Monthly Archives: January 2011

Both the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, and the National Western Stock Show in Denver took a break from their Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association performances. The Odessa rodeo, which features six performances, ran last Friday-Saturday, then resumed Wednesday night for the final four shows. The Denver event used Monday-Wednesday’s show times for the Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division event. In both cases, there was plenty of activity and competition going on, from the PBR near the Rocky Mountains to the Super Tuesday Roping in West Texas. Both events have reasons for pauses for the cause in their PRCA rodeo, and I suspect it’s about fan attendance — Denver is trying to draw more fans to those three days and uses the stand-alone bull riding to do so, while Odessa seems to cut costs and market its break differently. I say organizers at both need to do what’s best for them. But whatever they do, I hope both Denver and Odessa continue to promote and draw more fans to the sport.

This week the Houston media released the concerts that will take place during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and it looks to be a terrific showcase of musical talent. Over 20 nights, RodeoHouston will host the top rodeo contestants in the land, and they’ll serve as the opening act for consecutive nights of concerts. From Clay Walker on March 1 to Jason Aldean on March 20, country music will be well represented inside Reliant Stadium. In fact, of the 20 concerts, 15 will be country. Another, Kid Rock, will have a country flavor. Kiss will perform March 15, and I suspect that will be the least country of all the shows — including Janet Jackson’s March 4 showing. But also I suspect Kiss might have the biggest impact of all the acts that play RodeoHouston. March 1: Clay Walker March 2: Trace Adkins March 3: Sugarland March 4: Janet Jackson March 5: Billy Currington March 6: Selena Gomez March 7: Tim McGraw March 8: Keith Urban March 9: Martina McBride March 10: Rascal Flatts March 11: Lady Antebellum March 12: Gary Allan March 13: La Arrolladora Banda El Limon, La Leyenda March 14: Kid Rock March 15: KISS March 16: Miranda Lambert March 17: Zac Brown Band March 18: Alan Jackson March 19: Brad Paisley March 20: Jason Aldean

The rigors of the rugged 10 nights of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo can take their toll on the athletes involved. From sore muscles and strains to broken bones and torn ligament, folks who walk away from ProRodeo’s championship event without the gold buckles given to world championships tend to feel every ache, every pain. D.V. Fennell is no different. “To be quite honest with you, I got the tar beat out of me,” said Fennell, 37, of Neosho, Mo., who earned his spot at the NFR by finishing the season among the top 15 bareback riders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “Every time you get on a bareback horse, it’s a fistfight. In Vegas, I kept punching back, but those horses got the better of me.” The end result for Fennell was a pinched nerve that was aggravated almost every night of the competition. If that wasn’t enough, the Utah-born, Oklahoma-raised cowboy suffered torn ligaments in his right hand when he was bucked off in the final go-round and his hand remained in the rigging, which was strapped tightly to the animal, for several seconds. “I had to have an MRI done on my neck and back to make sure I didn’t need surgery, so knowing I won’t have to go through that was good news,” he said. “My hand still hurts, but it’s a lot better. It’s just going to take a little time.” That means time away from the rodeo arena, where Fennell makes his living. Unlike many other professional sports where salaries are guaranteed, cowboys can’t earn money unless they compete – and unless they finish better than most and place high enough to finish in the money. Fennell hopes his hand returns to riding shape so he can return to competition in February. “It can be really tough on you and your family when you can’t compete, but that’s the great thing about having guys who believe in you,” said Fennell, pointing out that his relationship with State Farm Insurance agents in southwest Missouri has benefited his rodeo career. “I’m pretty tickled to have that relationship with State Farm. “Eric Norris has been with me for a long time, and he’s right here in my hometown of Neosho. But it’s nice to know Matt Davidson in Lamar (Mo.) believes in what we’re doing, too. Having guys like that in your corner gives a guy the confidence to keep getting in those fistfights all year.” Fennell has qualified for the NFR each of the past two seasons. The wily veteran utilizes his experience and his understanding of ProRodeo to excel in the game, which isn’t for the weak of heart – how else can Fennell explain his hunger while still recovering from injuries sustained a month ago? “I’m living my dream,” he said. “The ultimate goal is, as always, to win the world title, and I expect to win it this year. I’ll do everything I can to do it.”

