Monthly Archives: February 2012

I’m not sure who else has done what in central Texas, but tie-down roper Tyson Durfey has qualified to the semifinals at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a story that is scheduled to appear on the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo blog starting Monday. You can see more stories by clicking HERE. For much of her career, Brittany Pozzi has been one of the elite barrel racers in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. At just 27 years old (she’ll be 28 on Feb. 9), she’s a crafty veteran of the sport, a two-time world champion and an eight-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. She’s done virtually everything in ProRodeo, except qualify for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo. That changes this year. Pozzi just won the Texas Circuit’s barrel racing title, earning the right to compete at ProRodeo’s National Championship, set for March 29-April 1 at Jim Norick Arena on the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City. “Making the (Texas) Circuit Finals was not easy for me,” she said. “I was in the Northwest by myself. I had to drive back to El Paso and Pasadena and Abilene and Amarillo. I had to work my butt off to win the circuit this year. “I wanted to have that title. Since the (National) Circuit Finals is now in Oklahoma City, I wanted to get there and say I’d done it. Besides, there’s a lot of money to run at.”

Tilden Hooper expected better when he got to Las Vegas last December for the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The Carthage, Texas, cowboy had a strong season, earning his third qualification to the NFR. But he suffered an injury over the summer, the re-aggravated it in August. He didn’t return to action until the NFR, and, honestly, it showed. Hooper looked rusty and out of sync. He placed in two go-rounds, but earned just $8,942. If Thursday night is evidence, Hooper has his rhythm back. The 24-year-old cowboy scored 86 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Free Fall to win the first round of bareback riding on opening night of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. He earned $1,965. There’s a real good chance Hooper could earn more money in San Antonio than he did in Las Vegas. He’ll need it if he plans to play for the world title this coming December.

The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is a fantastic forum for up-and-coming stars. Over the years, I’ve been blessed to tell stories of great young champions, like Taos Muncy’s double-dip of a college title and world championship in 2007 or Jet McCoy’s quest to clinch that elusive all-around College National Finals Rodeo title a decade ago to countless other tales. While I’ve written about Cody DeMers (College of Southern Idaho), Steven Dent (Ranger College in Texas) and Nikki Steffes (University of Wyoming), most of my time has been around the NIRA’s Central Plains Region, which consists of colleges primarily in Kansas and Oklahoma. There’s good reason for that. I graduated from two colleges with teams in the region – Pratt Community College and Fort Hays State University, both in Kansas – and I worked for Oklahoma’s largest newspaper for several years. Another big reason is that it’s one of the most competitive circuits in college rodeo. Expect to see more on college cowboys and cowgirls on TwisTED Rodeo.  

When Pamela Capper began her 2011 season in earnest, the Cheney, Wash., cowgirl kept her expectations quite conservative. “I started the year out just hoping to make the circuit finals,” said Capper, who had qualified for the Ram Columbia River Circuit Finals before. “I didn’t get started until after the Fourth of July weekend.” But Capper went on a tear in August, including big paydays in Hermiston, Ore.; Omak, Wash.; and Kennewick, Wash. In fact, she and Jesse sprinted to the finish of the ProRodeo season, passing the field en route to the top spot in the standings heading to the regional finale, which took place Nov. 11-12 in Redmond, Ore. Jesse is a 10-year-old brown mare with the registered name Sheza Smooth Flight, and she’s quite talented. Jesse and Capper sped past Brenda Mays, a five-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo who rides one of the best in the business, Jethro, the 2010 WPRA/AQHA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year. “It’s huge to be able to win the circuit, then to be able to win the finals, too,” Capper said. Now she’ll get ready for the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for March 29-April 1 in Oklahoma. It’s Capper’s first trip to ProRodeo’s national championship. But she’s earned the right to be there, which is why it’s so special.

MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Whether it’s riding a nasty bucking beast or tackling any other obstacle that comes down the rodeo trail, D.V. Fennell has done it. The Porum, Okla., has ridden the rodeo roller coaster to the top of the peaks, twice qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In 2009 and 2010 combined, Fennell, a bareback rider, earned just shy of $200,000. When life is good, things are easy. But rodeo is not easy, and Fennell’s 2011 campaign is proof of that. The cowboy competed at just as many rodeos as previous years, but he finished the season with just $20,477. That’s the nature of the beast in a sport where contestants not only cover their own expenses but also pay a fee in order to compete; the only way a cowboy earns money is if he his time or score is better than most. “I’ve been pretty blessed to have some great sponsors in my career,” Fennell said. “Not only that, but I’ve got some dang good friends. Jack Hodge has been both to me, and I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done. “When you’ve had a rough stretch, and I’ve had a rough stretch over the last year or so, you really know who your friends are.” When cowboys struggle earning money, expenses are still there. Sponsorships help offset those costs. “When money was really tight, Jack Hodge took care of me,” said Fennell, who has worked construction for several years when he wasn’t competing at an elite level of ProRodeo. “He hired me for a remodeling project at Hodge Ford, and that helped me a lot over the last few months.” Fennell, 38, has been around the game almost all his adult life and didn’t play on ProRodeo’s grandest stage until later in his career. He plans to return to Las Vegas again very soon. “When you have the kind of year I had last year, you can do one of two things,” he said. “You can just pack it in and call it quits, or you can go harder. I ain’t got quit in me, so I have just one option. “I’m not stupid enough to think I can do this by myself. I can’t, but I’ve got guys like Hodge Ford in my corner.”

NEOSHO, Mo. – It’s good to have good friends. D.V. Fennell knows that as well as anyone, if not better. Fennell, a bareback rider from Porum, Okla., is a two-time qualifier to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, one of the elite cowboys in the game. When times were at their best, his bandwagon was quite full. But it’s when he found some down times in his chosen sport that Fennell realized how good his friends were. Whether it was a call to try to brighten a gloomy day or a pep talk to help him handle the next bucking beast in his path, Fennell had a strong support system. “When you’re at the top of the world, everybody’s your friend,” Fennell said. “When you’ve had a rough stretch, and I’ve had a rough stretch over the last year or so, you really know who your friends are. “Eric Norris is a good friend. When I needed something, he was there. He’s been much more than a sponsor to me for several years, and he proved it over the last year.” Fennell finished the 2010 season with $68,251, good enough for 15th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings. The year prior, he finished ninth in the standings with nearly $131,000. So how rough was 2011 for the Utah-born, Oklahoma-raised cowboy? Fennell finished the campaign with $20,477, 41st on the money list. That’s well below the expectations Fennell has for himself. “My job is to be the best at what I do,” Fennell said. “I love to ride buckin’ horses; the nastier the horse, the better. But it’s a rough sport, and you’ve got to have a great network of sponsors and friends. “One of my greatest sponsors is also one of my greatest friends, and that’s Eric Norris.” Whether he’s riding in a small rodeo in eastern Kansas or at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas while playing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage, Fennell wears the brand of Eric Norris State Farm Insurance of Neosho. “I can’t say enough about Eric, because he’s stuck by me no matter what trouble I’ve had,” Fennell said. “I plan to wear his name on me and tell everyone about him at the biggest rodeos in the country and on national TV, but sometimes that doesn’t happen. He understands the nature of the game, and he’s OK with it. “That’s a real friend.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is for the 2012 Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for March 29-April 1 in Oklahoma City. To see more information on this great event, click HERE. Let’s face facts: Ryan Gray’s 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo stunk. Gray, a seven-time NFR qualifier in bareback riding from Cheney, Wash., was stepped on after falling to the ground in Round 2, suffering a lacerated liver. The world standings leader heading into the championship, Gray went on injured reserve and missed the rest of the finals. In fact, he missed several of the first few rodeos of the 2011 campaign while recovering from the injury, including the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in its inaugural year in Oklahoma City. That injury was becoming a nuisance, but Gray persevered. In fact, he returned to the NFR this past December and faired fairly well, winning nearly $45,000 in 10 days. He even won a go-round for the first time in seven years, riding Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Deuces Night for 90 points to take the top prize on the fifth night. That was just the whipped topping on a triumphant return to rodeo for the cowboy who spends a good portion of his time living near Lubbock, Texas, with his wife, Lacy; he also won the Columbia River Circuit’s bareback riding title and secured his first trip to Oklahoma City since National Circuit Finals moved to the Oklahoma capital a year ago. “There’s a lot of added money there,” Gray said about the RNCFR, which takes place March 29-April 1 at State Fair Arena. “You have a lot of opportunity to win that money. Not only that, but they give away a pickup.” With Ram as the title sponsor, each of the event winners earns a voucher for a vehicle. That comes in quite handy for cowboys and cowgirls who make their livings on the rodeo trail. Gray knows that well; he won the national title just two seasons ago. RNCFR bareback riding qualifiers This list is subject to change Casey Colletti                                    Seth Hardwick Ryan Gray                                         Brian Bain Will Lowe                                                         Chris Harris Joe Gunderson                                   Mac Erickson Tyson Thompson                                Clint Lear J.C. Smith                                          Clovis Crane Bo Casper                                          Tanner Aus Chase Erickson                                  J.R. Vezain Codi Myers                                        Monty Goodwin Dustin Smith                                      Brandon Holmes Wyatt Hancock                                  Luke Creasy Kaycee Feild                                     Cody DeMers

