Monthly Archives: December 2012

LAS VEGAS – Carlee Pierce has quietly had a very nice run at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In her second qualification to ProRodeo’s premier event, Pierce has placed in four go-rounds, including a win on the sixth night, and has earned $61,544. That’s not a nice annual salary, and she’s done that through eight days in the City of Lights. The latest push came in Thursday’s eighth round, when they crossed the finish line in 13.76 seconds for another second-place finish worth $14,429. “Dillion and I have had five quality runs in a row,” said Pierce, mentioning her great horse, a 12-year-old gelding that helped her earn two straight tickets to Vegas. “We tipped a barrel in the fifth round to place, but it was an honest barrel. He’s running his heart out. I’m very, very proud of him.” She should be. The tandem has placed in half the go-rounds so far, and there are two remaining. This is where world champions are crowned, so there’s a lot on the line. “Unless something big happens, it’s going to be tough for me to win the world title,” said Pierce, an Alberta-born cowgirl who was raised in northwest Oklahoma. “I can’t win any money in the average, and there are a couple of ladies right there in the mix that can. But strange things have been known to happen in Vegas.” Yes, they have. Nine years, Kelli Kaminski was racing toward her first world championship when she suffered a no-time. That opened the door for Janae Ward, who claimed the 2003 gold buckle. The end results, though, are out of Pierce’s hands. “We’re just going to run as fast as we can and try to leave the barrels up,” she said. “We rocked the second barrel (Thursday), but I was able to put my hand on it and keep it up. “I think 2012 is the year of seconds for me. I finished second at a lot of big rodeos, and I seem to have followed that pattern here in Vegas.” Pierce placed second in Houston; San Antonio; Cody, Wyo.; the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo; and, most recently, at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. The oddity about the eighth round was that the only Canadian resident in the NFR field of 120 competitors, and she won on Canadian Night. Pierce, who was born in Red Deer, Alberta, finished second; another Red Deer-born contestant, Tyrell Smith, won saddle bronc riding. “I think it’s great that the Canadians did well on Thursday,” Pierce said. “I’m so proud of my good friend, Lindsay. She’s a two-time world champion and a great ambassador for our sport.” So is Pierce.

Bull riding: 1. Shane Proctor on Lancaster & Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Cowboy Coffee, 83.5, $18,257; 2. Clayton Savage, 82,.5, $14,429; no other qualified rides.

Tie-down roping: 1. Bradley Bynum, 7.2 seconds, $18.257; 2. Matt Shiozawa, 7.3, $14,429; 3. Clint Robinson, 7.9, $10,895; 4. Tuf Cooper, 8.2, $7,656; 5. Justin Maass, 8.4, $42; 6. Shane Hanchey, 8.8, $2,945. Barrel racing: 1. Lindsay Sears, 13.69 seconds, $18.257; 2. Carlee Pierce, 13.76, $14,429; 3. Kelli Tolbert, 13.83, $10,895; 4. Lisa Lockhart, 13.86, $7,656; 5. Trula Churchill, 13.91, $4,712; 6. Brittany Pozzi, 13.92, $2,945.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Tyrell Smith, 84 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cool Runnings, $18,257; 2. Cody Wright, 82.5, $14,429; 3. (tie) Cody DeMoss, Cody Taton and Jake Wright, 81.5, $7,754; 6. Isaac Diaz, 79.5, $2,945.

Team roping: 1. Turtle Powell/Dugan Kelly, 3.9 seconds, $18,257; 2. Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz, 4.3, $14,429; 3. Keven Daniel/Chase Tryan, 4.6, $10,895; 4. Brock Hanson/Ryan Motes, 4.9, $7,656; 5. Chad Master/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 5.3, $4,712; 6. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 7.7, $2,945.

Bareback riding: 1. Kaycee Field on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Kate’s Hot Sister, 87 points, $18,257; 2. Will Lowe, 85, $14,429; 3. JR Vezain, 82, $10,895; 4. Bobby Mote, 81, $7,656; 5. Jessy Davis, 80.5, $4,712; 6. (tie) Steven Dent and Justin McDaniel, 80, $1,472.

Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) K.C. Jones and Wade Sumpter, 3.4 seconds, $16,343; 3. Bray Armes, 3.6, $10,895; 4. Todd Suhn, 3.7, $7,656; 5. (tie) Dean Gorsuch and Matt Reeves, 4.3, $3,828.

