About: Ted

By LUKE CREASYFor TwisTed RodeoLOVINGTON, N.M. – Earlier this week, bareback rider Tanner Aus met the newest member of his family, Emery Gwen. He and his wife, Lonissa, welcomed their third child into their brood just a day after he’d returned to their home in Minnesota from the final round at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo. She was born at 9:05 p.m. Monday, tipping the scales at 7 pounds and 20 inches long. His focus was on home, not the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, but he’s a man who knows how to handle business. As the week rolled on and big brother Rowan, 2, and big sister Bristol, 4, helped take over the care for the newborn, Aus made the nearly 1,200-mile drive from his home to Lovington to ride one of the greatest bucking horses of this generation. That’s a “world champion bucking horse,” said Aus, 32, a six-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Granite Falls, Minnesota. “(I’ve) never been on her as long as I’ve been g oing, as long as she’s been going. We’d never matched up, so then I finally drew her.” The meeting paid off, and Aus jumped into the lead after matching moves with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Top Flight, the 2020 Bareback Horse of the Year. “She leaves out (of the chute) cool,” said Aus, who won the Lea County Fair and Rodeo title just three seasons ago with a 90-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie. “She bucks hard all the way across (the arena). She gets stronger as she goes. When you’re trying to win big rodeos, that’s the one you want. “I felt like I rode her pretty good, but that horse is the standout.” It’s been a solid season for the veteran of the game, who won the intercollegiate title in 2012 while competing at Missouri Valley College. He earned his first trip to the NFR three years later and is on his way to a seventh qualification in eight years; he missed the 2018 championship after missing a good portion of the season to injury and still finished 18th in the world standings – only the top 15 on the money list at the end of the regular season qualify. With two months remaining in the 2022 regular season, he sits seventh in the world standings with just shy of $100,000. “I’ve been pretty busy all season,” Aus said. “I had an OK winter, but it really picked up this spring. So far this summer, I’ve just been clipping along. I’ve been drawing pretty good pretty much everywhere.” He will compete Saturday night in Dodge City, Kansas, with the potential to ride again Sunday there during the championship round, but he already has his sights set on getting home to his family. “I’ll get to go home after Dodge City for a few days,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to that.” Lea County Fair and RodeoLovington, N.M.Aug. 3-6Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tanner Aus, 87 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Top Flight; 2. Garrett Shadbolt, 86.5; 3. R.C. Landingham, 86; 4. Caleb Bennett, 85; 5. (tie) Leighton Berry and Lane McGehee, 84.5; 7. Orin Larsen, 83.5; 8. (tie) Waylon Bourgeois and Kody Lamb, 79. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Sterling Lee and Cimarron Thompson, 4.0 seconds; 3. (tie) Tyler Pearson, Gavin Solieau and D.J. Joos, 4.1; 6. (tie) Tyler Waguespack and Remey Parrott, 4.2; 8. (tie) Cade Goodman, Chance Howard and Trell Etbauer, 4.3. Second round leaders: 1. Rowdy Parrott, 3.8 seconds; 2. Stephen Culling, 3.9; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 4.0; 4. (tie) Joe Nelson and D.J. Joos, 4.1; 6. (tie) Talon Roseland, Chance Howard, Stetson Jorgensen and Cimarron Thompson, 4.2; 7. (tie) Kyle Irwin and Trell Etbauer, 4.3. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, D.J. Joos and Cimarron Thompson, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 4. Chance Howard, 8.5; 5. Trell Etbauer, 8.6; 6. Sterling Lee, 8.9; 7. Gavin Soileau, 9.3; 8. (tie) Ryan Shuckburgh and Joe Nelson, 9.5. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 8.1 seconds; 2. Lane Livingston, 8.4; 3. Macon Murphy, 8.7; 4. Caleb Smidt, 8.9; 5. (tie) Cooper Martin and Chance Thiessen, 9.1; 7. Cody Waldrop, 9.2; 8. (tie) Cash Edward Hooper and Riley Webb, 9.6. Second round leaders: 1. Ryan Thibodeaux, 7.3 seconds; 2. Quade Hiatt, 7.4; 3. John Pereira, 7.6; 4. Paul David Tierney, 8.2; 5. Shawn Poag, 8.5; 6. (tie) Taylor Santos, Kincade Henry and Caleb Smidt, 8.7 Average leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 16.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Caleb Smidt, 17.6; 3. Quade Hiatt, 18.1; 4. Ryan Thibodeaux, 18.5; 5. Kincade Henry, 18.7; 6. Chase Webster, 20.0; 7. Cash Edward Hooper, 20.5; 8. (tie) Dylan Ward Murphy and Kase Bacque, 21.0. Breakaway roping: 1. Madalyn Richards, 2.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Brighton Bauman and Amanda Coleman, 2.1; 4. Erin Johnson, 2.3; 5. Jordan Joe Hollabaugh, 2.4; 6. Tierra Zapalac, 2.5; 7. Maddy Deerman, 2.6; 8. (tie) Faith Holyan and Jayme Marcrum, 2.7; 10. (tie) Lari Dee Guy and Mollie Bassett, 2.9; 12. Haley Waters, 3.5; 13. Kassidy Dennison, 3.6; 14. Montana Brown, 3.7; 15. Tacy Webb, 3.8. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Stetson Wright, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner; 2. Sage Newman, 87.5; 3. Lefty Holman, 87; 4. Sterling Crawley, 86.5; 5. Isaac Diaz, 84; 6. (tie) Chase Brooks and Riggin Smith, 83.5; 8. Jacobs Crawley, 83.   Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Chet Herren, 11.1 seconds; 2. Scott Snedecor, 11.4; 3. Taylor Santos, 11.9; 4. Cooper Mills, 12.5; 5. Slade Wood, 12.6; 6. (tie) Cole Patterson and Clay Long, 12.7. Second round leaders: 1. Ivan Stuart, 11.2 seconds; 2. Kenyon Burns, 11.3; 3. Cole Patterson, 11.5; 4. Clay Long, 11.6; 5. Taylor Santos, 11.7; 6. Laramie Allen, 11.9. Third round leaders: 1. Garrett Hale 10.6 seconds; 2. Slade Wood, 11.0; 3. Cash Myers, 11.1; 4. Laramie Allen, 11.4; 5. Rocky Patterson, 11.8; 6. Chet Herren, 11.9. Average leaders: 1. Slade Wood, 35.8 seconds on three runs;  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – In six years of roping together, Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp have had tremendous success. They made the 2016 National Finals Rodeo with different partners, then began roping together the next season. They haven’t missed an NFR since, and they’re level of consistency has shown over time. Here’s this, though: Snow is just 25; and Thorp is 26. They’re still young in this man’s game, but they’re seasoned veterans. They proved it during Friday’s third performance of the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo, moving into second place in team roping with one preliminary performance remaining before Sunday’s championship round. After a lightning quick 5.1-second run during their first round Friday morning – which moved them into second place in the opening round – they stopped the clock in 6.1 seconds in their second round run Friday night. As they await Saturday’s final day of preliminary competition, they trail the tandem of Clay Smith and Jake Long by two-tenths of a second and are a virtual lock to rope for the championship during Sunday’s final night in the biggest rodeo in Kansas. Snow and Thorp were a bright spot in a tough night of team roping. They were the only one of 10 teams to not suffer a penalty or be saddled with a no-time. But it wasn’t without drama for the 2019 NFR average champions. Headers try to secure a slick-horned catch to help set up the steers for their heelers, but Snow’s loop slipped over the nose. That type of catch can be troublesome for some heelers, but Thorp secured the two back legs in his trap and stopped the clock. In that magical NFR run three seasons ago, Snow and Thorp had the best 10-run cumulative time of all the top 15 teams in the PRCA that season, but they didn’t finish the same in the world standings. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and the contestants in each event with the most money won at end of the season are crowned world champions. That year, Smith won the heading world title and Snow settled for second, but Thorp claimed the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. Now, he’d like to add that prestigious Dodge City Roundup buckle to his collection. Dodge City Roundup RodeoDodge City, Kan.Aug. 3-7, 2022Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tim O’Connell, 87 points on Frontier Rodeo’s High Heels; 2. (tie) Wyatt Denny and Garrett Shadbolt, 86.5; 4. (tie) Jess Pope and Ty Pope, 85.5; 6. Seth Hardwick, 84.5; 7. Lane McGehee, 84; 8. Will Lowe, 83; 9. Anthony Thomas, 82.5; 10. Jayco Roper, 81; 11. Mark Kreder, 75; 12. A.J. Ruth, 72. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Bryton Edmundson, 3.9 seconds; 2. Landris White, 4.0; 3. Timmy Sparing, 4.1; 4. (tie) Stetson Jorgensen, E.J. Joos and Slammer Powers, 4.2; 7. Jule Hazen, 4.3; 8. (tie) Grady Payne and Travis Munro, 4.4; 8. (tie) Jace Melvin and Stephen Culling, 4.5. Second round leaders: 1. Cody Devers, 3.5 seconds; 2. Bridger Anderson, 3.6; 3. Dakota Eldridge, 3.7; 4. Tristan Martin, 3.8; 5. Ryan Shuckburgh, 4.0; 6. Dalton Massey, 4.1; 7. (tie) Timmy Sparing and Rowdy Parrott, 4.2. Average leaders: 1. Timmy Sparing, 8.3 seconds on two runs; 2. Landris White, 8.4; 3. Bryton Edmundson, 8.7; 4. (tie) Stetson Jorgensen, Stephen Culling and Slammer Powers, 8.8; 7. (tie) Cody Devers and Rowdy Parrott, 9.0; 9. Jace Melvin, 9.2; 10. Dylan Schroeder, 9.3; 11. (tie) Gavin Soileau and Bridger Anderson, 9.5. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Clay Smith/Jake Long, 4.9 seconds; 2. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 5.1; 3. (tie) Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden and Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 5.4; 5. Dustin Egusquiza/Travis Graves, 5.5; 6. (tie)Chad Masters/Paul Eaves and Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, 5.6; 8. (tie) Bubba Buckaloo/Joseph Harrison and Wyatt Imus/Brushton Minton, 5.8. Second round leaders: 1. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 4.6 seconds; 2. Trent Vaught/Jace McDaniel, 4.8; 3. Logan Graham/Whitney DeSalvo, 5.1; 4. (tie) Tanner James/Max Kuttler and Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 5.3; 6. (tie) Clay Smith/Jake Long and Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 6.1; 8. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix, 6.5. Average leaders: 1. Clay Smith/Jake Long, 11.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, 11.2; 3. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix, 12.5; 4. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 12.6; 5. Tyler Hobert/Chase Boekhaus, 16.2; 6. J.D. Yates/Marcus Banister, 16.4; 7. Wyatt Bray/Trevor Nowlin, 18.8; 8. Ryan VonAhh/Kollin VonAahn, 19.3; 9. Nelson Wyatt/Tyler Worley, 21.3; 10. Nick Sartain/Austin Rogers, 23.1; 11. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 4.6 seconds on one run; 12. Trent Vaught/Jace McDaniel, 4.8. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Riggin Smith, 85.5 points on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Michael; 2. (tie) Lefty Homan and Wade Sundell, 83.5; 4. Shorty Garrett, 83; 5. Logan Cook, 82.5; 6. (tie) Wyatt Casper, Isaac Diaz and Cable James Wareham, 82; 9. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Jake Burwash, 81; 11. Q Taylor, 81; 12. Will Pollock, 80.5.  Breakaway roping leaders: 1. Bradi Good, 2.6 seconds; 2. Loni Lester, 3.0; 3. Mable McAbee, 3.1; 4. Winter Williams, 3.3; 5. Lari Dee Guy, 3.4; 6. (tie) Rylea Fabrizio and Micah Samples, 3.5; 8. Tamara Tunink, 3.7; 9. (tie) Morgan Kessler and Sawyer Gilbert, 3.8; 11. (tie) KeAnn Hays and Tia Wallace, 4.0. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Cory Solomon, 8.3 seconds; 2. Chance Thiessen, 8.5; 3. Kincade Henry, 8.7; 4. Westyn Hughes, 8.8; 5. Blake Chauvin, 9.3; 6. Marty Yates, 9.4; 7. Tyson Durfey, 9.7; 8. (tie) Anthony Jordan and Benny Mosley, 10.9. Second round leaders: 1. King Pickett, 8.2 seconds; 2. Riley Webb, 9.0; 3. Marty Yates, 9.2; 4. (tie) Cory Solomon and Adam Gray, 9.3; 6. Marcos Costa, 9.4; 7. Sy Felton, 9.6; 8. Benny Mosley, 10.0. Average leaders: 1. Cory Solomon, 17.6 seconds on two runs; 2. Marty Yates, 18.6; 3. Benny Mosley, 20.0; 4. (tie) Westyn Hughes and Lane Livingston, 20.5; 6. Luke Potter, 20.9; 7. Riley Webb, 21.3; 8. King Pickett, 21.5; 9. Sy Felton, 22.6; 10. Richard Newton, 23.2; 11. (tie) Chet Weitz and Cody McCartney, 23.7.   Barrel racing leaders: 1. Jordan Briggs, 16.96; 2. Michelle Darling, 17.22; 3. Tarryn Lee, 17.28; 4. Keyla Polizello  Continue Reading »

By LUKE CREASYFor TwisTed RodeoLOVINGTON, N.M. – With just two months remaining in the ProRodeo regular season, tie-down roper Taylor Santos is a man on a mission. “I’m just trying to get every dollar I can this time of year,” said Santos, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Creston, California. He gave himself a big step forward Thursday night by roping the two-run aggregate lead at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. He also owns the first-round lead after starting his Thursday in the morning with an 8.1-second run. His 8.7 during Thursday’s second performance sealed his fate and gave him a cushion with two nights remaining in this year’s PRCA Rodeo. “I had a good calf and put it on him pretty fast,” said Santos, who is 16th in the world standings – only the top 15 when the season concludes Sept. 30 will advance to the NFR. “I flanked him and put a wrap and a hooey on him.” He described a full wrap of three legs, then a half-hitch to hopefully secure the tie. The most secure would be two wraps with a half-hitch, but Santos gambled. “That calf got missed (Thursday) morning,” he said. “They got a really good start on him and missed him in two or three swings; (the calf) puled up, so he never got chased much. I figured he wouldn’t really know what was going on again, so I didn’t have anybody push him and let him go at his own pace.” The calf gingerly entered the arena at an amble before beginning his job free from the barrier. Santos patiently waited for the calf to pick up the pace before taking chase and slipped the loop around the animal. He glided down the rope with calm consistency to tie for the fastest time of the evening. His lead over the field is nearly two seconds. “Any time you can start stacking checks, you start seeing in the standings,” said Santos, who has earned just shy of $70,000 so far this season. He’s been stacking them fairly quickly. He earned $14,501 at the national circuit finals three weeks ago, then pocketed more than $7,500 in Sheridan, Wyoming, that same week. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and moving up the money list is important. Santos returns to Jake McClure arena Friday to compete in steer roping. He’s now a multi-event cowboy, having earned his first National Finals Steer Roping qualification a season ago. He sits 12th steer roping world standings and seventh in the all-around race. “This is my favorite time of the year,” said Santos, 27. “You see guys that shine in the winter time, and I’ve had decent winters, but I’ve never had great winters. “This is my favorite time of the year. You see guys that shine in the winter time, and I’ve had decent winters, but I’ve never had great winters. It seems like when August comes around, you’re going to one, sometimes two rodeos a day. I just feel I get in a groove, and August is usually my time.” Lea County Fair and RodeoLovington, N.M.Aug. 3-6Bareback riding leaders: 1. R.C. Landingham, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Knight Mare; 2. Orin Larsen, 83.5; 3. (tie) Waylon Bourgeois and Kody Lamb, 79; 5. Bill Tutor, 73; 6. Brendon Crawley, 64; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Tyler Pearson, 4.1 seconds; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.2; 3. (tie) Cade Goodman and Chance Howard, 4.3; 5. Ryan Shuckburgh, 5.0; 6. Marc Joiner, 9.0; 7. Kyle Irwin, 23.9; 8. Stephen Culling 26.5. Second round leaders: 1. Stephen Culling, 3.9 seconds; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.0; 3. Joe Nelson, 4.1; 4. (tie) Talon Roseland, Chance Howard and Stetson Jorgensen, 4.2; 7. (tie) Kyle Irwin and Trell Etbauer, 4.3. Average leaders: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Chance Howard, 8.5; 3. Trell Etbauer, 8.6; 4. Sterling Lee, 8.9; 5. (tie) Ryan Shuckburgh and Joe Nelson, 9.5; 7. Cade Goodman, 9.8; 8. Austin Eller, 10.1. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 8.1 seconds; 2. Macon Murphy, 8.7; 3. (tie) Cooper Martin and Chance Thiessen, 9.1; 5. Kase Bacque, 9.6; 6. Dallen McIntire, 9.9; 7. Kincade Henry, 10.0; 8. (tie) Kason Dyer and Brokk Baldwin, 10.2. Second round leaders: 1. Ryan Thibodeaux, 7.3 seconds; 2. John Pereira, 7.6; 3. Paul David Tierney, 8.2; 4. Shawn Poag, 8.5; 5. (tie) Taylor Santos and Kincade Henry, 8.7; 7. (tie) Marcos Costa and Quay Howard, 8.8 Average leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 16.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Ryan Thibodeaux, 18.5; 3. Kincade Henry, 18.7; 4. Chase Webster, 20.0; 5. (tie) Dylan Ward Murphy and Kase Bacque, 21.0; 7. Cooper Martin, 21.4; 8. Lucas Bueno Peres, 21.8. Breakaway roping: 1. Madalyn Richards, 2.0 seconds; 2. Amanda Coleman, 2.1; 3. Jordan Joe Hollabaugh, 2.4; 4. Faith Holyan, 2.7; 5. (tie) Lari Dee Guy and Mollie Bassett, 2.9; 7. Haley Waters, 3.5; 8. Kassidy Dennison, 3.6; 9. Montana Brown, 3.7; 10. Tacy Webb, 3.8; 11. Lacy Wilson, 4.4; 12. Emma Charleston, 5.3. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Stetson Wright, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner; 2. Sage Newman, 87.5; 3. Lefty Holman, 87; 4. (tie) Chase Brooks and Riggin Smith, 83.5; 6. (tie) Allen Boore and Ryder Wright, 81; 8. (tie) T.W. Flowers and Brody Wells, 80.   Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Chet Herren, 11.1 seconds; 2. Scott Snedecor, 11.4; 3.Slade Wood, 12.6; 4. (tie) Cole Patterson and Clay Long, 12.7; 6. Bryce Davis, 13.7. Second round leaders: 1. Kenyon Burns, 11.3 seconds; 2. Cole Patterson, 11.5; 3. Clay Long, 11.6; 4. Laramie Allen, 11.9; 5. Kyle Cauthorn, 12.1; 6. Slade Wood, 12.2. Third round leaders: 1. Slade Wood, 11.0 seconds; 2. Cash Myers, 11.1; 3. Laramie Allen, 11.4; 4. Rocky Patterson, 11.8; 5. Chet Herren, 11.9; 6. J. Tom Fisher, 12.2; no other qualified times. Average leaders: 1. Slade Wood, 35.8 seconds on three runs; 2. Chet Herren, 38.5; 3. Logan Currie, 43.7; 4.  Continue Reading »

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The first time Tim O’Connell won the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo’s bareback riding title, he was 24 years old, a newlywed to his wife, Sami, and had been to the National Finals Rodeo just twice in his lifetime. Much has changed since 2016, but one thing remains the same; he wants to win the Roundup title again. He gave himself a good chance during Thursday’s second performance by riding Frontier Rodeo’s High Heels for 87 points to take the bareback riding lead and assure himself a spot in Sunday’s championship round. “That’s a new horse that’s been around a couple of years, but they’ve been a lot of points on her lately,” said O’Connell, who has since returned to the NFR six more times and owns three world championships. “The guys that have ridden her have used her up really well. Two weeks ago in Spanish Fork, Utah, that was probably one of the hardest rodeos I’ve gone to this summer. I was 85 points on a horse that’s been to the NFR, and I finished 11th. ‘They were 87 points on this horse and placed third, so I knew when I got here that I had a chance. If you draw a horse that good in the long round here, there’s a really good chance you’ll place high in the round and come back to the short round and have a chance to win.” O’Connell is one of the most decorated bareback riders going down the road. Each year that he won the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, he also won at least a share of the NFR average title. In fact, the year he won the championship in Dodge City, he followed that with the 2016 NFR average crown and the first of three straight world titles. “This is one of those rodeos that you’ve got to show up and show out,’ he said. “It’s hard to make the short round here. Once you make the short round, they bring their absolute A team here. They bring all their showcase horses to this finals. They have big scores year after year. “That’s because of the caliber of guys that make it here and the caliber of horses they bring.  