About: Ted

Justin Thigpen dominates CINCH Timed Event Championship on its 35th anniversary GUTHRIE, Okla. – Seventeen days before the opening round of the CINCH Timed Event Championship, Justin Thigpen took a call from the Lazy E Arena inviting him to be a replacement for the injured JoJo LeMond. Fifty hours after he roped his first steer, the Waycross, Georgia, cowboy became just the 15th man to win the “Ironman of ProRodeo” in the event’s 35th year. What’s even bigger is that he became the third rookie in that time to claim the title and the top prize: Leo Camarillo won it in the first year in 1985, and Mike Beers was the next newcomer to do it a year later. “I’ve wanted to come here for years,” said Thigpen, a 19-time International Professional Rodeo Association champion who has won titles in the all-around, tie-down roping, heading and steer roping. “I’ve dedicated my life to roping. I’m’ so glad I got to prove to myself that I can do it and that I belong here.” Yes, he does, and he proved it to the well-educated Lazy E crowd from the opening kickoff. He was strong and steady and placed in the first three rounds – second in the first two performances and first on Saturday afternoon. He also packed a heavy dose of prizes and money, $107,000. It’s the richest weekend of competition he’s ever earned. “By far,” he said. “Wow. What a great event. I’m honored that they had me. The crowd is just amazing; they respect the horsemanship it takes and the cowboys. There’s not another event that’s dedicated to the roping and bulldogging like this event.” Twenty of the best all-around, timed-event cowboys in the game test their skills in this unique challenge, where each man must compete in heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping in order to complete a round. The biggest paydays come in the 25-run aggregate. Thigpen finished in 341.9 seconds to collect the top prize of $100,000, then added his money in the rounds to get his total. K.C. Jones, a five-time CTEC champion from Burlington, Wyo., finished second in 412.0, which was worth $25,000. “Justin’s rodeoed for a long time,” said Jones, who has pocketed $493,500 in CTEC cash in his career. “He’s got a good arena, and he gets to rope a lot in the wintertime. I come out of Wyoming, and I go to south Georgia to get out of the weather. Once he got invited to come here, we got together and practiced. “There are a ton of good rodeos down there, but they’re just in a different association. He’s competed, but he’s lived in the wrong part of the country for a lot of people to notice.” They’re noticing now. In fact, Thigpen had secured his championship after the 24th run of his weekend. He held a 63.8-second advantage after the 23rd event, then added to it in steer wrestling, one of his signature disciplines. The worst a cowboy could get in the CTEC is a 60-second run, the equivalency of a no-time. Therefore, the big check had his name etched on it before he made his final run of the weekend. “When I came to bulldogging, my buddy that helped me all weekend, Matt McGee, told me, ‘Hey, don’t back off now. You’ve got a job to do,’ ” he said. “That’s the mentality we take. That’s the dedication in the practice pen. Let it show off in the arena.” It was definitely a learning situation for Thigpen, who had never attempted a steer roping run before he accepted the invitation. Now that he understands he will be back in this arena as the defending champion, Thigpen plans to work more on that event and heeling – they are the two he doesn’t do often at rodeos. For his first time inside the massive arena, he took all the challenges the CTEC offers and handled them in dominating fashion. It can be a grueling test of each athlete’s physical and mental endurance. “I run a lot of cattle and compete at the rodeos, so I felt like it was to my advantage physically just running them back to back to back,” Thigpen said. “I know a lot of guys here who just run at one event most of the time. It was nothing for me at that end of it. “As far as the mental side of it, I told myself so many times this week, ‘Stay smooth, stay in the game; don’t get ahead of the game if you draw a cow that is stronger. Still do your job, get a time and go on to the next one.’ ” It worked, and he has the right mental game to handle this event for years to come. He knows just what to consider as he trains and plans for next March and the 2020 CINCH Timed Event Championship. “Don’t get over-confident, and don’t take it for granted,” he said. “Live for this moment, but you better practice and you better be ready for next year. It’s an event like no other, and it ain’t for the faint of heart. “You’ve got to go at them. The pen is big, the cattle are strong. You’ve got to bear down and do your job every time you nod your head.  There’s not a layup in this thing.” That’s what helps make it the most unique event in Western sports. First round: 1. Jordan Ketscher, 60.7 seconds, $3,000; 2. Justin Thigpen, 72.1, $2,000; 3. Brent Lewis, 73.9, $1,000. Second round: 1. Marcus Theriot, 73.6 seconds, $3,000; 2 Justin Thigpen, 75.7, $2,000; 3. Clayton Hass, 78.3, $1,000. Third round: 1. Justin Thigpen, 52.6 seconds, $3,000; 2. Clayton Hass, 60.4, $2,000; 3. Rhen Richard, 61.1, $1,000. Fourth round: 1. Rhen Richard, 49.1 seconds, $3,000; 2. Cash Myers, 57.1, $2,000; 3. Cody Doescher, 58.0, $1,000. Fifth round: 1. Trevor Brazile, 45.8 seconds, $3,000; 2 Clay Smith, 47.7, $2,000; 3. Brent Lewis,  Continue Reading »

