Monthly Archives: December 2014

1. Cade Swor, 7.7seconds, $19,002; 2. Trevor Brazile, 7.9, $15,018 each; 3. Clint Cooper, 8.0, $11,340; 4. Tyson Durfey, 8.1, $7,969; 5. Matt Shiozawa, 8.2, $4,904. 6. Hunter Herrin, 8.5, $3,065.

1. Jacobs Crawley on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock’s Spade, 82.5 points, $19,002; 2. Cort Scheer, 82, $15,018; 3. Dustin Flundra, 81, $11,340; 4. Jake Wright, 80.5, $7,969 each; 5. Cole Elshere, 76.5, $4,904 each; 6. Spencer Wright, 76.5, $3,065 each.

1. Turtle Powell/Dakota Kirchenschlage, 3.8 seconds, $19,002; 2. Coleman Proctor/Jake Long, 4.5, $15,018; 3. Brandon Beers/Jim Ross Cooper , 4.6, $11,340; 4. Clay Tryan/Jake Corkill, 9.4, $7,969; 5. Kaleb Driggers/Patrick Smith , 9.7, $4,904; 6. Jake Barnes/Junior Nogueira, 10.10, $3,065.

1. (tie) Luke Branquinho and Kyle Irwin, 3.6 seconds, $17,010; 3. Nick Guy, 3.7, $11,340 each; 4. Bray Armes, 3.9 $7,969; 5. Trevor Knowles, 4.1, $4,904; 6. Casey Martin, 4.4, $3,065.

1. Steven Peebles on New West Rodeo Productions Right Spur, 85 points, $19,002; 2. (tie) Justin McDaniel, Steven Dent and Jake Vold, 83, $11,442; 5. Bobby Mote, 82.5, $4,904; 6. Tilden Hooper, 81.5, $3,065.

LAS VEGAS – In just her fourth rodeo, a talented 6-year-old redhead shined quite brightly during the first round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Her name is Lolo, and she’s a young sorrel mare who carried her jockey, Carlee Pierce of Edmond, Okla., to a fourth-place finish Thursday night in Las Vegas. Pierce and Lolo rounded the cloverleaf pattern in 14.29 seconds to collect the $7,969 payday in the sport’s richest event. “I think for this being her fourth rodeo every, she did awesome with room to improve,” said Pierce, a three-time NFR qualifier who grew up in Freedom, Okla. “I’m pretty stoked that we didn’t tip a barrel.” More than 17,000 fans pack into the Thomas & Mack Center every night for the 10-round championship. The atmosphere is electric, and even the greatest animal athlete can struggle inside such an arena. Throw in the fact that Lolo is still a filly, and the biggest stage in the game can be overpowering. Fortunately for Pierce, her young mount passed the test. In the process, she moved from 13th to eight in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s world standings. “It’s exciting to be back in Las Vegas for the NFR,” she said. “It’s really exciting to be riding these awesome young horses here.” In addition to Lolo, she has Tiny, a 5-year-old sorrel mare. The young animals are proof that Pierce has a strong stable of solid horses. She also has a strong support system in the form of her family. In fact, Pierce missed the 2013 NFR when she opted to spend more time at home than on the rodeo trail. She was the No. 3 cowgirl in the world when she ventured home to spend more time with her family. Now she’s focused in on getting her fair share of the $6.375 million purse that’s up for grabs in Las Vegas. “When you rodeo for a living, you know how important it is to not only be at the NFR but do well here,” said Pierce, who did very well in her first two trips to Las Vegas in 2011-12. “I’m really excited to share this with my husband and my children.”

LAS VEGAS – The mental game in rodeo is vital to any cowboy’s success. Saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer changed his approach to the National Finals Rodeo, and it already has paid off. On Thursday, he rode Frontier Rodeo’s Short Stop for 87 points to win the opening go-round of ProRodeo’s championship event. In the process, he pocketed $19,002 and moved from third to second in the world standings. It’s a much different feel for the Elsmere, Neb., cowboy, who last December placed in just three go-rounds but rode all 10 horses to finish second in the all-important NFR average race. “I just had to loosen up,” he said. “Last year I came in kind of tense. I was just thinking about too much instead of one horse at a time. The Canadian Finals really helped me get my momentum started. I know I had a great horse, and I’d rather fall off instead of being 75 (points), so I really wanted to win one (round).” Mission accomplished. Scheer posted the highest marked right of the night – the winning bareback and bull rides were 85 points each. He also bested second-place finisher Heith DeMoss by five points while watching some of the greatest bronc riders in the world buck off. “It just shows the caliber of the bucking horses,” Scheer said. “Those are the best guys in the world. To see them come down doesn’t really affect you. In my mind, it’s me and my horse. I don’t really think about anybody else. If anything, I feel bad for them when they come down, because it makes me ride better when they win, too.” A month ago, Scheer won the average title at the Canadian Finals Rodeo in Edmonton, Alberta. He placed in all six go-rounds, winning three. Both the Canadian Finals and the NFR feature the top animals in the sport. “I didn’t know anything about the horse other than he was a bareback horse they moved to bronc riding,” he said. “I heard from a lot of people he’s stall out if you got into him.” In bronc riding, cowboys are judged by how well the horse bucks and how well he spurs the horse through the bucking rhythm. By making sure the horse feels the sensation of the cowboy’s spurs, the rider actually helps the horse along. “My rein was a touch too long, which made him feel a little buckier, but he was pretty nice.” So was Scheer. He’s continuing to carry a season-long drive through rodeo’s grand championship. “Momentum is tremendous,” Scheer said. “Now I’m going to forget about this. I’ve got (Pete Carr’s) Mike and Ike (Friday) and just go one horse at a time. That’s how you win titles, I guess, and I really don’t care about the average.”

