Muncy shows his fitness for another world championship run
with win in opening Wrangler Million Dollar Tour rodeo
RAPID CITY, S.D. – In the surest sign yet that he is fully healthy and ready to challenge for another gold buckle, saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy captured the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo, Feb. 5-7 – the first event on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, presented by Justin Boots.
Muncy scored 83 points on Burch Rodeo Company’s Current Rate to defeat second place Louie Brunson by three points, earn a check for $4,617 and strengthen his position inside the top 10 in the PRCA World Standings.
It was the most significant win for the 2007 world champion since coming back from a broken leg to resume competition last Labor Day.
California Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho showed the fans at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center just why he is the two-time and reigning world champion by winning the two-head average with a time of 8.3 seconds.
Branquinho finished third in the first round in 4.0 seconds and came back with a 4.3-second run in the second go to edge 2005 All-Around World Champion Ryan Jarrett by one-tenth of a second.
Mike Johnson, who has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo an event-record 23 times, won the tie-down roping average with a time of 18.2 seconds on two head, nearly two seconds faster than five-time World Champion Joe Beaver, in second place.
Six-time and reigning All-Around World Champion Trevor Brazile, making his first appearance in the event since injuring his knee at the Wrangler NFR last December, finished third in the tie-down roping average in 20.5 seconds.
Gillette, Wyo., cowboy Cameron Castleberry secured the bull riding title at this WMDT Silver tier rodeo during the final session on Feb. 7. He rode Burch Rodeo Company’s 20 Inch Monkey for 87 points and earned a rodeo-best $5,942.
Blaine Linaweaver and Richard Durham won the team roping (9.1 seconds on two head), by half-a second over the brother pairing of Jake Cooper and Jim Ross Cooper. PRCA World Standings leaders Chad Masters and Michael Jones were third.
The other titles at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center were split. Kaycee Feild and Tom McFarland tied in the bareback riding with 86-point rides. Jessica Routier and Sammi Bessert finished dead even in the barrel racing (25.27 seconds on two runs).
Cash Myers won the all-around title with earnings of $3,488 in steer wrestling and tie-down roping.
This was the first of 17 rodeos on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, which is divided into Gold and Silver tier rodeos, based on prize money offered. Gold tier events have a committee purse of at least $20,000 per event and Silver tier events, like Rapid City, pay at least $10,000 per event. The Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo had total prize money of $202,206.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the top 24 competitors (24 pairs in team roping) in the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour standings advance to the first round of the Tour playoffs, Sept. 11-13 in Puyallup, Wash.
The Million Dollar Tour Championships will be held Sept. 24-27, in Omaha, Neb.
Mote comes from way behind to capture title at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo
FORT WORTH, Texas -- It's hard to refer to any win by two-time World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby More as a surprise. And yet….
Mote was trailing Kaycee Feild by 11 points entering the final round of the Jan. 23-Feb. 8 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and had little hope of making up much ground after an 80-point ride on Carr Pro Rodeo's Cool Runnings.
Only Feild drew Harry Vold's Dust Devil on one of his off days and could get no more out of him that 67 points. Certain victory evaporated like morning mist.
Mote's 322 points on four head held up for the average win and a check for $5,163. Feild and Tilden Hooper tied for second place with 320 points.
"You can't be concerned about points," Mote told Brett Hoffman of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "You have enough to think about as it is. You just have to make a good ride. Anything is possible (in this sport), and thank God I had a good horse."
Mote was one of a trio of world champions to secure titles at the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, joined by 2007 Steer Wrestling World champion Jason Miller and reigning Bull Riding World Champion J.W. Harris, both of whom won a round and cashed in all three.
Miller was top money winner of the rodeo, banking nearly $17,500 by dropping three steers to the turf in 11.3 seconds. He was helped greatly by being able to ride the SteerWrestling Horse of the Year, Willy, owned by Greg Cassidy from Donalda, Alberta. Willy took Miller to the world title in 2007, then in 2008 Luke Branquinho, from Los Alamos, Calif., earned his gold buckle on Willy.
“That horse is phenomenal,” Miller said. “When Curtis (Cassidy) offered to leave him here, we didn’t hesitate to accept. He works awesome every time and is probably the most dependable horse I’ve ever been on.”
Harris had just a three-point lead over Tate Stratton entering the final round on Feb. 8, but settled things decisively by winning that round with an 86-point rideo on David Bailey Rodeo Company's Billionaire. Harris, of May, Texas, finished with 251 points on three head and Stratton was second with 246. Douglas Duncan, the Montana Silversmiths and American Cowboy Coffee PRCA Rookie of the Year in 2008, was the only other competitor to cover all three of his bulls.
