Monthly Archives: December 2015

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written on behalf of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo for the Wrangler Network and has appeared on the website. You can view that version HERE.   No other stock contractor in the PRCA has taken more animals to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo than Pete Carr over the last three years. This year’s Carr herd was 22 strong, and they were powerful inside the Thomas & Mack Center during the 10-night championship. In all, cowboys won $173,814 on the backs of Carr bucking horses and bulls. That included three go-round victories. Quite possibly the biggest win for any cowboy came in Round 10: bareback rider Steven Peebles of Redmond, Ore., rode Good Time Charlie to share the round title with Tanner Aus and Tim O’Connell. Peebles earned in the final round of the 2015 season propelled the Oregon cowboy to his first world title, thanks in large part to that $20,872 payout. Peebles finished $13,523 ahead of Kaycee Feild of Payson, Utah, who had earned the previous four gold buckles. That made Peebles’ winning ride on Good Time Charlie quite possibly the biggest ride of his 2015 season. Saddle bronc rider Jacobs Crawley of Boerne, Texas, also utilized a strong final-round ride on a Carr horse to secure his first world title. Crawley rode Big Tex for 81.5 points to finish atop the average race, and that $67,269 payout pushed his Wrangler NFR earnings to $157,385. His more than $276,000 in 2015 helped the Texan outlast runner-up Wade Sundell of Coleman, Okla., but just $3,000. There were a couple of other key round wins on Carr animals that made a difference in 2015. In fact, 2012 world champion bull rider Cody Teel won the third round on Carr’s Lineman, a bull that had bucked off Teel during the 10th round in 2014. This marked the second straight year Lineman had guided a cowboy to the Round 3 victory; two-time champ Sage Kimzey won the third round in 2014 aboard the 7-year-old black-and-white paint. Teel rode eight bulls and clinched his second average title. He finished as the reserve world champion, second only to Kimzey. Second-generation bucker Painted River helped bareback rider Jake Brown of Hillsboro, Texas, to the sixth-round victory with an 86.5-point marking. Painted River is by the paint stud Korczak, which has bucked at the Wrangler NFR in both bareback riding and saddle bronc riding. Painted River’s dam is River Boat Annie, the 2007 reserve world champion bareback horse that has been selected to buck at the Wrangler NFR 11 times in her storied career. She has guided cowboys to numerous round titles over the years. Painted River is the first ranch-raised bucking horse to be selected to buck at the finale, and she proved her breeding and talent in the process. Not only did she help Brown collect his only Wrangler NFR paycheck, she was named the rank horse of the sixth round. Betty Boop, another bareback horse in her first trip to Las Vegas, was the rank horse of Round 1. That’s what cowboys have come to expect with Carr animals. Not only are they rank, but they are key factors in winning big paydays.

The first Christmas I can really remember arrived in the cold of 1972. The youngest of my five-person family, we lived in a little house on the southeast side of St. Joseph, Mo. I was just a few months into my kindergarten year at Skaith Elementary School. We were new to the community. It was a big city for a bunch of country folks from a tiny town in western Kansas, but we adapted. My brother, the eldest, was 15 and in high school – a high school with a student population that rivaled our hometown, the only community he’d ever really known. My sister was 10 and attended the fifth grade at Skaith; we walked to school together back in the days when kids actually walked to school. We lived in that little house and in that part of town for three years, and we were regular members at Deer Park Methodist Church, just across the street from our school. I remember Christmas programs and music and listening to my mom sing in the choir. I also recall bright clothes and tall hairdos and men always wearing patterned suits. For whatever reason, those three years seem to provide the most memorable Christmases for me. For the Harbins, we always opened our family presents on Christmas Eve. In those three years, Santa always arrived while we were celebrating that evening. Since we didn’t have a chimney, he’d knock on our door and scramble away. It didn’t matter how close I was to the door, I’d never make it in time to see Santa fly away. When I was a first-grader, the toy world was turned on its ear by the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. I wanted one as bad as any boy could want a toy. It was the grooviest thing ever. I made sure Mom, Dad, Mike, Shelly, Santa and Mrs. Claus all knew exactly what I wanted. That December 1973, I just knew Santa was going to drop that stunt cycle on my front porch. When he knocked on the door on Dec. 24, I rushed to it. I didn’t worry about seeing Santa then. I looked straight to the porch to see my present. Much to my 6-year-old dismay, a not-so-impressive Evel Knievel, battery-operated street bike sat in the place of the ever-so-versatile stunt cycle. I was distraught. How could Santa be so wrong? I ran to my mom and cried, openly sobbing on her lap. As the years passed, I learned the truth behind those presents and why Santa had to knock on our door. Even though I was a little boy and that this happened 42 years ago, my reaction continues to bother me. Now I see it through my mother’s eyes, she the Santa of record who truly believed she had gotten me the perfect Evel Knievel gift. As a dad, I now empathize with my mom. I doubt she was as broken-hearted as I perceive her to have been, but even four decades later, there’s a pit in my stomach over that episode. The reality is we do the best we can, to provide those gifts to our loved ones that they will enjoy and use. It’s a small reflection of the relationship we have with Jesus Christ, who came upon this earth 2049 years ago as a gift from God. Our gifts to others stand as a symbol. As parents, we get those gifts to provide comfort and joy to our children. It’s like a Christmas carol, isn’t it? For those of us who are faithful, we learned the true gifts we receive this holiday season don’t cost dollars and dimes; those gifts reach into our hearts and make us better. That’s what Christ’s birth was all about.

