Monthly Archives: December 2011

1. Olin Hannum, Malad, Idaho, 3.8 seconds, $17,885; 2. Todd Suhn, Hermosa, S.D., 3.9, $14,135; 3. Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls, Texas, 4.0, $10,673; 4. Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore., 4.1, $7,500; 5. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., and Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo., 4.3, $3,750 each.

We’re well under way on a Wednesday night in Las Vegas. HERE are some shots from tonight.

Both Jason Havens and Kaycee Feild were awarded re-rides. It’ll be until bronc riding before we know who wins bareback riding. Keep coming back.

LAS VEGAS – Riding well in a big event is nothing new to bull rider Jacob O’Mara. He’s making it count in a big way during the first six nights of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. On Tuesday night, he posted an 83-point ride on Do Or Die Pro Rodeo’s Iron Horse to finish sixth in the sixth go-round, earning $2,885. It was the fourth time over the course of this year’s championship the Prairieville, La., cowboy has earned money. More importantly, he has ridden four of six bulls and is No. 1 in the all-important average race – the contestant with the best cumulative score at the conclusion of the 10-round marathon will earn a $45,865 bonus. So far, O’Mara has pocketed $45,576 in his first trip to Las Vegas for the NFR. He’s atop the money list for bull riders, and he’s riding quite well. In fact, his 345.5-point aggregate works out to be an average of 86 points per qualified ride. That’s pretty salty, especially considering O’Mara is just 20 years old and competing against a long list of elite bull riders. Only the top 15 cowboys in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season earn the right to play for the biggest pay in ProRodeo, so O’Mara is testing his mettle against multiple NFR qualifiers like Cody Whitney, Seth Glause, Steve Woolsey, Clayton Savage and Tate Stratton. Also in the mix are cowboys like 2007 world champion Wesley Silcox and three-time world champion J.W. Harris. O’Mara is standing his ground, but those who have been around the young cowboy expected that all along.

LAS VEGAS – This season marks the third time in young Seth Glause’s career he’s competed at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That is proof he is one of the elite bull riders in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. So is the $22,500 he’s earned through six go-rounds of the sport’s finale. In fact, he’s earned more money so far this December than the previous years in Las Vegas combined. “I’m just enjoying it,” said Glause of Rock Springs, Wyo. “Donnie Gay told me that this is the most comfortable I’ve looked riding bulls in the three years I’ve been here. Gay knows what he’s talking about. An eight-time world champion, Gay is the color commentator for bull riding on the NFR telecasts on GAC. He’s also a mentor to the greatest bull riders in the game, so those words mean a lot. But Glause is proving a lot to the bull riding world. More importantly, he’s proving it to himself. On Tuesday night, Glause rode David Bailey Rodeo’s Frosty for 85.5 points to finish fifth in the sixth go-round, earning $4,615 in the process. It was just the second time in six nights Glause has stayed on for the qualifying eight seconds. “I won the first round, and I had a close call in the second round,” said Glause, who attended Central Wyoming College and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “We got back on track and placed again.  It’s been good.” His 2011 NFR earnings mark the best championship the 23-year-old cowboy has had. During his first two trips to the City of Lights, Glause was able to ride just one bull. He’s happy to have ridden two and earned two nice checks so far, but he’s far from content. “The bulls at this level … if you stub your toe, they’re going to buck you off,” he said. “You’ve got to be at the top of your game every night. You’ve just got to try hard and do what you can do. “I fell like I give a good effort every night. I rode a bull (almost) to the whistle and just got bucked off a couple. There are four more rounds, so anything’s possible.”

