About: Ted

World’s best cowboys ready to fight for CINCH Timed Event Championship title GUTHRIE, Okla. – There is no other event like the CINCH Timed Event Championship of the World. It’s unique format features 20 of the greatest all-around timed-event cowboys of today, and they will compete in all five disciplines that make up the championship that’s been dubbed the “Ironman of ProRodeo” – heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping. “When you compete in so many different events, consistency is the biggest deal,” said Paul David Tierney, the reigning and two-time champion from Oral, S.D. “I’ve just got to keep reminding myself to stay calm and don’t get in a hurry.” The reason is because the Timed Event is a five-round slugfest that takes place at noon and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at the Lazy E Arena. Each contender will make 25 runs before it concludes, so it’s more like a battle of wills. The winner will be the cowboy who best handles the challenges over three days. “It’s such a tough event with all the different horses and the different events,” said Daniel Green, a two-time titlist from Oakdale, Calif. “You have to be able to adjust to all the different scenarios and challenges that come with it.” The Ironman allows team ropers to wrestle steers and gives steer wrestlers a chance to rope calves. While everyone in the field has experience in multiple events, few do more than one or two through the rigors of the rodeo trail. The Timed Event provides an opportunity to expand on their skills. “Roping and bulldogging is 50 percent mental and 50 percent physical, but winning is 90 percent mental,” said K.C. Jones, a five-time winner form Burlington, Wyo. “The Timed Event is a huge mental game, and I like that part of it.” This year’s festivities will include the inaugural Jr. Ironman Championship, which will feature 10 top cowboys who range in age from 15-20. The Jr. Ironman will begin at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. It’s an outstanding opening act for the greatest all-around timed-event cowboys in the world competing in the most challenging contest in the sport. They also will be on site to witness one of the greatest spectacles in Western sports history. “Just to be considered one of the best Timed Event guys is a special honor,” said Kyle Lockett, a two-time champ from Visalia, Calif. “You can’t get caught up in it. You’ve just got to go at one animal at a time. You can’t afford to screw up. “There’s stuff that’s going to happen. You can’t plan on anything until Sunday afternoon when everything is said and done.” It all adds up to a magnificent championship featuring world-class competition. It’s just what fans have come to expect.

Chad Besplug Invitational adding to its excitement with Bullfighters Only CLARESHOLM, Alberta – Freestyle bullfighting exploded back onto the scene in 2016 thanks to the men of Bullfighters Only. The BFO created a buzz around the sport by showcasing the greatest talent in freestyle bullfighting history, and that detonation has spread into Canada. Three of the top athletes will be exhibiting their talent during the Bullfighters Only event in conjunction with the Chad Besplug Invitational, set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Claresholm Agriplex. “I’m really excited to be able to go head-to-head with some great bulls in Claresholm,” said Weston Rutkowski, the No. 1 bullfighter in the world from Haskell, Texas. “I’ve never fought bulls up there, so it’s going to be another great new experience for me and for the BFO.” Rutkowski will be joined by Nebraskan Beau Scheuth, the fifth-ranked man in the standings, and Daryl Thiessen of Elm Creek, Manitoba. “This is really huge for Canada,” Thiessen said. “With Weston, Beau and me, it’s going to be a pretty deep bullfight. I’m excited for the people up here to see what this is all about.” A big part of Bullfighters Only’s success lies within the heart-stopping action that comes with the extreme danger in freestyle bullfighting. Men will try to stay within inches of the bulls, which are bred to be part of this type of fight. The most successful will keep the animal engaged closely while showcasing true athleticism to stay out of harm’s way. The more engaged the animal is, the likelihood for good scores increases. With scores based on a 100-point scale, men can earn up to 50 points per fight based on their ability to exhibit control and style while maneuvering around or over an animal; a bull can earn up to 50 points based on its quickness, aggression and willingness to stay with the bullfighter. “That’s what bullfighting is about,” said Thiessen, noting that fellow Canadian Aaron Ferguson founded the BFO and still serves as its CEO. “Aaron has found a way to bring freestyle bullfighting to the mainstream. He’s brought in a lot of outside fans, and the interest in the sport is growing. “It’s an exciting sport, and fans love it.” The excitement comes in the man-vs.-beast approach. Spanish fighting bulls are bred to be aggressive and agile, and it takes a true athlete to get close to the hoof-pounding beast while staying just far enough apart to stay out of harm’s way. “It’s 60 seconds with you and one bull,” Thiessen said. “By the end of the fight, one of you is going to know who won. It’s you vs. him. There are no other factors that play a part. You have to leave everything you’ve got in the arena if you want a chance to win. “To be in front of Canadian fans is going to be amazing. I’m pretty excited for this. I don’t want to get beat on my home turf, so there’s going to be lots of pressure to do well.”

