PRCA announces Bucking Stock of the Year awards
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A familiar champion, a repeat winner and a shared title are among the highlights of the 2008 PRCA Stock of the Year awards, presented by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco.
The winners, voted on by the top 30 contestants in each event as of Sept. 1, were announced today. The awards will be presented to the stock contractors Dec. 3 at the PRCA Awards Banquet at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. The banquet is held in conjunction with the annual PRCA Convention, Dec. 1-4.
Bucking horse Grated Coconut, owned by Calgary Stampede, topped the bareback riding category. The stallion won for a third consecutive time and the fifth time overall.
The honor ties the achievement by Bernis Johnson’s Sippin’ Velvet, a five-time bareback horse of the year and member of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, who won titles in 1978, from 1983-84 and 1986-87.
Descent, the great saddle bronc of Beutler Brothers and Cervi Rodeo, holds the overall PRCA record with six Saddle Bronc of the Year titles in the 1960s and 1970s.
Flying Five Rodeo Company’s Miss Amerititle, who will be honored posthumously, finished second in the voting, while Classic Pro Rodeo’s Big Tex rounded out the top three bareback horses.
It was the second straight win for Beutler & Son Rodeo Company bull Voodoo Child. Flying U Rodeo Company’s Troubadour placed second in the PRCA Bull of the Year voting, and Warzone, owned by Corey & Horst Rodeo Company, finished third.
In the saddle bronc riding, Cool Alley from the Kesler Championship Rodeo string shared top honors with Burch Rodeo Company’s Blood Brother.
A versatile talent, Cool Alley was voted Bareback Riding Horse of the Year in 2001 and Saddle Bronc Riding Horse of the Year in 2004. It was the first honor for Blood Brother.
“I have a lot of respect for both of those horses,” said six-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Dan Mortensen, Billings, Mont., of Blood Brother and Cool Alley. “I’ve been on both of them four times and am 2-and-2 on both of them. They’re both really good horses, but they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum. Blood Brother’s a little horse, and Cool Alley is a great, big horse. With Cool Alley, you can have really good timing with that horse, but she is just huge and super powerful. There is really no timing with Blood Brother because he’s doing something different with every jump.”
Wyoming’s Miss Congeniality rounded out the top three. The Powder River Rodeo mare was voted saddle bronc riding Horse of the Year in 2005 and 2007 before taking third place this year.
U.S. Smokeless Tobacco has been a partner of the PRCA since 1986, and is the title sponsor of the PRCA Stock of the Year awards.
Later this week, the AQHA/PRCA Horses of the Year will be announced in steer wrestling, team roping (heading and heeling), tie-down roping and steer roping.
The ProRodeo Sports News, THE Voice of ProRodeo, will have in-depth coverage of all the winners in its Oct. 24 edition.
Buckles awarded to Heartland champions
WACO, Texas - History was made on Oct. 11 as seven cowboys were crowned inaugural Heartland ProRodeo champions at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex.
Dave Worsfold (bareback riding), Stran Smith (tie-down roping), Rodney Burks (steer wrestling), Kobyn Williams (saddle bronc riding), Bubba Bohac (team roping – heading), Twister Cain (team roping – heeling) and Bobby Welsh (bull riding) have forever bragging rights as the first cowboys to wear Heartland ProRodeo Series overall champion buckles in the year-long series and end-of-season championships created to support Heartland rodeos – those with prize money less than $30,000.
Williams, of DeBerry, Texas, won the most money he has ever won in his career at the Heartland ProRodeo Championships, held Oct. 3-11. He scored 67 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Billings and won the title after he ended up as the lone saddle bronc rider in the final four to post a qualified ride.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Williams said. “It’s amazing. I barely slipped into the finals. I just kept chipping away and here I am holding the gold buckle.”
Excitement was in the air as the nine-performance competition wrapped up. The rodeo began with 30 contestants in pool play, and the field was trimmed down to a do-or-die, final-four extravaganza.
The total purse of $482,500 was among the compelling storylines of the Heartland ProRodeo Championships.
“Winning is a good shot in the arm this time of year,” said Stran Smith of Childress, Texas, who won the tie-down roping title. “To win a check like that, you have to win a major rodeo and do really well. So (to win) that $7,500 at the end of the night, you’d have to be at a Dallas, Omaha (Neb.) or Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.”
