Monthly Archives: April 2014

My first day in Las Vegas for the 2001 National Finals Rodeo was frantic. My editor at The Oklahoman had booked me on a flight that took me from Oklahoma City to Kansas City, then on to Vegas. I arrived at my hotel, quickly unpacked, then took a cab to the Thomas & Mack Center trying to find the office to receive my credentials to cover the NFR for the first time. The process took forever, and I was running to the tiny media room in the dungeon of the storied arena just 15 minutes before the opening ceremonies. My deadline was fast approaching, and I still needed to interview my source, four-time steer wrestling qualifier Ricky Huddleston, who was the event representative that year. We conducted that interview in the media room while the national anthem played, and I wrote feverishly to get the story turned in by deadline. As always, Ricky was congenial and helpful, and I’ll never forget those hurried moments. Ricky Huddleston died Saturday, April 6, 2014, of an apparent heart attack. He was 56 years old. I first saw the posts on social media Sunday morning, and my heart sank. I immediately thought of that quick visit in Sin City a dozen years ago. Over the last day and a half, I’ve thought of several others. Those are the memories we have when we lose friends. Many lost a good friend Saturday. My heart goes out to them, too.

ALVA, Okla. – Like any freshman, Mason Bowen has learned a lot in the first few months of his college career. The Northwestern Oklahoma State University cowboy proved this past weekend that his rodeo education is paying off. He won the tie-down roping championship at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Durant. “He’s young, and he ropes really well,” Northwestern rodeo coach Stockton Graves said of Bowen. “He finally got something to go for him, and it showed. I knew he’d do well.” The Bullard, Texas, cowboy won the first round in Durant, then held off a talented group of ropers to claim the average championship. How tough was the competition? Bullard held less than a two-and-a-half-second advantage over fifth place. “Mason needed a little confidence-booster, and he got it in Durant,” Graves said. “That was a pretty tough calf roping. He won the round and roped really smart in the short round. I’m real proud of him.” He should be. Bowen is now tied for eighth in the Central Plains Region standings and is within reach of qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo. Now the Rangers teams will finish the Central Plains Region season with a flourish of events: this coming weekend is the Southwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Weatherford, followed by the Fort Hays (Kan.) State University rodeo and Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s Doc Gardner Memorial Rodeo in Guymon, Okla. “I’ve told the kids all along that about three good rodeos is all you need to make the college finals,” Graves said. “It’s not going to be easy, but it’s a little simpler than they think. Everybody wants to do good at every rodeo, but the likelihood of that happening is really slim. You just want to give yourself a chance, then capitalize on it.” Bowen was joined in the championship round in Durant by steer wrestlers Stephen Culling of Fort St. John, British Columbia, (fourth) and Jimmy Hoke of Connellsville, Pa., (ninth); headers Micah Samples of Abilene, Kan., (tied for fourth) and Trey Young of Dupree, S.D., (eighth); heelers Layne Lagasse of Concordia, Kan., (third), Wade Wilson of Laverne, Okla.; (tied for fourth) and Chase Lako of Hunter, N.D. (eighth); and goat-tier Karley Kile of Topeka, Kan., (third). “It was a little disappointing this weekend, but we’ve got three rodeos left to make up the ground we need to make,” Graves said.

