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  • Breakfast Packets

    Breakfast Packets

    Breakfast Packets

    recipe courtesy of Kristie Binder,”Rodeo Road Recipes”

    INGREDIENTS:
    4 medium leftover baked potatoes
    1/4 onion, chopped
    1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
    1/8 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
    4 slices bacon, pre-cooked
    4 T. butter
    salt and pepper to taste

     

    DIRECTIONS:
    Preheat grill to medium heat. Cut four large squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place potatoes and onions on foil pieces in equal amounts. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle cheeses and bacon on top of mixture. Top each packet with a pat of butter. Bring up foil on sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place on grill approximately 15 minutes

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    Star Hand Pies

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    recipe courtesy of Jamie Shields, E-How.com

    Ingredients for dough:
    2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
    1 stick cold unsalted butter
    1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening
    ice water

    Ingredients for filling:
    6 ounces blueberries, raspberries
    16 ounces strawberries
    1/3 cup sugar
    1 Tbsp. lemon juice
    1 tsp. lemon zest
    1/4 tsp. salt
    1 egg

    DIRECTIONS: Step 1 : In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugar. Add butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. Add the ice water and pulse until evenly moistened. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gather into a ball. Divide dough half and form two disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Step 2: While the dough is chilling, combine berries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Step 3: Preheat oven to 375F. Remove 1 dough disk from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until about 1/8” thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out star shapes. Place stars onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat process until you have used all the dough. Step 4: Remove filling from refrigerator. Place a scoop of filling in the center of each pie bottom. Cover with reserved pie tops and seal by pressing edges together with a fork. In a small bowl whisk egg. Brush sealed pies with egg. Step 5: Bake until berries bubble and crust is lightly browned on top, about 25 minutes.

  • Steps for Heelers

    Steps for Heelers

    As I write the third article, I am still presented everyday with the same situations during lessons and clinics that ropers are practicing with an unclear game or business plan. This is where the bad habits are created and not even knowing that it is happening. The first article was the model of the practice and the second article was breaking down the first five steps for the headers. This article is breaking down in order the steps for the Heelers.
    We can always fine-tune each step but we need to execute them in order to get on the right track. Haze is step one for a Heeler. All this means is for the Heeler to be recognized as a threat to the steer before the header is so the steer does not run to the right. Our job is to keep the steer running straightforward.
    Once you establish a haze or even if you don’t, the most important thing to do is step two.  Get into position!! Position is the key to your run!  I like to teach “keep your horses nose even with the hip of the steer” as you run down the arena. You will remain in your lane to the right of the steer. This is where “timing” is created!  When you match the speed of your horse to the speed of the steer you are in time. Your tip will be forward and down when your horse is down in stride on their front feet.
    Step three is to have your swing going and tip down towards the steer. If the tip is not loaded or in the direction of our target, the delivery is almost certain to be incorrect.
    Step four is follow the hip of the steer. All Heelers are guilty of watching the head catch. The problem with this is that is not the target, where you look is where your horse goes. Disciplined eyes make disciplined feet. Your eyes are your horse’s feet!  Many Heelers do not like to ride that high and stay with the hip because they will run by the corner. This is true if you are looking at the head of the steer. Look at the end of the steer you are going to rope.
    Step five is “ROPE”!  If we work smarter going down the arena keeping the steer running straight and making sure we achieve position, have our tip down going in the direction of our target and follow our target by watching the hip or backend of the steer, then we should be ready to rope. We can set it all up for success before we make the corner.
    The first three hops a steer gives us are usually the best three. I am not teaching to rope fast, just promoting being efficient!  If we execute a fundamentally sound business plan for every practice, then we will get the results desired for our efforts. Until next time, enjoy this practice plan!
    Krece

  • Roper Review: Tyler Domingue

    Roper Review: Tyler Domingue

    It’s doubtful you could have convinced ten-year-old Tyler Domingue that in fifteen years he would win over $26,000 at a four-day rodeo. After all, he was riding motorcycles and competing in Motocross with no interest in roping.
    It was about that time his parents, Mitch and Paula, relocated the family from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to DeKalb, Texas, near his uncle, Mike White, world champion Bull Rider. In addition to his bull riding career, Mike and his wife, Hannah, enjoyed riding colts and team roping. They often invited young Tyler down to rope, but he just wasn’t interested.
    “Tyler never would come rope with us, until one day I told him, ‘Tyler there’s lots of pretty girls at the ropings.’ After that he was all in,” laughs Mike.
    Once he started, at fifteen, Tyler fell in love with the sport and went to work at it. He started out as a #2 and won his first roping heading as a #3. The next year he was bumped to a #4 and won a saddle heeling for Hannah. Tyler’s number steadily increased to the #9 he is today.
    “I’ve been very fortunate and had a lot of help through the years,” says Tyler. “Growing up watching the success my uncle had in his rodeo career was very influential for me.”
    “The first clinic I ever went to was with Tyler Magnus. My uncle knew a lot of the better ropers and that was beneficial for me. Jory Levy came to our house for a few days when I was 17 and he was a big help. I still call him for help from time to time.”
    Each year the PRCA holds the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo where the top two contestants in every event of all twelve circuits compete. Tyler and partner, Jake Orman, were actually sitting third in the Texas circuit. However the top ranked team was participating in the ERA, disqualifying them from competition. The RNCFR was held April 7th – 10th in Kissimmee, Florida.
    Tyler and Jake were 5.3 on their first steer, winning the round and earning $6,182 each. They then split the two-head average earning another $5,433 each. A quick 6.5-second run won the Semi-finals and another $7,493 each.
    “For the Finals, the first team out was 5-flat,” explains Domingue. “We had already won over $19,000, so I told Jake just do what he wanted. He wanted to be fast.”
    Orman and Domingue won the Finals with a 4.4-second run, earning an additional $7,493 for a total of $26,601 at the RNCFR.
    When he’s not on the rodeo trail, Tyler rides horses at the 4F Performance Ranch in DeKalb, Texas. His dad, Mitch, is in the construction business, and his mom, Paula, is a nurse. His sister, Shelby, is currently competing at the Texas High School Finals in Abilene.

    Tyler Domingue, competing at the 2016 RAM National Circuit Finals - Rodeo News

     

    COWBOY Q&A

    How much do you practice?
    Every day.
    Do you make your own horses?
    Not all of them.
    Who were your roping (rodeo) heroes?
    Jory Levy.
    Who do you respect most in the world?
    My parents.
    Who has been the biggest influence in your life?
    My dad and my Uncle Mike.
    If you had a day off what would you like to do?
    Go to a beach.
    How would you describe yourself in three words?
    Dedicated, Happy, Winner.
    What makes you happy?
    Being successful.
    What makes you angry?
    Losing.
    If you were given 1 million dollars, how would you spend it?
    I’d give part of it to charity, give some to my family, and invest the rest.
    What is your best quality – your worst?
    My best quality is the ability to analyze and overcome situations. My worst quality is second-guessing myself.