LAS VEGAS – When a lot of money is on the line, it takes experience to handle the challenges and anxiety that comes with it. Ryan Jarrett understands. Now in his seventh qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the Comanche, Okla., cowboy has been through the rigors of ProRodeo’s grand finale and has experienced every emotion possible. This is his business, so that’s the approach he takes every run. “When I get to the arena, I go check the draw, then I’ll look at the videos of the previous go-rounds to see what that calf does,” said Jarrett, the 2005 all-around cowboy who grew up in Summerville, Ga. “I’ll set a small game plan and try to go win some money.” It’s worked fairly well so far. On Wednesday night, Jarrett roped and tied his calf in 7.9 seconds to finish third in the seventh round, earning $10,895 in the process. He pushed his NFR earnings to $31,950. “Clint Robinson missed that calf in the second round, and Cody Ohl tied him in 8.0 and didn’t win any money in the fifth round,” said Jarrett, who has earned $106,708 this season. “I thought he was pretty decent, and I was glad to have him. I’d take third every night. “We’ve got three more go-rounds. I sure hope I can get some more of the pie.” That’s fairly important. Rodeo cowboys travel tens of thousands of miles a year to finish the regular season among the top 15 in the world so they can qualify for the NFR. Then they’ll race for their share of the $6.125 million purse. The contestants in each event with the most money won through the season are crowned world champions. “There’s nobody walking away with the winning just yet,” Jarrett said.

LAS VEGAS – Carlee Pierce and Dillion are turning up the heat. The barrel racer from Stephenville, Texas, and her 12-year-old gelding may have started slow, but they’ve made up ground quickly. On Wednesday night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Pierce and Dillion rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 13.81 seconds to finish second in the seventh go-round – Pierce’s second runner-up check worth $14,429. Combined with the $18,257 she earned Tuesday, Pierce has had a pretty strong week in Las Vegas, earning more than $47,000. Oh, and there are three rounds remaining in this year’s championship. “I’m super proud of Dillion,” she said. “He’s been excited and ready to go.” Because the order of competitors rotates to give the racers equal footing on the shifting ground, Pierce moved to 15th, meaning she was the last cowgirl to run. Oftentimes, that’s a disadvantage for the world-class racehorses that circle barrels in tight turns while keeping up a fast pace. But it seemed to work just fine for Pierce, now in her second straight NFR. “To finish second on the bottom of the ground is a testament to how good Dillion works,” she said. “He’s amazing. He’s a gift from God.” Now Pierce and the buckskin will chase every round win and every dollar possible over the remaining three days of the championship. Her 2012 NFR earnings are just $3,000 shy of the money she earned one December ago, so the Alberta-born, Oklahoma-raised cowgirl is on pace to make a significant living in just 10 days in the Nevada desert. Even though she’s placed in just three rounds, Pierce is second on the NFR earnings list behind world standings leader Mary Walker, who has won four rounds and placed in two others; Walker has earned more than $95,000. Pierce has also moved from fourth to third in the world standings, having pushed her 2012 earnings to $171,636. “I’m blessed to be here, and to have success is amazing,” Pierce said.

LAS VEGAS – Justin McDaniel is pretty good at riding bucking horses. The proof is in his 2008 world champion’s gold buckle, one earned through the rigors of the regular season, then a dominating performance at that year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He’s also pretty good at riding the toughest bucking horse in the business, and he proved that again Wednesday night during the NFR’s seventh round. McDaniel posted an 82-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Wonderland to finish third in the round, with $10,895. He has earned $13,840 so far. “It’s a horse I’ve been on before,” said McDaniel, a five-time NFR qualifier from Porum, Okla. “She’s a different horse than the last time I got on her. She’s really strong, but she was kind of one of the nicer ones to have in this pen. This is the eliminator pen, so there were a bunch of scary broncs in there.” Yes, there were. Four of the best bareback riders in the world bucked off, and another suffered a no-score. The “eliminators” are described as strong and hard to ride, but McDaniel worked through the power to score a solid ride. What’s more is that he battled through some injuries to last the qualifying eight seconds – he’s having a disc issue with his lower back and a banged up shoulder. “I’m going to grit it out and keep having fun,” he said as he lay in the Justin Sportsmedicine training room covered in ice. “I’m just going to try to win go-rounds.” Both are nagging aches that come from being strapped to bucking horses for a living. It doesn’t help that Wonderland is among the toughest in the world. “These are the toughest horses, the strong ones, but they’re the ones we win on all year long,” McDaniel said. “It’s still the NFR, and there’s still the best bucking horses in the world we have for the rest of the NFR. “I’m really impressed with the horses we have this year.” The ride marked just the second time in seven rounds that McDaniel has placed – he finished sixth last Friday, the last time the “eliminators” were bucked. “I’m not going to worry about how much I’ve won so far,” he said, noting that first place in a go-round pays $18,257. “I’m just going to try to do the best I can and see what happens, but, yeah, that $18,000 a night sure helps.

