Rodeo Life

Author: Courtesy

  • Spaghetti Pie & No-Bake Cheese Cake

    Spaghetti Pie
    recipe courtesy of Sandra smith and dee anita bowker from cookin’ with cowboys cookbook

    Ingredients:
    1 lb. hamburger, cooked & drained
    1 jar spaghetti sauce
    1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
    2 c. shredded mozarella cheese
    1 medium-sized container of cottage cheese
    1 1 lb. package cooked spaghetti noodles
    2 Tbps butter

    DIRECTIONS: Add spaghetti sauce to drained hamburger. Warm through in a 9×13 inch pan. Pour ¼ cup Parmesan cheese with 2 tbsp. of melted butter. Immediately pour noodles in and toss until cheese and butter cover noodles. Then add cottage cheese and 1 cup shredded cheese, covering all noodles. Pour meat sauce over top and add remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes .

     

    No-Bake Cheese Cake

    recipe courtesy of michele clement from cookin’ with
    cowboys cookbook

    Ingredients:
    1 graham cracker pie shell
    1 8-oz. package soft cream cheese
    1 c. sour cream
    1/3 c. sugar
    2 tsp. vanilla
    1 8-oz container Cool Whip

    Directions: Mix cheese and sugar. Add and stir sour cream and vanilla. Fold in whipped topping. Put in pie shell and chill at least 4 hours. Serve with your choice of pie fillings. I use fresh strawberries.

  • Blake Hughes

    Blake Hughes

    by Holly Wilson

    A humble cowboy from Sulphur, Oklahoma, Blake Hughes splits his time between the roping pen and the family dairy farm.
    “My dad owns a dairy farm, and he ropes. He’s the reason I started roping, and then I got into it with my uncle. He doesn’t go to any rodeos, but he still likes to ride,” Blake said.
    “My mom is a physical therapist. She didn’t grow up around horses but she’ll ride a little bit. The dairy keeps my dad pretty tied up.”
    Blake helps his father around the dairy by feeding and checking calves, and taking care of their milking cows.
    In his spare time, Blake enjoys fishing and, of course, roping.
    After taking up horseback riding at a young age, Blake was swinging a rope by age 12.  “I was probably roping every day by that point. I was into it pretty heavy and practicing every time I got a chance,” Blake said, “As long as the weather would permit and we weren’t too busy on the dairy, we would try to rope.”
    He and his uncle live closeby, and rope together nearly every day.
    “My uncle still ropes, and he goes quite a bit. He goes to a lot of the World Series ropings,” Blake said, “He still lives close, and we still rope together about every day. It’s convenient.”
    This tight knit family dynamic has helped Blake to be successful in his roping career. “My dad’s got me good horses, that’s a big part of it. He bought [Streakin King Dandy] and he’s bought some other ones,” Blake said, “He’s always given me good horses to ride, I’m pretty thankful for that.”
    Streakin King Dandy, a 2006 gelding, is Blake’s partner in crime.
    Because of his innate ability to rate calves with precision and speed, Blake doesn’t fuss with his horse at home.
    “To prepare for an upcoming rodeo, I work on scoring. When I go to practice, I want him to score good and leave flat,” Blake said, “He knows what to do in the arena, so I just try to keep him calm and quiet, and comfortable in the box.”
    This type of training works well with Blake’s busy schedule, and allows him to be asset on the family farm. Blake gathers cattle on Streakin King Dandy, and uses him as a ranch horse at the house in-between ropings.
    Being a humble man, Blake insists that his success is all due in part to his little rope horse.
    “I don’t know if I’d be where I am without him, that’s for sure. I’ve had good horses in the past, but he’s the best one I’ve had,” Blake said, “I like to think that I’d be close to where I’m at, but he’s played a big part in my success.”
    This past year, Streakin King Dandy and Blake placed and attended several notable rodeos including; the Bob Fiest Invitational, the George Strait, the ERA finals and RFD TV’s The American.
    The duo placed second in The American qualifier, and placed third in the open. They also finished 14th overall on the ERA leaderboard with a fifth place finish in the first round of the three part championship.
    Their most notable accomplishment, was a first place finish at the USTRC US Open Champions, where they spun five steers for 31.02 with partner Brady Norman.
    The bay gelding still has a lot of life left in him though, and Blake has several goals for the next five years.
    “He’s the only good horse I have right now that I feel like I can go win on,” Blake said, “A year from now, we’re gonna try to go a lot more and try to make the national finals.”
    “If we could make the national finals two or three times over the next five years, I’d say we’d be doing pretty good,” Blake said.
    He has high hopes for his bay horse, whom he affectionately calls “Snake”.
    “He’s got a lot of personality. I named him Snake right when we got him,” Blake said, “He was hard to catch; and then after you did get him caught he was always watching and was always trying to get away from stuff.”
    “Once you get him caught, he’s pretty good,” Blake said. “I don’t know what it is, but he’s kinda funny like that.”
    Although Snake has outgrown some of his old habits, the nickname is here to stay.
    “He hasn’t outgrown that one yet, it still fits,” Blake said with a laugh.

