Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associaion News and Notes September 2, 2008

Posted Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Northwest exposure: Top riders, ropers head to Puyallup
The top remaining competitors from the recently completed Wrangler ProRodeo Tour and Caldwell (Idaho) Night Rodeo, the first Ariat Playoff Series event, meet at the Puyallup (Wash.) Pro Rodeo this weekend for the second of four events in the $1.62 million Ariat Playoffs.

The 191-competitor field features 23 past or present world champions, representing 68 world titles. They will compete for a share of the $348,000 purse when the three-day event starts Sept. 5 at the Western Washington Fairgrounds. The Wrangler ProRodeo Tour’s Puyallup round will be televised on Fox Sports Net, with three separate one-hour telecasts beginning the week of Sept. 22.

Action takes place on Sept. 5-6 at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. PT, with each of the first four performances consisting of 12 competitors in each event. The semifinal round, which will feature the top eight competitors in each event after two go-rounds, is scheduled to get under way at 1 p.m. Sept. 7, with the four-person final round immediately following.

Five-time and reigning World Champion All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, heads the list as the only two-event cowboy in Puyallup, competing in team roping (with Patrick Smith, the 2005 world champion team roping heeler) and tie-down roping, an event in which Brazile won the world title in 2007.

Brazile, the leader by $70,000 in the world’s all-around standings, is trying to match Tom Ferguson and Larry Mahan, who each won six world all-around titles, and would trail only Ty Murray’s mark of seven in the record books.

In addition to Brazile, five other reigning world champions plan on being in attendance in Puyallup this week – bareback rider Bobby Mote of Culver, Ore.; steer wrestler Jason Miller of Lance Creek, Wyo.; team roping heeler Walt Woodard of Stephenville, Texas; saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M.; and barrel racer Brittany Pozzi-Pharr of Victoria, Texas.

The top 11 contestants in each event, based on total prize money from the cumulative Wrangler ProRodeo Tour regular season standings, plus points from the first two Ariat Playoffs, will join the Puyallup champion in each event in qualifying for the River City Roundup in Omaha, Neb., the third Ariat Playoffs event. Action in Omaha is scheduled for Sept. 25-27.

The Playoffs started in Caldwell, Idaho, Aug. 12-16, with the top 35 contestants from the 26-city Wrangler ProRodeo Tour and each event champion from the 2008 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo. After Caldwell, the field was whittled to the top 22 from the cumulative Tour standings Caldwell playoff champs, plus DNCFR titlists.

For more information on the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour and the Ariat Playoffs, visit www.prorodeo.com.

Ariat Playoff Series – Puyallup Pro Rodeo Qualifiers List
The following is the list of qualifiers for the Puyallup (Wash.) Pro Rodeo, the second event of the four-rodeo Ariat Playoff Series, which runs Sept. 5-7. By rule, each event’s top 22 competitors in Wrangler ProRodeo Tour points, plus each event champion from the Caldwell (Idaho) Night Rodeo and the 2008 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo qualify for Puyallup. The list is current as of Sept. 2, 2008:

Bareback riding
Bo Casper, Fort Scott, Ark.
Jessy Davis, Payson, Utah
Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb.
Kaycee Feild, Elk Ridge, Utah
D.V. Fennell, Neosho, Mo.
Heath Ford, Greeley, Colo.
Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo.
Cimmaron Gerke, Brighton, Colo.
Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash.
Chris Harris, Itasca, Texas
Jason Havens, Prineville, Ore.
Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas
Paul Jones, Elko, Nev.
Dusty LaValley, Crooked Creek, Alberta
Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas
Justin McDaniel, Porum, Okla.
Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore.
Dustin Murray, Wellston, Okla.
Jerad Schlegel, Burns, Colo.
Tim Shirley, Conifer, Colo.
Jared Smith, Ranger, Texas
Wes Stevenson, Kaufman, Texas
Kelly Timberman, Mills, Wyo.
Josi Young, Kimberly, Idaho