LAS VEGAS – Pinch Kyle Irwin all you want; he’s not waking up from this dream. On Thursday during the opening night of the 2014 National Finals Rodeo, the Robertsdale, Ala., cowboy wrestled his steer to the dirt in 4.1 seconds to finish fifth place in the first round, pocketing $4,904 in the process. It was a heck of a way to kick-start his inaugural NFR. “I was real proud to get to represent the state of Alabama,” he said. “I was real proud to get to represent myself and everything that we’ve worked so hard for. I’ve put in the effort, time and dedication to back in the (timed-event) box and get ready to run one for all these fans and everybody watching at home. “It was the greatest feeling I’ve felt in the rodeo industry.” Irwin, who competed in collegiate rodeo at Western Oklahoma College and Northwestern Oklahoma University, pushed his 2014 season earnings to $64,640 and moved up one spot to ninth in the world standings – in rodeo, dollars equal points, and the contestant who finishes the full season with the most money won will be crowned world champion. He remains more than $32,000 behind the leader, Nick Guy of Sparta, Wis., who utilized his $19,002 first round-winning check to move into the No. 1 spot. But with paydays like that, the standings can change in a hurry, especially in steer wrestling, which is the tightest overall race of all the events in Las Vegas. The interesting aspect of rodeo is that all the competitors are also colleagues and assist one another often. That worked out to Irwin’s benefit Thursday. “The guys told me if I didn’t hit things just right on that steer, he would wad up and cost me a lot of time,” he said. “I knew I needed to try and maybe do things a little different than I normally would. Lucky enough, I have been practicing the last two weeks at Luke Branquinho’s house, so I was prepared for it.” Branquinho is a four-time world champion from Las Alamos, Calif., who hosted a number of NFR qualifiers for practice sessions leading up to the championship. This is the biggest stage in the sport, and all that work has seemed to pay off. “There may have been a couple things I could have done differently, but I’m not going to pick the run apart,” Irwin said. “I was 4.1 on my first steer at the NFR, and we have nine more to run. “I was more nervous today signing autographs for Southwest Truck and Trailer, my sponsors. I guess it was because I was just stuck inside. I enjoy doing it for them and getting out there, but when I got back to saddle my horses, it was different. I guess I had to get a little dirty to calm my nerves.” And with that inaugural run down, he can bear down on business. “That first round was awesome,” Irwin said. “This was it. In my eyes, this is the cat’s meow.”

1. Turtle Powell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 4.0 seconds, $19,002; 2. Charly Crawford/Shay Carroll, 4.5, $15,018; 3. Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill , 4.7, $11,340; 4. Jake Barnes/Junior Nogueira, 4.9, $7,969; 5. Trevor Brazile/Travis Graves , 5.2, $4,904; 6. Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 5.5, $3,065.

LAS VEGAS – Taos Muncy knows it takes consistency and tenacity to win a world championship. The Corona, N.M., man owns two of them at just 27 years of age. On Thursday night, Muncy rode Korkow Rodeo’s Paint Chip for 80.5 points to finish in a tie for third place in the first round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It was the best performance by any of the four contestants with New Mexico ties at this year’s NFR, and it paid Muncy more than $9,600. That helped him remain the No. 1 man in the bronc riding world standings. That’s a considerable feat for the cowboy, who, in 2007, won both the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associations, becoming just the third man in the sport’s history to accomplish the college and world titles in the same season. He then added a second world championship in 2011. He added to his pedigree this year when he began “Riding for the Brand” Tate Branch Auto Group, which has dealerships in the southeastern New Mexico communities of Carlsbad, Artesia and Hobbs. Muncy grew up near Corona in a rodeo family. His parents, Blaine and Johnnie Muncy, competed in the sport. His sister, Jordan Taton, won high school and college national championships. The other Tate Branch cowboys, team roping heeler Jim Ross Cooper of Monument and tie-down roper Clint Cooper, who is originally from Lovington, failed to earn checks in the first go-round. All three return to competition during the second round Friday night.

