This invitation-only event may have been an abbreviated version of a full rodeo, but it was full of just as much excitement.
The Cinch Rodeo Shootout pits eight of the top cowboys and cowgirls against one another in their respective events – bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle broncs, barrel racing and bull riding.
Everyone competes in the first go, and the top four of each event come back immediately for the short go. The winner of the short go in each event earns a bag full of $10,000 in cash. 
Christy Loflin
The Shootout is an invitational event, and eight riders are selected for each event. The barrel racers in this year’s Cheyenne Cinch Rodeo Shootout were Cassidy Kruse, Wendy Chambers, Karisa Brookshire, Lisa Lockhart, Mary Walker, Christy Loflin, Randi Timmons and Brandee Hawkins.
In the first go of barrels, Loflin recorded the fastest time with a 17.073. Kruse was second with 17.202; Chambers was third at 17.231; and Brookshire secured the last spot in the short go with a 17.315. Lockhart was fifth with a 17.408; Walker was sixth with a 17.534; and Timmons was seventh with a 17.730. Hawkins had some bad luck on third barrel and broke the pattern for a no score.
In the short go, the crowd gets to vote on the order the finalists run. Loflin had the top of the ground, and she set the pace again at 17.086. That would prove to be the winning run, as Kruse was closest to her with a 17.272. Chambers had a 17.498 on her second ride of the day, and Brookshire ran a 17.557.
