Monthly Archives: December 2019

Renowned barrelman recognized in Vegas for protecting bullfighters LAS VEGAS – Barrelman Andy North is the most respected man in Bullfighters Only, and that respect comes from the men he protects. “Andy is a man who has perfected his craft,” said Aaron Mercer, the 2019 BFO World Champion from Calgary, Alberta. “He reads cattle and  Continue Reading »

FORT WORTH, Texas – After competing at Tuf Cooper’s New Year’s Eve Roping and Concert a year ago, Tyson Durfey was pretty certain the event would continue. It will on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. “Just based on the number of people that were there, the ones that  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – When Tanner Aus took a no-time on his first horse of the National Finals Rodeo, he didn’t know what to expect the rest of the championship. It turned out pretty well for Aus, competing in Las Vegas for the fourth time in his career. “That was a lesson I learned in 2016;  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Richmond Champion made a great ride on the final night of the National Finals Rodeo, but it didn’t earn him a dime in round money. He finished seventh in the 10th round Saturday, and only the top six in each round earn money. His 87.5-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Faded Night  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – The smile returned to Tim O’Connell’s face on Saturday night after he concluded the toughest test in his sport, the National Finals Rodeo. The three-time world champion had seen is dreams dashed for a fourth straight a couple days before, so there was disappointment. Still, he finished the 10-day championship off with  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – At 23 years old, Colt Gordon is a student of saddle bronc riding. His first trip to the National Finals Rodeo was quite a classroom, and he gained some valuable lessons over the 10-day championship. It came to fruition on Saturday night, when he rode Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Top Hat for  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – There wasn’t much luck for Riley Duvall in the City of Entertainment through most of the 2019 National Finals Rodeo. That changed as the final few rounds bore on, and he found a way to get a big payday in Las Vegas. On Saturday night, he wrestled his steer to the ground  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Tanner Brunner has made 20 runs inside the Thomas & Mack Center, but he’s capitalized just three times over the course of his two straight National Finals Rodeo qualifications. It’s been a struggle, and there were some frustrations that came into play over the last 10 days in the Nevada desert. But  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Orin Larsen is the 2019 reserve world champion bareback rider, but it’s not the title he wanted. Like every other contestant in the field, he had hoped to claim the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle awarded to the world champion. He ran into a buzz saw in Californian Clayton Biglow, who won five  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Clayton Biglow was a virtual lock for the bareback world championship even before the final night of the National Finals Rodeo began. He put an exclamation mark on it Saturday night, tying his own arena record with a 93-point ride on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks to win the 10th round, set an  Continue Reading »

Round 10 Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 93 points on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks, $26,231; 2. Tim O’Connell, 91.5, $20,731; 3. Trenten Montero, 89.5, $15,654; 4. Orin Larsen, 89, $11,000; 5. Tanner Aus, 88.5, $6,769; 6. Tilden Hooper, 88, $4,231; 7. Richmond Champion, 87.5; 8. Clint Laye, 85; 9. Steven Dent, 84.5; 10. Ty Breuer,  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Every bull that Jordan Spears rides means more money at the National Finals Rodeo. Sure, he’s placed in four of nine rounds, earning $47,231 in the process, but there’s more to it. After Wednesday’s seventh go-round, he sat fifth in the NFR average race. As of Friday night, he is third. The  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – He says and does all the right things, and he is, deep inside, awfully proud of his friends who have chance to win the 2019 bareback riding world championship. But Tim O’Connell’s face wreaks of disappointment. He plowed through the latter parts of ProRodeo’s regular season, earning more than $100,000 in three  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – When Richmond Champion married Paige Lawrence earlier this year, he knew he was getting a champion’s mentality. She is an Olympian who competed in pairs skating at the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. She was raised in a rodeo family but understands what it means to compete at an elite level. She  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – John Aus rode bareback horses for a long time and, in 1988, he won the title in the Great Lakes Circuit. He even raised a bareback rider, who has taken the game to a bigger level and on a bigger stage. Tanner Aus is now a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, and  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – When Clayton Biglow was preparing to make his bareback ride Friday, Sozo of Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics was doing everything in the horse’s power to not let it happen. Just before he nodded his head, the official on the back of the chute tried to inform the California cowboy that  Continue Reading »

Bareback riding: 1. Jake Brown, 89.5 point on J Bar J’s Blessed Assurance, $26,231; 2. Caleb Bennett, 89, $20,731; 3. (tie) Tanner Aus and Clayton Biglow, 88.5, $13,127 each; 5. Kaycee Feild, 86.5, $6,769; 6. Tim O’Connell, 86, $4,231. Steer wrestling: 1. Ty Erickson, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Tyler Pearson, 4.2, $20,731; 3. Cameron Morman,  Continue Reading »

A year ago, I wrote a column about the media not being welcomed at the National Finals Rodeo, a damning statement about the perception most of us had as we attempted to cover last year’s championship. My, how things have changed. The PRCA’s media department staff, just as they were a year ago, has been  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Thursday night in Sin City, nobody breathed a bigger sigh of relief than steer wrestler Tanner Brunner. He started off the National Finals Rodeo on a rough note, settling for a no-time in the opening round on Dec. 5. He followed that with four more tough nights, three slow runs and another  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Jordan Spears has ridden five of eight bulls at the National Finals Rodeo as he prepares to close out the final two nights of the 2019 ProRodeo season. That’s 63 percent, and that’s awfully good in bull riding. It’s especially good at the NFR, which features the best bulls in the business.  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – If the past eight days have been a dream, Clayton Biglow doesn’t want to wake up. “When you are lying in bed and thinking about the NFR a week or so out, you just lay there and dream of a finals like this,” said Biglow, who has placed in six of eight  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – Eight nights at the National Finals Rodeo creates a little wear and tear on the tires, especially for the bareback riders who are strapped to the baddest bucking horses in the game each night. Each jump, kick and explosion can take a toll on the body, especially considering the horses that bucked  Continue Reading »

LAS VEGAS – There’s a new No. 1 in the world of steer wrestling, and he’s from Minnesota. J.D. Struxness knocked his steer to the ground in 4.4 seconds Thursday night to finish third in the eighth round, earning his seventh payday in eight nights of the National Finals Rodeo. It was worth $15,654. More  Continue Reading »

Bareback riding: 1. Clayton Biglow, 90 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Showstomper, $26,231; 2. (tie) Kaycee Feild and Austin Foss, 87.5, $18,192 each; 4. Tilden Hooper, 87, $11,000; 5. Tanner Aus, 86.5, $6,769; 6. (tie) Clint Laye and Caleb Bennett, 86, $2,115 each. Steer wrestling: 1. Will Lummus, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Stetson Jorgensen, 4.0, $20,731;  Continue Reading »