Region’s trio of rodeo standouts are NFR qualifiers

  • (Photo by Con Marshall) Merriman cowboy Garrett Shadbolt rides in the Coffee Pavilion at Chadron State College a couple of weeks ago. Shadbolt is headed to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in early December.
    (Photo by Con Marshall) Merriman cowboy Garrett Shadbolt rides in the Coffee Pavilion at Chadron State College a couple of weeks ago. Shadbolt is headed to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in early December.

    By Con Marshall The three exceptional professional athletes with a Western flair from the region— Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, Garrett Shadbolt of Merriman and Riley Pruitt of Gering—will be competing at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev., in early December.

    All three had a tremendous year, earning between $165,000 and $170,000 in prize money during the regular season in a sport th…