Kootnz wins third set of Reno Rodeo silver spurs – Johnna Espinoza
RENO, Nev. – For team roper Kory Koontz, the win at the Reno Rodeo June 26 had just a little bit different feel than the two that had gone before it.
Koontz picked up his third set of silver spurs with new – and 23-year-old – partner Colby Lovell from Madisonville, Texas. The pair has only roped together for about a month.
“I have never roped with anyone who hasn’t made the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo,” said Koontz, who has qualified 14 times himself. “It was time for me to make a decision to either quit or to take a chance on a young guy.”
Well, now we know the rest of the story. Koontz, who turns 39 next month, did take that chance on a young, enthusiastic roper, who only switched from heeling to heading about 18 months ago.
Lovell may not be on some people’s radar, but he showed he knows how to rope when he finished second to Russell Cardoza at the World’s Greatest Roper on June 20, also held in Reno. The event tests a cowboy’s skill in heading, heeling and tie-down roping, and Lovell proved to be quite a hand. And he demonstrated no signs of jitters or inexperience at the Reno Rodeo.
Lovell and Koontz won the final round with a time of 5.7 seconds to hold off world record holders Chad Masters and Jade Corkill, who tied for second, stopping the clock in 6.0 seconds in the short round.
“I’m stoked,” said Lovell, who got a rousing ovation from the more than 8,000 fans on hand. “I was hollering when he caught. This is my first time out here, and to get the opportunity to rope at these big rodeos is great.”
Lovell, now fifth in the PRCA World Standings, and Koontz, sixth, clicked right away and hope Reno is a sign of things to come as the Gold stop on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, presented by Justin Boots, kicked off the lucrative summer run.
“I’ve been out here for 20 years, so it’s good for me to see the excitement in him,” Koontz said about Lovell. “It makes it fun for me. This is going to put us right back where we want to be and give us a good chance to win a championship.”
Lovell and Koontz led the average with a time of 16.9 seconds on three runs, followed by Masters and Corkill, a Nevada native, in 18.0 seconds. Lovell and Koontz also were the top money earners in Reno, pocketing $14,786 each. Koontz’s previous wins at the Reno Rodeo were with Matt Tyler in 1996 and Daniel Green in 2002.
Along with Koontz, a few other veterans were happy to add silver spurs to their trophy cases. Josh Peek, of Pueblo, Colo., won the all-around title competing in the steer wrestling and tie-down roping and left town with $6,319. He also won the all-around and tie-down roping at the Reno Rodeo in 2008.
An elated D.V. Fennell split the bareback riding title with Canadian Dusty LaValley. Fennell, 36, often teased for being among the older guys in roughstock – his buddies gave him a rocking chair at the Wrangler NFR last year when he qualified for the first time – won the final round with an 85-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo’s Diaper Dandy. LaValley, 28, was second in the finals, scoring 84 points on the strawberry roan mare Moulin Rouge of the Growney Brothers string.
The cowboys led the way with 246 points on three head. Fennell, a Missouri cowboy eyeing his first gold buckle, won $9,061 and LaValley pocketed $9,223.
Steer wrestler Gabe Ledoux sustained fractures in his left foot when a hazing horse stepped on him during a run at RodeoHouston in March. The Kaplan, La., cowboy has been working his way back to top form and showed he’s ready for the Fourth of July run by picking up his first set of silver spurs.
Ledoux (12.0 seconds on three runs) held off two-time World Champion Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho (12.3 seconds) for the win. Branquinho (4.1 seconds) posted the fastest run in the short round, followed by Ledoux and Matt Reeves, who tied for second in 4.2 seconds. Ledoux collected $13,624 for his Gold tour victory.
“It’s unreal,” said Ledoux, who had 2006 World Champion Dean Gorsuch hazing for him. “I can’t believe that it has come true. It’s one of the best rodeos all year, and to win it feels really good.”
Bradley Harter won the saddle bronc riding with a score of 249 points on three head. The Weatherford, Texas, cowboy came into the final round with a 13-point advantage over Jesse Wright, 170-157. He needed the lead because Wright, the reigning Resistol Rookie of the Year, teamed up with 2009 Saddle Bronc Riding Horse of the Year Spring Planting for an 89-point effort and first place in the short round.
