Monthly Archives: December 2015

1. Aaron Tsinigine/Ryan Motes, 4.0 seconds, $26,231; 2. Chad Masters/Travis Graves, 4.5, $20,831; 3. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, 4.6, $15,654; 4. JoJo LeMond/Junior Nogueira, 5.2, $11,000; 5. Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 6.1, $6,769; 6. (tie) Matt Sherwood/Travis Woodard and Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill, 9.3, $2,115 each.

1. Clayton Hass, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ty Erickson, 3.8, $20,731; 3. (tie) Nick Guy, Kyle Irwin, and Hunter Cure, 4.1, $11,141 each; 6. Seth Brockman, 4.3, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – His right knee hurts, but Tyrel Larsen didn’t let that hamper him Friday night during the second round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Larsen, a saddle bronc rider from Inglis, Manitoba, rode Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Sabre for 81.5 point to finish third. That earned the newlywed now living in Weatherford, Okla., $15,654 and pushed his earnings to $86,826. He moved up three spots to 12th in the world standings with eight rounds remaining, all while hobbling on a bum knee. “That’s what I get for falling off last night,” said Larsen, who married his longtime girlfriend, the former Chaney Latham, in October. “I was riding good, and all of the sudden, I fell off and I tweaked my knee. Now I have to tape up, and I guess I get to relax and have fun. It felt like last night I was trying too hard to win, and now I can go back out and have fun and do what all did all year to get me here. As with any athletic endeavor, riding bucking horses comes down to handling the fundamentals well. Friday’s pen of broncs featured the toughest-to-ride horses in the game, the “eliminators.” It showed, with only 10 of the 15 cowboys managing the score. “I had a really nice one to have, and there were a lot of rough horses there,” he said. “This horse had a couple of moves, and it worked out just right for me.” Those moves also caused a sharp pain in his knee, but he continued the spurring motion right through them. “You never know sometime with those eliminators; sometimes they’re pretty nice, and sometimes they’re pretty rank to ride,” Larsen said. “A few of us lucked out.” This marks Larsen’s first qualification to the NFR, and he joins a younger brother, bareback rider Orin Larsen, as the first two Manitoba cowboys to have qualified for ProRodeo’s grand finale. Just two nights into this 10-day championship, he is enjoying every moment of his time in Las Vegas. “It’s awesome, pretty surreal, especially being here with my brother, Orin,” Larsen said. “Orin placed last night, and I placed tonight, so hopefully we can keep the ball rolling and keep placing. “It’s kind of like the weight’s off your shoulder. It was nerve-wracking last night. I feel like me and Orin have settled down a bit and can just have fun now.” Tyrel Larsen is definitely having fun. Winning at the NFR should be fun.

Clayton Foltyn rode Rafter G Rodeo’s Thunderstruck for 76.5 points, the only cowboy to cover a bull during the second go-round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He wins $26,231 that counts toward the world standings, but he also collects the entire round purse. That means the Winnie, Texas, bull rider will pocket $85,615. I’d like to be party of his posse at the party tonight.

1. Michele McLeod, 13.89 seconds, $26,231; 2. Fallon Taylor, 13.93, $20,731; 3. Sarah Rose McDonald, 13.94, $15,654; 4. Lisa Lockhart, 13.99, $11,000; 5. Cassidy Kruse, 14.03, $6,769; 6. Jackie Ganter, 14.09, $4,231.

1. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Marty Yates, 7.5 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. (tie) Marco Costa and Shane Hanchey, 7.6, $13,327 each; 5. Sterling Smith, 7.7, $6,769; 6. Monty Lewis, 7.8, $4,231.

1. Coburn Bradshaw, 83 points on C5 Rodeo’s Curly Bill, $26,231; 2. Wade Sundell, 82.5, $20,731; 3. Tyrel Larsen, 81.5, $15,654; 4. Jacobs Crawley, 81, $11,000; 5. (tie) Cody DeMoss and Rusty Wright, 75, $5,500 each.

1. Derrick Begay/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 3.9 seconds, $26,231; 2. Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 4, $20,731; 3. Colby Lovell/Kory Koontz, 4.1, $15,654; 4. (tie) Matt Sherwood/Travis Woodard and Clay Smith/Paul Eaves, 4.2, $8,885 each; 6. Nick Sartain/Rich Skelton, 4.4, $4,231.

