About: Ted

Nebraska man is working his way up the Bullfighters Only standings THEDFORD, Neb. – There is a rugged mentality that is just part with living and working in the Nebraska sandhills. It comes from harsh winters and dry summers that can lay a burden on people who reside in the 20,000 square miles of prairie grass over sand dunes. Like the winds that sweep across them, the sandhills have a way of crafting a soul. Zach Call is 24 years old and owns the lifestyle. He grew up working on a ranch and now handles day work for various ranches across north-central Nebraska. It allows him the opportunity to work for everything he owns while also providing him with the ability to escape and chase his dreams. Call is a bullfighter, and he’s pretty darn good. He has worked his way through the inaugural Bullfighters Only season to be among the best in the game, and he proved his talent even more during the BFO’s Las Vegas Championship this past December. Over seven days of freestyle bullfighting competition, Call earned $11,000 and became a showcase player in one of the greatest extreme sports spectacles in the world. “In bullfighting, you’re basically the underdog every match you go into,” he said. “It’s cool that you can stay focused enough that even though you’re going up against something that’s bigger, stronger and faster than you, you can come out unscathed. “The only way to beat the bull is with your head. You don’t outrun them. You have to outsmart them.” He has done that quite often, utilizing his exceptional athleticism to maneuver past the agile bulls, which are bred to be aggressive and quick. 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. The best in the business are making it matter through Bullfighters Only. It’s quite a statement for Call, who only began fighting bulls four years ago. “I came back one summer after my sophomore year in college,” he said of his hometown of Mullen, Neb. “They had our hometown bull riding, and I asked my brother if I could fight it. (Bullfighting legend) Miles Hare was there judging it, and I talked to him afterward. It all took off from there.” It’s still taking off, much like a space shuttle leaving Cape Canaveral. “We discovered him off a Facebook video when he won the bullfight in Rapid City (S.D.) a couple years ago,” said Aaron Ferguson, founder and CEO of Bullfighters Only. “Once he figured it out, he’s been pretty much unstoppable. He’s really made a name for himself.” That he has. Call was a four-sport athlete at Mullen High School, and that athleticism is a big reason he’s found success in the BFO. Throw in a little sandhills work ethic, and Zach Call’s rise to the top is no surprise to those that know him. “He’s definitely a very tough guy,” said Beau Scheuth, who has worked and traveled with Call for the past couple of years. “I think his greatest strength is his mental side. He doesn’t let things rattle him. He might get in a tight situation, but he doesn’t let that frustrate him. “During the short round in Vegas, he had a bull that caught him in the corner, but because he was aware of it, he got out of it. Some other people might have gotten trapped there and beaten up pretty good.” It goes well beyond being tough, more than continuing the fight after taking a shot or series of shots. It’s a reflection on those days working cattle in the prairie grass in the rolling hills. “It’s in the middle of nowhere,” Call said of his home. “There’s not a lot there. It’s nice and quiet. There’s always people needing help, and that’s what I like doing. “Where I’ve grown up around cattle, just learning the way they move, you can learn a lot from them even when you’re out on the pasture. You pick up on things that some people might not pay attention to.” Understanding cattle is vital when going face to face with beasts hell bent on running over him. When it’s mixed with fantastic athleticism, the show is amazing. “To me, a lot about bullfighting is reading the animal,” he said. “When you get into a sticky spot, that athleticism is what gets you out of it. Footwork is one of the most important things, and that’s what I pay attention to. To step into the right spot at the right time can mean all the difference in the world.” He’s stepping in the right direction, and he’s excited about where he’s heading with Bullfighters Only. “The popularity of freestyle bullfighting is unreal,” Call said. “I think for a long time, bullfighting was put on the back burner. The BFO has done a good job about making people realize we’re athletes. To see it get to this point is really cool.” Zach Call is cool, too, and it’s served him well.

GUTHRIE, Okla. – The field for the 2017 CINCH Timed Event Championship has been altered just a bit in preparation for the March 3-5 competition at the Lazy E Arena. Because of scheduling conflicts, Dustin Bird and Clayton Hass will be forced to miss this year’s “Ironman of ProRodeo.” They will be replaced by Jordan Ketscher and Shay Carroll. Carroll is a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from LaJunta, Colo., having earned a spot in both 2014 and 2016. Though he has focused on heeling for his NFR qualifications, he also has shown success in other events. Ketscher has been quite successful, especially on the West Coast. From Squaw Valley, Calif., he qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo in tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling. That type of all-around talent is vital when it comes to the Timed Event, where cowboys must compete in all five timed-event disciplines: heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping.