It’s just a few minutes until the kickoff of this year’s Super Bowl, the NFL’s championship game featuring the New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants. It’s a rematch of Super Bowl XLII, the 2007 championship game that took place just four years ago and one that the Giants won 17-14. This weekend, another rematch took place, and the reigning world champion bareback rider was the beneficiary. The last time Kaycee Feild rode a Carr Pro Rodeo bucking horse, he scored the 10th-round victory at the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. On Saturday, Dec. 10, Feild matched moves with MGM Deuces Night for 87 points. On Saturday, Feb. 4, Feild and Carr’s Dirty Jacket danced across the Will Rogers Coliseum dirt for 89 points to win the short go-round of the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo and move into a tie for the average title with Will Lowe. It’s proof what great match-ups can do for sports. Let’s hope that happens in Indianapolis today.

In his only appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, South Dakotan Cody Taton won the 2008 saddle bronc riding average title. During the 30 performances of the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show Rodeo, Taton took home the biggest payday of any contestant in the field, $13,259. He placed in all three go-rounds, including wins in the first and short rounds, to run away with the average title – his 252, three-head total was 10 points better than runner-up Cody Wright. Taton, who lives in Corona, N.M., with his wife, Jordan Muncy-Taton, moves into the No. 1 spot in the world standings. More importantly, it gives the 10-year pro outstanding momentum through the remainder of the ProRodeo season. He’d love to carry that to his second qualification to ProRodeo’s grand finale in Las Vegas. Taton is just one of the Fort Worth champions who were honored Saturday night. Other winners are bareback riders Kaycee Feild and Will Lowe, steer wrestler Curtis Cassidy, team ropers Kory Koontz and Erich Rogers, tie-down roper Jared Kempker, barrel racer Nikki Steffes and bull rider Trevor Kastner.