Harter’s 79 points on Big Bend Rodeo’s Bordello Blues was enough to hold off Rusty Allen (247) and Wright (246) and claim a check for $8,756.
In the tie-down roping, Joseph Parsons won the average in 27.9 seconds and pocketed $8,155. The Marana, Ariz., cowboy finished third in the final round, stopping the clock in 9.1 seconds to take the Reno title.
Corey Maier edged Steve Woolsey by one point, 168-167, on two head to claim the bull riding average and $9,118. Maier, from Timber Lake, S.D., split the top spot in the final round with D.J. Domangue, with both cowboys scoring 86 points. Maier stayed aboard Flying U Rodeo’s Domino Theory to secure the win. Domangue rode Pretty Boy Blue, also of Flying U Rodeo.
Barrel racer Timi Lickley had tears in her eyes after netting the biggest win of her career. The Jerome, Idaho, cowgirl doesn’t go to a lot of big rodeos, but thought she would give Reno a third and final try and she won the final round in 17.02 seconds to finish with 51.64 seconds on three runs and $7,787.
More than 700 cowboys participated in the 91st annual Reno Rodeo, which began on June 18. The June 26 final performance will be televised on In Country Television at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 10. Check your local listings for re-air dates and times.
Cerny takes big step on comeback trail with win at West of the Pecos Rodeo
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After three surgeries in 18 months – to repair a broken back, broken collarbone and a torn up knee – tie-down roper Clay Cerny is simply grateful to have the opportunity to compete in the sport he loves.
And, still, to have come far enough back in his recovery to beat a top field at the June 23-26 West of the Pecos Rodeo … well, that’s pretty heady stuff.
It’s almost enough to make a man forget what he’s been through, forget he’s 34, and start dreaming big again.
“I roped quite a bit last year,” Cerny said, “and I placed here and there, but I never felt as competitive as I should have been. It wasn’t until a couple of months ago that I decided to take it seriously and try to make another run at the (Wrangler) National Finals Rodeo.
“Winning at Pecos (Texas) is a huge boost. It’d been a long time since I’d won a rodeo (Fort Worth, Texas, in 2008). This gives me confidence I can do it, that I can be competitive with these young guys. It’s tougher now than when I went to the NFR a decade ago (in 1999 and 2000).”
Cerny (pronounced Chur-nee) won the first round at Pecos in 8.8 seconds and finished third in the second round in 8.9 seconds to easily capture the two-head average; his time of 17.7 was 1.9 seconds faster than second-place Houston Hutto.
The field also included five-time World Champion Tie-Down Roper Cody Ohl and two-time World Champion Tie-Down Roper Trevor Brazile, along with veteran NFR qualifiers like Hutto, Cade Swor and Jerrad Hofstetter.
Cerny did this on a horse named Buster he got from his father-in-law, Don Boone, earlier this year. It was Buster’s second rodeo appearance.
“Don used him in the National Cutting Horse Association Finals in Fort Worth last December,” Cerny said, “but he got mad at Buster there and gave him to me.”
Buster is one of three horses, along with Cheeto and Bandaid (his kids name his horses), that Cerny describes as “green … but definitely developing” in his arsenal.
He figures if he doesn’t make it back to the Wrangler NFR this year, he will make a serious run at it next season with three more seasoned horses and time to get himself into top form after losing so much due to injury.
The worst of the injuries came at RodeoHouston, when he broke his back in the semifinal round. He underwent surgery on April 7, when doctors inserted rods and four screws while performing a bone graft on Cerny’s L5 vertebrae.
It took more than six months to get back to where he could start roping again. Early the following year, he suffered a broken collarbone and then injured his knee, both of which required surgery.
“It’s not easy getting old,” Cerny said with a chuckle. “I’m just so grateful to have that behind me and be able to compete again.”
Bull rider Bryan Richardson, 28, is another veteran who showed signs of making a comeback on the PRCA trail at Pecos. Richardson, who has qualified for the Wrangler NFR three times but not since 2005, won the competition with an 89-point ride on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Sippin Jack and earned $3,905.
It was Richardson’s third title at a PRCA rodeo this year in limited competition, following wins at De Ridder, La., and Clovis, N.M.
Chris Harris won the bareback riding with an 88-point ride on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Deuces Night, a horse that Pete Carr just bought.