ProRodeo’s National Championship will be played in storied arena for the first time GUTHRIE, Okla. – ProRodeo’s National Championship has a new home. The Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo is scheduled for 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10; 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11; and 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the fabulous Lazy E Arena, home of some of the greatest championships ever in rodeo. This year’s RNCFR will be a true rodeo showcase, featuring the top two qualifiers in each event from the 12 ProRodeo circuits. From New England to Southern California, this is truly the sport’s National Championship. In addition, it’s three days all wrapped around one of the greatest competitions in rodeo. With each ticket comes top-level entertainment, including two concerts that will be the perfect curtain call for one of the greatest Western events to hit the Oklahoma City metro area in some time. The Randy Rogers Band will perform at the conclusion of the Friday night performance, while Rodney Atkins will wrap the event Saturday night. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will conduct a mini convention that weekend, allowing volunteers from rodeos all across the country to gather together and gain important information about ways to make their events better. It also allows hundreds of people to enjoy central Oklahoma and to celebrate rodeo. Packaged together, it all makes for a spectacular entertainment value for fans. Those who live in Oklahoma will have the opportunity to cheer for their very own, including world champion Nick Sartain and other Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifiers like tie-down roper Jerome Schneeberger, steer wrestler Stockton Graves and bull rider Trevor Kastner. But there’s so much more. Each of the five performances will feature two world-class rodeo entertainers, specialty act Max Reynolds and clown Keith Isley, the most decorated funnyman in the PRCA. They are an excellent extension to the tournament-style competition that will crown the National Champions in each of the eight rodeo disciplines: bareback riding, steer wrestling, team roping (heading and heeling), saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, barrel racing and bull riding. The RNCFR is a magnificent opportunity for weekend warriors – those who have full-time jobs and compete on their time off – to battle with ProRodeo’s elite, those that are regulars at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. This is where cowboys like Oklahoma bareback rider Brian Leddy will test their talents against world champions like Bobby Mote, who owns four bareback riding gold buckles. The field is stacked with 192 contestants, including a handful of rodeo’s greatest stars in Mote, Jake Barnes, Cody Wright and Sherry Cervi, all of whom own multiple world titles The Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo is the championship true fans want to see; it’s the championship they deserve to see.

From the CBR FORT WORTH, Texas – When James Pierce was diagnosed with kidney cancer, members of his bull riding and rodeo family responded with love and prayers. They are taking it a step farther with at the Whybenormal Benefit, set for the afternoon of Sunday, April 13, at the Longhorn Saloon in Fort Worth. Pierce, of Thibodeaux, La., will have extensive surgery and treatment. The benefit has been organized to help defray medical costs. As a professional bullfighter, Pierce often was asked about his chosen career and answered, “Why be normal?” That has become his moniker, and it’s certain the event will be anything but normal with the entertainment available and items up for bid. It will cap off a weekend of Western celebrations that includes the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame inductions and the Championship Bull Riding’s Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge bull riding. Pierce is on the CBR’s arena crew, as is his son, James Pierce Jr. Doors open at noon, and the benefit will include silent auction will go on throughout the afternoon with a live auction capping off activities starting at 4 p.m. A $10 donation will be requested at the door. “It’s amazing the items that have been donated and the outpouring of support we’ve had,” said Gary “Roach” Hedeman, who is organizing the benefit with his wife, Cindy. “James has been a good friend, and now it’s our turn to support him.” Among the live auction items is a pair of green chaps won by legendary bull rider Don Gay when he earned one of his eight world championships. The auction also will be filled with rodeo memorabilia and history, and patrons will have a chance to own one-of-a-kind items like an autographed cover of Life magazine featuring the late Jim Shoulders. “It’s unbelievable the response we’ve had,” Pierce said. “I can’t thank Roach and Cindy enough for putting this together and everyone else involved. It’s overwhelming and very humbling.” Pictures of many of the auction items are on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Whybenormalbenefit.To donate auction items, email garyhedeman@cbrbull.com.