LAS VEGAS – Sandy Gwatney has something in her trophy case nobody else can claim. For the first time in ProRodeo history, the same person was selected as the Secretary of the Year in both the premier organizations – the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association – in the same year. “The best part of my job is being able to help the cowboys, cowgirls and committees and try to make their jobs easier,” said Gwatney of Marquez, Texas. That’s a big reason she earned both honors. She received word Oct. 3 about the WPRA honor but didn’t know about the outcome of the PRCA voting until the year-end awards banquet that took place Nov. 30 in conjunction with the sport’s grand finale, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “It was a complete and total surprise,” she said. “This is the third time I’ve been nominated. When they called my name, I looked over at my husband, John; he jumped up, and everybody at the table was screaming. I had to take it in and make sure they really called my name.” The announcement confirmed what members of the PRCA had decided through a vote of the top five secretaries, and it allowed Gwatney to offer her thanks to a packed ballroom at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa. “I feel honored to be part of that list of five,” she said. “There are a lot of good secretaries, a lot of people that love what they do. I guess mine just happened to show through this year.” It did. The PRCA features thousands of members, and Gwatney collected the majority of the votes in 2016. “She puts all of her effort into her job and is devoted to it,” said JoJo LeMond, who finished sixth in the steer roping world standings and 10th in the all-around race. “She’s worked all ends of a rodeo, not just as a secretary. She’s been sorting cattle, running a neck rope and doing all sorts of other things, so she understands all aspects of a rodeo. “She’s a very valuable player for a rodeo organization.” It’s true, and it’s something in which she takes great pride. “The committee people are the most un-thanked, underappreciated people in the world,” Gwatney said. “If I can do anything for them and make one step easier and make sure they’re appreciated, it’s easy enough for me to get that done.” But that’s not all she does. As secretary, she has her fingers in every aspect of every rodeo she works. She is the greeting face for every contestant who enters her work space and makes sure the officials and other rodeo personnel have everything they need. That group includes her husband. John Gwatney is a hard-working and well recognized chute boss in ProRodeo. The couple travels together and shares successes. “This is huge, because we travel about the countryside doing what we love,” said Sandy Gwatney, who was raised in northern California. “This is about the love of the game, and we can never say it enough. I think it’s a huge part of my life that I got to compete with him, that I got to haze for him when he was still bulldogging. “I got to see the contestant side of it, so I know how important it is that they get trades and they get the splits they need. I think that experience helps me exponentially in my job.” She has worked as secretary of the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping each of the past three years. Over her career, Gwatney has timed that same championship as well as the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo; she also has been the NFR’s assistant secretary. Each step has served as a testament to her talent and passion. “If you don’t love what you do, don’t do it,” she said. “I do this because of the people. I like to go all over the country and see all the people I only get to see once a year. It’s like spending time with family. “I’m very blessed to have committees and stock contractors who believe in me, like Pete Carr. Most of the rodeos I work are with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, so I appreciate Pete for having faith in what we do.” The rodeo family is large, and generations run deep. This year they honored one of their own in Sandy Gwatney.