LAS VEGAS – The increased money at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo came in handy for a couple of New Mexico cowboys competing in ProRodeo’s grand championship. Saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy of Corona and team roping header Jake Cooper of Monument reeled in solid money during the 10-day championship that concluded in mid-December. The record $8.8 million purse made a significant difference in the dollar amounts paid out in Sin City, especially for Muncy and Cooper, two major pieces of the Tate Branch Auto Group “Riding for the Brand” team. Muncy, a two-time world champion, placed in three go-rounds and finished seventh in the average race, which pays out an end-of-NFR bonus to the top cumulative times and scores over the course of the 10-day finale. In all, he earned $48,654 in competition and won the ninth go-round, which paid him more than $26,200 for that feat. Each of the contestants also earned a $10,000 bonus for their NFR qualifications, so the Corona cowboy pocketed nearly $60,000 in Las Vegas. It all counted toward the final world standings, so Muncy finished the 2015 ProRodeo campaign with $157,307; that was good enough for seventh in the world standings. Cooper, now a two-time NFR qualifier, picked up a big paycheck on the final night of the season when he and partner Russell Cardoza stopped the clock in 4.1 seconds to place second in the 10th round. That earned each cowboy an additional $20,731 – a year ago, go-round winners earned about $19,000, so the 2015 NFR payout was significantly greater. It was a needed wrap-up to the Cooper-Cardoza NFR. The tandem hadn’t competed together any during the season, earning their qualifications with different partners. Cooper, who finished the year with $122,672, roped most of the season with Tyler McKnight, who finished 17th in the world standings and missed the NFR by two spots. Cooper and Cardoza placed in two go-rounds – in addition to their 10th-round heroics, they also placed fourth in Round 6. The better news is that the 2016 season is already under way, and next year’s NFR will be just as lucrative. That’s why the greatest in the world, especially those that are part of the “Riding for the Brand” team, will battle to be part of the championship next December.