  • The Passion of Competition

    WEB_IMG_2618This is one of my favorite times of the year. The College National Finals Rodeo and State High School Finals Rodeos going on across the country. What more can a college rodeo coach as for?
    It is always interesting to me to watch the growth and maturity of rodeo students in the years that we get to watch them. I, like many coaches, have watched some student’s progress from high school rodeo, through college rodeo and on to win World Championships.
    Some of the most talented students in high school that were highly recruited never make the jump to be competitive at the collegiate level. Others who were overlooked in high school go on to be outstanding college competitors. It is very interesting to watch and learn from. I know that in the past I have missed and recruited the very successful high school student and later had them underachieve in college. I have also regretted not recruiting many high school students.
    Over the course of the past ten years I have had the chance to visit with any current and future champions of our sport. At an early age you could tell that they were destined for great things by what they did in the arena.
    I think back to getting to visit with some current champions, many of them while they were still in high school. Most all of them were exciting to talk to because of the passion they had for competition. Winning titles didn’t motivate them every day, the love of competition motivated them.
    I think this is very important because many physically talented students are motivated by winning and at an early age winning is easy because of their physical skills. In many cases in rodeo these students do not learn or work on the fundamentals of their chosen event, they simply rely on their god given skills. For the physically gifted they don’t learn to compete, many simply just learned to win without much effort, and I don’t believe this is a good thing.
    The students who learn to love competition learn to work their way to a higher level. The drive that it takes to be successful, will then help elevate them as a competitor. These are the late bloomers. Their passion for competition will help them continue to improve. They may not have been that competitive when we watched them coming through high school, but they were always improving. In college they may have gone unnoticed for a while, but the late bloomers always have a way of eventually finding their way to the top.
    Those who love to compete will work to be better. They will find ways to improve and develop their skills on a daily basis. They will be willing to grind every day to be ready for their next opportunity to compete. They are not afraid of competition.
    Passion for competition is a great indicator for future success.

    _____________________________________________

    C.J. Aragon was named the 2008-2011 Grand Canyon Region Coach-of-the-Year. 2014-2015 WJCAC Coach-of-the-Year, 2016 Southwest Region Coach-of-the-Year, and 2010 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Coach-of-the-Year.

  • ProFile: Cole Bailey

    ProFile: Cole Bailey

    Cole Bailey stepped into the Silver Spurs Arena, home of the 2016 RNCFR, for the first time this spring. The 27-year-old tie-down roper from Okmulgee, Okla., has been competing on the PRCA Prairie Circuit for eight years, winning the average at the 2015 Prairie Circuit Finals with 26.5 seconds on three runs. His debut at the RNCFR was a highlight of his career, placing first in the semi-finals with nearly $7,500. “It was awesome! The facility was unbelievably nice, and it was cold and rainy at home, so it was nice to go to Florida – it was my first time rodeoing there,” says Cole. “It was pretty exciting to be at that big of a venue – there’s not many times in a year that I rope for that much money. I stayed pretty booked up with the rodeo, but my wife and I had a chance to check out some restaurants and go down to the beach.”
    Another highlight for Cole was competing in The American in 2015, finishing fourth in the finals, while he advanced to The American Semifinals this year. “The competition is just amazing when you get to rope against the caliber of guys like Tyson Durfey who are out there going full time,” says Cole. He grew up on the coaching of his dad, Mike Bailey, and world champion ropers like Joe Beaver, who stopped in and roped at the Bailey’s arena. “I started junior rodeoing when I was seven, and that’s all I’ve known to do with my spare time the last 20 years! Clint Carpenter is one of my friends I’ve been roping with since I was eight. We’ve always been competitive with each other, and to this day, he still ropes with me and helps me critique my roping. Growing up, our arena was set up for roping calves, and we always had good calf horses, so it was easy to pick up that event.”
    Cole added steer wrestling and team roping to his résumé when he college rodeoed for Southeastern Oklahoma State University, qualifying for the CNFR twice. He continues to team rope with his dad on occasion, but quit steer wrestling several years ago. Soon after college, he was invited to church by a rodeo buddy, where he met his wife, Brittany, a barrel racer. Their two-year-old son, Brody, feels no day is complete without riding and helping his family check cows. He rides his dad’s rope horse, Baboo. “Baboo started out as Baldy, but Brody was having a hard time saying his name,” Cole explains with a laugh. “I’ve been hauling Baboo for about three years now. He was born and raised on my family’s place, and we have the growing pains to prove it! Brittany ran barrels on him and got him rode down, and then I started riding him more. He’s 12, and now it’s smooth sailing for us. I was confident going into the RNCFR because I have a lot of confidence in my horse. Baboo’s super talented and always gives me a shot, even if the calves are running hard or being wild. He’s been a blessing to my family.” Baboo has also carried Cole to several major ropings, including the Windy Ryon Memorial Roping, Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping, and Mike Johnson’s World’s Richest Calf Roping.
    When the truck is in park, Cole and Brittany are working cattle on their ranch outside of Okmulgee. “We run close to 300 head. It started out as a hobby, but it’s not much of a hobby anymore,” says Cole. “I start out my day selling trucks at my family’s car dealership, then come home and take care of cattle. I have a guy that helps me with them, but there’s not much free time. We like to hunt and fish, and Brittany teaches Sunday School, but with whatever time is left, we’re homebodies.”
    During the summer, the Bailey’s home is often on the road, blending rodeoing with vacation. They’re planning a trip back to Florida for all things Disney World this fall, but otherwise meld rodeo and vacation together. “I’m pretty fortunate that my wife enjoys being gone for a week or two at a time. Last year, we left the Colorado Springs Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo and went to Cheyenne Frontier Days after visiting some water parks and riding bicycles. I’d been to Cheyenne before, and it went pretty good! I had some luck last year, and this year I’m rodeoing a bit more and seeing how it goes. I’m going to Reno this month, and if things are going good, I’ll stay out longer doing PRCA rodeos. Otherwise, I’ll stay close to home and circuit rodeo. But I feel I have a pretty good horse that will let me win, and I’d like to try it!

  • On the Trail with Ali Armstrong

    On the Trail with Ali Armstrong

    Ali Armstrong has a long list of credentials for a 17-year–old. Among her credentials, she is the only one to win six straight go-rounds at the International Finals Youth Rodeo in Shawnee, Okla., and she is hoping to keep the streak alive.

    The cowgirl from Lexington, Okla., has been riding horses since she was 6-years-old and competing in barrel racing since she was 8-years-old. She got her first horse, from Audra Masterson. “I took riding lessons with Audra on her good horse, Fuel, and she found my barrel horse U-turn,” she said. U-turn got his name from Ali when Audra had to make a U-turn to go ask if the horse was for sale.

    He gets the credit for helping Ali learn to ride and run barrels. “He was a lefty and so is the horse I run now. I ‘m more confident on a horse that goes to the left and more partial to them too,” Ali said.

    Ali Armstrong and MattsFreckledCowboy, better known as Panama, are living a dream in and outside the rodeo arena but it was not always smooth sailing. She came across Panama when she went to a barrel race with her good friend Debbie Caywood. “Debbie wanted me to exhibition a 4-year-old who hadn’t been hauled much, so of course I said yes,” said Ali. They clicked right away and the rest is history.

    “He was running to the right when we got him and we didn’t have much confidence together so I switched him to the left,” said Ali. “We started winning and he was more consistent.”

    Ali is breaking records at the IFYR with hopes of keeping them going. “I’m not nervous, I know what I want to do and will try my hardest to accomplish my goals,” she said. The young superstar is thankful for what she has already done but is excited for what the future holds. “Panama likes the atmosphere at Shawnee and he likes Monty, the announcer,” she added. Monty announces many of the rodeos that Ali and Panama compete at.