     

  • WPRA ProRodeo Hall of Fame Barrel Racing Nomination Form Now Available

    WPRA ProRodeo Hall of Fame Barrel Racing Nomination Form Now Available

     

    By Ann Bleiker

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The announcement made at the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo that the WPRA in partnership with the PRCA and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame will start inducting barrel racers into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame this summer marks a significant milestone in the association’s history.

    The WPRA barrel race is a very important element in every rodeo’s success.  It is fast, exciting and provides a huge “wow” factor that fans love.  So it makes sense that the WPRA barrel racers be recognized in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and have a permanent place to honor those that have left their mark on the sport.

    It is important to recognize that this historical event could not have happened without the vision and dedication of so many. The current and past Board of Directors had always hoped to find the right way to recognize those champions who contributed in a most significant way. Their efforts combined with a continually growing partnership with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) led to this unique opportunity.

    Now we need your help. On August 5, 2017, the 2017 Inaugural Induction provides the WPRA with its first opportunity to honor the greats in the WPRA’s barrel racing history. Therefore, your participation with nominating possible inductees is really important. To make it easy for you a link to the Barrel Racer Honoree Nomination Form can be found on the homepage of www.wpra.com. The nomination form is straight forward and there is a list of frequently asked questions on the back of it.

    All nominations must be mailed in and received by the WPRA office no later than February 24, 2017. All submitted nominations will be provided to the WPRA 2017 ProRodeo Hall of Fame Selection Committee. This committee was created by the WPRA and is external from the Board of Directors. The members of this committee were selected based on their combined knowledge of the WPRA, our history, barrel racing, media and the role and the mission of a Hall of Fame.

    Please take some time to consider the importance of this inaugural event and submit a nomination. There are two items to remember when making a nomination. First, you may submit more than 1 nomination and second it is really important to provide details regarding the nominee’s contribution and their significance to the sport of barrel racing.

    Let’s make this an exciting induction and be sure to mark August 5, 2017 on your calendars.

    If you have any questions, please call the WPRA office.

  • Recognized for Rodeo

    Recognized for Rodeo

    Garden City sports editor awarded Pro Rodeo honor
    courtesy of PRCA

    Garden City, Kan. (December 9, 2016) – A Garden City, Kan. man has won the PRCA’s Media Awards Excellence in Rodeo Print Journalism.

    Brett Marshall, sports editor for the Garden City Telegram, was honored with the award during the PRCA’s annual awards banquet held in Las Vegas on November 30.