Steer wrestling
Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif.
Steven Campbell, Midwest, Wyo.
Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta
Beau Franzen, Sidney, Mont.
Cody Glover, Granbury, Texas
Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb.
Stockton Graves, Newkirk, Okla.
Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore.
Dane Hanna, Starkville, Miss.
K.C. Jones, Decatur, Texas
Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore.
Gabe Ledoux, Kaplan, La.
Ken Lewis, La Junta, Colo.
Casey Martin, Sulphur, La.
Casey McMillen, Craig, Colo.
Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo.
Brad Morgan, Brandon, Miss.
Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla.
Cash Myers, Athens, Texas
Troy Orr, Lebanon, Tenn.
Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D.
Les Shepperson, Midwest, Wyo.
Todd Suhn, North Platte, Neb.
Wade Sumpter, Fowler, Colo.

Team roping (Heading)
Jake Barnes, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz.
Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas
Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C.
Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M.

Derick Fleming, Worden, Mont.
Matt Funk, Hermiston, Ore.
Reese Kerr, Comfort, Texas
JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas
Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash.
Spencer Mitchell, Colusa, Calif.
Logan Olson, Flandreau, S.D.
Turtle Powell, Alpine, Texas
Nick Sartain, Pilot Point, Texas
Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz.
Justin Spence, Modesto, Calif.
Jake Stanley, Hermiston, Ore.
Colter Todd, Marana, Ariz.
Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo.
Travis Tryan, Billings, Mont.
Speed Williams, De Leon, Texas

Team roping (Heeling)
Randon Adams, Logandale, Nev.
Evan Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif.
Victor Aros, Apache Junction, Ariz.
Allen Bach, Weatherford, Texas
Marty Becker, Edmonton, Alberta
Bucky Campbell, Benton City, Wash.
Clay O’Brien Cooper, Morgan Mill, Texas
Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M.
Jade Corkill, Fallon, Nev.
Cody Cowden, Merced, Calif.
Broc Cresta, Petaluma, Calif.
Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz.
Travis Graves, Jay, Okla.
Kinney Harrell, San Angelo, Texas
Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo.
Michael Jones, Stephenville, Texas
Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas
Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas
Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash.
Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas
Cory Petska, Lexington, Okla.
Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah
Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas
Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas

Saddle bronc riding
Justin Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif.
Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D.
Anthony Bello, Oakley, Utah
Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La.
Heith DeMoss, Crowville, La.
Isaac Diaz, Stephenville, Texas
J.J. Elshere, Quinn, S.D.
Billy Etbauer, Edmond, Okla.
Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D.
Dustin Flundra, Pincher Creek, Alberta
Bobby Griswold, Geary, Okla.
Dusty Hausauer, Dickinson, N.D.
Rod Hay, Wildwood, Alberta
Cody Horwedel, Brock, Texas
Chet Johnson, Gillette, Wyo.
Sam Kelts, Millarville, Alberta
Scott Keogh, Queensland, Australia
Jess Martin, Dillon, Mont.
Bryce Miller, Buffalo, S.D.
Ben Morrow, Grafton, Australia
Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M.
Shaun Stroh, Dickinson, N.D.
Cody Taton, Newell, S.D.
Cody Wright, Milford, Utah

Tie-down roping
Casey Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif.
Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas
Barry Burk, Hermiston, Ore.
Blair Burk, Durant, Okla.
Seth Childers, Cameron, Texas
Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas
Kody Curry, Athens, Texas
Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash.
Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas
Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla.
Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M.
Seth Hopper, Stanfield, Ore.
Ryan Jarrett, Summerville, Ga.
Mike Johnson, Henryetta, Okla.
Scott Kormos, Teague, Texas
Caddo Lewallen, Morrison, Okla.
Michael Otero, Foley, Ala.
Josh Peek, Pueblo, Colo.
Doug Pharr, Victoria, Texas
Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah
Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla.
Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho
Stran Smith, Childress, Texas
Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas

Barrel racing
Whitney Baker, Stephenville, Texas
Sydni Blanchard, Albuquerque, N.M.
Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz.
Traci Dawson, Erskine, Alberta
Tiffany Fox, Fox, Okla.
Stephanie Fryar, Big Spring, Texas
Jana Jarreau, Greenwell Springs, La.
Sherrylynn Johnson, Henryetta, Okla.
Tammy Key-Fischer, Ledbetter, Texas
Layna Kight, Wills Point, Texas
Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D.
Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo.
Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore.
Megan McLeod, Star, Idaho
Heidi Meuwissen, Mayer, Minn.
Jill Moody, Letcher, S.D.
Cassie Moseley, Farwell, Texas
Shelley Murphy, Helena, Mont.
Brittany Pozzi-Pharr, Victoria, Texas
Maegan Reichert, Mount Pleasant, Texas
Deb Renger, Okotoks, Alberta
Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif.
Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta
Barb West, Oak Harbor, Wash.

Bull riding
Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D.
Fred Boettcher, Rice Lake, Wis.
Howdy Cloud, Kountze, Texas
Brian Curtis, Belle Fourche, S.D.
Douglas Duncan, Huntsville, Texas
Seth Glause, Rock Springs, Wyo.
Cody Hancock, Taylor, Ariz.
J.W. Harris, May, Texas
Spud Jones, Tohatchi, N.M.
Cooper Kangiesser, Zenda, Kan.
Logan Knibbe, Rockdale, Texas
Poncho Limas, Weatherford, Okla.
Ardie Maier, Timber Lake, S.D.
Cory McFadden, Coleman, Texas
Zack Oakes, Elk, Wash.
Shawn Proctor, Tooele, Utah
B.J. Schumacher, Hillsboro, Wis.
Chance Smart, Philadelphia, Miss.
Tate Stratton, Stanley, N.M.
Jake Wade, Alamo, Nev.
Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo.
Stormy Wing, Dalhart, Texas
Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah

Lewiston, Fort Madison highlight week ahead
The cities of Fort Madison, Iowa, and Lewiston, Idaho, are separated by some 1,750 miles, but this weekend the two venues will serve as meeting points for those looking for big paydays.

The Fort Madison Tri-State Rodeo kicks off the week on Sept. 3, with the four-performance rodeo scheduled to conclude on Sept. 6. The Tri-State Rodeo offers $10,000 in added money per event and had a purse of more than $130,000 in 2007. Stock contracting company Cervi & Guidry Rodeo is providing livestock in Fort Madison, which is located in extreme southeastern Iowa on the banks of the Mississippi River, just miles from the Illinois and Missouri borders.

The Lewiston Roundup gets cranked up on Sept. 5 for the first of three performances in that town located in northwestern Idaho at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. The rodeo, which concludes on Sept. 7, features livestock provided by the father-son combination of Wade and Ike Sankey, representing New West Rodeo Productions and Sankey Rodeo Company, respectively. Last year’s Roundup had a total purse of more than $140,000 and this year again offers $10,100 in added money per event.

Lewiston served as the state’s first capital before later moving to Boise.
Both events are former stops on the summer Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, Lewiston in 2000 and Fort Madison in 2001.

Roping champ wins in Ellensburg
Chad Masters, the reigning world champion team roper (heading), joined forces with heeling partner Michael Jones to win the three-head average title at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo. Masters, of Clarksville, Tenn., and Jones, of Stephenville, Texas, recorded a total time of 15.6 seconds, good for $6.950 each.

The team won the title by an amazing three seconds, fueled by victories in the second and final rounds plus a fourth-place showing in the first round.

Another world champion, bareback rider Will Lowe, also enjoyed success in Ellensburg. Lowe, a three-time world champion from Canyon, Texas, rode two horses for 169 points, just one point better than Josi Young of Kimberly, Idaho, and won checks worth $8,189.

2004 World Champion Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho continued his outstanding season. Branquinho, of Los Alamos, Calif., shared the three-head title with Ken Lewis of La Junta, Colo., with times of 13.6 seconds. Branquinho earned $5,153, while Lewis bagged $3,838.