    In addition to the IFYR the two won the 2015 National High School Finals, qualified for the 2014-2015 American semi-finals, won the 2014 NBHA Teen 1D World Championship, and 2015 high school Texas rodeo state average champion. She attributes her success to the small group of friends and family that stand behind her. “I have the most amazing support group. My friends and family have stood behind me and they continue to believe in me.” she said.

    Ali is homeschooled through Extension Taught Classes of south Norman and will be a senior this coming school year. After graduation she plans on going to college on a rodeo scholarship and wants to get her WPRA card when she turns 18 and start hauling in October to pro rodeos for a few years and then try her hand at futurity horses.

    “I have the best traveling partner, his name is John Wayne and he is a 7-week-old Jack Russell,” she said. Ali travels with her stepdad Clifford and mother Andrea. “The furthest I’ve been for a rodeo was Rock Springs, Wyo., for the National High School Finals and I’m looking forward to making that trip again, God willing.”

    At every barrel race and rodeo you can find Clifford in the alleyway. “He’s always there to walk me in, not just on Panama but every horse I’m on,” she said. Her mom is in the stands filming her runs and little brother Case comes to support when he isn’t roping. “It takes a village.”

    She is riding with Mary Ellen Hickman, owner of Future Fortunes, and has gained new knowledge for young horses and how each horse is different. “Mary Ellen not only has helped me as a rider but as a person,” said Ali. She rides four to five horses a day and goes to weekly night jackpots and on the weekend she finds rodeos and barrel races to enter.

    Her freshman year at the IFYR she had a goal set to make it back to the short-go, she never thought it would turn into six straight go-rounds. Before she runs she makes sure she has on her lucky beaded earrings and warms-up the same way. “I saddle him, put his boots on then I put my running bit on him. I lope him about 5-10 circles each way and do reverse arches to make sure he is listening to me.”
    Last year the duo drew up on dry ground in the first-go, however in the second-go it had rained and they ran in deep mud. She had never run Panama in mud and had brought a backup horse just in case something happened. Ali knew Panama would take care of her in the mud and that he did. “I wasn’t sure what to do but as the day went on I knew he would do his job and I decided to run him and I’m glad I did.”

    Ali would like to thank her sponsors; Dr. LeRoy Howell, Kevin Sherman, Lonice Tucker, Dustin Lucas, Sheresa Jackson and Michelle French, with Animal Element, Darla Schneider with Schneider Saddle Pads, Heritage Horse Feeds, Diamond V, Iconoclast, Justin Thomason with Resistol Hats, Marcum, Jill Beaty with Competitive Edge Chiropractic, Laney Fowler with LF Beadwork, Tonda Collins and Vickie James with Equi-Resp, Bobbi Jo with Hidez Compression Suits, Donna Wooten with Acculife and Jo Hurta with JoJo Jewels.
    For a 17-year-old Ali has her priories straight. She knows what she wants and works for it everyday. She continues to ride even in less than perfect riding conditions.

  • Back When They Bucked with Harry Straw

    Back When They Bucked with Harry Straw

    Harry Straw married well.
    When he married Betty Jane Webster, the sister of world champion steer roper Shoat Webster, he got an incredible horsewoman for a wife, the use of her horses, and the advice of her brother, Shoat.
    He was born and raised in Nowata, Okla., the son of Homer and Lillie Straw, with a daddy who roped, and Harry would tag along to rodeos with his father. His dad made a living driving truck, hauling hay to western Oklahoma and grain on the return trip. The family lived on 125 acres of corn, oats and wheat, and Harry and his mother milked ten cows by hand, separated the cream, and sold it to Gus Andrews in Nowata for grocery money. Harry hunted possums at night with his possum dog, making thirty five cents a hide. “It was kinda tough,” he said. “That’s how I was raised.”
    He learned to rope at Deacon May’s place. Deacon had a roping pen, and when Homer came over to rope, Deacon’s son and Harry would run calves in.
    During his high school days, he worked for his uncle, who owned a Phillips gas station in Nowata, pumping gas for fifty cents a day.
    After high school graduation in 1955, he went to work for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, working in the plastics department.
    And in the evenings, he’d rope.
    Harry would come home after work, and Betty Jane would have the horses ready. “I’d get home by five, she’d have horses loaded, saddles in the pickup, and away we’d go,” he said, to a rodeo where he’d rope calves, steer wrestle or steer rope.
    His wife was better with horses than he was, he readily admitted. “She could do more with a horse than I could,” he said. “Shoat had her pretty well tutored before I got her.” She also trained horses, and “she could rope better than I could,” he said. But Betty Jane only roped at home, never at a contest.
    Harry roped evenings and weekends, never going too far out of Oklahoma, and concentrating mostly on steer roping. Steer roping was his strength, and his daughter Jeannie McKee remembers camping out at Cheyenne Frontier Days with her family while her daddy roped. He competed at amateur rodeos and in the Rodeo Cowboys Association as well.
    He worked for Phillips Petroleum for 33 years and was part of the research team who developed plastic pipe. Phillips built four plastic pipe plants across the country: in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Pryor, Okla., and Harry was sent to train employees and work with the machinery. “They’d send me to get them out of trouble when the machines acted up. I’d go there, and train them.”
    Harry often practiced with Shoat, his brother-in-law, a four-time world champion steer roper (1949-50, 1954-55) and twice runner-up. Shoat made his own horses, and Harry usually rode one of his. One of his favorites of Shoat’s was Deck, a calf horse and son of Leo. “Shoat made him, and boy he made a good one,” Harry said.
    Another horse he liked to ride belonged to Willard Combs. The famous steer wrestling horse Baby Doll “was a dream to bulldog off of,” he said. “She was all right. She done the same thing every time, she’d run right up (to the steer), and let you down, not try to cripple you or cut in front of the steer. She done everything just right.” Harry rode the little blaze-faced dark bay anytime Willard or his brother Benny offered.
    But, in his estimation, the best horse he ever got on was one owned by his wife. Betty Jane’s aunt Kate (Choteau) Lowry, the wife of Fred Lowry, took her into one of Fred’s pastures one day. “We was out in the big pastures on the Lowry ranch,” Harry remembered, with 35 mares and weanling colts, “and Kate told Betty Jane to pick a colt. That colt made the best steer horse I ever had.” The horse, named Chico, belonged to Betty Jane, not Harry, and “she never did let me forget that,” he chuckled.
    Betty Jane broke and trained the gelding, who was a Hancock horse. The horse liked to buck. “He didn’t buck hard, but he had to crow hop out there every night, till he was eight years old.” One time, at Cheyenne Frontier Days, someone offered Harry $5,000 for Chico. “I just laughed at him,” he said. “There was no way I was ever going to sell him, or do anything with him but rope on him.” And Chico wasn’t Harry’s to sell anyway. “He didn’t belong to me, he belonged to my wife.”
    Aunt Kate Lowry had a big heart and was willing to help anyone, including her niece and nephew. She didn’t ride much, Harry said, but she helped pay his entry fees. “When I first started roping, she’d stop by the house to see my wife and me, and she’d always ask, did I need a little entry fee money. Aunt Kate would help anybody.” Harry was reluctant to take her money, but in the early days, he did. “She’ll always have a soft spot in my heart.”
    Harry rodeoed with the likes of Harry Swalley, Don McLaughlin, Sonny Davis, Troy Fort, and Sonny Worrell. He remembers their friendships and the characteristics each one had. Swalley was like Harry, a cowboy with a fulltime job, who “was the only guy who could work hard enough to keep up with Shoat,” he said. And Don McLaughlin, for his ability to remember cattle. “Don could be at a roping where they had 100 steers, and three years later, he could tell you what everybody (drew) and what they did on them.”
    Harry spent a lot of time with Shoat in the practice pen. Shoat was “an extremely, extremely hard man on his horses, his dogs, anybody who worked for him or practiced with him,” a family member said. “He was rough and tough and hard to please.” But Shoat was never hard on Harry, and he attributes that to his wife. “I don’t know what Betty told him, but the only thing I knew was Shoat was scared of his little sister, and she didn’t weigh 95 lbs. Still to this day, I don’t know what she told Shoat, but he never treated me like anybody else.”
    Harry and Betty Jane had two children: a son, Lee, who married Christie and has two children, Tori, and R.J., and daughter Jeannie, who married rodeo announcer Justin McKee and their daughter, Kassidy. Justin says people love Harry. “My father-in-law is the most well-liked human being who ever lived.  He’s everybody’s favorite guy, non-judgmental, the most genuine, likeable, nice guy there ever was. Anybody who knows him, would agree one hundred percent.”
    “I had an awful good life,” Harry said. “I’ve been the luckiest man alive. I had the only woman who would ever live with me, and I’ve had some awful good horses to rope on, and Shoat to rope with and help me. I’ve had a pretty good life.”
    In 1955, he and Betty Jane moved to Lenapah, where they lived until Betty Jane’s passing two years ago. Harry just recently moved to a nursing home, and spends many days at the McKee household, surrounded by the love of his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.
    Harry served in the Army and was stationed in Washington State from about 1948 to 1951.

