Monthly Archives: December 2010

LAS VEGAS – If you ask Justin McDaniel, he’ll gladly tell you he likes to ride the toughest bucking horses in the business. No, it’s not a disease. It’s a passion. It’s what defines a champion. On Saturday night during the third go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, McDaniel, the 2008 world champion bareback rider from Porum, Okla., spurred Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Ols Tubs Ross River for 84.5 points to finish in a tie for second place. He added $12,145, marking his NFR earnings at $21,043 – in three nights in Sin City, McDaniel has moved his season earnings to $102,893. “That’s the kind of pen I like,” said McDaniel, 24, referring to the “eliminator” bareback horses. “I think the ranker the horses, the better chance I have. I seem to win more on those kinds of horses. Everyone gets nervous, but really, those are just the best horses in the world that we win on all year.” Obviously that’s true. McDaniel shared the third-round win a year ago on the back of another eliminator, and Olds Tubs Ross River’s stumble might have cost McDaniel the round victory Saturday night – on the 100-point scale, judges mark half the score on the horse and half on how well the cowboy rides and spurs in time with the animal; the bronc’s stagger might’ve meant a point or two less from the judges. “I’ve had him before at Puyallup and won second on him in the four-man round,” McDaniel said. “He’s a strong horse. He didn’t have his day because he slipped there, but he got really strong when we got over off the wall. “I like the ones that test you. Those are the horses that separate the men from the boys.” McDaniel has ridden three horses for a cumulative total of 250 points, which puts him in a four-way tie for second place in the all-important average race – at the end of the 10-day event, the contestant in each event with the best cumulative time or score will win nearly $45,000. And while some contestants took a more conservative approach to riding the rankest horses in the business on Saturday night, McDaniel showed off the form that helped him win the coveted gold buckle two seasons ago. “That’s just my spur lick,” he said, referring to the spurring motion from the horses’ neck to the handle of his rigging. “I’m not looking to just get by one; I’m trying to win the round every time I go out there.”          That’s just the way cowboys do it.

LAS VEGAS – D.V. Fennell is a ProRodeo veteran who plied his trade on the backs of every kind of bareback horse in the business. On Saturday night during the third go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, his experience paid off when the Neosho, Mo., cowboy rode the Beutler & Son Rodeo horse Killer Bee for 81 points to finish sixth. It marked the first paycheck of this year’s championship, but Fennell believes it’s just the start of something good. “A roll has got to start somewhere, so I think this is the night,” said Fennell, born in Utah and raised in southeast Oklahoma who lived in Stroud, Okla., for several years. “I used an old champ’s routine on that horse. I knew it was a good one, but I knew it’d take a little while for him to get started, so I just waited until he really got to bucking, and then we went at it.” The third-round NFR bareback horses are called the eliminators, so just riding through the storm is sometimes an accomplishment. “Shoot, those are the horses that’ll yank the tar out of you, but it’s a cowboy test,” said Fennell, who was part of rodeo teams at Vernon (Texas) College and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. “You’ve just got to grit your teeth and bear down. The best thing you can do is just go at ’em.” Fennell remains No. 15 in the world standings, and the $2,825 check he earned Saturday night didn’t change his place on the money list. But it did provide a splash of momentum. “The thing about the finals is that it’s 10 head, 10 days, 10 times to win that money,” Fennell said. “You get a chance to nod your head for $17,000 every night. That’s what you work for all year, to get yourself in that position. “Now we just need to do it.”

1. Kanin Asay, 91 points on Wild Card Rodeo’s Pocket Change, $17,512 2. Cody Whitney, 90.5 on Burns Rodeo’s Kid Twist, $13,840 3. J.W. Harris, 88.5 on Andrews Rodeo’s Body Works, $10,450 4. D.J. Domangue, 87.5 on Cervi & Guidry Rodeo’s Multi-Chem Comet’s Surprise, $7,344 5. Seth Glause on Cervi & Guidry’s Red Brand Amy’s Pet and Dustin Elliott on Burns Rodeo’s Full Throttle, $3,672

1. Sherry Cervi, 13.65 seconds, $17,512 2. Lindsay Sears, 13.75, $13,840 3. Jill moody, 13.83, $10,450 4. Kelli Tolbert, 13,84, $7,344 5. Sydni Blanchard, 13.96, $4,5190 6. Brenda Mays and Christina Richman, 14.06, $1,412

