Monthly Archives: December 2014

1. Britany Diaz, 13.89 seconds, $19,002; 2. Kaley Bass, 13.90, $15,018; 3. Christy Loflin, 13.91, $11,340; 4. Fallon Taylor, 14.08, $7,969; 5. Trula Churchill, 14.13 $4,904; 6. Jana Bean, 14.18, $3,065.

1. (tie) Marty Yates and Matt Shiozawa, 6.9 seconds, $17,010 each; 3. (tie) Cody Ohl and Timber Moore, 7.3, $9,654 each; 5. Adam Gray, 7.5, $4,904; 6. (tie) Tyson Durfey and Hunter Herrin, 7.6, $1,532 each.

1. Jake Wright, 79 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich N Fancy, $19,002; 2. Cody DeMoss, 78.5, $15,108; 3. (tie) Heith DeMoss and Spencer Wright, 78, $9,654 each; 5. Tyler Corrington, 77.5, $4,904; 6. (tie) Cort Scheer and Dustin Flundra, 76.5, $1,532.

1. Aaron Tsinigine/Clay O’Brien Cooper, 4.0 seconds, $19,002; 2. Turle Powell/Dakota Kirchenschlage, 4.2, $15,018; 3. Jake Barnes/Junior Nogueira, 4.4, $11,340; 4. Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill, 5.0, $7,969; 5. Tom Richards/Cesar de la Cruz, 5.3, $4,904; 6. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, 5.5, $3,065.

1. Austin Foss on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Movie Madness, 86 points, $19,002; 2. Bobby Mote, 83, $15,018; 3. (tie) Tilden Hooper, Jessy Davis and Caleb Bennett, 81, $8,071 each; 6. (tie) Will Lowe and Kaycee Feild, 80, $1,532 each.

1. K.C. Jones, 3.5 seconds, $19,002; 2. Wyatt Smith, 3.6 $15,108; 3. Clayton Haas, 3.7, $11,340; 4. Dru Melvin, 4.1, $7,969; 5. Bray Armes, 4.2, $ 4,9046; 6. (tie) Ty Erickson and Seth Brockman, 4.8, $1,533.

LAS VEGAS – Coleman Proctor has waited a lifetime for his moment in ProRodeo. He’s living it this week in Las Vegas, home of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale. Roping with his longtime friend, Jake Long, Proctor found the City of Lights to his liking. That was most evident Monday night, when the team stopped the clock in 4.1 seconds to win the fifth go-round and a $19,000 check. “I’ve got the best heeler in the world, and I’ve got to just turn steers for him,” said Proctor, a header from Pryor, Okla. “Jake’s made it here three times before. I was his biggest fan and talked to him every night. But I was at home watching it on the couch, because I didn’t want to come until I made it. “He’s shown on paper how great he is in this building. He’s so awesome in here, and I just want to give him an opportunity to just go throw his rope.” Now that he has arrived in the Nevada desert, the Oklahoma cowboy is taking advantage. After missing his first-round steer, the tandem had placed three of four nights – they posted a 4.5 to finish as runners-up in the second round, then finished tied for fifth in the third with a 4.3. At the halfway point of the 10-round championship, Proctor and Long have each earned more than $38,000. That’s an outstanding work week. They have each earned more than $113,000 this season and sit fourth in their respective world standings and trail the leaders, Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, by less than $26,000. They have five more rounds to add to their total. “Jake is like my brother; he’s family,” Proctor said of Long, 30, of Coffeyville, Kan. “We’ve been roping together since our diaper days, when he was 3 and I was 2. To win my first go-round here with him is a dream come true.” Their bond is a key component, not only to their success but also how they handle the day-to-day life of traveling the rodeo trail. “I’ve had the privilege of experience this rodeo three other times, but to get to experience this with a guy who’s basically my brother and finally live it out is beyond words really,” Long said. “Coleman did a great job making that steer easier for me to heel by really softening him up in the turn. I told myself I was going to be more aggressive in my approach tonight. I decided to turn it up a notch, and it worked out really well.”