     

  • Elliott hoping for consecutive titles

    Elliott hoping for consecutive titles

     

               CASPER, Wyo. (June 17, 2016) –Clay Elliott would like nothing more than to end his college rodeo career with a second consecutive national championship in saddle bronc riding and is in position to do that.

    The Nanton, Alberta, resident just graduated from Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla. He got his degree in animal science and is looking for a full-time career in the rodeo arena. He is currently 10th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Standings. With college rodeo behind him, he will now be able to focus on the PRCA and has a good opportunity of qualifying for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo next December.

    Elliott’s success came in part thanks to a good ride in the third round at the Casper Events Center on Friday night. His 75.5-point ride gave him a tie in the third round and move him to the top of the overall standings. He has a total score of 223.5 points and has an extensive lead over the man in second place, Wyatt Casper from Clarendon College.

    Last year, Cameron Morman left here with a steer wrestling tile for Dickinson State University. Morman also has a chance to repeat, but has some ground to make up. He enters Saturday Night’s finals in fifth place with a total time of 17.0 seconds. J.D. Struxness from Northwestern Oklahoma State University leads with a 13.9.

    The final round of competition starts at the Casper Events Center at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. The top 12 contestants in each event have advanced. At the end of each event, the contestant with the fastest total time or highest total score will be crowned the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association champion.

     

    CASPER, Wyo.–The following are current leaders from the College National Finals Rodeo after the first performance, June 17, 2016, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Complete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

     

    Bareback Riding: (third round winners) 1, Wyatt Denny, Feather River College, 82 points. 2, (tie) Austin Graham, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and Chad Rutherford, McNeese State University, 76. 4, Clayton Biglow, Feather River College, 75. 5, Cole Picton, Missouri Valley College, 73. 6, (tie) Zach Hibler, Western Texas College, and Nate McFadden, Chadron State College, 72.5. 8, Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University, 72. (final round qualifiers) 1, Wyatt Denny, Feather River College, 236. 2, Clayton Biglow, Feather River College, 228.5. 3, Kody Lamb, Tarleton State University, 217.5. 4, (tie) Dylan Wahlert, Casper College; Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University; Cole Picton, Missouri Valley College; and Nate McFadden, Chadron State College, 212 each. 8, Zach Hibler, Western Texas College, 211.5. 9, Tanner Phipps, University of Tennessee – Martin, 211. 10, Wyatt Bloom, Montana State University, 210.5. 11, (tie) Chad Rutherford, McNeese State University, and Tristan Hansen, University of Montana – Western, 209.

     

    Tie-Down Roping: (third round winners) 1, Taylor Santos, Sam Houston State University, 7.5 seconds. 2, (tie) Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College, and Lane Santos-Karney, Feather River College, 8.2 each. 4, Ben Walker, University of Tennessee – Martin, 8.3. 5, Cooper Martin, Hill College, 8.5. 6, Bryson Sechrist, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 8.9. 7, (tie) Matt Peters, Black Hills State University, and Jarrett Oestmann, Iowa Central Community College, 9.4. (final round qualifiers) 1, Cooper Martin, Hill College, 26.8. 2, Bryson Sechrist, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 27.0. 3, Lane Santos Karney, Feather River College, 27.2. 4, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi College, 28.3. 5, Taylor Santos, Sam Houston State University, 29.2. 6, Ben Walker, University of Tennessee – Martin, 31.3. 7, Matt Peters, Black Hills State University, 32.0. 8, Trenton Turner, Northeastern Junior College, 35.9. 9, Caleb Bullock, Panhandle State University, 36.3. 10, Cord Barricklow, Southern Arkansas University, 37.4. 11, Slade Bronson, University of Tennessee – Martin, 39.8. 12, Preston Novak, Chadron State College, 46.2.

     

    Steer wrestling: (third round winners) 1, J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 4.0 seconds. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 4.3. 3, (tie) Jacob Edler, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Cody Dever, Garden City Community College, and Dane Browning, Feather River College, 4.8. 6, Tom Littell, Hastings College, 5.0. 7, Wyatt Caldwell, Utah Valley University, 5.1. 8, (tie) Cade Staton, Sam Houston State University, and Wyatt Lindsay, New Mexico State University, 5.2. (final round qualifiers) 1, J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 13.9. 2, Jacob Edler, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 14.6. 3, Wyatt Lindsay, New Mexico State University, 15.5. 4, Kodie Jang, Western Texas College, 16.6. 5, Cameron Morman, Dickinson State University, 17.0. 6, Benjamin Cox, Southern Arkansas University, 17.6. 7, Reed Kraeger, University of Nebraska, 18.2. 8, Tom Littell, Hastings College, 20.3. 9, Will Powell, Montana State University, 22.2. 10, J.T. Garland, Blue Mountain Community College, 23.0. 11, Tyler Muth, University of Arizona, 23.4. 12, Colby Anders, Chadron State College, 23.6.