LAS VEGAS – For every calf he roped, there were countless miles Tyson Durfey traveled through the course of the 2015 ProRodeo season. Every interstate, every highway, every county road and every dirt road led to one place at the end of the year, the National Finals Rodeo. It’s the sport’s grand championship and features the largest purse, a record $8.8 million. Durfey is an eight-time NFR qualifier from Savannah, Mo. He knows the road to Las Vegas is filled with narrow shoulders that leave little room for doubt. Once he arrived in Sin City two weeks ago, he made the most of his situations. “I thought my NFR was outstanding,” said Durfey, now living near Weatherford, Texas. “Other than winning the average and the world, it was as good of an NFR as I could’ve had. I won two rounds, and I made two of the best runs of my life in one NFR. That’s outstanding. “I haven’t tied very many calves in six (seconds) in my life, and to do it twice in one NFR is amazing.” He shared go-round titles on the third and final nights, posting a 7.5-second run to split the third-round win with eventual world champion Caleb Smidt of Bellville, Texas. He finished that with a 6.7-run on the final night to share the go-round buckle with four-time champ Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas. Durfey’s final-round run was the fastest of his career. He also was 6.8 seconds to place second in the sixth go-round – 23-time world champion Trevor Brazile posted a 6.6 to win that round. Along the way, Durfey placed in two other rounds and ended his 10-day run in Las Vegas with $71,982, which pushed his season earnings to $153,983. He finished eighth in the world standings. Still, his biggest victory may have come during the third round on Dec. 5, the same evening his wife, country artist Shea Fisher, performed during the opening. “We were pretty excited about it,” he said. “It took me 70 rounds to win my first go-round buckle, and I only won two in my first seven NFRs. To get two go-round buckles in one year was outstanding, so I’ve got one for me and one for my wife. “That’s one we will remember for a long time. I watched that go-round the other night, and it will be a great memory for us.” So will all 10 rounds. Durfey was part of an incredible display of athleticism in this year’s NFR tie-down roping. In a sport made up of fast times and big scores, there was plenty of action. “The calf roping was amazing to watch and probably the toughest calf roping that has ever been in the history of the sport,” Durfey said. “It’s very rare that you see 6-second runs, and there were multiple ones. That’s never been done before.” Ropers posted sub-second runs 12 times, including three by Brazile, who also tied the NFR record with a 6.5-second run in the eighth round. “Several years ago, there was one go-round where there were three times in succession where they were 6,” Durfey said. “Now they’re doing it every round. To watch the growth of the sport is phenomenal. Guys are getting better, and they’re getting faster. “I was on top of that a couple of nights.” There also were some down times. Durfey finished out of the money six nights and suffered three no-times. He just didn’t let himself get down about it. “I think the most important thing is optimism,” he said. “I’m not a very pessimistic person. I believe my best day is tomorrow, and that’s the same whether you’re on your back or standing upright. “For me, getting to go to another round at the NFR is pretty awesome. A lot of guys don’t make in one year what I have a chance to make in one night.” That’s true. Outright go-round winners pocketed more than $26,000 each night. For the four times in which Durfey placed, he averaged nearly $18,000 per round. “My horse, Nikko, has been phenomenal,” Durfey said. “That horse didn’t make a single mistake out of 10 rounds of the NFR, which I’ve never had before. Most of the time horses get tired and worn out – like the rest of us – and they make mistakes. He scored good and ran hard, and he worked every time.” Now it’s time for a break from rodeo. The horses will get a few weeks in the pasture, and Durfey may not swing a rope for a bit, but the work never ends for a rodeo cowboy. Even while spending time with family over the next few weeks, he will find time to stay in shape. “It’s time to get back to the gym and get back to working out,” he said. “My goal every year is to be a world champion. As long as my goal is that, I’m probably going to have to work my butt off.” That’s what champions do.

LAS VEGAS – Coleman Proctor looks back at his 10 days during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and he sees many positives for himself and the sport he loves. It was an amazing competition that featured the largest purse in the game. When the final round concluded Saturday night, Proctor and his heeling partner, Jake Long of Coffeyville, Kan., had finished second in the Wrangler NFR average, placed in four go-rounds with one victory. They left Las Vegas with more than $110,000 each. “What a great NFR,” said Proctor, a two-time Wrangler NFR qualifying header from Pryor, Okla. “Those are the best team ropers in the sport, and it seems like they always do put on a show in Las Vegas.” Proctor and Long were a big part of the show. They roped smart all week long and took advantage of some situations when they arose. Heading into Saturday’s final night of the 2015 season, they were firmly locked into third place in the average as one of just three teams to record a time in all nine previous rounds. “All we had to do was catch one and make $43,000,” Proctor said of the third-place payout for having one of the top cumulative times of the rodeo. “Things played in our favor and won us a little more.” The top team, header JoJo LeMond and Junior Nogueira, had a solid lead in the aggregate over Luke Brown and Kollin VonAhn. Had LeMond and Nogueira finished it off, they stood a good chance at winning the world championship. LeMond scored a quick head catch in the 10th round, but he wasn’t able dally – wrapping the end of his rope around his saddle horn. When the rope trickled away from him, so did the hope of the gold buckle. The next two teams – Brown and VonAhn, then Proctor and Long – moved up a spot. VonAhn utilized the average title to his second heeling world championship. Aaron Tsinigine, who roped with heeler Ryan Motes, won the heading title. For his part, Proctor moved up nine spots to fifth in the world standings, thanks to his average of earning $11,000 per day while in Las Vegas. “I’d go to work for that,” he said with a laugh. “That’s a lot more than I used to make working construction. Now I’m going to try not to spend it as fast as I made it. “A lot of this success is thanks to Riverbend Arena, which allowed Jake and me to be able to practice. We had a lot of long hours, but that crew really took care of us. I hope they’ve enjoyed the experience as much as we have. I’m also thankful to Heather Clayton; she rode my chubby roan horse and got his feet moving. She had him geared up and ready to go.” It all played out well over the course of ProRodeo’s finale. Every round and ever run offered new challenges. Though they only cashed in during four rounds, Proctor and Long made the most of every opportunity. “I’ve been there twice, and I thought I was prepared again,” Proctor said. “I now know it takes guts to win a gold buckle. Hats off to Aaron Tsinigine and Kollin VonAhn; I thought the team ropers represented our sport well. They made it one of the best finals I can remember. It was quality roping for 10 straight days. “What a neat deal to watch Kollin. To win a gold buckle, you have to risk more than I did.” Sometimes the biggest rewards come to those the biggest risks. Tsinigine and Motes won at least a share of four rounds, including the outright Round 10 victory; that $102,000 added to a fourth-place finish in the average made all the difference to the Arizona header, who outlasted Brown by $2,685 to win gold. “My family and my sponsors were out there to help me, I had a lot of family and friends that were back home rooting for us,” Proctor said. “We had a busy week with autograph signings and appearances, and I got to meet a lot of awesome people. That made you realize what your job is all about. Our job as professionals is so much more than how we compete.” For most of his life, he has competed with his good friend in Long. They found other avenues for a few years, but they returned to the elite in rodeo the past two years. Their second straight trip to the Wrangler NFR together is one they’ll remember for some time, even as they go in different directions next season. Proctor will compete with Buddy Hawkins, a heeler from Columbus, Kan., who qualified for the Wrangler NFR in 2013. “I like to keep those Kansas heelers,” Proctor said. “We’ve roped together a lot, and Buddy and I go way back – not as far as Jake and I – and I’m excited about the opportunity. I think he has a great attitude and ropes awesome.” With that, the Oklahoma cowboy will continue to pursue rodeo excellence. “I’ve learned a lot about what I need to do to be a better header,” he said. “I’m ready to get back to work. I haven’t got to be the best I could be yet. I’ll take a couple days off and get caught up on things around the house, then it’s back to work.”

