Monthly Archives: January 2011

I’m not sure if NBC was looking to pad today’s coverage of the Jack Daniels Invitational or if there was a computer error, but the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series broadcast had a serious hitch in its get-along during intermission between the third and short go-rounds. That’s the kind of stuff that turns viewers away, something the sports of rodeo and bull riding don’t need.

A good Ben Jones is great for the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series. He shows his excitement and dancing prowess every time he does well. The Australian makes watching bull riding a lot of fun. I understand that it’s difficult to hide emotions, and that with great joy oftentimes comes great sorrow. But throwing a hissy fit in the middle of a rodeo arena isn’t much of a cowboy. Every time Ben throws a fit, he loses credibility.

Cord McCoy made his first ride on a Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series event Saturday night, and it lasted just a couple of seconds. McCoy, an injury replacement at the Jack Daniels Invitational in Indianapolis, learned he got his shot late Saturday afternoon, so he booked a flight and scrambled to the nearest airport in order to make the early evening performance. “That’s an expensive flight to come fall off about the third jump,” he said behind the chutes after the ride. Before he left the arena, he had a few words for entertainer Flint Rasmussen and the bullfighters. “It’s good to be here, I’m telling you.” “I’ll try to ride longer tomorrow. ” It’s that attitude that’s made Cord a fan favorite.

I just saw the hat Luke Snyder’s wearing in Indianapolis.  Looks like something Sally Field wore in the late 1960s in the TV show “The Flying Nun.”

I’m glad I’m not recording the opening night of the PBR in Indianapolis. The NHL All-Star weekend’s skills test challenge has gone into overtime, pushing the coverage of the Jack Daniels Invitational back about 20 minutes so far. For PBR fans who like hockey, they get a nice double dip. For most of us, though, it’s just a delay. And it’s unfortunate.

Talk about last minute: As of 2 p.m. Central time, bull rider and amazing racer Cord McCoy is en route to Indianapolis, where he’s a late replacement in the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series event, the Jack Daniels Invitational. It’s the fourth premier tour event of the season, and McCoy has worked his way up to be an alternate. Hopefully it’ll lead to him staying on the tour, which is a good thing for McCoy, his new bride, Sara, and the PBR. As far as I can tell, Cord was notified late this morning, which meant flying this afternoon and getting to Conseco Fieldhouse in time for the show, which is scheduled to begin at 6:50 p.m. Central. Talk about an amazing race. Maybe this trip is right up Cord’s alley; he’s been in this position a few times before.

Some of the best known legends in bull riding have been the bulls themselves. From Bodacious to Dillinger to Little Yellow Jacket, the bulls have been more than just half of the score of a particular ride; they’ve been superstars in the game. Young Cade Hemphill reminded me that even 3-year-olds have their favorite animal athletes. He liked Chicken On A Chain, a bull that’s been part of the PBR for five years. So what is your favorite bull going down the road now, whether in the PBR, the CBR, the PRCA or any other association? What is your favorite bull of all time?

McKennon Wimberly’s wreck last weekend while trying to ride the bull MoeBandy.com was one of the worst head-to-head collisions I’ve seen behind bull and bull rider. Wimberly, 22, of Cool, Texas, was competing in the short round of the Anaheim (Calif.) Invitational, a Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough series event. The son of five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Joe Wimberly, McKennon is one of the outstanding young guns in the sport. He also is one of those cowboys that chooses to wear protective headgear. But in Anaheim, the lacrosse-style helmet took the brunt of just one of two blows to McKennon’s head. With the first hit, the headgear flew off; but MoeBandy.com’s bucking motion brought McKennon back down just as the bull’s head came up. The sound of the two skulls smacking was simply scary. McKennon was knocked out. He suffered a concussion and a broken jaw, the latter of which was surgically repaired Thursday at UC-Irvine Medical Center. Teenage stock contractor Mesa Pate reported Thursday on a blog posted on pbr.com that McKennon came through surgery well and that doctors were pleased. “Now it’s just a waiting game,” she wrote. “McKennon suffered serious trauma to his head and isn’t quite ready to wake up yet.” My prayers go out to McKennon, his family and his friends. He’s a great bull rider. But what’s more important, he’s an outstanding young man.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I haven’t seen a report on Leah Garcia leaving the Professional Bull Riders telecasts. In fact, a release issued Dec. 28, 2010, lists Garcia as one of the behind-the-chutes announcers, along with Erin Coscarelli. I’ve read a considerable amount of feedback from PBR fans who are unhappy with the changes on the VERSUS telecasts of events, and many fans miss Garcia and longtime announcer Justin McKee – see this post. In fact, several fans have made reference to Garcia on that link. I’ve received word from the PBR that supports the Dec. 28 news release indicating Garcia and Coscarelli are sharing the “sideline reporter” duties. But that doesn’t mean fans are happy about it. From what I gather, it’s just another straw on the camel’s back for many who aren’t happy with the changes in the TV production. What do you think?