1. (tie) Luke Branquinho and Hunter Cure, 3.5 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. (tie). Tanner Milan and Blake Knowles, 3.7, $13,327 each; 5. Ty Erickson, 3.8, $6,769; 6. Trevor Knowles, 3.9, $4,231.

1. Steven Peebles, 84.5 points on Growney Brothers Rodeo’s Beaver Fever, $26,231; 2. Kaycee Field, 83, $20,731; 3. Austin Foss, 82, 3rd $15,654; 4. Bobby Mote, 81.5, $11,000; 5. Clint Laye, 81, $6,769; 6. Tim O’Connell, 79, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – A year ago, Kyle Irwin won at least a share of three go-rounds at the National Finals Rodeo. His biggest 2014 go-round check was a little more than $19,000, which came when he won the third round all by himself. He earned more than that Thursday night with his second-place finish in the opening round of the 2015 grand finale. Irwin, a steer wrestler from Robertsdale, Ala., dropped his steer in 3.5 seconds to earn $20,731. “I could win second here every night for the rest of the finals,” said Irwin, who finished just a tenth of a second behind round winner K.C. Jones of Decatur, Texas. “It’s going to play a huge role. It’s great to see what that kind of money is doing for our industry and to see the sport growing like it is. That kind of money is going to change how guys do this. It’s exciting and good for us.” He moved up three spots to second in the world standings by pushing his 2015 earnings to $107,317. He trails the money list leader, Ty Erickson of Helena, Mont., by about $8,000. Irwin could move into the lead in the world standings by finishing fourth or better during Saturday’s second go-round. Irwin – who attended Western Oklahoma College and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on rodeo scholarships – is competing at the NFR for the second straight year. In fact, he finished the 2014 campaign as the No. 2 steer wrestler in the world, thanks in large part to a fantastic NFR in which he earned $88,000. “I like the momentum that doing well in the first round gives you,” he said. “You know because of how little this arena is that you can go to the back end of the arena and still be fast. I felt sharp and felt really good about the work we’ve done getting here. I hope it leads to even better things.” The first round was exceptionally fast. The top six cowboys were separated by just half a second. “That group of steers was the Flying U herd of California, and we knew they were going to be the fast-handling, smaller-framed steers,” he said. “It makes for a fast bulldogging, and I like that. We’ll run those steers three more times. They were the favorite steers for all of us.” Of course, being matched with great steers is just one thing for the cowboys. It still takes tremendous skill to finish so fast in the pressure-packed atmosphere that is ProRodeo’s grand finale. A big part of success falls on the rest of Irwin’s team: hazer Tyler Pearson of Louisville, Miss., and Pearson’s bulldogging horse, Sketch; the hazer’s job is to line the steer out and keep the animal in good shape for the steer wrestler. “In my run, I heard Tyler talking to me like he does at other rodeos; he really didn’t do that at last year’s NFR,” Irwin said. “It chilled me out, and I just threw that steer down. The horse worked great and got a heck of a start, then Tyler put him in my office like he always does. It was fun.” It was a great way to kick off the sport’s 10-day championship.

LAS VEGAS – Early success at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo goes a long ways. Steer wrestler Casey Martin found that out Thursday night during the opening round of the 10-day championship, when posted a 3.8-second run to finish in a tie for fourth place in the round, pocketing $8,885 in the process. That was a big boost in many ways. “It’s always good to get your confidence up and get a chance to win some money,” said Martin, who also moved up three spots to No. 11 in the world standings. “It makes you relax a little more throughout the week, so for me, it was great to be able to do that.” It also helped that he’s riding a horse that many consider one of the best in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Ote, a speedy palomino gelding owned by good friend and traveling partner Bray Armes, not only helped put Martin in the right spot to make a solid run, he also kept the Sulphur, La., cowboy out of trouble. “I could tell I was feeling a little excited and caught myself,” Martin said, referring to those moments before the competition began. “Finally I just sat down and relaxed. Ote just kind of moved a little when I nodded. If he would’ve moved when I wanted, we probably would’ve broke the barrier.” The rope barrier is set to allow the steer a head start, and “breaking” it constitutes a 10-second penalty. Not only would that have taken Martin out of the money on opening night, he would’ve been saddled with an uphill climb in the aggregate as the cumulative time adds up through the rest of the championship. “It’s funny how things work sometimes,” he said. Yes, it is, but Martin should know pretty well. This marks his fifth qualification to the NFR, and he has finished among the top four in the world each of the past four years. If he intends to do that again, he still has a lot of ground to make up on the money list. The good news is that he’s competing in Las Vegas, which offers the largest purse in the game. Go-round winners will pocket more than $26,000, so he has a chance to move up quickly. He is just $31,392 behind the leader, Ty Erickson. “There’s definitely some room for improvement,” Martin said. “That steer let off a little, and I didn’t get his head caught very good. If I would’ve got the head caught better, I could’ve dang sure been fast.” While a 3.8-second run was fast, it was four-tenths of a second slower than that by the round winner, K.C. Jones. Little details make up a lot of time and a lot of money – Jones earned $17,000 more than Martin being less than half a second faster. “Getting a check to kick off the week is a big deal,” Martin said. “You just have to stay positive and keep looking forward. When you start off with a win, it helps you with your confidence. You know you can do it.”