LAS VEGAS – Carlee Pierce’s confidence is growing. The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is the perfect place for that boost. On Monday night, the Edmond, Okla., cowgirl circled the cloverleaf pattern in 13.93 seconds to finish sixth in the fifth round, adding another $3,065 to her earnings. She now has earned more than $14,000 in Sin City. “Faster times each run is a success,” Pierce said after posting her fastest time of the 2014 NFR. “We are finally getting more confidence and looking for first place.” That assurance comes from Streakin Easy April, a 6-year-old sorrel mare she calls Lolo that is competing at just the fourth rodeo of her young life. It just so happens, this is a 10-round championship that features the very best horses in ProRodeo. “I was super excited about that run,” she said, referring to the fifth-round time. “Every time I ride her, I’m seeing more and more great things.” The young horse comes from a strong pedigree. Her sire is A Streak of Fling, a top-producing performance horse stallion; her dam is Easy April Lena, a top producer. “I’m just working hard to make sure we’re doing everything right,” said Pierce, who pushed her season earnings to more than $104,500 and is sixth in the world standings. “We tipped a barrel Sunday night, and that was rider error.” The cowgirl learned from the mistake. “I rode a lot better, and it showed,” she said.

LAS VEGAS – If Clint Cooper was planning on hitting the casino in Las Vegas, he might want to focus on the number 2. Snake eyes. Double down. Black 2. Craps. The Decatur, Texas, cowboy roped and tied his calf in 7.9 seconds to finish second in the fifth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, earning $15,018 in the process. He has pushed his NFR earnings past $27,000 in five nights of competition and is 10th in the tie-down roping world standings with nearly $97,000. It was a strong night for Cooper, the son of eight-time world champion Roy Cooper. The younger roper grew up in Lovington, N.M., in the state’s southeastern corner. He a five-round cumulative time of 42.7 seconds and sits No. 2 in the all-important average race. That’s vital now that the NFR is at its halfway point. If he stays in that position through Saturday night’s 10th go-round, Clint Cooper will add a bonus of more than $39,000. If he wins the average, that’s worth $48,732. He’s not the only Tate Branch Auto Group cowboy with a chance at that coveted NFR average championship. Jim Ross Cooper, a heeler from Monument, N.M., sits third with a five-run cumulative time of 40.4 seconds. Roping with header Brandon Beers, the pair failed to place Monday night, roping their steer in 8.3 seconds. Meanwhile, two-time world champion saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy, a “Ride for the Brand” cowboy from Corona, N.M., scored 79.5 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s Roulette and finished half a point out of the money. He is fifth in the average.

1. Joe Frost, 89 points on Corey and Lange Rodeo’s Bottle Rocket, $19,002; 2. Sage Kimzey, 87, $15,018; 3. Ty Wallace, 86.5, $11,340; 4. Trey Benton III, 86, $7,969; 5. Jordan Spears, 85, $4,904; 6. J.W. Harris, 81, $3,065.

1. Michele McLeod, 13.66 seconds, $19,002; 2. Fallon Taylor, 13.85, $15,018; 3. (tie) Lisa Lockhart and Britany Diaz, 13.88, $9,654; 5. Mary Walker, 13.90 $4,904; 6. Carlee Pierce, 13.93, $3,065.

1. Wade Sundell, 87 points on Bar T Rodeo’s Son of Sadie, $19,002; 2. Tyler Corrington, 86, $15,018; 3. Heith DeMoss, 85, $11,340; 4. Cody Wright, 84.5, $7,969; 5. Dustin Flundra, 82.5, $4,904; 6. Bradley Harter, 80, $3,065.

1. Adam Gray, 7.3 seconds, $19,002; 2. Clint Cooper, 7.9, $15,018; 3. Shane Hanchey, 8.1, $11,340; 4. Cody Ohl, 8.2, $7,969; 5. Tuf Cooper, 8.4, $4,904. 6. Ryan Watkins, 9.4, $3,065.

1. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, 4.1 seconds, $19,002; 2. (tie) Riley Minor/Brad Minor and Charly Crawford/Shay Carroll, 4.3, $13,179 each; 4. Trevor Brazile/Travis Graves, 4.5, $7,969; 5. Jake Barnes/Junior Nogueira, 5.9, $4,904; 6. Tom Richards/Cesar de la Cruz, 6.0, $3,065.

