Monthly Archives: December 2016

1. Jason Thomas, 3.5  seconds, $26,231; 2. Matt Reeves, 3.8, $20,731; 3. Clayton Haas, 4.1, $15,654; 4. Dakota Eldridge, 4.6, $11,000; 5. Tyler Waguespack, 4.7, $6,769; 6. Nick Guy, 5.1, $1,410 each.

1. (tie) Tim O’Connell on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo Betty Boop and Clayton Biglow on Rafter G Rodeo Ankle Biter, 85 points, $23,481; 3. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Ty Breuer, 83, $13,327; 5. Winn Ratliff, 82.5, $6,769; 6. Jake Brown, 79.5, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – Ryan Jarrett knew he needed to kick off his ninth qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in a good way. He did it on Thursday night with a 7.8-second tie-down roping run, good enough for fifth place in the first go-round and valued at $6,769. Every opportunity to collect a check is vital, especially at the NFR, which features the biggest payout in the sport over 10 nights in the Nevada desert. “It’s always good to get tapped off right off the bat,” said Jarrett, who was raised in Summerville, Ga., but now lives in Comanche, Okla., with his wife, Shy-Anne. “It sure makes the rest of the week a little easier when you don’t have to worry about it. “I had a decent calf, but I was a little anxious to ride that horse even though I rode him one round here last year.” The horse is T.J., a gray horse owned by Logan Bird. Jarrett placed in the 10th round last December on the gelding “It felt good, and I’m excited to run nine more,” he said. Over his career, he has had just about every experience possible inside the Thomas & Mack Center. He became the third-youngest all-around world champion after a stellar run in both tie-down roping and steer wrestling in 2005, having earned more than $263,000 that season. Now he has an opportunity to make almost that much over the course of the NFR, with go-rounds paying winners more than $26,000 a night for 10 rounds. He is focused, and that first-round run provided important confidence for the remaining go-rounds. “You don’t see many flawless runs ever, so there’s always room to improve,” Jarrett said about his opening-round time. “I don’t really need to make any tweaks to what we did. I just want to make good, solid runs and try to win more money.” A key to his championship 11 years ago was his winning the average title, which pays a big bonus to the tie-down roper that finishes the championship with the best 10-run cumulative time. By roping a check in the opening round, Jarrett keeps all avenues open for making money. This marks the Georgia-born cowboy’s ninth NFR qualification in eight years. Besides his inaugural run 11 seasons ago when he was a two-event contestant, he has since returned to ProRodeo’s grand finale in tie-down roping. He understands all that is part of the competition, even in the most coveted arena in the sport. “I don’t get nearly as nervous as I did that first year,” he said. “I wish I could say I did, but I don’t think people have any idea what you have to put into it to make it work out here. It takes a decade of work to make it all possible.” And based on the calves that are part of the NFR, he expects every round to be fast. He realizes he needs to be one of the fastest if he hopes pad his bank account. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and the contestants in each event with the most money won at the conclusion of the finale will be crowned world champions. In Las Vegas, only the top six times earn money. That’s why he wants to roll his momentum from the first round into a terrific week and a half in the Nevada desert. “T.J. let me get a good start and handle my slack to help me make the best run I could,” Jarrett said. “It’s important to have all the confidence in your horse and in yourself. Now you just want to ride that streak and keep making money.” Ryan Jarrett is on the right path.