LAS VEGAS – It’s been an impressive run for the Team MGM Grand contestants at the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Through six go-rounds, the cowboys and cowgirls who are making the MGM Grand their home during the duration of ProRodeo’s biggest event have collected $893,952. The NFR’s purse, $6 million, is the biggest the players will see each season, with go-round winners in each discipline earning $17,885 each of the 10 nights. In all, 11 Team MGM contestants have earned 17 go-round victories, accumulating $256,305 by being the top contestant in their division on the given nights. Tuesday’s sixth go-round featured Montana Silversmiths go-round buckles won by bareback rider Bobby Mote, an four-time world champion; team ropers Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith, the reigning world champions; and first-time NFR qualifying bull rider Chandler Bownds – it was the second victory for Bownds, Brazile and Smith, all of whom won second round in their disciplines. But they aren’t the only multiple round winners among Team MGM. Steer wrestler Jason Miller split the first-round victory, then won Round 4 outright. Tie-down roper Cody Ohl, a five-time world champion, won the first two rounds Barrel racer Carlee Pierce and three-time reigning world champion bull rider J.W. Harris earned wins on the fourth and fifth nights of rodeo’s grand finale. First-time qualifier Cory Solomon won Saturday’s third go-round in tie-down roping, while the Carr Pro Rodeo horse MGM Deuces Night matched moves with Ryan Gray for 90 points to win the fifth round.

LAS VEGAS – This is a dream, and it’s pretty good. In fact, Jhett Johnson won’t want to be awakened. In his fifth qualification to the sport’s biggest event, the Casper, Wyo., cowboy is having his best Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Johnson and his partner, Turtle Powell of Stephenville, Texas, have placed in the first six go-round of this year’s championship event, winning two. They’ve each earned $73,990 in six nights of competition at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas – Johnson’s previous best finale came six seasons ago when he earned $71,000 roping with Shane Schwenke. “To be that guy to place in the first six … it seems surreal,” said Johnson, who attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University on rodeo scholarships. “This is the best finals I’ve ever had, and there are still four to go.” A key ingredient is how well the tandem is working. The big thing in team roping is to be fast and smooth, especially in an arena like the NFR, which is roughly the size of a hockey rink. With Powell handling the cattle well early, things seem to be falling in to place. On Tuesday night, the two stopped the clock in a blazing fast 3.8 seconds – the same time that earned them the fifth-round title Monday – to finish in a tie for second place with Matt Sherwood and Cory Petska. Reigning world champions Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith won the round with a 3.5. “He has done so good here that every time I’ve caught both feet, I’ve had a chance to win,” Johnson said. “Tonight wasn’t even a dumb run. It was just fast.” With this kind of start in the biggest roping of his career, does Johnson intend to carry that run to Vegas’ gaming tables. “I’m saving my luck,” he said. Maybe it’s luck, maybe it’s just preparation meeting opportunity. Whatever is the case, Johnson has moved from 12th to second in the world standings, and he trails leader Travis Graves by just $614. Sixth place in a go-round pays $2,885, so there’s always a chance. The ultimate goal is to be atop the standings when Saturday’s final round is complete. “If we do our job one night at a time, the timers will time the runs, the sectary will add up the money and add up the average,” Johnson said. “Our job’s with the cow every night. If we’ll keep it that simple, shoot, it’ll all play out. Somebody’s going to win it, and it might be us.”

LAS VEGAS – The 10 nights of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the time for the best cowboys in the game to have a good week of work. It’s better if it’s a great week of work. Matt Sherwood is hoping the former turns into the latter and that he and partner Cory Petska can step up the pressure on the other 14 teams in ProRodeo’s championship. They took a pretty big step by finishing in a tie for second place in Tuesday’s sixth go-round, each earning a check worth $12,404. “I’m just so happy to be making good runs and placing,” said Sherwood, a two-time world champion header from Pima, Ariz. “If they let us win the round or if we win fourth or fifth in the round, we’ll just take what we can get.” The tandem posted a 3.8-second run, tying Turtle Powell and Jhett Johnson as runners-up to reigning world champions Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith. After winning the opening go-round, Sherwood and Petska have placed in four others; Tuesday’s round was the first time the two have posted a sub-4.0-second run. “Tonight was our best run, if we can keep making smooth runs and placing, we’ll see where we are at the end of the week,” Sherwood said. “We’re roping aggressive. You’ll notice that teams that were first, second and third in the average finished first, second and third in the round. “Turtle is stealing our show, sort of. Those guys are doing so good, you can’t back off. (If) you want to have a chance to win the world at the end of the week, you’ve got to keep pressing.” The key is to continue collecting checks. Through six nights in Las Vegas, Sherwood and Petska have pocketed $45,577 each, a significant living in less than a week. In rodeo, though, dollars also are championship points. The contestant in each discipline that finishes the season with the most money won is rewarded with the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle for being world champion. Sherwood knows all about that; in his two previous trips to the NFR, he left the Thomas & Mack Center with those wearable trophies. He’d like to make it three. “We need to stay aggressive, but smooth,” he said. That’s easier said than done, especially with the pressure mounting in the final stages of the grand finale, but that’s why the game is played. Sherwood wouldn’t trade it.