LAS VEGAS – Before the seventh round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Matt Bright strapped on his bareback riding glove and prepared for the competition. It may as well been a boxing glove. Wednesday’s round featured the strongest, toughest-to-ride bareback riding horses in the business. Five of the 15 cowboys who nodded their heads failed to mark a score – truth in advertising with the “eliminator” pen of bucking horses. “A horse like that … it’s just a fistfight,” said Bright, who rode Andrews Rodeos Cool Water for 81.5 points to finish fourth, adding $7,656 in the process. “He was bringing it every jump. He was hitting me in the back of the head. “We were trading licks out there, and I managed to get him rode.” Bright is a three-time NFR qualifier from Azle, Texas, who grew up in Lenoir City, Tenn., and attended the University of Tennessee-Martin on a rodeo scholarship. He’s been around the game for several years, and this is the best year he’s had so far. Of course, it helps to have a great horse. “That’s an absolutely legendary horse,” he said. “Cool water has been around for a long time. That’s one of the top five rankest horses I’ve ever strapped my rigging to. That’s a big boy bucking horse right there. “When you get on those fire-eating dragons, you can’t have any back up in you, because they’re not going to have any back up in them. That horse was bringing it every jump, and I was just trying to play catch-up with him. I was really happy to hear the whistle.” The bout could be likened to boxing or mixed martial arts. In fact, Bright’s younger brother, Jake, has competed in MMA, so the Texas cowboy knows a little bit about the comparison. “The thing is, my brother was a good enough fighter that he could avoid getting hit,” he said. “I didn’t have a choice in the matter today.” It doesn’t rightly matter either. Bright has earned $19,239 through seven nights of ProRodeo’s grand championship event and pushed his season earnings to nearly $84,000. Now he’d like to add to it. “My game plan coming in was to try to ride every horse like it’s the last one I will ever get to strap on and just leave it all hanging out in the arena,” Bright said. “It’s been working so far, so we’ll just keep doing that.”

Barrel racing: 1. Mary Walker, 13.72, $18,257; 2. Carlee Pierce, 13.81, $14,429; 3. Lisa Lockhart, 13.84, $10,895; 4. Kaley Bass, 13.87, $7,656; 5. Trula Churchill, 13.89, $4,712; 6. Kelli Tolbert, 13.91, $2,945. Bull riding: 1. Brett Stall on Frontier Rodeo’s Cowboy Compactor, 88.5, $18,257; 2. (tie) Kanin Asay and Tag Elliot, 86.5, $12,662; 4. Clayton Savage, 84.5, $7,656; 5. Cody Teel, 83, $4,712; 6. Trey Benton, 82.5, $2,945.

Saddle bronc: 1. Jesse Wright on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Gold Coast, 84, $18,257; 2. Tyrell Smith, 83, $14,429; 3. Bradley Harter, 82.5, $10,895; 4. Cody Wright, 81.5, $7,656; 5. Sterling Crawley, 80, $4,712; 6. Chad Ferley, 79.5, $2,945.

Tie-down roping: 1. Shane Hanchey, 7.6 seconds, $18,257; 2. Cory Solomon, 7.7, $14,429; 3. Ryan Jarrett, 7.9, $10,895; 4. Matt Shiozawa, 8.3, $7,656; 5. (tie) Monty Lewis and Cody Ohl, 8.6, $3,828.