LAS VEGAS – In only his second year in ProRodeo, steer wrestler J.D. Struxness has had some amazing experiences already. Nothing was bigger than what the young cowboy experienced Thursday night during the first round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The nerves, the anticipation and the joy of competing in ProRodeo’s grand finale all came together in one swift motion during the opener. The 21-year-old Minnesota cowboy pushed through all the obstacles before him, threw his steer down in 4.6 seconds and left the Thomas & Mack Center $5,500 richer. He finished in a tie for fifth place in the round with fellow NFR rookie Cody Cabral. That’s vital at the NFR, even if it’s one of the lowest payouts on the night. Cashing checks in Vegas is what helps catapult cowboys toward the top, and the goal is to finish the 10-round championship at the top of the money list in order to be crowned the world champion. Struxness has pushed his season earnings to $99,935. More importantly, he trails world standings leader Tyler Waguespack by just $19,000. With go-rounds paying more than $26,000 to the winner each night, Struxness could move into the top spot with a first- or second-place finish during Friday’s second go-round. The Appleton, Minn., cowboy is no stranger to big championships. As a high-schooler, he qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo seven times in four season – four in tie-down roping and three in steer wrestling. Just this past June, he clinched his first national title by winning the bulldogging at the College National Finals Rodeo. In fact, should he pull off the feat, he could become just the fourth cowboy in the sport’s history to have won a college title and a world championship in the same event in the same calendar year. But there is a long road ahead of him, and it winds through Sin City at a precarious rate. That’s the nature of the NFR. Only the top 15 contestants in each event qualify for the championship, and all will battle for the biggest purse in the game. Every cowboy and cowgirl has a chance to leave the Nevada desert with more than $200,000 earned over 10 magical nights. For now, though, the young Minnesota cowboy – who attended Missouri Valley College and is a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University – will focus on his next opportunity to cash in. That mentality helped him earn his first NFR qualification and guided him to the college championship already. It’s bound to keep working in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Practice has become a saving grace for Coleman Proctor, and it paid off Thursday during opening night of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Proctor, the 15th-ranked header in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings, got a late start in his first-round run with heeler Billie Jack Saebens. That put him behind the steer he was hoping to catch quickly. “Being the first man out tonight, I wanted to make sure he was stepping in front of me and that I didn’t break the barrier,” said Proctor of Pryor, Okla. “He was a step ahead of me the whole way, and I had to make a throw at the end of the pen.” He made the turn, and Saebens roped the two back legs to stop the clock in 5.2 seconds. The tandem finished sixth on the night and pocketed $4,231 in the process. “I’ve never won money in Round 1, so I was really excited to do that,” Proctor said. “I had hoped to come in here and get the round win with my partner’s first NFR, but instead I had to run him to the back end of the pen and let him throw for the money.” Every the realist, he took every step of the run in stride, even making a joke about it. “Thank God Lonestar makes a long rope,” he said with a laugh. Proctor pushed his season earnings to $76,254 and remains 15th in the world standings, but nine rounds of the richest rodeo in the world remain ahead of him. “I’m going to go home tonight and study film and think about making a better run tomorrow,” he said. “I’m going to work on trying to get a better start, but it’s good that we can still catch some at the back end (of the arena). It just goes to show how great my partner is and how great our horses are.” But that’s where practice has come into play. Proctor has worked on every scenario possible when it comes to roping inside Thomas & Mack Center. “It’s easy to rope at the NFR if you stay within 30 feet of the (start),” Proctor said. “Then it gets really hard when you run one past that. I’ve always set up so I could go toward the back end and still be able to stay with it. I just focus on staying relaxed and finishing the run. It’s encouraging that when I put myself into that situation that I was able to respond and still finish in the money. “It’s especially nice with how much the average pays now.” The team that finishes with the best 10-round cumulative time will win the average championship and more than $67,000 in the process. “We’re still going to have the same approach that we’ve had since the beginning, and that’s to try to win something on every steer we run,” he said. “We just need to do what we do, and that’s make the best run on every steer we have. That’s what we’ve been practicing to do since we got together in April.” It’s worked pretty well so far.

