Two Boulder brothers qualified earlier this month for the miniature bull-riding world finals in Las Vegas, less than two years after each rode for the first time.
Kylar Rintamaki, 13, an eighth-grader at Boulder Elementary School, placed first in the senior division at the Wicked Spur Mini Buckers state finals in Helmsville on Sept. 1-2, qualifying him for the International Miniature Bullriding Association world finals in Las Vegas in December, said his mom Brandy Rintamaki.
Korbin Rintamaki, 8, a third-grader at Boulder Elementary, qualified for the world finals by placing fourth in the Mini Buckers peewees division at the state finals, she said.
Days after qualifying at the state finals, both boys did well at the 406 Rodeo in Darby: Kylar placed second for the season in his division, while Korbin placed fourth in his. Kylar’s performance at that rodeo qualified him to go to Ogden, Utah in October for the Professional Miniature Bull Riders (PMBR) finals.
“It’s with 50 of the top mini bull-riders of the world from multiple states and Canada,” Brandy Rintamaki said.
The first time both boys rode was at a mini-bull clinic the Wicked Spur Mini Buckers held in Townsend in May 2018.
“Korbin got on his first bull and bucked off within a few seconds,” Brandy Rintamaki said. “He got up off the ground, brushed himself off and had an ear to ear grin and he yelled ‘That was awesome!’ I knew right then he was hooked.”
She said that Kylar described his first ride as “a heck of a rush,” and that both boys “watched the movie ‘8 Seconds’ over and over and wanted to be just like Lane Frost and Tuff Hedeman.”
They also look up to pro bull-riders such as J.B. Mauney and Jess Lockwood, she said.
The family is holding a pasty fundraiser to help pay for travel expenses to Las Vegas and is taking orders until Oct. 20. The pasties cost $5 each and can be ordered by calling or texting Brandy Rintamaki at 406-422-9485.
“We also have an account set up for cash donations at the Madison Valley Bank under Brandy DeMers Rodeo Fundraiser,” she said.
