Brazile’s journey towards history gets running start in Denver
DENVER – Trevor Brazile has a lot of miles to travel before he reaches an uncharted territory of rodeo history – an eighth all-around gold buckle – and he seems prepared to do it at a sprinter’s pace.
Brazile won the all-around title at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo, which ran Jan. 9-10, 14-24, collecting $11,961 in tie-down roping and team roping.
Most of that total ($11,299) came in tie-down roping, where he won the championship, while commuting between the Denver Coliseum and Fort Worth, Texas, where he and partner Patrick Smith are leading the team roping standings.
Brazile won the first round of the Denver tie-down roping with a time of 7.4 seconds and placed in the other two rounds to win the average in 24.7 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than Houston Hutto.
With the $4,548 he’s earned in steer roping this year and his Denver windfall in the tie-down roping, Brazile became the first PRCA contestant to qualify for the all-around world standings. He has earned $16,994 in 2010, more than $14,000 ahead of last year’s pace.
“Denver has always been pretty good to me,” Brazile said. “I seem to get some money out of here every year. It’s a great way to start building the (championship) run.”
Trailing Thad Newell by three points going into the final round of the bull riding competition, Clint Craig produced an arena record-tying ride of 92 points on Cervi & Guidry Rodeo Company’s Ole Yeller to secure his biggest win since 2007, when he captured both the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days and Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up titles.
It was a pretty dramatic turn of events, given that Craig had failed to place in either of the first two rounds, but Craig, of Mena, Ark., proved up to the challenge presented by the hard-charging Ole Yeller, tying Kanin Asay’s year-old arena record.
“The most important jump is the first,” Craig said. “If you can make the first one, you should be able to make all of them. That bull, I’d seen him a couple times and knew he had a big, long jump; he jumped high and kicked hard. I didn’t know which way he spun or anything, and I didn’t really care to know. As soon as they tell you they do something, you’re thinking about that, and when you’ve got to regroup, you’re usually late.
“I’ve been riding bulls now for 14 years. I don’t get a lot of surprises. When a bull does something I’m not expecting, that’s a pretty good surprise.”
Craig ended up with a three-head score of 256 points and total earnings of $8,348. Newell, celebrating his 25th birthday on the rodeo’s final day, may not have gotten the present he wanted most, but was second with 253 points and total earnings of $6,963.
Nobody profited more at the Denver Coliseum than Quinn, S.D., saddle bronc rider J.J. Elshere. He won the first round outright with an 86-point ride on Miller Time of the Burns Rodeo string, shared first with 2006 World Champion Chad Ferley in round two and tied for fifth in the finals to win the average with 242 points and collect a rodeo-best $14,948.
Elshere had a six-point lead on Ferley coming into the finals with 167 points.
Ferley made an outstanding effort on Calgary Stampede’s Lunatic Fringe, but failed to get his feet in the correct position when the horse left the bucking chute and was disqualified. Once Elshere made a qualified ride the title was his.
National Western Stock Show Rodeo Champions
Time/score/total earnings
All-around cowboy: Trevor Brazile, $11,961, team roping and tie-down roping
Bareback riding: Joe Gunderson, Agar, S.D., 250 points on three head, $11,626
Steer wrestling: Gabe Ledoux, Kaplan, La., 13.0 seconds on three head, $8,958
Team roping: Keven Daniel, Franklin, Tenn., and Brad Culpepper, Ashburn, Ga.,
15.7 seconds on three head, $7,065 each
Saddle bronc riding: J.J. Elshere, Quinn, S.D., 242 points on three head, $14,948
Tie-down roping: Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 24.7 seconds on three head, $11,299
Barrel racing: Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 46.05 seconds on three runs, $12,391
Bull riding: Clint Craig, Mena, Ark., 256 points on three head, $8,348
Coors signs three-year extension on contract with PRCA
DENVER—The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Coors have announced a new three-year contract for Coors to continue as the official beer of ProRodeo. PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman and MillerCoors Chairman Pete Coors made the announcement during the Jan 22 performance of the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver.