Smith, who won the four-man final round with a time of 8.3 seconds, is among those mathematically qualified for the Wrangler NFR.
“I’ve won a lot of stuff here,” Smith said. “I made the (Wrangler National) Finals from here once. I won an eight-man match here. I won the Texas Circuit all-around and calf roping here once. Waco has always been great to me.”
The playoff, clean-slate format that began with the challenge round on Oct. 9 also created buzz. The field was trimmed from 12 to 10 to eight and finally four, which meant that winners were announced and buckles were awarded on three consecutive nights.
“I love this format,” said ProRodeo Hall of Fame announcer Hadley Barrett, who was behind the microphone at the Heartland ProRodeo Championships with 10-time PRCA announcer of the year Randy Corley.
Fans were able to see world champions, such as reigning World Champion All-Around Cowboy, Steer Roper and Tie-Down Roper Trevor Brazile, eight-time World Champion Fred Whitfield, and reigning Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo All-Around Champion Kyle Whitaker, along with circuit and Heartland cowboys.
Unofficial results from the Heartland final four held Oct. 11, 2008
Bareback riding – 1. Dave Worsfold, 89 points on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Goodtime Charlie, $7,500; 2. Caleb Bennett, 88, $5,000; 3. Silas Richards, 83; 4. Matt Bright, 73.
Tie-down roping - 1. Stran Smith, 8.3 seconds, $7,500; 2. Kody Curry, 9.7, $5,000; 3. Cimarron Boardman, 19.2; 4. Scott Kormos, NT.
Steer wrestling – (tie) 1. Rodney Burks and Zack Cobb, 3.7 seconds, $6,250 each; 3. Gary Daniel, 4.8; 4. Chad Van Campen, 13.4. *Burks won the tiebreaker thanks to his 4.2-second run in the eight-man round on Oct. 11.
Saddle bronc riding - 1. Kobyn Williams, 67 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Billings, $7,500; no other qualified rides.
Team roping - 1. Bubba Bohac/Twister Cain, 5.7 seconds, $7,500 each; 2. Nick Sartain/Mickey Gomez, 6.6, $5,000; 3. Joel Bach/Wes Goodrich, 20.9; 4. Casey Gattis/Seth Smithson, NT.
Bull riding – 1. J.W. Harris*; no qualified rides.
*Harris won by virtue of finishing first in the semifinals. **Harris did not compete in 30 Heartland ProRodeo Series rodeos, so the overall championship prizes and title went to Bobby Welsh, who finished second to Harris in the eight-man round.
Unofficial results from the round of eight in Heartland Championships on Oct. 11
Bareback riding: 1. Dave Worsfold, 86 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Power Play, $1,500; 2. Caleb Bennett, 85, $1,250; 3. (tie) Silas Richards and Matt Bright, 83, $875 each; 5. Dennis Foyil, 82; 6. Jessy Davis, 81; 7. (tie) Wes Stevenson and Tim Shirley, 80.
Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Scott Kormos and Kody Curry, 9.0 seconds, $1,375 each; 3. Stran Smith, 9.4, $1,000; 4. (tie) Cimarron Boardman and Fred Whitfield, 9.9, $375 each; 6. Matt Kenney, 10.3; 7. Doug Pharr, 11.2; 8. Justin Maass, NT.
Steer wrestling: 1. Chad Van Campen, 3.7 seconds, $1,500; 2. Gary Daniel, 4.1, $1,250; 3. Rodney Burks, 4.2, $1,000; 4. Zack Cobb, 4.3, $750; 5. Spud Duvall, 4.6; 6. Joey Bell Jr., 4.8; 7. Kyle Whitaker, 5.2; 8. Cale Emmett, 13.6.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Marty Hebb, 80 points, $1,500; 2. (tie) Curtis Garton and Jake Griffin, 78, $1,125 each; 4. Kobyn Williams, 75, $750; 5. Brody Bolton, 72; 6. Lyle Welling, 69; 7. (tie) Clayton Zibell and Leland Wood, NS.
