Steer wrestler Bell of the ball in San Antonio,
earns rodeo-best $19,445, $8,000 gas card
SAN ANTONIO – All it took for Joey Bell Jr. to get back up to top speed was figuring out how to slow things down.
Since finishing the 2006 season fifth in the world, Bell, 35, has been struggling to find his form. He barely made it into the field for the 2007 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and fell all the way to 24th place last year, passed up by several younger bulldoggers.
It got to the point where he went to two-time and reigning World Champion Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho to ask for advice.
“He just told me to relax,” Bell told the San Antonio Express-News. “I was over-thinking things, making it a lot harder than it is. This is not rocket science.”
This new easy-does-it approach paid off big at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, where Bell won the Feb. 21 finals with a time of 3.6 seconds and departed the AT&T Center with checks totaling $19,445, an $8,000 gas card and another $1,500 for his horse Big Iron as the top animal athlete in steer wrestling.
It made him the highest-paid cowboy at a rodeo that is one of the year’s richest – total prize money of $1,048,000 – and most decorated. It is the four-time and reigning PRCA Indoor Rodeo of the Year.
“It feels good to be back on top of my game,” Bell said. “It’s been a long time coming. I can’t begin to tell you how great this is. San Antonio has great hospitality; they pay our entry fees and then to get bonuses like this, it’s awesome.”
Bareback rider Heath Ford was another cowboy who used San Antonio to revitalize his career. A Wrangler NFR qualifier in 2006-07, Ford fell to 40th in the world standings last year with earnings of $21,877, leaving him uncertain about his career path. He spent part of the year coaching high school wrestling back home in Colorado.
A 91-point ride on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Wise Guy in the finals – the first 90-point ride of his career – brought Ford his first San Antonio victory and total earnings of $17,630.
“(Coaching wrestling) was a great break for me,” said Ford, who competed in the sport at Platte Valley High in Kersey, Colo. “I’m now in the best shape I’ve been in for a while. I lost weight, and I feel great. It’s made me excited to get back on bareback horses again.”
Heith DeMoss also took a big step toward returning to the Wrangler NFR after a year’s hiatus. DeMoss, of Heflin, La., tied for first place in the final round of the saddle bronc riding with J.J. Elshere, of Quinn, S.D. DeMoss won the title because of his total earnings for the rodeo, $16,334, were greater than Elshere’s.
DeMoss finished the 2008 season in 21st place, missing the NFR after having been there in 2007.
Spud Jones from Tohatchi, N.M., is the only San Antonio champion who competed in Las Vegas at the NFR last year. Jones tied for first place in the finals with reigning World Champion Bull Rider J.W. Harris of May, Texas. They had scores of 90 points to earn $10,889 apiece. As in the saddle bronc riding, Jones had won the most money prior to the final round so earned the championship with his total money of $15,037. Harris won a total of $14,260.
The other champions were team ropers Kaleb Driggers of Albany, Ga., and Brad Culpepper of Ashburn, Ga. ($16,593 total earnings), tie-down roper Monty Lewis of Hereford, Texas ($17,371) and barrel racer Mattie Little of Ardmore, Okla. ($12,445).
Each champion got one of those $8,000 gas cards, the timed events cards coming from Ocean Spray and the roughstock events from McCormick. Animal athletes were also selected in each event, and their owners got a $1,500 bonus.
Duncan Xtremely consistent in San Antonio Contributed by Bob Welch
SAN ANTONIO – After sewing up last year’s PRCA Bull Riding Rookie of the Year title, Douglas Duncan announced his presence in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association with an exceptional performance at the 2008 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, where he won $72,611.
“It was pretty neat going there once, and it just made me want to go more,” he said. “I’m craving it just as much, if not more. That arena is pretty spooky. It sent some chills down my back every night. It was a new experience every night.”
He made his case as an early favorite for the 2009 world title by dominating the second San Antonio edition of the Xtreme Bulls Tour, presented by B&W Hitches, on Feb. 21. He was the only bull rider to cover both bulls and added $22,772 to his PRCA World Standings total.