“The PRCA is pleased to strengthen and lengthen the longtime relationship between the sport of professional rodeo and Coors,” Stressman said. “The PRCA and Coors have been great friends for many years, and we look forward to a long and successful future together. I can't think of a better place to make this announcement than at a great PRCA rodeo in Pete Coors’ backyard. Thank you, Pete, and thank you, Coors. Together, we can take the Cowboy Sport to the next level. We’re looking forward to it.”
“Rodeo is a deep-rooted American tradition that goes hand-in-hand with Coors Banquet, the great American beer,” Pete Coors said. “By renewing our commitment to the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, MillerCoors continues to promote a Western heritage that truly stands the test of time.”
Rapid City Xtreme Bulls Tour event Webcast live on ESPN360.com
RAPID CITY, S.D. – In a groundbreaking move, the Rapid City, S.D., Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour event, presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, will be aired on www.ESPN360.com Jan. 30 - the first live Webcast in Xtreme Bulls Tour history.
The Webcast will begin at 7 p.m. MT and will cover every ride of the two-round, 40-man Xtreme Bulls performance. Those fans not able to watch the program live can view a replay of the event on ESPN360.com for up to 14 days following the event.
This Internet coverage will allow servicemen and women stationed all over the world to watch PRCA action live. Rapid City is the home of Ellsworth Air Force Base, and the PRCA and Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo are working with the military to make sure deployed Ellsworth personnel can watch PRCA action from Rapid City.
“The PRCA has such great respect and admiration for the work done by the men and women of the Air Force, and we are excited to find additional ways for America’s armed forces to follow the action of PRCA bull riding,” PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman said.
ESPN360.com is a broadband network for live sports programming. ESPN360.com harnesses the quality ESPN has built through its TV networks and delivers online sports programming to fans through a rich, interactive, and easy-to-use experience. ESPN360.com broadcasts thousands of live games and events online each year. ESPN360.com distribution doubled in 2009 to more than 50 million homes – two-thirds of U.S. broadband homes. It is available via dozens of providers, including Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Cox, Charter, and many more. ESPN360.com is also available to 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
Forty of the world’s top bull riders will converge on the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center to take their shot at a $30,000 purse. The star-studded field will include 2007 World Champion Wesley Silcox, 2009 Rapid City Xtreme Bulls champion Bobby Welsh, as well as nine 2009 Wrangler NFR bull riders, including Jesse Bail, Kanin Asay, Douglas Duncan and Steve Woolsey.
All 40 riders will compete in a long-go on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, with both performances starting at 7 p.m. MDT. Following the Webcast long-go on Jan. 30, the top 12 will be immediately brought back for the short-go, where the Rapid City champion will be crowned based on the highest average score.
ProRodeo Livestock video available for free
A 20-minute video titled ProRodeo Livestock is available free of charge to rodeo enthusiasts through the PRCA Industry Outreach Department in Colorado Springs, Colo. The educational video covers rodeo history, livestock care, PRCA stock contractors’ born-to-buck breeding program and PRCA rules that govern the safety of animals in competition.
PRCA stock contractors Dona Vold Larsen (Triple V Rodeo Company) and Jim Korkow (Korkow Rodeos) speak in the video, and several cowboys talk about the athletic ability of bucking horses and bulls and also discuss rodeo equipment.
Three-time and reigning World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote, 2006 World Champion Bull Rider B.J. Schumacher and 19-time Wrangler NFR saddle bronc qualifier Rod Hay are among the cowboys featured in the video.
Representatives of rodeo committees, rodeo clubs, Western youth groups and other organizations wishing to get a copy of the free video may call PRCA Industry Outreach Director Cindy Schonholtz at 719.593.8840 or e-mail requests to animalwelfare@prorodeo.com.
San Antonio changes format for 2010
The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the five-time and reigning PRCA Indoor Rodeo of the Year, has altered its format for this year’s rodeo, which runs Feb. 5-20. The format will remain a tournament-style bracket, but will offer contestants increased odds for winning money and give fans a chance to see a winner at every performance.
This year’s contestants will consist of the top 43 money winners in each event (top 43 teams in the team roping) and the top five leaders from the 2010 standings, totaling 48 contestants per event and 48 teams in the team roping. Last year’s rodeo featured 60 contestants (and teams) per event, so this year’s participants will have a greater chance to win money.
The 48 contestants and teams will be divided into four 12-member brackets, with four-round performances making up each bracket. Contestants will compete in four consecutive performances, and there will be a round winner at each performance.
