Ryan Watkins took the RodeoHouston Tie-Down Roping Championship with 11.4 seconds. The pressure was off when he only had to beat 19.3 seconds, he said. The Stephenville, Texas, native has never roped for this kind of money before and thanked RodeoHouston after his big win. “I just had a real good calf and I knew I was going to catch it,” he said. Watkins took home $52,500 in winnings.
“This is my year,” said Clint Cannon, who set a RodeoHouston record in Bareback Riding with a score of 92. The champion rider said he sat out for eight months last year thinking about this day and what he needed to do to win. For this hometown boy, he looks forward to RodeoHouston every year, especially after winning $59,250. “When the announcers say this is my hometown and the crowd starts cheering, I get goose bumps and my fear of failure is gone,” he said. Fellow rider, Heath Ford told Cannon to give it his all, to which he replied, “Yes sir. It’s a done deal.”
Header Kelsey Parchman and healer Richard Durham paired for victory in Team Roping with 7.2 seconds, and a pay out of $104,500. Last week, the two were drawn to be a pair, making this the first time the two have roped together in a rodeo. “We just decided to go out there and try it,” said 20-year-old Parchman from Cumberland City, Tenn.
Bryce Miller “owed his horse one” after it bucked him off at the San Antonio rodeo. The Saddle Bronc Champion said he plans to train hard next year and not assume he’ll make it to the RodeoHouston Championship again. “Every year you’re back to zero and you can’t automatically expect to make it,” he said. The Buffalo, S. D., native plans to buy some acres with his prize money, which totaled $53,500.
Canadian Curtis Cassidy wrestled his steer for the win, in 3.3 seconds, on his trusty 23-year-old horse “Willie.” “What more can you say; he’s 23 years old and can still [carry me to] win rodeos like this,” he said. Cassidy jumped his first steer off “Willie” when he was 15-years-old and said the key to “Willie” is his heart. “Willie” competes in 25 rodeos a year with Cassidy, and also carries other competitors, like Luke Branquinho, 2008 PRCA World Champion. Cassidy’s 2009 RodeoHouston earnings totaled $53,500.
It was a dream come true for Mary Burger from Pauls Valley, Okla., who rode “Fred” to the Championship title in Barrel Racing, with winnings totaling $58,500. The World Champion veteran gives credit to her horse for the 15.17 time. “Everybody’s got their day and today’s was ‘Fred’s.’” Burger, who travels with her husband, said she will now probably go to fewer rodeos since she got a jump start with the $50,000 win.
Douglas Duncan, Alvin, Texas, native, took it one bull at a time, leading him to victory in bull riding with a score of 89 points. Duncan said his tactic is to avoid looking at the standings before riding, and just hopping on the bull. Since he was two, the avid rider has idolized Tuff Hedeman, because he hates loosing. Duncan expressed his passion for the sport, “Those are the moments people live for; I thrive on stuff like that.” Duncan leaves Houston with $55,000.
All RodeoHouston winnings count toward the world standing totals, catapulting these RodeoHouston champions to the top.
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