ALVA, Okla. – Sometimes things just go the right way. That happened for the Northwestern Oklahoma State University sister-brother tandem of Tearnee and Wylee Nelson, who scored a second-place finish in team roping this past weekend at the Kansas State University rodeo in Manhattan, Kan. The Nelsons won the first round with a 6.5-second run and overcame an obstacle in the process. “I really didn’t know what was going on until I watched the video,” Wylee Nelson said. “It turns out that Tearnee’s horse was bucking.” That didn’t deter the header, who turned the steer well enough for him to rope two legs. “It wasn’t good, but it was smooth,” Tearnee Nelson said about a run with no penalties. “Our horses are fresh. I hadn’t roped since (early January). Our second run was better. I had a lot more confidence.” As the last team to go, the siblings knew they needed to be smart in the short round. They watched several teams struggle, including several that failed to record a time. “We knew we just needed to go knock one down, and we’d be alright.” It worked. When Wylee caught just one leg, the five-second penalty meant the run was 11.9 seconds. They finished second in the round and average. It’s a solid start to the spring segment of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association season. “On the second run, I probably should have tracked over the steer a little more and made sure I caught two feet,” he said. “I’ve been roping quite a bit at home. We went to Denver and a couple of ProRodeos this winter and stayed sharp.” Now they need to keep that momentum rolling along the right track. The Central Plains Region is only halfway done at this point, and the contestants are all vying to finish among the top three in their respective events to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. The Nelsons weren’t the only members of the Northwestern rodeo team to finish strong in Manhattan. Another Rangers tandem, Kass Bittle and Edgar Fierro, finished third in the opening round and sixth overall. All-around cowboy Maverick Harper made two solid runs to finish second in steer wrestling to lead a solid group there. In all, five Rangers earned points, with Grayson Allred (fourth) and Colten Madison (sixth) placing in the average. Riley Westhaver won the first round with a 4.7-second run, while Talon Roseland finished third in the round. Allred added points in tie-down roping. He placed in both rounds and finished fourth in the average. Taylor Donaldson finished sixth overall, while Mason Bowen won the first round. The Northwestern women placed third at K-State, and the men tied for third. In the women’s race, Katie Miller contributed solidly. Miller placed in both rounds of goat tying and placed in a tie for third in the average. Melissa Courture placed in a tie for fourth in the opening round. Ashlyn Moeder led the Northwestern barrel racers by placing in both rounds and finishing third in the average. Sara Bynum placed in a tie for fourth. Still, Tearnee Nelson led the way for the Rangers women, and it was nice to do it with her brother. “We’ve roped together since we were freshmen (in high school),” said Tearnee Nelson, who has been roping since she was about 10 years old. “I knew we had no points (in the standings), so we just needed to go make our run. It’s the same in all my events, so I really had nothing to lose.”

