Big weekend at Bremerton propels Sartain/VonAhn toward Wrangler NFR
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – At the season’s three-quarter pole, the question wasn’t so much whether Nick Sartain and Kollin VonAhn would repeat as team roping world champions, but if they would even make it back to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
As of June 1, Sartain (No. 28 header) and VonAhn (No. 29 heeler) were far from being among the Top 15 qualifiers and beginning to wonder, “if maybe we’d jinxed ourselves,” by vexing whatever patron saint oversees the drawing of stock.
“A year ago, we didn’t draw well for most of the summer,” Sartain said, “and we kept joking with each other that this summer just had to be better. But it’s been just the same. That’s the one certainty in team roping: you can never count on how you are going to draw. You just have to take advantage when you have a chance.”
It can be a long, slow, steady process, working your way back into contention. A year ago, drawing badly contributed to Sartain and VonAhn dropping from third on June 1 to eighth at the start of the Wrangler NFR. This time, they are making a surge in the final stretch to secure their Las Vegas spots after a summer of tough luck.
Steadiness was certainly the watchword for the ropers’ weekend. They placed in both runs at the Kitsap County Fair & Stampede in Bremerton, Wash. – the final Silver rodeo on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots – with times of 5.5 and 5.7 seconds. Their two-head time of 11.2 seconds held up for the average win over Kaleb Driggers and Travis Woodard by a tenth of a second.
At San Juan Capistrano, Calif., they had a run of 5.2 seconds, good enough to share fifth place, and they were seventh at Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, to finish with total money for the weekend of $6,097.
This three-rodeo parlay allowed Sartain to move up a spot from 12th to 10th ($2 behind Riley Minor in ninth) and VonAhn to advance from 14th to 13th. ($2 behind Brady Minor and $48 back of 11th place Bobby Harris.
“I don’t want to sound like a complainer,” Sartain said with a laugh, “but in roughstock events, if you get an animal that doesn’t buck, they give you another one (a reride). That doesn’t happen in team roping. If you get a steer that’s a runner and the best you get is 5.7, well, that’s what you drew. A lot of people, even some who rope, don’t quite get how important the draw is to your success at this level.
“It’s been kind of a weird year, with the money spread out. A year ago Chad (Masters) and Jade (Corkill) kind of ran away with it. This time, it’s a lot tighter. There are 30-40 teams who rope really, really well. I’ve been saying for a couple of months that we could end up with four to eight guys who just miss that last spot in the NFR by $4,000 or less. It is just so tough out here now.”
That being said, Sartain and VonAhn never really despaired of their chances of getting back to the Wrangler NFR. They knew they were roping well, putting in good practices and their horses were solid.
They figured that their turn would come, that the draws would eventually work out better. All they had to was keep the faith.
“We have to stay focused and stay hooked,” Sartain said. “When things go wrong, a lot of guys want to panic and blame their partner or their horse. I never worry about (Kollin) catching, and I hope he doesn’t worry about me. We just have to stay positive, and hopefully we can keep it rolling.”
Steer wrestler Jule Hazen of Protection, Kan., moved a step closer to his first Wrangler NFR qualification since 2007 by posting a rodeo-best 3.6-second run in the first round and winning the two-head average in 8.7 seconds.
With additional checks from San Juan Capistrano and Lynden, Wash., Hazen had total earnings for the weekend of $5,721 to move from 12thplace in the world standings to eighth.
The other champions at Bremerton were bareback rider Josi Young (88 points), saddle bronc riders Taos Muncy and Heith DeMoss (85 points each), tie-down roper Shane Hanchey (16.9 seconds on two head), barrel racer Lindsey Ewing (34.95 seconds on two runs) and bull rider Clayton Foltyn (85 points)
Williams, Wing split Bremerton Xtreme Bulls title
BREMERTON, Wash. – There’s a first time for everything. In six years of the Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour, presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, there has never been a tie for a Tour-stop championship. Until now.
Stormy Wing and Clayton Williams changed all that at the Bremerton, Wash., event Aug. 29. Both cowboys racked up 166 points on two head.
Williams, who came into the short round with the lowest-marked ride of 76.5, reeled off an 89.5 on Corey and Horst’s Due North to win the round and tie Wing, who was eighth in the first round with 78 points and second in the short go with an 88.
