Monthly Archives: December 2014

1. Spencer Wright, 84 points on Calgary Stampede’s Mata Fact, $19,002; 2. Cody DeMoss, 83.5, $15,108; 3. Cody Wright, 82, $11,340; 4. Chad Ferley, 81, $7,969; 5. Taos Muncy, 76.5, $4,904; 6. Cort Scheer, 75, $3,065.

1. Luke Brown/Kollin VonAhn, 3.6 seconds, $19,002; 2. Dustin Bird/Paul Eaves, 3.9, $15,018; 3. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.5, $11,340; 4. (tie) Brandon Beers/Jim Ross Cooper and Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 4.6, $6,436 each; 6. Nick Sartain/Rich Skelton, 4.8, $3,905.

1. Seth Brockman, 3.6 seconds, $19,002; 2. Luke Branquinho, 3.7, $15,108; 3. Trevor Knowles, 4.0, $11,340; 4. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Casey Martin, 4.1 $6,436; 6. Dru Melvin, 5.5, $3,065.

1. (tie) Bobby Mote, on Andrews Rodeo’s Rylee’s Raisin Cain, and Tim O’ Connell, on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s On Tap, 84 points, $17,010 each; 3. (tie) Austin Foss and Tilden Hooper, 83, $9,655 each; 5. Will Lowe, 82, $4,904; 6. Jake Vold and Richmond Champion, 81.5, $1,532 each.

LAS VEGAS – Carlee Pierce is playing the role of train engineer this week. She is riding Lolo, a 6-year-old sorrel mare, during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s most prestigious event. Lolo is playing the part of the choo choo train. She just keeps chugging along. On Saturday night during the third go-round, Pierce and Lolo crossed the cloverleaf tracks in 14.20 seconds, their fastest time so far. They finished in a tie for seventh place in the round, just out of the money, but they have consistently circled the pattern with clean runs and smart times. Now they are third in the all-important average race with a three-run cumulative time of 43.30 seconds. “I am keeping her throttled down,” Pierce said Sunday afternoon. “Last night it was just being save and having smooth runs. She’s a young horse, and I have to remind myself of that. I know she will be the best horse I have ever ridden if I don’t ask for too much too fast.” This season marks the third time in four years the Edmond, Okla., cowgirl has played on ProRodeo’s biggest stage; she also qualified in 2011-12. Those years, she leaned on a trusted veteran in Dillion. Now she’s working with young horses, which is a rare occurrence at the NFR. “I have to give these girls a chance,” she said, referring to Lolo and Tiny, a 5-year-old sorrel mare. “This is their time. I’m very proud of Lolo. She’s done very well here so far.”

LAS VEGAS – Jim Ross Cooper looked around the room, then explained his Saturday night team roping run with header Brandon Beers. “We caught,” said Cooper, a five-time NFR qualifier from Monument, N.M., one of three cowboys “Riding for the Brand” for southeastern New Mexico-based Tate Branch Auto Group. “Sometimes that’s very important.” During the third go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Beers and Cooper stopped the clock in 5.2 seconds, finishing eighth in the round and out of the money. But they have a three-run cumulative time of 27.5 seconds and are fourth in the NFR average race – they are 10 seconds behind average leaders Turtle Powell and Dakota Kirchenschlager, but only six teams have had qualified times on three runs. None of the three Tate Branch contestants actually captured a paycheck in the third round, but Clint Cooper of Decatur, Texas, continued to be solid. Clint Cooper, who grew up in Lovington, N.M., roped and tied his calf in 9.1 seconds. His three-round cumulative time of 26.5 seconds has him sitting fifth in the tie-down roping average race. Taos Muncy, a two-time world champion saddle bronc rider from Corona, N.M., rode Korkow Rodeo’s Fraid Knot for 76 points and finished well out of the money. He was saddled with a no-score in the second round, but he remains first in the world standings.

Trevor Brazile further solidified his moniker as “King of the Cowboys.” On Saturday night, he placed in both tie-down roping and team roping (with partner Travis Graves), earning $22,987. That pushed his all-around season total to $361,046 and clinched his 12th all-around world championship. That marks his 21st gold buckle. “This is awesome,” he said. “Every time that number gets bigger it gets harder to believe. I never expected anything like this, so it almost doesn’t seem real. “I think they (world titles) mean more to me the older I get. It seems like my competition gets younger every year. That’s why I keep enjoying it more. At some point, there’s going to be a changing of the guard. So every gold buckle means more as time marches on.” A month ago, Brazile won the steer roping world title during the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan. It was his fifth steer roping gold buckle. Brazile also owns a heading title and three tie-down roping crowns. He also has a shot at the Triple Crown: Three gold buckles in a given year. He won the Triple Crown in 2010 and 2007. “What makes it extra exciting is the chance at another Triple Crown,” said Brazile, who sits second in both the tie-down roping and heading world standings. “After tonight, one more (gold buckle) will complete it. So getting this one done gives me some piece of mind. I never take winning championships for granted.”