From big scores to bigger wrecks, three Bullfighters Only events had it all The opening weekend of the 2017 Bullfighters Only season lived up to what everyone expected. With three events spread across North America, freestyle bullfighting’s best put on a show in Brighton, Fla.; Red Deer, Alberta; and San Angelo, Texas. “It was the perfect way to kick off our season,” said Aaron Ferguson, founder and CEO of Bullfighters Only. “We crowned our first three champions and had great crowds at all three events.” Daryl Thiessen of Elm Creek, Manitoba, won in Red Deer, while Toby Inman of Davis Junction, Ill., took the title in Florida. Zach Call – one of three men to fight in both Brighton and San Angelo – claimed the west Texas title. “When I saw the first bull come out in San Angelo, I knew they were going to be a great set,” said Call of Thedford, Neb. “I knew I was going to have to hold up my end of the deal if I wanted it to end well.” Call did his part, scoring 87.5 points to win San Angelo. Schell Apple of Fay, Okla., was second, while the No. 1 man in the BFO, Weston Rutkowski, was third. All three had solid bulls, animals that kept the action tight. In fact, Rutkowski’s bull got the better of him, hooking him in the corner and dropping him to the ground. “Some days are diamonds, then some days you get thrown against the wall, get beat up, get your vest and shirt ripped off you and have to go back to the fight,” he said. “It’s not how long you’re down but how you finish.” Like most bullfighters, Rutkowski wears a padded vest to protect his torso. The bull got its horn under the vest and ripped it from the bullfighter. Once Rutkowski regained his feet, he went back to the bull and finished the fight by jumping the animal. “I was going to jump him no matter what,” he said. “It’s a very humbling sport. One minute you can be on top of your game, and the next you can be under your bull.” Call didn’t have any problems with his animal, though. In fact, the two danced across the San Angelo Coliseum as if they’d rehearsed. Call remained in control during his fight, making several fakes to keep the aggressive Spanish fighting bull at bay. “As far as events go, that was one of the best I’ve ever been to,” Call said. “The crowd was really into it. While the fight was going on, it felt great. The bull was honest, but he was also extremely hot. He was blowing through all the fakes, so I was able to keep in control.” While his fight didn’t go as he would have hoped in his return to west Texas, Rutkowski realized just how special it was to compete at the historic stock show and rodeo. “Zach put on a great fight, and so did Schell (Apple),” Rutkowski said. “I’d rather go to a bullfight with guys like that, ones that are going to be great, especially with great bulls. “That crowd is a very knowledgeable crowd. They know what a good ride is and a good roping run. I’m not sure if they fully knew what to expect with the freestyle bullfights, but once they watched the first one they knew the danger factor and what all we were going to do.” Call, Rutkowski and Schell Apple, arrived in San Angelo on Saturday afternoon after flying in from Florida, where they had competed Friday night. That, too, was quite an experience for the bullfighters. A transportation mishap stalled the initial stock contractor, who was to have a trailer load of Spanish fighting bulls in Brighton. The replacements didn’t make it on time for the Friday bullfight, so Bullfighters Only opted for another option: cross-bred bulls that were already at the rodeo grounds for the Brighton Field Day Festival and PRCA Rodeo. “We fought big, scary swamp Brahmas that were in the back pens,” Rutkowski said. “There is a big difference between the cross-bloods and the Spanish bulls. With the cross-breeds, we can take the heart out of a bull with three or four fakes. The Spanish bulls are bred to fight, so they won’t quit you.” The difference could be seen in San Angelo. All three Spanish bulls battled through each 60-second bout, which made for excitement. “It’s not very often that I can hear a crowd, but I could definitely hear them after I got hooked down,” Rutkowski said. “It shows what a crowd can make a guy do. These people wanted to see a show, and there wasn’t anything that was going to stop us from putting one on.”

CLARESHOLM, Alberta – Each year, Chad Besplug wants to have something special for his event in his hometown. This year’s edition of the Chad Besplug Invitational will be no different, only he’s upping the ante even more with the inclusion of freestyle bullfighting. To make it even more special, the Bullfighters Only bouts will feature some of the top men in the world all hoping to take home the inaugural title in Claresholm. “Weston Rutkowski is the No. 1 bullfighter in the BFO for a reason,” said Besplug, a two-time Canadian champion bull rider who has also qualified for the PBR World Finals and earned the $100,000 prize at the Calgary Stampede. “He is a phenomenal athlete, and the things he can do in freestyle bullfighting amazes me.” Rutkowski of Texas is one of three men who will be part of the BFO competition; he will be joined by Nebraskan Beau Schueth, the No. 5 man in the BFO, and Daryl Thiessen of Elm Creek, Manitoba. “I’m excited to be competing in the bullfights in Canada,” said Thiessen, the lone Canadian to compete at the BFO Las Vegas Championship this past December. “I really think this event in Claresholm will be a home run.” It should. Just the nature of Bullfighters Only allows for it to be a hit. The fact that it’s tied in with the Chad Besplug Invitational is just another reason to love what happens inside the arena. “One thing we do is bring in some of the top animals in the game, whether it’s the bull riding or the bullfighting,” Besplug said. “We’re trying to get the top talent up from the U.S. We expect people to witness one of the toughest competitions they’ll see ever.” That bull riding talent includes top Canadian talent Scott Shiffner, world champion Wesley Silcox and Beau Hill, a PBR World Finals and National Finals Rodeo qualifier. It’s something that fans have come to expect. “The crowd that comes to this event is really educated about rodeo and bull riding,” Besplug said. “I want to get them off their feet. This is something they haven’t seen before, and I want them to experience just how exciting this is.” That can happen with the freestyle bullfights. Men will try to stay within inches of the bulls, which are bred to be part of this type of fight. The most successful will keep the animal engaged closely while showcasing true athleticism to stay out of harm’s way. The more engaged the animal is, the likelihood for good scores increases. With scores based on a 100-point scale, men can earn up to 50 points per fight based on their ability to exhibit control and style while maneuvering around or over an animal; a bull can earn up to 50 points based on its quickness, aggression and willingness to stay with the bullfighter. “I’m excited to go toe-to-toe with these bulls and show everyone up there what the BFO is all about,” Rutkowski said. “This is a big opportunity for me and for the BFO to be able to compete in Canada and at such a big event in Claresholm. “I think the fans are really going to enjoy it. It’s exciting. It’s fast-paced, and, man, it’s wild. There’s a good chance you’re going to see some wrecks, or at least some close calls, but that’s what bullfighting is all about. You’ve got to expose yourself to that kind of danger if you want to win.”