“Due North is a big white muley bull that I’ve seen around for a long time,” Williams said. “I rode his brother, a bull named Far North, a few years ago. They’ve had a lot of success on him in the past, and I didn’t think it’d be any different for me.”
Due North is one of the bigger bulls, and Williams is one of the taller contestants – a combination that paid off in the judge’s notebooks.
“I want the biggest one I can get; they can’t make them big enough for me,” Williams said. “Today, the bulls are generally smaller, so any time I can get on a big one, I feel lucky. That confidence is what resulted in the win. He’s a bull that you’re going to be in the high 80s or low 90s every time, and the good guys are going to ride him.”
Immediately after Williams’ ride, Wing nodded his head on a Growney bull named Original Prankster – a bull that had recently bucked him off.
“I got on him in St. Paul (Ore.), and he was good,” Wing said. “He was up and down and around to the left into my hand, just like I like them. I didn’t stay down on him and messed it up, and he threw me off. He’s not strong, but if you get behind on those big bulls, they’re going to make you pay for it. I just concentrated on staying down and driving my riding arm shoulder forward. He was a good bull for a lot of points.”
For Williams, who was sixth in the world standings heading into the weekend, the win was worth $10,082 and inched him closer to world title contention. Wing banked $9,753, giving hope to his long-shot bid for a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo berth (he’s 31st in the world standings).
Coverage from the Bremerton Xtreme Bulls stop will be televised at 2 p.m. (ET), Sept. 19 on ESPN2. Check your local listings for re-air dates and times on ESPN Classic and ESPN2.
Muncy shows gold-buckle form with win at San Juan Capistrano
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Taos Muncy was 20 years old when he won his first saddle bronc riding gold buckle in 2007, and he concedes that he probably didn’t have a full appreciation of what he’d accomplished.
Even with a world of talent – and Muncy has that – there are other things that come into play. He’s lost big chunks of two seasons to injuries, so he now knows more fully how important it is to stay healthy. Then there is the luck of the draw, the strain of being on the road 200 days a year, of setting your schedule and managing your money.
“When I won the first time, I didn’t really think I had a shot going against all these guys who I look up to,” Muncy said. “Now I realize how hard it is to get one, and it makes me want to work to win another one. I’m a little more serious now. I’m working harder than ever. I try to go to each rodeo and concentrate on doing my work.”
For a snapshot of just how this newly refocused Muncy is doing, this Aug. 25-29 weekend will do nicely. Muncy had an 88-point ride on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Sacred Sacrifice to win the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and shared the title at the Kitsap County Fair & Stampede in Bremerton, Wash.
These were the two biggest rodeos of the weekend (Rancho Mission Viejo is the richest two-day rodeo on the PRCA schedule at $185,189), and the Corona, N.M., cowboy won at least a share of the title at both to bank a total of $10,850 and move from eighth to sixth in the world standings.
“I couldn’t ask for a better weekend,” Muncy said. “The whole year has been really good, actually. I think I’ve done better in the bigger rodeos (he’s fifth in the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour standings) than I ever have. I’ve won a few rodeos (seven), but mostly I’ve been pretty steady at winning checks. I drew good horses everywhere I went this weekend, and I was just feeling confident about everything.
“My goal going down the stretch is to get myself into the top five before we get to the Wrangler NFR. I feel like I’d have a better chance (for another world title) if I start the NFR in the top five.”
There were two repeat champions at Rancho Mission Viejo. Bareback rider Ryan Gray won with an 86-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo’s Cajun Queen, the same score he had when he won last year. Header JoJo LeMond won the team roping with Cory Petska in 4.4 seconds, following his win a year ago with Randon Adams.
The other champions were steer wrestler Luke Branquinho (4.1 seconds), tie-down roper Nate Baldwin (7.4 seconds) and bull riders Tag Elliott and Ted Bert (78 points each). There was no barrel racing competition.
Etbauer becomes first cowboy to earn $3 million in a single event
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Trust Billy Etbauer to reach each new milestone in grand style.
A week ago, Etbauer joined Trevor Brazile as the sport’s only $3 million cowboys by winning the saddle bronc riding title in Burley, Idaho. This week, a win at the Lynden (Wash.) PRCA Rodeo made him the first contestant to bank $3 million in a single event.