1. Joe Frost on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Rattler, 85.5 points, $19,002; 2. Tim Bingham, 83.5, $15,018; 3. Beau Hill, 82.5 $11,340; 4. J.W. Harris, 75, $7,969; no other qualified rides.

1. Fallon Taylor seconds, 14.09 seconds, $19,002; 2. Trula Churchill, 14.2, $15,018; 3. Michele McCleod, 14.24; 4. Carlee Pierce, 14.29, $7,969; 5. Sherry Cervi, 14.35, $4,904; 6. Nancy Hunter, 14.45, $3,065.

1. Marty Yates, 7.4 seconds, $19,002; 2. Trevor Brazile, 7.5, $15,018 each; 3. Clint Robinson, 7.7, $11,340; 4. Cody Ohl, 7.8, $7,969; 5. Cade Swor, 8.3, $4,904. 6. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Timber Moore, 8.5, $1,532.

1. Cort Scheer on Frontier Rodeo’s Short Stop, 87 points, $19,002; 2. Heith DeMoss, 82, $15,018; 3. (tie) Taos Muncy and Jacobs Crawley, 80.5, $9,654 each; 5. Spencer Wright, 80, $4,904 each; 6. Wade Sundell, 78.5, $3,065 each.

1. Kaycee Feild on Sutton Rodeo’s Cactus Juice, 84.5 points, $19,002; 2. Justin McDaniel, 83.5, $15,018; 3. (tie) Will Lowe and Steven Dent, 83, $9,654; 5. Jake Vold , 81.5, $4,904; 6. Austin Foss , 81, $3,065

LAS VEGAS – They call it a speed trap. In the world of steer wrestling, the fastest man each night of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo wins the most money. The key, though, is to react quickly but move purposefully. True athletes are quicker when everything is done in a quiet rhythm. Bray Armes knows it very well. It’s what has guided the Ponder, Texas, cowboy to three straight NFR qualifications. It’s what propelled him to the 2013 NFR average title for having the fastest cumulative time over the 10-round championship. It didn’t help him all that much Thursday night during the first go-round of the 2014 finale. Armes twisted his steer to the ground in 4.2 seconds; that’s a solid time, but it wasn’t nearly as quick as he would’ve liked. “That was a pretty ugly run,” said Armes, who grew up near the Texas Panhandle community of Gruver. “I just need to slow down to be fast.” Armes showed a classic smile that, while disguising his frustration, is proof that he remains focused on the task at hand. His first-night run was still strong enough for sixth place in the round, worth $3,065. That pushes Armes’ 2014 earnings to $72,281. More importantly, he has nine more nights to cash in. “I have to build off it,” he said. “I rushed. I just need to slow down.” While it sounds easy, the rush of the moment and the atmosphere of the sold-out Thomas & Mack Center can push the adrenaline a little. “It’s easy,” Armes said. “You’ve just got to do it.”

Steer wrestling: 1. Nick Guy, 3.6 seconds, $19,002; 2. (tie) Luke Branquinho and Casey Martin, 3.7, $13,179 each; 4. Ty Erickson, 3.8, $7,969 5. Kyle Irwin, 4.1 $4,904; 6. Bray Armes, 4.2, $3,065.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Sometimes the greatest cowboy stories are about the cowgirls. Ted Harbin knows that as well as anyone in the sport. He owns Rodeo Media Relations, a promotions company that utilizes feature writing as a way to share rodeo stories with media outlets and with rodeo fans. Harbin received the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s media award during a Dec. 4, 2014, luncheon that took place in conjunction with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “This award means a lot to me, because I’ve got a lot of wonderful friends in the WPRA,” said Harbin, 47, who also writes for Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the WPRA’s monthly magazine. “I’m very blessed to do something I love, and writing stories about these women and their amazing horses is a real honor.” Harbin lives with Maryville with his wife, Lynette, and their two daughters, Laney, 12, and Channing, 6. Lynette Harbin is the program director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County. “There is no way I could do this without my family’s support,” Ted Harbin said. “Those three girls are the reason I’m able to make a living doing what I love. They drive me, and when I need to be on the rodeo trail doing my work, they believe in me. There is now way I can repay them for all they do for me.” He worked in the newspaper industry for 22 years before developing Rodeo Media Relations. Since then, he’s focused on telling rodeo tales. Each year, he works some of the biggest and most prestigious events in ProRodeo. He maintains TwisTED Rodeo, a well-respected news and information site about the sport. He also serves as a publicist for some of the greatest athletes in the game. In 2010, Harbin was honored with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Media Award for Excellence in Print Journalism. “For me, the awards come every day that I get to tell stories about the people of rodeo,” he said. Originally from Leoti, Kan., Harbin graduated from three Kansas schools: Trego Community High School in WaKeeney, Pratt Community College and Fort Hays State University, where he earned a degree in mass communication in 1989. “The awards I’ve received are incredible to me, but my real rewards have come with the lifelong friendships I’ve developed because of rodeo,” he said. “When we talk about rodeo, we talk about one big family. Most of the people I write about not only are my friends, they are a part of my family. “It’s a pretty amazing way to spend my life.”