LAS VEGAS – Gold Coast Katie wasn’t the prettiest girl in the bareback riding dance on Tuesday night, but she was just what Matt Bright needed in his second trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Bright, of Azle, Texas, rode the Classic Pro Rodeo horse for 76 points, good enough for sixth place in the sixth go-round and a check worth $2,885. More importantly, it helped change some momentum for the Tennessee-born cowboy, who cashed at ProRodeo’s grand finale for the first time this season. “It’s a pretty big weight off my shoulders,” Bright said. “After five days of not winning a check, it was getting pretty frustrating. It’s nice to say I’ve won something here.” He hopes it continues, because he’s one of the elite bareback riders in the business. The proof is in his opportunity to ride the toughest horses in rodeo in Las Vegas, home of just the top 15 contestants in the world standings at the end of the rodeo season. The NFR has the biggest purse in ProRodeo, worth $6 million over 10 nights in the Nevada desert. It’s where cowboys and cowgirls battle for big pay. Go-round winners earn nightly paydays of $17,885. “It s like a whole new rodeo everyday,” Bright said. “It’s not hard to come back with a good attitude the next day even if you didn’t do good the day before, just because you’re going for the biggest paycheck that we get to go at all year every time you nod your head. It’s just a good motivator to go and do it again. It might take six days, but you get a check out of it.” He’s ready to collect a lot more, but he knows just how hard it is to cash in when competing against the best horses in the business and the greatest bareback riders who travel down the rodeo trail. “With the way that the week started out, I’m just going to try to have fun and let it roll and see what happens, because there’s still a lot of money to be had,” Bright said. “I’m just going to try to get my share of it.”

LAS VEGAS – The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was set up to be a tremendous test of athletic talent, courage and handling the mental and physical demands that come with ProRodeo’s championship event. Bareback rider Casey Colletti is feeling the aches and pains of being an elite bareback rider, now competing on the biggest stage of his life for the biggest purse of his career. He’s handling it pretty well. “I’m having a blast,” said Colletti, 25, of Pueblo, Colo., who finished fourth in Tuesday’s competition, earning a check for the fourth time in six go-rounds. “I love this. This is the best time of my life.” Colletti rode the Beutler & Son Rodeo Co. horse Hollywood Hills for 83 points to earn a check worth $7,500. In just six nights of competition in the City of Lights, the Colorado cowboy has collected $32,163. “I didn’t know that horse,” said Colletti, who had his right elbow and wrist wrapped in ice after the ride. “The only think I knew was that Will Lowe was 85 on him in Elk City (Okla.). I talked to Rhett (Beutler) behind the bucking chutes, and he said that was the last time they bucked her. She’s been turned out to pasture. “She felt really good.” Well, she felt as good as a bareback horse can. Bareback riding is the most physically demanding event in rodeo, because cowboys wedge their hands into a rigging, using binds in their riding gloves to lock their hands to the handle. That rigging is strapped tightly to the horse’s back, so every leap, every buck, is felt on the cowboy. “The elbow’s starting to hurt a little bit,” he said. “It’s starting to get a little sore. It’s just part of the territory.” So, apparently, is collecting checks in Las Vegas.

1. Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas, 89 points on Sutton Rodeos’ Crystal Springs Peach, $17,885; 2. Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, 88.5, $14,135; 3. Tyler Willis, Wheatland, Wyo., and Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash., 86, $9,087; 5. Seth Glause, Rock Springs, Wyo., 85.5, $4,615; 6. Jacob O’Mara, Prairieville, La., 83, $2,885.

1. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 13.93 seconds, $17,885; 2. Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 13.95, $14,135; 3. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 13.96, $10,673; 4. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 13.97, $7,500; 5. Jody Sheffield, Ogden, Utah, 13.99, $4,615; 6. Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho, 14.02, $2,885.

1. Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 7.4 seconds, $17,885; 2. Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.6, $14.135; 3. Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 8.1, $10,673; 4. Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas, 8.2, $7,500; 5. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho, 8.5, $4,615; 6. Timber Moore, Aburey, Texas, 8.6, $2,885.,

1. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas/Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas, 3.5 seconds, $17,885; 2. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas/Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo., and Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz./Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz., 3.8, $12,404 each; 4. Brady Tryan, Huntley, Mont./Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., and Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas, 3.9, $6,058 each; 6. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas/Martin Lucero, Stephenville, Texas, and Kaelb Driggers, Albany, Ga./Brad Culpepper, Poulan, Ga., 4.0, $1,442.

1. Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D., 3.6 seconds, $17,885; 2. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 3.8, $14,135; 3. Seth Brockman, Wheatland, Wyo., Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., and Shawn Greenfield, Lance Creek, Wyo., 4.0, $7,596 each; 6. Mickey Gee, 4.1, $2,885.

1. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., 87 points on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Wise Guy, $17,885; 2. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 85.5, $14.135; 3. Kaycee Feild, Payson, Utah, 84.5, $10,673; 4. Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 83.5, $7,500; 5. Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas, 80, $4,615; 6. Matt Bright, Azle, Texas, 76, $2,885.

Between Carr Pro Rodeo and Jhett Johnson, it was a great night for me at the South Point’s Montana Silversmiths Go-Round Buckle Presentation. I love this rodeo, and I love the people of rodeo. Click HERE to see more photos.

LAS VEGAS – Everyone around ProRodeo has been talking about how strong a bull rider Jacob O’Mara is. He’s showing the rest of the world while competing on the biggest stage in the sport, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. O’Mara, of Prairieville, La., has placed in three of five go-rounds – including the third-round victory – and has collected $42,692 in just five days of work in the City of Lights. On Monday night, the 20-year-old cowboy matched moves with Classic Pro Rodeo’s Diamond Joe for 88 points to finish second in the round behind three-time reigning world champion J.W. Harris, who posted a 90.5. Harris and O’Mara are Nos. 1-2 in the all-important average race, where the bull ride with the best cumulative score after the 10-round marathon will win a $45,865 bonus. What’s even bigger is that this is O’Mara’s first trip to the NFR. The lights and the glamour associated with ProRodeo’s championship haven’t affected the young bull rider in the least. You want proof? Just five of the 15 qualifiers have posted qualified rides on three bulls, and two veterans, Clayton Foltyn and Clayton Savage, haven’t ridden one. “Bull riding is a big mental game,” said O’Mara, who comes from a bull riding family. “My brother rode bulls because of my dad. It’s all I knew when I was young, so I didn’t really have a choice.” Whether by choice or by fate, O’Mara is showing the world why he’s one of the elite bull riders in the game.

LAS VEGAS – Nothing has really changed in Casey Colletti’s mind about how to approach his first qualification to rodeo’s biggest event, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Through five go-rounds, Colletti, 25, of Pueblo, Colo., has place three times and earned $24,663; he’s had fun doing it, too. “That’s not a bad week’s work,” he said. “I just feel like I could never come back here, so I’m just going to enjoy it as much as I can.” Colletti rode the Big Stone Moreno & Growney bareback horse for 86 points to split sixth place in Monday’s fifth go-round, earning $1,442 in the process. “To be 86 points and to split last hole in the round, that shows you just how good things are here,” said Colletti, who attended Garden City (Kan.) Community College on a rodeo scholarship. “You win rodeos with 86 points, but not in Las Vegas.” The second-generation bareback rider placed second on opening night, then followed that with a tie for third place in the second go-round. He failed to mark scores in the top six in the third and fourth rounds, actually suffering a mild concussion on the third night of competition. “I think I’m riding well, but things have to go your way,” he said. “The horse I had (in the fourth round) Sunday wasn’t very good. That’s just part of it.” Colletti hadn’t ridden Tar Baby before Monday night, and he seen that horse buck just twice. “I saw Caleb Bennett get on her at Walla Walla (Wash.), and she two-jumped him,” he said, referring to a quick buck-off. “Kaycee Field was 90 on her, but that’s all I knew. I knew she was pretty good.” They key for the final five nights of ProRodeo’s championship event is to maintain that same focus and same game plan. “There’s no reason to change it,” Colletti said. “It worked for Prescott (Ariz.), Cheyenne (Wyo.) and Fort Madison (Iowa); those rodeos I ended up winning, but I didn’t change anything. “I’m just going to live it up, experience everything, that way when I go home at the end, I don’t want to look back and wish I would’ve done something different.” That philosophy is working quite well so far.

