Schlattmann wins college rodeo title

Sheridan College junior Jake Schlattmann, a 2023 graduate of Greybull High School, was recently named the Central Rocky Mountain Region champion in saddle bronc riding. 

Schlattmann scored 180 points, between the long and short go rounds, to claim first place out of 10 saddle bronc riders at the Central Rocky Mountain Region rodeo hosted by the University of Wyoming in Laramie at the end of April. This plus his scores from all the rodeos this school year qualified him for next month’s College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper. He will compete against the top three riders from the 12 regions of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. 

“It was awesome, we went down there and it was close between me and Chris Nelson and Traven Sharon,” said Schlattmann. “I knew I had to ride good and I went and did the best I could.” 

Saddle bronc riding is a classic, highly technical rodeo event where the rider attempts to stay on a bucking horse for eight seconds while holding a single rein attached to a halter. Requiring immense skill and rhythm, Schlattmann has risen to the top of the regional rodeo circuit in the event. 

For overall scores, Schlattmann totaled 1,210 points over 10 rodeos landing him at the top of the Central Rocky Mountain Region stat sheets just ahead of Sharon and Nelson along with 19 other bronc riders in the region. 

While he has spent the last three years on the rodeo team in Sheridan, this will be his first time attending the CNFR. “I set a goal at the beginning of the year to win the regional and qualify and it feels good to be able to have done that,” he said. 

He’s a second-generation winner, son of Dean Schlattmann who competed for Sheridan College and UW in the 1990s and rode broncs at the CNFR in 1999. 

“It’s awesome to have a coach (my dad) right at the house. Anytime I have something going on I can give him a call, and he has an idea of how to fix it,” said Schlattmann. 

The CNFR, touted as the ultimate showdown of Western tradition and collegiate talent, is scheduled for June 14-20 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. It will be televised on ESPN with over 400 cowboys and cowgirls from over 100 universities and colleges competing for individual and team titles.