     

    Breakaway Roping: (third round winners) 1, Chrissy Morris, University of West Alabama, 2.2 seconds. 2, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 2.3. 3, Mikayla Phillips, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2.4. 4, Kirbie Crouse, Missouri Valley College, 2.5. 5, (tie) Tamara Tunink, Texas Tech University – Lubbock; Brandy Schaack, Northeastern Junior College; and Marlee Malcom, University of West Alabama; 2.6 each. 8, Mia Manzanares, McNeese State University, 2.7. (final round qualifiers) 1, Kirbie Crouse, Missouri Valley, 8.0. 2, (tie) Samantha Jorgenson, Black Hills State University, and Cheyenne Britain, Ranger College, 8.7. 4, Brittany Dias, California State University – Fresno, 9.2. 5, Tess Turk, University of Montana – Western, and Sarah Walker, Colorado Mesa College, 9.4. 7, Cate Hirschy, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 10.0. 8, Danyelle Staudenmeyer, Montana State University, 10.3. 9, Paige Wiseman, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 11.0. 10, Marlee Malcom, University of West Alabama, 17.5. 11, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 17.8. 12, Brandy Schaack, Northeastern Junior College, 19.0.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: (third round winners) 1, Preston Burr, New Mexico Junior College, 76.5 points. 2, (tie) Clay Elliott, Panhandle State University, and Blaise Freeman, Western Texas College, 75.5 each. 4, Shade Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 73. 5, (tie) Tate Thybo, Black Hills State University; Colton Miller, Central Wyoming College;  and Jalen Joaquin, Cochise College; 72.5. 8, (tie) Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, and Cody Ruby, Snow College, 72. (final round qualifiers) 1, Clay Elliott, Panhandle State University, 223.5. 2, Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 216.5. 3, (tie) Shade Etbauer, Panhandle State University, and Garet Aldridge, Sam Houston State University, 212.5. 5, Tate Thybo, Black Hills State University, 195.5. 6, Jace Lane, Tarleton State University, 192. (on two) 7, Blaise Freeman, Western Texas College, 148. 8, Colton Miller, Central Wyoming College, 143.5. 9, (tie) Tucker Hill, Walla Walla Community College; Brant Grisedale, Sheridan College; and Quincy Crum, Feather River College; 137.5. 12, Tayte Clark, Sheridan college, 137.

     

    Team Roping: (third round winners) 1, Casey Tew, Weatherford College and Keely Bonett, New Mexico Junior College, 3.9*. 2, Cole Wheeler, Weatherford College and Wesley Thorp, Ranger College, 5.1. 3, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College and Lane Mitchell, University of Tennesse – Martin, 5.7. 4, Logan Wood, Iowa Central Community College, and Chance Glass, Dickinson State University, 6.2. 5, (tie) Clay Crozier, Southern Utah University and Brody Adams, Colorado Northwest Community College; and Jordan Tye and Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College; 6.3. 7, Lucas MacKenzie, New Mexico State University and Benjie Sam, Navaho Technical Instittute, 6.6. 8, Newt Bruley, South Dakota State University and Tucker Dale, Dickinson State University, 6.9. (final round qualifiers) 1, Cole Wheeler, Weatherford College, and Wesley Thorp, Ranger College, 16.8. 2, Newt Bruley, South Dakota State University and Tucker Dale, Dickinson State University, 20.4. 3, (tie) Lucas MacKenzie, New Mexico State University and Benjie Sam, Navajo Technical Institute; Lane Lowry, Cuesta College and Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno; Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University and Dallen Gunter, Idaho State University; 21.8. 6, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College and Lane Mitchell, University of Tennessee – Martin, 23.3. 7, Hunter Martin, Western Oklahoma State College, and Patrick Houchins, Northeastern Oklahoma A & M, 23.9. 8, Cole Frey, McNeese State University and Kaine Warnken, Wharton County Junior College, 27.4. 9, Pedro Egurrola and Steven Gaona, Central Arizona College, 36.2. (on two) 10, Logan Currie, Southwest Texas Junior College and Reno Gonzales, Hill College, 12.4. 11, Lane Livingston, Weatherford College and Reno Stoebner, Ranger College, 13.8. 12, Mason Boettcher and Ty Arnold, Wharton County Junior College, 13.9.

     

    Goat Tying: (third round winners) 1, Mikayla Harrison, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 5.9 seconds. 2, Celie Salmond, Montana State University, 6.0. 3, (tie) Shelby Winchell, Chadron State College and Janey Reeves, Cochise College, 6.1. 5, K.L. Spratt, Sam Houston State University, 6.2. 6, Tearnee Nelson, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 6.3. 7, (tie) Callie Stanhouse, Three Rivers College; Tawny Barry, Eastern New Mexico University; Jacey Hupp, South Dakota State University; Georgia Diez, Cochise College; and Tenille Rhodes, Southern Utah University; 6.4. (final round qualifiers) 1, Shelby Winchell, Chadron State College, 18.7. 2, K.L. Spratt, Sam Houston State University, 18.9. 3, Georgia Diez, Cochise College, 19.4. 4, Lauren Leyva, Blue Mountain Community College, 19.6. 5, Shayna Miller, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 19.9. 6, Teisha Coffield, Northeastern Junior College, 20.0. 7, (tie) Makayla Boots, Cochise College; Jacey Hupp, South Dakota State University; and Kynzie McNeil, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, 20.2. 10, (tie) Sadie Gjermundson, Dickinson State University, and Kesia Smith, University of West Alabama, 20.4. 12, Josee Vogel, University of Wyoming, 20.5.

     

    Barrel Racing: (third round winners) 1, Abby Searcy, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 13.97 seconds. 2, Kristi Steffes, Black Hills State University, 13.98. 3, Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, 14.01. 4, Cassidy Webster, Missouri Valley College, 14.04. 5, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 14.07. 6, Kellie Collier, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, 14.20. 7, Katelyn Nicholson, East Mississippi Community College, 14.21. 8, Cierra Tredway, Montana State University, 14.23. (final round qualifiers) 1, Kristi Steffes, Black Hills State University, 42.24. 2, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 42.45. 3, Cassidy Webster, Missouri Valley College, 42.50. 4, Abby Searcy, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 42.54. 5, Jessica Lewis, Blue Mountain Community College, 42.66. 6, Cierra Treadway, Montana State University, 42.77. 7, (tie) Kendall Gentry, Murray State University, and Katelyn Nicholson, East Mississippi Community College, 42.78 each. 9, Kellie Collier, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, 42.83. 10, Lexus Kelsch, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, 42.85. 11, Abby Knight, University of Great Falls, 42.89. 12, Jessica Dunbar, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, 43.31.

     

    Bull Riding: (third round winners) 1, Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, 83.5 points. 2, Travis Smith, Missouri Valley College, 81. 3, Wyatt Rogers, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 78.5. 4, Cody Hudson, Walla Walla Community College, 77.5. 5, Ethan Lesiak, Mid Plains Community College, 77.0. 6, Tyler Lewis, Southern Arkansas University, 76.5. 7, Ruger Piva, University of Montana – Western. 8, Fulton Rutland, Panola Junior College, 74. (final round qualifiers – on two) 1, Tyler Lewis, Southern Arkansas University, 152.5. 2, (tie) Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, and Fulton Rutland, Panola Junior College, 151.5. 4, Wyatt Rogers, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 149.5. 5, Brody Yeary, Tarleton State University, 141.5. (on one) 6, Travis Smith, Missouri Valley College, 81. 7, Aaron Williams, Cuesta College, 79.5. 8, Mickey Andrews, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 79. 9, Jacob Spencer, Western Texas College, 78.5. 10, (tie) Cody Hudson, Walla Walla Community College, and Jake Smith, University of Wyoming, 77.5. 12, Ethan Lesiak, Mid Plains Community College, 77.

     

    Men’s All-Around: 1, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College, 315 points. 2, Clayton Biglow, Feather River College, 250. 3, Lane Santos – Karney, Feather River College, 185. 4, Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 165.

     

    Women’s All-Around: 1, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 195. 2, Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, 175.

     

    Men’s Team: 1, Feather River College,710 points. 2, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 430. 3, Panhandle State University, 405. 4, Weatherford College, 320.