LAS VEGAS – No matter the circumstances one faces, there always are lessons to be learned. Steer wrestler Kyle Irwin didn’t have the National Finals Rodeo he had hoped, but he still finds the blessings that come with competing at ProRodeo’s year-end championship for the second straight year. On Dec. 7, the Robertsdale, Ala., cowboy took part in the Exceptional Rodeo, an event in which NFR contestants help children with disabilities participate in the sport they love. It was there that Irwin looked around and realized all he has. “To me, those kids aren’t disabled; those kids are a true blessing from the Lord,” said Irwin, who placed in just three of 10 go-rounds in Las Vegas and earned $33,974. “That deal probably helps me more than it does them. (Saturday) night when things didn’t go well, I was able to get on my horse by myself. I have so much to be thankful for.” He does. Even through the trials and tribulations that come with the NFR, the Alabama cowboy finished the season with $120,574. “After finishing second in the round that first night, I was sure thinking it was about to get fun,” he said, noting that he earned $88,000 a year ago. “It was still fun. There are people that try their whole life and not make it, and I was fortunate to be there for the second year in a row. Not doing well is part of the job we do. “You get through those situations and go on, or you whine and cry and it beats you, and you get a job and feel sorry for yourself the rest of your life. That’s not me. These are the choices I make and the life I live, so you have to take the bad with the good.” There was a lot of good in the 2015 season. Only the top 15 cowboys in the world standings advance to the NFR. One of those on the outside looking in was traveling partner Tyler Pearson of Louisville, Miss., who finished the regular season 18th and just missed qualifying for the finale for the second time in his career. Pearson provided his horse, Sketch, for Irwin to ride and served as the hazer. “It’s got to be tough to almost make it and still come here to help me and be around his buddies,” Irwin said. “He’s fixing to have a kid in a week. He should’ve been home with his wife. Instead, she and their son called me every night to wish me luck. The sacrifices he makes that get overlooked are incredible.” It wasn’t all bad for Pearson. While in town, he competed in the Cinch-Boyd Gaming Shootout that took place during three afternoons this past week. Pearson won the steer wrestling title and $11,600. It was a great opportunity for those cowboys who weren’t competing nightly at the Thomas & Mack Center to run for good money. “Tyler’s a winner, and that Cinch Shootout is amazing for the sport of rodeo,” Irwin said. “Cinch stuck its neck out for me, and I’ll wear Cinch the rest of my days in rodeo and am grateful to do it. Those guys that just barely missed making the NFR deserve to have an opportunity like that.” While Pearson collected money at The Orleans, Irwin continued to receive powerful lessons a few miles away at the Thomas & Mack, home of ProRodeo’s premier championship. “I learned to expect the unexpected,” he said. “I came here ready and the same energy I had last year and ready to bounce back into it. I made some good runs, and I had a variety of things going on. I learned to be ready for anything.” Just 25 years old, Irwin still has many years of quality education in front of him. Each rodeo he wins and every opportunity he misses provides him with the developmental skills he can use in the future. “I learned a lot about patience this year,” Irwin said. “I want it so bad, and I get so anxious. I heard (five-time world champion) Luke Branquinho say he was patient the other night when he was 3.5 (seconds). I get so worked up trying to win every single time that I don’t allow myself to be patient, but Luke proved you can be patient and still win.” It was just another lesson learned.

