Stanford, MT, $10,585.32
9. Timmy Sparing, Helena, MT, $9,714.62
10. Kyle Callaway, Blue Creek, MT, $9,650.77
11. Quentin Wheeler, Baker, MT, $9,170.72
12. Jake Nelson, Whitehall, MT, $6,830.81

Saddle Bronc Riding

1. Tanner Butner, Daniel, WY, $19,225.27
2. Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, MT, $13,960.49
3. Sage Newman, Melstone, MT, $13,575.65
4. Jesse Kruse, Fromberg, MT, $12,010.95
5. Houston Brown, Miles City, MT, $11,355.01
6. Qwinton Stroh, Glendive, MT, $10,853.88
7. Liam Pauley, Miles City, MT, $8,002.61
8. Caleb Meeks, Geraldine, MT, $4,741.15
9. Tate Harmon, Powderville, MT, $4,026.77
10. Judd Applegate, Deer Lodge, MT, $3,993.39
11. Josh Davison, Miles City, MT $3,781.92
12. Garrett Cunningham, Broadus, MT, $3,399.04

Team Roping (Headers)

1. Brady Tryan, Huntley, MT, $27,205.74
2. Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, MT, $23,686.22
3. Shawn Bird, Cut Bank, MT, $16,860.66
4. Delon Parker, Worden, MT, $13,778.18
5. Cameron Irwin, Buffalo, WY, $12,698.65
6. Gunner Plenty, Garryowen, MT, $11,827.01
7. Wheaton Williams, Sheridan, WY, $11,787.38
8. Radley Day, Volborg, ID, $11,328.40
9. Ian Austiguy, Dillon, MT, $7,252.58
10. Cash Duty, Weimar, TX, $6,175.20
11. Sid Sorge, Shepherd, MT, $5,132.17
12. Miles Kobold, Huntley, MT, $5,002.68

Team Roping (Heelers)

1. Ike Folsom, Dillon, MT, $24,842.06
2. Zachary Schweigert, Livingston, MT, $17,138.67
3. Ryan Zurcher, Powell, WY, $13,778.18
4. Coley Nicholls, Kinnear, WY, $11,838.55
5. Mason Trollinger, Powell, WY, $11,827.01
6. Jared Bilby, Bridgeport, NE, $11,328.40
7. Justin Viles, Cody, WY, $10,845.88
8. Sam Levine, Wolf Creek, MT, $9,462.76
9. Chase Tryan, Helena, MT, $9,367.20
10. Bryan Lemmon, Torrington, WY, $9,198.38
11. Sid Sporer, Cody, WY, $7,288.87
12. Colten Fisher, Shepherd, MT, $5,612.28

Tie-down Roping

1. Haven Meged, Miles City, MT, $20,800.97
2. Matt Gutierrez, Stephenville, TX, $13,977.93
3. Ty Hedrick, Jackson, MT, $10,949.34
4. Landon Williams, Helena, MT, $10,822.17
5. Hank Hollenbeck, Molt, MT, $9,033.65
6. Jesse Medearis, Belgrade, MT, $8,811.75
7. Dillon Hahnkamp, Melrose, MT, $8,590.09
8. Shay Keller, Rockglen, SK, $7,740.36
9. Ben Ayre, Glendive, MT, $7,417.13
10. James Ramirez, Churchill, MT, $6,687.01
11. Kevin Peterson, Dillon, MT, $6,432.15
12. Bryce Bott, Miles City, MT, $6,292.16

Breakaway Roping

1. Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, Miles City, MT, $17,745.98
2. Anna Callaway, Billings, MT, $9,373.47
3. Joey Williams, Volborg, MT, $7,892.82
4. Sarah Verhelst, Pryor, MT, $7,558.71
5. Teka Larson, Billings, MT, $5,181.6
6. Jacey Fortier, Billings, MT, $5,050.43
7. Tracey Bolich, Belgrade, MT, $3,563.63
8. Celie Salmond, Choteau, MT, $3,464.16
9. Katelin Conway, Cut Bank, MT, $3,402.36
10. Charleyne Yeager, Choteau, MT, $3,291.52
11. Cadee Williams, Big Timber, MT, $3,020.22
12. Tiffany Ogren, Hysham, MT, $2,857.01

Barrel Racing

1. Tayla Moeykens, Three Forks, MT, $17,447.5
2. Ashley Day, Volborg, MT, $16,591.66
3. Hailey Garrison, Glen, MT, $16,545.5
4. Abby Knight, Charlo, MT, $13,544.72
5. Heather Crowley, Poplar, MT, $11,937.24
6. Brittney Sporer, Stephenville, TX, $11,914.84
7. Tammy Carpenter, Kalispell, MT, $11,194.5
8. Hannah Sharon, Dillon, MT, $11,125.44
9. Allie Novotny, Helena, MT, $8,188.24
10. Bailee Murnion, Kinsey, MT, $5,911.27
11. Tia Murphy, Lewiston, MT, $5,624.78
12. Tisha Larsen, Forsyth, MT, $5,490.3

Bull Riding

1. Cole Wagner, Valier, MT, $19,852.66
2. Payton Fitzpatrick, Polson, MT, $19,506.36
3. Parker Breding, Edgar, MT, $18,280.17
4. Jake Lockwood, Volborg, MT, $11,193.57
5. Tristan O’Neal, Valier, MT, $9,295.11
6. Connor Murnion, Jordan, MT, $8,861.82
7. Bo Vocu, Ashland, MT, $6,473.89
8. Kyler Finley-McDonald, Ronan, MT, $5,641.67
9. Gav Knutson, Polson, MT, $5,467.14
10. Cole Hould, Harve, MT, $4,269.61
11. Luke Gee, Stanford, MT, $3,841.72
12. Austin Herrera, Cody, WY, $3,735.62

How to Watch

You can purchase tickets in advance from the Pro Rodeo Montana website. If you can’t make it in person, you can catch all of the action live on the CowboyChannel+ App.