     

    Women’s Team: 1, Blue Mountain Community College, 300. 2, Gillette College, 295. 3, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 245. 4, Black Hills State University, 212. ,

     

    *– New arena record —

     

  • Consistency paying off for athletes at the College National Finals Rodeo

    Consistency paying off for athletes at the College National Finals Rodeo

    CASPER, Wyo. (June 15, 2016) – Consistency in three preliminary rounds of competition in all nine events at the College National Finals Rodeo is giving student athletes an opportunity to qualify for Saturday night’s championship round.

    The second performance of the rodeo saw Missouri Valley College’s Kirbie Crouse take the overall lead in the breakaway roping with a total time of 8.0 seconds. Her 2.5 second run on Wednesday night is currently placing in the third round. Her fastest run was in the first round where she finished in a tie for fourth place. In the second round she was a 3.1.

    Crouse is 1.4 seconds ahead of the women in second place, Tess Turk from University of Montana – Western and Sarah Walker from Colorado Mesa College who both have total times of 9.4. There are two performances left before Saturday’s finals, so even though positions could change all three of these women have an opportunity to be among the top 12 who advance.

    There have been several contestants that have come close to breaking arena records during this year’s competition and two of them got it done on Wednesday night. Team ropers out of the Southwest Region stopped the clock in 3.9 seconds.

    Casey Tew from Weatherford College did the heading for New Mexico Junior College’s Keely Bonnett. They now lead the third round, but two no-times in previous competitions will keep them from advancing to the finals.

    The previous record was held by John Kueckelhan and Joseph Harrison from Northeast Texas Community College. They had a time of 4.2 seconds in the Casper Events Center in 2007.

    The third round will continue here on Thursday night with the “Wear Pink” performance beginning at 7 p.m.

     

    ###

     

    CASPER, Wyo.–The following are current leaders from the College National Finals Rodeo after the first performance, June 15, 2016, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Complete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

     

    Bareback Riding: (third round) 1, Wyatt Denny, Feather River College, 82 points. 2, Chad Rutherford, McNeese State University, 76. 3, Cole Picton, Missouri Valley College, 73. 4, Zach Hibler, Western Texas College, 72.5. 5, Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University, 72. 6, Lorenzo Lankow, Treasure Valley Community College, 71.5. (total on three) 1, Wyatt Denny, Feather River College, 236. 2, (tie) Dylan Wahlert, Casper College; Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University; and Cole Picton, Missouri Valley College; 212 each. 5, Zach Hibler, Western Texas College, 211.5. 6, Chad Rutherford, McNeese State University, and Tristan Hansen, University of Montana = Western, 209.

     

    Tie-Down Roping: (third round) 1, Taylor Santos, Sam Houston State University, 7.5 seconds. 2, (tie) Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College, and Lane Santos-Karney, Feather River College, 8.2 each. 4, Ben Walker, University of Tennessee – Martin, 8.3. 5, Jarrett Oestmann, Iowa Central Community College, 9.4. 6, Preston Novak, Chadron State College, 9.9. (total on three) 1, Lane Santos Karney, Feather River College, 27.2. 2, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi College, 28.3. 3, Taylor Santos, Sam Houston State University, 29.2. 4, Ben Walker, University of Tennessee – Martin, 31.3. 5, Preston Novak, Chadron State College, 46.2. 6, Jordan Tye, Blue Mountain Community College, 46.3.

     

    Steer wrestling: (third round) 1, J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 4.0 seconds. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 4.3. 3, (tie) Jacob Edler, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and Dane Browning, Feather River College, 4.8. 5, (tie) Cade Staton, Sam Houston State University, and Wyatt Lindsay, New Mexico State University, 5.2. (total on three) 1, J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 13.9. 2, Jacob Edler, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 14.6. 3, Wyatt Lindsay, New Mexico State University, 15.5. 4, Kodie Jang, Western Texas College, 16.6. 5, Tyler Muth, University of Arizona, 23.4. 6, Dillon Hushour, California State University – Fresno, 24.0.

     

    Breakaway Roping: (third round) 1, Chrissy Morris, University of West Alabama, 2.2 seconds. 2, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 2.3. 3, Kirbie Crouse, Missouri Valley College, 2.5. 4, (tie) Tamara Tunink, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, and Brandy Schaack, Northeastern Junior College, 2.6 each. 6, Mia Manzanares, McNeese State University, 2.7. (total on three) 1, Kirbie Crouse, Missouri Valley, 8.0. 2, (tie) Tess Turk, University of Montana – Western, and Sarah Walker, Colorado Mesa College, 9.4. 4, Cate Hirschy, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 10.0. 5, Danyelle Staudenmeyer, Montana State University, 10.3. 6, Paige Wiseman, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 11.0.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: (third round) 1, Blaise Freeman, Western Texas College, 75.5. 2, (tie) Colton Miller, Central Wyoming College, and Jalen Joaquin, Cochise College, 72.5. 4, (tie) Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, and Cody Ruby, Snow College, 72. 6, Garet Aldridge, Sam Houston State University, 71.5. (total on three) 1, Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 216.5. 2, Garet Aldridge, Sam Houston State University, 212.5. (on two) 3, Blaise Freeman, Western Texas College, 148. 4, Colton Miller, Central Wyoming College, 143.5. 5, (tie) Tucker Hill, Walla Walla Community College, and Brant Grisedale, West Hills College, 137.5.

     

    Team Roping: (third round) 1, Casey Tew, Weatherford College and Keely Bonett, New Mexico Junior College, 3.9*. 2, Logan Wood, Iowa Central Community College, and Chance Glass, Dickinson State University, 6.2. 3, Clay Crozier, Southern Utah University and Brody Adams, Colorado Northwest Community College, 6.3. 4, Newt Bruley, South Dakota State University and Tucker Dale, Dickinson State University, 6.9. 5, (tie) Coley Frey, McNeese State University and Kaine Warnken, Wharton County Junior College; and Lane Lowry, Cuesta College, and Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno; 7.0. (total on three) 1, Newt Bruley, South Dakota State University and Tucker Dale, Dickinson State University, 20.4. 2, Lane Lowry, Cuesta College and Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno, 21.8. 3, Hunter Martin, Western Oklahoma State College, and Patrick Houchins, Northeastern Oklahoma A & M, 23.9. 4, Cole Frey, McNeese State University and Kaine Warnken, Wharton County Junior College, 27.4. (on two) 5, Logan Currie, Southwest Texas Junior College and Reno Gonzales, Hill College, 12.4. 6, Lane Livingston, Weatherford, College and Reno Stoebner, Ranger College, 13.8.

     

    Goat Tying: (third round) 1, (tie) Shelby Winchell, Chadron State College and Janey Reeves, Cochise College, 6.1 seconds. 3, K.L. Spratt, Sam Houston State University, 6.2. 4, Tearnee Nelson, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 6.3. 5, (tie) Callie Stanhouse, Three Rivers College; Tawny Barry, Eastern New Mexico University; and Tenille Rhodes, Southern Utah University; 6.4. (total on three) 1, Shelby Winchell, Chadron State College, 18.7. 2, K.L. Spratt, Sam Houston State University, 18.9. 3, Teisha Coffield, Northeastern Junior College, 20.0. 4, (tie) Makayla Boots, Cochise College, and Kynzie McNeil, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, 20.2. 6, Kesia Smith, University of West Alabama, 20.4.