LAS VEGAS – Jenny Johnson had a simple request for her team roping husband: Win the Tough Enough to Wear Pink night go-round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Jhett Johnson did that on Monday night’s fifth round with his partner, Turtle Powell, stopping the clock in 3.8 seconds and sending a statement on the evening designated to raise awareness and funds in the fight against cancer. You see, Jhett Johnson is a cancer survivor, and he’s rightfully proud of that accomplishment. “To win on pink night, it’s special for a lot of people, and especially hits home to me,” said Johnson of Casper, Wyo., who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1995. He underwent surgeries in 1995 and 1996 and has been listed cancer free. Not only that, but since his bout with the disease in his mid-20s, Johnson has fathered three sons, Kellan, Carson and Kress, and qualified for the NFR five times. “I had testicular cancer, which is not the funnest to talk about, but I sure don’t mind,” said Johnson, who promotes the state of Wyoming while traveling the rodeo trail. “If somebody seen me on TV or got a chance to talk to me and maybe they were going through it and realized, ‘Hey, it’s not a death sentence.’ “Do what the doctors told you to do. My attitude the whole time was that I was going to beat it. I never looked back thinking it might get me. I just didn’t want it to. I know there are millions of people not near that fortunate, and they keep an attitude.” He has no qualms about using his own experiences to help others, and rodeo is his pulpit. “If me talking about it can help one person get their chin up and think, ‘This guy did it, I can do it,’ then I’m good with that.” The other thing he’s good with is the roll he and Powell have had at this year’s championship. The tandem has placed in all five go-rounds so far, including two round wins – they split the third round with Georgia ropers Kaleb Driggers and Brad Culpepper. They have won a team roping best $61,587 each in just five days, and they’re second in the average race with a cumulative total of 29.4 seconds on five runs. Their only hiccup came in Sunday’s fourth round, when they finished in 13.0 seconds after a late start and a five-second penalty that resulted from Johnson securing a single leg instead of two. “Tonight we had a good steer,” Johnson said. “If anything, last night cleared our head. You get to feeling, I guess, too good. It brings you back real fast. Anything can happen here, and still can. We’ve got to tend to business every night for five more nights.” It’s working pretty well so far.

1. J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas, 90.5 points on Burch Rodeo’s Zombie Zoo, $17,885; 2. Jacob O’Mara, Prairieville, La., 88, $14,134; 3. L.J. Jenkins, Porum, Okla., 79, $10,673; no other qualified rides.

1. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas, 13.46 seconds, $17,885; 2. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 13.79, $14,135; 3. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 13.82, $10,673; 4. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 13.88, $7,500; 5. Jody Sheffield, Ogden, Utah, 13.90, $4,615; 6. Christina Richman, Glendora, Calif., 13.92, $2,885.

1. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 90 points on Burns Rodeo Co.’s Chugwater Blue, $17,885; 2. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, 87.5, $14,135; 3. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., and Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas, 83.5, $9,087 each; 5. Chuck Schmidt, Keldron, S.D., 83, $4,615; 6. Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D., 82.5, $2,885.

Carlee Pierce won her second straight barrel racing go-round. More importantly, she rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 13.46 seconds, besting the record set by Sherry Cervi a season ago. That’s pretty salty for a first-time NFR qualifier. Of course, her horse, Dillion, isn’t a first-timer. The 12-year-old buckskin gelding was in Las Vegas in 2008 with Annesa Self.