LOVINGTON, N.M. – To be the very best in the world, it takes talent, luck and a lot of consistency.

Still, ProRodeo’s brightest stars don’t always shine, and the elite cowboys in the game sometimes struggle being consistent. That happened Friday during the Lea County Fair and Rodeo with Clint Cooper and Dean Gorsuch.

Cooper, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier who graduated from Lovington High School, sits second in the first round of tie-down roping after his 8.2-second run on Friday afternoon. He had a no-time during his second-round run in the performance.

“It’s awesome to be here,” Cooper said. “I failed to catch my second one, and that would’ve been really good for the average.

“But it’s good to come to the hometown, see my family, my friends, my loved ones and a lot of people who help me out around here.”

Gorsuch, a two-time world champion steer wrestler from Gering, Neb., leads the first round after a 3.5 in the afternoon. He struggled Friday evening, though, with a 7.9-second run, which also took him out of the average.

“You think of your run before you go, and you envision it the way you think it’s going to happen,” Gorsuch said. “I just felt like I was going to catch that steer a little quicker, and I got off early. It all kind of happen because I didn’t ride up there and get a good head catch.”

Mistakes happen, but the very best in the game do the things to rebound from them.

“It’s going to make you frustrated if you don’t win at the level we’re at,” Cooper said. “I just say a little prayer and go on with it. It’s a big deal in one way, but then another it’s not.

“I’ll just keep my head up and try to stay positive.”

Sometimes that’s half the battle. Not only does the money won pay bills, it’s how championship points are tabulated. Only the top 15 on the money list in each event at the conclusion of the regular season qualify for the NFR, the season-ending championship. When the finals are tabulated, the contestants with the most money won in each event are crowned world champions.

“I’d like to say my second run wasn’t my fault, but I felt like I could’ve placed on that steer in the round,” Gorsuch said. “Sometimes things happen. Sometimes you overthink things.

“I needed to make a better run; that was an opportunity to win this rodeo.”

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 8-11
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Kaycee Feild, 89 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Real Deal; 2. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Seth Hardwick, 86; 4. (tie) J.R. Vezain, Justin McDaniel and Casey Colletti, 83; 7. (tie) Will Lowe and Caine Riddle, 81.

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Dean Gorsuch, 3.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Kash Koester and Jacob Shofner, 4.0; 4. Shayde Etherton, 4.4; 5. (tie) Ben Shofner and Josh Peek, 4.6; 7. Hunter Cure, 4.7; 8. (tie) Riley York, Bray Armes and K.C. Jones, 5.0. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Riley Duvall and Christian Pettigrew, 4.1 seconds; 3. (tie) Tom Lewis and Aaron Vosler, 4.4; 5. (tie) K.C. Jones, Kash Koester and Teddy Johnson, 4.5; 8. (tie) Stockton Graves and Matt Reeves, 4.6. Average leaders: 1. Kash Koester, 8.5 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Ben Shofner and Jacob Shofner, 9.4; 4. K.C. Jones, 9.5; 5. Shayde Etherton, 9.7; 6. Bray Armes, 9.8; 7. (tie) Josh Peek, Teddy Johnson and Aaron Vosler, 10.2.

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Trevor Thiel, 8.0 seconds; 2. Clint Cooper, 8.2; 3. Stetson Vest, 8.4; 4. Ross Beasley, 8.5; 5. Clif Cooper, 8.6; 6. Shane Hanchey, 8.8; 7. (tie) Sterling Smith and Matt Kenney, 9.1. Second round leaders: 1. Cody Ohl, 7.8 seconds; 2. Cody Owens, 8.0; 3. Scott Kormos, 8.1; 4. Sterling Smith, 8.4; 5. J.D. Kibbe, 8.5; 6. Chris Demases, 8.6; 7. Matt Kenney, 8.7; 8. Reese Riemer, 8.8. Average leaders: 1. Scott Kormos, 17.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Sterling Smith, 17.5; 3. (tie) Matt Kenney and Ross Beasley, 17.8; 5. Stetson Vest, 17.9; 6. J.D. Kibbe, 19.1; 7. Chris Demases, 19.3; 8. Cody Owens, 19.8.

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Travis Sheets, 85 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s True Lies; 2. (tie) Troy Crowser and Chuck Schmidt, 8.4; 4. J.J. Elshere, 83; 5. (tie) Bradley Harter, Cody DeMoss and Curtis Garton, 81; 8. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Jesse Kruse, 78.

Steer roping: Third round leaders: 1. Bryce Davis, 10.5 seconds; 2. Brent Lewis, 11.9; 3. Scott Snedecor, 12.4; 4. Cody Lee, 12.9; 5 (tie) Rocky Patterson, Jim Davis and Buster Record Jr., 13.9. Average leaders: 1. J.P. Wickett, 42.7 seconds on three runs; 2. Brent Lewis, 44.4; 3. Cody Lee, 47.8; 4. Rod Hartness, 50.4; 5. Landon McClaugherty, 26.2 on two; 6. Scott Snedecor, 27.2.

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith, 4.2 seconds; 2. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.5; 3. Nick Sartain/Kollin VonAhn, 4.8; 4. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 5.3; 5. Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 5.4; 6. Nate Singletary/Tom Bill Johnson, 5.5; 7. Manny Egusquiza Jr./Brad Culpepper, 5.5; 8. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 5.6. Second round leaders: 1. Travis Tryan/Jake Long, 4.2 seconds; 2. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 4.3; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 4.5; 4. Chad Masters/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 4.7; 5. (tie) Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz and Nick Sartain/Kollin VonAhn, 4.8; 7. (tie) Arky Rogers/Cory Petska and Blaine Linaweaver/Matt Garza, 5.2. Average leaders: 1. Erich Rogers/Kory Koontz, 8.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Nick Sartain/Kollin VonAhn, 10.1; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Jade Corkill, 10.1; 4. Chad Masters/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 11.3; 5. Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 11.4; 6. Nate Singletary/Tom Bill Johnson, 12.1; 7. Billy Stephens/Justin Hendrick, 15.8; 8. Tom RichardsNick Sarchett, 15.9.

Barrel racing leaders: 1. Kaley Bass, 17.14 seconds; 2. Jana Bean, 17.46; 3. Shada Brazile, 17.64; 4. Caren Lamb, 17.70; 5. Gretchen Benbenek, 17.71; 6. (tie) Savannah Reeves, 17.73; 7. (tie) Kim Schulze and Fallon Taylor, 17.74; 9. Megan Stock, 17.75; 10. Shannon Tidwell, 17.78; 11. Marisa Simpson, 17.80; 12. Rebecca Hughes, 17.81; 13. Cindy Smith, 17.82; 14. Reagan Dillard, 17.88.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Scottie Knapp, 91 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Wicket Game; 2. Dalton Votaw, 89; 3. Tyler Willis, 82; 4. Shawn Coleman, 79; 5. Clayton Savage, 77; 6. Clayton Savage, 77; Jared Green, 75; 8. Friday Wright III, 60.