    Barrel Racing: (third round) 1, Abby Searcy, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 13.97 seconds. 2, Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, 14.01. 3, Cassidy Webster, Missouri Valley College, 14.04. 4, Katelyn Nicholson, East Mississippi Community College, 14.21. 5, Remie Taylor, Idaho State University, 14.25. 6, Tacee Shaw, Idaho State University, 14.26. (total on three) 1, Cassidy Webster, Missouri Valley College, 42.50. 2, Abby Searcy, University of Arkansas – Monticello, 42.54. 3, (tie) Kendall Gentry, Murray State University, and Katelyn Nicholson, East Mississippi Community College, 42.78 each. 5,  Lexus Kelsch, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, 42.85. 6, Georgia Diez, Cochise College, 43.35.

     

    Bull Riding: (third round) 1, Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, 83.5 points. 2, Wyatt Rogers, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 78.5. 3, Fulton Rutland, Panola Junior College, 74. 4, Nathan Hatchel, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 73. 5, Brody Yeary, Tarleton State University, 68. (total on two) 1, (tie) Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, and Fulton Rutland, Panola Junior College, 151.5. 3, Wyatt Rogers, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 149.5. 4, Brody Yeary, Tarleton State University, 141.5.

     

    Men’s All-Around: 1, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College, 255 points. 2, Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 205. 3, Clayton Biglow, Feather River College, 139. 4, Lane Santos-Karney, Feather River College, 185.

     

    Women’s All-Around: 1, Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, 185. 2, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 155. 3, Coralee Spratt, Gillette College, 47.

     

    Men’s Team: 1, Feather River College, 665 points. 2, Sam Houston State University, 365. 3, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 340. 4, Western Texas College, 335.

     

    Women’s Team: 1, Gillette College, 307 points. 2, Blue Mountain Community College, 260. 3, Missouri Valley College, 215. 4, Chadron State College 175.

     

  • Former college champ having success again at College National Finals rodeo

    Former college champ having success again at College National Finals rodeo

    CASPER, Wyo. (June 14, 2016) – Taylor Santos walked away with his first national championship in the tie-down roping at the 2014 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR)  as a freshman.

    When he earned that title he was competing for Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo. He qualified again last year competing for Cal Poly. Then in the fall, he made the journey to Texas moving to Huntsville and joining the ranks of the Sam Houston State University Bearkats.

    He had a blazing-fast run in the third round at the first performance of the rodeo on Tuesday night, stopping the clock in 7.5 seconds. That is the fastest time here so far through two preliminary rounds held on Monday and Tuesday.

    His success in the third round gave him command of the overall standings. He has a total time of 29.2 seconds on three runs. Ben Walker from the University of Tennessee – Martin is in second with 31.3.

    Santos, who is from Creston, Calif., was just one-tenth of a second off of the arena record of 7.4 seconds set at the 2015 CNFR by Blane Cox from Hill (Hillsboro, Texas) College. He now has to wait through three more performances to see if he qualifies for Saturday night’s final round and has a chance to earn another championship here.

    Last year’s Rookie of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in the steer wrestling is also having success here. J.D. Struxness from Appleton, Minn., has been attending Northwestern Oklahoma State University. His coach, Stockton Graves, has plenty of steer wrestling experience which may be rubbing off.

    Struxness is leading the third round of competition with a 4.0-second run and the overall standings with a total time of 13.9 seconds on three. If he qualifies for the finals on Saturday night and leaves Casper in that first-place position it would be his first National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association steer wrestling title.

     

    CASPER, Wyo.–The following are current leaders from the College National Finals Rodeo after the first performance, June 14, 2016, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Complete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

     

    Bareback Riding: (third round) 1, Chad Rutherford, McNeese State University, 76 points. 2, Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University, 72. 3, EdMiles Harvey, University of New Mexico, 69. 4, Cache Hill, University of Great Falls, 67.5. (total on three) 1, Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University, 209. 3, Cache Hill, University of Great Falls, 203.5. 4, Blake Smith, Dickisnson State University, 201.

     

    Tie-Down Roping: (third round) 1, Taylor Santos, Sam Houston State University, 7.5 seconds. 2, Ben Walker, University of Tennessee – Martin, 8.3. 3, Jarrett Oestmann, Iowa Central Community College, 10.1. 4, Taylor Skinner, Montana State University, 14.7. (total on three) 1, Taylor Santos, Sam Houston State University, 29.2. 2, Ben Walker, University of Tennessee – Martin, 31.3. 3, Bryce Bott, Casper College, 51.7. (on two) Jarrett Oestmann, Iowa Central Community College, 19.0.

     

    Steer wrestling: (third round) 1, J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 4.0 seconds. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 4.3. 3, Jacob Edler, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 4.8. 4, Wyatt Lindsay, New Mexico State University, 5.2. (total on three) 1, J.D. Struxness, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 13.9. 2, Jacob Edler, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 14.6. 3, Wyatt Lindsay, New Mexico State University, 15.5. 4, Kodie Jang, Western Texas College, 16.6.

     

    Breakaway Roping: (third round) 1, Chrissy Morris, University of West Alabama, 2.2 seconds. 2, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 2.3. 3, (tie) Tamara Tunink, Texas Tech University – Lubbock, and Brandy Schaack, Northeastern Junior College, 2.6 each. (total on three) 1, Tess Turk, University of Montana – Western, 9.4. 2, Cate Hirschy, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 10.0. 3, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 17.8. 4, Brandy Schaack, Northeastern Junior College, 19.0.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: (third round – two rides) 1, Cody Ruby, Snow College, 72 points. 2, Will Centoni, Cuesta College, 63. (total on two) 1, Tucker Hill, Walla Walla Community College, 137.5. 2, Will Centoni, Cuesta College, 133. 3, Cody Ruby, Snow College, 133. 4, Josh Davison, New Mexico State University, 123.

     

    Team Roping: (third round) 1, Clay Crozier, Southern Utah University and Brody Adams, Colorado Northwest Community College, 6.3 seconds. 2, Lane Lowry, Cuesta College, and Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno, 7.0. 3, Ky Barry, Central Arizona College and Carl Sweazea, New Mexico State University, 10.8. 4, Treg Schaack, and David Hinman, West Texas A & M University, 12.4. (total on three) 1, Lane Lwory, Cuesta College and Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno, 21.8. (on two) 2, Lane Livingston, Weatherford, College and Reno Stoebner, Ranger college, 13.8. 3, Ky Barry, Central Arizona College and Carl Sweazea, New Mexico State University16.8. 4, Clay Crozier, Southern Utah University and Brody Adams, Colorado Northwest Community College, 18.6.

     

    Goat Tying: (third round) 1, Janey Reeves, Cochise College, 6.1 seconds. 2, (tie) Tawny Barry, Eastern New Mexico University, and Tenille Rhodes, Southern Utah University, 6.4. 4, (tie) Coralee Spratt, Gillette College, and Kesia Smith, University of West Alabama, 6.5. (total on three) 1, Makayla Boots, Cochise College, 20.2. 2, Kesia Smith, University of West Alabama, 20.4. 3, Ashleigh Baugh, Tarleton State University, 21.0. 4, Jacoby Hotsenpiller, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 21.4.

