The Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo kicks off in Minot
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The 2026 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo is back in Minot this weekend with performances beginning on Friday night, October 9, and running clear through Sunday, October 11, ending with the championship performances.
Of the 108 competitors that will make an appearance in the Circuit Finals, one of them is Minot’s own Brody Nelson.
Nelson is a 21 year old bull rider, born and raised in Minot, North Dakota , and the rodeo has been a part of his life since he was a child.
“My dad would have PBR on TV every Sunday night,” Nelson said. “We would watch rodeo and bull riding on TV quite a bit.”
Nelson first got his start riding steers at 11 years old, and though he has some extended family in the rodeo game, he is the first in his immediate family to take up the bull-riding reigns.
After years of competing, in 2024, Nelson qualified for his first ever Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo, but was unable to compete due to a leg injury. Last year, he was finally able to make his Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo. This year, he returns to the North Dakota State Fairgrounds yet again for his second appearance in a row.
“[The rodeo’s] right there close to the house. I like that its the one time a year my family can actually come.” Nelson said. “Usually you got to a rodeo and there isn’t anybody you really know, maybe a few contestants, but there’s a lot more familiar faces.”
Nelson says that for bull riders, those eight seconds are just as much about mental strength as they are about physical strength.
“Eight seconds is a lot longer than someone thinks. Stuff is going pretty fast, but time seems to be moving a lot slower,” nelson said. “I try to just stay positive and have fun with it and try to stay clear. That’s a big thing is this sport, staying clear and staying positive.”
Nelson is one of twelve bull riders that qualified for the 2026 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo this year.
Among him are the Circuit’s current top bull riders Riley Shippy from Colome, S.D. and Jeff Bertus from Avon, S.D.
Nelson is just one of just three bull riders from North Dakota competing this weekend, and with a number of first place finishes this season and north of $9,000 in winnings, he is entering the Circuit Finals as one of the top contenders.
Nelson and the other competitors will open the first nigh of competition in the 2026 Badlands Circuit Finals Rodeo at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 9.