Other champions from Ellensburg were saddle bronc rider Dusty Hausauer of Dickinson, N.D., 170 points on two head, $7,432; tie-down roper Matt Shiozawa of Chubbuck, Idaho, 26.5 seconds on three head, $5,593; bull rider Marcus Michaelis of Caldwell, Idaho, 173 points on two head, $6,267; and barrel racer Sheena Robbins of Fresno, Calif., 52.33 seconds on three runs, $6,988.

Glause wins Ellensburg Xtreme Bulls
Seth Glause outlasted the competition Aug. 30 at the Ellensburg, Wash., stop on the Dodge Xtreme Bulls Tour, presented by B&W Trailer Hitches. Glause, of Rock Springs, Wyo., recorded the only qualified ride of the 12-man final round to win the two-head average title and checks worth $12,986 that virtually assured his spot in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Glause scored 88 points on Corey & Horst Rodeo’s Northern Chill, then sat back and watched six other cowboys hit the turf before the eight-second whistle. He finished with 174 points on two head.

Zeb Lanham, the 2006 Dodge Xtreme Bulls national champion, won the first round with a 92-point ride on Western Rodeos’ Keepsake and finished second in the final average standings.

Muncy makes triumphant return
Taos Muncy, the reigning world champion saddle bronc rider who missed the last four months after suffering multiple fractures in his right leg at the Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up, returned to action by winning a share of the title at the Walla Walla (Wash.) Fair & Frontier Days, which concluded Aug. 31.

Muncy, of Corona, N.M., earned $2,050 after his 81-point ride aboard Growney Brothers Rodeo’s ProRodeo.com, good for a three-way tie for first place with Rusty Allen and Dusty Hausauer.

“I felt good this weekend,” Muncy said. “The leg is still a little weaker and I’m still a little afraid to use it as much, and that’s in the back of your mind. But it feels good, and I’m glad to be back.”

Muncy, who in 2007 became the youngest world champion saddle bronc rider, suffered the injury April 20 in the popular “Wild Ride” segment that follows the rodeo. His foot got caught in the stirrup while dismounting the horse.

Surgery was performed the following day in which a rod was inserted into his leg.
Since then, Muncy dropped from No. 7 to No. 25 in the Crusher Rentals PRCA World Standings and is approximately $21,000 from the Top 15.

“I’m going to Puyallup (Wash.) and a few other rodeos this week, and if I get lucky and have a good weekend, then I’ll keep going,” Muncy said. “If not, I’ll stay home and wait until next year.”

Hall of Fame winter hours
Effective Sept. 1, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy will observe its winter hours schedule. The building will be open only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The building will be closed Monday and Tuesday. Winter hours continue through April 1. For more information, visit prorodeohallof fame.com

Upcoming PRCA Rodeos

Columbia River Circuit: Puyallup Pro Rodeo, Sept. 5-7, Puyallup, Wash.; Spokane County Interstate Rodeo, Sept. 5-7, Spokane, Wash.

First Frontier Circuit: Cowtown Rodeo, Sept. 6, Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J.

Great Lakes Circuit: Tri State Rodeo, Sept. 3-6, Fort Madison, Iowa; Jesse James Days Rodeo, Sept. 5-6, Northfield, Minn.; Charlotte Frontier Days Pro Rodeo, Sept. 5-7, Charlotte, Mich.

Southeastern Circuit: Davie Pro Rodeo, Sept. 6, Davie, Fla.; Southern Pro Rodeo, Sept. 6, Tylertown, Miss.

Turquoise Circuit: Dodge Xtreme Bulls Division II Qualifying Event, Sept. 4, Lewiston, Idaho

Wilderness Circuit: Dodge Xtreme Bulls Division II Qualifying Event, Sept. 4, Lewiston, Idaho; Utah’s Own Rodeo at the Utah State Fair, Sept. 4-7, Salt Lake City, Utah; Lewiston Roundup, Sept. 5-7, Lewiston, Idaho