McTaggart claims Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls crown
RENO, NEV. – Colin McTaggart won his first Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour event after three years of trying in his adopted state of Nevada on June 18. The extremely athletic pen of bulls made the Reno competition a survival of the fittest, and McTaggart managed to hang on when needed.
No bull rider was able to cover two bulls, and six cowboys had to be drawn into the 12-man finals to fill the field.
McTaggart clinched the title with an 85-point ride on Western Rodeo’s Rough And Ready to win the Tour stop, presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center.
It was the first competition for new title sponsor Seminole Hard Rock (see story below), and McTaggart collected $11,336 in prize money.
“At every one of those (Xtreme Bulls) stops, it’s in the back of my mind that I haven’t ever won one,” said McTaggart, who turns 24 next month. “To finally win one, it’s a big weight off my shoulders. I wouldn’t mind winning some more, that’s for sure.”
McTaggart, from Brentwood, Calif., has been embraced by Nevada bull riding fans, especially those in Las Vegas, since he started going to college at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas a few years ago. He also competed on the UNLV rodeo team and was a crowd favorite in 2007 and 2008 at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo held at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.
It seems fitting then that McTaggart would finally break through to win his first Xtreme Bulls stop in Nevada. McTaggart wasn’t a favorite on paper, with cowboys, such as reigning World Champion J.W. Harris in the field. However, McTaggart’s 85 points in the first round held up down the stretch.
Tyler Johnston scored 88 points on Growney Brothers’ West Coast Offense in the finals, but he was not eligible for the average title since he was drawn into the finals, so the overall title was awarded to McTaggart.
“The bulls bucked a lot of guys off at the six-to-seven-second range that were going to be a lot of points,” McTaggart said. “It was kind of a weird night.”
Strange or not, McTaggart will take it. He was outside the top 25 in both the Xtreme Bulls standings and the PRCA World Standings and used Reno to vault to 11th in the Xtreme Bulls and 13th in the world standings.
“I was surprised I would win the long go with (the score),” he said. “I had no idea I would be able to win the event with it.”
Call it good Nevada karma if you like, but McTaggart is already heading down the road looking for more prize money.
The Reno Xtreme Bulls stop will be broadcast at noon (ET) on July 5 on ESPN2. The program will re-air at noon (ET) on July 25 and July 26 on ESPN Classic. Complete Reno Xtreme Bulls results are on ProRodeo.com.
-- Bob Welch and Johnna Espinoza
Seminole Hard Rock becomes PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour title sponsor
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) has secured the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment Inc., as the new title sponsor for the Xtreme Bulls Tour, presented by B&W Trailer Hitches. The Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour provides ProRodeo enthusiasts with a national schedule that brings the excitement of PRCA bull riding to millions of fans and includes at least 27 hours of coverage on ESPN Networks.
“We are very pleased to have the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment as a title sponsor of the Xtreme Bulls Tour,” said Sean Daniels, vice president PRCA Properties. “We believe their involvement will bring increased visibility for our cowboys. We appreciate all those who are putting in tremendous effort and long hours to make the Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour an exciting and fun event for our contestants and fans.”
The Seminoles are also a participating sponsor at the Dodge Southeastern Circuit Finals Rodeo, presented by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, and have been the presenting sponsor of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo telecasts on ESPN networks for the past two years.
“The Seminole Tribe of Florida has a rich tradition in agriculture and rodeo” said Richard Bowers, president of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. “This sponsorship continues our commitment of supporting the cowboys and cowgirls in the sport of pro rodeo.”
The 2009 Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour features events scheduled throughout the year across the United States and will conclude with the Tour Finale on Sept. 5 in Ellensburg, Wash. The Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour has a combined purse of $510,000. Money earned on the Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour counts toward PRCA World Standings, which determine Wrangler NFR qualifiers.
--Winnercomm
Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping boasts record-setting prize money
There will be something old, something new, something borrowed and something green in the vows exchanged by the PRCA and Lazy E Productions this fall.
The big news is the green -- a record $255,000 in prize money that will be offered for the 51st annual National Finals Steer Roping, including an $18,972 payoff to the winner of the average title.
It had been earlier announced that the event would have a new name – the Clem McSpadden NFSR, to honor one of the event's greatest supporters – for its return to its old home at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla., after a decade at other venues.
The year-end championship event featuring the 15 best steer ropers in the world, will be held Nov. 6-7, a date borrowed from tradition. The NFSR has been a fixture on the first full weekend of November for several years.
The Oklahoma state Legislature unanimously passed a resolution earlier this year to change the name of the event, to honor McSpadden, who served for many years in the Oklahoma Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives while also building a reputation as one of the best announcers in rodeo history. He worked the NFSR a record 27 times, taking his last turn in 2000, the last year the event was held in Guthrie.
