HARRISBURG, PA. – The PRCA’s First Frontier Circuit Finals came down to the last few rides of the night to figure out the final circuit season winners and Circuit Finals average winner.
The three day event, at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Arena, as the closing events of the annual farm show, provided some surprises, both in those who put up scores and those who went scoreless.
Round three closed out Saturday, Jan. 16 in front of a sold out crowd of about 6,000 enthusiastic fans, and the competitors from the circuit stepped up their game thanks to the energy in the room.
The last day of the rodeo opened with bareback riders, where most of the eight competing made the eight second time, but only three scores went in the books, as several fell victim to failing to mark out or slapping the bronc.
The round was split by JC Smith of Aspers, Pa. and Doug Sanders of Pilesgrove, N.J., who put up 73 point rides on Big Mac and John Boy respectively, both broncs of the Painted Pony pen.
Smith spent the last second or two of his ride off the side of the horse, but managed to stay on board without slapping the bronc.
Sanders, who won the average as one of only two cowboys to go three-for-three at the Circuit Finals, gave everyone a scare, when he hit the ground hard after coming off John Boy, and lay motionless in the arena for several minutes, before being helped up and out of the arena, supported by two of his fellow riders. Sanders managed to take his victory lap, with Smith sitting behind him on the horse, but still looked dazed.
The only other rider to put up a qualified ride in bareback riding was Ronald Browning of Statesville, N.C., who rode Kicking Bird (All American) to 64 points, before going airborne right after the 8-second buzzer.
In steer wrestling, the round opened slowly with the first four out putting up no times. Phil Clifford Jr. of South Harrison, N.J., finally got the qualified times going, with a 6.3 second time despite having torn ligaments in his right shoulder during Thursday’s round one. Clifford’s pain was visible, but he was determined to get at least one qualified time in the Circuit Finals. His time finished sixth in the round.
The win in bull dogging was shared between Greg Bennett of Lake Luzerne, N.Y. and Kirk Trumpower of Mercersburg, N.Y., each of whom is very familiar with the winner’s circle. Each threw their steer in 4.2 seconds. In Trumpower’s case, the time was enough to give him the Circuit Finals average win for the third year in a row.
Third in the round was Joe Brown, of Oxford, Pa., with a time of 4.3 seconds, followed by Joe Bell Sr., at 5.1 seconds. That was Bell’s slowest time of the weekend, as he won the first round with a blistering 3.8 seconds, and finished third in Friday’s round two. Bell won the 2009 circuit championship in the event.
It was a tough night for team ropers, as calves full of tricks and trips, and one-heel catches took their toll on the teams’ times. The round went to header Roger Stockton of Ballston Spa, N.Y. and heeler Jason Martindale of Gansevoort, N.Y., at 5.5 seconds. Bucky Nastri of Wolcott, Conn., and Derek Carey of Mechanicville, N.Y. took second with 6.2 seconds, followed in third by multiple time champ Darren Morgan and heeler Casey Cox, both of Fort Edward, N.Y., in 6.8 seconds. Finishing third in round fourth in the round was Todd Baldwin of Joppa, Md., and TR Serio of Kennett Square, Pa., at 7.6 seconds.
Fifth in the round at 12.2 seconds (7.2 plus 5 for one heel), but taking the Circuit Finals event average, were Carmine Nastri of Ballston Spa, N.Y. and Lewis Rimes, Jr., of York Springs, Pa. In the year end, Morgan won the 2009 circuit header title, with Cox taking the heeler honors.
In Saddle Bronc, the night, weekend and season belonged to Chad Alesky of Monroeton, Pa. After taking third in Thursday’s round one, Alesky won round two and came out of the chute strong on Saturday to take round three, scoring 75 points on Shasta (Painted Pony). That gave Alesky the win of the round, the Circuit Finals and the season winner in the First Frontier Circuit.
Taking second in Saturday’s round three was round one winner Clovis Crane, of Lebanon, Pa. Crane rode Little Big Man (Painted Pony) for 73 points in the round. Third in the round was Matthew Bartsch of Warwick, Md. on Supersport (All American), while fourth went to AJ Williams, of New Providence, Pa. on Popper (Cowtown) for 58 points.
In tie down roping, where more calves escaped than were caught, fastest of the night was Chris Brennan of Ashburnham, Mass, at 9.5 seconds. Second in the round was Troy Roberto of Haskell, N.J. with a time of 10.6 seconds. Carmine Nastri, who found success in the team roping, showed he works well solo as well, taking third in the round at 12.1 seconds, and taking the average for the third time.
Other qualified times in the tie down roping were Eric Hartenstein of Calverton, N.Y., who refused to surrender and finally caught his calf at 16.4 seconds, after the calf had ducked the loop twice before; and Troy Reynolds of Hudson Falls, N.Y., at 18.0 seconds.
In round one of barrel racing, Eileen Hanna of Oxford, Pa. set a blistering time, making the cloverleaf in under 15 seconds. In round two, three more barrel racers, led by Kristine Roy of Hagaman, N.Y., repeated that feat, with Roy’s 14.78 being the fastest of the weekend at that point.
In Saturday night’s round three, Roy matched that time exactly, but with the horses running hot, it was only enough to finish third in the round.
First out on Saturday night was Lorraine Bytheway of Glen Mills, Pa. who set the arena mark at 14.68 seconds. It held onto the lead for two riders, when Nickie Stoltzfus of McClure, Pa. set a new mark at 14.56 seconds, bringing the crowd to its feet.
The rest of the barrel racers did their best to catch Stoltzfus’s mark but, even with a total of six times in the round being under 15 seconds, no one could knock her off the leader board.
Bytheway’s 14.68 held on for second place, followed by Roy in third, Jennifer Barrett of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in fourth at 14.79, and Jennifer Romriell of Broadalbin, N.Y. in fifth at 14.83 seconds. Joyce Stoltzfus of Peach Bottom, Pa. also put up times under the 15-second mark, at 14.91.
Bull riding closed out the night, and after being skunked by the bulls the night before, the bull riders of the First Frontier Circuit were out to prove the beasts would not win again.
The bulls, a mix of Painted Pony and Cowtown Rodeo stock, came close. The first seven bull riders were up and down in short order, before Dustin Shepard of Lake Luzerne N.Y. stepped up to break that streak. Shepard rode Coco (Cowtown) for 83 points, and that put him in the lead, as the first bull rider to post two scores. After another up-and-down rider, Jason Power of Franklinville, N.J., who won the season at Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, N.J., took Chad’s Pride (Painted Pony) to task for 78 points.
John Leinaweaver of Gettysburg, Pa. and JR DeMarsh Jr. of Hudson Falls, N.Y., who won round one, each failed to cover their bulls and snatch victory away. That left Shepard winning the Circuit Finals average and Power winning the Circuit season title.
The last round of bull riding was bittersweet, as the circuit said goodbye to DeMarsh, who is retiring from bull riding at the close of the Circuit Finals, and to longtime Cowtown Rodeo bull fighter, Wayne Kroll, who fought his last bull Saturday night before retiring.
Information on the First Frontier Circuit is available at www.firstfrontiercircuit.com
For information on weekly Saturday night rodeos at Cowtown Rodeo, in Pilesgrove, N.J., visit www.cowtownrodeo.com
For information on weekly rodeos at Painted Pony Championship Rodeo, in Lake Luzerne, N.Y., visit www.paintedponyrodeo.com