Kindergartners at Graland County Day School got a different kind of education when ProRodeo athletes Chad Van Campen, Jule Hazen and Garrett Nokes visited with them on Jan. 14.  The timed-event cowboys were in town to compete at the National Western Stock Show rodeo, and they visited the school to talk about their sport. Nokes and Hazen have qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling, and Van Campen has been one of the elite bulldoggers in the game for a number of years. The students had already prepared some questions, which the cowboys did their best to answer. It’s all great public relations for the sport, something rodeo needs. Nokes is well aware of that, so that’s why he talked his cohorts into going with him to educate the youngsters. I roped Jule and Chad into it because we were all staying at my cousin’s house in Denver,” said Nokes of McCook, Neb. “I also had my son, Parker, with me, so he went, too. “Actually, Parker stole the show. He’s my 2-year-old, and he was all dressed up cowboy and having a ball. He’s my cowboy; he eats it and sleeps it and carries ropes everywhere.” And when the 5- and 6-year-old students posed their questions, their younger counterpart was more than willing to answer. Decked out in his cowboy hat and belt, young Parker also carried his piggin’ string like a well-trained calf roper. “There was no stage fright there,” Nokes said. “He had a ball. The kids just enjoyed it. When he was showing all the kids the piggin’ string, he put it around his head and one arm like all the old men do.” The cowboys answered all sorts of questions, from the names of their horses to how fast they can run to the animals’ colors. It wasn’t the State of the Union Address, but it was a great way to get more young fans involved in rodeo. “The PRCA asked me if I could do it, and, of course, I said yes,” Nokes said. “I think the more of those kinds of deals contestants do during rodeos the better. If you have a chance to bring 100 more people to a rodeo, why wouldn’t you do it?”

The cowboys from Season 16 of “The Amazing Race” are back for the 18th edition of the CBS-TV reality TV series. I plan to keep you as up to date as possible concerning the goings-on of Jet and Cord McCoy and their run at $1 million. Based on last year’s experience, I can tell you that the McCoys will be hush-hush about their racing escapades. Through the CBS promotions department, they’ll be able to conduct media interviews until the first show airs, then they won’t be able to speak until their time on the show concludes. It’s CBS’ way of protecting the integrity of the show, so it’s understandable, especially since the show was recorded this past November and December. The series begins Feb. 20. So what do you think of the globetrotting cowboys? Will Season 18 of “The Amazing Race” end with them holding the $1 million check? How do you think Jet and Cord did on this race?

I love the power of a people working together, and thousands of Professional Bull Riders fans are uniting in a single effort to get announcer Justin McKee his job back. I’m not sure it’ll work, but I applaud the effort. Justin is a rodeo announcer turned TV commentator who still loves the life on the rodeo trail. He got the job as a play-by-play commentator when the PBR became its own producer a decade ago and hired McKee and Tuff Hedeman to call the shots, replacing Dan Miller and Don Gay. The truth is, Justin and Tuff took their lumps in those early years, but each broadcast showed the two were getting better at being TV stars. McKee used his years of knowing the cowboys and understanding the bull business to continue to progress. When Tuff moved away from the PBR, Justin has teamed with a handful of others. By the time producers promoted Craig Hummer to the role of play-by-play commentator, McKee was handling the role of color analyst. He excelled at the role, even though there were a host of color analysts on set, from Ty Murray to Justin McBride to J.W. Hart. Even though he was the best analyst on each show, he was being weeded out in favor of former bull riders. PBR fans are a little miffed, as you might expect. They say the production is lacking, and they’re probably right. But it’s also the world of change, and most of us don’t like change. I watched Sunday’s final performance from Anaheim, Calif., and I will admit that there are several pieces of the puzzle missing to make a high quality production. But probably the most telling sign that fans are upset with McKee’s absence in the PBR telecasts is the Save Justin McKee page on Facebook, which has more than 1,600 fans already, including Josh Peter, author of Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies, and Bull Riders, a novel about the PBR. The truth is I’d love to see Justin doing what he loves, whether explaining things on a PBR telecast or calling the action at a small rodeo in Kansas. He’s earned the right to be happy.

