About: Ted

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 difference in average payout for having one of the best cumulative scores after 10 rounds is more than $20,000. Only three cowboys can move him down, because Stetson Wright, Tyler Bingham and Koby Radley have ridden five bulls. If any of them rides for enough points Saturday and Spears doesn’t, then he’ll move down accordingly. Alas, if he covers his final bull for the qualifying eight seconds, Spears will add $43,154 to his NFR earnings. It’s worth noting that he is guaranteed at least a piece of the average pie whether he rides Saturday night or not; he won’t move further down than sixth in the aggregate race, which pays $16,500. “The game plan is to ride every single one,” said Spears of Redding, California, now living in Caldwell, Idaho. “I made a couple mistakes earlier in the week, but I’ve been fixing mistakes, doing my job and stays on my bulls. I’m just slowly winning a little bit each time, but I’m staying up there in that average.” On Friday night, he rode Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Short Bus for 85 points to finish sixth in the ninth round. That was worth another $4,231 and pushed his season total to $168,779. “I’ve been on that bull before, so I knew what he was going to do,” he said. “He’s a smart bull; you start to get one way or the other, and he will switch it up. He just wants you on the ground. I knew I had to stay square and not make any big moves, just ride him jump for jump. He was feeling free the whole time, and luckily it worked out.” He is quietly having the best NFR of his four qualifications. He’s ridden more bulls than any of his three previous trips to the Nevada desert, and he stands to finish the best season of his young career. “The name of the game is consistency,” Jordan said. “You do your job, and eventually it will pay off. I may not be winning the big checks, but I’m getting there. Staying strong in the average was a goal here. I wanted to come here and have a strong outing, ride all 10. That didn’t work out, but I’m doing my best to ride as many as I can. “I just want to take advantage of every opportunity.”

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 importantly, it pushed his NFR earnings to $107,308 and bumped his 2019 salary to $190,137. “This pen of steers keeps getting stronger as the week goes on,” said Struxness, 25, of Milan, Minnesota, now living in Alva, Oklahoma. “I thought my steer was middle of the herd, but I was 4.4 and still held on for third, so I’ll take it. “Tomorrow night, we’ll have to come back and be a little more aggressive. Hopefully we’ll have a little better steer and will move up a little bit.” He now owns a lead of nearly $5,000 over Ty Erickson, but he’ll need to really build on that over the next two nights if he wants to walk away as the No. 1 man. He won’t have a chance to earn any money in the average race after missing his fifth-round steer. That will likely make the difference for whomever is crowned world champion. The average winners – those with the best cumulative score through 10 rounds – will earn $64,269, while the eighth best aggregate score will collect $6,346. In order for Struxness to walk away with the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle, he is going to have to place high in both the final two rounds and have some other things go his way. “Hopefully I can get decent steers the next two nights, hit the barrier and make aggressive runs,” he said. “Hopefully we can move up toward the top of the rounds, but the big thing is to catch some checks every night and make a little money.” He’s done that in spades, but he’s been riding a great horse owned by Stockton Graves, who is also hazing for him. Graves is the rodeo coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, and Struxness was the college’s first national champion in 2016. “The hazers take good care of you out here,” he said. “You need one that is on top of his game for you to be god. Being able to win like this, your hazer is definitely doing his job.” Over the years, the two have transitioned from a coach-athlete relationship to one more like friend-mentor. It’s been beneficial for both. “As soon as we started traveling together, he was older and giving advice, so I was still learning,” Struxness said. “It’s just a different relationship. Now I’ve started to get experience under my belt, so we share back and forth. He still has more experience than me, but putting it together is just better for both of us.”

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; 3. J.D. Struxness, 4.4, $15,654; 4. Tyler Pearson, 4.5, $11,000; 5. Tanner Brunner, 4.7, $6,769; 6. Matt Reeves, 4.8, $4.8, $4,231. Team roping: 1. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Brenten hall/Chase Tryan, 4.3 seconds, $23,481 each; 3. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Jake Cooper/Caleb Anderson, 4.4, $13,327 each; 5. Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 4.7, $6,769; 6. Luke Brown/Paul Eaves, 4.8, $4,231. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jake Watson, 89.5 points on Calgary Stampede’s Stampede Warrior, $26,231; 2. Chase Brooks, 89, $20,731; 3. Spencer Wright, 87, $15,654; 4. (tie) Sterling Crawley, Brody Cress and Dawson Hay, 86.5, $7,333 each. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Cooper Martin, Tyler Milligan and Riley Pruitt, 7.5 seconds, $20,872 each; 4. Caleb Smidt, 7.7, $11,000; 5. Tyson Durfey, 7.9, $6,769; 6. Michael Otero, 8.4, $4,231. Barrel racing: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 13.54 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jessica Routier, 13,57, $20,731; 3. (tie) Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi and Ivy Conrado, 13.73, $13,327 each; 5. Shali Lord, 13.75, $6,769; 6. Lacinda Rose, 13.76, $4,231. Bull riding: 1. Sage Kimzey, 94 points on Powder River Rodeo’s SweetPro’s Bruiser, $26,231; 2. Stetson Wright, 93.5, $20,731; 3. (tie) Clayton Sellars and Boudreaux Campbell, 91.5, $13,327 each; 5. Jordan Spears, 89.5, $6,769; 6. Jeff Askey, 87, $4,231.

