Park City, Kan.: (October 30, 2010) – Prairie Circuit titlists won gold buckles and more than $100,000 at this weekend’s Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo at Hartman Arena north of Wichita.
Two titles were conferred on winners in each event: the year end champion and the average winner, the highest scores or fastest times of the rodeo. Winners will go on to compete at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City next March.
Consistency is steer wrestler’s focus
Steer wrestler Stockton Graves is a picture of consistency. The Newkirk, Okla. cowboy, who has competed at a dozen Prairie Circuit Finals, won second place in the first go round and first in the last two go rounds, to win the average with a time of 11 seconds on three steers. He has qualified for six National Finals Rodeos, but missed qualifying this year by $6,000. Graves was full of compliments for his horse and his hazer. “I rode a great horse of Cole Edge’s, Twiggy, who has been to the NFR three times, and Sean Mulligan hazed for me.” Graves is both year end and average winner for the circuit.
Halloween weekend in the Saddle Bronc Riding
The saddle bronc riding competition was more “trick” than “treat” for the cowboys. Coming into the last performance, only four cowboys had ridden both their horses, and after Saturday night’s rodeo, only one of them – Travis Sheets – had ridden all three.
The 30 year old cowboy nearly got bucked off his last horse, Badlands Bay, of the Frontier Rodeo Co. “I was in trouble,” he said, of his ride. “She had me thrown off about the second jump, and I just hung on and got her rode.”
Sheets, who lives in Freedom, Okla., knew how unusual it was to only have one cowboy cover all three of his horses. “Usually there are seven or eight guys who ride all three,” he said. “Some guys had a little bobble, and some of the horses didn’t have their usual trip.” This is Sheets’ biggest win of his rodeo career, and he wasn’t sure how to put it in words. “It’s overwhelming.” He’ll go to his first Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which is in Oklahoma City next year. Sheets grew up in Hyannis, Neb., a tiny burg of 300 people in the Sandhills which sent three of the twelve saddle bronc riders to this year’s Finals, including Matt Hebbert and Ryan Bestol.
Saddle bronc year end champion is Jesse James Kirby, Dodge City, Kansas, who won back to back Prairie Circuit titles, in 2009 and 2010.
Bareback Riding Title goes to Texas Cowboy
Caine Riddle completed his sixth Prairie Circuit Finals with the average win at the 2010 event. He scored 244 points on three bareback horses to win first place. Riddle, Vernon, Texas, won the Prairie Circuit Finals four years ago.
Barrel Race goes to first year finals qualifier
The barrel racing was won by Tana Renick in her first trip to the Prairie Circuit Finals. The Kingston, Okla. cowgirl was sorry to miss her little girl’s trick or treating on Saturday night, but the first place finish was worth it. Renick’s goal this year was to make the Circuit Finals, so “anything I won here was just icing on the cake.” She edged out Jeanne Anderson, who led the circuit all year.
Roping Titlists Crowned
Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., won both the year end and average title with a whopping $27,286, and the team of Casper May, Pryor, Okla., and Derrick Peterson, Stillwell, Kan. won the year end title in the team roping. Average team roping winners were Charles Pogue, Ringling, Okla., and Jett Hillman, Jones, Okla.
Bull Rider wins Prairie Circuit, will compete at NFR
Bull rider Dustin Elliott dominated his event all year, and the Circuit Finals was no exception. The 2004 World Champion, who just finished tenth in the Pro Bull Riding’s year end standings, won the year end and average title and won more than $19,000 for the year.
Elliott, North Platte, Neb., is the only man this year who qualified for both the PBR Finals, held last weekend in Las Vegas, and for pro rodeo’s National Finals Rodeo this December. He goes to the NFR in tenth place.
Only three men covered two of their bulls this weekend. Cody Atwood, Decatur, Texas finished in second place in the average, and Sam Wyatt, Fittstown, Okla., finished in third.
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Cutline: Bull rider Dustin Elliott, North Platte, Neb., rides at the 2010 Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Park City, Kan. Elliott is the 2004 World Champion bull rider. Photo courtesy of Vance Frick.
