#151 – Festival Western de St-Tite: Champions Crowned & A Record-Breaking Week

Sep 18, 2025

Doug Simcox and Sam Swearingen wrap up an unforgettable 10 days at the 57th Festival Western de St-Tite. The crowds were record-breaking, the hospitality unmatched, and the rodeo action second to none.

In this closing episode, you’ll hear from newly crowned champions: Raymond Hostetler, who split first place in the saddle bronc riding finals after a gritty reride, and Austin Stewart, who captured the steer wrestling win and punched his ticket to the American Eastern Regional Qualifier in Lexington, KY. Stewart’s story of “Peach,” a former barrel horse turned bulldogging Ferrari, shows just how much horsepower it takes to make it to the top.

Doug and Sam also reflect on the growth of St-Tite from a ballfield in 1967 with 5,000 fans to nearly a million visitors today. From behind-the-scenes conversations with announcers and festival leaders to the roar of the short round, this is rodeo at its best.

Subscribe to Beyond the Chutes and join us on the road.

#BTC #BeyondTheChutes #FestivalWesternStTite #StTite #Rodeo #RodeoLife #RodeoFamily #CanadianRodeo #IPRA #ProRodeo #WesternLifestyle #WesternWay #QuietEnoughToRide #InOurRoots

Subscribe

Join Our Rodeo Community

Join our Facebook Group where we discuss all things Rodeo, from upcoming events, to past history, and current stars.

Latest Episodes

#150 Mike Duplissey: Don’t Quit the Cattle on a Stormy Night

Bareback rider and rodeo hand Mike Duplissey returns with stories that crackle—Marilyn’s quiet cowhand genius pushing an 1,800-lb swamp bull to the trailer, learning the racehorse game (and surviving the oil-bust tax-shelter collapse), coming back with real estate at...

#149 Festival Western de St Tite 2025

Doug and Sam open the 57th Festival Western de Saint-Tite, Québec. From Sylvain Bourgeois, BJ Prince and Vanessa Denis and 500 volunteers-the people who make FWST a family, not just a festival. Why Saint-Tite is, in Sam’s words, the “Woodstock of Rodeo,” how a town of...

#148 Mike Duplissey: Them Kids Call ’em Dragons

A rodeo life masterclass with IPRA standout Mike Duplissey—bareback ace, bronc hand, coach, and storyteller. Mike opens up about meeting and marrying champion barrel racer Marilyn in Detroit, winning big at the Pontiac Silverdome (largest one-day rodeo), the IRA →...

#147 Mike Duplissey:  Easy to Love and Harder to Get Rid Of

In this second installment with Mike Duplissey, Doug Simcox dives deeper into Mike’s remarkable rodeo journey — including his move from the IPRA to the RCA, Marilyn’s NFR push with her horse Dan, and unforgettable behind-the-chutes stories. Mike opens up about the...

#146 Mike Duplissey:  That Kid Could Ride Some Wild Horses

Eight-time IFR qualifier, two-time Reserve World Champion, and one of the competitors at the very first International Finals Rodeo—Mike Duplissey has lived the history of rodeo. Host Doug Simcox visits Mike and his wife Marilyn in Poteau, Oklahoma, to reflect on his...