Thigpen utilizes strong round finish to be atop CINCH Timed Event Championship GUTHRIE, Okla. – Justin Thigpen didn’t look much like a replacement on Friday, the opening day of the CINCH Timed Event Championship. He roped, tied and wrestled 10 animals in 147.8 seconds and owns the average lead after two go-rounds of the “Ironman of ProRodeo.” That’s not too shabby for a man that just learned he was competing two and a half weeks ago. “This is just what I thought it would be,” said Thigpen, a 19-time International Professional Rodeo Association champion from Waycross, Georgia. “You’ve got to stay focused, stay determined and just do your job. It’s what we grew up wanting to do. “We rope every day in the practice pens. I compete in three events at just about every rodeo I go to. As far as going one right after the other, I’m just used to it.” He proved it by being solid over the first two rounds. What’s more, he already has earned money at this year’s CTEC: He put together a 75.7-second round Friday night to finished as the runner-up in the go-round; that was worth $2,000. He was 2.1 seconds being the second-round winner, Marcus Theriot of Poplarville, Mississippi. “Winning a round is always great,” said Theriot, who is second in the average, 2.4 seconds behind Thigpen. “You get your fees back, but my goals are a lot higher this year. I like being on top. Now it’s time to stick to the plan, be steady and try to make no big mistakes. You just can’t panic, no matter what happens. “Me and Thigpen are two of the major all-around guys in the Southeast. It’s pretty cool seeing him do good as a rookie.” The Georgia cowboy definitely isn’t playing the game like a newcomer. In addition to his success in the arena – he’s won IPRA titles in heading, tie-down roping and steer wrestling – he also is a stock contractor that produces IPRA events in the Southeast. This is his first foray into single steer roping. “I think having the success I’ve had helps,” Thigpen said. “The tripping is the newest thing, but I’m a student of the game. As soon as I found out I was coming, I went to studying and practicing. I want to get more experienced at it. “Doing all these events day in and day out, you know how to pace yourself and what to look forward to so you don’t have to scramble. Before I left home, Daddy said, ‘You’ve got to bear down and get a time on every run if you want to be successful at the end.’ ” Through his first 10 runs at his first CINCH Timed Event Championship, Thigpen has accomplished that mission. First round: 1. Jordan Ketscher, 60.7 seconds, $3,000; 2. Justin Thigpen, 72.1, $2,000; 3. Brent Lewis, 73.9, $1,000. Second round: 1. Marcus Theriot, 73.6 seconds, $3,000; 2 Justin Thigpen, 75.7, $2,000; 3. Clayton Hass, 78.3, $1,000. Average leaders: 1. Justin Thigpen, 147.8 seconds; 2. Marcus Theriot, 150.2; 3. Cody Doescher, 157.9; 4. Clayton Hass, 168.8; 5. Clay Smith, 170.7; 6. Jordan Ketscher, 181.6; 7. Jess Tierney, 182.2; 8. Erich Rogers, 187.1. Jr. Ironman first round: 1. Trevor Meier, 49.8, $1,000; 2. Dillon Jones, 54.1; 3. Cole Walker, 55.5.

GUTHRIE, Okla. – Justin Thigpen continues to be impressive during his first CINCH Timed Event Championship. The all-around hand from Waycross, Georgia, posted a 52.6-second round to win the third performance, worth an additional $3,000. He also extended his lead in the average, having roped, tied and wrestled 15 animals in 200.4 seconds, almost 29 seconds faster than the No. 2 man, Clayton Hass. Hass, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, also finished second in the go-round, finishing in 60.4 seconds. Those are the top two fastest rounds so far through the three rounds of the “Ironman of ProRodeo.” The story in the Jr. Ironman continues to be Kansas cowboy Trevor Meier, who has a cumulative time of 107.3 seconds after eight runs. He has four more runs to make during the final round Sunday morning. Saturday’s second round was controlled by Hilo Yazzie, who set a Jr. Ironman record with a 39.0-second round. For that, the New Mexico cowboy pocketed $1,000. He also moved to No. 3 in the average with a cumulative time of 131.2 seconds. Should he remain in that spot when the event concludes, he would add $2,000; the winner will earn $10,000, with $5,000 going to the runner-up. Third round: 1. Justin Thigpen, 52.6 seconds, $3,000; 2. Clayton Hass, 60.4, $2,000; 3. Rhen Richard, 61.1, $1,000. Average leaders: 1. Justin Thigpen, 200.4 seconds; 2. Clayton Hass, 229.2; 3. Jordan Ketscher, 254.7; 4 Jess Tierney, 257.9; 5. K.C. Jones, 267.4; 6. Paul David Tierney, 270.9; 7. Marcus Theriot, 282.2; 8. Erich Rogers, 283.4. Jr. Ironman second round: 1. Hiyo Yazzi, 39.0 seconds, $1,000; 2. Tyler West, 49.3; 3. Trevor Meier, 57.5. Jr. Ironman average leaders: 1. Trevor Meier, 107.3 seconds; 2. Dillon ones, 118.3; 3. Hiyo Yazzi, 131.2.

