POCATELLO, Idaho - Sick or well, there is something about Holt Arena that seems to bring out the best in bareback rider Cimmaron Gerke.
Making his first ride at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, presented by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, since he won the title with an arena record in 2004, Gerke emerged from a tightly-bunched field April 9 to capture the first round with an 84-point ride on Slash T Rodeo's Desperado
Gerke did this despite suffering with a case of pneumonia that has hung on for more than a month and leaves him with severe discomfort in his chest every time he rides.
You could say he's sick as a dog, except his dog, Camouflage, caught the bug too and had to stay home with Gerke's mother, Ellen.
"I have been on two antibiotics, but they didn't work, so I just got a new one," Gerke said. "Dr. (Pepper) Murray called and got me that new prescription. Hopefully, this one will work."
There was a four-way tie for first place among Kaycee Feild, Clint Cannon, Evan Jayne and Tom McFarland, with 82 points, when Gerke took his turn and he wasn't keen on splitting first place money five ways. He was going for the win from the moment he nodded his head.
"Winning is always motivation and I knew I had a horse that I could do it on," Gerke said. "Shoot, he was actually a lot more horse than I thought. He had a heck of a day and it worked out."
Now he's among the favorites to win the title here and with it the use of a Dodge Ram truck for one year. That bonus prize wasn't offered when Gerke won the 2004 title with a record 91-point ride on Kesler Rodeo's Smilin' Cat.
"I just bought a Dodge truck," Gerke said. "I thought, sure enough, as soon as I buy this, I'll go win Pocatello."
It was also a memorable night for steer wrestler Sean Mulligan, another guy who has had a long wait between DNCFR appearances. This was his first trip to Pocatello since 2001, and he celebrated his return with a first round win on Glock, a horse he co-owns with his brother-in-law Matt Zancanella, who hazed for him.
"I had a pretty good idea what I needed to beat (Tyler Pearson's 4.3)," Mulligan said. "I actually thought the run was going to be faster. At first I thought I was going to be three (seconds) something because I caught him pretty fast, but his leg hung a bit, so I was 4.2. The next one on Saturday afternoon...I'm going to be a little bit safe. I went at that one (tonight) pretty hard. I'm going to try to make the top eight in the average (to qualify for the semifinals.)."
Gerke and Mulligan were the only competitors who were able to surpass the best times and scores from the first half of the first round on April 8, although 2005 DNCFR tie-down roping champion Casey Branquinho took a real good run at it.
Branquinho had the night's best time of 8.3 seconds, just a tenth of a second slower than defending DNCFR champion Matt Shiozawa managed a night earlier.
Branquinho was shaking his head after the run, his body language indicating he wasn't entirely happy with a second-place finish in the round. He believed he could have been a half-second faster.
"I just felt that when I got to the calf to get his flank on the ground, I could have done it a little smoother and a little faster," Branquinho said. "I hold myself to a pretty high standard professionally. It's like busting for a 20-yard run when you could have scored a touchdown."
Clovis Crane was the only bull rider among 12 who made it to the eight-second whistle on April 9 and scored 80 points on Big Bend Rodeo's No. 427. That was good enough to place him third in the first round behind Jason Beck, who had a 91-point ride on April 8, and reigning World Champion J.W. Harris, with an 84. The bulls had a 20-4 edge in the first round.
Crane's check for $2,556 also assured he will leave Pocatello as the DNCFR All-Around champion. He is the only contestant entered in more than one event and only needed to cash somewhere along the way to qualify for the title.
"He was a nice little bull," Crane said. "He jumped out there and came around. I had a good seat on him. He was just fun to ride. It wasn't 90 or anything, but no one had stayed on. That's why I was so pumped."
Joining Shiozawa and Beck as first-night leaders whose marks held up to earn first-place checks, were saddle bronc rider Rusty Allen (88 points) and the Team Roping World Champions Matt Sherwood and Randon Adams (4.3 seconds).