1. Curtis Cassidy, 3.3 seconds, $19,002; 2. Trevor Knowles, 3.9, $15,018; 3. Nick Guy, 4.0, $11,340; 4. (tie) Luke Branquinho and Clayton Haas, 4.2 $6,436 each; 6. (tie) Ty Erickson and Dru Melvin, 4.6, $1,532 each.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – It was the rematch that bareback rider Richmond Champion had dreamed about since he arrived in Las Vegas last week. On Monday night, Champion rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket for 88.5 points to win the fifth round at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Four months ago, the two matched moves for 91 points to win the Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Rodeo. The Texas cowboy utilized that momentum to qualify for the NFR for the first time, and Dirty Jacket rode the tidal wave all the way to his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Bareback Horse of the Year title. “Dirty Jacket might’ve even looked better than he did that day in Cheyenne,” Champion said. “There’s not another horse like him. There wasn’t a bad one in that pen, but to have Dirty Jacket again at the NFR and to win the round is awesome.” Champion earned a small paycheck Sunday night by finishing in a tie for sixth place. He padded his bank account by $19,000 Monday. He has pushed his PRCA season earnings to more than $110,000 and sits eighth on the money list. He has a lot of room to grow that money; this marks the halfway point of this year’s championship “I’m just glad I get to do it five more times,” Champion said. “There’s not another night that you get to walk down an alley with that caliber of a horse standing all next to each other. That same feeling runs in all of us to see that kind of horse lined up for us just standing outside the Thomas and Mack. That’s what dreams are made of in this sport.”

1. Richmond Champion, 88.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket, $19,002; 2. Winn Ratliff, 87, $15,018; 3. Justin McDaniel, 86, $11,340; 4. Steven Dent, 85, $7,969; 5. Kaycee Feild, 84.5, $4,904; 6. Jake Vold, 84, $3,065.

LAS VEGAS – That was not what Carlee Pierce had planned. On Sunday night during the fourth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Pierce and her horse, Lola, posted their fastest time around the cloverleaf pattern. They also suffered the first penalty of this year’s championship. “We just got a little tight on the second barrel,” said Pierce, who finished in 19.03 seconds after suffering a five-second penalty when the barrel hit the ground. But the Edmond, Okla., cowgirl has maintained a positive attitude, despite the fact that she’s placed just twice and has pocketed just a little more than $11,000 – that’s considerably different than Fallon Taylor, the No. 1 barrel racer in the world standing who has earned nearly $50,000 in four nights. “You can’t worry about the money,” Pierce said. “If I keep doing my part, the money will come. We have six more rounds to go.” That’s the best part, and history tells a fascinating tale. Two seasons ago, she finished the season No. 2 in the world standings after earning more than $79,800 in Las Vegas. She won the sixth and 10th go-rounds. In her first NFR in 2011, she scored a then-arena record 13.46-second run to win the fifth round. That means the door remains wide open. “When things happen, you learn from it and move on,” she said. “Lolo is a young horse that I plan to have for a long time, and I’m not going to rush things with her.”