LAS VEGAS – There’s not much in this world that is going to keep saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer down. Yes, his dreams of being the 2015 world champion were dashed early at the National Finals Rodeo, but he maintained a strong mental focus and finished the year-end championship on a high note. On the final night of the ProRodeo season, Scheer spurred Big Bend Rodeo’s Kool Toddy for 86 points to finish in a tie for second place in the 10th go-round. He placed on three of the last four nights and left Las Vegas with $54,577. “When you finish one strong, you prove to everybody that they can’t get you down,” said Scheer, a five-time NFR qualifier from Elsmere, Neb. “That’s what bronc riding is all about. You keep pushing, and you keep going at every horse. You just spur one out, and you have fun. His final-round ride earned Scheer $18,192 and was a solid way to conclude his strong campaign. “That horse is awesome and has been great for a long time,” he said. “I had that horse in Cloverdale (British Columbia) and was 88 on her there. She’s shaky when you leave (the chute), but you’ve just take care of business and have fun. “I had nothing to lose. I sat in the chute and had fun. I was excited, because it was all or nothing. If I’d hit the ground, it would’ve been the same thing. You go out there because you have something to prove.” He proved it, focusing on the fundamentals. He excels at that, which is why he’s a regular fixture among the top 15 in the world standings. Over the last five years, the only time he has missed an NFR was because of an injury. That was in 2011, and he still finished 25th in the world standings. “The three times I won a check this week, I spurred the horse out good,” he said of setting the heels of his Justin boots above the breaks of the horse’s shoulders on the initial jump out of the chute. “That sets up the whole bronc riding, and that epitomizes bronc riding. “It was great to have a chance to ride that bucking horse.” It also was great to finish the season well. Scheer had a roller-coaster ride through the challenges of the 10-day championship in the Nevada desert. He overcame it because of his love for the game and because of the fellow bronc riders, who are part of a tight fraternity. “I’m never going to quit,” said Scheer, who attended Garden City (Kan.) Community College, Montana State University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “I’m going to be here for a long time. I’m having a blast, but welcome to rodeo: It’s a love-you or hate-you sport. “Rodeo is awesome because of the rewards, and it’s not the money. It’s the respect from your fellow bronc riders and your idols that tell you that you rode great. That’s what it’s all about.”

LAS VEGAS – Everyone deserves a vacation, and steer wrestler Casey Martin finally gets his. He’s not booking a flight overseas or planning a ski trip. He’s not looking to sit on a beach. No, after a rugged 2015 Pro Rodeo season, Martin is ready to return to southeastern Louisiana. After 10 days in the Nevada desert for the National Finals Rodeo, he’s ready to return to the humidity and comforts of home. “The biggest break I need is to spend time at home with the family,” Martin said. “That’s all I’ll do on my break.” He travels tens of thousands of miles a year and many hours behind the wheel as he hit the circuit, commuting from one rodeo to another chasing his rodeo dreams. He put them to bed for the year on Saturday night during the NFR’s 10th round, grappling his steer to the turf in 4.0 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place, worth, $7,333. “I had a steer that they ran to the back of the gate damn near all week,” he said, referring to the track record the steer wrestlers had compiled through the previous rounds that steer had been run in Vegas. “All three times they ran him way down there. I knew he’d handle fast if I could get the start I needed and get my feet on the ground fast.” Riding a talented palomino gelding named Ote, Martin got the start he needed. He also relied on hazer Sean Mulligan to place the steer in perfect position for a fast time. Ote, owned by good friend and traveling partner Bray Armes, was one of the guiding forces behind Martin’s NFR run. In all, the Louisiana cowboy placed in five go-rounds – including a victory in Friday’s ninth round – to earn $63,603 in Sin City. He moved up four spots to 10th in the final world standings with $138,759. He began ProRodeo’s grand finale with a bang, sharing fourth in the opening round on Dec. 3. He concluded it the same way Saturday night, but there was plenty of drama along the way. After the fourth round and three straight runs of not placing, Armes pulled himself as Martin’s hazer and pushed veteran Sean Mulligan into the starting role. “I fired myself,” Armes said, saying Martin would never have fired him. He added that Martin deserved every opportunity to cash in, and Mulligan gave the bulldogger a better chance. It worked. In his fifth straight NFR qualification, Martin placed in four of the last six go-rounds. He was just shy of placing in the average, a post-finale bonus that rewards cowboys that do the best in the fastest 10-round cumulative time. “I could look back and critique every run,” he said. “There’s not much point to it now.” No, now is the time to reflect on another strong season and top-10 finish. Now is the time to put his boots away and relax with those closest to him. Now is the time to focus on priorities. That’s the perfect vacation for Martin.