Team roping: 1. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 3.6 seconds, $18,257; 2. Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz, 3.8, $14,429; 3. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.1, $10,895; 4. Brock Hansen/Ryan Motes, 4.3, $7,656; 5. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 4.5, $4,712; 6. Turtle Powell/Dugan Kelly, 4.7, $2,945.

Bareback riding: 1. Caleb Bennett on Fronteir Rodeo’s Times Up, 85 points, $18,257; 2. Wes Stevenson, 83, $14,429; 3. Justin McDaniel , 82, $10,895; 4. Matt Bright, 81.5, $7,656; 5. Will Lowe, 79.5, $4,712; 6. Kaycee Field, 79, $2,945. Steer wrestling: 1. Todd Suhn, 3.6 seconds, $18,257; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.7, $14,429; 3. Gabe Ledoux, 3.9, $10,895; 4. (tie) Wade Sumpter and Billy Bugenig, 4.0, $6,184; 6. (tie) Matt Reeves, Trevor Knowles and Casey Martin, 4.3, $981.57.

The 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo has been widely popular, just as is the case most years. This year, though, it’s been a record-breaking attendance. The PRCA has reported that 105,779 have attended the championship through six nights; now the NFR is on pace to break the record for a 10-night attendance of 175,903 set in 2003. Each night has been a record-setter per go-round, except for Monday’s fifth round. That’s pretty phenomenal, considering this is the hottest ticket in town every December.

LAS VEGAS – In his previous three trips to the City of Lights for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Seth Glause rode a combined four bulls. He’s matched that at this year’s championship, the most recent coming in the sixth round on Tuesday night. He matched moves with Western Rodeo’s Cross off for 80 points to finish in a tie for second place, worth $12,662. “I’d seen him a couple times earlier this year, but I didn’t know a lot about him,” said Glause, a four-time NFR qualifier from Cheyenne, Wyo. “I knew he turned back right there out of the chute. “He was really wanting to pull me down over his head. I wanted to just stick my chest out and push on my hand.” Glause is now second in the average by riding four of six for a cumulative total of 336 points. He trails only Beau Schroeder of China, Texas, who won the sixth round. More importantly, Glause has pocketed $46,232 in less than a week in Las Vegas. “I feel like I’m riding good,” said Glause, who attended Central Wyoming College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “I wish my body felt better, but I’m not going to complain.” That wouldn’t be his way, but he’d have reason to do so. He suffered a broken nose after getting a horn to his face in the second round – shortly after making the whistle and scoring an 86.5-point ride to finish fourth. “I think the big thing is being confident, believing in yourself and just having fun,” Glause said. “I’m just going to try to keep having fun, keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’ll stay focused and let the rest of it take care of itself.”

LAS VEGAS – If this is déjà vu, that’s just fine with Ryan Jarrett. Jarrett, of Comanche, Okla., roped and tied his calf in 7.2 seconds Tuesday night to share the sixth-round win at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with good friend and traveling partner Cliff Robinson. That payday was worth $16,343 and pushed Jarrett’s NFR earnings past $21,000. “It means a lot to go over here and get a buckle for the sixth go-round, and we’ll try to get more,” said Jarrett, who grew up in Summerville, Ga., and is competing in his seventh NFR qualification. “Me and Clint swapped calves from what we had Saturday night. I knew his from the other night was really good. As a matter of fact, he called it today. He said we should just swap calves. Both were good and were a good chance to win money. It worked out that way.” It was a nice reminder of what happened one December ago, when Jarrett won the sixth round. He followed that up with a seventh-round win and placed four other nights. If déjà vu is in place, then he should plan a trip to the South Point for the Montana Silversmiths Go-Round Buckle Presentation after Wednesday’s seventh round. The key is to continue to rope well and win money in Vegas. “Both are big parts to what we do,” said Jarrett, the 2005 all-around world champion. “Money is what we’re here for, I guess, but I love being able to rope here at the NFR. “It hasn’t been going as well as I had hoped. This year was pretty slow all summer. I had a big second-place finish at Pendleton that put me over the hump to qualify here. Every calf I had here has been a chance to win, but I just haven’t stepped up and won. Everything was good tonight. I had no mistakes.” So is the plan for the next four rounds? “We’ll just keep roping aggressive and hope we draw good,” he said. “Maybe we’ll creep up and move up a little more in the average and win a little check in the average, a little icing on the cake. “Hopefully things will go my way. We have a chance to win $18,000 a night, and that makes it exciting.”