I wanted to give everyone a head’s up that I’ll try to post through the weekend, but my laptop is going on a weekend visit to the technician for a few fixes and some updates. Posts might not happen, but it’s not because I’m not trying to keep my eyes open to the rodeo happenings. Thanks for your understanding. Ted

The Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show Rodeo is counting down to its final four performances, which take place at 2 and 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday. The finale will feature the top contestants in each event through the cumulative scores from the preliminary rounds. For instance, the short-round qualifiers in bareback riding will be based on the top cumulative scores from three go-rounds, while all the other events will have qualifiers based on a two-round aggregate. First-round payouts have been issued in bareback riding and barrel racing – the women competed in one full go-round, with the top times returning for the progressive (second) round. The other events will have all their go-round and average payouts done over the next two days. It all adds up to a lot of money to be divided among many contestants in just a short time. Because this is one of the top-paying events in ProRodeo, and because it’s so early in the 2012 season, the world standings will change considerably when the PRCA releases them Monday. It’s exciting for fans who keep tabs on such things, but it’s even better for the contestants who are going to pad their pocketbooks.

Benette Little has had an outstanding start to the 2012 ProRodeo season. Little, a 2010 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, won five rodeos to kick-start the campaign, including the American Royal in Kansas City, Mo. She held the lead in the WPRA’s ProRodeo world standings until Brittany Pozzi took over the top spot with Pozzi’s win in Denver. But Little, who used the last name Barrington until recently, is well on her way to moving back to No. 1. She is leading the second go-round of barrel racing at the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show Rodeo and finished third in the opening round. More importantly, she leads the two-run average with a cumulative time of 32.99 seconds – Kaley Bass sits second in the aggregate at 33.36. That’s a pretty big lead for Little, who already has collected $3,250 in Fort Worth. She trails Pozzi by just $124 in this week’s world standings, so it’s not exactly a long shot to give Little the advantage. Besides, it’s a lot of fun keeping up with something this special.

We’re a month away from the 2012 edition of the Timed Event Championship, set for March 2-4 at the Fabulous Lazy E Arena near Guthrie, Okla. In working in advance of this marvelous and unique event, I have the opportunity to look into the event’s history. For example, Jimmie Cooper has been one of the mainstays since the Timed Event was developed 27 years ago. A three-time winner of the event, which has been held exclusively at the Lazy E, Cooper also is the 1981 PRCA all-around world champion and a 2005 inductee into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. In the Timed Event Championship, the 20 cowboys who are part of the invitation-only field are allowed helpers in three of the five disciplines — each gets a heeler when he heads, gets a header when he heels and gets a hazer when he wrestles steers. The only two disciplines in which a contestant doesn’t get help is tie-down roping and steer roping. A decade ago, Jimmie Cooper solicited the help of three teenagers, hazer E.P. Luchsinger, whose father was an NFR qualifying bulldogger, and his twin sons, Jim and Jake, to help in the team roping disciplines – Jake was the header, and Jim was the heeler. A few years later, the Cooper twins qualified together for the 2007 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo; this past December, Jim earned a second trip to Las Vegas, roping with Brandon Beers. This March marks the third straight year young Jim has been part of the Timed Event field with his dad. It’s one thing to look around the arena at all the legends competing for one of the most prized possessions a timed-event cowboy can grasp; it’s quite another when one of those cowboys is your dad.

A good practical joke can be appreciated any time of year, not just April Fool’s Day. The best practical jokes tend to happen to people that are beloved. Of course, it helps to have someone who is in the public eye. That was the case on Monday night at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo. Bullfighter Cory Wall pulled a gotcha on one of the great barrelmen in rodeo, Troy Lerwill, while working the Texas rodeo. Wall, dressed as a dummy, was dragged into the center of the arena at Will Rogers Coliseum by fellow bullfighter Andy Burelle, who propped Wall up as if he were a real decoy. “Troy rolled his barrel out and looked at me a couple of times but didn’t notice the switcheroo,” Wall posted on his Facebook page, which can be “liked” HERE. “They bucked three bulls, and I stood still as a board.” Announcer Bob Tallman instructed Lerwill to straighten the hat on the “dummy,” so the clown did. “As he reached for my hat, I jumped at him and tackled him,” Wall wrote. “He screamed in shock. It was hilarious! I don’t think Troy will ever look at his dummy the same way again.”