LAS VEGAS – The smile on Orin Larsen’s face might not go away for a while. On Thursday night during the opening go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the bareback rider from Inglis, Manitoba, spurred Growney Brothers Rodeo’s Wild N Blue for 81 points to finish in a four-way tie for third place. It was with $9,413. “It’s absolutely epic,” said Larsen, 24, who won college championships at both the College of Southern Idaho and Oklahoma Panhandle State University. “It’s the coolest thing in the world. You dedicate your whole life to this; to get to this point and to make a check in the first round is beyond belief.” Larsen joins his saddle bronc-riding brother, Tyrel, as the first two Manitoba cowboys to have qualified for the NFR. With his top finish, Orin Larsen becomes the first from that province to catch money at the NFR. More importantly, his first-round earnings pushed him from 10th to seventh in the world standings; he now has earned more than $101,000 in 2015. “I had doubts about my glove and had to do some kind of reconstructive work on my riggin’ and my glove before I came here,” he said. “I wasn’t too sure if it was going to stay in, so I felt like I could have rode better, but we’ve got nine more rounds to do it. I’m excited.” He should be. Of the 15 bareback riders in the field, he was one of just six who earned a check Thursday. It happened on a horse he’d never ridden. “I’ve seen it a bunch, and I’ve always wanted to get on that horse,” he said. “It was a fun horse; it was kind of nerve racking: A rookie going at his first NFR. I’ve got to be oblivious to the world and the bright lights in Vegas and bring the fight to the horse instead of the other way around. “Vegas is one of, if not the best, rodeos in the world.” Yes, it is, and he has an opportunity at life-changing money. With go-round winners pocketing more than $26,000 a night, the payouts can grow incredibly over the course of the 10-day championship. In rodeo, dollars equal championship points, so the contestants in each event with the most earnings at the conclusion of the NFR will be crowned world champions. Of course, collecting a paycheck on his first ride on the first night of his first NFR definitely sparked a fire in Larsen’s confidence. “It’s through the roof,” Larsen said. “It’s pretty spectacular, not knowing what to expect at your first NFR. Once it settles in and you make your first check, it’s quite something. “To dedicate your whole life to make it to this point, it’s definitely a special feeling. It’s kind of like every little kid with a baseball bat dreams of hitting at the World Series; I’m just like that but in a bareback riggin’.”

Here is a full list of results from the first go-round of the 2015 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: Bareback riding: 1. Tim O’Connell, 84.5 points on D&H Cattle Co.’s Dilly Bar, $26,231; 2. Evan Jayne, 83, $20,731; 3. (tie) Orin Larsen, Steven Peebles, Will Lowe and Kaycee Feild, 81, $9,413 each. Steer wrestling: 1. K.C. Jones, 3.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Kyle Irwin, 3.5, $20,731; 3. Ty Erickson, 3.6, $15,654; 4. (tie) Casey Martin and Dakota Eldridge, 3.8, $8,885; 6. Baylor Roche, 3.9, $4,231. Team roping: 1. Aaron Tsinigine/Ryan Motes, 4.1, $26,231; 2. Luke Brown/Kollin vonAhn, 4.2, $20,731; 3. Colby Lovell/Kory Koontz, 4.3, $15,654; 4. Clay Tryan/Jake Corkill, 4.4, $11,000; 5. (tie) Nick Sartain/Rich Skelton and JoJo LeMond/Junior Nogueira, 4.6, $5,500 each. Saddle bronc riding: 1.Wade Sundell, 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Fire Lane, $26,231; 2. Heith DeMoss, 86., $20,731; 3. Jake Wright, 83.5, $15,654; 4. Jacobs Crawley, 82.5, $11,000; 5. Cody DeMoss, 82., $6,769; 6. CoBurn Bradshaw, 81.5, $4,231. Tie-down roping: 1. 1. Trevor Brazile, 6.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. Matt Shiozawa, 6.9, $20,731; 3. (tie) Timber Moore and Cade Swor, 7.10, $13,327 each; 5. Shane Hanchey, 7.5, $6,769; 6. Caleb Smidt, 8.0, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Cassidy Kruse, 13.84 seconds, $26,231; 2. Lisa Lockhart, 13.90, $20,731; 3. Mary Walker, 13.96, $15,654; 4. Michele McLeod, 14.07, $11,000; 5. Callie DuPerier, 14.08, $6,769; 6. Jackie Ganter, 14.09, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Parker Breding, 86.5 points on Smith Harper & Morgan’s Magic Bullet, $26,231; 2. Shane Proctor, 81.5, $20,731; 3. Cody Teel, 78.0, $15,654; 4. Caleb Sanderson, 74.5, $11,000; no other qualified rides.