Richmond Champion gets a rematch on the ride of his life with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket. Champion rode the 2014 Bareback Horse of the Year for 91 points to win the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in July. It was the biggest PRCA victory of his young career and helpe. Now he has drawn the 10-year-old bay gelding for the fifth round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Can history be repeated? Here is Monday’s roughstock draw: BAREBACK RIDING Back # Contestant/Hometown Stock Stock Contractor SCORE 6 Steven Peebles, Redmond, Ore. OUT 39 Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas 161 Dirty Jacket Pete Carr Pro Rodeo 30 Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore. 150 Smack Daddy J Bar J 25 Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas 121 Special Delivery Calgary Stampede 18 Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa 155 Street Dance Kesler Rodeo 9 Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore. 160 Night Bells Pete Carr Pro Rodeo 2 Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah 199 Mucho Dinero Wayne Vold Rodeo 53 Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb. 175 Scarlet Fever Pickett Pro Rodeo 98 Justin McDaniel, Porum, Okla. 125 Trail Dust Calgary Stampede 94 Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas 154 Copper Cat Kesler Rodeo 89 Jessy Davis, Power, Mont. 174 Top Flight Pickett Pro Rodeo 88 Jake Vold, Ponoka, Alberta 189 Storm Cloud Stace Smith Pro Rodeo 81 J.R. Vezain, Cowley, Wyo. 159 Black Knight Pete Carr Pro Rodeo 71 Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La. 169 Scarlet’s Web Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo 43 Caleb Bennett, Tremonton, Utah 198 True Grit Wayne Vold Rodeo Rerides: 165/Good Time Charlie/Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo  136/Times Up/Frontier Rodeo  104/Eight Ball/Bar T Rodeo  166/Fancy Free/Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo 173/Shady Nights/Pickett Pro Rodeo SADDLE BRONC RIDING Back # Contestant/Hometown Stock Stock Contractor SCORE 62 Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn. 321 Lunatic From Hell Burch Rodeo 45 Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa 302 Son of Sadie Bar T Rodeo 27 Jacobs Crawley, Stephenville, Texas 403 Pedro Wayne Vold Rodeo 31 Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La. 387 Resistols Top Hat Stace Smith Pro Rodeo 20 Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb. 303 Big John Bar T Rodeo 12 Cody Wright, Milford, Utah 369 Big Tex Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo 7 Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M. 396 Roulette Three Hills Rodeo 107 Dustin Flundra, Pincher Creek, Alberta 312 Kool Toddy Big Bend Rodeo 104 Jake Wright, Milford, Utah 327 Timely Delivery Calgary Stampede 99 Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah 343 Maple Leaf Frontier Rodeo 90 Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La. 325 Stampede Warrior Calgary Stampede 75 Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D. 311 Wound Up Beutler & Son Rodeo 72 Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D. 344 Medicine Woman Frontier Rodeo 61 Bradley Harter, Loranger, La. 335 Spring Planting Flying 5 Rodeo 63 Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah 394 Chuckulator Sutton Rodeos Rerides: 322/Lynx Mountain/Calgary Stampede  395/Real McCoy/Sutton Rodeos  391/Big Fork/Summit Pro Rodeo  318/Lunatic Fringe/Burch Rodeo  365/Lunatic Party/Outlawbuckers Rodeo BULL RIDING Back # Contestant/Hometown Stock Stock Contractor SCORE 110 Reid Barker, Comfort, Texas 216 Spin Bo Beutler & Son Rodeo 64 J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas 278 News Flash Rafter H Rodeo Livestock 114 Brennon Eldred, Sulphur, Okla. 235 Cyrus Four Star Rodeo 102 Tim Bingham, Honeyville, Utah 225 Wild Eyes Corey & Lange Rodeo 41 Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas 234 Crazy Bull Flying Diamond Rodeo 15 Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas 254 Nashville Lancaster & Pickett Pro Rodeo 29 Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla. 200 Hou’s American Ride 4L & Diamond S Rodeo 116 Elliot Jacoby, Fredericksburg, Texas 297 Johnny Ringo Sutton Rodeos 106 Aaron Pass, Dallas, Texas 201 Paint Ball 4L & Diamond S Rodeo 103 Beau Hill, West Glacier, Mont. 285 Guns & Donuts Silver Creek Rodeo 117 Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo. 238 Lincoln’s Logs Frontier Rodeo 111 Joe Frost, Randlett, Utah 223 Bottle Rocket Corey & Lange Rodeo 118 Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo. 204 Mellow Yellow Andrews Rodeo 119 Jordan Spears, Redding, Calif. 202 Sandi’s Dream 4L & Diamond S Rodeo 109 Josh Koschel, Nunn, Colo. 222 Mad Money Multi-Chem Cervi Championship Rodeo Rerides: 209/Bam Bam/Andrews Rodeo  219/Damn It’s Good/Brookman-Hyland Rodeo  273/Johnny Ramone/Rafter G Rodeo  269/Artic Monkey/Powder River Rodeo  298/Holy Moley/Three Hills Rodeo

