DAYTON, Iowa – Kyle Whitaker was the busiest man inside the Dayton Wrangler Rodeo Arena on Sunday night.
The Chambers, Neb., all-around cowboy had four runs during the third performance of the Dayton Championship Rodeo, riding two saddle broncs, wrestling a steer and roping a calf. But that’s life at virtually every rodeo he enters and has been the case for much of his career.
“I like being able to compete in multiple events, but on a night like tonight, you’re pretty much running all night,” said Whitaker, a five-time winner of the Linderman Award, the honor given to the winningest all-around cowboy who competes in both timed and roughstock events each season. “At least it’s cool tonight. I’ve done it when it’s 90 degrees, and that’s tough.”
Whitaker is a second-generation Linderman winner, following in the footsteps of his father, Chip, who won the honor three straight years in the 1970s. And while most rodeos feature bronc riders getting on one horse a night, Whitaker mounted two. That meant he was busier than normal – he rode his first horse for 74 points, then wrestled his steer in 5.6 seconds, rode his second bronc for 76 points, then wrapped the rodeo with a 10.4-second tie-down roping run.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do this tonight if my dad hadn’t come with me,” Whitaker said. “He was keeping my horses warmed up for me when I was getting ready to ride the broncs.”
The eight-time all-around champion in the Great Lakes Circuit, Whitaker redirected his method to start the year, focusing on the timed events. In fact, he didn’t mount a bucking horse until Memorial Day weekend.
“I’ve been traveling with Nick Guy, and he’s making the finals right now,” he said, referring to the National Finals Rodeo, the season-ending championship. “I was in the hunt for the finals for a while, but then I fell out of it.”
Now he’s in the hunt for a sixth Linderman Award and a ninth circuit all-around championship, and that suits him just fine.
“Sure, I’d like to make the finals,” Whitaker said. “When you work opposite ends of the arena, it’s hard to make it work like that. I think you have to focus more on one event if you’re going to make the finals.
“I’m going to do everything I can to win the Linderman again and the circuit title.”
Dayton Championship Rodeo
Dayton, Iowa
Sept. 3-6
Third performance
Bareback riding: FIRST ROUND: 1. Bo Casper, 82; 2. Bee Jay Scott, 76; 3. Kyle Brennecke, 75; 4. Tanner Aus, Ty Breuer and Ethan James Assmann, 74. SECOND ROUND: 1. Casper, 83; 2. Aus, 80; 3. Brennecke and Scott, 76. AVERAGE: 1. Casper, 165 on two; 2. Aus, 154; 3. Scott, 152; 4. Brennecke, 151.
Steer wrestling: FIRST ROUND (complete): 1. Ryan Melby and Noel Strahan, 4.6 seconds, $759; 3. Ty Standley, 4.7, $434; 4. Matt Koch and Ryan Olson, 5.5, $108. SECOND ROUND (leaders): 1. Adam Strahan, 4.2 seconds; 2. Standley, 4.6; 3. Olson, 4.9; 4. Garrett Nokes, 5.2. AVERAGE (leaders): 1. Standley, 9.3 seconds on two; 2. Strahan, 9.8; 3. Olson, 10.4; 4. Whitaker, 11.2.
Team roping: FIRST ROUND (complete): 1. Shaw Loiseau/Chad Day, 6.3 seconds, $792 each; 2. Mel Potter/Garrison Dixon, 6.8, $584; 3. Dustin Chohon/J.W. Beck and Kadin Boardman/Jason Stroup, 7.1, $397 each. SECOND ROUND (leaders): 1. Adam Newcomb/George Eldridge, 5.8; 2. Loiseau/Day, 6.1; 3. Cory Fosher/Spencer Love, 6.2; Aaron Chamley/David Cannon, 11.2. AVERAGE (leaders): 1. Loiseau/Day, 12.4 seconds on two; 2. Fosher/Love, 14.2; 3. Gilman/Johnson, 18.9; 4. Chamley/Cannon, 24.2.
Saddle bronc riding: FIRST ROUND : 1. Troy Crowser, 79 points; 2. Tyrel Larsen, 78; 3. Kyle Whitaker, 74; 4. Justin Hegwer, 64. SECOND ROUND: 1. Crowser and Clayton Zibell, 79; 3. Whitaker, 76; 4. Larson, 73. AVERAGE: 1. Crowser, 158 points on two rides; 2. Larson, 151; 3. Whitaker, 150; 4. Zibell, 79.
Tie-down roping: FIRST ROUND (complete): 1. Dusty Forre, 9.2 seconds, $887; 2. Wade Werkheiser, 9.7, $665; 3. Blake Ash, 9.8, $443; 4. Steve Kuntz, 9.9, $222. SECOND ROUND (leaders): 1. Justin Zwiefel, 8.9 seconds; 2. Rex Treeby, 9.3; 3. Nathan Ponder, 9.4; 4. Bill Huber and T.J. Hobson, 9.8. AVERAGE (leaders): 1. Treeby, 19.3; 2. Kyle Whitaker, 21.2; 3. Zwiefel, 22.1; 4. Wade Werkheiser, 22.7.
Barrel racing: 1. Terrah Hanks, 16.04; 2. Jennilee Thompson, 16.32 seconds; 3. Briana Reynolds, 16.36; 4. Julie Erkamaa, 16.39; 5. Kathy Stoker, 16.48.
Bull riding: FIRST ROUND : 1. Will Landon Crain, 78 points; 2. Adam Falls, 68; no other qualified rides. SECOND ROUND: 1. Jake Weber, 69; no other qualified rides. AVERAGE: 1. Crain, 78; 2. Weber, 69; 3. Falls, 68.