FIVE-TIME CHAMP RETURNS IN BRONC RIDING WHILE HELPING HIS WIFE QUALIFY FOR IFR 45 OKLAHOMA CITY – Jet McCoy was just a teenager when he first qualified for the International Finals Rodeo. He was in the prime of his life, embarking on a career that made him a household name in his home state. He earned five International Professional Rodeo Association world titles: saddle bronc riding in 1998-99 and the all-around championship from 1999-2001. After a six-year hiatus, the Ada, Okla., cowboy will return to the 2015 championship, IFR 45, set for Jan. 16-18 at Jim Norick State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City. “One of the biggest reasons for me to go this year was to be able to go to the finals the same year that Ashlee finally qualified,” he said, referring to his wife, a breakaway roper. He will get that chance. Ashlee McCoy finished the 2014 season ranked among the top 15 in the breakaway roping standings. It took until the final week of the season before she knew her fate. “Bronc riding has been the last thing I’ve thought about this fall,” Jet McCoy said. “This breakaway-roping deal has been driving me crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever, in my life, rodeoed this hard in October and November. Usually by this time of year, I either knew I was going to make it or wasn’t going to make it. “This year it seems like Ashlee has been on the bubble (to make the IFR) for two months.” He made it more times than not, earning 23 total qualifications, 14 in saddle bronc riding. When he was battling his younger brother, Cord, for IPRA titles, both cowboys competed in all three roughstock events: bronc riding, bareback riding and bull riding. While the glory days involved traveling the rodeo trail with his brother, he loves the idea of competing alongside his bride. “I know how hard Ashlee works and how bad she wanted to make the finals this year,” he said. “I know she’s got a lot invested. She’s got a lot more invested than just money. She’s got a lot of time in herself invested in this. I’m not nearly as worried about bronc riding as I am breakaway roping.” Jet McCoy seems to have a pretty good handle on bronc riding. When he got on his first bucking horse of the season in July, it had been five and a half years since he’d placed his boots into the stirrups of a bronc saddle. “The last time I’d been on a bronc was the last round of the 2009 IFR,” McCoy said. “I had Drama Queen of Kevin Hampton. I got on her on Sunday, then went home and put my saddle down. I didn’t pick it up until I went to Poteau, Oklahoma, in July and hadn’t been on one horse in between.” How did his Poteau ride go? “I won by half a point,” he said. Part of that is due to years on the job, but also it is a testament to how well he stays in shape. He’s a rancher, so physical labor is nothing new. And while he has been a popular figure in Oklahoma rodeo circles for years, McCoy has become more recognizable recently because he and Cord have been on the reality series “The Amazing Race” three times. Referred to as “The Cowboys,” the McCoys were fan favorites from the first episode in which they appeared in the spring of 2010 to their last showing a few months ago. “I think part of it is by getting ready for ‘The Amazing Race,’ I had stayed in pretty good physical condition and worked out a lot. I was probably in better shape now than I was the last time I made the IFR.” Even though his focus has been primarily on helping Ashlee earn a spot among the top 15 breakaway ropers in the IPRA, he has been more than a driver. “We went just about everywhere this year, but most of my money was won closer to the house,” McCoy said. “I didn’t get very far away. I split the win in the final round in St. Tite (Quebec) this year. That was really fun. It’s been a long time since I’d been to St. Tite. It was really fun to get to go back up there and ride. “To be able to split the short round up there was good and was the highlight of my season.” Now he hopes the highlight reel continues to roll at the only major championship in Oklahoma. “The IPRA has been a big part of my life,” he said. “Growing up, rodeo is what we did. The biggest change for me right now is that once I got married and had a kid, I felt like that chapter of my life had come to an end. The IPRA has meant a lot to us. It paid my bills for a long time. “For me, going back to riding broncs now and having a chance to go back to the IFR, it’s still all about Ashlee. I’m just thankful that I’m still healthy enough and still ride bucking horses so I can be part of the beginning of her career.”