{"id":52374,"date":"2024-11-18T14:50:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T20:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=52374"},"modified":"2024-12-05T10:42:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T16:42:21","slug":"four-inducted-into-tarleton-state-rodeo-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/four-inducted-into-tarleton-state-rodeo-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Inducted Into Tarleton State Rodeo Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Tarleton State University\u2019s Rodeo Hall of Fame inducted four new members \u2014 Robert Blandford, Ryle Smith, Baili Collins-Nettleship and Cassie Vierstra-Christensen \u2014 at the organization\u2019s\u00a0<\/sup>15th annual steak dinner and auction Friday, Nov. 15, at the Doty Rodeo Complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2024
Tarleton State University\u2019s Rodeo Hall of Fame welcomed four new members in Friday ceremonies. New inductees are, from left: Ryle Smith, Cassie Vierstra-Christensen, Baili Collins-Nettleship and Robert Blandford.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Proceeds from the event benefit the rodeo scholarship fund. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About this year\u2019s inductees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Blandford<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region all-around champion and College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) bull riding champion, Blandford attended Tarleton State from 1970 to 1973. After turning pro immediately after his college career, he captured Rookie of the Year honors in 1973. In 1973 and 1974, he was awarded the prestigious Bill Linderman Award for his outstanding performances in the roping and rough stock riding events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He qualified for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) National Finals Rodeo in 1974 and 1980 in calf roping and in 1976 in bull riding. At the PRCA Houston Livestock Show Rodeo, he won the all-around title in 1980. He was a multiple all-around winner in the PRCA Texas Circuit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert and Kay Blandford, married since 1992, are both highly respected by their peers and fans. Kay still actively competes on the futurity and professional level, and they continue to train horses and help nurture competitors, all from their South Texas ranch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryle Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith graduated from Tarleton State in 2009 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in business management. He initially joined the Tarleton rodeo team after winning the national high school tie-down roping championship in 2005. A two-time CNFR competitor, he qualified in calf roping and steer wrestling in 2006 and 2008. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A three-time Wrangler NFR qualifier, he was the steer wrestling champion at the 2017 Days of \u201947 Cowboy Games and Rodeo in Salt Lake City,  the all-around winner of the RAM California Circuit Finals and the tie-down roping champ at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, both in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lives in Comanche with his wife, Nika, and daughters Remy and Lennon. Ryle is highly respected among his peers and continues to help young ropers in the area by hosting the \u201cSmith RNR Weekly Jackpots.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baili Collins-Nettleship<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A five-time CNFR qualifier, Nettleship graduated from Tarleton State twice, first with a bachelor\u2019s degree in kinesiology in 2017 and then with a master\u2019s degree in business administration in 2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was a member of the Southwest Regional champion women\u2019s team, twice claimed the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region title in goat tying and was twice reserve champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She lives outside of Stephenville with her husband, Clayton, and raises their two sons, Slade and Beau, on a high-fenced deer ranch. Nettleship also has her own photography business specializing in weddings, seniors, families and lifestyle imagery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie Vierstra-Christensen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christensen, also a five-time CNFR qualifier, is a 2011 Tarleton State graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in ag services and development. She also holds a master\u2019s in agriculture and consumer science, awarded in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her college rodeo accomplishments include CNFR appearances as a goat tyer in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and as a breakaway roper in 2009 and 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She and her husband, Tyler, live with their three children in Twin Falls, Idaho. She is the owner of \u201cThe Tail Boot,\u201d a low-maintenance, easy-to-use and natural product made to help manage beautiful equine tails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Tarleton State University\u2019s Rodeo Hall of Fame inducted four new members \u2014 Robert Blandford, Ryle Smith, Baili Collins-Nettleship and Cassie Vierstra-Christensen \u2014 at the organization\u2019s\u00a015th annual steak …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":52375,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":425,"footnotes":""},"categories":[422,425,426],"tags":[446,455],"class_list":["post-52374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-morestories","category-campus-community","category-honors-achievements","tag-division-of-student-engagement-success","tag-rodeo"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"priddle","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/priddle-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2024\/11\/2024-Tarleton-Rodeo-HOF-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_morestories<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>","Honors & Achievements<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_morestories<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>","Honors & Achievements<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Division of Student Engagement & Success<\/a>","Rodeo<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Division of Student Engagement & Success<\/span>","Rodeo<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 year ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 18, 2024","modified":"Updated on December 5, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 18, 2024 2:50 pm","modified":"Updated on December 5, 2024 10:42 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Four people with medals pose in front of a Tarleton State University Rodeo Hall of Fame sign.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52374"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52450,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52374\/revisions\/52450"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}