Monthly Archives: December 2019

BLACKFOOT, Idaho – In its inaugural year of being nominated for a major award, the Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo has claimed the ultimate prize. On Wednesday night, the rodeo associated with the Eastern Idaho State Fair was awarded the 2019 Small Rodeo of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. It’s a recognition of the best events in a given year of the nearly 700 events across the country. “It was an incredible evening for us as a committee, but it was also a big deal for anyone that’s associated with the Eastern Idaho State Fair,” said Valorie Smith, chairwoman of the volunteer group that organizes the annual rodeo. “I think it’s proof that people who truly care do an amazing job of putting on a fantastic community event.” And, quite obviously, it was an award-winning event for the people in ProRodeo. The award was based on votes of PRCA members, which includes other rodeos, various contract personnel and contestants. “We focus on the cowboys, and I believe that’s one of the reasons we received the nomination,” said Smith, who noted that Blackfoot’s rodeo unseated Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Oklahoma, the five-time reigning Small Rodeo of the Year. The PRCA committee awards are separated into four categories – large indoor, large outdoor, medium and small – and there are five nominees in each division. Just by being nominated, the Gem State Classic Pro Rodeo was recognized as one of the top 20 rodeos in the country. With the award, it joins RodeoHouston, the Pendleton (Oregon) Roundup and the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, as 2019 winners during the annual PRCA Awards Banquet, held Dec. 4 in conjunction with the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The difference between winning the first round of the National Finals Rodeo and finishing in a tie for sixth place was just four points. Or in a single slip from an athletic bucking horse. Both happened Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center, where Orin Larsen rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Shady Nights for 87.5 points to finish in a tie for bottom hole in the payout with fellow bareback rider Clint Laye, pocketing $2,115 each. “We got started, and I’ll take that,” said Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska, with his wife, Alexa. “I think anyone who makes the finals on numerous occasions still gets the first-round jitters. I was fortunate enough to get on at the Canadian Finals (Rodeo), so I worked some of the kinks out as I went along. “But it’s still nothing like bucking at the Thomas & Mack. To get a score like 87.5, I’m pretty tickled.” It is a big score, and oftentimes it’s going to get a big check. At most rodeos, cowboys win the bareback riding with a score like that. But Thursday’s bareback riding was phenomenal, with Texan Richmond Champion winning the round with a 91.5-point ride. “We were talking about that in the dressing room that it would be the rankest first round of bareback riding we’ve seen,” Larsen said. “I think we hit the nail on the head.” And the slip? “That’s just rodeo,” he said. “To get a score like 87.5, I’m pretty tickled. It just shows that the horsepower I had there that I can get that kind of score after the horse slipped.” He has pushed his season earnings to $185,558 and still sits third in the world standings, less than $550 behind the No. 2 man, Kaycee Feild. Larsen is chasing a world championship in Las Vegas, chasing his dreams, but he also knows he rides for something else. Family has always been something special for the Larsen clan, who grew up in Manitoba on the family’s ranch. Orin’s older brother, Tyrel, and Tyrel’s wife, Chaney, are expecting their second child and recently learned that the baby suffers from spina bifida in utero; Chaney Latham will have surgery next week at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to help the fetus as much as possible. “Tyrel and Chaney have thousands and thousands of prayer warriors out there for them,” Orin Larsen said. “That baby, no matter how it comes out, will be perfect the way he is. I’m pretty excited to meet him in March. We just pray the surgeons will do the best they can for what they are dealing with, and everything will go as smoothly as possible. “My mom is torn between staying for the NFR and going to Johns Hopkins. I told her, ‘You better get a plane ticket before they sell out,’ so I think she will do that. If I wasn’t competing, I would be there, too.” That bond between brothers is strong, and it’s vital for each family members’ success. Rodeo has been part of that. In 2015, both Orin and Tyrel (saddle bronc riding) qualified for the NFR. “Family has been a huge thing throughout my career,” Orin Larsen said. “Whenever you see one of your own kind in danger, you have a pretty large obstacle in your way, so you do whatever they need you to do at the drop of a hat. Tyrel and Chaney both know we would bend over backwards multiple times for them if they needed it, and they would do the same for us.” For now, though, he is focused on the tasks at hand, and that’s riding bucking horses for another nine nights to try to reach that most cherished prize, the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle that is awarded to the world champions. “You have to enjoy this experience,” Larsen said. “That’s it. It’s not going to last forever. It’s kind of funny to think I’m 28 years old and in the second half of my career. Once your career is done, you just have the memories, so I’m just soaking it all in and enjoying myself.”