Upcoming PRCA Rodeos
June 25 Crystal Springs Ranch Rodeo, Clear Lake, S.D., begins
June 25 Davie (Fla.) Pro Rodeo, begins
June 25 Edgewood (Iowa) Days PRCA Rodeo, begins
June 25 Western Fest Stampede Rodeo, Granite Falls, Minn., begins
June 25 Lehi (Utah) Round-Up, begins
June 25 Piatt County Trail Blazers Rodeo Monticello, Ill., begins
June 25 Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede begins
June 26 Bear Paw Round-Up, Chinook, Mont., begins
June 26 St. Croix Valley PRCA Rodeo, Glenwood City, Wis., begins
June 26 Mesquite (Texas) Championship Rodeo, begins
June 26 Daniel Dopps Memorial Dodge PRCA Rodeo, Mountain Home, Idaho begins
June 26 Mission Mountain PRCA Rodeo, Polson, Mont., begins
June 26 Days of ’56 PRCA Rodeo, Ponca, Neb., begins
June 26 Steamboat Springs (Colo.) Pro Rodeo Series begins
June 26 Thermopolis (Wyo.) Cowboy Rendezvous begins
June 26 Barry County Fair & PRCA Rodeo, Wheaton, Mo., begins
June 26 Roughrider Days Rodeo, Dickinson, N.D., begins
June 26 New England Wild West Fest, Marshfield, Mass., begins
June 26 Crooked River Roundup, Prineville, Ore., begins
June 26 Williams Lake (B.C.) Stampede, begins
June 27 Cowtown Rodeo, Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J.
June 27 Beaver Valley Horse Club Rodeo, Strasburg, N.D., begins
June 28 Augusta (Mont.) American Legion Rodeo
Next Up
June 24 West of the Pecos (Texas) Rodeo begins
June 24 Rodeo de Santa Fe (N.M.) begins
Rodeo News and Notes
PSN, ProRodeo.com on Facebook
For those who Facebook with their friends and thrive on Tweets – and for everyone who wants up-to-the-hour rodeo news – the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is using both new forms of communication to reach out to fans and members.
On Facebook, members of the rodeo community can see which of their rodeo friends have joined the ProRodeo Sports News and ProRodeo.com pages and request to network with them. They’ll be notified about stories, rodeo results and updates in the magazine and on ProRodeo.com, and can access the newest PRCA merchandise through Facebook.
PRCA members and fans can sign up online for free to become “friends” or “members” of the PRCA’s pages on Facebook. Those who are already Facebook members can access the PSN page by typing "ProRodeo Sports News" in the search bar.
ProRodeo.com also is on Twitter.com, an online messaging service that offers instant bursts of short text messages, such as major rodeo winners. Fans who sign up to be ProRodeo “followers” on Twitter will receive “Tweets” – free online notifications of items posted to ProRodeo.com. A fee is charged to have the same notifications sent to a mobile phone or PDA.
Links to both Facebook and Twitter can be found at the end of ProRodeo.com’s left-side menu.
“We have seen that some of our members, rodeo committees and stock contractors are already on social networking sites, so this is another way to stay in touch with them, (especially) our cowboys on the road who travel with laptop computers or PDAs, like BlackBerry devices or iPhones,” said Sean Daniels, vice president of PRCA Properties.
“We also hope to reach new fans all over the world on Facebook and Twitter,” he added. Facebook boasts about 200 million members, and Twitter around 4 or 5 million.
--Johnna Espinoza
College rodeo champions crowned in Wyoming
CASPER, Wyo. – Ryan Von Ahn saw how a victory in the College National Finals Rodeo helped launch his brother Kollin’s career in the professional ranks, and now he is hoping it is his turn.
Ryan Von Ahn and his Southeastern Oklahoma State University teammate Trevor Connolly combined to win the 61st annual CNFR team roping title on June 20 at the Casper Events Center with a total time of 30.1 seconds on four head.
“It feels good to win,” Ryan Von Ahn said. “I’m following in my brother’s footsteps and hope that someday we can both be roping at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.”
Kollin Von Ahn and his Southeastern Oklahoma State teammate Ryan Carter won the 2005 CNFR title, set an arena record in 2006, and Kollin is now the second-ranked heeler in the PRCA World Standings.
R.C. Landingham, a freshman at Blue Mountain Community College, earned the bareback riding title with 316 points on four head, one point better than his friend and fellow Oregonian Steven Peebles. Peebles, from Redmond, is attending Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College and is leading the bareback riding rookie standings in the PRCA.
“I came here with hopes of making the short round,” Landingham told the East Oregonian,” and then making the top three was awesome, and being able to win...it's almost like it hasn't clicked in yet.”
