Rodeo coach Suzanne Williams and Resistol Rookie Rylee George garnered the top honors at the 2023 California Circuit Finals, which took place on the final weekend of the year in Red Bluff, California.
With a total of $23,251 won, Williams returned to the California Circuit to win the Year-End Championship following a one-year hiatus competing on the Wilderness Circuit.
George nabbed the California Circuit Average Championship with a time of 8.1 seconds on three head, winning a total of $6,669 at the event.
With the wins come two NFR Open qualifications—something that will be a first for both Williams and George.
California Circuit Year-End Champion Suzanne Williams
Originally from Nevada, the Standish, California resident Williams advanced to the Circuit Finals in the No. 2 position behind reigning year-end champion Hanna Hundsdorfer. This was Williams’ second circuit finals qualification—the first coming in 2021.
Some of her top circuit wins throughout the year included the Rowell Ranch Rodeo in Hayward, California, where she finished No. 1 and earned $1,734. She also picked up a check of $1,585 at the Livermore Rodeo and a $836 average check at California Rodeo Salinas.
“I’ve won Hayward the last few times I’ve entered it,” Williams, 41, said. “I like it because they’re out in front of you—they’re stronger calves. I tend to ride higher-powered horses and don’t shy away from strong cattle.”
Two of those higher-powered horses are homebred full brothers “Punchy” and “Ducker.” Sired by stallion Only Boy Named Sue and out of Miss Tucker Express (by stallion Zan Parr Express), Williams and her husband Dan trained the horses themselves.
“I’ve been competing on the same bloodline of horses since I was a little kid,” Williams said. “On the family ranch in Nevada, we always had a stud and bred him to our favorite mares. Now my husband and I raise rope horses and a few barrel horses.”
Standing at 15.2 hands, Punchy got the call for most of the rodeos throughout the year before Dan took him over to start heading on him. Ducker was Williams’ choice for the circuit finals, standing at about 14.2 hands.
“It was little bit of a struggle for me at the circuit finals because the cattle were good, but they slowed up a lot indoors,” Williams explained. “My horse Ducker was real free and had some time off. He was feeling his oats but did what he needed to do for me to win.”
Williams describes Ducker as a deceiving horse since he never looks like he’s going as fast as he is.
“He’s faster than any horse I know,” Williams said. “He fits me well because I like a horse that feels like they’re running off with you until the rope goes by their head.”
At the circuit finals Williams and Ducker went 2.7 seconds in Round 1, winning $770. She tied for the win in Round 2 with a 2.4-second run, winning $1,539. She caught another check in Round 3 and finished No. 2 in the average, earning a total of $5,131 at the finals.
California Circuit Average Champion Rylee George
George capitalized on her Resistol Rookie year, not only advancing to the circuit finals but punching her ticket to the NFR Open.
“Getting to roping in the NFR Open is really a game-changer,” George said. “The amount of money we can win there is awesome—I am really excited to rope there. I wanted to go to Colorado Springs, so I planned to make practice-pen-type runs at the circuit finals and not take myself out of it. I told myself to not safety up, take my first throw and see where I ended up.”
George won Round 1 and tied for the win in Round 2, roping in 2.1 and 2.4 seconds, respectively. She described her first two calves as “medium,” and drew a slow one for her final run.
“I planned to see him out there more than the others and just go catch him,” George said. “I saw hip-to-the-pin.”
Her Round 3 time of 3.6 seconds was out of the money, but her average of 8.1 seconds on three head was enough to edge out year-end winner Williams by less than half a second. In all, George won $6,669 at the circuit finals—a healthy start to the 2024 ProRodeo standings.
She has rock-solid gelding “Deputy,” registered as Fantaz Popularresort, to thank. Ridden by the king of the cowboys Trevor Brazile more than a decade ago, Deputy has swapped from calf horse to breakaway horse easily. According to George, he’s her not-so-secret weapon.
“He’s good anywhere—it doesn’t matter if the calves run or you need to score more,” George said. “I was glad I got to ride him, I’d been riding a 7-year-old named ‘Skittles’ throughout the summer.”
Looking ahead, George is entered at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
2023 California Circuit Finals Breakaway Results
First round: 1. Rylee A George, 2.1 seconds, $2,052; 2. Kaitlyn Andersen, 2.6, $1,539; 3. (tie) Fallon Ruffoni and Suzanne Williams, 2.7, $770 each.
Second round: 1. (tie) Rylee A George, Hanna Hundsdorfer and Suzanne Williams, 2.4 seconds, $1,539 each; 4. Mandy Niesen, 2.8, $513.
Third round: 1. Fallon Ruffoni, 2.9 seconds, $2,052; 2. Josie Pereira, 3.0, $1,539; 3. Hanna Hundsdorfer, 3.3, $1,026; 4. Suzanne Williams, 3.4, $513.
Average: 1. Rylee A George, 8.1 seconds on three head, $3,078; 2. Suzanne Williams, 8.5, $2,309; 3. Hanna Hundsdorfer, 9.9, $1,539; 4. Whitlee Burgess, 20.0, $770.