1. Tuf Cooper, 6.9 seconds, $17,512 2. Clif Cooper and Scott Kormos, 7.3, $12,145 4. Ryan Jarrett, 7.6, $7,344 5. Shane Hachney, 8.0, $4,519 6. Stran Smith and Fred Whitfield, 8.3, $1,412

1. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 4.2, $17,512 2. Brady Trayn/Jake Long, 4.6, $13,840 3. Britt Williams/Bobby Harris and Keven Daniel/Caleb Twisselman, 4.7, $8,897 5. Luke Brown/Martin Lucero, 5.5, $4,519 6. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 7.0, $2,825

After the first two nights, we’ve made our way to the South Point for the Montana Silversmiths go-round buckle presentation. It’s a nice gathering, and we have great hosts. Tonight, though, it’s work-related. With Steven Dent’s 85-point winning ride, I’ll be on hand shooting photos. You see, Dent rode Carr Pro Rodeo’s Big Lights for the $17,512, and that means the stock contractor gets a go-round buckle, too. So I’ll be quite tickled to be on hand to see Pete Carr collect that piece of hardware. “Everybody said he bucked, and he did,” Dent said of Big Lights, an 8-year-old bay gelding, which was part of the “eliminator” pen, meaning the rankest bucking horses that are part of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “In perspective for that pen, he was pretty nice.”

1. Todd Suhn, 3.8 seconds, $17,512 2. Curtis Cassidy, Dane Hanna and Jule Hazen, 4.2, $10,545 5. Billy Bugenig, 4.3, $4,519 6. Luke Branquinho, 4.6, $2,825

1. Steven Dent, 85 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Big Lights, $17,512 2. Justin McDaniel on Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Ols Tubbs Ross River and Joe Gunderson on Mosbrucker Rodeos’ Magic Wars, 84.5, $12,145 4. Matt Bright, 84 on Frontier Rodeo’s Full Baggage, $7,344 5. Will Lowe, 81.5 on Andrews Rodeos Cool Water, $4,519 6. D.V. Fennell, 81 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Killer Bee, $2,825

Trevor Brazile was all smiles Friday night after clinching his eighth all-around world championship, a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association record. Brazile has always been one of the great people in ProRodeo. As overwhelmingly talented as he is, he remains humble. Likeable. Personable. Gracious. As a dozen members of the media swarmed around the 34-year-old cowboy just outside the media room, he admitted to keeping an eye on the happenings, but it wasn’t because he was doing all-around math. “I was just trying to figure on where I was going to place in team roping, because I’ve won more money already this year than I did all last year,” said Brazile, one of just two cowboys to have qualified for the National Finals in all four roping events. “I’ve quadrupled it.” He talked about his family, which includes wife Shada, son Treston and daughter Stella Bell. No matter the outcome of any competition, he knows his children will be his biggest fans and greatest supporters. Still, he admitted, 3-year-old Treston is already a roping critic. “After last night, he told me, ‘I told you that you needed two wraps and a huey on that calf,’ ” Brazile said Friday. “I said, ‘I did put two wraps and a huey on that calf.’ But he said, ‘You didn’t tie it tight enough.’ ”

1. Kaycee Feild, 88 points on Stace Smith’s R.D. Mercer, $17,512 2. Bobby Mote, 86 on Lancaster & Pickett’s Night Bells, $13,840 3. Kelly Timberman on Growney Brothers’ Beaver Feaver and Justin McDaniel on Sankey Rodeo’s Mony, 85, $8,897 5. Steven Dent, 84 on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Riverboat Annie, $4,519 6. Dusty LaValley, 82 on Big Stone’s Gold Dust