Results, Final Go-Round, Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo
October 30, 2010
All-Around: Hunter Herrin, Apache, OK
Bareback Riding
1 Caine Riddle, Vernon, TX 87 points on L3 Cash Deal, Frontier Rodeo Co.; 2 Yance Day, Ft Scott, KS 85; 3 Codi Myers, McLean, TX 82; 4/5 tie Ted Osman, Ft Scott, KS 81 and Chancy Lovinggood, Alva, OK 81; 6 James Bond, Goodman, MO 80; 7 DV Fennell, Neosho, MO 77; 8 Brian Leddy, Roll, OK 76; 9 Frank Morton, Wright, KS 73; no other qualified rides
Bareback Riding Year End Champion – Yance Day, Ft Scott, KS
Bareback Riding Aggregate Champion – Caine Riddle, Vernon, TX
Steer Wrestling
1 Stockton Graves, Newkirk, OK 4.0 seconds; 2/3 tie Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, AL 4.1 and Cole Edge, Durant, OK 4.1; 4 Jeff Miller, Blue Mound, KS 4.4; 5 Clay Mindemann, Salina, OK 4.6; 6 Sean Mulligan, Coleman, OK 4.7; 7 Stewart Gulager, Garland, KS 4.9; 8/9 tie Shane Henderson, Winfield, KS 5.2 and Jule Hazen, Ashland, KS 5.2; 10 Ryan Swayze, Freedom, OK 5.5; 11 Garrett Nokes, McCook, NE 10.6; no other qualified runs
Steer Wrestling Year End Champion: Stockton Graves, Newkirk, OK
Steer Wrestling Aggregate Champion: Stockton Graves, Newkirk, OK
Team Roping
1 Kyle Elwood, Abilene, KS and Jason Trent, Burrton, KS 5.3 seconds; 2 Brett Christensen, Alva, OK and JD Holland Jr, Bucyrus, KS 6.3; 3 Brian Dunning, McClave, CO and Chance Frazier, Cimarron, KS 10.7; 4 Gavin Foster, Elmore City, OK and Kaleb Fort, Gravette, AR 12.9; 5 Jake Weddle, St Joe, AR and Jeff Brown, Joplin, MO 19.6; 6 Charles Pogue, Ringling, OK and Jett Hillman, Jones, OK 20.4; no other qualified runs
Team Roping Year End Champion Header: Casper May, Pryor, OK
Heeler: Derrick Peterson, Stillwell, KS
Team Roping Aggregate Champion Header: Charles Pogue, Ringling, OK
Heeler: Jett Hillman, Jones, OK
Saddle Bronc Riding
1 Bobby Griswold, Geary, OK 83 points on 261 War Eagle, Frontier Rodeo Co; 2 Matt Hebbert, Hyannis, NE 81; 3 Brett Olive, Ford, KS 77; 4/5 tie Travis Sheets, Hyannis, NE 75 and Ryan Bestol, Hyannis, NE 75; no other qualified rides
Saddle Bronc Year End Champion: Jesse James Kirby, Dodge City, KS
Saddle Bronc Aggregate Champion: Travis Sheets, Hyannis, NE
Tie Down Roping
1 Trenton Johnson, Mound City, KS 8.1 seconds; 2/3 tie PJ Spencer, Collinsville, OK 8.4 and Hunter Herrin, Apache, OK 8.4; 4 Garrett Nokes, McCook, NE 8.9; 5 Chris Neal, Muldrow, OK 9.2; 6 Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, OK 9.3; 7 Ryan Jarrett, Summerville, GA 10.6; 8 Kolby Ungeheuer, Columbus, KS 10.9; 9 Blake Eliason, Ponca City, OK 11.2; 10 Cole Wilson, Kincaid, KS 14.1; no other qualified runs
Tie Down Roping Year End Champion: Hunter Herrin, Apache, OK
Tie Down Roping Aggregate Champion: Hunter Herrin, Apache, OK
Barrel Racing
1 Jessi Eagleberger, Stringtown, OK 13.28 seconds; 2 Tanya Steinhoff, Vinita, OK 13.40; 3 Susan Kay Smith, Hodgen, OK 13.43; 4 Tana Renick, Kingston, OK 13.54; 5 Jana Turner, Perkins, OK 13.57; 6 Jeanne Anderson, White City, KS 13.67; 7 Tracy Nowlin, Nowata, OK 13.71; 8 Diane Martin, Ulysses, KS 13.74; 9 Hollie Etbauer, Edmond, OK 18.46; 10 June Holeman, Arcadia, NE 18.74; 11 PJ Burger, Pauls Valley, OK 23.79; no other qualified runs
Barrel Racing Year End Champion: Tana Renick, Kingston, OK
Barrel Racing Aggregate Champion: Jessi Eagleberger, Stringtown, OK
Bull Riding
1 Cooper Kanngiesser, Zenda, KS 85 points on 554 Johnny Cash, Rafter H Rodeo Co; 2/3 tie Dustin Elliott, North Platte, NE 82 and Thad Newell, Muskogee, OK 82; 4 Jesse Pohlmann, Ft Scott, KS 81; 5 Brandon Wesson, Delaware, OK 79; 6/7 tie Sam Wyatt, Fittstown, OK 78 and Cody Atwood, Decatur, TX 78; no other qualified rides
Bull Riding Year End Champion: Dustin Elliott, North Platte, NE
Bull Riding Aggregate Champion: Dustin Elliott, North Platte, NE
All scores/times are unofficial.