In the first round, he was matched with Frontier Rodeo Company’s Lightning Bug. As the second cowboy out of the chutes, he set an early standard with an 87.5-point mark.
“Steve Woolsey, a buddy of mine, got on him earlier in the week and he was 88 on him,” Duncan said. “So, I knew he was going to be good. I didn’t know anything about him, I was just hoping he’d be good and it turned out he was really good.”
The rest of the field set out to chase the Alvin, Texas, cowboy. Ten other bull riders managed to make qualified rides, but only one, Fred Boettcher, bested Duncan. The veteran from Rice Lake, Wis., rode Silverado’s Monkey Wrench to lead all bull riders in the semifinal round with an 88.
Other final-go qualifiers included Jesse Bail, Kanin Asay and Cody Hancock. An extremely rank pen of final-round bulls kept the first 10 bull riders scoreless. The pressure for a ride was palpable and the announcers, Hadley Barrett and Randy Corley, whipped the crowd to its loudest volume in preparation of Duncan’s ride.
“This crowd was great,” he said. “I try not to watch everybody else. When I’m on top of my bull, everything just seems to fade away until I get done riding him. I’ve learned that you just have to ride your bull and take care of your business.”
Duncan was sitting atop Silverado’s Bob, a bull he had seen at the Wrangler NFR.
“Spud Jones had him at the Finals and slapped him – I didn’t think that he slapped him – but he would have won the round. That was the only time I saw him, so I knew he was good.”
And he lived up to his reputation.
“It was kind of a blur right out of there; he felt like he was really bucking, and he kind of slowed down at the end,” Duncan said. “It was just all reaction. That’s why I don’t like bulls that are just mediocre, you have so much time to think about it you get to waiting on the whistle and that’s when you fall off. The bulls that buck hard, you’re just doing everything by reaction, just trying to stay up with them and then everything falls into place.”
In fact, it fell into place to the tune of 91.5 points, giving him a total of 179 on two head. After Boettcher was thrown from Black Mamba, the title was Duncan’s.
“It’s a good start to the season, but you can’t start looking at the standings, it’s February,” he said. “There are guys who start rodeoing in the middle of the summer who make the Finals. Just keep your goals in line and try to ride every bull you get on.”
The San Antonio Xtreme Bulls Tour Feb. 21 competition will air on ESPN2 on March 22 and re-air April 25 on ESPN Classic.
Bull rider hospitalized at Tucson La Fiesta de los Vaqueros
Bull rider Kyle Loudon of Brooks, Alberta, was hospitalized Feb. 22 after he was struck by the horns of the bull he was riding at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz., suffering a broken jaw and facial injuries.
Six-time World Champion All-Around Cowboy Brazile gets new sponsor
Foretravel has signed a five-year agreement with Trevor Brazile to promote its line of high-end horse trailers. As of May, the six-time World Champion All-Around Cowboy, wife Shada and son Treston will be traveling down the rodeo road in a custom-built Foretravel (www.foretravel.com) rig.
Bail doubles up in Kissimmee, Fla., claims all-around title
Jesse Bail broke away from the big Texas rodeos to venture off to Kissimmee, Fla., for the 122nd Semi-Annual Silver Spurs Rodeo and made it pay off. He finished first in the saddle bronc riding with an 84-point ride on Silver Spurs Club’s Romeo and finished fourth in the bull riding to win the all-around title and $3,676.
Upcoming PRCA Rodeos
Feb. 25 San Angelo Rodeo, San Angelo, Texas, resumes
Feb. 26 La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, Tucson, Ariz., resumes Feb. 27 Laredo Livestock & Rodeo, Laredo, Texas, begins
Feb. 27 Federation West Champions Hip Rodeo, Sedalia, Mo., begins
Feb. 27 Scottsdale Jaycees Parada del Sol, Scottsdale, Ariz., begins
Feb. 28 Davie Pro Rodeo, Davie, Fla., begins