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 in Thursday’s eight round. They’re called “The Eliminators” for a reason; they are the toughest-to-ride horses in the game. “I feel good,” said Tanner Aus, who rode Hi Lo ProRodeo’s Pretty Woman for 86.5 points to finish fifth in the round, worth $6,769. “I’m pretty thankful. There are some guys in the locker room at this point that are fighting some stuff. If you can avoid injury, come into the finals trained and in shape, usually it can carry you through. “I’ve been pretty lucky, and hopefully it carries me through two more nights. He’s had a solid NFR, now his fourth in five years. He’s placed four times and earned $65,423 in Las Vegas and has moved up to ninth in the world standings with $147,018. He still has chances to add to that on Friday and Saturday nights, the final two of the 2019 ProRodeo season. “This is the greatest rodeo in the world,” said Aus, 29, of Granite Falls, Minnesota. “Being able to place in these rounds amongst this competition is incredible. After eight nights, everyone is still feeling good riding. It has been fun.” His ride on Pretty Woman was special. Not only did it earn him a needed NFR paycheck, it also gave him a bit of redemption. The last time he got on the horse was at the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo a few years ago, and he was 81.5 points. He improved his margin greatly. “That’s a strong horse, and at about six seconds, she throws a couple of lead changes and makes it tough right when you think you are tapped off,” he said. “It feels like she swapped leads and is tough that way. I’d like to have her again. I feel like I could maybe even ride a little bit better, but I was happy it went good tonight.” For Friday’s ninth round, he will be matched with Cervi Championship Rodeo’s William Wallace. On that horse’s previous trip Sunday, Caleb Bennett was 87 points to finish tied for third in the fourth round. “They call it the “Hopper Pen,” but it can give you just as much anxiety,” Aus said. “(Friday) night is really a riding contest. Everything in there is going to be great. If you mess up, it’s on you. We’ve got two more rounds of really good bucking horses. It’s going to be a blast.”

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 National Finals Rodeo rounds, including at least a share of the last four go-round victories in a row, and earned $137,064 over that stretch. “To have this happening right now is unreal. “I’m on Cloud 9. I’m so blessed, and we’ve still got two more (rounds) to go. This thing is not over. I’m just so happy I can’t even explain it.” His fourth NFR is his best NFR, and the cowboy from Clements, California, is just 23 years old. He’s actually $20,000 ahead of his 2018 NFR earnings, and there are two nights left in Las Vegas. Through the year, he was dominant, winning 12 bareback riding titles, including big ones like the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days, the Daddy of ’em All. He has now earned $319,016 on the season and sits atop the world standings. He also is No. 1 in the average race, having ridden eight horses for a cumulative score of 705 points. That’s an 11-point advantage over the man in second place, the three-time reigning world champion Tim O’Connell. Both are on pace to set the NFR average record of 860.5, set by Kaycee Feild in 2011. He could try to coast through the final two rounds and claim the world championship, but that’s not who Clayton Biglow is. “That’s not how I right bareback horses,” he said. “I come at it every night the same way. It has been working. In previous years, I may have safetied up a little bit, and it made me pay for it. I got bucked off Killer Bee, I slapped Craig (At Midnight) and stuff like that. “This year, I don’t care what runs under me. I am going to give it 110 percent, going at it like I’m sitting 15th and I’ve got to make up every penny I can. I am going to ride for first every single night.” He won the round Monday with a 92.5-point ride, then shared the title in Round 6 with two other cowboys with an 88.5. He was 91.5 to win Wednesday, and he matched moves with Frontier Rodeo’s Showstomper for 90 point to win Thursday’s eighth round. Those four rounds make up $99,565 of his NFR earnings. It was a great night for Biglow to showcase his talent on the most difficult horses to ride in the sport, the “Eliminator Pen.” “We’ve all got buckers,” he said. “You’ve got to bare down and give it all you’ve got. I love the energy in the locker room during the E Pen, because everyone has their teeth gritted and are ready to fight. It’s a war zone back there.  I love it. I eat it up. Everybody feeds off each other. “It pumps you up and makes you come out and ride for first.”