It’s a place where if the mix gets right in the air, you can see a world record pop off.” O’Connell is coming off his third victory at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days, and he’s seeing bareback riding trending upwards again. Because of the physical nature of the event, it’s the most demanding rodeo specialty on the human body. Men strap riggings tightly to bucking horses, then wedge their hands into those riggings, basically tying themselves to the animal. The more physically fit the cowboys are, the better their bodies can handle the torture that can come. “These kids are putting in the work at a young age,” he said. “I feel like my generation started taking being an athlete pretty serious and coming out here and riding bucking horses. These kids have started that since they were in grade school. When they come out at 18, 19 or 20 years old, they’re in shape and they’ve been on horses; they’ve been seasoned. “This group of permit-holders is the saltiest, deepest group of bareback riders I’ve ever seen. There were three or four permit kids at the short round in Cheyenne last week; that’s a testament to how good these kids are.” O’Connell is pretty good, and he was six seasons ago when he claimed the Roundup title. At the home he shares with his wife and two young sons, he has a place that holds his Roundup trophy from 2016. “That buckle is in my living room, and it’s sitting next to the three average titles, and it sits next to The American, the Cheyenne and the Ellensburg buckles,” O’Connell said. “It sits up there with the most prestigious rodeo buckles you could ever win, and it sits in my living room so when people walk in, they see that buckle right away.” Dodge City Roundup RodeoDodge City, Kan.Aug. 3-7, 2022Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tim O’Connell, 87 points on Frontier Rodeo’s High Heels; 2. (tie) Wyatt Denny and Garrett Shadbolt, 86.5; 4. Jess Pope, 85.5; 5. Lane McGehee, 84; 6. Anthony Thomas, 82.5; 7. A.J. Ruth, 72; 8. Colton Crawford, 70. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Bryton Edmundson, 3.9 seconds; 2. Landris White, 4.0; 3. Timmy Sparing, 4.1; 4. (tie) Stetson Jorgensen and E.J. Joos, 4.2; 6. (tie) Grady Payne and Travis Munro, 4.4; 8. (tie) Jace Melvin and Stephen Culling, 4.5. Second round leaders: 1. Cody Devers, 3.5 seconds; 2. Bridger Anderson, 3.6; 3. Dakota Eldridge, 3.7; 4. Tristan Martin, 3.8; 5. Ryan Shuckburgh, 4.0; 6. Dalton Massey, 4.1; 7. (tie) Timmy Sparing and Rowdy Parrott, 4.2. Average leaders: 1. Timmy Sparing, 8.3 seconds on two runs; 2. Landris White, 8.4; 3. Bryton Edmundson, 8.7; 4. (tie) Stetson Jorgensen and Stephen Culling, 8.8; 6. (tie) Cody Devers and Rowdy Parrott, 9.0; 8. Jace Melvin, 9.2; 9. Dylan Schroeder, 9.3; 10. (tie) Gavin Soileau and Bridger Aanderson, 9.5; 12. Kalane Anders, 9.7. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Clay Smith/Jake Long, 4.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden and Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 5.4; 4. Dustin Egusquiza/Travis Graves, 5.5; 5. Chad Masters/Paul Eaves, 5.6; 6. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix, 6.0; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Tyler Worley, 6.2; 8. (tie) Kreece Thompson/Chad Williams and Brandon Farris/Brandon Bates, 6.5. Second round leaders: 1. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 4.