Miller gets season off to good start at SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo
ODESSA, Texas – After missing the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last year for the first time since 2005, steer wrestler Jason Miller figured he needed a new plan.
It was all about the horsepower. Miller rode Greg Cassidy’s legendary horse Willy last winter and had great results. When Willy was hauled back up to Canada, Miller struggled a bit with his mounts, and he slipped out of the running, finishing 17th in the world.
“If Willy were my horse, I would do the same thing,” Miller said, “limit his work to keep him from getting worn out. I just knew I had to go another way. I’m riding Lee Graves’ horse Jessie now. This is a two-time (AQHA/PRCA) Horse of the Year, and I’ll be riding him all year.”
Based on early returns, the plan seems to be a winner.
Miller, the 2007 world champion, won the average title at the Jan. 8-9, 13-16, SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo with a two-head time of 8.1 seconds, earning $3,544.
With Graves, the two-time and reigning world champion, hazing for him, Miller was just out of the money in the first round and was fourth in round two with a time of 3.6 seconds. It allowed him to edge Dane Hanna by a tenth of a second for the average title.
“It was the first (big) rodeo of 2010, and to have two good starts and come out of there with a win, well, that’s just what you want,” Miller said.
“Riding Willy in the winter last year, I probably won more money than ever, but after that I struggled. I didn’t do much in the (Wrangler Million Dollar) Tour events and didn’t qualify for the championships in Omaha. That killed my chances. I was in the Top 15 until that last week of the season. I was competing in smaller rodeos for a few thousand dollars while the top guys were competing for the big money in Omaha.”
To further back himself up, Miller purchased a promising 7-year-old horse from former NFR qualifier Brian Fulton that he has named Porky. Miller is hoping the horse may be ready for occasional duty in the fall.
Miller was not the only former world champion to pull off a win at the Ector County Coliseum.
Fred Whitfield, who has one all-around and seven tie-down roping world championships to his credit, won the average title in the tie-down roping with a time of 16.6 seconds, beating Clif Cooper by eight-tenths of a second.
The team roping title was shared by 1996 World Champion Header Steve Purcella and partner Jhett Johnson and JoJo LeMond and 2008 World Champion Heeler Randon Adams. Each team had a time of 8.6 seconds on two head.
The other SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo champions were bareback rider Matt Bright (86 points), saddle bronc rider Chuck Schmidt (86 points), steer roper Vin Fisher Jr. (59.2 seconds on four head), barrel racer Kassie Mowry (28.06 seconds on two runs) and bull rider Colin McTaggart (91 points).
Nastri’s legend grows at Dodge First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. – In 2004, the ProRodeo Sports News ran a cover story on Carmine Nastri headlined Frontier Legend, and not much has changed since then, except the size of the legend.
Nastri was the all-around, team roping and tie-down roping champion at the Jan. 14-16 Dodge First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Arena – a triple-crown feat he has managed in three decades.
Nastri, of Ballston Spa, N.Y., and Screven, Ga., has 22 year-end titles to his credit in the First Frontier Circuit and so many circuit finals rodeo buckles he has lost track.
“I got my permit when I was 15 and my card a year later,” Nastri said. “I’m 49 now and still going. It was pointed out to me the other morning that I was the oldest guy in the calf roping. Whenever you do well, it is important to you. This win was just as important to me as any of them.”
Nastri and Lewis Rimes Jr., who roped together all season with an eye toward qualifying for the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, got the job done in dominating fashion. They shared first place in round one, placed in round two and had a three-head average time of 27.3 seconds to beat Nastri’s older brother, Bucky, and Derek Carey by 7.5 seconds.
“Team roping was my focus all along; the tie-down roping title was a bonus,” Nastri said. “I had not set that as a goal.”
Goal or not, Nastri was even more dominant going solo. He won the first round in 10.3 seconds, placed third in round three and had a three-head average time of 34.5 seconds – 21.4 seconds faster than runner-up Erik Hartenstein.
All of this added up to Nastri’s winning the all-around title with total earnings of $6,543.
The other Dodge First Frontier Circuit Finals Rodeo champions were bareback rider Doug Sanders (220 points on three head), steer wrestler Kirk Trumpower (13.6 seconds on three head), saddle bronc rider Chad Alesky (216 points on three head), barrel racer Nickie Stoltzfus (44.56 seconds on three runs) and bull rider Dustin Shepard (155 points on two head).
