By Rich Winter

605 Sports

NEW UNDERWOOD — With every South Dakota rodeo national champion being honored Friday at the South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals, it might take a minute to list the accomplishments of Connie (Stinson) Price.

 Born in 1943 to Delbert and Lois Stinson, a 60-year rodeo career launched when her parents bought a farm several miles outside of New Underwood. 

 “I had horses when I was a little kid,” Price said. “I rode horses out in the pasture every day. My dad didn’t do much rodeo but he really loved horses and he was once a regional director and then a national director of high school rodeo.”

 Price started off riding bareback and didn’t get a saddle until she was in third grade. In eighth-grade she entered her first competition, a playday event held in conjunction with the Rapid City Range Days. 

 “I ran barrels in Rapid City,” Price said. “After that first rodeo I was hooked and then did high school rodeo, Little Britches rodeo and I can’t remember if there was a 4-H rodeo.”  

Price excelled in high school and is one of the most decorated high school athletes ever to compete from South Dakota. In 1960 and ‘61 she was the All-Around Cowgirl. In 1960, she was the South Dakota High School Queen and won state titles (‘60, ‘61) in the breakaway roping. Price was a three-time state champion in pole bending winning titles in 1959, ‘60 and ‘61. Stinson also won a state title in barrel racing in 1960. 

 In 1960, Price won the barrel racing competition and was named All-Around Cowgirl at the National High School Finals Rodeo. 

Connie (Stinson) Price excelled in multiple rodeo events including barrel racing where she won a title in 1960 at the National High School Finals Rodeo - Courtesy Photo

 She rodeoed at every level, including South Dakota Rodeo Association and Northwest Ranch Cowboys Association, then the Girls Rodeo Association, which later became the Women's Professional Rodeo Association. In 1966, she ran barrels at the NFR in Ft. Worth, Texas, and in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1968.

 “I also rode at the all girl rodeos in the late 60s where I rode bareback and bulls,” she said. “I also team roped and breakaway roped.” 

 Price’s daughter Kristi (Price) Thorstenson won six state titles in South Dakota and won the national goat tying in 1988. 

 While Price’s accomplishments are of legendary status, her impact on rodeo in South Dakota might be even more impressive. 

 In 1966, Rose Mary D’Arta won a barrel racing national title after spending a lot of time on the Stinson ranch.

 “Rose was the daughter of a doctor and they lived like eight or nine miles from New Underwood,” she said. “She practically lived at our house and she rode all of my barrel horses.”

 In 1968, Kelli Powers won a national title in the pole bending after riding one of Price’s horses. Price was around to help Jessica (Painter) Holmes from Buffalo win back-to-back national titles in pole bending in 2002 and ‘03. 

 “When I got married to my husband Jay in 1971 he was from Buffalo so we spent some time there and I was able to work with Jessica a little bit,” she said.

 While continuing to rodeo, the Price family hosted rodeo schools over the years to help participants get better.

 “A lot of them have been pretty green,” Price said. “We tell them to slow down and do it over and over until they get it right.”

 As an elder statesman in the South Dakota rodeo world, Price doesn’t take developing the next generation of rodeo participants lightly.

 “I have a lot of pride in South Dakota rodeo and have worked with kids that have won national titles,” she said. “I’m a great believer that keeping kids active helps keep them out of trouble.” 

 Price’s daughter said the impact her mom has had on South Dakota rodeo is immeasurable.

 “She was always willing to help any kid getting involved,” Thors ttenson said. “Mom has always been about teaching good values and that the horses come first.”

 Thorstenson said her mom has trained many horses that have gone on to rodeo success with their new owners. 

 “My mom was not only awesome for what she did for kids but what she’s done with training horses has been huge for South Dakota,” Thorstenson said. “I really cannot even come close to figuring out how many kids have gone on to win state and national championships while riding horses mom trained.”

 Price is as tough as they come, having milked 35 cows twice a day as a kid and jumping at the opportunity to work alongside the boys. When you work with horses for 70 years injuries are bound to happen.

 “I got bucked off about 10 years ago and a horse broke five ribs when it kicked me,” she said. “I had a horse that went over backwards on me and I broke my collarbone in 1983. I still get around pretty good and I use a lot of natural supplements.” 

 Price and her daughter will both be attending the honoring of past national champions on Friday night. Price will be cheering for her granddaughter, Taylor Price, who qualified for the state finals.

 After the high school finals, Price expects to jump in the swather, “If they are nice to me” and help cut down the hay. She’ll also continue to teach the next generation of rodeo participants.

 “I have a little five-year-old granddaughter who lives a quarter mile away from me,” she said. “She and her sister came over and they ran barrels and poles. It was kind of a little play date and there were about 20 kids there.”