GREAT FALLS — On Thursday evening, Nick Stubblefield and his family were honored prior to the beginning of day two action from the Big Sky Pro Rodeo for his contribution to the sport.
Part of his recognition comes from Nick’s accomplishments as a steer wrestler. Now retired, Nick Stubblefield was once a two-time Montana steer wrestling champion and 13-time qualifier for the Montana Circuit Finals, but if you ask him, his mentorship towards the next generation of bull-doggers is much more meaningful.
“I think what means more to me is all the friends that I made and all the young men who came through my place to learn the ropes of the bull-dogging,” Nick Stubblefield said.
Some of those names familiar to the Montana rodeo scene include Jesse Kruse, Ross Mosher and former PRCA world champion Ty Erickson to name a few, all of which are like family to the Stubblefield’s.
“To us it’s about the friendships and they become like family to you,” Nick’s wife Jaime explained.
The names listed above in addition to the likes of Ace and Reef Mills, Jaden Whitman, Brady Boyce, Will Powell, Jake and Austin Malek and Sam Peterson all showed up to the arena to stand next to the family that took them in before they became popular names in the state for rodeo. Now that’s family. Even the ones who couldn’t make it showed their appreciation through heartwarming text messages that made all the difference for Nick and his family.
As for Nick and Jaime’s kids, 14-year-old Steely and 12-year-old Slade, should they want to pursue rodeo, they got a pretty good teacher moving forward.
“My kids have shown some interest in rodeo and it’s kind of the circle of life,” Nick said with a smile.