CINCH Timed Event Championship will feature world’s best all-around cowboys GUTHRIE, Okla. – One of the greatest events in Western sports history is about to get even better. The CINCH Timed Event Championship returns to the Lazy E Arena March 3-5, 2017, with a world-class list of top cowboys – titlists like Trevor Brazile, Paul David Tierney, K.C. Jones, Daniel Green, Josh Peek and Kyle Lockett. It will be 20 of the greatest all-around cowboys in the game today, battling through five rounds of heading, heeling, tie down, steer wrestling and steer roping over three days. The Cinch TEC, acclaimed as the “Ironman of ProRodeo,” it is a true test of the athletes’ skills, and a showcase for the thousands of fans who flock to the Lazy E Arena to see the winner pocket $100,000. What makes it even better in 2017 is the addition of the Jr. Ironman Championship, which will be a major test for timed-event cowboys ages 15-20. They will compete in three rounds in heading, heeling, tie-down roping and steer wrestling and for their share of the $20,000 purse; the champion will snag $10,000. It is a rugged test of their talent, horsemanship and stamina over three days. The Jr. Ironman will begin at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday, with the Cinch TEC performances at noon and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. “Our philosophy behind Jr. Ironman is to connect the sport’s top high school competitors with the pro champions of today,” said Dan Wall, the Lazy E general manager. “We want to give those young men a clear vision of what is possible.” “As they move through the college ranks and eventually on to competing at the pro level, they will know there is true potential to be competitive in more than one event.” The weekend will be full of activities, from the Cinch TEC pro-am team roping on Thursday, March 2, to the Chuckwagon Cook-Off on Saturday and Finals of both the Cinch TEC and the Jr. Ironman on Sunday. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. With more than 40 events a year calling the Lazy E Arena home, the first weekend in March is truly showcase of rodeo’s established veteran’s and the sport’s up-and-coming stars. The 2017 CINCH Timed Event Championship is sponsored by CINCH, Priefert Ranch & Rodeo Equipment, Montana Silversmiths, ABI Equine, Cavender’s, American Farmers and Ranchers Insurance, Nutrena, Bloomer Trailers, MacroAir, National Saddlery, Cross Bar Gallery, John Vance Motors, Western Horseman Magazine, Spin to Win Magazine, Guthrie CVB, Made In Oklahoma Coalition, Pendleton Whisky, CSI Saddlepads, Sherwin-Williams, Bio S.I. Technology, La Quinta Edmond and the Fairfield Inn & Suites – Edmond. The 2017 CINCH Timed Event Championship is a Lazy E Production. For more information on the CINCH Timed Event Championship or other Lazy E events, contact the Lazy E Arena, 9600 Lazy E Drive, Guthrie, OK  73044, (405) 282-RIDE, (800) 595-RIDE or visit www.lazye.com.   CINCH Timed Event Championship Contestants Paul D. Tierney                                                                                   Trevor Brazile Dustin Bird                                                                                          Josh Peek Cody Doescher                                                                                   Rhen Richard Kyle Lockett                                                                                        Daniel Green Jess Tierney                                                                                        Clayton Hass Cash Myers                                                                                         Russell Cardoza Landon McClaugherty                                                                         Clay Smith Trell Etbauer                                                                                       Brodie Poppino KC Jones                                                                                            Erich Rogers Ryle Smith                                                                                           Morgan Grant Jr. Ironman Championship Contestants Haven Meged – Montana                                                                    Kash Cattoor – Utah JD Draper – Kansas                                                                            Allen Morse – Kentucky Clay Morlan – Colorado                                                                      Myles Neighbors – Arkansas Bo Yaussi – Kansas                                                                            Garrett Jacobs – New Mexico Wyatt Hansen – California                                                                  Tanner Green – Texas

Texas man wins BFO Las Vegas Championship, pockets $21,500 in Sin City LAS VEGAS – For Weston Rutkowski, Saturday was more than redemption. It was a mission accomplished. Rutkowski is a 27-year-old freestyle bullfighter who is chasing the first true world championship in nearly two decades, and he made a big move toward that by winning the Bullfighters Only Las Vegas Championship, pocketing $15,000 and grabbing the title belt. “This is those earning mornings you get up to put in the work is paying off,” he said. “It’s a satisfying feeling to know you are reaping what you sow when you get here.” He put the finishing touches to a marvelous run in the City of Lights with a 90,5-point fight with 12x and Costa Fighting Bulls’ Bad Intentions on Saturday morning at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. He finished his stay in Las Vegas by earning $21,500 – he won his second straight Roughy Cup last week, worth $6,000, and also collected $500 for winning his first-round set this past Wednesday. That pushes his season earnings to $41,825 and gives him a commanding lead in the race toward the inaugural Bullfighters Only world title. “This is the next step,” Rutkowski said. “Every day is a new goal. I’m going to celebrate this one, because I came here with the mindset to win both of them. “Tomorrow we get ready to fight the next bull and finish out the season as the first BFO world champ. I have put myself in position to do that, but it’s not over yet.” The Las Vegas Championship was a tournament-style competition. Nine men qualified for Saturday’s final day, which featured three three-man bouts. The winners of each set advanced to the short round. Rutkowski posted the highest score of the opening round with an 87-point fight to advance. “I knew he was a good bull, but that dude was hot,” he said, explaining that the animal was aggressive and remained in close contact with Rutkowski throughout the one-minute bout. “You can’t let that wig out your mind out. You have to focus on those moments of chaos.” It worked, and he was matched in the championship round with Nebraskans Beau Schueth and Zach Call. That’s when Rutkowski stepped up his game with Bad Intentions, starting the fight with his back facing the bull, jumping up and allowing the animal to run between his legs. “It’s called the Ol Swoosh,” he said of the move. “Chuck Swisher and Dusty Tuckness came up with it a few years ago. I haven’t done that move since 2014. “I had two of the best guys in the world that were part of the short round. I had to ante up. There’s no way you’re going to become the champ in any event if you’re not willing to sacrifice.” Those sacrifices are paying off in a big way.