LAS VEGAS – Silver and gold, emblazoned with a red Wrangler National Finals Rodeo logo, the 10th go-round bareback riding buckle had already found its rightful place on Tanner Aus’ belt. “I’m already wearing it,” said Aus, a first-time NFR qualifier from Granite Falls, Minn., who shared the 10th-round championship with Tim O’Connell and Steven Peebles after the trio posted 83.5-point rides Saturday in Las Vegas. “I put it right on.” Aus earned the right by matching moves with Wayne Vold Rodeo’s Mucho Dinero on the final night of the 10-day championship to conclude an amazing season. With that, he added $20,872 to his pocketbook and pushed his season earnings to $169,416. He placed in just three go-rounds but also placed sixth in the average with a 10-ride cumulative score of 767 points. In all, the 2012 intercollegiate champion at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., earned nearly $74,000 in Sin City. “I haven’t even thought about the money at all, but that’s going toward retirement,” said Aus, who considered his 10 days in the Nevada desert as another learning experience. “You’ve got to slow down when you get here and enjoy it. “Now all the bareback riders are packing up their stuff. It’s over. We make it our home in the locker room. It’s sad now.” That may be because the 10 days and ProRodeo’s championship goes fast. There’s a lot of activity in Las Vegas during the week and a half. But part of it is because he didn’t cash in until the fifth round, so he compiled most of his earnings in the final week of the competition. He got a big push on his final ride on the Canadian bucking horse. “I just knew he was good, and everybody told me he was a lot of fun,” he said. “(Fellow bareback rider) Caleb Bennett told me to set my feet as hard as I could, and it would just get better. “It’s unreal.” So was Aus’ 2015 season. He ended the campaign with 169,417 in earnings, good enough for sixth place in the world standings. He’s not ready for it to end. “The good news is, the books (for the next few rodeos) open Monday,” Aus said. “I’m ready.”

LAS VEGAS – Every step of his magical 2015 ProRodeo season has been a learning experience for bareback rider Orin Larsen. The education continued over the 10-day Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. This was ProRodeo’s grand championship, and the Inglis, Manitoba, cowboy earned the right to be among the field by finishing amid the top 15 in the world standings through the course of the long season. “It’s definitely a finals I’ll remember, especially since it’s my first one,” said Larsen, who joined his brother, saddle bronc rider Tyrel Larsen, as the first Manitoba cowboys compete at the NFR. “It’s a bittersweet finals for me, but I’m very blessed and very fortunate to be part of this great production.” Larsen finished the year 12th in the world standings with $114,156, with nearly $23,000 coming over the course of 10 days in Sin City. Larsen placed in just three go-round but ended the season on a high note with an 81-point ride on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Fancy Free, a horse that has been selected to the NFR 11 times. It was a solid way to push toward the 2016 ProRodeo season. “I can’t complain,” said Larsen, who attended the College of Southern Idaho and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships; he won college titles at both institutions. “There’s no better group of guys to be in the locker room with. They’re all world-class people, and they’re all my best friends.” Along the way, the learning process continued. It’s something he hopes to bring back to Las Vegas with him. “(I need) to be patient, and your time will come,” he said. “It might take nine or 10 rounds for it all to click, but the most important thing is to be patient and enjoy it. “I think (the NFR) went pretty good. I know I could’ve done better on my part. For my first one, just to make it (to the finals) is good enough for me. But next year, you ain’t seen the tip of the iceberg.”

