Beyond the Chutes

Beyond the Chutes | First Frontier Circuit Finals Series Before the gate opens and the clock starts, there’s a moment when it’s just a rider, a horse, and everything you’ve worked on to that moment. In Episode 1 of our special First Frontier Circuit Finals series , we sit down with Karissa Landis , a barrel racer from Middleburg, Pennsylvania, whose journey to success has been shaped as much by tr...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Wes Ward , recorded during the Beyond the Chutes Texas Swing 2025 inside the BTC Bus at a Chute 2 Productions bull riding, Wes opens up about the long road that follows a lifetime in the saddle. After riding bareback horses for more than two decades, Wes faced the question every cowboy eventually must answer: What do you do when you can’t get on anymore? From tra...

In Part 1 of this Texas Swing episode of Beyond the Chutes , host Doug Simcox sits down with legendary rodeo cowboy and announcer Wes Ward for a powerful, story-driven conversation recorded on the road in October 2025. This episode centers on Wes Ward’s early rodeo journey and his deep, personal friendship with Lane Frost — how they first met, traveled together, competed together, and forged a bon...

In Episode 2 of Beyond the Chutes , recorded on the Texas Swing 2025, Doug and Sam continue their conversation with rodeo legend Ronnie Williams — a man who didn’t just ride through rodeo history, he helped build it. Ronnie reflects on the hard miles of the old rodeo road, hauling coast to coast with Glen Bird, riding more than 160 rodeos a year, and learning the business of rodeo the hard way — b...

In this Part One episode of Beyond the Chutes , Doug Simcox and Sam Swearingen sit down in Mineral Wells, Texas with Ronnie Williams , an eight-time IPRA Bareback Riding World Champion , as part of the Texas Swing 2025 , recorded in October. Ronnie takes us back to where it all began—growing up on the east side of Fort Worth, buying his first rigging with no guidance, and learning the hard way wha...

BTC hits Sheridan, Wyoming for a special conversation with Ryan King of the legendary King Saddlery, King Ropes, and the Don King Museum. Doug interviews Ryan King who walks us through the family’s three-generation history — from Don King’s pioneering Sheridan-style tooling to 4,000-rope trips to the NFR, stretching fields, saddle-making lore, museum treasures, and the roots of one of rodeo’s most...

In Part 2 of our Weatherford, Texas conversation, six-time IRA/IPRA world champion Glen Bird dives deeper into the wild, gritty, laugh-till-you-cry heart of rodeo life. Glen shares priceless stories of the early Longhorn Rodeo days with Loretta Lynn, Mooney Lynn, and Bruce Lehrke, but two characters absolutely steal the show: the legendary Lecile Harris and George “Nocona George” Taylor. Glen pain...

In their first conversation - Part 1 - Doug and Sam sit down with four-time bull-riding world champion and two-time All-Around (IRA/IPRA) Glen Bird in Weatherford, Texas. From a ranch kid in Matador, TX to one of the sport’s most technically precise riders, Glen shares the road that shaped his perfect style — square shoulders, toes out, and calm breathing even on the rankest bulls. He talks about...

Recorded onsite at Festival Western de St-Tite , this episode goes inside The American Rodeo with Competition Manager Lane Peterson (Teton Ridge)—from breeding buckers and judging worldwide to building a modern, TV-ready tournament that truly opens doors for athletes. Lane explains the pathway: super qualifiers (St-Tite, Denver, San Francisco, Liberty College Shootout, Brazil) → local qualifier si...

We’re in St-Tite, Quebec — home of the legendary Festival Western de St-Tite — sitting down once again with Dale Yerigan , President and General Manager of the International Professional Rodeo Association and IPRA Canada. From the rise of breakaway roping to new rule changes shaking up the rodeo world, Dale shares how the IPRA continues to lead the charge in innovation while protecting the heart o...

We roll tape from Daylon Swearingen’s ranch bunkhouse—formerly a dairy milking parlor turned cowboy crash pad. Daylon opens up about taking three months off to heal from a concussion, the training protocol he’s following, and why strong necks, helmets, and mouth guards matter. We break down the business of bull teams (scoring, riders, payouts, and why “Gucci Time” is a dream draw), futurity bulls...

We took the BTC bus deep into Texas and filled the tanks with stories. From Sulphur Springs to Weatherford, Mineral Wells, Wylie, and Springtown, Doug and Sam catch you up on a whirlwind week: wellness updates and futurity talk with Daylon Swearingen at Daylon’s Ranch, living-room rodeo museums and four gold buckles’ worth of grit with Glen Bird, eight-time champ perspective with Ronnie Williams,...

From open shows in southeast Oklahoma to two IPRA world titles and a run at the NFR, Marilyn Duplissey built a life around good horses, hard lessons, and a tougher business plan. In this final chapter, Marilyn takes us through 1976 in Tulsa, the decision to buy her WPRA card, and the unforgettable partnership with Dan—the gritty, honest gelding her friends voted “most heart” at the NFR. We dig int...