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Tanner James/Max Kuttler and Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 5.3; 4. Clay Smith/Jake Long, 6.1; 5. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix, 6.4; 7. J.D. Yates/Marcus Banister, 8.1; 7. Peyton Holliday/Kolton Good, 9.7; 8. Jeff Johnston/Jett Hillman, 10.4. Average leaders: 1. Clay Smith/Jake Long, 11.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix, 12.5; 3. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 12.6; 4. J.D. Yates/Marcus Banister, 16.4; 5. Wyatt Bray/Trevor Nowlin, 18.8; 6. Ryan VonAhh/Kollin VonAahn, 19.3; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Tyler Worley, 21.3; 8. Derrick Begay and  Continue Reading »

Bulldoggers don’t wrestle with their decisions to compete at Idaho rodeo GOODING, Idaho – It’s been more than 15 years, but Hunter Cure remembers his first visit to this community. “I went to Gooding my rookie year, and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Cure, a two-time world champion steer wrestler from Holliday, Texas. “I’ve never seen a rodeo where the crowd got so into it and engaged with the contestants the way they do in Gooding.” That’s why he returns every August and why he tells other steer wrestlers to find their ways to this southern Idaho town. In fact, more than 100 bulldoggers put their names in the hat to compete at this year’s rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 18-Saturday, Aug. 20, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 17. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. “It’s always one of my favorites,” said Cure, who is on his way to a sixth National Finals Rodeo qualification this year. “Since they continue to, A, add more money and, B, add to their hospitality over the years, it makes it an easy decision to go back to Gooding. “They have a live band, and they have other attractions for us. The mural that’s painted around the bottom of the arena is something you don’t see anywhere else.” The concrete is painted in the design of a hand-tooled strap of leather, and it serves a dual purpose: It’s attractive, but it also covers the gray concrete so the animals can see the barrier that’s in place. The biggest attraction to the hundreds of contestants that converge on Gooding every year is the crowd the rodeo attracts. Fellow bulldogger Bridger Anderson remembers his performance in 2020, when his 3.8-second run helped him finish in a tie for third place; the $2,300 he earned that summer helped him earn his first NFR qualification. “I sealed the deal to make the finals in Gooding,” he said, smiling at his recollection. “I got to be beer worthy. It was on pink night, and I got a pink rubber ducky, then it was off to haul butt to the next rodeo.” A pink rubber ducky is memorable, and that may have been the best beer he’d had that season. Securing any NFR bid is a big deal, and to do it at a place where the crowd finds exceptional feats as “beer worthy” makes it even better. “I like being beer worthy, but I feel I can be beer worthy if I suck,” Cure said with a laugh. It’s true. Being beer worthy isn’t just for winning rides or fast times; it can also be for wild buckoffs or big wrecks. There’s also something about the local organizers, who work each year to make things better. “I feel like they try more than 90 percent of the (rodeo) committees out there,” Cure said. “The only reason they get outdone by 10 percent is because of the resources and the size of the venue that a small town may not have. “Calgary can do more than Gooding, but for its size, Gooding does much more than other committees out there. They try hard, and they put on a good show.” That effort is recognized by the contestants who make their livings in professional rodeo. “I always try to start the week earlier and go to Hermiston (Oregon) and start my Northwest run there,” he said. “With Gooding being in a close proximity to Caldwell (Idaho) and (other rodeos) up that way, Gooding is going to be the stop for every guy making the NFR.”