DALLAS - Team ropers Colter Todd and Cesar de la Cruz tied the PRCA world record with a 3.5-second run in the semifinals Sunday afternoon on the way to claming their first Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Championship, presented by the Texas Stampede.
It wasn't a bad way for the childhood friends from Arizona to launch their farewell tour.
Todd has decided to sit out next season to spend more time with his family, at least temporarily dissolving a partnership that has qualified them for the last three Wrangler National Finals Rodeos.
"I'm excited," Todd said. "My partner and I have both wanted that record since we were little kids. We have tried (to get) it a lot, but here (on that run) I was just trying to go fast. I didn't really dwell on doing it here, but it crossed my mind that if everything happened right, we could get it here -- tie it or break it. When a record occurs, the run has to be a textbook run. Everything has to be smooth and fast."
Blaine Linaweaver and Jory Levy set the record in San Angelo, Texas, in 2001, and it was tied by Clay Tryan and Patrick Smith at the Wrangler NFR in 2005.
The topper for Todd and de la Cruz was coming back in the finals to manage a workmanlike 5.2-second run as the final pair, beating JoJo LeMond and Martin Lucero (5.9) for the $10,313 top prize, Crystal Cups and buckles from Montana Silversmiths.
The parlay on Championship Sunday allowed Todd and de la Cruz to move from eighth to fifth in the Crusher Rentals PRCA World Standings entering the Wrangler NFR and has them thinking about another long-held dream.
"Since we were kids," de la Cruz said, "we have had a goal of breaking the record for 10 steeers at the Wrangler NFR, so that is what we are going to be shooting for...We'll be be gunning at them."
After the Wrangler NFR, Todd will return home to Marana, Ariz., to do ranch work and spend more time with his 4-year-old daughter Madilyn, 4-month-old son Colter, Jr., and wife, Carly.
"I thought I would take a year off and spend time with my family and see what happens," Todd said. "Sometimes taking time off is what a guy needs. I got to the point mentally where I didn't want to be out here anymore, and that made us struggle as a team. That isn't fair to my partner."
Five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer used solid results in Dallas last year to qualify into the the Wrangler NFR and this time around, he upped the ante. His winning 86-point ride on Powder River Rodeo's Touch of Silver served notice that he is ready to make a serious run at catching Casey Tibbs and Dan Mortensen with a record-tying sixth saddle bronc riding world championship next month.
The $10,313 check the 45-year-old Etbauer picked up here lifted his season earnings to $141,180, just $4,012 behind first-place Cody Wright.
"We've been really blessed, and it's a lot of fun riding with these guys," Etbauer said. "I've just been fortunate. There are a lot of people who have retired me, but I haven't (thought about it). It's day-by-day, horse-by-horse, jump-by-jump, and we'll see what happens.
Etbauer barely made it into the final round with a 79-point ride in the semifinals that yielded the fourth, and final, spot in the field and responded to the chance with his best ride of the weekend.
"Really, it's kind of easier when you start getting on them," he said. "It gets it going for me. I'd just as soon get on them like that, back-to-back. It's better in my eyes because you don't have any time to think about it. You just go with the flow."
Coming to Dallas nursing a left thigh injury, tie-down roper Hunter Herrin wasn't sure what he might be able to accomplish here, but he needn't have worried. A rodeo-best 7.0-second run in the final, along with a second-place result in the semifinals, allowed him to bank checks worth $24,492 over the three-day weekend.
"I haven't been able to rope for about the last 2 1/2 weeks prior to here," Herrin said. "I got kicked by a horse and have been sidelined, but it's healed well. Any win is helpful, and when you come to a place like Dallas and win this type of money, it closes a little ground on a world championship or just makes your year a lot better."
Dean Gorsuch understands that sort of thinking. He won the steer wrestling title in Dallas once before, in 2006, the year he won the world championship, and he is hoping that this year's win will serve as a sort of omen.