Reigning World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Cody Wright gave his Wilderness Circuit teammate a pretty good scare, scoring 86 points on Flying Five Rodeo's Wind Chimes, to tie Wade Sundell of Boxholm, Iowa, for second place in the first round.
Nobody came close to challenging in the team roping. B.J. Campbell and Russell Cardoza led the pack April 9 with a time of 5.6 seconds, which was only good enough for sixth place in the first round standings.
The second round will be split between the 7 p.m. program April 10 and the 11:45 a.m. performance on April 11. The top eight in the average advance to the semifinals at 7 p.m. April 11, where all past times and scores are tossed out. The top four go on to the finals, where once again all times and scores are discarded. The winner of the final is the DNCFR champion.
There will be Webcast coverage of every session of the DNCFR through www.prorodeolive.com, anchored by Steve Kenyon, with color commentary from ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Clint Corey. For results and nightly stories on the rodeo go to www.prorodeo.com, the official Web site of the PRCA.
The PRCA paid all PRCA members' entry fees at the DNCFR this year.
Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo
Holt Arena, Pocatello, Idaho, April 9
Bareback riding: First round: 1. Cimmaron Gerke, Brighton, Colo., 84 points on Slash T Rodeo's Desperado, $4,632; 2. (tie) Kaycee Feild, Elk Ridge, Utah; Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas; Evan Jayne, Marseille, France, and Tom McFarland, Wickenburg, Ariz., 82, $2,176 each; 6. Matt Bright, Stephenville, Texas, 81, $702. 7. Tyson Thompson, Merrill, Ore., 80; 8. (tie) Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore., and Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 79; 10. Scott Montague, Rapid City, S.D., 78; 11. (tie) Stetson Herrera, Albuquerque, N.M., and Tim Shirley, Grant, Colo., 77; 13. (tie) Josh Shackleford, McGee, Mo., and Dennis Foyil, Guthrie, Okla., 76; 15. Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 75; 16. Ben Wrzesinski, Boulder, Mont., 72; 17. Marv Hurley, Bakersfield, Calif., 70; 18. Raymond Cooper, Center Ridge, Ark., 69; 19. (tie) John Collins, Buffalo, Wyo.;
Jared Keylon, Fort Scott, Kan.; Terry Lee Owens Jr., Lexington, N.C.; Dustin Reeves, Owanka, S.D.; Clovis Crane, Lebanon, Pa., and Bee Jay Scott, Otley, Iowa, NS.
Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla., 4.2 seconds, $4,632; 2. Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss., 4.3, $3,509; 3. Dean McIntyre, Wickenburg, Ariz., 4.5, $2,526; 4. Olin Hannum, West Haven, Utah, 4.8, $1,684; 5. Clay Lloyd, Dingle, Idaho, 5.0, $983; 6. Gregory Bennett, Lake Luzerne, N.Y., 5.3, $702; 7. Kirk Trumpower, Mercerburg, Pa., 5.4; 8. Bill Boyce, Lewistown, Mont., 5.5; 9. Travis Carnine, Stanfield, Ore., 5.7; 10. (tie) Steve Gaines, Brandon, Miss., and Matt Reeves, Pampa, Texas, 5.8; 12. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 7.3; 13. Billy Bugenig, Ferndale, Calif., 7.8; 14. Matt Gilbert, Camp Crook, S.D., 8.3; 15. Tyler Haugen, Sturgis, S.D., 8.4; 16. Jon Ragatz, Cassville, Wis., 9.3; 17. Joey Bell Jr, Athens, Texas, 14.1; 18. (tie) Beau Franzen, Sidney, Mont.; Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore.; Kyle Hughes, Olney Springs, Colo.; Clayton Tuchscherer, Cortaro, Ariz.; Jacob Burks, Cassville, Wis.; Ronnie Fields, Oklahoma City, Okla., and Chad Van Campen, Granada, Colo., NT