Shane Proctor is a talented bull rider. During his run at the National Western Stock Show rodeo in Denver, he was dominating, winning all three go-rounds and the average championship. It all added up to $17,350 for the Mooresville, N.C., cowboy, who won the 2008 Toughest Cowboy competition. The No. 2 money-earner was Bo Casper of Fort Scott, Kan., whose 254 points earned him a split of the bareback riding title with three-time world champion Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas. Casper also split the opening go-round victory and collected $12,728. There were plenty of big payoffs in Denver, which is the case every January. It’s just another example of why it’s such an important event in ProRodeo. National Western Stock Show rodeo champions Bareback Riding: (tie) Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 254 points, $8,964, Bo Casper, Fort Scott, Kan., 254 points, $12,728 Steer Wrestling: Darrell Petry, Beaumont, Texas, 13.4 seconds, $8,264 Team Roping: Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 15.6, seconds, $8,458. Saddle Bronc Riding: Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La., 252 points, $12,310 Tie-Down Roping Justin Macha, Needville, Texas, 24.1, $11,073 Barrel Racing: Susan Kay Smith, Hodgen, Okla., 45.66, $9,081 Bull Riding: Shane Proctor, Moorseville, N.C., 264 points, $17,350 All-Around: Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, $7,304 won in tie-down and team roping

We’re just a few hours away from the final go-round of the National Western Stock Show’s rodeo. As I write this, I’m still awaiting final word out of Denver about the championship-round qualifiers, the top 12 contestants in each event through the initial two rounds of competition. That news release will include the first- and second-round payouts. So keep track. Once I know what happens in Denver, I’ll post it here. Best of luck to all the cowboys and cowgirls.

My favorite thing about rodeo is the people, and I have hundreds of examples why. The most recent is when I wanted to have 3-year-old Cade Hemphill meet real professional cowboys, so I contacted saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier. He was competing at the National Western Stock Show in Denver on Friday afternoon, and I knew the Hemphill family was heading to the rodeo that night. Not only did Chet agree to meet with the youngster’s family, he took with him two bronc riding friends, 2006 world champion Chad Ferley, a four-time NFR qualifier, and Cort Scheer, the fourth-ranked bronc rider at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Here are three elite athletes in their chosen event, and they take time to meet with a young fan and his family. Mom Karla Hemphill said the gathering made young Cade’s year, which is a pretty strong sentiment considering today is just Jan. 22. But the reality is, Cade has proven his love for rodeo at a very young age. I hope the meeting just fosters that hunger into a lifetime passion. Ride on, Cowboy Cade; ride on.

The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo has a long history as one of the biggest and best indoor events of the ProRodeo season. Competition began Tuesday with two nights of Bulls Night Out, while the rodeo began in earnest with slack Wednesday and Thursday mornings – the first of 30 performances took place Thursday evening, and it featured some young guns and longstanding stalwarts in the game. The competition is already proving to be quite tough. In tie down roping, for example, each of the top eight times so far in the first round are in less than nine seconds, led by Tim Pharr’s 8.1.  Steer wrestlers Casey Martin and Jake Rinehart have 3.6-second runs, leading a pack outstanding times among the leaders – Brad McGilchrist and Trevor Knowles have 4.2s to round out the top eight. If those kinds of times are signs of what’s going to happen in Fort Worth this year, fans will be treated to outstanding competition through the stock show rodeo’s championship round Feb. 5.

