2025 Resistol Rookie Luncheon, Bob Feist Honored as Man of the Year
Written by: Dee Yates
Photos by Kiese & Co. and Fernando Sam-Sin
Being in the room at the 2025 Resistol Rookie Luncheon felt personal for me in a way that’s hard to put into words. I wasn’t just there as the publisher of Ropers Sports News. I was there watching a friend, and the man who trusted me with the legacy of this publication, receive one of the highest honors our industry gives.
When Bob Feist was named the 2025 Resistol Man of the Year, it landed exactly the way it should have. Quiet, meaningful, and earned. Bob has spent a lifetime elevating others, building platforms, and pushing team roping forward long before it had the visibility and infrastructure it enjoys today. Seeing him recognized in that room, surrounded by the next generation of athletes, felt full circle.
Bob told me afterward that when he heard his name called, his first thought wasn’t about himself. He thought about the people who had stood there before him, and the weight of following in those footsteps. That’s Bob. Even in a moment meant to honor him, his mind went straight to history and responsibility.
He reflected on the early days of Ropers Sports News, which he founded in 1968 with a $300 loan from his mother and a simple idea, that ropers needed a better way to stay connected. Back then, finding a roping meant postcards, classified ads, landlines, and word of mouth. Bob wanted the paper to become the word of mouth, a service more than a publication. He spoke with gratitude about the people who helped build it, especially longtime managing editor Stephanie Anderson, and about how none of it was ever a solo effort.
Bob also talked about how different team roping looked when he started. It was mostly small jackpots, scattered events across California and Arizona, and very little national recognition. Watching the sport grow into a structured, global discipline is what he’s proudest of, not because of titles or payouts, but because it created a place where people could belong. He believed early on that team roping could be a gathering point, much like polo, where businesspeople, families, and competitors could come together without needing to ride broncs or bulls to live the western way of life. Time proved him right.
At 85 years old, Bob said receiving the Man of the Year award in person mattered deeply. He didn’t see it as an ending, but as confirmation. Confirmation that the work mattered, that the risks were worth taking, and that the sport grew in the ways he hoped it would. He spoke about fairness, honesty, family, and compassion, values he believes should never get lost as rodeo continues to evolve.
After honoring Bob, the luncheon turned toward the future, celebrating the 2025 Resistol Rookies of the Year during Resistol’s 11th annual celebration, held at the South Point Hotel & Casino during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Resistol, one of the original sponsors of the PRCA and the official hat of the organization, has built this luncheon into one of the most meaningful moments of NFR week. The Rookie of the Year title is a one-time distinction, awarded to first-year PRCA and WPRA cardholders who earn the highest season earnings in their respective events, including winnings at the NFR. It’s also one of the most predictive honors in professional rodeo, with an estimated eighty-two percent of Resistol Rookies eventually qualifying for the NFR, and seventy-eight going on to become world champions.
Sitting in that room, it was easy to see why.
The 2025 rookie class represented depth, preparation, and momentum across disciplines. Riley O’Rourke, from Skiatook, Oklahoma, captured both the All-Around Cowboy and Steer Roping Rookie of the Year titles, earning more than ninety thousand dollars by mid-September and finishing the season ranked second in the world steer roping standings, just behind two-time world champion Cole Patterson. Still a college student at Western Oklahoma State College, O’Rourke’s season included wins at the Will Rogers Stampede, Walker County Fair & Rodeo, Silver Spur Rodeo, and the Days of ’76 Landmark Stand Alone Steer Roping.
In team roping, James Arviso, from Seba Dalkai, Arizona, enjoyed a breakout rookie year, earning more than fifty-four thousand dollars and ranking thirty-eighth in the world heading standings. A former National High School Rodeo Association world champion and Patriot Reno Open champion, Arviso showed maturity beyond his years, posting consistent results throughout the summer run. On the heel end, Nicky Northcott, just eighteen years old, roped alongside Clay Smith and finished the season one spot shy of qualifying for the NFR, an impressive accomplishment for a first-year competitor.
Tie-down roping saw Tyler Buck Calhoun, from Richards, Texas, wrap up his rookie season seventeenth in the world with more than one hundred ten thousand dollars earned. His year included wins at the Golden Spike Rodeo, Omak Stampede, Livingston Roundup Rodeo, and a co-championship at the Weekley Brothers Davie Pro Rodeo, reflecting both consistency and competitiveness across the circuit.
In breakaway roping, Haiden Thompson, from Yoder, Wyoming, delivered a record-setting rookie campaign. Thompson earned WPRA Breakaway Roping Rookie of the Year honors after setting a new rookie earnings record with more than sixty-four thousand dollars earned and finishing twenty-fifth in the world standings. Her season included a win at Rope for the Crown in Las Vegas and an all-around title at the WPRA World Finals, adding to a career that has already produced an estimated seventy-six saddles.
The class was rounded out by Sage Allen, Gus Gaillard, Traver Johnson, Bryce Jensen, and WPRA Barrel Racing Rookie of the Year Makenzie Mayes, each showing they belong on rodeo’s biggest stages.
The luncheon also welcomed the National Little Britches Rodeo Association Resistol Rookies of the Year, a reminder that the pipeline of talent continues to grow. The program featured live music from Lindsey Cardinale, was emceed by Scott Grover, and included words of encouragement from some of the most decorated names in the sport, including Joe Beaver, Trevor Brazile, Tuff Hedeman, Sherry Cervi, and others who know firsthand what this title can lead to.
Later that evening, the 2025 Resistol Rookies were recognized in the arena during Round Six of the Wrangler NFR on Resistol Night, receiving Montana Silversmiths champion buckles presented by Resistol leadership.
As the celebration concluded, Bob’s words echoed in my mind. Fairness. History. Contribution. Family. Values that don’t fade with time. Watching him honored, then watching these rookies step forward, reinforced exactly why this luncheon matters.
On behalf of Ropers Sports News, I want to sincerely thank Resistol for honoring Bob Feist as the 2025 Man of the Year, and for continuing to invest in the future of rodeo through the Rookie of the Year program. Their commitment to celebrating both legacy and opportunity strengthens the western industry in ways that will be felt for generations.
For me, it was an honor to be there, to listen, and to carry these stories forward.
