Boot Kickoff Signifies Start Of 2023 Sheridan WYO Rodeo

No one got the boot, rather they were kicking off their boots to start the 2023 Sheridan WYO Rodeo.

Tuesday (July 12th) was the annual boot kick off and stick horse race at Whitney Commons Park.

About 100 contestants signed up and competed in one of five different kickoff contests based on age and gender.

Taylor Townsend ended up having the longest kickoff for the women and is a 2015 Sheridan High School graduate with an athletic background in volleyball, basketball and soccer.

She offers tips on how to get some distance and says one mistake that people make is they put too much height in their efforts and that doesn’t always pay off.

“Get a little running start and then kick and really flick that ankle and let it go. I think people release it a little bit too late and so it goes far up into the air instead of traveling far in distance.”

Sergio Trocha is now the 2-time defending men’s champ, after tossing his boot 105 feet thanks to his soccer and basketball background.

He says he is originally from Columbia and officially became a US citizen this past Monday.

For those competing, his best advice is…don’t hold back.

“I guess they come and just kick it as far as they can. Don’t save anything, just do it all. This is a fun event, I do it for my kids, they do it too, so I like to have fun. The social part too, I love it.”

Click here to see pictures of the boot kickoff.

Click here to see pictures of the stick horse races.