Canadian claims BFO Roughy Cup to secure his bid for championship belt LAS VEGAS – Aaron Mercer had a goal in mind when he arrived in Georgia for the Bullfighters Only Development Camp in April. He accomplished it on the first day of the 10-day Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship, winning the prestigious BFO Roughy Cup and collecting $10,000. Mercer has now distanced himself from the field and can’t be caught in the Pendleton Whisky World Standings. “It’s just unfathomable,” said Mercer of Calgary, Alberta. “A year ago, I would have never expected to be in this dirt, much less holding this (Roughy) Cup in my hand. It’s surreal, but it’s become a reality.” He did it by having a spectacular 2019, setting a regular-season earnings record with $61,350. He was going to be hard to catch, but it changed from unlikely to impossible after Thursday’s performance at the Tropicana Las Vegas. “This morning started out good, because (Justin) Josey and I just talked bullfighting and came up with a plan for how we wanted this day to go,” Mercer said. “We just wanted to do good. We’ve been helping each other throughout the year. “Josey came out and put on a fight, and I was able to put on a fight after, then I was lucky enough to win it. I just kept my head about me heading into the short round. The competition was broken down into a long round featuring four brackets – the traveling partners were in the same round. Only the winner of each round advanced to the Hooey Championship Round. Josey posted 82.5 points to own the lead for a few minutes, before Mercer topped it with an event best 87-point bout. He was joined in the Hooey Championship Round by Dayton Spiel, Toby Inman and Beau Schueth. “It’s still Vegas, but in reality, it’s just another bull,” said Mercer, whose 85-point fight in the final round pushed him to the title. His final-round bull was a handful. At one point, the angry bovine became wrapped up in Mercer’s shorts and slammed him to the dirt. The Canadian regathered himself and finished off the fight much like he has all season. “I get hit and knocked down quite a bit, but you have to get up and just go for it,” he said. “I could barely see my first bull. I got knocked down and had sand in my eyes, and I couldn’t see anything but a black blob. You just have to trust yourself.” He has plenty of trust, and in one day, he clinched the Roughy Cup and the one-of-a-kind BFO championship belt, handcrafted by RB Buckles and Ride Hard Leather. “This is beyond words right now,” Mercer said. “I’ve never worked so hard for something in my life. It’s paying off. “I just want to be a role model for anyone else out there that wants to do this.” BFO Roughy Cup Results Round 1: 1. Dayton Spiel, 78 points; 2. Weston Rutkowski, 77.56; 3. Anthony Morse, 71. Round 2: 1. Dylan Idleman, 81 points; 2. Beau Schueth, 80.5; 3. Chance Moorman, 79.5 (Scheuth advances to final round because of an injury to Idleman). Round 3: 1. Toby Inman, 83 points; 2. Kris Furr, 82.5; 3. Tucker Lane, 81.5. Round 4: 1. Aaron Mercer, 87 points; 2.  Justin Josey, 82.5; 3. Dekevis Jordan, 74.5. Hooey Championship Round: 1. Aaron Mercer, 85 points; 2. Beau Schueth, 84.5; 3. Dayton Spiel, 76; 4. Toby Inman, 75.5.