Ryan Rodriguez has two passions: Making people laugh and spending time with his family. Now he’s living the best of both worlds, sharing his entertainment for audiences all over the world while working with his 5-year-old son. Welcome to the world of “Radical” Ryan Rodriguez, a rodeo clown who will be part of the Professional Championship Bullriders events this year. “When I got into the business, all I wanted to do was go from one rodeo to another and make people laugh,” Rodriguez said. “Then when I had my son, I was all about that. That was the greatest thing in the world. As he got old enough to walk and talk, he wanted to start helping out with the act. When he put on the greasepaint and walked into the arena, he was a natural entertainer.” That’s the life of Rad Rain Rodriguez, who this past December announced his presence before the rodeo world during a featured specialty act at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “You put him in front of one or two people, he’s kind of shy,” Ryan said of his son. “You put him in front of 17,000 people, and he just shines.” The act is part of the “Radical” repertoire, something he’s worked at since beginning his career two decades ago. “We started the act, then pretty soon it was an act that everybody was requesting,” Rodriguez said. “Pretty soon we got a call from the NFR. He’s just a showman. He loves doing it. He made 17,000 people laugh and roar and stand up to do the wave. “There’s no prouder feeling than to do something you try to do all your life, and your son does it in five years.” Rodriguez has a lot to be proud, from his son to his own accomplishments. He’s worked some of the biggest events in rodeo, from regional championships to tour finales in Las Vegas and Omaha to the National Western Stock Show in Denver and the prestigious Calgary Stampede. He’s also been the featured barrelman/funnyman at Professional Championship Bullriders events for several years. “I watched this PCB grow from a little bull riding to a huge following,” he said. That following will likely grow with the entertainment package that features country artist Jake Owen, who will present a concert after the bull riding competition concludes, and Don “Hollywood” Yates, one of the elite bullfighters in the sport who has expanded his talents into other areas of entertainment. He was the character “Wolf” in the 2008 version of “American Gladiators.” It’s all the brainchild of Robert Sauber, a former bull rider who runs the PCB. “Everything I saw Bob was trying to do was top shelf,” said Rodriguez, who grew up in Clayton, Mich. “Bob has taken an event like this and put it into this area of the United States. He brings quality bulls and quality bull riders. It’s something nobody else has done.” Sauber sees the tremendous benefits of having a class act like Rodriguez as part of the show. “Radical has been a big part of any success the PCB has had over the years,” Sauber said. “He’s one of the best acts in all of rodeo, and he’s sees what we’ve been trying to do. I’m happy to call him my friend.” Rodriguez has colored his face with greasepaint for nearly 20 years and has traversed the country presenting his brand of entertainment to the masses. He does so because he loves to hear the roar of the crowd, whether it’s in Denver or Calgary or Las Vegas. “Getting to go to the NFR is like every football player’s dream to go to the Super Bowl,” he said. “It’s what you dream about and what you strive for. It’s a sign you made it. “But I get to go to work I quality buildings like we have with the PCB. I’ve gotten to work the PCB Finals the last four years, and me and my son wear our PCB buckles proudly.”

