There’s this tiny town in the Cajun country of Calcasieu Parish called Iowa. That’s Iowa, Louisiana—population 3,121, and Iowa’s pronounced with a “hard A” on the end. But this quaint little community is only that big and booming when all the rodeo rigs pull back into their hometown driveways on Denison Road, down in “the country part of Iowa that’s north of I-10” that they call LeBleu Settlement. Imagine the block-party barbecues being planned there this week, as two native sons and a daughter just crossed the National Finals finish line ranked among the Top 15 in the world and are headed to Vegas.
Cyle Denison will head for Oklahoma’s Tanner Braden in Cowboy Town, and both will be wearing their first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo back numbers. Cyle was an absolute longshot who had to come from way outside the Top 15 at last week’s Cinch Playoff Series Championship in Sioux Falls to make the cut. He and his gray, Gravy, came a slingin’ straight over the chute, and they were 3.9 twice, for second in Round 1 and first in Round 2. And yes, Denison Road was named after his family—momma Carmen’s grandparents—who were the first to live there. Her parents have lived on rural Denison Road for more than 60 years now.
Zack Jongbloed will rope calves at his second NFR, after also qualifying in 2022. Zack’s the son of Karen and Mike Jongbloed, and has a couple of NFR steer wrestler uncles, Jeff Corbello and Joey Roberts, and an NFR bulldogger cousin, John Fontenot (who’s married to Karen’s sister), who also live right around there. Corbello is Karen’s brother; Roberts is Karen’s brother-in-law and married to Karen’s sister, Sheryl; and Fontenot is Karen’s cousin.
Then there’s Karen’s other sister, Shelly Duhon (no relation to Hall of Fame Steer Wrestler Steve). Oh, and Sheryl and Joey Roberts run Rodeo Sports Network, which for the last 30 years has served as the central entry system for all kinds of amateur and open rodeo associations.
I’ve heard some great old bulldogger stories about cowboys from the Denison Road neighborhood from my steer wrestler sweetheart, Ote Berry, who at times traveled with Corbello and Fontenot back in the day. Fontenot tied the arena record at the Daddy of ’em All in Cheyenne one year in the 1990s riding Ote’s horse App, with Ote over on the hazing side.
App was actually a registered Appaloosa who looked like a straight sorrel, with only a white diamond on his head and traces of white down around his ankles. Ote made John buy him a picture of that record run, and it’s still in his photo album in the Steer Wrestling Capital of the World—Checotah, Oklahoma—where Ote lives.
Cyle and Zack are both 25 now, but they grew up across the road from each other and were inseparable as boys. Zack’s little sister, Maddie, also had a built-in bestie in Josie Conner, who’s the daughter of Jade and Wendi Conner and also lives on Denison Road.
Josie, who turned 21 yesterday (October 2), will rope at her third-straight Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping, December 3-4 at the South Point this year. And naturally, there’s another family tie here. Carmen Denison’s grandfather and Wendi Conner’s grandmother were brother and sister.
Learn from Josie on Roping.com HERE.
Cyle can’t seem to forget that Halloween when he was 4 and worried about Wendi and that great big belly of hers. Jade’s explanation still impacts his eating habits.
“I remember going to Jade and Wendi’s to trick or treat when Wendi was about to pop with Josie,” Cyle said. “I had no idea what was wrong with her. Jade told me she swallowed a watermelon seed, and was growing a watermelon in her belly. I’ve been afraid of watermelon seeds my whole life, because I didn’t want that to happen to me.”
It hasn’t—yet. But it did happen to Cyle’s wife, Christeena. Their happy ending is a baby girl by the name of Swayzee, who’s 7 months old now.
There was a joyous celebratory lunch/Denison Road gathering at the Texas Roadhouse in Sioux Falls last Saturday, when Cyle, Zack and Josie all closed their NFR deals. It was also attended by honorary Denison Roader and reigning World Champion Tie-Down Roper Riley Webb, who’s Josie’s love. Zack’s breakaway roping best girl, Tacy Kay Webb, is also in and out of Denison Road every chance she gets, but has been staying beyond busy being an ICU nurse and taking next medical-career steps in school.
KS: So, LeBleu Settlement Elementary School grads, what was it like growing up on Denison Road?
Cyle: Zack and I grew up 500 yards across the pasture from each other. We were just little country kids, and everyone around us roped. Zack’s dad used to head for my grandfather at the ropings, so we grew up practicing at their house or ours. Zack and I had a brown nanny goat named Big Momma. We rode her, roped her, and turned her loose and chased her through the woods barefoot in our underwear with kid ropes.