The other winners at Pecos – all of whom won championship buckles – were steer wrestler Nick Guy (9.5 seconds on two head), team ropers Luke Brown and Martin Lucero (13.3 seconds on two head), saddle bronc rider Jace Garrett (88 points), steer roper Paul Patton (45.7 seconds on three head) and barrel racers Lindsey Ewing and Tammy Fischer (17.66 seconds).
Other rodeo headlines from the weekend of June 23-20
• Chad Finley had a breakout performance at Prineville, Ore., that neither he nor anybody who witnessed it at the Crooked River Roundup is likely to forget. Finley, 21, and in just his second season as a PRCA member, broke Jerome Schneeberger’s arena record with a time of 7.7 seconds to win the second round and won the two-head average in 18.1 seconds. The record of 8.0 seconds had stood for 17 years, and the Mount Vernon, Ore., cowboy’s performance was all the more amazing because he had been struggling as a pro, failing to win a check in his first 12 PRCA rodeos this season before breaking through to earn $1,976 at Prineville. “I’d been in the sevens at some jackpots, and I was 7.6 with a broken barrier at Ellensburg (Wash.),” Finley said, “but this easily my best time in a PRCA rodeo.” Steer roper Rod Hartness also set a record at Crooked River Arena with a two-head time of 22.2 seconds, breaking the mark shared by Marty Jones and Roy Cooper by seven-tenths of a second. Hartness finished 13.3 seconds ahead of runner-up J.D. Yates.
• There is no listed record for the oldest competitor to earn a check in a PRCA rodeo. Let’s just say Mel Potter is in the discussion. Potter, of Marana, Ariz., teamed with Garrison Dixon to place sixth at the June 24-26 Western Fest Stampede in Granite Falls, Minn., and tied for fourth at the Buffalo (Minn.) Championship PRCA Rodeo at the age of 75 years, five months, 24 days. Potter qualified as a tie-down roper at the first National Finals Rodeo in 1959 and qualified for the Dodge Great Lakes Circuit Finals Rodeo as recently as the 2008 season, competing in the team roping with his grandson, Roy Alexander.
• Houston’s Neil Holmes, a 24-year-old bull rider who just joined the PRCA in March, broke the Rodeo de Santa Fe (N.M.) arena record with a 93-point ride on Four L & Diamond S Rodeo Company’s Big Iron. The $4,446 he earned for the victory lifted his season total to $11,047, which would put him in the top five in the bull riding rookie standings … if he weren’t still competing on his PRCA permit.
• Wright you are: Especially tough in their home state, four of the Wright brothers earned checks in the saddle bronc riding competition at the Lehi (Utah) Round-Up. Jesse Wright won the thing with an 83-point ride on Flying U Rodeo’s Hail Mary. Older brother Cody Wright – the 2008 world champion – shared second place with Anthony Bello, while Alex Wright was fourth and Jesse’s twin brother, Jake, tied for fifth.
• Off to a slow start in 2010, Payson, Utah, saddle bronc rider Jessy Davis got a jolt of confidence over the June 24-27 weekend with wins at the Lehi (Utah) Round-Up and the Daniel Dopps Memorial Dodge PRCA Pro Rodeo in Mountain Home, Idaho. He had an 85-point ride on Slash T Rodeo’s Desperado at Mountain Home to edge Cody DeMers by a point and won at Lehi with an 81-pointer to again beat DeMers by a point. Davis had shoulder reconstruction surgery in December 2008 and is looking to return to the Wrangler NFR for the fourth time after missing out last year.
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Veteran steer wrestler Clarkson dies in South Dakota road accident
Steer wrestler Garrett Clarkson died June 25 in a one-vehicle crash about 25 miles north of Belle Fourche, S.D. – just five days after he had earned a share of his first PRCA rodeo title.
Clarkson, 35, was on his way home to Ludlow, S.D., at the time of the accident on U.S. Highway 85. He died at the scene.
The report issued by the South Dakota Highway Patrol indicated that Clarkson’s Ford F-350 pickup truck collided with a guardrail and then flipped over the west side of a bridge, landing on its top.
A PRCA member since 2000 who primarily competed in South Dakota-area rodeos, Clarkson was off to the best start of his career this season.