    Marshall got involved in rodeo when he moved back to his hometown area eight years ago. As sports editor for the Telegram, he covered the Beef Empire Days Rodeo, held annually in June. He hadn’t covered a rodeo since the 1980’s in Hutchinson, Kan., and it was new to him. Rodeo personnel, including secretary Barb Duggan and stock contractors Jim and TJ Korkow of Korkow Rodeo helped him, giving him the information he needed and introducing him to cowboys and rodeo contract personnel.

    Since then, Marshall has covered the Beef Empire Days every year and loves it. “Those three days I cover the rodeo are three most fun days I have all year.” He credits Jim and TJ Korkow and the rodeo crew for making it enjoyable. “They make it fun. It doesn’t feel like work when I go there.”

    His rodeo stories have ranged from interviews with winning cowboys to the livestock. One year, he wrote a story from the perspective of a bucking bull. The story was well-received, he said. “It got a lot of responses.”

    Tom Blackburn, a former member of the Beef Empire Days rodeo committee, said Marshall is deserving of the award. When Marshall first covered the rodeo eight years ago, “he got right in there, and even though he didn’t know anything about rodeo, he asked questions and worked hard at establishing relationships and getting to know rodeo.”

    Marshall, who was involved in amateur golf, among other sports throughout his career, has developed a love for the sport and the contestants. “They’re the most courteous group of athletes I deal with, far and away,” he said. “I have a high regard for what they do. When they earn their winnings, it’s what they’ve done, and nobody else has done it for them. I think the cowboy competitor in the PRCA is a very committed individual and they love what they do. They do it with a passion.”

    Other media category winners include Excellence in Rodeo Photography, won by Ric Andersen, and Excellence in Rodeo Broadcast Journalism, won by Marty Campbell.
    The PRCA Media Awards are given each year to winners in the categories of rodeo photography, rodeo broadcast, and print journalism, for their excellence in portraying pro rodeo.

  • Four Star Rodeo Company’s bull headlines WNFR Top Stock

    Four Star Rodeo Company’s bull headlines WNFR Top Stock

    courtesy of PRCA

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four Star Rodeo Company’s bull Yellow Fever had an outstanding Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Polaris RANGER.
    The 5-year-old, 1,500-pound bull won bull of the night in Rounds 1 and 6.
    For his effort, Yellow Fever was named Top Stock of the WNFR for the first time.
    “It’s pretty awesome for him to go against that quality of bulls over there (at the WNFR) and come out on top,” said Jeff Davis, the owner/manager of Four Star Rodeo in Cottonwood, Calif. “This is a huge honor.”
    Yellow Fever bucked off Tyler Smith in Round 1, and he did the same to Roscoe Jarboe, the 2016 PRCA/Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year, in Round 6.
    “He enjoys his job, and when he gets in the bucking chute it is game on,” Davis said. “He has great strength and athletic ability. He can leap four feet in the air and act like he’s going to go one way and spin the other way.”
    In 2015, Yellow Fever made his Wrangler NFR debut, and competed in just one round – Round 5, with Joe Frost riding him for 75 points.
    “He was a young bull (at the 2015 WNFR), and he didn’t handle it very well,” Davis said. “The difference this year (at the WNFR) is he grew up. He matured mentally and physically. This year, he handled things very good mentally. He bucked and played and didn’t get bothered by anything. This spring, he had a couple of ‘wow’ trips, and that’s when I realized this bull has it, but I didn’t know how good he was until we matched up with the other bulls (at the WNFR). I knew he had a chance (to get top bull of the WNFR) if he had his trips, and he had two exceptionally good trips.”
    This is the first time Davis’ company has won the top bull of the WNFR award.
    “This is the No. 1 accomplishment for our Four Star Rodeo Company,” Davis said.
    Calgary Stampede’s Xplosive Skies won top WNFR bareback horse. She bucked off Orin Larsen in Round 5, and was chosen bareback horse of the night.
    Xplosive Skies, 6, is the granddaughter of Calgary Stampede’s Grated Coconut, the 2003-04, 2006-2009 Bareback Horse of the Year. Those six Bareback Horse of the Year honors for Grated Coconut are a PRCA record.
    “It’s awesome, and a great honor because it is voted on by your peers,” said Keith Marrington, the Director of Rodeo for Calgary Stampede. “For them to recognize our bareback horse as the top horse of the NFR is outstanding. I couldn’t be any happier.”
    Xplosive Skies went to the 2015 Canadian Finals Rodeo as a saddle bronc horse.
    “She was fighting her head this past spring, so we decided to move her to bareback and she has fit right in and been outstanding,” Marrington said. “I think her biggest trait is her athletic ability, and she has a good mind on her.”
    Beutler & Son’s Wound Up, 9, was named top WNFR saddle bronc horse. Wound Up was chosen saddle bronc horse of the night in Round 5 after bucking off Rusty Wright. Cody Wright also had a 90.5-point ride on Wound Up to win Round 10.
    “She bucks guys off about 50 percent of the time, and when they ride her, they usually win the (saddle) bronc riding,” said Bennie Beutler, co-owner of the Beutler & Son Rodeo Company with his son, Rhett. “She’s a bay horse, and she’s out of Commotion; her and Killer Bee both are out of Commotion.”
    Commotion was Bareback Horse of the Year (1998-2000), and made 10 consecutive trips (1997-2006) to the WNFR before retiring in his prime at the 2006 WNFR at the age of 15. Commotion passed away at age 25 this past September.
    Two go rounds were won on Wound Up at the 2015 WNFR – Round 5 and Round 10. She was voted runner-up for the Top Saddle Bronc of last year’s WNFR.