The $1,495 he earned in Lynden, plus another $1,141 check for finishing fourth in the Horse Heaven Round-Up in Kennewick, Wash., brought his career earnings in saddle bronc riding to $3,002,158 and $3,003,492 overall.
“It’s unreal,” Etbauer said. “I never would have imagined this when I started out. You’d like to say you have the $3 million in your bank account, but I kind of do still have it. (Rodeo) allowed me to buy land, build a home and make investments. It’s all been a blessing.”
Etbauer put himself over the top in Lynden with an 80-point ride on the aptly named Showtime of the Northern Cross Rodeo Company String. It was almost a family double: wife Hollie Etbauer was second in the barrel racing to Kelli Tolbert by two-tenths of a second.
The only money Etbauer earned in another event came in team roping in 1992. Etbauer heeled for Don Hall – regular partner Joe Sherman was ailing – and they earned $1,335 after finishing in a tie for third place in the first round of the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver with a time of 6.2 seconds.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “People always ask us if we’re competitive with each other because of where we are in the standings. We’re not at all. The only person we’re competing against is ourselves. It’s a judged event. It’s hard to compete with somebody in a judged event.”
Bareback riding world standings leader Ryan Gray of Cheney, Wash., on his relationship with No. 2 Steven Dent of Mullen, Neb.
• Wyoming saddle bronc rider out of competition until January
Saddle bronc rider Chet Johnson has decided not to return to competition until after the first of the year. The Gillette, Wyo., cowboy sustained three skull fractures on the right side of his head, bleeding and swelling on the left side of the brain and a fractured right ear drum July 20 at the Days of ’47 Rodeo near Salt Lake City. The three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier was stomped on the back of the head by a horse as he attempted to scurry away.
Johnson originally thought he could compete in a couple of months, but after talking to members of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team, including Dr. Pepper Murray, and other doctors, he will make his return after Jan. 1.
“If I were to get knocked in the head again, it could be even worse than the first time it happened,” said Johnson, 29, who is the reigning Canadian Finals Rodeo champion. “I need to get back to normal, so I could take a shot a little better.”
He went into the Days of ’47 Rodeo 34th in the PRCA World Standings with about $18,000 and was 24th in the Canadian rankings.
A complete story about Johnson’s decision and how he is recovering is on ProRodeo.com.
• Additional injury updates: Canadian steer wrestler Cody Cassidy is hindered by a fractured scaphoid bone in his left wrist, but he is maintaining a full schedule in hopes of staying among the leaders in the world standings and earning a spot in the Justin Boots Playoffs in Puyallup, Wash., next month (he’s 22nd in the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour standings). … Rod Hay’s doctor is telling him that his broken right leg is healing well, and he is off crutches and cautiously optimistic he will be able to compete in the saddle bronc riding at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Dec. 2-11. Hay went fishing with his kids on the Big Horn River in Montana last week. His guide? Six-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Dan Mortensen … Three-time Wrangler NFR qualifier Ronnie Fields underwent surgery Aug. 24 in Dallas to repair a torn pectoral muscle and will be out of action for an estimated six months. Fields, of Oklahoma City, was 21st in the world standings at the time of his injury in Caldwell, Idaho, but only $5,562 out of the final qualifying spot for the Wrangler NFR. “Injuries can always come into play in our sport,” Fields said, “but I’ve been pretty lucky; this is only the second significant injury I’ve had (in a nine-year PRCA career)” … Bull rider Thor Smith of Phoenix is sidelined indefinitely with an injury to his right leg … Brad McGilchrist, a steer wrestler from Marysville, Calif., is out until January with ligament damage in his right knee … Saddle bronc rider Jake Halverson of Amarillo, Texas, is also sidelined until the end of January with a torn ACL in his right knee. He is scheduled for surgery after Labor Day.
Next Up
Sept. 1 Painted Pony Championship Rodeo, Lake Luzerne, N.Y.
