ROUND-UP
RETURNS!
Pendleton Round-Up Queen Josilyn Fullerton waves to the
crowd Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, on her Grand Entry ride
around the Pendleton Round-Up Arena. Look for more
Round-Up coverage inside and at www.EastOregonian.com.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2021
145th Year, No. 142
$1.50
WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021
Round-Up
plunges forth
amid delta
variant crisis
By BRYCE DOLE
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Matt Palmer, of Claremore, Oklahoma, puts up an 80-point ride atop Time for Magic during the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale on Tuesday, Sept. 14,
2021, at the Happy Canyon Arena in Pendleton. Palmer won the fi nale and says there is not much strategy that goes into riding a bull.
GOING PRO IN RODEO
Making it in the world’s
most dangerous sport
By NICK ROSENBERGER
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — It’s a diffi -
cult life to be a cowboy. It’s even
more diffi cult to be a professional
cowboy competing on the rodeo
circuit.
For some, the draw of money
and fame bring them into the world
of professional rodeos, for others,
it’s a family tradition. For all,
however, it requires an immense
amount of time and dedication.
Nearly everyone who makes it
in the professional rodeo circuit
was raised doing exactly what you
see in the arena: throwing ropes
around rebellious steers, spurring
a horse around the ranch or trying
to break a bronc.
“Most rodeo people have family
that have done it at some point,”
said Tom Sorey, who won the Pend-
leton Round-Up steer-roping title
in 1996 and 1999. “I mean, it’s not
the common sport that people just
go to.”
But, it’s not unheard of for those
who don’t live on ranches or farms
to break into the sport and push
to hit that sacred title of “profes-
sional.” For those competing in
roping events, it’s defi nitely doable,
Sorey said.
“Anybody can learn it,” he said.
“It’s not that physically demanding,
it’s just learning all the little things
and having the time.”
For those interested, they’d need
to spend some time on the land,
learning from those who have
competed previously.
See Rodeo, Page A7
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Sage Steele Kimzey, of Salado, Texas, puts up a 91.5-point ride atop War
Cry on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 at the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale at
the Happy Canyon Arena in Pendleton.
PENDLETON — Umatilla
County has reported more than
400 COVID-19 cases for seven
consecutive weeks during what
many health care workers have
called the largest pandemic surge
since the pandemic started.
The delta variant crisis has
slammed hospitals across the
county and state and has caused
record-breaking COVID-19 case
counts, hospitalizations and deaths
since mid-July.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands
of people are flooding into the
county this week for the highly-an-
ticipated Pendleton Round-Up,
by far the county’s largest annual
event.
“We don’t want to make
national headlines because of
a super spreader event,” said
Umatilla County Public Health
Director Joe Fiumara.
County officials are urging
attendees to wear masks, main-
tain distance when possible and
not attend the event if they are
experiencing any symptoms of
COVID-19.
After months of remaining
largely silent on the measures
it would take to mitigate the
spread of infection, the Pendleton
Round-Up and Happy Canyon in
a post on Facebook said they will
“heed all state and local public
health mandates and guidelines.”
That means volunteers,
contractors and staff will be
“subject to wear a mask when not
actively engaged in the events,”
the post says. Guests over the age
of fi ve are “requested to wear a
mask” if they are not having food
or beverages.
Masks are required during
large outdoor gatherings where
distancing is impossible, regard-
less of vaccine status, per Gov.
Kate Brown’s statewide mandate.
No proof of vaccination or
negative COVID-19 test will be
required to enter the Round-Up
Grounds, the organizations said.
See Crisis, Page A7
Pendleton Round-Up gets its pink on
Tough Enough to Wear Pink raises money,
awareness for cancer patients, survivors
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Blue denim
jeans and Western shirts are the style
every Pendleton Round-Up, but on
Thursday, Sept. 16, one color will
dominate the scene: pink.
Tough Enough to Wear Pink
Day is now in its 15th year at the
Round-Up. The event, a fundraiser
for local cancer patients, also seeks
to raise cancer awareness.
Anyone who is not wearing
pink at the Round-Up on Thursday
might look a bit our of place. Even
the cowboys will be wearing pink.
People might even ask such people,
“Are you tough enough to wear
pink?”
“This is a big deal,” said
Casey White-Zollman, Pendleton
Round-Up TETWP co-chair with
Jill Gregg. White-Zollman has helped
with the event since 2014.
Last year should have been the
15th anniversary for the event, but
it was canceled with the rest of the
Round-Up. Since it started at the
Round-Up in 2005, TETWP has
roped in nearly $300,000, according
to White-Zollman.
See Pink, Page A7
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
Rodeo fans, many clad in pink, fi ll the stands for Tough Enough to Wear Pink
on Sept. 12, 2019, at the Pendleton Round-Up.