Chase Gemes Recognized by Pettis County Commission

On Friday morning, Nov. 3, the Pettis County Commission presented a proclamation to local bullrider Chase Gemes (pronounced Jeemz), congratulating him for his performance placing eighth out of 43 in the world (and first in Missouri) at the World Championship Miniature Bull Riding Finals in Mesquite, Texas October 2-7.

Chase, 15, is a sophomore at Smith-Cotton High School, has been riding miniature bulls for about four years.

Chase practices in Carthage in southwest Missouri. “I normally go down to Carthage and get on two or three bulls and just try to practice and get my form good,” he said.

Chase, the son of Candy and Jeff Lamb, said he plans to go professional at some point in the future, with hopes of joining the PBR.

Chase also runs track & field for Smith-Cotton and is a long-distance sprinter.

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So why does Chase ride miniature bulls?

“Well I just mainly like the feeling of victory, and it's just really fun,” Chase responded when asked about his goal, adding that he is one of four bullriders from Sedalia.

“But I have a lot of friends from all over Missouri, and we always travel together. We always ride at the same places,” Chase said.

Does Chase ever get hurt riding miniature bulls?

“It's really hard to prevent injuries, and injuries come a lot. One of my buddies actually said that in the sport of bullriding, it's never if you'll get hurt, it's when and how bad,” Chase said, adding that he always wears a helmet when competing.

As for the special recognition by the Pettis County Commission, Chase said that “I really appreciate it, and it's nice to have someone who knows what I'm doing and supports me.” he noted.

Sponsorship is something that Chase and his family is becoming quite familiar with, having to secure sponsorship money to make the recent trip to Texas for World Finals, “because it's not super cheap.”

Also in attendance Friday was professional rodeo announcer and Sedalia School District 200 Assistant Superintendent Chris Pyle, who congratulated Chase on his achievement.