Team roping: First round: 1. Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz./Randon Adams, Logandale, Nev., 4.3 seconds, $4,632 each; 2. (tie) Jake Stanley, Hermiston, Ore./Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., and Daniel Green, Oakdale, Calif./Cody Cowden, Merced, Calif., 4.7, $3,018 each; 4. Ty Blasingame, Olney Springs, Colo./Ryon Tittel, Pueblo, Colo., 5.1, $1,684; 5. Jimmy Tanner, Tifton, Ga./Manny Egusquiza Jr, Madison, Ga., 5.2, $983; 6. B.J. Campbell, Benton City, Wash./Russell Cardoza, Farmington, Calif., 5.6, $702; 7. Preston Billadeau, Parshall, N.D./Jesse Fredrickson, Upham, N.D., 5.9; 8. Jeff Crouch, Bancroft, Wis./Chad Day, Marana, Ariz., 7.4; 9. Shaw Loiseau, Coleman, S.D./Matt Zancanella, Aurora, S.D., 10.0; 10. Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo./J.W. Borrego, Pueblo West, Colo., 10.2; 11. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas/Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas, 10.9; 12. Chuck Smith, Townsend, Del./Joe Williams, Perkiomenville, Pa., 12.7; 13. Blaine Linaweaver, Leavenworth, Kan./Brandon Bates, Norco, Calif., 14.6; 14. Brian Winn, Annabella, Utah/Brian Roundy, Richfield, Utah, 15.9; 15. Shane Schwenke, Zortman, Mont./Jordan Handy, Chinook, Mont., 20.0; 16. Matt Robertson, Maricopa, Ariz./Sid Sporer, Cody, Wyo., 20.9; 17. David Key, Caldwell, Texas/Clay Cooper, Morgan Mill, Texas, 22.4; 18. David Ballantyne, Elverson, Pa./J.R. Myers, Felton, Pa., 22.9; 19. Justin Turner, Vinita, Okla./Darrel Radacy, Lookeba, Okla., 24.9; 20. Spunk Sasser, San Antonio, Fla./Kyle Lawrence, Andalusia, Ala., 28.3; 21. (tie) Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Victor Aros, Tucson, Ariz.; Brant Spurgin, Eminence, Mo./Gerry Lisby, Ashland, Mo.; Shain Sproul, Las Cruces, N.M./Bobby Baize, Anthony, N.M.; and Charles Pogue, Ringling, Okla./Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., NT.
Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Rusty Allen, Eagle Mountain, Utah, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo's Double Take, $4,632; 2. (tie) Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, and Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, 86, $3,018 each; 4. Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont., 85, $1,684; 5. Ben Londo, Pendleton, Ore., 83, $983; 6. Shawn Morehead, Bruneau, Idaho, 82, $702; 7. (tie) J.J. Elshere, Quinn, S.D.; Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas, and Brody Bolton, Odessa, Texas, 80; 10. Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 79; 11. (tie) Shane Moran, Great Falls, Mont., and Jermiah Diffee, Smackover, Ark., 78; 13. (tie) Sean Prater, Fulton, Mo.; Dean Daly, Belen, N.M.; Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., and Joaquin Real, Caliente, Calif., 77; 17. Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb., 76; 18. Everett Ashurst, Douglas, Ariz., 75; 19. Morgan Forbes, Kaycee, Wyo., 74; 20. Clovis Crane, Lebanon, Pa., 71; 21. Chad Alesky, Monroeton, Pa., 63; 22. (tie) Jake Griffin, Powell, Wyo.; Curtis Garton, Kaitaia, NZ, and Scott Miller, Hemet, Calif., NS.
Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, 8.2 seconds, $4,632; 2. Casey Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 8.3, $3,509; 3. (tie) Nathan Steinberg, Conroe, Texas, and Cutter Parsons, Marana, Ariz., 8.4, $2,105 each; 5. J.D. Miller, Creston, Calif., 8.9, $983; 6. Stran Smith, Childress, Texas, 9.0, $702; 7. Trevor Thiel, Greeley, Colo., 9.1; 8. (tie) Brad Hartt, Sebring, Fla.; Bryant Mikkelson, Buffalo, Mont., and Paul Tierney, Oral, S.D., 9.2; 11. (tie) Jeff Miller, Blue Mound, Kan., and Ryan Siemsen, Billings, Mont., 9.5; 13. Glenn Breaux, Crowley, La., 9.6; 14. Kyle Dutton, Las Cruces, N.M., 9.7; 15. Brad Goodrich, Hermiston, Ore., 10.2; 16. Josh Foutch, Eldora, Iowa, 10.5; 17. (tie) Nate Baldwin, Blackfoot, Idaho, and Tyler Fagerhaug, Wessington Springs, S.D., 11.2; 19. Kadin Boardman, Jackson, Mo., 18.4; 20. Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 18.5; 21. Wes Borders, Arriba, Colo., 19.3; 22. (tie) J.R. Myers, Felton, Pa.; Steve Brickey, Tahlequah, Okla., and Charlie Goerlach, Ballston Spa, N.Y., NT.
*Barrel racing: First round: 1. Theresa Walter, Billings, Mont., 15.10 seconds, $4,632; 2. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 15.29, $3,509; 3. Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 15.31, $2,526; 4. Nancy Hunter, Neola, Utah, 15.43, $1,684; 5. Briana Reynolds, Ellsinore, Mo., 15.49, $983; 6. (tie) Stacy A. Dial, Vista, Calif., and Mary Burger, Pauls Valley, Okla., 15.50, $351 each; 8. Sarah Kieckhefer, Prescott, Ariz., 15.52; 9. Stephanie Fryar, Big Spring, Texas, 15.53; 10. Barbra West, Oak Harbor, Wash., 15.56; 11. Layna Kight, Willspoint, Texas, 15.60; 12. Jeanne Anderson, White City, Kan., 15.62; 13. Sandi Brandli, Mauston, Wis., 15.68; 14. Tamra Musick, Virgil, S.D., 15.69; 15. (tie) Terri Wood Gates, West Jordan, Utah, and Rhonda Dobbins, Bay Minetle, Ala., 15.74; 17. Jennifer Romriell, Broadalbin, N.Y., 15.88; 18. Jayme Edwards, Felton, Pa., 15.96; 19. Lindsay Knaff, Winston, Mont., 16.03; 20. Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., 16.11; 21. Erica Hartt, Pilot Point, Texas, 16.23; 22. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 20.31; 23. Diann Bukowski, Falcon, Colo., 20.49; 24. Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., 20.60.
Bull riding: First round: 1. Jason Beck, Prairieville, La., 91 points on Southwick's Rocky Mountain Rodeo's Red Eye, $4,632; 2. J.W. Harris, May, Texas, 84, $3,509; 3. Clovis Crane, Lebanon, Pa., 80, $2,526; 4. Spud Jones, Tohatchi, N.M., 76, $1,684; 5. (tie) Danny Drown, Johnstown, Ohio; Marcus Michaelis, Caldwell, Idaho; Charles Zoss, Forestburg, S.D.; Clayton Savage, Casper, Wyo.; J.R. De Marsh Jr, Lake Luzerne, N.Y.; Blake Rowan, Muskogee, Okla.; Sonny Murphy, Lehi, Utah; Brady Williams, Snelling, Calif.; Cody Buller, Glendive, Mont.; Cole Hermanson, Mandan, N.D.; Noah Schmidt, Kechi, Kan.; Justin Koon, Russellville, Ark.; Tylee Lanham, Sweet, Idaho; Shawn Proctor, Tooele, Utah; Jay Morrow, Wayland, Iowa; Dustin Jenkins, Missoula, Mont.; Josh Verburg, Fresno, Calif.; Craig Begay, Rough Rock, Ariz.; Seth Glause, Rock Springs, Wyo.; and Luke Haught, Weatherford, Texas, NS.
* Results pending re-run for Stacy A. Dial on April 10.
Copyright 1996 - 2008 Rodeo Attitude, LLC., All rights reserved.