Riding Lee Graves' horse, Jesse, and with Graves, the 2005 world champion, as his hazer, Gorsuch had a 3.6-second run that was good for third place in the semifinals and then tied with best friend Jason Miller with another 3.6 in the finals. Gorsuch was named champion because he had a faster time than Miller in the semifinals.
"We're all friends," Gorsuch said. "I'm really not competing against my best friend Jason Miller. I'm competing against me and the steer. Just don't beat yourself."
Although unfamiliar with the bull he drew, 2006 World Champion B.J. Schumacher adapted to the challenge quite nicely, putting up a 91-point ride on Silverado Rodeo's Cowboy to win the championship and put an end to a string of dismal experiences in Dallas.
"One thing that I am happy about is winning Dallas," Schumacher said, "because I have come here and had terrible 'Dallases,' really awful. I watched a bunch of tapes before I came here and went over all my bull riding and tried to pick up where I have made mistakes."
Steven Dent fell just short of breaking Bobby Mote's year-old record for bareback riding prize money won in the regular season, but is unlikely to complain. With a 91-point ride on Classic Pro Rodeo's Scarlet's Web on Sunday, Dent pushed his earnings to $151,213, assuring him of entering next month's Wrangler NFR with a lead over three-time world champion Will Lowe of more than $25,000.
There was a certain amount of pressure in securing the win with Dent making his ride just after 2004 World Champion Kelly Timberman had posted a score of 89 points on Classic Pro Rodeo's Fancy Free.
"I try to be 90 every time," Dent said. "A guy is going to go out there and do the same thing, the same fundamentals and try to win first no matter what the format is. I'm sure if Kelly was after me, he would have taken everything the exact same."
Canadian Lindsay Sears, who passed up her country's finals in Edmonton to compete here this week, won both the semifinals (12.40 seconds) and finals (12.36) to break Brittany Pozzi-Pharr's regular-season earnings record with a total of $184,567.
Two competitors worked their way into the Wrangler NFR lineup based on their results in Dallas. Bull rider Shawn Proctor of Tooele, Utah, jumped all the way from 22nd to 11th by earning an event-best $17,402 at the American Airlines Center, bumping Marcus Michaelis out of the Top 15. Team roping header Turtle Powell made it into the field by cashing a third-place check on Nov. 7 and had to wait all through the weekend to learn whether his partner, Travis Graves, was going to be there with him.
Challenges by Broc Cresta and Marty Becker never materialized, and Graves stayed safely in 15th place.
Others who fell short of realizing the chance to qualify for the Wrangler NFR here were team roping header Logan Olson, saddle bronc rider Jess Martin, tie-down roper Seth Childers, bull riders Stormy Wing, Howdy Cloud and Jake Wade and barrel racer Christina Richman.
Coverage of the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Championship will be aired on Fox Sports Net and CBS. FSN will show all four rounds, while CBS will highlight the semifinals and show the final round in its entirety. The CBS telecast is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 23, following the NFL on CBS. Check local listings for FSN broadcast times and dates, as the network broadcasts vary depending on the region. The 2007 show had the largest viewership ever for a Wrangler ProRodeo Tour broadcast with two million viewers.
Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Championship
American Airlines Center, Dallas
Bareback riding: Semifinals: 1. Justin McDaniel, 89 points on Classic Pro Rodeo's Big Tex, $5,156; 2. (tie) Josi Young and Steven Dent, 88, $3,223 each; 4. Kelly Timberman, 86, $1,289; 5. Will Lowe, 85; 6. (tie) Tim Shirley and Chris Harris, 84; 8. Bobby Mote, 82. Finals: 1. Steven Dent, 91 points on Classic Pro Rodeo's Scarlet's Web, $10,313; 2. Kelly Timberman, 89, $6,875; 3. Josi Young, 87; 4. Justin McDaniel, NS.