LAS VEGAS – The bright lights of Las Vegas have broken some men while paying off others very well. Consider steer wrestler Kyle Irwin in the latter. Through three nights at the National Finals Rodeo, Irwin has earned $40,916. He has placed in every go-round so far and has won at least a share of the title the last two. On Saturday night, he scored the fastest run of this year’s championship, a 3.2, to take the title. “In a humble way, I know I have the ability to be that fast but, sometimes, everything’s got to work out,” said Irwin of Robertsdale, Ala. “That 3.2 is pretty fast when you’re riding animals that are chasing animals. It worked out. Everything came together perfect, and the rest was history.” Recent history is working out quite well for the 24-year-old cowboy, who attended Western Oklahoma College and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on rodeo scholarships. Now he’s enjoying his first extended stay in Sin City. “I’ve been 3.2 just a handful of times in my life,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve really set foot in Vegas. I flew into Vegas with Todd Suhn going to a rodeo in St. George, Utah. We got in a rental car and drove to the rodeo, but I never got out. This is the first time I have ever walked around the city. “It’s been good. I hope it continues.” If momentum is a key, then Irwin is riding it just as much as he is his steer wrestling mount, Sketch, owned by Tyler Pearson; he also serves as Irwin’s hazer, helping keep the steer in line to help the process. “Tyler is a heck of a horseman, and he’s a really good hazer,” Irwin said. “The guy is good, and he can read the play. Whatever the steer does, Tyler can react to it. I have no doubts in my mind about his hazing when I run a steer.” The Alabaman bulldogger’s NFR earnings have pushed his season total to $100,653. He has moved from 10th to third in the world standings and is within $13,000 of catching the leader, Nick Guy. Now Irwin looks like a veteran instead of a first-timer to the sport’s biggest stage. “That little horse does a good job of getting me up behind those horns real fast,” he said of Sketch. “The biggest deal was the start. I know I need to get the start and get my feet on the ground fast. The rest is the steer doing his part. I knew I had a good steer and a good chance. “Once I got him, I could slow down, and he did the rest for me.” Irwin has taken advantage of a great start to the NFR. Now he just needs to finish even better. “The momentum will build,” he said. “The average money will take care of itself. I’m definitely going to try to win first every time I nod my head, because $19,000 is up for grabs every night. I’ve got that chance seven more times.”

1. Sage Kimzey, 84.5 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Line Man, $19,002; 2. Trey Benton III, 82, $15,018; 3. Cody Teel, 81.5, $11,340; 4. Joe Frost, 80.5, $7,969; 5. J.W. Harris, 74.5, $4,904; 6. Tyler Smith, 73, $3,065.

Trevor Brazile won his 21st world title, clinching his 12th all-around world championship Saturday night.

1. Kassidy Dennison, 13.94 seconds, $19,002; 2. Nancy Hunter, 13.99, $15,018; 3. Fallon Taylor, 14.05; 4. Lisa Lockhart, 14.07, $7,969; 5. Christy Loflin, 14.08, $4,904; 6. Mary Walker, 14.10, $3,065.

1. Cody Ohl, 6.6 seconds, $19,002; 2. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Shane Hanchey, 7.2, $13,179 each; 4. Trevor Brazile, 7.4, $7,969; 5. Tuf Cooper, 7.6, $4,904. 6. Marty Yates, 7.9, $3,064.

1. Wade Sundell, 87 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Low Bucks, $19,002; 2. (tie) Spencer Wright and Heith DeMoss, 84, $13,179; 4. (tie) Cole Eshere and Tyler Corrington, 83.5, $6,436 each; 6. Jacobs Crawley, 82.5, $3,065 each.

1. Justin McDaniel on Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Ship, 89 points, $19,002; 2. Winn Ratliff, 87.5, $15,108; 3. Bobby Mote, 82.5, $11,340; 4. Austin Foss, 80, $7,969; 5. (tie) Jake Vold and Kaycee Feild, 78, $3,985.

1. Dustin Bird/Paul Eaves, 3.9 seconds, $19,002; 2. Trevor Brazile/Travis Graves, 4.0, $15,018; 3. (tie) Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill and Kaleb Driggers/Patrick Smith, 4.2, $9,655; 5. (tie) Coleman Proctor/Jake Long and Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.3, $3,985.

1. Kyle Irwin, 3.2 seconds, $19,002; 2. Cole Edge, 3.8, $15,108 each; 3. Luke Branquinho, 3.9, $11,340 each; 4. Curtis Cassidy, 4.0 $7,969; 5. Nick Guy, 4.2, $4,904; 6. Ty Erickson, 4.4, $3,065.

