About: Ted

LAS VEGAS – Tanner Aus has had an amazing salary in just nine December nights. He won Friday’s ninth go-round, marking the third time he’s earned at least a share of the top score in bareback riding. He also has placed three other nights. So far, he has earned $100,468 in a week and a half, pushing his season total to $213,152. “I knew I had an opportunity to win the round,” said Aus of Granite Falls, Minn. “I had a little bit of those first-night jitters again.” He pocketed $26,231 after an 88.5-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Good Time Charlie, a veteran sorrel gelding that is bucking at the NFR for the ninth time. “I’ve seen him a lot, and he’s taken a lot of my buddies to the pay window,” said Aus, who shared the first-round win and also earned the victory on the third night. “My traveling partner, Ty Breuer, won Guymon on him a couple of years ago. “That’s another horse I’ve been craving, and I got on for the first time here at the National Finals; that means the world to me.” The Minnesota cowboy has done very well in Sin City. Through 19 go-rounds inside the Thomas & Mack Center, he has pocketed $184,224. He’s also have a great time. “After nine rounds, it’s incredible here,” Aus said. “There are guys that come out of the sports medicine rom, and they’re all taped up and full of ice, and they’re still happy to be here. That really fuels the fire and makes it fun.” All the fun ends Saturday in Round 10. Aus still has another night to add to his earnings. “Tonight’s round win was awesome,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to (Saturday) night. Every horse out is a chance to win. It’s going to be electric. We’re all ready, and everyone is ready and craving those TV-pen horses. It’s going to be so much fun.” It’s been fun already, so there’s no reason to stop the ride.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Ryder Wright, on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Alpha Dog, 88.5 points, $26,231, 2. Jesse Wright, 85.5, $20,731, 3. Sterling Crawley, 895, $15,653, 4. Cody Wright, 83.5, $11,000, 5. (tie) Jacobs Crawley and CoBurn Bradshaw, 83, $5,500. Tie-Down Roping: 1. (tie) Ryan Jarrett and Marty Yates, 7.4 seconds, $23,481 each, 3. Cade Swor, 7.5, $15,654, 4. (tie) Cory Solomon and Blane Cox, 8.00, $8,885, 6. Hunter Herrin, 8.7, $4,231. Barrel Racing: 1. Amberleigh Moore, 13.49 seconds, $26,231, 2. Cayla Small, 13.54, $20,731, 3. Stevi Hillman, 13.59, $15,654, 4. Jackie Ganter, 13.66, 5. Ivy Conrado, 13.68, $6,769, 6. Kimmie Wall, 13.71, $4,231. Bull Riding: Brennon Eldred, on D & H Cattle’s SweetPro’s Bruiser, 94.5, $26,231, 2. Tim Bingham, 90.5, $20,731, 3. Garrett Tribble, 86, $15,654, 4. Joe Frost, 71.5, $11,000; no other qualified rides. 

LAS VEGAS – The City of Lights roller coaster continues for steer wrestler Riley Duvall. On Friday night, the Checotah, Okla., cowboy wrestled his steer to the ground in 3.6 seconds to win the ninth go-round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He also grappled away $26,231 for the victory. “I felt like that run has been a long time coming,” said Duvall, who collected just his third check at the NFR. “I had a good steer to night and knew I had to have a good start. (The horse) Ote worked outstanding. I really couldn’t tell you what happened. It didn’t feel that fast. When I looked at the clock and saw 3.6, I was speechless for a minute.” He should be. The 24-year-old bulldogger is playing on ProRodeo’s grandest stage for the first time. He finished in a three-way tie for sixth place in the fourth round, then was part of a three-way tie for first place on Round 6. In all, he has earned $58,513 in nine nights and has pushed his season earnings to $119,690. Better yet is that he has one more chance to add to it when the season comes to a conclusion with the 10th round Saturday night. “I’m no good in the average, so I am just going as fast as I can and hoping it works,” he said, discussing the bonus paid to the top eight men in the 10-round aggregate. “I haven’t ridden very good the last two nights. I finally rode up there tonight, and it felt good.” Riding well and pushing the limits for big money worked once, so he’s going to do it again on the final night. “I’m going to go as fast as I can, hopefully on a good steer, and try to do the same thing we did tonight,” said Duvall, who is the fifth man in his family to compete at the NFR, including his father, Sam; uncle, Spud; cousin, Tom; and great-uncle, Roy. “I want to try to get a little confidence going for next year. It’s been a little bad the last two nights, so tonight was needed. “When I was walking over here, I just visualized it over and over again.” As with any job, earning as much money as possible is vital. For someone who competes in rodeo, there are no guaranteed salaries, and the only income occurs when competitors do better than most in the field. With a chance to earn more than $26,000 ahead of him Saturday night, there’s no reason to hold anything back. “I’ve got a wife and kid at home that like to buy a lot of clothes, so I have to try to get all the money I can,” he said with a laugh. That’s the right attitude to have going into the NFR’s 10th round.