LAS VEGAS – That’s the run Carlee Pierce is been waiting for. Pierce won the sixth go-round Tuesday, posting a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo-best 13.51-second run to earn $18,257. It was a redemption, of sorts, for her start, and it proved how phenomenal she is, especially with her great horse, Rare Dillion,  12-year-old buckskin she calls Dillion. “Dillion felt really good tonight,” she said of the gelding. “He was anxious to get in the arena. He turned the first so good. Normally when he turns the first so snappy, I know it’s going to be a good run. My focus was to run to the walls. I didn’t care if we were six strides past the barrels, I wasn’t going to hit one tonight. It worked, so I’m happy.” She should be. She has earned $32,686 in six days – technically, she’s placed in just two go-rounds, so when she finishes the pattern without penalties, she’s done pretty well – and has pushed her season earnings to $157,206. “Dillion is an amazing gift from God,” Pierce said. “He does a lot of the work. The thing I’m learning on Dillion on this particular pen is I can’t make a mistake on him, because he is not forgiving. I have to ride the way Dillion wants me to ride.” It takes a special mind-set to be able to do that, but Pierce seems to have it. She got a little boost from a rodeo legend on Tuesday afternoon, just a few hours before the sixth round. “I signed autographs today with Gary Leffew,” she said of the bull rider who helps train rodeo athletes. “He spoke with me for an hour, and he told me how to focus and how he focused when he teaches kids. I tried a few little things tonight to just get bonded with Dillion. If that’s what helped me, I’m going to try again, and we’ll see. “I’m doing something that a lot of people only dream of doing. I’m happy to be in Vegas. The fans are great. They always make me feel welcome and boost my spirits up.”

Bull riding: 1. Beau Schroeder on Frontier Rodeo’s Feeling So Fly, 89 points, $18,257; 2. (tie) Trevor Kastner and Seth Glause, 80, $12,662; 4. Kanin Asay, 78, $7,656; no other qualified rides.

Barrel racing: 1. Carlee Pierce, 13.51 seconds, $18,257; 2. Mary Walker, 13.76, $14,429; 3. Lisa Lockhart, 13.79, $10,895; 4. Kaley Bass, 13.90, $7,656; 5. Benette Barrington-Little, 13.93, $4,712; 6. Brenda Mays, 14.16, $2,945.

Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Clint Robinson, 7.2 seconds, $16,343; 3. Adam Gray, 7,8, $10,895; 4. Cody Ohl, 8.3, $7,656; 5. (tie) Houston Hutto and Monty Lewis, 8.5, $3,828.

LAS VEGAS – Drake Armes turns 4 years old Wednesday, and his family can celebrate in style. On Tuesday night, his daddy, Bray Armes, placed for the third time in six rounds at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He rode Dean Gorsuch’s horse Skip to a 4.1-second finish to place third in the round and collect an additional $10,895. That buys a lot of balloons. “We’re going to have him a little birthday and make it all about him,” Bray Armes said. In all, Armes has scored on all six runs and has the fifth best cumulative time in the competition, 36.8 seconds. He has earned $37,987 in Las Vegas. He needs just $7,865 more, and he will have doubled his regular-season earnings. “It feels great,” Armes said. “This place is amazing. You can come in here last and still have a shot to be up there at the front. “I’ve been very blessed to be able to ride the very best horse here. I’m just thankful to have Dean on my side. Every night we talk and come up with a game plan and try to go through it. I’ve been very fortunate and blessed by God and thank Him so much for everything He does for me.” He also has his family by his side. They try to spend the days together, then get to the rodeo. It’s important for them all, wife Neelley, daughter Breely and, of course, Drake, the birthday boy. “During the day when I don’t have things to do, we just hang out and try to spend time with the kids,” Armes said. That’s important. Between autograph sessions and other appearances, time is limited during the 10-day slugfest that is the NFR. The focus turns to steer wrestling upon arrival at the Thomas and Mack Center. “I’m just trying to catch them all and thrown them down, then I’ll see where I end up,” Armes said. “I’m really trying to win in the rounds. I feel like I haven’t made a great run yet. “Hopefully it’ll all fall together real good, and I’ll feel good about it. I feel real good about where I’m at.”