A lot has happened in Cord McCoy’s life in the last couple of years. Since November 2009, he has proposed during the PBR World Finals; videoed the 16th season of “The Amazing Race;” promoted the reality series in which he and brother Jet finished second; chased another qualification to the PBR World Finals in 2010; married the love of his life, Sara; went on another major trip; and spent his honeymoon in Maui, a trip he and Jet won on “The Amazing Race.” On Monday night during the PBR event associated with the National Western Stock Show in Denver, the Tupelo, Okla., cowboy earned the first-round victory with an 88.5-point ride atop the D&H Cattle Co. bull Western Way. I guess that means he’s back to the business of riding bulls.

Tana Poppino is a superior athlete and one of the elite barrel racers in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, a three-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. A Coloradoan by birth, she’s been in the northeast Oklahoma community of Big Cabin for a long time. She’s married to a cowboy, steer roper Marty Poppino, and they have a son who is a cowboy, Brodie Poppino. Rodeo isn’t just a sport to them; it’s a lifestyle. And she’s got a blog to tell everyone about it. Today she posted the first blog of the new year, and I think it’s worth reading. So enjoy: http://tanapoppino.com/on_the_road.htm

The Professional Bull Riders has considered itself a global organization for a long time. There’s good reason. Adriano Moraes, Ednei Caminhas, Guilherme Marchi and Renato Nunes are all Brazilians, and all own the title of PBR world champion. Australian Troy Dunn also carries that prestige. This past weekend, Brazilian Valdiron de Oliveira won the Madison Square Garden Invitational in New York City, while Australian Ben Jones finished second. Another Brazilian, Paulo Lima, finished third in the five-round contest that took place over three days. While this is nothing new in the world of stand-alone bull riding, it is fair to mention that this type of finish is just further evidence of the worldwide appeal to the sport.

Angie Meadors has a lot going for her. This past December, she qualified for her sixth trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, where she won two go-rounds outright and split the final night of competiton. In all, she walked away from ProRodeo’s season championship event with $50,700 in earnings, which just about anyone would take. But on Monday afternoon, the Oklahoma cowgirl was in Denver for the National Western Stock Show, and she has no voice, which put a little damper on the interview I wanted to do with her. You see, Meadors allowed her friend, Jana Beam, to borrow Ticket at the Dodge Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo this past weekend. Ticket is one of Meadors’ horses, a solid replacement for Beam, who has been without her top horse, Willy, since he suffered a torn suspensory in one of his hind legs last May. Beam, who finished runner-up in the circuit standings, is looking into running Ticket at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which runs March 31-April 3 in Oklahoma City. So Angie and I did what we could given the situation: We conducted the interview via text messaging, something you couldn’t have done 15 years ago.

More than half the cowboys competing at in the first round of the Madison Square Garden Invitational on Friday night rode their bulls the qualifying eight seconds. That’s pretty incredible, especially in the Professional Bull Riders’ Built Ford Tough Series, where the riding percentage isn’t near that good most go-rounds. Douglas Duncan of Alvin, Texas, won the round with an 89.5 on the bull My Space, owned by Dakota Rodeo/Chad Burger/Clay Struve. Duncan now leads the Built Ford tough Series standings. He also pocketed a check worth $3,580. Not a bad way to start the new year.

There are thousands of fans who are plenty excited for the start of the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series schedule. They show up in packs to events all across the country, and when they’re not on site, they tune in to all the action on the Versus network. They all have their favorite cowboys, and they know the bulls about as well as the bull riders. They pay attention to rider scores and bull scores, and they hang on every word the commentators say, good and bad. The question is to them is this: Who do you think wins the 2011 PBR world championship?

The Professional Bull Riders will kick off the Built Ford Tough Series schedule this weekend at the Madison Square Garden Invitational in New York City. It’s the first of 29 events for 2011 and will feature the top 40 bull riders to open the campaign – made up mostly of the top 40 from last season. From reigning world champion Renato Nunes to three-time champ Chris Shivers to veterans like Ross Coleman to stalwarts like J.B. Mauney, the best cowboys in the PBR will be there. Besides, New York City is a great place to ring in the new year. Just ask all those people who flocked to Times Square last Friday night.

My holiday visits reminded me that oftentimes we remember things from many years ago but struggle to remember recent activities. So this trivia question is about testing your short-term memory. Who were the average winners at the 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo?