LAS VEGAS – Ryan Jarrett has wanted to be fast since he first arrived in Sin City. He was for just the third time this week on Friday, scoring a 7.4-second run. It was the fastest tie-down roping of the night, and he shared the victory with Marty Yates on Night 9 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It was Jarrett’s biggest check of ProRodeo’s finale, worth $23,481, and he’s hoping it’s the momentum he needs as he rolls into Saturday’s 10th go-round. “It’s great, for sure,” said Jarrett, a Georgia cowboy now living in Comanche, Okla. “I haven’t gotten along very good, but I split the go-round. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. “I hope I draw good and let the good Lord take care of it.” Jarrett started off the 10-night championship well. He finished fifth in the opening round, then went through a rough stretch. He didn’t catch another check until the seventh round, when he finished in a tie for second place. That changed for the better on Friday, when he roped in a share of the first-place check worth $23,481. Even though his success in Las Vegas has been limited, the Oklahoma cowboy has earned $58,442 in the Nevada desert. Of course, $41,672 came in the seventh and ninth rounds. It helped to have a solid draw. “They hadn’t won much on that calf, but I liked him,” he said. “I was pumped when I drew that calf. I was excited and felt confident, and it worked.” It was the first go-round Jarrett has earned at least a share of the title since the eighth night in 2013. That was a long ways between big-time paydays. “It was something we needed, that’s for sure,” he said. He needs another on Saturday night, when he rides for the last time in the 2016 season.

LAS VEGAS – Orin Larsen might be the perfect player in the second half of any game he plays. The Canadian cowboy failed to place in the opening half of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but he hasn’t missed a shot yet over the last four nights of the 10-round championship. That’s a good thing, too. On Friday night, Larsen rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s MGM Dirty Jacket for 86.5 points to finish third in the ninth round. That was worth $15,654. “That’s an awesome-feeling horse,” said Larsen of Inglis, Manitoba. “He felt better than I expected him to be. I just wish I was fully healthy.” Larsen has been far from healthy at this year’s NFR. He suffered separated ribs on opening night and has battled the painful experience every step of the way. It just took him five rounds to understand what it takes to ride through the pain and how to win. It helped that the MGM Dirty Jacket was a rider-friendly horse. It was the second time in his career that Larsen had ridden the 12-year-old bay gelding, which was selected as the 2014-15 Bareback Horse of the Year; the last time was an 88-point ride in which Larsen shared the title in Allen, Texas. “There were two other horses that would have been ideal for me, so I’m pretty blessed to have the nicer part of the pen,” he said. The pain is intense, but Larsen has ridden through it with a powerful mental toughness. Just breathing can be tough for anyone who has had any rib injury; to ride bucking horses and be successful is an amazing feat. “You just have to block it out the best you can, but it’s easier said than done,” Larsen said. “I just hang out in the room and relax and not waste too much energy walking around Cowboy Christmas or something dumb like that. “It’s a mind deal for me. I try to go at it as a warrior and put your mark on it.” His mark stands at $72,192, the amount of money he has earned through nine nights in Las Vegas – all but $10,000 came in the last four nights. He has one more round in the 2012 season, then he’ll take some time off and let his wounds heal. “I’m going to nod tomorrow like that round belongs to me,” he said. “I’m going to enter Denver (a January rodeo), but I’m going to enter for the last weekend so that I’ve got some time to heal up. “I’m going to sit on the couch for a while, and I can’t wait for that.” That time comes Sunday. For now, though, he hopes to endure the pain on one more bucking horse so he can earn a little more cash in Las Vegas.