Sept. 2 Magic Valley Stampede, Filer, Idaho, begins
Sept. 3 Longford (Kan.) Rodeo begins
Sept. 3 Martin Arena Rodeo, Mount Hope, Ark., begins
Sept. 3 Ocala (Fla.) Shrine Rodeo begins
Sept. 3 Sanders County Fair & PRCA Rodeo, Plains, Mont., begins
Sept. 3 Elk City (Okla.) Rodeo of Champions begins
Sept. 3 Oregon Trail Rodeo, Hastings, Neb., begins
Sept. 3 Okotoks (Alberta) ProRodeo begins
Sept. 3 Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days begins
Sept. 3 Dayton (Iowa) Championship begins
Sept. 3 Ellensburg (Wash). Rodeo begins (Wrangler Million Dollar Tour-Gold)
Sept. 4 Badlands Circuit Steer Roping Finals, Deadwood, S.D.
Sept. 4 Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale, Ellensburg, Wash.
Sept. 4 Cowtown Rodeo, Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J.
Sept. 4 Dillon (Mont.) Jaycee Rodeo begins
Sept. 4 Pine City (Minn.) Championship PRCA Rodeo begins
Sept. 4 Evanston (Wyo.) Cowboy Days begins
Sept. 5 Okeechobee (Fla.) Cattlemen’s Labor Day Rodeo begins
Sept. 5 Ouray County Fair & Rodeo, Ridgway, Colo., begins
Sept. 5 White Sulphur Springs (Mont.) PRCA Labor Day Rodeo begins
Sept. 6 Chatham (N.Y.) ProRodeo
Rodeo News and Notes
PRCA Gold Card member Compton passes away at 63
Kenny Compton, a PRCA member for more than 40 years and the operations manager of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame when it opened in 1979, died Aug. 27 at his home north of Colorado Springs of an apparent heart attack. He was 63.
Compton competed as a saddle bronc rider, tie-down roper and team roper in his youth while operating a boarding and training stable in Colorado Springs. He also worked several years in a supervisory capacity in hospital laboratories as a technician.
Compton was hired in 1978 to participate in the development of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, charged with exhibit planning and fundraising. When the Hall opened in the late summer of 1979, he took on a management position in the day-to-day operations of the building.
He is survived by his wife, Sherry, who has worked for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in its Colorado Springs office for 30 years, their son Beau (Marlo), daughter Courtney (Brian) and three grandchildren.
Puyallup, Omaha to air on ESPN2, ESPN Classic
The Justin Boots Playoffs and Justin Boots Championships will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPN Classic – bringing the excitement of ProRodeo to a national audience during the sports-crazed fall.
The Justin Boots Playoffs, held Sept. 10-12 in Puyallup, Wash., will be broadcast on Oct. 17 at 5 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2, followed by re-airs (see below). The broadcast of the Justin Boots Championships, held Sept. 23-25 in Omaha, Neb., will follow the Puyallup show at 6 p.m. (ET) on Oct. 17, also with re-airs.
Dates Rodeo Original air date
Sept. 10-12 Justin Boots Playoffs 5 p.m. (ET) Oct. 17, ESPN2
Re-air dates/time
4 a.m., Oct. 21, ESPN2
11 p.m., Oct. 22, ESPN Classic 6 p.m., Nov. 7, ESPN Classic
Sept. 23-25 Justin Boots Championships 6 p.m. (ET) Oct. 17
Re-air dates/time
4:30 a.m., Oct. 26, ESPN2
11 p.m., Oct. 29, ESPN Classic
7 p.m., Nov. 7, ESPN Classic
(Note: ESPN reserves the right to change its schedule.)
Circuit Finals schedule released
Circuit Finals action will get under way with the Badlands Circuit Finals steer roping competition on Sept. 4 in Deadwood, S.D. The Dodge Badlands Circuit Finals rodeo is set for Oct. 7-10 in Minot, N.D.
Circuit Finals competitions run through the Dodge Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo, Jan. 14-16, 2011, in Great Falls, Mont. Check ProRodeo.com’s early results section for a listing of the winners and top finishers.