Steer wrestling: Semifinals: 1. Luke Branquinho, 3.3 seconds, $5,156; 2. Cash Myers, 3.5, $3,867; 3. Dean Gorsuch, 3.6, $2,578; 4. (tie) Jason Miller and Les Shepperson, 3.8, $645 each; 6. Ken Lewis, 3.9; 7. Gabe Ledoux, 4.5; 8. Wade Sumpter, 4.8. Finals: 1. (tie) Jason Miller and Dean Gorsuch, 3.6 seconds, $8,594 each; 3. Luke Branquinho, 3.8; 4. Cash Myers, 3.9.
Team roping: Semifinals: 1. Colter Todd/Cesar de la Cruz, 3.5 seconds (ties world record held by Blaine Linaweaver/Jory Levy, San Angelo, Texas, 2001 and Clay Tryan/Patrick Smith, Wrangler NFR, 2005), $5,156 each; 2. Turtle Powell/Cory Petska, 4.4, $3,867; 3. JoJo LeMond/Martin Lucero, 4.5, $2,578; 4. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 5.8, $1,289; 5. Jake Stanley/Marty Becker, 6.3; 6. Travis Tryan/Walt Woodard, 9.6; 7. (tie) Jake Barnes/Clay O'Brien Cooper and Speed Williams/Michael Jones, NT. Finals: 1. Colter Todd/Cesar de la Cruz, 5.2 seconds, $10,313 each; 2. JoJo LeMond/Martin Lucero, 5.9, $6,875; 3. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 14.8; 4. Turtle Powell/Cory Petska, 21.6.
Saddle bronc riding: Semifinals: 1. Jesse Kruse, 91 points on Powder River Rodeo's Miss Congenialty, $5,156; 2. Justin Arnold, 87, $3,867; 3. Chad Ferley, 84, $2,578; 4. Billy Etbauer, 79, $1,289; 5. Jess Martin, 77; 6. Bobby Griswold, 76; 7. (tie) Cody Wright and J.J. Elshere, NS. Finals: 1. Billy Etbauer, 86 points on Powder River Rodeo's Touch of Silver, $10,313; 2. Jesse Kruse, 83, $6,875; 3. Justin Arnold, 82; 4. Chad Ferley, NT.
Tie-down roping: Semifinals: 1. Trevor Brazile, 7.5 seconds, $5,156; 2. Hunter Herrin, 7.8, $3,867; 3. Josh Peek, 8.0, $2,578; 4. Stran Smith, 8.1, $1,289; 5. Doug Pharr, 9.8; 6. Seth Childers, 12.2; 7. Jeff Chapman, 17.9; 8. Tuf Cooper, NT. Finals: 1. Hunter Herrin, 7.0 seconds, $10,313; 2. Trevor Brazile, 8.2, $6,875; 3. Josh Peek, 9.5; 4. Stran Smith, 9.8.
Barrel racing: Semifinals: 1. Lindsay Sears, 12.40 seconds, $5,156; 2. Annesa Self, 12.42, $3,867; 3. Christina Richman, 12.43, $2,578; 4. Mary Burger, 12.45, $1,289; 5. (tie) Brenda Mays and Brittany Pozzi-Pharr, 12.62; 7. Terra Bynum,12.86; 8. Jill Moody, 17.43. Finals: 1. Lindsay Sears, 12.36 seconds, $10,313; 2. Annesa Self, 12.40, $6,875; 3. Mary Burger, 12.49; 4. Christina Richman, 12.57.
Bull riding: Semifinals: 1. Shawn Proctor, 87 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo's Buzz Saw, $5,156; 2. (tie) Stormy Wing, J.W. Harris, B.J. Schumacher, Steve Woolsey, Howdy Cloud, Chance Smart and Kanin Asay, NS. Finals: 1. B.J. Schumacher, 91 points on Silverado Rodeo's Cowboy, $10,313; 2. J.W. Harris, 88, $6,875; 3. (tie) Shawn Proctor and Steve Woolsey, NS.
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