1. Parker Breding, 86.5 points on Smith Harper & Morgan’s Magic Bullet, $26,231; 2. Shane Proctor, 81.5, $20,731; 3. Cody Teel, 78.0, $15,654; 4. Caleb Sanderson, 74.5, $11,000; no other qualified rides.

LAS VEGAS – For the first time in ProRodeo history, the French flag flew proudly at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I’ve got to say that the ride was a pretty good highlight, but bringing my flag into the arena was insane,” said Evan Jayne, a Frenchman who moved to the United States 17 years ago to compete in rodeo. “With the Brazilians cheering at me the whole time, I had to calm myself down and save some energy for my horse.” Jayne’s excitement happened during the NFR’s grand entry, in which most of the contestants ride into the Thomas & Mack Center behind their respective flags. Jayne, the lone cowboy from Europe who competes in bareback riding, was allowed the opportunity to carry the French flag. It hasn’t been without debate. “I was told that if I stay in the top five (in the world standings), I have the option of carrying the flag in,” said Jayne, who posted an 83-point ride on J Bar J Rodeo’s Bar Bandit to finish second in the NFR’s opening go-round. “That put a lot of stress on me tonight, because I just really wanted to focus on my riding.” Because bareback riding is the first event each night, bareback riders typically focus on their rides instead of the grand entry. Jayne was told that the only way the French flag would fly is if he were the one to carry it, although that’s always the case; oftentimes another cowboy will carry a flag for a bareback rider so the flag is represented. “I hope the arena director will realize that this is not fair to not offer me my flag in this arena,” he said. “Everybody is offered their flag no matter what, and just because of a technical thing – because I’m a bareback rider – they’re going to try to keep me away from bringing the flag. “I would hope they would let me think about what I have to do to compete instead of running down the arena and rushing to get ready to ride.” Through the mad rush that was Jayne’s opening round, he still put together a high-caliber ride at his first NFR. “That first jump, I was like, ‘Oh,’ ” he said. “My legs felt like Jell-O that first jump. After that, they got going, and that horse helped me out. I was in control, and what I could tell the most was that I was clicking my spurs at the top of my riggin’. That was just an awesome feeling. “It felt like everything clicked. I didn’t get the go-round win, but I got the next best thing.” He also collected $20,731 and moved up from fourth to second in the standings with $123,751. Jayne was born and raised in Marseille, France, and moved to the United States to follow his rodeo dreams. He graduated from high school in Texas in 2000 and won the Texas State High School Rodeo Association’s bareback riding title that year. He attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, on a rodeo scholarship, and has been competing professionally ever since. “I knew I had my chances, and I was happy about that draw,” Jayne said. “I just thought about the steps I had to take and respecting what I’ve been doing all year.”

1. Cassidy Kruse, 13.84 seconds, $26,231; 2. Lisa Lockhart, 13.90, $20,731; 3. Mary Walker, 13.96, $15,654; 4. Michele McLeod, 14.07, $11,000; 5. Callie DuPerier, 14.08, $6,769; 6. Jackie Ganter, 14.09, $4,231.