The story of the 2018 CINCH Timed Event Championship has rolled over into this year’s “Ironman of ProRodeo.” Jordan Ketscher of Squaw Valley, California, roped, tied and wrestled five animals in 60.7 seconds to win the first round and take the aggregate lead into Friday evening’s second go-round, which begins at 7:30 p.m. That’s just the first storyline of this year’s 35th anniversary of the CTEC, a unique championship that features all five timed-event disciplines. Another sub-plot could be titled “The Replacements.” Justin Thigpen, who replaced JoJo LeMond in this weekend’s field, sits second in the standings with 72.1 seconds, while Brent Lewis, a CTEC veteran who last competed in 2002 and replaced the inured Trell Etbauer last week, sits third in 73.9. In the Jr. Ironman Championship, Trevor Meier of Garden City, Kansas, won the first round Friday morning by finishing in 49.8 seconds – the younger contestants do not compete in steer roping. He was four seconds faster than Dillon Jones, while Cole Walker finished third. First round: 1. Jordan Ketscher, 60.7, $3,000; 2. Justin Thigpen, 72.1, $2,000; 3. Brent Lewis, 73.9, $1,000. Jr. Ironman first round: 1. Trevor Meier, 49.8, $1,000; 2. Dillon Jones, 54.1; 3. Cole Walker, 55.5.

REXBURG, Idaho – Garrett Smith’s return to bull riding’s elite is complete. After missing a portion of the 2018 season – and last year’s National Finals Rodeo – Smith proved his point last week by winning the first round of his series at RodeoHouston with a 93-point ride on Lyndal Hurst’s Yellow Hair. It helped propel the Idaho cowboy into Houston’s semifinals, which take place March 13-14. “I’ve been wanting to get on that bull for a long time, and I finally got on and made it work,” said Smith, the 2017 Canadian Professional Rodeo Association bull riding champion who spent a portion of that campaign atop the world standings before suffering a knee injury at the NFR. “He’s been around longer than I have, and it all worked out.” The ride was just the next step for the Idaho cowboy. Injuries were the only reason he didn’t advance to the NFR a season ago. Still, he finished 23rd in the world standings. “I got hurt in the third round of the (2017) NFR,” he said. “I finished the finals, then had surgery in January. I returned way too early. I got on in Logandale (Nev.), so I waited three months and was supposed to wait six. The first couple went pretty good, so I went on. I went to Cloverdale (British Columbia) in May, and I got stepped on again. “I had another surgery, then had to wait about a week or so. The bad thing is I got on a roll, rodeoed three months, and the day after I cracked the top 15, broke my pelvis at the Cour de Lane (Idaho) Xtreme Bulls.” While he didn’t need surgery, he was limited to crutches for six weeks. That caused atrophy in his muscles, so he underwent some physical therapy under the guidance of the Justin Sportsmedicine program, an athletic training system funded by the Justin Boot Co. “They were awesome,” Smith said of the sportsmedicine team. “They checked all the muscles and knew what wasn’t working. I put me on some stretching using bands. When you’re young and don’t think anything can hurt you, you don’t realize what those muscles do and how they can hurt you. When they quit working, you find out in a hurry.” He did, which is why he just lingered near the top 15 in the world standings and didn’t move past it. Alas, he is already on the move in 2019. While his 93-point ride was worth $3,000, the confidence it provided was even more valuable. “Still finishing the year strong and in the top 25 was so important,” Smith said. “Just being healthy is big. It’s pretty cool when you can get off a bull and not hurt. It’s been challenging, trying to figure out how to ride through the pain, then realizing I’m getting on the right track with being healthy. “Hopefully I’ll be a little smarter in the way I ride and the way I get off and don’t have to go through any more injuries.”