LAS VEGAS – Cort Scheer took a venture south in order to find the pay window during his first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Scheer, of Elsmere, Neb., rode the Stace Smith Pro Rodeo horse Goin South for 84.5 points, good enough for fourth place in the second go-round and worth $7,344. It marked a solid beginning for the young cowboy who competed on rodeo teams at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Montana State University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “That sucker was way better than I thought he was going to be,” Scheer said of the bronc. “I honestly didn’t think it was going to be like that.” It worked, even though there were some complications. The animal came out of the chute backwards before bucking across the arena, so the ProRodeo officials offered Scheer a re-ride. The 24-year-old cowboy decided to keep the score. “I think that’s the first re-ride I’ve ever turned down,” said Scheer, who claims the sandhills of Nebraska as home while living in the Oklahoma Panhandle community of Guymon. “But at a point, it’s got to be a business decision. “The re-ride was Atomic Betty from Wayne Vold, and that dang sure is a good bucker. But I was really probably going to score 84 or 85, so I thought I’d better not take that score of the board.” Scheer earned his way to ProRodeo’s grand finale by finishing the regular season seventh in the saddle bronc riding world standings with $82,503 – in rodeo, money not only pays bills but also serves as championship points; the contestants in each event with the most money won at the conclusion of the NFR will be crowned world champions. And while the young cowboy was excited about appearing on the biggest stage of the sport, he didn’t realize the impact until opening night on Dec. 1, when more than 17,000 people crowded into the Thomas & Mack Center. “It never hit home that much until I woke up yesterday morning,” Scheer said, referring to Thursday. “I just thought, ‘You better buck up.’ “I’m just happier than heck to be here, but you’ve got to be able to take advantage of being here. I don’t really think about the money. I’ll just see what I draw tomorrow. I haven’t been too impressed on my mark-out, so I’ll try to work on that and just let it roll.”

LAS VEGAS – Much has happened in the last 12 months since Justin McDaniel earned a paycheck at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. So there was a distinct feeling of joy on Friday night when the 2008 world champion bareback rider left the Thomas & Mack Center with an $8,897 check after his 85-point ride on Sankey Rodeo’s Mony. His last paycheck came in the sixth go-round of the 2009 championship when he finished in a three-way tie for sixth place with an 82-point ride on Gold Buckle Rodeo’s Jail House Rock. “It felt really good until I got to the fence,” McDaniel said of his ride on the white Sankey horse that bucked round the front of the chute, then adjusted his bucking motion when it got close to the yellow metal poles that border the tiny arena. “That’s where I got a stinger, and my right arm went numb. I didn’t finish as good as I wanted to.” McDaniel, 24, who rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Multi-Chem Pinball Wizard for 80.5 points during Thursday’s opening night, sits in a three-way tie for fourth in the all-important average race; the Porum, Okla., cowboy won the 2008 NFR average title en route to earning the coveted gold buckle. He was just 22 years old at the time. “I feel really good, really confident right now,” said McDaniel, who earned his way to ProRodeo’s championship event by earning $81,850 in the regular season. More importantly, the young Oklahoman did that even though he missed the first half of the season because of injury and didn’t get back into competition until the first of June. After last year’s NFR, McDaniel opted to have back surgery, which was done in February. The rehabilitation seems to have worked wonders. “I’m healthy and confident,” he said. “I haven’t felt this good in a while.” That has taken away all those post-surgery worries that filled his mind, even for a few weeks after he started riding again. He knew he needed to get confident in his back and his ability, especially since he’d given most of the elite bareback riders a big head start – by the time McDaniel rode at his first Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, standings leader Ryan Gray had already earned more than $80,000; the No. 15 guy in the standings in early June was Dave Worsfold, who had pocketed nearly $19,000. Every step, every physical therapy session, is paying off at the richest rodeo of the season, where go-round winners will earn better than $17,500 through the 10 days in Vegas. McDaniel has been through enough this season that he’s placing his focus on the competition, not all the issues that surround it. “I’m just going to nod my head and try to ride the best I can,” he said. “I’m going to try to win every go-round from here on out, and the best way to do that is just nod your head and go at them.”

