Myles Kenzy claimed the 2025 Badlands Circuit Calf Roping year-end title while J.T. Adamson won the average for the second year in a row at the Minot, North Dakota, rodeo held Oct. 11–13, with both cowboys riding A Smooth Guy offspring.
Kenzy won round two of the circuit finals, banking $2,595 to move into the No. 1 spot in the standings and secure his NFR Open qualification.
Adamson, the reigning Badlands Circuit average champion, came into the finals chasing another NFR Open berth after his clean sweep in 2024. The 27-year-old placed in all three rounds and won the average to take home $7,461.
Kenzy’s First Year-End Title
Kenzy clinched his first Badlands Circuit year-end championship with $29,558 won on the season, edging Ty Moser by just $274.
“It’s funny looking back that I’ve been after it for seven years and I was finally able to do it,” Kenzy said. “I’ve been close to having trips to the RAM Finals or NFR Open in the past, but this is really the first time I’ve had a shot at the year-end title.”
The South Dakota all-around hand won round two, pocketing worth $2,595. While the rest of his weekend didn’t go as planned, the second-round win was enough to seal the deal.
“Things really didn’t go how I was hoping,” Kenzy said. “I didn’t draw very good the first round and got flagged out. I came back in the second round and won the round on a really good calf. In the third round, I broke the barrier, so it wasn’t what I was hoping it’d be, but we got the outcome we wanted.”
Kenzy was riding his 7-year-old stud, Heza Smoothie, better known as “Butterball.” The stallion is by A Smooth Guy and out of Sheisa Dually by Dual Pep.
“We raised and started Butterball,” Kenzy said. “I started hauling him last year around the Fourth, and he’s been a game changer for me. I’ve won a lot in the last two years because of that horse.”
Kenzy’s dad, Frank, has trained cutting horses for decades. After college, Kenzy got the roping bug and joined his dad riding colts and training horses.
“I’ve just been around here riding colts and training rope horses since college,” Kenzy said. “I go to some of the futurities here and there, and that’s been fun for me to get involved in at the ground level over the last few years and have some success.”
For Kenzy, training horses and circuit rodeoing go hand-in-hand.
“This has worked out really well for me,” Kenzy said. “The futurities that I go to are in the spring and fall, so it doesn’t affect my circuit rodeos. It allows me to bring these horses along slow and get them ready to go these rodeos.”
Looking ahead, Kenzy plans to rodeo harder in 2026.
“I’m going to try and go to as many as I can this winter and hopefully get into the buildings,” Kenzy said. “We’ll see how things are going in the spring, but I do plan to rodeo next summer and go more than I have in the past.”
Adamson Doubles Down on Average
Adamson earned his second straight Badlands Circuit average title, placing in every round and banking $7,461 for the weekend.
“It feels great to do it again,” Adamson said. “It’s been a long summer, so it was good to cap off the year like this.”
Coming in No. 7 in the standings, Adamson needed a strong showing to punch his ticket to Colorado Springs. He placed fourth in the first two rounds and sealed the win with a round three victory, finishing with 27.9 seconds on three head.
“They had me by quite a bit in the standings,” Adamson said. “I barely got my rodeo count in this year. I think I was one rodeo over my minimum count because I was gone rodeoing this summer. My plan coming into the finals was just to go at each calf because I didn’t have anything to lose.”
Adamson placed fourth in round one and two and won round three, which put him on top in the average.
“On my first calf, I popped around the outside and honestly, I should have won the round, but I got ahead of myself,” Adamson said. “I got excited that I could win all three rounds again this year and ended up messing up my tie. The second calf I ran didn’t get tied down in the first round, and she stuck a leg, but we still ended up fourth.”
In round three, Adamson capitalized on a calf he wanted from the start.
“There was one calf I really, really wanted,” Adamson said. “I was there when they drew, and I drew that calf. I knew I just needed to stay behind the barrier. The calf was great and we ended up winning the round.”
Adamson rode 9-year-old Lenas Smooth BF Tad to the average win, the same mare he rode last year. The family raised mare, “Tad,” is by A Smooth Guy and out of Lenas Last Streaker who is by A Streak Of Fling.
“We raised her here on the ranch and I ranched on her for the first few years,” Adamson said. “Her 4-year-old year, we sent her off to a family friend and they ran barrels on her. They won between $40,000 and $50,000 on her in the barrel pen. I got her back and started calf roping on her and she’s been great.”
As for his 2026 rodeo plans, Adamson is planning on hitting the road again.
“I’m going to go again next year,” Adamson said. “I’ve got another mare coming along that will hopefully be ready for me to take. My plan is to go to the winter rodeos, and there’s a chance that if I’m a little behind on my count or money, I may send a horse to Canada right off the bat. After that, it’s full tilt, try to make the (National) Finals.”