His name is Don, but he answers to other monikers. That’s the life of an entertainer, which defines Don “Hollywood” Yates, from his Elvis impersonations as a youngster to his over-the-top behavior as “Wolf” on the 2008 season of “American Gladiators.” Don, Hollywood and the Wolf will come together as another piece of the entertainment puzzle that is the Professional Championship Bullriders event at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, at DECC Arena in Duluth — he will also be part of the action Jan. 29 in Grand Forks, N.D., and the PCB World Finals on Feb. 4-5 at the Sears Centre in Chicago. The competition will feature the top cowboys in the PCB and some of the toughest bulls in the sport, but it will also feature top musical talent in country artist Jake Owen and other athletes like Yates, one of the top rodeo bullfighters. “There’s the element of danger that everybody wants to see,” said Yates, who began entertaining folks at 7 years old. “When people see (rodeo) freestyle bullfighting, they see the fact that it’s a big bull that’s basically trying to kill a guy. Putting a human being into that mix is like being back in the days of the gladiators, like throwing Christians to the Lions. “People like to see blood. It’s like watching NASCAR; people don’t want to see anybody get killed, but they want to see the wrecks.” That’s one of the drawing cards to bull riding events produced by the Professional Championship Bullriders, an organization that has events all across the northern Midwest. But having great entertainment like Yates as part of the show is something the PCB likes to offer fans. “I believe in giving fans as much entertainment as possible when they want to come to one of our events,” said Robert Sauber, president of the Chicago-based PCB tour. “Jake Owen brings great music and an awesome show, which is why we love having him at our events. With that in mind, we wanted to bring Hollywood in and show everybody that kind of entertainment. “You have to see Hollywood to really understand what he adds to the show. He’s a champion freestyle bullfighter, which means he’s a heck of an athlete. He just adds a lot of flavor, a lot of personality. He’s awesome.” Yates’ main job will be cowboy protection, getting in the middle of the action once a bull rider gets off the animal. “Whether you make the ride or don’t make the ride, you need somebody to help you,” Yates said. “That’s what we’re there for. It kind of started out as a necessity to have somebody out there as an extra target, but guys have gotten very good at protection. I study tapes just like a football player would, and I’d do things to help me be better at it.” That’s the job he’s paid to do inside the arena, and it takes incredible athleticism to be within arm’s length of a 2,000-pound bucking beast and have everyone in the arena come away unscathed. “I’m an adrenaline junky, and the adrenaline itself drew me to rodeo,” Yates said. “Then there’s the fact that this is the first thing I wasn’t great at. I’m not trying to be cocky, but the truth is football and baseball and that sort of stuff came easy to me. “But bullfighting … for me to get good, I really had to work at it. Plus it’s different every time. That’s appealing to me.” So what’s it like to go nose-to-nose with a snorting, muscular bull? “It’s almost like transference, like when you’re getting bumped around by the bull,” he said. “I don’t get scared or nervous in that situation, but it’s more like a transfer of energy from you to the bull. You almost feel like you’re becoming one with the animal. It’s just that transference of energy, that transference of respect.” Yates has seen it all in the arena. In freestyle events, bullfighters are matched one-on-one with the athletic animals. Bullfighters are judged on how close they get to the animal and their athletic maneuvers around the beasts. Protection bullfighting is about keeping the bull riders and others in the arena out of harm’s way. That doesn’t mean Yates has gone unharmed, though. In fact, he’s broken more than 130 bones and has had other injuries and the surgeries to repair them. He doesn’t exactly crave injuries, but he doesn’t fear them. “As you’re taking the beating from the bull, and as long as it’s not something that’s super painful, you’re kind of laughing at it, kind of digging it,” Yates said. “That’s what made me great in ‘American Gladiator,’ the fact that I thrive on that part of the fight. It’s what made me a great gladiator and what makes me a great bullfighter.” And just like he did on national television, Yates allows his alter ego, Wolf, to make an appearance and handle the trash-talking that comes with competition. “I’m the secret service of rodeo,” Yates said. “I take the bullet, or in this case, the bull. Now come watch me eat a bull or see how I can make a bull spin into the ground.” Whether it’s Don, Hollywood or Wolf, Yates brings plenty to the show. “There are a lot of people that may have never seen a bull riding like this, you’re competing for that entertainment dollar,” he said. “Hopefully they can see something in this wild, long-haired guy that likes to have fun.”

Four-time and reigning bareback riding world champion Bobby Mote was scheduled for surgery Tuesday to repair a sports hernia – a hernia in the abdominal region just above the groin. It’s an ailment Mote has suffered with since last summer, yet he rode through the pain in through the latter half of the season – including those tough 10 days at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – to win another world title. Now he expects to be out of competition for at least a month, according to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “This is the type of injury that if you don’t get it taken care of can be career-threatening,” Mote told the Odessa (Texas) American. “I’m going to the top doctor in the country for this surgery, so I feel pretty good about it.” It’s great that a champion is doing what he can to chase another gold buckle, but it is further proof to the toughness of these cowboys. While most professional athletes would’ve had the surgery midway through their regular season, Mote continued to play his game. And he won his fourth world title because of it.

Karla and Kevin Hemphill looked at their youngest child, wondering what 3-year-old Cade had in mind for Halloween. They asked the rodeo-loving youngster if he wanted to be a cowboy, much to Cade’s dismay. “Why?” he asked. “I’m already a cowboy.” The Hemphills and their three children – including daughter Josie and another son, A.J. – live in Strasburg, Colo., a mere 35 miles east of the National Western Stock Show near downtown Denver. The stock show is one of the first big rodeo events of the new year, and it’s where Cade wants to be. Cowboy has defined Cade for a good portion of his young life. Just before his second birthday, the Hemphills attended the Jayhawker Roundup Rodeo in Hill City, Kan., the youngster’s first experience involving bucking broncs, athletic horses, the speed of barrel racing and the drama of bull riding. “He sat through the whole rodeo and was mesmerized,” Karla said. “He never moved.” Take a moment to consider that. Still in diapers with an attention span of a needle, and rodeo had the boy mesmerized. That’s the kind of fan rodeo needs. “From that day on, he was hooked,” Karla said. “I think he loves boots, hats, his herd of stick horses and stick bull and, of course, his rope.” Cade’s favorite events are steer wrestling and bull riding, and he obviously keeps up with it pretty well – his favorite bull is the Professional Bull Riders stalwart Chicken On A Chain. Oh, and this is his favorite time of the year, when the rodeo comes to Denver. “The day after Christmas he said, ‘Santa came, Christmas is over; now I can go to the stock show,’ ” Karla said. That’s the kind of fan every sport needs. Now those of us in rodeo need do what we can to enhance Cade’s rodeo experience so he’s a fan for life.

The Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo is in the books, and the champions included a couple of multiple world champions and some who are still holding tight their gold buckle dreams. Three-time world champion Will Lowe won bareback riding with an 85, while two-time and reigning world champion Cody Wright won saddle bronc riding with an 87. Other winners were Glen Chape, steer wrestling, 8.3 seconds on two runs; Caleb Diggers and Brad Culpepper, team roping, 10.1 on two; Jud Nowatney, tie down roping, 16.7 on two; Jana Beam and Ashley Rice, 28.12 on two; and Sam Wyatt, bull riding, 88 points. And thanks to sound man extraordinaire Benje Bendele, who provided great play-by-play throughout the night.

Often hidden directly in the limelight of any rodeo are the men who exchange their cowboy boots for a pair of cleats. Professional bullfighters are oftentimes the most talented athletes in any rodeo arena, and if they do their job well, you might never know about them. Why? Because they’re in the business of battling bovines, the animals who make up 50 percent of the equation in the most popular event in rodeo. They must put themselves in harm’s way, then make the athletic maneuvers needed to get everyone out of every situation unscathed. After the cowboy is thrown to the dirt — either by the bull bucking him off or by his own means — bullfighters grab the bull’s attention and pull the animals toward themselves and away from the others. In Odessa, Texas, three of the best bullfighters in the game are working the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo: Dusty Tuckness, Andy Burelle and Cory Wall, the latter elder statesmen among the upper echelon of cowboy protectors. Tuckness was named the 2010 Bullfighter of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, a year after Wall earned the honor for the first time in his storied career. Two seasons ago, I watched these great men work in Odessa, and I grew more impressed with each one throughout the 13 days we spent together in West Texas. Not only are they all tremendous athletes who care very much for the work they do, but each has proven to be an asset for the events they work. Not only will they protect cowboys during bull riding, but they will promote the event. They’re professionals, and they’re the best at what they do because of it.

It’s been 10 years since I walked into the Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. I was transitioning into the role of rodeo correspondent for The Oklahoman newspaper, shadowing Bryan Painter, whom I was replacing on the rodeo beat. He was showing me around the International Finals Rodeo, the season-ending championship of Oklahoma City-based International Professional Rodeo Association. That night, Bryan introduced me to Ricky Huddleston, Sam Duvall and Dale Yerigan, all steer wrestling veterans, and Ronnie Fields, a relative newcomer at the time, but a cowboy who’d already made a name for himself in the IPRA. I also met a couple of outstanding young brothers, Jet and Cord McCoy, known to most of the world as the cowboy brothers from “The Amazing Race.” Jet was 21, Cord 20, and they were battling for the all-around title that season. Much has changed in the past decade. Fields turned his attention to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, where he has qualified for three Wrangler National Finals Rodeos – and won the 2004 average title. Yerigan is now in charge of the IPRA. Huddleston and Duvall still lend their experience and understanding to young bulldoggers, while the McCoys have become even more popular, thanks in large part to reality TV. IFR 41 will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with subsequent rounds taking place at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday. It’ll be a championship for many. It’ll nostalgia to me.

Heading into the final two performances of the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, a couple of once-young world champions are leading the way in the bucking horse riding events. Both bareback rider Will Lowe and saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy were just 20 years old when they won their first gold buckles, Lowe in 2003 and Muncy in 2007. Lowe added world titles in 2005-06 and has nine qualifications to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo to his credit. Muncy has made three trips to the NFR over the last four years. He won the world title in just his first qualification to ProRodeo’s grand finale and was less than six months removed from winning the college bronc riding title. Lowe scored 85 points Thursday night in Odessa to take the lead, while Muncy’s 84 from Wednesday night remains in the top spot. The champions in each event will be crowned after Saturday’s final performance.