J.J. Elshere continued his reign as Mr. February with a win in the saddle bronc riding, scoring 332 points on four head to push his total earnings for the rodeo to $10,610. Elshere won back-to-back titles at the Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo in Rapid City, S.D., the past two Februarys.
The other champions in the $529,794 rodeo were team ropers Turtle Powell and Travis Graves (17.3 seconds on three head), tie-down roper Tyson Durfey (26.0 seconds on three head) and barrel racer Jordon Peterson (50.59 seconds on three runs)
Xtreme Bulls Tour takes a Savage turn - contributed by Bob Welch
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Clayton Savage is the perfect name for a bull rider.
And when he entered the Xtreme Bulls, presented by B&W Hitches, in San Antonio in second place in the PRCA World Standings, he was planning to make it mean something. After a strong, sixth-place finish at the first Xtreme Bulls stop in Rapid City, S.D., and a second-place finish at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, Savage was primed for a big win on Feb. 5.
What’s more, the young, Casper, Wyo., cowboy had been on the brink of an Xtreme Bulls win for two seasons. He made the final round of nearly every one he entered in 2008.
“I haven’t had great short rounds at these deals and you have to finish,” he said. “I finally got one twisted.”
In fact, he rode two bulls for 180.5 and a total of $23,810 – easily catapulting him to the top spot in the world standings.
In the first round, reigning World Champion J.W. Harris set the early pace with a 90-point ride on Silverado’s Black Gold. Savage showed he was on top of his game, too, with a rodeo-best 91.5 ride on Andrews Rodeo Company’s Wacky Weed, a bull in the legendary “Weed” lineage that owner Sammy Andrews has developed.
“I didn’t know him, but Stormy Wing said he saw him buck before and he went out of that gate and got it on and it was a good score,” he said.
Later in the round, Cooper Kanngiesser rode D&H Cattle’s Soggy Bottom, while Tate Stratton scored 88.5 on Disco Dancer from the same herd.
Immediately after Savage’s ride, he looked at the short round bull draw and his finger found the bull that would go to the winner of the first round, another Andrews’ bull, Rompus. Rompus is a multiple-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo bull and last year Mike Moore covered the bull at the San Antonio Xtreme Bulls for 91 points.
“I’ve seen that bull at the Finals a few times and he always comes out and bucks, of course you expect that with Sammy’s bulls,” he said. “I knew he was going to buck and if I stubbed my toe I was going down.”
The eliminators bulls were drawn into the first round, so the finals promised to be a rider-friendly affair with a pen of good spinners.
That proved false when seven of the first twelve cowboys hit the dirt. Then Steve Woolsey, who in the first round took a re-ride on an 83 only to score an 87, covered Andrews Rodeo’s Red Onion for 89 points, bringing his total to 176.
Stratton covered, but only for 83, Kanngiesser bucked off and Harris’s bull, McGyver, only bucked hard enough for an 82. Savage, as the last man out, was blocking out the pressure.
“You put it in the back of your mind because you’re just here to ride your bull,” he said. “You may not win, but I came here to stay on two bulls. You don’t want to fall off, you want to stay on and when the (other cowboys) ride, you know you have to ride.”
But Rompus didn’t make it easy. Savage had to hustle, adjust, muscle up and bear down as the Rompus tried every trick in the book. It nearly didn’t work. The 8-second whistle blew as the Wyoming cowboy sailed through the air. The judges said he made it and marked him 89 points.
“It’s awesome to get a little leeway heading to the Finals,” he said. “I barely missed the Finals last year and this definitely helps out a lot.”
When asked if he thought he could match Chance Smart’s historic 2008 San Antonio run where he won more than $60,000, Savage demurred.
“I just want to take it one bull at a time and not think ahead too much. It’s a long way to December,” he said.
Instead, he stayed late at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, giving interviews and signing autographs, doing his part to make the perfect bull riding name a household one as well.
Television coverage of the event will be aired by ESPN2 on Feb. 15 and rebroadcast on ESPN Classic on April 11 and May 23.
Ferley off to fast start at San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
Chad Ferley, the 2006 world champion saddle bronc rider, has gotten off to a strong start at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, finishing at least tied for first in both rounds of his bracket to qualify into the semifinals with rodeo-best earnings of $5,445.
