07/14/2026
The 2026 Silver State International Rodeo has come to a close and we have some mighty big Thank Yous’ to give out. There are so many moving parts to this rodeo over the course of the 8 days and 9 Performances, yet the community we have behind us is phenomenal. Each and every person that is a part of SSIR, Volunteers, family, friends are all the reason it is such a successful rodeo every year.
First and Foremost Thank you to all the Contestants and their families, we are beyond grateful that you choose to come here to showcase your talents and enjoy a week packed full of Fun. We have many families that have not only been with us for years but even generations and each and every one of you is Special to us. To the Family members that volunteered to help during the performances, You all showed up and showed out Thank you is definitely not enough. I may not be able to name all of you but know that your hard work and help did not go unnoticed and its is very appreciated. To the Ellis family you guys are absolutely amazing you always come to help and the amount of work your family puts in is incredible we Thank you so very much.
To Steele Productions & your amazing crew, Chad & Katie, Tony & Becca, and your whole crew, there are not enough Thank Yous’ to be given to you guys. You guys run daily practices, Incredible Jackpots, and on top of all that hard work your crew was down helping in the arenas during each performance so that the rodeo ran smoothly. You guys have been such an incredible blessing to SSIR and we are beyond Grateful for all you do and have done over the past 10 years. We could not do it without you, Thank you so very much for all your help hard work it never goes unnoticed.
Thank you to our Arena Directors, Robert Steele & Eric Allison for keeping the Rodeo fair and flowing, We appreciate all you did over the week to make sure all the moving parts were moving.
Thank you to our flaggers/judges for all they do to keep things fair and moving inside the arena and out. Greg Bennette Sir you are priceless and we are beyond grateful to have you. Tom Newman, Scott Wilson, and Jeremy Warner we are so grateful for all your help and hard work.
Thank you to our amazing timers in the small arena Fallon Griffith, Jamie Noyes, and Janessa Naron you three did an incredible job and we are truly grateful for all you did. In the Big arena we unfortunately were short a timer but an Amazing woman stepped up and handled it like a boss, Lacey Tom you are absolutely amazing and we are so very grateful to you. We truly hope you know how much we appreciate you all.
Our awesome tractor driver Shorty Tom not only did a fantastic job driving the tractor and taking care of the ground each performance but he also was our onsite farrier and his services were definitely used throughout the week. I truly believe Shorty did not stop that whole week and we are so grateful for all your help and hard work.
To Cody Sleppy thank you so very much for all your help and hard work down at the chute and any medic calls for the contestants and their families you are very appreciated and we are grateful you were able to step in.
To Joey Machado thank you so much for showing up each performance to flag the rough stock and to help in any way you could, your help and hard work did not go unnoticed.
Thank you to our onsite EMT Fergus for all his help in making sure anyone injured was taken care of an okay, your help is very appreciated.
Thank you to our 2 amazing Announcers Dusty Sagers and KC Baker for keeping the entertainment flowing during each performance, you guys did great.
Thank you to our incredible Stock Contractor, Chase Heiner and Broken Heart for always bringing amazing stock and helping were ever they could you and your crew are very much appreciated and we are Grateful to have you with us.
Thank you to all the ladies and gentlemen from the Winnemucca Masonic lodge for all their help wit the entrance gates into the rodeo. Each and every one of you are incredible and all your help is very much appreciated.
Thank you To our amazing office staff Sarah Stewart and Loretta Schmeltz we are so grateful to you guys for all your help in and around the office we hope to have many more years with you and your families. To John Schmeltz Sir you are a God send you work so hard for us every year and we can not thank you enough you are so appreciate and we are beyond grateful to have you with us. To Kat and Leigh you ladies are amazing help always jumping in where help is needed and we appreciate you so very much.
Thank you to Mrs. Lacey Ross for all your help in and out of the office, all the posting, the grand entries and all you do to help make this rodeo what it is. You are truly amazing and we appreciate you so much. Thank you to your amazing Husband Lary for all his help from sorting to doing anything that needed to be done, your help and hard work did not go unnoticed we appreciate you very much.
Thank you so much to Adena Gonzalez and all your help and hard work jumping in were ever we needed help making sure everything ran smoothly. We appreciate you more than you know
Thank you to Laurel Thomas who not only worked so hard to put our shooting events together but she stepped in to help run our office when needed. Everyday coming in to make sure everything was taken care of, answered questions, and all around did everything and anything she could to help out. Your help and hard work Laurel means the world to us and we are so grateful for all you did to make things run so smoothly and seamlessly.
Thank you to Rae Christian for all your help during the performances, all your help watching over the kids at the nightly dances, you are truly amazing and we appreciate you so much. To Cooper Christian and Stetson Steele you two young gentleman ran your hearts out for us this week making sure sheets were to the office after every event we are so grateful for all your help and hard work you are so appreciated.
Thank you to Jacklyn Orr for putting our amazing Parade together, it is a lot to take on and she does a fantastic job. We would also like to thank the Winnemucca rotary club for all their hard work and help, we Thank you all so much and are so grateful for you.
Thank you to TJ Shippy and The Spratling family for all your hard work and help running the cutting and rein cow horse events. You all are truly special and we appreciate you so very much. We are so grateful to you guys for all you do to make it a smooth and fair competition.
Thank you to Beth Webb for amazing job running the queen contest for SSIR. You truly do a lot to make this competition happen each year for us and we are so Grateful to you for all you do to make the queens of SSIR shine. Congratulations to our new queen Liv Thurgood you are going to do a great job representing this organization and we can not wait to work with you.
Thank you to our amazing concession stands provided by Brenda Wright and her amazing crew. You guys always do a fantastic job feeding everyone throughout the week and we are so grateful to have you.
To WCVA and all you guys do to make our rodeo happen we are so thankful and grateful for all your help and hard work. We look forward to many years of partnership.
To the Sponsors who donate to SSIR we are beyond grateful for you, all your help allows us to make the rodeo bigger and better every year. We appreciate each and every one of you more than you know.
There are not enough thank You’s to express our true Gratitude towards all of you and I am sure I missed someone, if I did let me know. Know no matter what you are all appreciated more than you know we can not do this alone and we are grateful for the amazing people we get to work with each year. We are excited to move into the next year because look out we have some exciting changes and announcements coming for the 2027 Silver State International Rodeo.