LAS VEGAS – No other cowboy at the 2015 National Finals Rodeo rode a bigger roller coaster than bull rider Wesley Silcox. He bucked off five bulls, missed two rounds because of injury, placed third in the ninth round and won on the fifth and 10th nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale. It added up to $74,462 in 10 days in the Nevada desert. On Saturday night, the 2007 world champion rode Rafter H Rodeo’s Breaking Bad for 88 points to win the round. That check pushed his season earnings to more than $190,000 and became an exclamation point to his campaign with a fourth-place finish in the world standings. “I had my head clear,” said Silcox, a seven-time NFR qualifier from Santaquin, Utah. “I was ready to ride and wasn’t really worried about anything but riding my bulls. I’m happy to come back riding and be healthy.” He should be. Silcox suffered two concussions over the course of the NFR. After his second occurred in the sixth round Tuesday, he opted to sit out the seventh and eighth rounds to heal. It was a good thing he did. He returned Friday to finish third in the round, then collected the go-round win on the final night of the ProRodeo season. You win the 10th round, and you’re on top of the world,” he said. “You’ve got some good guys in the locker room, and you’ve had some fun. It’s great to keep a good attitude.” That final ride was the first time he had matched moves with the athletic Breaking bad. He knew just a little about the bull from his fellow Crown Royal Rider Chandler Bownds, who had ridden the bull earlier in the week. He blew out of there and was leaping in the air,” Silcox said. “It felt really good.” He should know. He’s been on a few hundred head of bucking bulls over the course of his ProRodeo career. Now he will take some time off, make sure his body is fully healed and spend a little time with those closest to him. “It’ll be nice to be with family,” said Silcox, who will enjoy several days with his wife, Jerika; daughter, Rivers; and son, Ledgen. “They’re all here and ready to go home and relax for a little while.” They’ve all earned the break.

Cody Teel was the only cowboy to ride eight of 10 bulls to win the average title. He earned $186,000 at the NFR and finished second in the Top Gun Award to Steven Peebles, who pocketed about $39,000 more. 1. Wesley Silcox, 88 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Breaking Bad, $26,231; 2. Shane Proctor, 86.5, $20,731; 3. Ty Wallace, 86, $15,654; 4. Sage Kimzey, 84.5, $11,000; 5. Brennon Eldred, 84, $6,769; 6. Cody Teel, 82.5, $4,231.

1. Sherry Cervi, 13.55 seconds, $26,231; 2. Sarah Rose McDonald, 13.77, $20,731; 3. Jackie Ganter, 13.85, $15,654; 4. Lisa Lockhart, 13.88, $11,000; 5. Fallon Taylor, 13.91, $6,769; 6. Cassidy Kruse, 13.92, $4,231.

Callie DuPerier won the barrel racing average title and world championship, the most successful cowgirl to have ridden Dillion during his fourth trip to the NFR.

1. (tie) Tyson Durfey and Tuf Cooper, 6.7 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. Shane Hanchey, 7.3, $15,654; 4. Ryan Jarrett, 7.5, $11,000; 5. Sterling Smith, $6,769; 6. (tie) Cory Solomon and Caleb Smidt, 7.0, $2,115 each.

Caleb Smidt won the tie-down roping average, which propelled in to the gold buckle.

1. Wade Sundell, 88.5 points on Beutler & Sons Wound Up, $26,231; 2. (tie) Cort Scheer and Cody DeMoss, 86, $18,192; 4. Isaac Diaz, 84.5, $11,000; 5. Rusty Wright, 84, $6,769; 6. (tie) Spencer Wright and Zeke Thurston, 82.5, $2,115 each.

Jacobs Crawley won the average and the world championship. Results are pending.

Aaron Tsinigine is the heading world champion, and Kollin VonAhn claimed his second heeling gold buckle. VonAhn also won the average title with heading partner Ryan Motes. 1. Aaron Tsinigine/Ryan Motes, 4.1 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jake Cooper/Russell Cardoza, 4.3, $20,731; 3. Derrick Begay/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 4.4, $15,654; 4. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, 5.2, $11,000; 5. Nick Sartain/Rich Skelton, 9.0, $6,769; 6. Luke Brown/Kollin VonAhn, 9.6, $4,231.

Hunter Cure, based on placing second in the 10th round and moving up to second in the average behind Dakota Eldridge, won the world championship. It’s his second in three years. 1. Baylor Roche, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Hunter Cure and K.C. Jones, 3.9, $18,192 each; 4. (tie) Casey Martin, Blake Knowles and Nick Guy, 4.0, $7,333 each.

1. (tie) Steven Peebles on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie, Tim O’Connell on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Top Flight and Tanner Aus on Wayne Vold Rodeo’s Mucho Dinero, 83.5, $20,872 each; 4. (tie) Clint Laye and Winn Ratliff, 82, $8,885 each; 6. (tie) Orin Larsen and Caleb Bennett, 81, $2,115 each.

The feel-good story of this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is Steven Peebles, who just won his first bareback riding world championship by more than $10,000 over four-time reigning world titlist Kaycee Feild. Peebles missed a good part of the season because of a serious injury in which he had to fight for his life. He battled back to earn a qualification, qualifying No. 14. He won more than $314,000 this season to claim the gold. He won at least a share of five go-round victories and won the average, also unseating Feild as the NFR average titlist.

