DEADWOOD - The first performance of the 87th annual Days of '76 Rodeo went off without a hitch Thursday night as the summer's hottest day to date turned into a near perfect night for riding and rooting for rollicking good rodeo action.

One of the cowboys thoroughly enjoying his first appearance at the Days of '76 rodeo was Trell Etbauer, son of former world champion saddle bronc rider Robert Etbauer and nephew of five-time world champion bronc rider Billy Etbauer. The ride was a return to his roots in a manner of speaking.

The Etbauers now reside in Goodwell, Okla., but they hung their hats in Ree Heights during the formative years when they were establishing themselves as rodeo saddle bronc legends.

"This is the first time I've been to Deadwood," said Trell, who is quickly making his own name on the rodeo circuit as evidenced by his selection as the 2008 PRCA rookie of the year. "And from what I've seen so far, I just love it. This is a pretty neat place. Last year, I stayed out in Utah, but I think from now on, I'll be coming back here."

An all-around cowboy currently ranked 19th in the world standings, Trell competed in two events Thursday night, the saddle bronc and tie-down roping. In saddle bronc, his 77-point ride placed him third behind Thursday night's 83-point winning ride of Elm Springs, cowboy Ryan Elshere another name familiar to South Dakota rodeo fans. In tie-down roping, Trell finished fourth in Thursday's round and is currently sixth in average.

Sturgis steer wrestler, Tyler Haugen provided plenty to cheer about for Black Hills rodeo fans by placing second in Thursday night's performance, an outing that vaulted him into first place in aggregate. Haugen's two-head total of 7.5 is a mere tenth of a second better than the 7.6 posted by Nebraska cowboy Todd Suhn.

"It's been a little slow for me so far this year," Tyler said. "I've been kind of nickel and diming them, but having a lot of fun doing it. Tonight makes it even a little more fun. I drew a good steer tonight, and I'm riding a pretty good horse, so the rest was easy."