Team roping: 1. Nick Sartain/Mickey Gomez, 4.9 seconds, $1,500 each; 2. Bubba Bohac/Twister Cain, 6.3, $1,250; 3. Casey Gattis/Seth Smithson, 6.6, $1,000; 4. Joel Bach/Wes Goodrich, 7.0, $750; 5. Robert Pixley/Tyler McKnight, 8.3; 6. Chance Kelton/Boogie Ray, 10.2; 7. Justin Lovell/Colby Lovell, 20.3; 8. Caleb Mitchell/Kipp Harrell, 27.3.
Bull riding: 1. J.W. Harris, 86 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Big D, $1,500; 2. Bobby Welsh, 72, $1,250; 3. Josh Barentine*, NS; Clay Lewis*, NS; Bandy Murphy, Logan Allen, Jay Morrow and Tylor Wojciechowski did not post qualified rides.
*Advanced to the final four by virtue of tiebreakers.
Myers wins Heartland Steer Roping Finals
AMARILLO, Texas – Cash Myers knows how to thrive under pressure. When the Athens, Texas, cowboy arrived at the Amarillo (Texas) National Center on Oct. 12 to compete in the Heartland ProRodeo Steer Roping Finals, Myers was ranked 17th in the steer roping Crusher Rentals PRCA World Standings.
Myers has qualified for the National Finals Steer Roping four times, including the last three years in a row. But in order to advance to the 2008 event next month in Hobbs, N.M., Myers had to earn enough prize money in Amarillo to catapult into the Top 15.
The Heartland Series finale, which featured 30 competitors who had qualified from a series of designated rodeos with purses under $30,000, was the last regular-season stop for steer ropers. The inaugural show carried a lot of weight because the purse was $30,750, and it attracted many of the world’s top hands.
Myers entered the show almost $2,000 behind 15th-ranked Buster Record in the world standings.
With a National Finals berth at stake, Myers earned $6,613 after placing in three rounds and winning the average, meaning that he turned in the fastest aggregate time on four runs. Meanwhile, Record, a former world champion from Buffalo, Okla., earned $552 in the second round.
When the PRCA releases its official standings later this week, fans can expect to see Myers ranked in the top 15 and headed to the Nov. 14-15 Hobbs championships. Record is expected to finish 16th, one place away from qualifying for the National Finals, officials said.
Asked about thriving in the clutch, Myers said: “When you are in a situation like that, there’s not a lot of thinking involved. You just have to go execute.”
At the end of the performance, Myers won the average after finishing with a four-run time of 46.8 seconds and Chris Glover of Keenesburg, Colo., came in second with a 53.2. Third was Mike Chase of McAlester, Okla., with 54.7.
But Myers stole the show. He won the first round with a 9.6, the fastest time of the day.
“A good start always helps the rest of the day, but it doesn’t mean that you will have a good whole rodeo, so you have to take it piece by piece,” Myers said.
Myers did just that by following up with a smooth run of 10.6 in the second round, which was good enough for second place. In the third round, he turned in a solid time of 12.5.
Myers entered the final round with a commanding lead in the average with a three-run time of 32.7, 5.8 seconds ahead of second-place Rocky Patterson.
When the title was at stake in the final, Myers remained in control by turning in a 14.1, the fourth fastest time in the 15-man short round.
During the third round, Tim Abbott of Midland sustained a leg injury; he was transported to a local hospital. Abbott entered the show ranked ninth in the world standings with $25,546 and he has secured a berth in the National Finals Steer Roping.
Unofficial results from Heartland Steer Roping Finals
First round: 1. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, 9.6, $1,682; 2. Will Gasperson, Decatur, Texas, 10.3, $1,392; 3. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 10.4, $1,102; 4. Chris Glover, Keenesburg, Colo, 10.9, $812; 5. Guy Allen, Santa Anna, Texas, 11.1, $522; 6. Dan Fisher, Andrews, Texas, 11.5, $290.
Second round: 1. Walter Priestly, Robstown, Texas, 10.2, $1,682; 2. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, 10.6, $1,392; 3. Marty Jones, Hobbs, N.M., 11.1, $1,102; 4. Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla., 11.2, $812; 5. Buster Record, Buffalo, Okla. 11.4, $552; 6. Guy Allen, Santa Anna, Texas, 12.7, $290.
Third round: 1. Scott Snedecor, Uvalde, Texas, 10.1, $1,682; 2. Shane Suggs, Granbury, Texas, 10.3, $1,392; 3. Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla., 10.5, $1,102; 4. Rod Hartness, Pawhauska, Okla., 10.9, $812; 5. Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla., 11.9, $552; 6. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, 14.1, $290.