2010 Tentative Circuit Finals Dates and Locations
CircuitDates# PerfsLocationCut-off Date
Badlands/SRSept. 4, 20101Deadwood, S.D.Aug. 4
TurquoiseSept. 30 - Oct. 2, 20103Las Cruces, N.M.Aug. 30
BadlandsOct. 7-10, 2010 3Minot, N.D.Sept. 7
Mountain States/SROct. 9-10, 20101Sterling, Colo.Sept. 9
PrairieOct. 29-30, 20104Park City, Kan.Sept. 29
Prairie/SROct. 29, 20101Park City, Kan.Sept. 29
WildernessOct 28-30, 210103Ogden, UtahSept. 28
SoutheasternNov. 4-6, 20103Davie, Fla.Sept. 30
Mountain StatesNov. 12-13, 20103Denver, Colo.Sept. 30
Columbia RiverNov. 12-13, 20103Redmond, Ore.Sept. 30
Columbia River/SRNov. 12, 20101Redmond, Ore.Sept. 30
Great LakesNov. 11-13, 20103Louisville, Ky.Sept. 30
TexasJan. 6-8, 20113Waco, TexasSept. 30
Texas/SRJan. 7, 20111Waco, TexasSept. 30
CaliforniaJan.14-15, 20113Las Vegas, Nev.Sept. 30
MontanaJan. 14-16, 20113Great Falls, Mont.Sept. 30
First FrontierJan. 13-15, 20113Harrisburg, Pa.Sept. 30
**Please note this information is subject to change.
Please refer to the PRCA Business Journal for official information
Nominations for PRCA Veterinarian of the Year close Sept. 1
PRCA members and rodeo committees who would like to nominate their veterinarian for the “PRCA Veterinarian of the Year Award” presented by Purina, should have the applications sent in by Sept. 1. The first recipient will be honored during the 52nd Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 2-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The award will go to a veterinarian who exemplifies extraordinary dedication and commitment to the well being of professional rodeo livestock. For more information and a downloadable application, go to:
www.prorodeo.com/animal_welfare.aspx?xu=13
News and notes from the rodeo trail …
The Pocatello Frontier Rodeo Association held a press conference Aug. 26 to announce plans to undertake a Silver rodeo on the 2011 Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots. The new site for the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, held in Pocatello, for the first 24 years of its existence, will be announced in September … The American Royal will bring a $20,000 added Gold rodeo to Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 21-23, 29-30 – the kickoff event for the 2011 Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots, and the richest rodeo ever held in Kansas City. Rodeo fans will also be treated to post-performance concerts featuring Little Texas (Oct. 22), Craig Morgan (Oct. 23), Dierks Bentley (Oct. 29) andHeidi Newfield (Oct. 30). Tickets range from $15 to $70. For information, visit www.americanroyal.com … Extraco Banks has signed a long-term deal with the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo to secure the naming rights to the events center in Waco. The Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex is now officially the Extraco Events Center … The Oakdale (Calif.) Cowboy Museum will honor World Champion Team Ropers Leo, Jerold and Reg Camarillo at its annual Dinner Auction Fundraiser Sept. 18 at Rocha’s Valley Enterprises in Oakdale. The museum will posthumously recognize Dave and Vi Ramont, a rodeo and ranching family from Oakdale. Tickets for the event, which include dinner, hosted bar, silent live auction and dancing are $75 for Cowboy Museum Members and $85 for non members. Call 209.847.7049 for more information … The trailer for the hour-long documentary film Changing the Game: How the Camarillo Family Revolutionized the Sport of Team Roping, will be debuted Sept. 10 at the State Theater in Modesto, Calif., and a 10-minute excerpt will be shown at the Sept. 18 fundraiser in Oakdale. The formal release date of the film, directed by Kevin Fox and produced by the Oakdale Cowboy Museum, has yet to be determined … A benefit bull riding for PRCA contestant Wade Payne, to help defray the costs of his treatment for testicular cancer, has been scheduled Sept. 10 at the Beaver County (Okla.) Fairgrounds. Payne, 22, was diagnosed last April and commuted from his Beaver, Okla., home to Oklahoma City to receive chemotherapy for many weeks. He learned in mid-August that the treatment was successful and his cancer is in remission, but he is facing significant bills. For more information, contact Tammy Williams at 806.339.4751 of visit the Wade Payne Benefit Bullriding Facebook page … Rodeo Austin has been selected as a finalist for the Greater Austin Business Award in the Environmental category for the green initiatives undertaken during the rodeo in March. The non-profit organization recycled a total of 62 tons of waste during the 16-day event and converted 120,000 pounds of livestock waste into organic compost with the help of Organics By Gosh … For the second consecutive year, the Norco (Calif.) Mounted Posse PRCA Rodeo experienced a jump in attendance, with more than 12,000 for the three performances over the Aug. 20-22 weekend, up from 10,000 in 2009 and 8,450 in 2008