Ferley won in his first go with an 81-point ride on Flying Five Rodeo's Vitalix Cat Balou and then shared first place with Wes Burns in his next go-round, covering Beutler & Sons Night Moves for 84 points. Burns, J.R. Berg and Jake Hayworth joined him in reaching the semifinals.
Former San Antonio champion Kelly Maben set an arena record for barrel racing Feb. 7 with a time of 14.15 seconds and then the record was broken three more times in the next round of Bracket 1, by Mattie Little (13.90), Sherry Cervi (13.96) and Maben (13.97).
The rodeo continues through Feb. 21.
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo to air on ProRodeoLive.com
Prorodeolive.com will broadcast live coverage of the final five performances of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 18-21 with professional rodeo announcer Steve Kenyon of Pendleton, Ore, calling the action.
Coverage will begin with San Antonio's two semifinal rounds (7 p.m. CT, Feb. 18-19) and carry on with the wild card round (7:30 p.m. CT, Feb. 20) and the rodeo's championship round (7:30 p.m. CT, Feb. 21). ProRodeolive.com will also produce live coverage of the second San Antonio Xtreme Bulls event, presented by B&W Trailer Hitches (1 p.m. CT, Feb. 21). ProRodeoLive.com's live broadcasts will begin 15 minutes prior to each performance in San Antonio.
San Antonio will be the first of a series of rodeos broadcast by ProRodeoLive.com in 2009. That series will also include the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, presented by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, in Pocatello, Idaho, April 8-11, and the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, December 3-12.
Murray selected for ABC reality series Dancing with the Stars
Seven-time All-Around World Champion Ty Murray and his pop singer wife, Jewell, have been selected to participate in the eighth season of the ABC-TV reality series Dancing With the Stars, when it debuts on March 9. Murray and Jewell are the first married couple ever signed up for the show to compete against each other. The other 11 cast members are Rapper Lil' Kim, gymnast Shawn Johnson, Apple co-founder Steve "The Woz" Wozniak, NFL star Lawrence Taylor, reality TV/movie star Steve-O, singer Belinda Carlisle, celebrity TV reporter Nancy O'Dell, actress Denise Richards, country singer Chuck Wicks, comedian/actor David Alan Grier and actor Gilles Marini.
McSpadden honored with an endowed chair at Oklahoma State
To honor the life achievements of of ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee and Oklahoma legislator Clem McSpadden, an endowed faculty chair has been established in his name at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla.
"Clem McSpadden was well known for the phrase 'good people on good soil,' and I believe it was his passion for young people and agriculture that guided his stellar career," said Dr. Ron Kensinger, head of the department of animal science at Oklahoma State. "He also had a passion for OSU and the development of this endowed chair is a perfect fit for his legacy."
DNCFR tickets will go on sale Feb. 17
Tickets for the 2009 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, presented by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, will go on sale on Feb. 17.
The 23rd Annual DNCFR will be held April 8-11 at Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho.
Organizers had hoped to have tickets on sale by Feb. 2, but all the logistics won’t be worked out until Feb. 16-17. On Feb. 16, tickets may be purchased through the Idaho State Web site www.isu.edu/tickets and on Feb. 17, tickets may be purchased by calling 208.282.3267 or by going to the Idaho State box office. The ISU box office will be closed on Feb. 16 in observance of President’s Day. Ticket prices may be viewed now on the DNCFR Web site. http://dncfr.org/pricingandseatingchart.html
Check back on ProRodeo.com for DNCFR information as it becomes available.
PRCA closed for President's Day, weekly press release will be issued on Feb. 17
Because the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association offices are closed for President's Day next Monday (Feb. 16), the weekly press release and point standings will not be issued until Tuesday (Feb. 17) Upcoming PRCA Rodeos
Feb. 9-11 Dixie National Rodeo, Jackson, MS
Feb. 9-21 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, San Antonio, Texas
Feb. 12 Bell County PRCA Rodeo, Belton, Texas, begins
Feb. 13 Coors Pro Rodeo, Gillette, Wyo., begins
Feb. 13 PRCA Championship Rodeo, Bismarck, N.D., begins
Feb. 13 Southern Mississippi Coca-Cola Classic Rodeo, Hattiesburg, Miss., begins
Feb. 13 San Patricio PRCA Rodeo, Sinton, Texas, begins
Feb. 13 Rotary Classic PRCA Rodeo, Starkville, Miss., begins
Feb. 13 Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo, Yuma, Ariz., begins
Copyright 1996 - 2008 Rodeo Attitude, LLC., All rights reserved.