At the end of each four-round bracket, the top five contestants in each event (top five teams) in each bracket based on money won will advance to a pair of 10-member semifinals performances. After the semifinals, the top 12 contestants in each event (top 12 teams) advance to the rodeo’s finals to compete for the championship.
The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, now in its 61st year, is one of only two regular-season PRCA rodeos to award more than $1 million in prize money.
Gould pulls off triple victory in Magnolia State
TUPELO, Miss. – Todd Gould, a tie-down roper for all of his 11 seasons as a PRCA member, served notice at the Jan. 22-23 Northeast Mississippi Championship Rodeo that he is going to be a factor in this year’s Southeastern Circuit all-around race.
Gould won the steer wrestling at the Bancorp South Coliseum with a eye-catching time of 3.3 seconds and then came back to win the tie-down roping in 9.0 seconds to claim the all-around buckle and earnings of $1,862.
PRCA’s free rodeo school draws 50 students to Fort Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas – Fifty students, ranging from 10 to 30 years old, took part in a free rodeo school at the Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show on Jan. 24, learning the proper and safe techniques for bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding.
This latest in a series of free rodeo schools provided nationwide by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’ department of industry outreach featured instruction from top PRCA cowboys, including two-time reigning World Champion Bull Rider J.W. Harris.
PRCA bull riders appear on CBS-TV’s The Amazing Race
Jet and Cord McCoy, a pair of bull-riding brothers from Oklahoma, comprise one of 11 teams competing on the upcoming CBS-TV reality show The Amazing Race. Other teams competing in this 16th season include a grandmother and granddaughter, a father and daughter, married high-school sweethearts and a couple of attorney moms.
Jet, 30, and Cord, 29, have both competed in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events during the last decade. Cord qualified for the 2005 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and finished 15th in the world standings with earnings of $82,234.
Neither brother is daunted by their competition for the $1 million grand prize on the reality show premiering Feb. 14 (8 p.m. EST).
“We ride bucking bulls and horses,” Jet said. “If we’re going to be intimidated, it’s not by another team.”
Heart O’ Texas’ Felton named Volunteer of the Year
Scott Felton, long time volunteer of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo in Waco, was named the Frances R. Cooper Volunteer of the Year by the Texas Association of Fairs & Events during the organization’s annual trade show and convention, Jan. 8-10.
“This honor marks the highest level of recognition of a volunteer in the Texas fair and event industry,” TAF&E President Steve Poynor said. “Scott’s long-running commitment to his fair and his community-oriented spirit of volunteerism made him an obvious choice for this year’s honor.”
Felton has served on the rodeo committee for the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo for the past 18 years and has been chairman for 15 years, helping Waco become the venue for the Heartland ProRodeo Championships in 2008 and 2009 and for this year’s All American ProRodeo Series Finals.
Saddle bronc riding spotlighted at annual Montana Hall of Fame fundraiser
The Montana Pro Prodeo Hall and Wall of Fame annual scholarship fundraiser Jan. 30 in Billings will pay tribute to reigning World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Jesse Kruse, from Great Falls, and other great champions of rodeo’s classic event.
Kruse will be joined at the fifth annual Cowboy and Cowgirl Reunion in the Holiday Inn Grand Hotel Convention Center by three-time World Champion Shawn Davis, from Whitehall, and five-time World Champion Billy Etbauer.
Tickets are $75, which includes a prime rib dinner, a dance and the Montana Hall and Wall of Fame induction ceremony. The inductees are Ed Solomon, Jack Bloxham, Corky Schwend, Jack Carraher, Calvin Bohleen and Bud Pilcher.
Next Up
Jan. 25 Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show, Fort Worth, Texas, ongoing
Jan. 28 All Nations PRCA Rodeo, Farmington, N.M., begins
Jan. 29 Americom Pro Rodeo Classic, Lakeland, Fla., begins
Jan. 29 PRCA Championship Rodeo, Lincoln, Neb., begins
Jan. 29 Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls Tour event, Rapid City, S.D., begins
Jan. 29 New Mexico Stampede, Rio Rancho, N.M., begins
Jan. 29 Homestead (Fla.) Championship Rodeo, begins
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