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – That big blast of air that passed through the Nevada desert Sunday night was Richmond Champion’s exhale. “Yes, it’s a sigh of relief,” said Champion, who rode Sankey Rodeo’s Thunder Monkey for 81.5 points to finish in a share of sixth place during the fourth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I was starting to wonder what was going on.” It was the first time in his inaugural qualification to ProRodeo’s grand championship that The Woodlands, Texas, cowboy finished in the money. He pocketed $1,532; yes, it’s a long ways from the $19,000 first-place check, but it provides the young man much needed momentum. “That is huge,” said Champion, who is eighth in the world standings with $91,467 in season earnings. “I’ve sat on the couch and watched this rodeo go down a bunch of times, and it seems like there are ups and downs for everybody. “I think keeping a good attitude and taking momentum when you can have it, even when it’s the little victories, can really shine through at the end of the week when you’re sore and the week has kind of put the beating to you. I’m really just staying positive. I feel good; I’m healthy and confident.” That showed Sunday night. “I’d never been on that horse, but I was stoked to have him,” he said. “I’ve seen them win a round on him here one year, and Caleb won Pendleton on him earlier this year. I was pretty happy to have him. “It was fun, and I needed it.” Champion has had a very successful season, just his third in ProRodeo. He won eight Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association titles, including ones at prestigious events in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Dodge City, Kan. He also won $1.1 million in March at RFD-TV’s The American, a non-PRCA event. Still, this is the biggest stage of his career. The NFR’s history dates back to 1959, and this December marks its 30th anniversary in Las Vegas. “I thought there would be some pressure when I got here, but there really hasn’t been as much as I thought,” Champion said. “It turned out to be that I’ve never been so excited to ride bucking horses. I’ve never sat on one itching to nod my head, waiting for them to tell me to go. “It’s been an experience I will never forget. It was what I’ve looked forward to when I got off the first one. It didn’t matter if I was 79 or 59; it was a dream come true. It’s definitely worth everything I’ve put into this. I definitely want to come back now that I’ve been here.” Monday’s fifth round will feature the top 15 bucking horses in the world, what, in rodeo, is referred to as the TV pen. “There will be so many good horses out tomorrow, you can’t lose,” he said. “It’s going to be fun. If anything, these past few rides have built up my momentum moving forward to this round, and I feel like I shine on these types of horses, just like everybody else. They’re my bread and butter.” Now he needs some round-winning jam to go with it.

LAS VEGAS – Things keep looking up for Tate Branch Auto Group heeler Jim Ross Cooper. The Monument, N.M., cowboy posted a 4.6-second run with heading partner Brandon Beers on Sunday night to finish in a tie for fourth place in the fourth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The $6,436 payday pushed Cooper’s NFR earnings to $17,776. He sits seventh in the heading world standings with $97,267. He was the lead man among the Tate Branch “Riding for the Brand” cowboys on the fourth night of ProRodeo’s grand championship, but it was a good night for the team. Taos Muncy, a two-time world champion saddle bronc rider from Corona, N.M., finished fifth, while tie-down roper Clint Cooper of Decatur, Texas – by way of Lovington, N.M. – finished in a three-way tie for sixth. Clint Cooper roped and tied his calf in 8.3 seconds to collect a $1,022. He has collected $12,362 in Las Vegas. Muncy rode the Calgary Stampede’s Simply Marvellous for 76.5 points to finish fifth in the round and collect $4,904. He has pushed his season earnings to $141,737 and has padded his lead in the world standings a little more – he is $1,939 ahead of the No. 2 man, Cort Scheer. Monday’s performance marks the halfway point of the 2014 NFR. When the curtain closes Saturday night, world champions will be crowned. Each one of the New Mexico-born cowboys has a shot at gold buckles in their events. It will be a fantastic race to the finish.

1. Sage Kimzey, 87 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Kojack, $19,002; 2. Elliot Jacoby, 85, $15,018; 3. Trey Benton III, 84.5, $11,340; 4. Beau Hill, 78, $7,969; no other qualified rides.

1. Fallon Taylor, 13.85 seconds, $19,002; 2. Lisa Lockhart, 13.88, $15,018; 3. Trula Churchill, 13.90, $11,340; 4. Sherry Cervi, 13.91, $7,969; 5. Jana Bean, 13.99 $4,904; 6. Michele McCleod, 14.00, $3,065.

1. Marty Yates, 6.7 seconds, $19,002; 2. Cade Swor, 7.4, $15,018; 3. (tie) Matt Shiozawa and Timber Moore, 7.5, $9,654; 5. Clint Robinson, 7.6, $4,904. 6. (tie) Tuf Cooper, Clint Cooper and Ryan Watkins, 8.3, $1,022.