LAS VEGAS – Joe Frost is on a roll at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The 22-year-old bull rider from Randlett, Utah, has placed in the first two go-rounds, pocketing just shy of $27,000 in the process. Now he has moved up six places to fifth in the world standings. On Friday night, he rode Burch Rodeo’s Shroom Bruizer for 74 points to finish fourth in the second round, earning $7,969. He has pushed his 2014 earnings to $96,529. Most importantly, though, the first timer to the Wrangler NFR is the only cowboy in the field of 15 to have two qualified rides. On Saturday night, Frost is matched via the blind draw with Burch Rodeo’s Cowboy Slinger. Of the animal’s 27 trips in 2014, he was ridden 10 times; the average score was 89.98 points. That bodes well for Frost, who earlier this year earned the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association bull riding championship as the only man in the field to have qualified rides in all four rounds of the College National Finals Rodeo. In 2013, he was one of the key members of the Oklahoma Panhandle State University squad to earn the men’s team championship.

LAS VEGAS – That was a close one. As Carlee Pierce and her horse Lolo sped past the first barrel a little too much during Friday night’s second round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, it looked as though her chances of a paycheck went with her. The duo recovered, finishing the cloverleaf pattern in 14.81 seconds, typically a slow run in such quick conditions inside the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. But other cowgirls struggled more. Only seven cowgirls left all the barrels standing, and only six of those placed. For struggling through the run, Pierce collected a $3,065 first-place check. “I have to remember she is my baby and not Dillion or Arson,” she said of Lolo, a 6-year-old sorrel mare now competing in just her fourth rodeo – it just so happens this is the biggest stage in the game, amplified by 10 go-rounds and the largest purse. “This was rider error totally.” Those things happen, but Pierce and her filly have persevered. “We’ll put that behind us and move on,” said Pierce of Edmond, Okla. “We have eight more rounds, so I’m excited to see what we can do. This is a chance for Lolo and I to learn a lot.” Through two go-rounds, the Alberta-born cowgirl has earned a little more than $11,000. By leaving the barrels up in both nights, she is fourth in the average race with a two-run cumulative time of 29.10 seconds, just four-tenths off the leader, four-time world champion Sherry Cervi. “All I can do is try to ride better every night and give Lolo her shot,” Pierce said. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

LAS VEGAS – There are many nights when it’s great fun to be a saddle bronc rider competing at the National Finals Rodeo. Friday night wasn’t one of them. The top 15 cowboys in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all faced the toughest test of their 10-day championship, the nastiest bucking horses in the world. “This was our eliminator pen,” said Cort Scheer, a four-time NFR qualifier from Elsmere, Neb. “This is the juice, so everyone was a little nervous tonight.” Of the 15 attempts, there were only seven qualified rides. Most of the cowboys failed to post a score, and some hit the ground rather hard. Scheer stayed in the saddle on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Mike & Ike for 82 points, finishing second to round winner Jacobs Crawley by half a point. Scheer earned $15,018 “I actually got on him in Guymon (Okla.) two or three years ago and ended up missing him out,” he said, referring to the starting position in which the heels of his Justin Boots needed to be over the breaks in the horse’s shoulders; failure to do that means a disqualification. “I knew he was a good horse, and I think I rode him better there. “At least I spurred him out this time.” That made the difference for Scheer, who knew he was in for a fight from the time he nodded his head on the powerful bay gelding until it was time to dismount. Hearing the eight-second whistle while still on Mike & Ike’s back was a bit of a relief. “Usually my stuff feels pretty long on horses,” he said, referring to the cinches on is saddle that secure him to the animal. “It’s not like he’s a tall horse, but he’s thick. My stuff felt tight on him, and I mean he was always bucking. You feel like you’ve got it knocked out, and I got loose about seven seconds. He’s just strong, and finally he jackhammers you out of there and creams you.” Through two rounds, Scheer has pocketed more than $34,000; only team ropers Turtle Powell and Dakota Kirchenschlager have earned more so far. He is No. 2 in the world standings, trailing leader and fellow Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo team alumnus Taos Muncy by less than $100. Now the bronc busters get a big of a break for Round 3, the easiest pen of horses at the finale, the “hoppers.” “The pen tomorrow will be fun no matter what,” said Scheer, who is matched with Kesler Rodeo’s Nickels & Dimes. “These are the ones you know you should spur every jump, and you just think you need to spur harder and harder just to make you feel good.” Scheer feels pretty good. That’s what happens when you average $17,000 a day in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – The Cooper boys know how to rope, and they showed it Friday night during the second go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Team roping heeler Jim Ross Cooper of Monument, N.M., and tie-down roper Clint Cooper, who grew up in Lovington, N.M., each finished in third place on the second night of ProRodeo’s championship event. Jim Ross and header Brandon Beers stopped the clock in 4.6 seconds, while Clint roped and tied his calf in 8.0 seconds. Those third-place runs earned each cowboy $11,340. It was the first time at this year’s NFR that the Lea County Coopers placed. This is the fifth NFR for the Coopers, who are cousins. Both their fathers are world champions and inductees of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame; Clint’s father, Roy, is an eight-time world champ, while Jim Ross’ dad, Jimmie, won the 1981 all-around gold buckle. Both also are “Riding for the Brand” for Tate Branch Auto Group, which has dealerships in the southeastern New Mexico communities of Hobbs, Artesia and Carlsbad. Their NFR teammate, two-time world champion saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M., bucked off his horse, Tiger Warrior, which is part of the Calgary Stampede bucking string. Eight nights remain in ProRodeo’s grand finale, so there are plenty of more opportunities for the three New Mexicans to earn top payoffs.  