     

    Barrel Racing: (third round) 1, Cassidy Webster, Missouri Valley College, 14.04 seconds. 2, Kendall Gentry, Murray State College, 14.31. 3, Nalynn Cline, New Mexico State University, 14.32. 4, Lexus Kelsch, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, 14.34. (total on three) 1, Cassidy Webster, Missouri Valley College, 42.50. 2, Kendall Gentry, Murray State Univerwswity, 42.78. 3, Lexus Kelsch, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. 4, Georgia Diez, Cochise College, 43.35.

     

    Bull Riding: (third round –  three rides) 1, Wyatt Rogers, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 78.5 points. 2, Fulton Rutland, Panola Junior college, 74. 3, Brody Yeary, Tarleton State University, 68. (total on two) 1, Fulton Rutland, Panola Junior College, 151.5. 2, Wyatt Rogers, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 149.5. 3, Brody Yeary, Tarleton State University, 141.5.

     

    Men’s All-Around: 1, Clayton Bilow, Feather River College, 200. 2, Marcus Theriot, East Mississippi Community College, 190. 3, Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 160. 4, Lane Santos-Karney, Feather River College, 120.

     

    Women’s All-Around: 1, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 155. 2, (tie) Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, and Coralee Spratt, Gillette college, 115. 4, Georgia Diez, Cochise College, 37.

     

    Men’s Team: 1, Feather River College, 465. 2, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 345. 3, Sam Houston State University, 300. 4, Panhandle State University, 280.

     

    Women’s Team: 1, Gillette College, 305. 2, Blue Mountain Community College, 260. 3, Cochise College, 187. 4, Missouri Valley College, 175.

     

     

     

  • Feather River College takes command of bareback riding at CNFR

    Feather River College takes command of bareback riding at CNFR

    CASPER, Wyo. (June 12, 2016) — The 68th annual College National Finals Rodeo got underway at the Casper Events Center on Sunday with the Bulls, Broncs and Breakaway performances.

    All of the qualifiers in bull riding, breakaway roping, saddle bronc and bareback riding competed in the first of three rounds. Feather River College from Quincy, Calif., took command of the leaderboard earning the top two spots.

    Clayton Biglow, a sophomore majoring in ag business got the round win with 80 points. Biglow is making his second appearance at the CNFR. The former high school rodeo champion is working his way up the ranks of rodeo with hopes and plans of competing at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. He leads the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rookie standings and is 12th in their world standings.

    Biglow’s traveling partner and classmate Wyatt Denny finished with a 77.5-point ride to take second. Denny is also making his second appearance here, is a sophomore and is majoring in ag business. Not only are the two schoolmates that travel to rodeos together, they are also each other’s heros.

    “Clayton Biglow is my hero.” Denny wrote on his bio sheet. “Even though we are the same height, I look up to him.”

    Biglow also listed Denny as his hero, but only because he knows the best places to eat on the road. They will each compete two more times and could the friends could be in a fight for the championship here if they keep it up.

    Brandi Hollenbeck from Garden City (Kan.) Community College nearly broke the arena record in breakaway roping on Sunday. She stopped the clock in 1.9 seconds, just one-tenth of a second off the record. She is a second-generation qualifier making her second appearance.

    The bull riding winner came from Western Texas College at Snyder. Jacob Spencer scored 78.5 points. Clayton Brum from the College of Southern Idaho (Twin Falls) won the first round of saddle bronc riding with a76.5.

    The first round in women’s barrel racing and goat tying as well as team roping, tie-down roping, and steer wrestling will be completed during slack Monday beginning at 7 a.m.

     

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    CASPER, Wyo.—The following are results from Bulls Broncs and Breakaway at the College National Finals Rodeo, June 12, 2016, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Compete results are available at www.collegerodeo.com.

     

    Breakaway Roping: (first round winners) 1, Brandi Hollenbeck, Garden City Community College, 1.9 seconds. 2, Samantha Jorgenson, Black Hills College, 2.2. 3, Haillie Taylor, Colorado  Mesa College, 2.3. 4, (tie) Coralee Spratt, Gillette College, and Kirbie Spratt, Missouri Valley College, 2.4 each. 6, Katie Rice, Cal Poly State University -San Luis Obispo, 2.5,. 7, (tie) Brittany Dias, California State University – Fresno and Kylee Mackelprang, Southern Utah University, 2.6 each.

     

    Bareback Riding: (first round winners) 1, Clayton Biglow, Feather River College, 80 points. 2, Wyatt Denny, Feather River College, 77.5.. 3, Jake Sterno, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 77. 4, Wyatt Bloom, Montana State University, 75.  5, (tie) Zach Hibler, Western Texas College and Kody Lamb, Tarleton State University, 74 each. 7, (tie) Cache Hill, University of Great Falls; Logan Patterson, Panhandle State University; and Jaden Clark, University of Wyoming, 73.5 each.

     

    Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round winners) 1, Clayton Brum, College of Southern Idaho, 76.5. 2, Clay Elliott, Panhandle State University, 75. 3, Wyatt Casper, Clarendon College, 74.5. 4, Shade Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 73.5. 5, Blaise Freeman, Western Texas College, 72.5. 6, Tucker hill, Walla Walla Community College, 71.5. 7, Garet Aldridge, Sam Houston State University, 70.5. 8, Will Centoni, Questa College, 70.

     

    Bull Riding: (first round winners) 1, Jacob Spencer, Western Texas College, 78.5 points. 2, Jake Smith, University of Wyoming, 77.5. 3, (tie) Tyler Lewis, Southern Arkansas University and Dakota Adams, Utah State University, 76. 5, Cole Melancon, Hill College, 75.5. 6, Brody Yeary, Tarleton State University, 73.5. 7, Jake Stemo, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 70. 8, (tie) Connor Murnion, Miles City Community College, and Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, 68.

     

  • Roper Review: Cody Snow

    Roper Review: Cody Snow

    Cody Snow will head out June 18, and be back to his home in Santa Ynez, Calif., when the season is over. This is the second year for this 19-year-old to cross the country in hopes of winning a chance to turn ten steers at the Thomas & Mack. “I like it,” he says of being on the road all summer. “It’s fun
    He ended last season as Resistol Rookie of the Year in the team roping as a header, turning steers for his partner, Dugan Kelly. “Dugan is a veteran at this and makes it easy for me,” he said. “He does all the entering and maps out where we’re going.”  The race for Resistol Rookie was a tight one, and Cody didn’t know he was the winner until the last couple weeks of the season. “You can win a lot of money at the end, so it’s not done until it’s done.”
    Cody learned how to rope from his dad, Van, who was a noted orthopedic veterinarian. “My dad was my biggest help as well as influence. He got me a good start. He had a vet clinic at the house and we worked out of the house. I saw a lot of lame horses, and learned how to take care of horses and how to keep them sound.” He also learned from other people. “I’ve been around a lot of people that roped and I practiced a lot and figured it out. I had plenty of help.”
    Cody was home schooled from the seventh grade through high school. He plans to take a few classes online, but not be a fulltime student, instead concentrating on his roping career. “It’s a job, and I make money at it,” he said. To make it fun, when he gets to the rodeo, he finds something to do in the town he’s in. “I don’t like sitting around, so I rope the dummy.” He likes to bowl so he tries to find a bowling alley when he has some down time.
    He has made all his own horses. “I bought younger horses and brought them along and rodeoed on them.” Right now he has nine, and hauls two or three. His goal for this year is to make it to the WNFR. “I want to make the finals, and then do it consistently.”