Sunday afternoon, I plan to be inside Arrowhead Stadium rooting on the Kansas City Chiefs in their first-round playoff game with the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the Chiefs’ next step at fighting for a world championship, and it’s why the playoffs is a fantastic time of year in sports. In rodeo, we have the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, a series of established rodeos that guides the top finishers in the tour to the Justin Boots Playoffs in Puyallup, Wash. From there, contestants earn the right to compete at the Justin Boots Championship in Omaha, Neb., for even bigger dollars. While rodeo is rare in that contestants can compete for world titles without making the playoffs, every cowboy in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association knows how important it is to do well on the tour and fight through the playoffs en route to qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. While NFL teams battle over the coming weeks for the top prize in the sport, cowboys and cowgirls have already begun their trek for 2011 gold buckles. It’s an exciting time, that’s for sure.

The 2011 ProRodeo season has been going since early October, but the first rodeo of the new year has begun in Denver with qualifications for the National Western Stock Show. The first performance of the Denver rodeo is Saturday afternoon, and there are some guys who will have to miss their shot at competing at one of the sport’s biggest indoor events because they’re still banged up. But most who want to compete for the 2011 world championship will make their way to Colorado over the next few weeks. On Tuesday afternoon, I visited with an old friend, Tooter Silver, a steer wrestler who has made it through the qualifier and is trying to schedule his next runs. He has qualified for the International Finals Rodeo, scheduled for next week in Oklahoma City, but he’s opted to try to get off to a good start in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Silver has won the PRCA’s Prairie Circuit title before, but the Quitman, Ark., cowboy has never qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He’d love to kick-start his first trip to Las Vegas with a good showing at the National Western.

Neal Reid is a talented writer with a work ethic that’s just as strong. He has worked countless hours at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, where he serves as managing editor of ProRodeo Sports News. But he’s done much more than that. As one of the few members of the PRCA’s communications department, Reid wears many hats, just like every member of the department. Any publication, from the media guide to the year-end edition, is produced by a handful of people. Plus they all serves as the media relations department for the association. He will leave the PRCA at the end of the month to go out on his own, establishing his freelance writing business. I’m excited for Neal, because he’s pursuing his dreams. But it needs to be mentioned that he has been an asset to the PRCA. He’s provided tremendous journalistic integrity and worked very hard to make the best product he can. Most often, it’s a thankless job. But I’m thankful, and I wish Neal nothing but the best.

It’s more than 650 miles from Denver to Odessa, Texas, and there will be plenty of rodeo folks making their way across every foot of pavement over the next two weeks. It’s time for the Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo at the Ector County Coliseum, a six-performance rodeo that takes place over nine days. Two years ago, I was knee deep in all the activity for 12 days. It’s a great rodeo, and it will feature the best in the business. Here’s hoping plenty of folks get to experience it.

Matt Bright knew he had a chance to win the eighth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo when he was matched with Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal, the 2005 Bareback Riding Horse of the Year.  What happened was a wreck when the big brown gelding reared and smashed Bright into the back of the bucking chute. It was a freak deal that left Bright with a broken lumbar vertebrae and forced the Tennessee cowboy to miss the final two rounds of ProRodeo’s championship. It will also keep him on the sideline through at least mid-March. Of course, that’s not very good news for the man who makes his living on the backs of ferocious bucking beasts. He wants to be in Odessa, Texas, and Denver to start the new year, and he wants to compete in Fort Worth and San Antonio.  But it’s time to err on the side of caution. I’d rather see this young cowboy compete for many years to come than risk further injury right away. Riding bareback horses is tough enough on the body; Matt needs to be in the best health possible to make another run at the NFR.  The docs that are associated with the Justin Sportsmedicine Team are going to give a rodeo contestant every opportunity to compete; more importantly, they’re going to make recommendations based on what’s best for each cowboy’s health.  We’re going to miss seeing Matt’s tremendous talent over the next couple of months, but it’s in his best interest to stay home.   

A month ago right now, the opening round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was in top form in Las Vegas. Now I’m already thinking of the next major championship event, the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for March 31-April 4 at State Fair Arena (or Jim Norick Arena) in Oklahoma City. It will feature the top to contestants in each event from each of the 12 circuits, and it will decide the national champions in the circuit system of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. It’ll be nice to return to my old stomping grounds. I worked in Oklahoma for eight years, six in the state’s capital city for its largest newspaper. It’s nice to see the PRCA championships returning to the area, which hosted the NFR for many years and still hosts some outstanding Western championships — from the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping to the International Finals Rodeo to the AQHA World Show to the USTRC National Finals of Team Roping, just to name a few. People around Oklahoma City know their rodeo, and they seem to treat it like a wine connoisseur does his drink — they only want the very best. The national circuit finals will bring that. Now we need to make sure the fans get to see it.