Costello edges world champion at Dodge Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Jesse Kruse is the reigning saddle bronc riding champion of the world. His home state of Montana? That he has to share.
Jake Costello edged Kruse by three points at the Jan. 15-17 in the Dodge Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo at the Four Seasons Arena to earn a berth alongside Kruse at the DNCFR in April.
“There was no chance to catch Jesse in the (Montana circuit) year-end standings, so I had to win the average,” Costello told the Great Falls Tribune. “I came in and told my wife I’m going to try to win every go-round.”
He came pretty close to managing it, too. Costello shared the first-round win with Kruse, won the second round outright and tied Kruse for second the final round to finish with 238 points on three head.
Costello, 34, tore a muscle in his leg last season, leaving him in the bottom half of the qualifiers heading into the circuit finals and something of a longshot to reach his sixth DNCFR.
“It turned out it’s a pretty dang important muscle to ride broncs with,”
Costello said. “I was healed up and felt good and tickled to have all the good broncs I had here.”
With more than $18,000 in circuit money, Kruse had the year-end title clinched before the rodeo started and so, while he didn't walk away with the win in his hometown arena, Kruse couldn’t help feeling good.
“About the only thing I hoped for was to win another circuit and to ride to the best of my ability,” Kruse said. “It’s awesome; it’s all these fans. Not only do they come out to cheer for me, they cheer for everyone else. It’s been a great year.”
The other Dodge Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo champions were bareback rider Buck Lunak (234 points on three head), steer wrestler Beau Franzen (11.3 seconds on three head), team ropers Tate Dempewolf and Charlie Lenning (24.9 seconds on three head), tie-down roper Bryant Mikkelson (26.8 seconds on three head), barrel racer Theresa Walter (39.77 seconds on three runs) and bull rider Cody Buller (242 points on three head).
All-around cowboy Josh Peek takes flight in F-16
BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. – The 140th Wing of the Colorado Air National Guard, took all-around cowboy Josh Peek for a ride in an F-16 on Jan. 8.
The tie-down roper and steer wrestler from Pueblo, Colo., had the opportunity to spend the day at Buckley and learn about the increasing importance of the Air National Guard and its role in national defense.
“I had a thrilling and exhilarating experience,” Peek said.
The Colorado National Guard is marking its 150th anniversary on Jan. 23, and in an effort to educate the Denver community about the Guard’s missions and heritage, the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo has dedicated its 2 p.m. rodeo performance on Jan. 22 at the Denver Coliseum to the National Guard. Video footage of Peek’s F-16 flight will be shown during the event.
Along with being a Colorado native, Peek won the all-around and tie-down roping titles at the National Western last year, making him a natural choice to promote both the Guard and the Denver rodeo. The National Western, which runs through the finals on Jan. 24, is in its 104th year.
The F-16 orientation flight program Peek took part in is part of a comprehensive outreach program, through the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Public Affairs, to contribute to the public’s understanding of the roles and missions of the Department of Defense. An F-16 flight provides firsthand opportunities to view the quality and capability of our people and weapons systems.
“The Colorado Air Guard was the most respectful family oriented group of people I have ever met,” Peek said. “My family and I were treated with such great hospitality and kindness. The Colorado National Guardsmen, in my opinion, are heroes for their sacrifices and dedication to the State of Colorado and the United States.”
-Courtesy of Capt. Nicole David/140th WG Public Affairs
PRCA bullfighter Garretson dies at age 37
Bullfighter Joe Garretson, a PRCA member since 2005, died Jan. 18 at his home in Springfield, Mo. He was 37. Garretson and partner Brandt Clark won the 2007 Professional Bullfighters Daisy Protection World Championships, and Garretson was one of the top bullfighting instructors for the Sankey Rodeo Schools for the last six years.
Next Up
Jan. 19 National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, Denver, in progress
Jan. 19 Fort Worth Division II Qualifying Event
Jan. 20 Fort Worth Division II Qualifying Event
Jan. 22 Northeast Mississippi Championship Rodeo, Tupelo, Miss., begins
Jan. 22 Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show, Fort Worth, begins