1. Trevor Brazile, 6.8 seconds, $26,231; 2. Matt Shiozawa, 6.9, $20,731; 3. (tie) Timber Moore and Cade Swor, 7.10, $13,327 each; 5. Shane Hanchey, 7.5, $6,769; 6. Caleb Smidt, 8.0,

1. Wade Sundell, 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Fire Lane, $26,231; 2. Heith DeMoss, 86, $20,731; 3. Jake Wright, 83.5, $15,654; 4. Jacobs Crawley, 82.5, $11,000; 5. Cody DeMoss, 82., $6,769; 6. CoBurn Bradshaw, 81.5, $4,231.

1. Tim O’Connell, 84.5 points on D&H Cattle Co.’s Dilly Bar, $26,231; 2. Evan Jayne, 83, $20,731; 3. (tie) Orin Larsen, Steven Peebles, Will Lowe and Kaycee Feild, 81, $9,413 each.

1. Aaron Tsinigine/Ryan Motes, 4.1, $26,231; 2. Luke Brown/Kollin vonAhn, 4.2, $20,731; 3. Colby Lovell/Kory Koontz, 4.3, $15,654; 4. Clay Tryan/Jake Corkill, 4.4, $11,000; 5. (tie) Nick Sartain/Rich Skelton and JoJo LeMond/Junior Nogueira, 4.6, $5,500 each.

1. K.C. Jones, 3.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Kyle Irwin, 3.5, $20,731; 3. Ty Erickson, 3.6, $15,654; 4. (tie) Casey Martin and Dakota Eldridge, 3.8, $8,885; 6. Baylor Roche, 3.9, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – For the second straight year, the Will Rogers Stampede PRCA Rodeo has been named the small rodeo of the year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to win this award the first time last year, and to win it again is just remarkable,” said David Petty, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces Claremore’s rodeo. “This past year was such a struggle with all the rain we received over the Memorial Day weekend. It was a tragic weekend in Claremore, because we lost one of our own. “We dedicate this award to the life Claremore Fire Department Capt. Jason Farley, who gave his life while trying to protect our community.” The PRCA recognizes the top rodeos of the year based on votes from the association’s members, a vast majority of which are the cowboys that compete. With the award, the hard-working committee was recognized for pursuing excellence even in the face of adverse conditions. “This says so much about the hard work that the volunteers put in year in and year out to make that rodeo successful,” said Scott Grover, who has been the longtime announcer at the Will Rogers Stampede. “Every year those people bust their humps to put on a better rodeo than what they had done before, and it shows. “Last year was just a sloppy mess in the arena, but the crowd didn’t know any different. We still had a lot of people at that rodeo that saw a great performance night after night. It’s also a great sign of the type of production Pete Carr Pro Rodeo puts on. Even with the mud and the rain, those Carr animals were amazing.” The Will Rogers Stampede takes place over Memorial Day weekend every year and will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2016.

LAS VEGAS – The rodeo with altitude just climbed a little higher. The Rooftop Rodeo of Estes Park, Colo., was recognized as one of the top five medium rodeos in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association during the organization’s annual awards banquet, which took place Wednesday, Dec. 2, in conjunction with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “This is a huge honor for us as a rodeo committee and for the Town of Estes Park,” said Mark Purdy, chairman of Estes Park Western Heritage Inc., a group of volunteers that produces the annual rodeo. “We’ve made a number of significant changes the last few years, and there have been many people work very hard to make our rodeo one of the best. “This symbolizes all that.” This isn’t the first time the Rooftop Rodeo has been honored by the PRCA; for the last few years, it has been a finalist for the Medium Size Rodeo of the Year, which is for events that offer committee purses between $3,000-$9,000 per event. For many years prior, the Rooftop Rodeo was a regular fixture among the elite small rodeos, which offers purses of less than $3,000 per event. In fact, the Estes Park rodeo – which takes place in early July every year – is a five-time winner of the PRCA Small Rodeo of the Year, having earned the honor in 2003, 2006 and 2008-10. “It was a major change for us to increase the purse at our rodeo when we made the decision a few years ago,” said Ben Vigil, president of Western Heritage. “We know our place as a destination community for tourists, and we also want to be a destination rodeo for cowboys.” The award was voted on by PRCA members, most of whom are contestants. “This recognition is extremely special to us because of who voted on it,” Purdy said. “Our goals each year is to have a great event for our community, for the people who come to our community and for the cowboys and cowgirls that pay an entry fee in order to compete in Estes Park. We want to make it special to each and every one of them.”