BRIDGEPORT, Texas – Rodeo excellence and Texas cowboys seem to go hand-in-hand. That bodes quite well for the Karl Klement Butterfield Stage Days Rodeo set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, at Sunset Retreat Arena, formerly the Bridgeport Riding Club Arena. Many of the sport’s greatest stars live within a 45-mile radius of Bridgeport, so it is the perfect destination for amazing competition. Just a few miles east sits Decatur, home to 21 world championships between brothers-in-law Trevor Brazile (19) and Tuf Cooper (2). “We hear that it’s like a hometown rodeo for a lot of these guys,” said David Turnbow, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual rodeo. “Trevor can be here competing, and 20 minutes later, he can be home.” A season ago, Brazile’s achievements inside Sunset Retreat Arena echoed his 2013 season accomplishments: He won the Bridgeport rodeo’s all-around and steer roping championships to match his 11th all-around world championship and his fourth steer roping gold buckle. He also owns three tie-down roping titles and a heading crown. Tuf Cooper earned tie-down roping gold in 2011-12. His father, Roy Cooper, is a rodeo legend who owns eight world championships and also lives in Decatur, as do Clif Cooper and Clint Cooper, both of whom are veterans at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. How much talent resides in Wise County? Last December, five Wise County residents competed at the NFR: Trevor Brazile, Clif Cooper, Tuf Cooper, steer wrestler K.C. Jones and barrel racer Shada Brazile, Trevor’s wife and the sister of Tuf and Clif. Three Weatherford residents also competed in ProRodeo’s grand finale: team roper Ryan Motes, tie-down roper Tyson Durfey and saddle bronc rider Bradley Harter. “You get all those guys coming, and it’s great,” Turnbow said. “You also get some of the younger guys that are coming up, and they want to be part of it, too. It means a lot for our rodeo to have them all here.” The local competitors are just a small taste of what fans can expect with Bridgeport’s rodeo, which draws many of the sport’s brightest stars. Last year alone, Karl Klement Butterfield Stage Days Rodeo winners included Justin McDaniel, the 2008 world champion bareback rider from Porum, Okla.; Allen Bach, a four-time world champion heeler from Boyd, Texas, roping with his son, Joel. They were joined in the winner’s circle by several NFR qualifiers, like team ropers Kaleb Driggers of Albany, Ga., and Travis Graves of Jay, Okla.; barrel racer Benette Little of Ardmore, Okla.; and bull rider Trevor Kastner, also of Ardmore. “Part of what attracts the top cowboys is Pete Carr,” Turnbow said of the rodeo’s stock contractor, which had 27 animals selected to perform at the 2013 NFR. “Without the stock, you’re not going to get the cowboys. The stock makes a lot of difference. Having a good stock contractor is very key to making this thing successful.” The success will continue this coming May.

From the PRCA World Champion Cowboys Pete Grubb, Wayne Herman, Glen O’Neill and Byron Walker, along with two-time World Champion Bullfighter Miles Hare and Big Bend Rodeo’s Spring Fling – one of just two horses to be honored as both a bareback and saddle bronc horse of the year – head the 2014 induction class for the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. They will be enshrined Aug. 9 during ceremonies in the sculpture garden adjacent to the Hall, along with the rodeo committees from the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo, Greeley (Colo.) Stampede, Rowell Ranch Rodeo in Hayward, Calif., and the Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho. The induction week will kick off with a 35th anniversary celebration of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame on Aug. 6. More information can be found on the PRCA’s website.

The last time Paul David Tierney performed inside the Lazy E Arena, he won the prestigious Timed Event Championship of the World. He became just the 12th man in the 30-year history of the event, which identifies the greatest all-around timed-event cowboys in the world. He joins his father, Paul, who owns four TEC titles, and other legends of the game. He also pocketed $60,000 for the three-day championship. Paul David Tierney returns to the majestic arena next week to try to parlay a significant March into a magical April during the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which will feature five go-rounds spread out over three days: Thursday, April 10-Saturday, April 11. Competing as a header, Tierney will rope with Jared Bilby as they battle 23 other teams for the elusive national championship. It will be an exceptional fight. The top two teams from each of the 12 ProRodeo circuits earn the right to play inside the Lazy E. That’s what makes this such a fun event. Rising stars will tangle with seasoned regional veterans who will battle the biggest names in the game. It’s such a true representation of the sport, and it’s what makes the competition for the national championships so special.