LAS VEGAS – Rodeo cowboys are tougher than most professional athletes. They ride with sprained knees and damaged shoulders. They get on wild bucking beasts with sore backs and ribs that hurt when they breathe. Bull rider Wesley Silcox has done that plenty in his 12-year career. There are no guarantees in rodeo, so the only way to make a living is to ride through the pain and hope to beat most of the field to collect prize money. But Silcox knew better when he woke up Wednesday morning. He had suffered his second concussion in a few days Tuesday night during his ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Hokey Pokey during the sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo. He made the decision to sit out the seventh and eighth go-rounds. “We did some tests on Wednesday morning,” Silcox said, referring to his consultation with Dr. Tandy Freeman of the Justin Sportsmedicine Program. “I wasn’t feeling too good. I was light-headed and dizzy, and I didn’t think I could be capable of riding. So I took two days off and came back feeling good (Friday) and felt like I could ride.” He rode well, matching moves with United Pro Rodeo’s Wipeout for 83 points. That was good enough for third place in the ninth round, worth $15,654. “They’ve been 90 on him before,” said Silcox, the 2007 world champion from Santaquin, Utah, now competing at the NFR for the seventh time. “I was just happy to get by him where I’d been hurt. My head felt good, and I felt good. “You get hit in the head, and later in life, it’s going to catch up with you. I wasn’t going to mess around, so I needed to take two days off.” He did everything he could to make sure his brain was being cared for in his days away from the arena. “I took it easy and stayed in the hotel room,” he said. “I ordered room service and just stayed away. I shut my brain down for a little while, and I think it worked. “I always think it could be worse or something else could happen. There’s a reason for everything.” Though he’s managed just two qualified rides, Silcox has earned nearly $42,000. He has pushed his 2015 earnings to $157,663 and sits fourth in the world standings with one round left. “The money is so good this year, and I’ve only stayed on two bulls,” he said. “Still I’ve had a pretty decent finals.” Oklahoma cowboy Sage Kimzey clinched his second straight world title on Friday night, so Silcox will be riding for the money that’s up for grabs in Saturday’s 10th round. He is matched with Rafter H Rodeo’s Breaking Bad. “Everybody’s going to have a chance to be 90,” Silcox said. “The bulls are the ones we want to get on. They’re going to ride six to seven bulls easy, and hopefully I’m on top.”

LAS VEGAS – The pain was so intense, saddle bronc rider Tyrel Larsen wasn’t sure how to deal with it at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “In the E pen, I had (the horse) Awesome of Wayne Vold, and he split my tailbone on the edge of my cantle,” Larsen said of the “eliminator” pen, the toughest-to-ride bucking horses in rodeo. “It don’t feel good, so I had to figure something out. I thought I could tough it out (Thursday) night, but there was no way.” He stayed on JK Rodeo’s Dakota Babe during Thursday’s eighth round, but the sharp pain was overwhelming. He consulted with the Justin Sportsmedicine Team so they could arrive at a remedy for the final two nights of the 2015 ProRodeo season. It worked. The Inglis, Manitoba, cowboy rode Harry Vold Rodeo’s Pilot Point for 79.5 points during the ninth round on Friday and collected an $11,000 fourth-place check. “The sports med guys figured something out,” he said. “They put together some impact gel to take some of the pressure off tonight, and it felt really good. I couldn’t even feel it.” It showed in his ride. Larsen – who attended Oklahoma Panhandle State University on a rodeo scholarship and lives in Weatherford, Okla., with his wife, Chaney – matched moves with the athletic sorrel across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt. “It was a really nice horse for the pen she was in,” Larsen said. “She gets a lot of guys off in that third jump out of the chute. I had my padding and my tape job figured out a little better than (Thursday), so it felt good.” He will conclude his season and his first appearance at the NFR on Saturday and will be matched with Flying 5 Rodeo’s Spring Planting, which has guided many of the world’s greatest bronc riders to big checks. “All the best horses in the world are out then,” he said. “There’s not a bad draw in the pen. Everybody can get something you can be in the high 80s on.” Larsen has earned $26,654 so far at the NFR, and he has a chance to nearly double it with a first-place finish during the 10th round. It would be the perfect way to end what has been a somewhat frustrating finale. “You can’t be mad about it,” Larsen said. “I didn’t have the best finals in the world, but it’s definitely not bad and it’s definitely a learning experience. I learned how to relax a little bit and have fun instead of trying to be 90 every time.” Those are valuable lessons for a rising star in the game.