LAS VEGAS – Richmond Champion admitted to first-round jitters Thursday during the opening night of the National Finals Rodeo. He was able to work through them rather quickly, though. After his first Pickett Pro Rodeo horse, Nighlivin, didn’t live up to his potential, Champion was awarded a re-ride, where he was matched with Pickett’s Night Crawler. It was nearly a match made in heaven for the bareback rider. “Nightlivin is out of the right-hand deliver and usually does the same thing Night Crawler does out of the left,” said Champion, 26, of The Woodlands, Texas, now living in Stevensville, Montana, with his newlywed bride, Paige. “Nightlivin is just a little young and had an off day, but I was definitely excited to see Night Crawler for the reride.” It paid off. He posted a 91.5-point ride to win the opening round by just a half point over the No. 1 man in the game, Clayton Biglow. Champion pocketed $26,231 and pushed his season earnings to $167,060. What’s more impressive, though, is the three rides that were at least 90 points in the first round. “That first round was crazy; we strive for that caliber of horse,” he said. “That’s a testament to the work the guys are putting in and all the contractors and all their breeding. I told the guys when we put this pen together that there is not a horse I wouldn’t want to get on. I don’t know if it has ever been quite this good. “I think round for round, the quality and the competitiveness between guys and evenness among horses, the level is going up. It’s exciting to be part of.” Even if he had to get on two horses in the opening night. “Getting on that second horse definitely wasn’t any less nerve-wracking,” he said. “I had the NFR jitters, and the first one’s out of the way. When you find out you have that kind of opportunity, especially after what had just been done, I was pretty excited to get on another horse.” He has learned to make the adjustments necessary to compete in ProRodeo’s most elite level. He first qualified for the NFR in 2014, and this marks his fifth trip to Las Vegas in six years. He’s won a boatload of money in Sin City, and he has nine more nights to keep adding to that total. “The more you do something, the better you get at it, so I hope I’m still improving every year,” Champion said. “We’ve got new guys coming in like Clayton Biglow and Taylor Broussard that are constantly stepping up their game. If you want to stay relevant, you have to keep evolving and changing and pushing the envelope. “Everyone in that (locker) room is doing it, so you might as well get on board.”

LAS VEGAS – Clayton Biglow has scored at least 90 points at the National Finals Rodeo a few times, but rarely has he marked such a high score to finish second. Biglow, a four-time NFR qualifier from Clements, California, owns the arena record with a 93-point bareback ride, a feat he accomplished in the fifth round of the 2018 championship. On Thursday during the opening round of this year’s finale, he rode Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Ain’t No Angel for 90.5 points. “I’ve had some good starts in the past, and I’ve had some bad starts, but obviously, in this situation that I’m in, it’s great to have that,” he said. “I’m probably going to forget about it by the time I (end the night).” He held the lead for more than half an hour, but fellow bareback rider Richmond Champion won the opening round by scoring a point better than Biglow – Champion was awarded a re-ride, then posted the winning ride when his opportunity allowed a little later in the round. Still, Biglow pocketed $20,731 and pushed his season earnings to $212,683. He owns a lead of nearly $26,000 over the No. 2 man in the world standings, four-time champion Kaycee Feild. He entered the 10-day championship No. 1 in the world standings and wants to leave as such and collect his first Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. “Now its on to tomorrow,” he said, matter-of-factly mentioning that his focus remains steady on what lies ahead. It all began with him knowing his horse well. Ain’t No Angel is one of the better-known broncs from Cervi Rodeo, a Colorado-based livestock firm “I got on that horse in Houston this year,” said Biglow, 24, who attended Feather River College on a rodeo scholarship. “Out of all her trips this year, she probably had her weakest trip with me that day, and she was still good. “That horse absolutely loves this arena. I think they’ve been 90 on her every time they’ve had her here.” Biglow loves this place, too. A year ago, he won the fifth round and placed on six other nights, pocketing more than $110,000 in process. “I’ll take second if that’s the worst it’s going to get here this week,” he said. “I’m one of those guys that if something good happens, I like to forget about it and work on what you did wrong rather than focus on what you did right.”