Zack: Very eventful, that’s for sure. Cyle was always running through the pasture, and we roped at each other’s houses all the time. Josie was right down the road, and I’d go rope with Jade a lot. My little sister, Maddie, and Josie have been best friends and inseparable all their lives.
Josie: Zack and Cyle were and still are best friends, and I’ve lived on Denison Road my whole life. Zack’s sister, Maddie, is my first and forever best friend. Our house is the first one on Denison Road, so Cyle and Zack both had to pass my house to go anywhere. Let’s just say I’ve seen a lot of them all my life. I started home schooling in sixth grade, but I was in kindergarten at the school that’s a couple miles from the house when Zack and Cyle were in fifth grade.
KS: Describe this Denison Road bond you all share.
Cyle: Zack and I were more like brothers growing up than anything. We rode to school and back together, then roped the goat or the Fast Lane after school together pretending to be Speed (Williams) and Rich (Skelton). At one time, Zack’s family had a dry cleaners in Iowa, and we kept a Super Goat in the parking lot. Josie and I are related, too, from way back, and she’s been like a little sister.
Zack: Cyle and I are more like brothers, for sure. My mom took us to school every morning, and either his mom or grandma brought us home every day. Then we roped together after school every day. Josie and my little sister were born a month apart and are best friends, so she was either at our house or I was down at their house roping with Jade.
Josie: Growing up across the road from each other, Zack and Cyle were always together. And Maddie and I would go to the arena when they were out there practicing. We were always very close, more like family than friends.
KS: How far back did your NFR dreams begin?
Cyle: We’ve dreamed about it and worked for this our whole lives.
Since Zack and I were old enough to watch the NFR on TV, we’ve pretended to be roping at the NFR inside the house and out in the arena. We always roped and practiced together, in our arenas and Jade’s covered calf lane. Zack and I team roped, then Jade got us both started calf roping. I headed for Zack in junior high. (Fun Fact: Cyle was the 2013 National Junior High all-around and boys goat tying champ, who also placed in two rounds of the team roping heading for Zack and in the ribbon roping with Cassie Bellard. Zack was that year’s reserve junior high all-around champ with team roping and tie-down points. That year’s ribbon roping champs were 2020 World Tie-Down Roping Champ and current world leader Shad Mayfield and his little sister, Shelby.) By the time we got to high school, Zack was all-in in the calf roping and had cobwebs on his heel ropes, and I was all-in in the team roping with a rope bag full of Classic Ropes.
Zack: Cyle and I always dreamed of making the NFR growing up. But after junior high, I mainly roped calves and bulldogged, and didn’t team roping much.
Josie: Breakaway roping didn’t have the opportunities it does now when we were really young, so making the National Finals sort of felt out of reach when I was a little girl. To think of how far it’s come so fast is amazing.
KS: How much more special is it to be headed to Vegas together?
Cyle: Unless Denison Road was in Stephenville (Texas) today or Oakdale (California) back in the day, I’d say the odds of three of us from right here making the Finals together were one in a million. We’re all neighbors, but at the end of the day we’re family and have been for as long as I can remember.
Zack: It’s a dream come true to get to go together. It’s pretty wild. It’s common for everybody in Stephenville to make the NFR. But not three people from one little road in Louisiana. The grand entry with Cyle is going to be fun. He’s going to be crazy.
Josie: It’s so cool, because our families have all been here together forever. We all grew up together, and we have so much support in our little community. There are definitely a lot of people in our neighborhood watching the Cowboy Channel these days.
KS: This year’s NFR will run December 5-14 at the Thomas & Mack Center. That means NFR back number night is Tuesday, December 3 at the South Point. Do you daydream about what NFR back number night will be like for Team Denison Road?
Cyle: Absolutely. I’d be lying if I said it’s not something I’ve dreamed about my whole life. The thought of just holding that rascal (back number), that hasn’t really sunk in for me. This is a lifelong dream, so it still feels surreal.
Zack: It’s going to be awesome. I’m sure we’ll have us a limo ready after we get our back numbers to go celebrate. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience getting to be there with my best friend, so we’re going to enjoy it.
Josie: I’ll be at NFR back number night for Riley, too. It’ll be a blast to all be there together. (Josie’ll be there looking like a runway model, even though she’s the girl who orders the filet, loaded sweet potato complete with butter, brown sugar and marshmallows, and a salad with ranch dressing every time they eat at Texas Roadhouse.)
Congratulations to Team Denison Road, and everyone who had a hand in bringing this rodeo dream team together and to the top.