He tied for fourth place in the first round of the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo in Rapid City, S.D., Feb. 4-6, and shared first place in the June 16-20 Wild West Days Rodeo in Sturgis, S.D.
Clarkson’s 3.9-second run in Sturgis tied him with Seth Murphy and paid $658. The win had moved Clarkson into fifth place in the Badlands Circuit steer wrestling standings.
He was scheduled to compete at the Roughrider Days Rodeo in Dickinson, N.D., June 26 – just two hours north of his home – and was entered in four rodeos during the Fourth of July week.
Hay sidelined until Wrangler NFR with broken leg
Popular Canadian saddle bronc rider Rod Hay is on the disabled list indefinitely after sustaining a broken leg June 20 at the Daines Ranch Rodeo near Innisfail, Alberta.
Hay twisted his right knee in the stirrup after completing what would end up being a winning 88-point ride and had to be assisted out of the arena.
He underwent surgery at Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, two days later and was released June 23.
The good news is that none of the major knee ligaments were damaged. The bad news is the bottom of the thigh’s femur bone, where it enters the knee, was shattered into 25 pieces. Doctors added a plate and screws to repair the damage.
“They told me it was a bit of a mess,” Hay told Dwayne Erickson of the Calgary Herald. “I’ll go back to see him on July 12, when he’ll take out the stitches and get an x-ray to check on the progress.
“I originally thought I tore some ligaments, but when they took the X-rays and it turned out to be a broken leg, surgery became more of an emergency situation.”
The area was encased in a Zimmer splint, and the leg must remain fully straight and bear no weight for a minimum of six weeks.
Doctors will determine then if he is ready to begin therapy. They were not prepared at this point to discuss how long the healing process would take.
“It’s all up in the air,” Hay said. “I know I won’t be able to ride before the (Wrangler) National Finals Rodeo (in December). All I can do is listen to the doc and focus on getting healed up.”
It marks only the second major injury he’s had since turning professional in 1989. He fractured his right hip in the spring of 1991 and missed the rest of that season.
Yates, Wadhams split $130,000 in winning Bob Feist Invitational
RENO, Nev. – Veteran ropers J.D. Yates and Jay Wadhams won the championship of the 33rd Annual Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping June 21. The two cousins from Pueblo, Colo., split more than $130,000.
“I’ve been coming here for years, and I think I’ve won every place but first,” Yates said.
Yates and Wadhams were second in the average after the first five rounds, trailing only Travis Tryan and Michael Jones heading into the top 15 Wrangler Round.
Yates and Wadhams roped their final steer, giving them a six-head time of 45.92 seconds and leaving Tryan and Jones a nine second cushion to win the title, but Tryan/Jones took a no time on their final steer.
“I was out back taking off my horse’s boots, and Tee Woolman came by and said we won,” Yates said. “Tee’s been known to play a practical joke, so I didn’t really believe him, and then my cousin (Wadhams) came out and said we won. I guess next time I’ll have to believe Tee.
“I felt for Travis and Michael. I’ve been there on that side of it too.”
Yates and Wadhams won $65,255 apiece for their first BFI title. Luke Brown and Martin Lucero finished second; Turtle Powell and Martin Lucero were third.
NILE ProRodeo arena heavily damaged by tornado
A June 20 tornado severely damaged the roof of the MetraPark Arena in Billings, Mont., home of the NILE ProRodeo in October.
“First, we are thankful that no one was hurt,” said NILE General Manager Justin Mills. “The NILE offices were untouched, but obviously we are concerned about the affect this will have on NILE in October, as well as for our PBR event next spring, should the damage be that severe.
“At this time, we are planning to have the NILE in October since a majority of our events are in the other buildings. I know we are not the only promoter that is concerned about their future events, as is MetraPark regarding their own events, and I believe there is universal hope that the repair can be expedited.”
The NILE ProRodeo is scheduled for Oct. 14-17.
Mahan named grand marshal of Prescott (Ariz.) Frontier Days Rodeo parade
Six-time World Champion All-Around Cowboy Larry Mahan will serve as grand marshal of the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo parade over the July 4th weekend.
Mahan was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1979. He started competing as a pro rodeo cowboy in 1964 and within two years won his first of five straight all-around titles. He also captured world bull riding crowns in 1965 and 1967.