Bareback riding: 1. Richmond Champion, 91.5 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Crawler, $26,231; 2. Clayton Biglow, 90.5, $20,731; 3. Caleb Bennett, 90, $15,654; 4. Tilden Hooper, 88.5, $11,000; 5. Tim O’Connell, 88, $6,769; 6. (tie) Orin Larsen and Clint Laye, 87.5, $2,115 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Dakota Eldridge, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. (tie) Bridger Chambers and J.D. Struxness, 3.8, $18,192 each; 4. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.0, $11,000; 5. Tyler Waguespack, 4.1, $6,769; 6. (tie) Will Lummus, Tyler Pearson and Cameron Morman, 4.3, $1,410 each. Team roping: 1. Tyler Wade/Cole Davison, 4.0 seconds, $26,231; 2. Matt Sherwood/Hunter Koch, 4.1, $20,731; 3. Erich Rogers/Kyle Lockett, 4.3, $15,654; 4. Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan, 4.5, $11,000; 5. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.6, $6,769; 6. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 4.7, $2,115 each. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zeke Thurston, 88  points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue, $26,231; 2. (tie) Bradley Harter and JJ Elshere, 86.5, $18,192 each; 4. (tie) Spencer Wright, Chase Brooks and Brody Cress, 86, $7,333 each. Tie-down roping: 1. Shane Hanchey, 7.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Taylor Santos, 8.1, $20,731; 3. Haven Meged, 8.3, $15,654; 4. (tie) Tyson Durfey and Marty Yates, 8.4, $8,885 each; 6. Michael Otero, 8.6, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Emily Miller, 13.63 seconds, $26,231; 2. Lisa Lockhart, 13.70, $20,731; 3. Stevi Hillman, 13.75, $15,654; 4. Nellie Miller, 13.90, $11,000; 5. (tie) Jessica Routier and Jennifer Sharp, 13.97, $5,500 each. Bull riding: 1. Stetson Wright, 92.5 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Monte Walsh, $26,231; 2. Boudreaux Campbell, 92, $20,731; 3. Tyler Bingham, 90, $15,654; 4. Jordan Hansen, 89.5, $11,000; 5. Sage Kimzey, 87.5, $6,769; 6. Garrett Smith, 87, $4,231.

The battle for the Bullfighters Only world title will culminate in Sin City LAS VEGAS – For the past three years, Weston Rutkowski has been the figurehead that every man in Bullfighters Only has strived to unseat during the 10-day Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship. The target has shifted heading into this year’s grand-finale, which takes place Dec. 5-14 at the Tropicana Las Vegas. Aaron Mercer of Calgary, Alberta, leads the BFO Pendleton Whisky World Standings with $61,350 in 2019 earnings and carries a $23,000 plus lead over second-place Rutkowski. “I am pumped – very excited,” said Mercer, who will be competing in Las Vegas for the first time. “I’ve got to bring my A game, perform as good, if not better, than I have all year.” He’s eyeing a one-of-a-kind championship belt that goes to the winner, handcrafted by RB Buckles and Ride Hard Leather. His performance has been spectacular since bursting onto the scene in April, and he has a chance to add to it at the Tropicana this December. “Mercer has been fighting lights out all year, and he’s drawn really good,” said Beau Scheuth, the No. 6 bullfighter in the standings from O’Neill, Nebraska. “He’s been able to stay healthy and go to all the events he wanted to. That’s a deadly combination. It’s not that he just went to them, but he did really good at all of them. “He’s been consistent all year, and that’s what you like to see. You want to go up against guys like that. That’s why I want to fight in the BFO.” Rutkowski knows he’s gone from the hunted to the hunter, and he’s OK with that. He knows the opportunities await him over the next few days in the Nevada desert. “Mercer’s had a great year, but because you had a great year doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a world title,” said Rutkowski of Haskell, Texas. “There are 10 days in Vegas, and it’s going to come down to what you do in Vegas. There’s a lot of money to be won. “I know as far as when it comes down to the last few events, usually the one who does the best at those will win the title. I’m going to try to fight my bulls and be fundamentally sound.” That sounds easier than it is, though. In freestyle bullfighting, there are tremendous variables. The pressure is intense, and it intensifies with the fact that it is broadcast around the world on Facebook. Throw in some of the baddest bulls in the game, and anything can happen. Money is the name of the game and dollars equal championship points. The bullfighter who finishes the season with the most money will win the world title. That’s why Vegas is such a vital part to the race for the championship; over a hundred thousand dollars are up for grabs in Sin City. “This year was totally different for me because I got hurt in April and missed a few bullfights,” Scheuth said. “It’s a longshot for me to win the title, but there’s still a possibility.” The year was vastly different for Rutkowski, who has been a dominant force in the BFO since its inception. Two years ago, he became the first freestyle bullfighter in the sport’s history to cross $100,000 in a single year, and he repeated that feat again last year. “I work hard, day in and day out, to be a world champion,” he said. “This is why I wake up every day and what I think about when I go to bed every night. I’m behind right now, but that’s just fueling my fire. I can’t wait to get to Vegas and see what happens.”