Final round: 1. J.B. Whatley, Gardendale, Texas, 11.1, $700; 2. Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla., 12.9, $525; 3. Chris Glover, Keenesburg, Colo., 13.6, $350; 4. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, 14.1, $175.
Average: 1. Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, 46.8, $3,364; 2. Chris Glover, Kennesburg, Colo., 53.2, $2,784; 3. Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla., 54.7, $2,204; 4. J.B. Whatley, Gardendale, Texas, 54.8, $1,624; 5. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 59.6, $1,044; 6. Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kan., 61.9, $580.
Hurricane Ike blows big names into Sinton
What a difference a hurricane makes. When Hurricane Ike pounded the Gulf Coast, it wrought havoc on a huge area, forcing postponement of outdoor events including the San Patricio ProRodeo, originally scheduled to start Sept. 12 – just hours before Ike made landfall.
But although it lost its original dates, the rodeo in Sinton, Texas – approximately 30 miles from the ocean – gained quite a few big names. Now rescheduled for Oct. 17-18, well after the official close of the 2008 ProRodeo season but still counting toward it because of its original dates, the Sinton rodeo attracted a number of cowboys who decided in September and October that they would grasp the unexpected opportunity to move up or to solidify their slots.
In fact, the rodeo went from hosting no cowboys in the top 30 of the Crusher PRCA World Standings to 33 top-30 contestants – 16 of them from the Top 15 and six in the top 10, including top-ranked steer roper Scott Snedecor of Uvalde, Texas, No. 2 bull rider Wesley Silcox of Philadelphia, Miss., and No. 3 tie-down roper Mike Johnson of Henryetta, Okla.
Sinton also added a number of cowboys who have been parked around the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo cutoff mark at number 15, especially in the team roping. This weekend could affect 2008 standings; the Oct. 20 PRCA press release will follow up.
Badlands results summary
It was, unsurprisingly, a two-Tierney weekend in Minot, N.D., at the Badlands Circuit Finals, Oct. 9-12. South Dakotans Paul D. Tierney, brother of Jess Tierney and son of ProRodeo Hall of Famer Paul M. Tierney, won the all-around at the Badlands Circuit Finals and placed second in the average in the tie-down roping. The brothers took second in the team roping average as well.
Jess Tierney tied Preston Billadeau for second place in the all-around by sharing the team roping second place with his ProRodeo Hall of Fame father and placing second in the third and fourth rounds of the tie-down roping.
The saddle bronc riding, expected to be highly competitive, did not disappoint. Chad Ferley, the 2006 world champion, won three rounds and took second in the other, demonstrating a consistency unusual in roughstock events.
But second-place finisher Bryce Miller of Buffalo, S.D., and the cowboys who shared third place, O.J. Heidler of Opal, S.D., and Rollie Wilson of Buffalo, S.D., combined with Ferley for 11 of the 16 places available in the four rounds, leaving barely a window for other top riders, including J.J. Elshere of Quinn, S.D., and Kane Gjermundson of Marshall, N.D., son of Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer Brad Gjermundson.
Upcoming PRCA Rodeos
All of these rodeos count toward 2009 points and standings except Sinton, Texas, which counts toward 2008.
Montana Circuit: NILE ProRodeo, Billings, Oct. 15-18.
Southeastern Circuit: Arkansas State Fair Rodeo, Little Rock, Oct. 16-18; Washington Parish Free Fair Rodeo, Franklinton, La., Oct. 17-18; Greater Gulf State Fair Rodeo, Mobile, Ala., Oct. 20-21.
Texas Circuit: Trinity Valley Exposition, Liberty, Oct. 15-18; Rusk County PRCA Rodeo, Henderson, Oct. 15-16; San Patricio ProRodeo, Sinton, Oct. 17-18.
Mark these dates on your calandar!
Oct. 23 Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo (Kansas City, Mo.) and Steer Roping Finals (Bucyrus, Kan.) begins
Oct. 23 Dodge Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeo (Ogden, Utah) begins
Oct. 24 Dodge XBulls Finale, Indianapolis, Ind.
Nov. 7 2008 Wrangler ProRodeo Tour Championship, Ariat Playoffs, Dallas round begins
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