LAS VEGAS – Everybody knows it’s always beneficial to have good friends. Bray Armes leaned on a couple Friday night during the second round of the National Finals Rodeo. Thankfully, his horse, Ote, and hazer, Sean Mulligan, came to the rescue and secured a second straight paycheck for the Ponder, Texas, steer wrestler. “I missed the barrier a little bit and was fortunate enough to catch up quick,” said Armes, now competing at the NFR for the third straight year. “I know I can trust them. If something goes wrong, it’s probably my fault.” Armes owns Ote, the palomino gelding that guided him to the NFR average title a season ago; Mulligan, a four-time NFR qualifier, rides Champaign, known as one of the best hazing horses in rodeo. “Both Shawn and Champaign set it all up perfect every time,” Armes said. “I just have to take care of my part.” Friday’s steers seemed to be rather tough. Only four cowboys posted runs faster than 4 seconds: round winners Kyle Irwin and Luke Branquinho in 3.6 and Nick Guy in 3.7 to join Armes, whose traveling partner, Casey Martin, finished in 4.4 seconds to place sixth. “These steers were a little full tonight,” Armes said. “It will get better and be alright.” Through two nights’ work, the Texan has earned a little more than $11,000 in Las Vegas. In his three years competing in the Nevada desert, he has pocketed nearly $200,000. He’s in the right place to add to it.

1. Aaron Pass on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock’s Seeing Red, 89.5 points, $19,002; 2. Cody Teel, 85, $15,018; 3. Sage Kimzey, 80.5, $11,340; 4. Joe Frost, 74, $7,969; no other qualified rides.

LAS VEGAS – Kyle Irwin always tries for perfection even though it’s unattainable. He was pretty close Friday night during the second go-round of the National Finals Rodeo. The steer wrestler downed his steer in in 3.6 seconds to share the round victory with four-time world champion Luke Branquinho. It was worth $17,010. “I knew he was good,” Irwin said of his steer. “I knew he was a chance. I tried to get a good start and felt like I did with no mistakes – maybe one or two, because there is no perfect run, but I’m not complaining one bit. I was 3.6 to win the round, my second round at the NFR was great.” The Robertsdale, Ala., cowboy has found early success in his first qualification to ProRodeo’s grand championship. He has earned almost $22,000 in just two nights in the Nevada desert. “When I was out in the parking lot getting ready, it was what I envisioned in my head,” he said of his run. “That’s the run I needed to run; smooth is fast and slow is smooth. That’s what we tried to do tonight, and that’s the way it worked out.” In the two weeks leading up to the NFR, numerous NFR qualifiers spent time at Branquinho’s California home working with some of the cattle featured in Las Vegas, so they have seen the steers that were in Friday’s pen. That paid off for the winners. “From running at Luke’s, I knew that steer’s pattern,” Irwin said. “My cousin reminded me that we’re chasing animals and anything happen. I kind of knew his pattern and knew what would happen if I got my feet on the ground, and sure enough, it did.” It helps that he has two perfect partners in his hazer, Tyler Pearson, and Pearson’s bulldogging horse, Sketch. “It means everything to have that kind of consistency,” Irwin said. “The first rodeo I went to this year was Austin, Texas; I went with Tyler and rode his horse. I’m comfortable. I don’t have any doubts about his ability of the horse or Tyler.” “I’m comfortable in this atmosphere because of that.” It shows. That’s a good thing for Irwin.

1. Lisa Lockhart seconds, 14.29 seconds, $19,002; 2. Kassidy Dennison, 14.31, $15,018; 3. Sherry Cervi, 14.35; 4. Jana Bean, 14.59, $7,969; 5. Kaley Bass, 14.66, $4,904; 6. Carlee Pierce, 14.81, $3,065.