1. J.W. Harris, 89.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Red Onion, $17,512 2. Cody Whitney, 88 on Frontier Rodeo’s Tiger Lips, $13,840 3. Shawn Hogg, 85.5 on Rafter H Rodeo’s Hot Wired, $10,450 4. Wesley Silcox, 84 on D&H Cattle’s Marmaduke, $7,344 5. Chad Denton, 75, $4,519

1. Kelli Tolbert, 13.68 seconds, $17,512 2. Jill Moody, 13.71, $13,840 3. Lisa Lockhart, 13.74, $10,451 4. Tana Poppino, 13.79, $7,344 5. Lindsay Sears, 13.81, $4,519 6. Sherry Cervi, 13.93, $2,825

1. Fred Whitfield and Jerrad Hofstetter, 7.6 seconds, $15,676 3. Cody Ohl, 7.7, $10,451 4. Jerome Schneeberger, 7.8, $7,344 5. Ryan Jarrett, 8.0, $4,519 6. Trevor Brazile, 8.1, $2,825

Trevor Brazile is the first cowboy in ProRodeo history to have won eight all-around world championships. His second-place finish in team roping and sixth-place finish in tie down roping earned him the 2010 all-around title. Nobody can catch him now. Congratulations to Trevor Brazile.

1. Cody Wright, 87 points on Burch Rodeo’s Friendly Fire, $17,512 2. J.J. Elshere on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Miss Congeniality and Jesse Wrigt on Stace Smith’s Big Jet, 85.5, $12,145 4. Cort Scheer, 84.5 on  Stace Smith’s Goin’ South, $7,344 5. Taos Muncy, 83 on Sankey Rodeo’s Shining Mountain, $4,519 6. Jesse Kruse, 82.5 on Bar T Rodeo’s Robins Nest, $2,825

1. Luke Brown/Martin Lucero, 3.9 seconds, $17,512 2. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 4.3, $13,840 3. Turtle Powell/Broc Cresta and Ty Blasingame/Cody Hintz, 4.5, $8,897 5. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 4.7, $4,519 6. Chad Masters/Jade Corkill, 8.3, $2,825

1. Luke Branquinho and Ethen Thouvenell, 3.9 seconds, $15,676 3. Trevor Knowles and Cody Cassidy, 4.0, $8,897 5. Billy Bugenig and Dean Gorsuch, 4.5, $3,672

Before we left our spot at the Gold Coast for the trek to the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard, we stepped into the NFR Tonight show hosted by my friend, Dan Miller, and rodeo greats Donnie Gay and Joe Beaver and announcers Bob Tallman and Boyd Polhamus. It looked like a fun show, and I’m sure we’ll be there again, even though my wife couldn’t have her Pendleton at the Gold Coast. But we ventured to the South Point to visit friends. But as we were leaving, we might have heard the line of the night from two-time bull riding world champion J.W. Harris: “I wanted to be the first to say that I’m here with the Gay Beaver.”

Clif Cooper has a pretty big family tree. His father is Roy, an eight-time world champion, and he’s the third of Roy’s sons to have qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. At the opening-round buckle presentation presented by Montana Silversmiths at the South Point Hotel & Casino, Clif took over the stage from hosts Randy Corley and Flint Rasmussen. It was his time in the spotlight, and, well, he earned it with his winning 7.9-second run. Not only has Clif followed in the footsteps of his father, older brother Clint and younger brother Tuf, he’s joined them all in Vegas this week – the Cooper boys are one of several sets of brothers to have qualified for the 2010 championship. So Clif introduced his family and friends who are important to him. And everybody in the room was glad he did.

1. D.J. Domangue, 88.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Black Cat, $17,512 2. Chad Denton on Barnes PRCA Rodeo’s Ole’ South Rebel and J.W. Harris on Cervi & Guidry Rodeo’s Hot Diggity Damn, 87.5, $12,145. 4. Steve Woolsey, 86 on Painted Pony Championship Rodeo’s Million Dollar Man.  5. Clayton Williams on Frontier Rodeo’s Cajun Monkey and Corey Navarre on Franklin Rodeo’s Little White Lie, 85.5, $3,672.

Clif Cooper has a pretty big family tree. His father is Roy, an eight-time world champion, and he’s the third of Roy’s sons to have qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. At the opening-round buckle presentation presented by Montana Silversmiths at the South Point Hotel & Casino, Clif took over the stage from hosts Randy Corley and Flint Rasmussen. It was his time in the spotlight, and, well, he earned it with his winning 7.9-second run. Not only has Clif followed in the footsteps of his father, older brother Clint and younger brother Tuf, he’s joined them all in Vegas this week – the Cooper boys are one of several sets of brothers to have qualified for the 2010 championship. So Clif introduced his family and friends who are important to him. And everybody in the room was glad he did.