Fresh off Team Australia’s big summer—highlighted by Cade Ferguson’s IFYR Saddle Bronc title—Kylee Ferguson joins BTC with the inside story on the new International Youth Rodeo Challenge spanning Mount Isa, Richmond, and Townsville. We cover team sizes, horse “buddy” rotation to keep things fair, community support, sponsors, media buzz, and how riders from the USA, New Zealand, and Australia made...

Hosts Doug Simcox and two-time North American Rodeo Commission Saddle Bronc Champion Sam Swearingen sit down at Rawhide Ranch to swap stories, compare coaching notes, and map the road ahead for Beyond the Chutes. They talk about healing up, working cattle, road trips to Mountain Cove and St-Tite, racing at Watkins Glen, mentoring young bronc riders, and welcoming BTC’s first sponsored cowgirl — 13...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Marilyn Duplissey, the stories get even wilder. From losing her college heifers to finding her stride in the IRA, Marilyn takes us through the early days with Dan—the horse that carried her to the top. You’ll hear about rodeoing on grass in Gainesville, altitude struggles in Albuquerque, and the unforgettable moment when Dan tumbled out on the highway at 70 mph…...

I made my way to Poteau, Oklahoma, to sit down at the home of Mike and Marilyn Duplissey . After years of trying to connect, we finally made it happen. Marilyn—a two-time IPRA World Champion —welcomed me in with warmth, stories, and yes, two unforgettable bowls of gumbo. This is the first episode in our conversation, where Marilyn begins sharing her journey: growing up in Hodgen, the early rodeos,...

Doug Simcox and Sam Swearingen wrap up an unforgettable 10 days at the 57th Festival Western de St-Tite. The crowds were record-breaking, the hospitality unmatched, and the rodeo action second to none. In this closing episode, you’ll hear from newly crowned champions: Raymond Hostetler , who split first place in the saddle bronc riding finals after a gritty reride, and Austin Stewart , who capture...

Bareback rider and rodeo hand Mike Duplissey returns with stories that crackle—Marilyn’s quiet cowhand genius pushing an 1,800-lb swamp bull to the trailer, learning the racehorse game (and surviving the oil-bust tax-shelter collapse), coming back with real estate at 60, and staying “in the game” with stakes horses and quarter horse weanlings. Mike remembers Bruce Lehrke’s generosity, Lenora Rowe’...

Doug and Sam open the 57th Festival Western de Saint-Tite, Québec. From Sylvain Bourgeois , BJ Prince and Vanessa Denis and 500 volunteers-the people who make FWST a family, not just a festival. Why Saint-Tite is, in Sam’s words, the “Woodstock of Rodeo,” how a town of 3,800 welcomes nearly 728,000 guests, and the stories that connect it all.. 🎤🐎 Listen anywhere you stream. beyondthechutes.show...

A rodeo life masterclass with IPRA standout Mike Duplissey —bareback ace, bronc hand, coach, and storyteller. Mike opens up about meeting and marrying champion barrel racer Marilyn in Detroit, winning big at the Pontiac Silverdome (largest one-day rodeo), the IRA → PRCA leap, J Bar J memories (Nightmare → Night Jacket ), and why today’s “rank ones” are the dragons kids talk about. We dig into mind...

In this second installment with Mike Duplissey , Doug Simcox dives deeper into Mike’s remarkable rodeo journey — including his move from the IPRA to the RCA, Marilyn’s NFR push with her horse Dan, and unforgettable behind-the-chutes stories. Mike opens up about the early days of Loretta Lynn’s rodeos with Bruce Lehrke, his lifelong friendship with Lecile Harris, and the infamous streaking incident...

Eight-time IFR qualifier, two-time Reserve World Champion, and one of the competitors at the very first International Finals Rodeo—Mike Duplissey has lived the history of rodeo. Host Doug Simcox visits Mike and his wife Marilyn in Poteau, Oklahoma, to reflect on his family’s rodeo roots, the early days of the IRA, traveling partners like Butch Stewart, Richard Johnson, and Ron Martin, and the lege...

Hold on to your hat—this one’s WILD – you may want to consider the Butterfly Wrap. In our final episode from the 2nd Annual King Brothers Rodeo Reunion , Doug Simcox sits down with Brian “Short Round” Seebock, Tommy & Coby King, - a table full of road warriors with decades of dust, laughs, and legendary rodeo tales. From the NFR and PBR tours to tricking greenhorns into working free rodeos, yo...

In this special third episode from the 2nd Annual King Brothers Rodeo Reunion in Lewisburg, Ohio, Beyond the Chutes host Doug Simcox visits with three generations of rodeo grit, glory, and grit-your-teeth storytelling. First up is bull rider Keith Knoch, who shares his 15-year rodeo journey, from hauling six guys in a truck to his standout year in 1983, to helmet-wearing long before it was the nor...