There was a tie for the men’s all-around title with Jake Wright from Western Texas College – one of World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Cody Wright’s six brothers – and Wyatt Smith from the University of Montana-Western each earning 300 points. Wright competed in saddle bronc riding and bull riding, while Smith won the steer wrestling championship and also earned points in saddle bronc riding.
Wright helped his WTC team earn the men’s championship.
Nikki Steffes from the University of Wyoming won her second all-around title in three years. She had 395 points and also helped carry the UW women’s team to the championship.
Preston Williams earns World’s Greatest Roper title
RENO, Nev. – Nevada native and veteran all-around hand Preston Williams came from behind to win the 2009 World’s Greatest Roper event, June 21 in conjunction with the Reno Rodeo.
The 34-year-old former college national all-around champion had a total time of 78.1 seconds on nine head (three rounds each of heading, tie-down roping, and heeling) to edge second-place Randon Adams by two seconds for the $25,000 paycheck from Lazy E Productions.
Adams, the World Champion Heeler, earned $12,000, while Marty Becker and Jake Cooper tied for third place, each receiving $6,000.
In the dramatic final round, leaders Chad Masters, Pat Boyle, Cooper, Becker and Bret Fleming all relinquished the lead at various times. Williams and several others who made the final round were beneficiaries of a new format.
For the first time, Lazy E Productions opened the $88,000 World’s Greatest Roper event to the world, so ropers who weren’t invited could enter and compete in qualifying rounds. Williams was one of 17 ropers who qualified to compete alongside a group that included last year’s champ, K.C. Jones, and world champs like Masters, Trevor Brazile, Adams and Matt Sherwood.
Williams, who doesn’t compete in rodeo nationwide, preferring circuit rodeos and Indian rodeos, isn’t entered in today's Bob Feist Invitational. That means he’s not eligible for the annual “Reno Triple Crown,” which is an extra $100,000 bonus for a roper who wins the World’s Greatest Roper, the BFI, and the average of a roping event at the Reno Rodeo.
For complete results, visit www.lazye.com.
The BFI, the richest one-day team roping event in the world with prize money estimated at more than 700,000, got under way at 8 a.m. (PT) today in the Reno Livestock Events Center.
Two Canadian champions suffer leg fractures
Reigning World Champion Barrel Racer Lindsay Sears and Davey Shields Jr., Canada’s only million-dollar bareback rider, both suffered leg fractures during rodeos in Alberta, Canada, June 19-21.
Sears, of Nanton, Alberta, sustained a fractured left leg while leaving the infield during the closing performance of the High River rodeo June 21.
The accident happened when her leg slammed into an outgate that had been partially closed. Sears managed to stay in her saddle until help arrived and she could be lifted off her yellow mare that she calls Hankey. She was taken to the High River Hospital, where the leg was partially casted and is now recovering at her parents’ home near Nanton.
“The fracture is on the outside at the top of the fibula,” Sears said of the smaller of the two bones that run from the knee to the ankle.
The horse was not injured.
Sears said she will consult with a doctor today for a second opinion to determine if she if she can be fit enough to ride this weekend. She is scheduled to compete at Ponoka on Thursday, Williams Lake, B.C., on Friday and Reno, Nev., on Saturday, where she is leading both qualifying rounds and stands to win as much as $10,000.
Shields, a four-time Calgary (Alberta) Stampede and three-time Canadian champion, sustained a broken leg on June 20 when a bucking horse fell on him at the Wainwright rodeo. The 33-year-old cowboy was carried out of the infield, taken by ambulance to the local hospital and then transferred to the Peter Lougheed facility in Calgary, where surgery was performed on June 21. The diagnosis was a compound fracture of both bones in his left leg about four inches above the ankle. He was aboard a white bucking horse with the name Out Cold. The horse took about four jumps out of the chute, stumbled, went down head first and rolled on top of Shields, his leg extended with his foot sticking up. He kept his hand locked in his rigging and waited for the horse to regain his footing before pulling the hand free and jumping off the horse. He landed on his right foot and crumpled to the ground.
“I knew my left leg was broken,” he said. “I heard it snap.”
Shields will talk to his doctors today, but is resigned to the fact he’ll be out of action at least until the Labor Day week.
--Courtesy of Dwayne Erickson/Calgary Herald
Special PSN subscription offer for members of the media
The ProRodeo Sports News (PSN), the twice-monthly news magazine published by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is being offered at a sharply discounted rate for members of the media of $32 for 24 issues annually. That's just $1.33 per issue for features, news, results and standings in THE Voice of ProRodeo.
To order at the discounted rate, contact Bob Schustedt, Publishing Support, P.O. Box 2428, Monument, CO 80132 (bschustedt@publishing-support.com or 719.484.0280). Be sure to use the code designation A9MEDA.
