Bareback rider R.C. Landingham wasn’t the only Pendletonian to turn in an exciting performance at last weekend’s National College Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.

Two others – Amanda Tullis and Jennifer Richardson – needed no horses, ropes or other cowboy paraphernalia as they kicked off three of six nights of rodeo action with markedly-different versions of the National Anthem.

Amanda Tullis, 16, did the deed with a violin and a microphone.

When it comes to the “Star Spangled Banner,” Tullis doesn’t fiddle around. As a gigantic American flag lowered slowly in the center of the arena on Friday evening, light ricocheted off the teen’s sequined red, white and blue vest as she surprised rodeo fans with a nuanced, high-energy performance that brought emotion to more than one fan’s face.

Earlier in the week, Jennifer Richardson, a breakaway roper on the Blue Mountain Community College team, put some lung power into her version of the anthem. Before the performance, Richardson was more into her roping than worrying about singing the National Anthem. She skipped the rehearsal and spent the moments before going on tending to her horse. But when she stepped onto the dirt arena, she gave it all her attention.

“She just nailed that thing,” said Roberta Tullis, Amanda Tullis’ mom. “She was phenomenal.” Richardson must have impressed rodeo organizers, too. They asked her to do a repeat performance on Saturday, the night of finals.

With the multitudes of singers and musicians who perform the National Anthem around the country, one might wonder why rodeo organizers chose two performers from the same town. Roger Walters, National Intercollegiate Rodeo Commissioner, attended the regional rodeo in Pendleton. The Texan was especially struck by Tullis and her violin as she performed the National Anthem in the BMCC arena.

“This girl’s good,” he thought. “It’s different, it’s not traditional, but it’s totally moving.”

Walters also found himself drawn to Richardson. He liked her voice, yes, but the fact that she also had qualified for nationals further intrigued him.

He asked both young women to come to the national rodeo and perform.

Both Tullis and Richardson have impressive musical resumes.

Tullis first played the National Anthem publicly as a 7-year-old. She’s performed at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Pendleton Round-Up and Professional Bull Riders events. She’s opened for Portland Beavers baseball and Tri-City Americans hockey games. Tullis won the Oregon State Fiddle Contest (Pee Wee division) at age 9 and came in sixth in her age group that year at the National Oldtime Fiddle Contest in Weiser, Idaho.

Richardson, an Idaho native, has sung and, ironically, played fiddle, since she was a young girl. As a young singer, her voice teacher had Richardson tackle the National Anthem to widen her range. “It’s a song, when you mess it up, everyone knows it,” Richardson said.

She’s performed with various singing and fiddling groups. Memorable gigs include singing with her choir at the Salt Lake Olympics and at a Seattle Mariners game. Now she is working on a country music CD.

Over the years, she has performed the National Anthem dozens of times.

“I used to have the words with me – I put them in my back pocket,” she said. “I haven’t done that since my freshman year (in college).”

She claims not to get nervous, though she says “once it’s over it’s a big sigh of relief.”

In Casper, Tullis decided to dedicate her performance to Tygh Campbell, BMCC’s retiring rodeo coach, and rodeo secretary Stacie Stahl for their support.

“I told Tygh that this National Anthem was especially for him,” Tullis said, “and I played the best I could as a gift of thanks.”

Campbell stood at the edge of the arena and watched.

“She did a phenomenal job,” said Campbell, adding that he was humbled. “The crowd gets into it – it’s kind of a tear jerker. When she’s done, the crowd erupts.”

Stahl, the other honoree, felt the same.

“It was awesome,” she said. “After the rodeo, people were stopping her left and right telling her how moving it was.”

Stahl paused.

“She’s one of the team,” she said.

On the night Tullis sang, Richardson missed her calf during the breakaway roping event. She participated the next night, the finals, with her singing voice only.

Both Richardson and Tullis said they are honored to perform the National Anthem so often.

“It is very important to me,” Tullis said. “It’s my way of representing my country and giving thanks to so many.”