The theme of this year’s Prescott rodeo is the “Spirit of the Frontiersman,” which will honor and pay tribute to the men and women who settled the Arizona Territory beginning in 1863. Prescott was the Territorial Capital from 1863-67 and 1877-89 before the capital permanently moved to Phoenix.
News and notes from the rodeo trail …
James Allen, father of 18-time World Champion Steer Roper Guy Allen and a National Finals Steer Roping qualifier himself, was inducted into the West of the Pecos Rodeo Hall of Fame June 25, along with barrel racing champion Sherry Combs Johnson, Peppy McKinney, Buddy Neal and Jack Riggs. James Allen was the PRCA Steer Roping Director from 1979-92 …
The Santa Cruz (Calif.) County Fair board voted June 15 to rent the fairgrounds to Stars of Justice Inc., a nonprofit wing of the Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, to stage a PRCA rodeo there Oct. 2-3. It would be the first ProRodeo in Santa Cruz County in 25 years …
PRCA permit holder Kenneth Wright of Mission, S.D., broke both femurs in a bull riding wreck at the June 19-20 Crazy Horse (S.D.) Stampede. Doctors inserted rods in both leg bones, and Wright was released from the hospital June 24. It will be four months before he can return to work and eight months before he can begin bull riding again …
Officials of RodeoHouston and the NFL Houston Texans are backing a plan that would renovate the Astrodome and expand portions of Reliant Park, home to both. The plans are meant to convert the Astrodome into a convention and education center, planetarium and movie studio. Harris County is also considering an arena adjacent to Reliant Park that would greatly benefit the rodeo …
Tickets go on sale July 1 for the Justin Boots Championships of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb. With more than $838,000 in prize money during the Sept. 23-25 performances, the rodeo is second only to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in prize money awarded by performance. Event tickets as low as inexpensive as $15 will be available on www.ticketmaster.com starting July 1 …
The Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo in Austin is awarding $372,000 in scholarships to students across the state of Texas … Pacific Power is contributing $35,000 for the installation of a state-of-the-art scoreboard in time for the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up Centennial Sept. 15-18 … Nebraska’s Big Rodeo in Burwell has purchased new, metal Priefert chute gates for this year’s July 29-31 edition of the rodeo, and the committee is putting the old wooden chutes up for sale. The asking price is $500 per gate. For more information, call 308.346.5010
UPCOMING RODEOS
June 28 Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede begins
June 28 World’s Oldest Rodeo, Prescott, Ariz., begins
June 29 Airdrie (Alberta) Pro Rodeo begins
June 29 Greeley (Colo.) Independence Stampede begins
June 30 Rodeo of the Ozarks, Springdale, Ark., begins
July 1 Belton (Texas) Fourth of July Celebration & PRCA Rodeo begins
July 1 Eugene (Ore.) ProRodeo begins
July 1 75th Annual Oakley Independence Day Rodeo, Oakley City, Utah, begins
July 1 Western Stampede, West Jordan, Utah, begins
July 1 Cody (Wyo.) Stampede begins
July 1 St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo begins
July 1 Williams Lake (British Columbia) Stampede begins
July 2 Mesquite (Texas) Championship Rodeo begins
July 2 Painted Pony Championship Rodeo, Lake Luzerne, N.Y., begins
July 2 Black Hills Round-Up, Belle Fourche, S.D., begins
July 2 Old West Trail Rodeo, Crawford, Neb., begins
July 2 Folsom (Calif.) ProRodeo begins
July 2 Livingston (Mont.) Round-up begins
July 2 Mid-Western Rodeo, Manawa, Wis., begins
July 2 Mandan (N.D.) Rodeo Days begins
July 2 Sitting Bull Stampede, Mobridge, S.D., begins
July 2 Molalla (Ore.) Buckeroo Rodeo begins
July 2 Home of Champions Rodeo, Red Lodge, Mont., begins
July 3 Cowtown Rodeo, Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J.
July 3 Capitol Legends PRCA Rodeo, Fort Pierre, S.D., begins
July 3 Killdeer (N.D.) Mountain Roundup Rodeo begins
July 3 Steamboat Springs (Colo.) ProRodeo Series begins
July 5 Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour, Cody, Wyo.