New Year’s Eve Roping & Concert to feature Texas-based artists FORT WORTH, Texas – For most in the rodeo world, the Coopers are the first family of rodeo, with the patriarch being eight-time world champion Roy Cooper, who has shared his lineage with his three sons: Clint, Clif and Tuf. For Jarrod Morris, Clif and Tuf were just a couple of boys he went to school with in Decatur, Texas. “It’s funny to me that you go to school with these guys, then when people ask me where I’m from and I tell them, they ask if I know the Coopers,” said Morris, a country artist who will be one of two acts performing at Tuf Cooper’s New Year’s Eve Roping and Concert on Dec. 31 at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth; it’s a family-friendly event all evening. “When you tell them that you know the Coopers, they just lose their minds.” He’ll experience it in full force on New Year’s Eve, which will commence with the roping featuring 27 of the top tie-down ropers in ProRodeo at 7:30 p.m., followed by a concert featuring Morris and Shae Abshier and the Nighthowlers starting at about 9:30 p.m. “This is pretty exciting,” Cooper said. “Jarrod is a hometown guy I grew up with, and he’s an up-and-coming artist. He’s got some good songs out on the radio right now. He’s a good dude. He just doesn’t sing the songs, though; he lives the lifestyle. He shoes horses every day, so it’s great that he’s going to be part of the night. “Shae grew up in Stephenville, and he’s Texas Country but with a little more rock ’n’ roll twist. The last couple of years, he’s become popular. This thing’s going off into the new year, so I’m sure there’s going to be some night howling.” That’s the way the evening has been set up from the beginning. Cooper and other organizers – including his mother, Sherry – want event-goers to enjoy some tough competition in a relaxed atmosphere while also partaking in some great regional music. For Morris, he began his music career while attending college a decade ago, picking up a guitar in his apartment and playing through his free time. Then he started playing for people who are close to him, and it’s taken off from there. “I have a pretty honest family and an honest friend group, so if you’re not good at something, they’re going to tell you,” he said. “In general, they were pretty positive. It started playing out. I just released my first album at the beginning of this year. “It was a long process getting to that point.” Now 28, he’s been focused on performing and writing music for the last four years. When he’s not on the road, he’s found shoeing horses around north Texas, carrying on a trade he learned from his brother-in-law while in high school and college. “I was living in Florida, and I had quit a job I was working and started playing beach bars,” Morris said. “I knew I had to move back to Texas, because there’s such a good infrastructure for music. I started working for my brother-in-law again and ended up starting my own shoeing business. Now I shoe horses Monday-Thursday, then go do shows for the weekend.” At the end of December, he’ll share the stage with Abshier and the Nighthowlers. “Last year’s roping and concert was such a big event that I was tickled to death they would even consider me to play it this year,” Morris said. “Sherry went to my CD release party earlier this year, and I’ve stayed in touch with Clif some, so it’s really cool that they’re having me play it. It’s incredibly humbling. “This is where tradition country meets rock ’n’ roll. My stuff might be a little more laid back, because I like to talk to people and keep it pretty informal. Shae’s going to play loud and fast.” It’s also going to be a fun night for the artists, cowboys, sponsors and all the fans who want to take it all in, just as it was intended to be.