Bareback riding: 1.Tanner Aus, 85.5 points on Cervi Rodeo Control Freak, $26,231; 2. Clayton Biglow, 84, $20,731; 3. Tim O’Connell, 83, $15,654; 4. Wyatt Denny, 81.5, $11,000; (tie) Caleb Bennett, Jake Brown and Jake Vold, 81, $9,413 each. Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Clayton Haas and Tyler Waguespack, 3.8 seconds, $23,481; 3. Matt Reeves, 3.9, $15,654; 4. Baylor Roche, 4.3, $11,000; 5. (tie) J.D. Struxness and Cody Cabral, 4.6, $5,500 Team roping: 1. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, 4.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Dustin Bird/Russell Cardoza, 4.6, $20.731; 3. (tie) Luke Brown/Jake Long and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.9, $13,327 each; 5. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 5.1, $6,769; 6. Coleman Proctor/Billie Jack Saebens, 5.2, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Ryder Wright, 87.5 points on Frontier Rodeo Times Up, $26,231; 2. Cody Wright, 86.5, $20,731; 3. Jake Wright, 85.5, $15,654; 4. Allen Boore, 85, $11,000; 5. Rusty Wright, 82.5, $6,769; 6. Sterling Crawley, 82, $4,231. Tie-down roping: 1. Shane Hanchey, 7.1 seconds, $26,231; 2. Marty Yates, 7.2, $20,731; 3. Hunter Herrin, 7.3, $15,654; 4. Riley Pruitt, 7.6, $11,000; 5. Ryan Jarrett, 7.8, $6,769; 6. (tie) Reese Riemer, Matt Shiozawa and Ryle Smith, 4.6, $1,410 each. Barrel racing: 1. Pamela Capper, 13.75 seconds, $26,231; 2. Kimmie Wall, 13.9, $20,731; 3. Jana Bean, 13.93, $15,654; 4. Sherry Cervi, 13.96, $11,000; 5. Amberleigh Moore, 14.02, $6,769; 6. Mary Burger, 14.1, $1,410 each. Bull riding: 1. Sage Kimzey, 86.5 points on Frontier Rodeo Aftershock, $26,231; 2. Shane Proctor, 83.5, $20,731; 3. (tie) Brennon Eldred and Roscoe Jarboe, 83, $13,323; 5. Joe Frost, 82.5, $6,769; 6. Cody Rostockyj, 79, $4,231.

1. Pamela Capper, 13.75 seconds, $26,231; 2. Kimmie Wall, 13.9, $20,731; 3. Jana Bean, 13.93, $15,654; 4. Sherry Cervi, 13.96, $11,000; 5. Amberleigh Moore, 14.02, $6,769; 6. Mary Burger, 14.1, $1,410 each.

1. Shane Hanchey, 7.1 seconds, $26,231; 2. Marty Yates, 7.2, $20,731; 3. Hunter Herrin, 7.3, $15,654; 4. Riley Pruitt, 7.6, $11,000; 5. Ryan Jarrett, 7.8, $6,769; 6. (tie) Reese Riemer, Matt Shiozawa and Ryle Smith, 4.6, $1,410 each.

1. Ryder Wright, 87.5 points on Frontier Rodeo Times Up, $26,231; 2. Cody Wright, 86.5, $20,731; 3. Jake Wright, 85.5, $15,654; 4. Allen Boore, 85, $11,000; 5. Rusty Wright, 82.5, $6,769; 6. Sterling Crawley, 82, $4,231.

LAS VEGAS – A year ago, Tanner Aus waited until the final night of the season to win a round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He made it happen in a hurry at this year’s championship with an 85.5-point ride on Cervi Rodeo’s Control Freak during the first round on Thursday night. He earned $26,231 and moved to No. 2 in the world standings after just one night of ProRodeo’s grand championship. “It’s great, but I’m just going to take it one night at a time like I always try to do,” said Aus, a two-time NFR qualifier from Granite Falls, Minn., who entered the finale fourth in the bareback riding world standings. “There were a lot of jitters in the locker room, at least for me. It feels good to get that first one out of the way. The fact that it went my way just feels great.” He had his way in the arena primarily by the spurring motion he made to match moves with the horse. With every special twist Control Freak had, Aus continued to make solid moves through the eight-second ride. “I’ve never been on Control Freak,” he said. “I was thankful to see him next to my name because I’ve seen him plenty of times and thought he was great, electric. He’s sure a standout in this pen, and I’m glad it went my way.” It also pushed his season earnings to $148,915 with nine more of the richest go-rounds remaining. He is living a dream season that he has held tightly to through every night’s sleep since he was a toddler, and he understands the family support that must come his way if he is to be successful in the game he loves. “That’s phenomenal to me,” said Aus, whose father, John, also rode bareback horses. “I know they enjoy being here, but when you’re hauling your 9-year-old kid to Little Britches rodeos, you never think you might get the opportunity to pack your bags and head to Vegas. You always kind of hope for it and dram about it, so I think it’s great for the whole family together.” Although he sits second in the standings, he trails the leader, Tim O’Connell, by more than $55,000. But with rounds paying more than $26,000 a night, he has a chance to catch up quickly. The ultimate goal, of course, is to finish atop the money list at the end of the season to earn that coveted gold buckle. “Everybody’s goal at the top of the list is to win the world championship, and I’ve been chipping away at it my whole life,” Aus said. “This might be as close as I ever get, and I won’t take it for granted.”

1. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, 4.4 seconds, $26,231; 2. Dustin Bird/Russell Cardoza, 4.6, $20.731; 3. (tie) Luke Brown/Jake Long and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.9, $13,327 each; 5. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 5.1, $6,769; 6. Coleman Proctor/Billie Jack Saebens, 5.2, $4,231.

1. (tie) Clayton Haas and Tyler Waguespack, 3.8 seconds, $23,481; 3. Matt Reeves, 3.9, $15,654; 4. Baylor Roche, 4.3, $11,000; 5. (tie) J.D. Struxness and Cody Cabral, 4.6, $5,500

1.Tanner Aus, 85.5 points on Cervi Rodeo Control Freak, $26,231; 2. Clayton Biglow, 84, $20,731; 3. Tim O’Connell, 83, $15,654; 4. Wyatt Denny, 81.5, $11,000; (tie) Caleb Bennett, Jake Brown and Jake Vold, 81, $9,413 each.

Texas man moves into the lead in the Bullfighters Only world standings LAS VEGAS – It’s one down, one to go for Weston Rutkowski, who put on two strong bullfights Thursday afternoon to win the Roughy Cup for the second straight year. “This is a two-step process,” Rutkowski said, referring to the two major bullfights that are part of the Bullfighters Only tour taking place in Las Vegas this December. “Step one is down, and now we move on to the next step. I’ve not lost sight of the prize, and the prize is winning both of them.” He and the other top 11 bullfighters will now advance to next week’s BFO Las Vegas Championship, which takes place Dec. 7-10 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Tickets are on sale now at HardRockHotel.com and AXS.com. It will feature a $50,000 purse and also include four qualifiers that will advance through competition that takes place at 3:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Roughy Cup was a four-round bullfight with the winners of each round advancing to the championship. Rutkowski, of Haskell, Texas,  advanced out of the third set by posting an 86-point score. He was joined in the short round by Zach Call of Mullen, Neb., who won the opening round with an 82.5; Erick Schwindt of Lyons, Ore., who was 82 to win Round 4; and Nathan Harp of Tuttle, Okla., who posted an 89-point bullfight to win the second round, advancing through a tie-breaker after matching the same score posted by Wayne Ratley of Pauls Valley, Okla. Then in the final round, Rutkowski put on a show with 12X and Costa Fighting Bulls’ Spitfire; the two athletes battled in the arena dirt for 93.5 points. For the victory, he pocketed $6,000 which moved him to the top spot on the money list in the race toward the world championship, the sport’s first true world title in more than 16 years. “We’re not done yet,” he said. He owns a lead of more than $3,000 over the No. 2 man, Nate Jestes of Douglas, Wyo., and has a chance to pad his lead next week at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. But he kicked off the BFO competition during a stellar contest Thursday afternoon. “That’s the BFO’s pride and joy,” Rutkowski said. “It’s not just one great guy. We’ve got the 12 best freestyle bullfighters in the world going head to head. Each guy stepping into this arena is here to win. They’re here to take the big money.” He captured the biggest payday because of the battle between he and Spitfire. On the bull’s initial move out of the chute, Rutkowski jumped the animal, which clipped the inside of the bullfighter’s leg. He hit the dirt but got right back up and took the fight to the bull. A few seconds later, Rutkowski was caught under the bull, between the horns and the animal’s front right leg, As other bullfighters jumped into the arena to divert the bull’s attention, the Texan scrambled back to his feet and finished the fight strong. “That big bull can hurt you when you’re down,” he said. “Luckily my boys were there to take care of me and get him off me and allow me to get back up and get back to work. This is a 60-second bullfight; just because he gets you down in 20 (seconds) doesn’t mean it’s over. You’ve got more time to finish. You’ve just got to keep your cool and your wits about you, and that goes back to putting in the work before you get here. “Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. I’m lucky enough to pull off the game-winner right off the bat.”