  • WNFR in Review

    WNFR in Review

    courtesy of PRCA

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – With $10 million and nine world championship buckles up for grabs, the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Polaris RANGER was full of drama, thrills and everlasting memories.
    There were numerous historic performances in Las Vegas over the 10 nights, but no cowboys left town with bigger smiles than Junior Nogueira, steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack and bull rider Sage Kimzey.
    Nogueira, a 26-year-old team roping header from Presidente Prudente, Brazil, combined with his heeler, Kaleb Driggers, to place sixth in Round 10, which was enough to earn Nogueira the all-around gold buckle. Nogueira is the first Brazilian in PRCA history to win a gold buckle.
    Nogueira’s season total of $231,728 earned him the title by less than $3,600 over steer wrestler Clayton Hass.
    Since 2002, there have now only been three different all-around champs – Nogueira joins Trevor Brazile and Ryan Jarrett. Jarrett’s title came in 2005.
    Waguespack captured his first world title, thanks to an outstanding WNFR. The Gonzales, La., cowboy had a winning time of 41.9 seconds in the 10-head average. He placed in eight of the 10 rounds, and split victories in Rounds 1, 3, and 6. He also split second place in Round 4, and was second outright in Round 9.
    The $213,218 he earned over the 10 nights was a steer wrestling WNFR record, and also won him the RAM Top Gun Award for the contestant with the most money earned in a single event.
    In addition to the two buckles he took home, Waguespack also received a one-of-a-kind wrapped RAM truck, a custom buckle from Montana Silversmiths and a one-of-a-kind RAM Truck Top Gun-branded rifle from Commemorative Firearms.
    Bareback rider Tim O’Connell ($374,272) set a PRCA record for most money won in any event in any year, eclipsing the mark of $327,178 established by bull rider Sage Kimzey last year. The single-season record for most money won in bareback riding before 2016 was $319,986 by Kaycee Feild in 2011. Waguespack also established a new single-season steer wrestling money record with $298,676, as did team roping header Levi Simpson ($249,133) and his heeler Jeremy Buhler ($258,311).
    With all the money earned at the 58th annual WNFR a handful of cowboys passed the million-dollar mark in career earnings. The list is comprised of team roping heeler Dugan Kelly ($1,014,232), bull rider Shane Proctor ($1,214,620), team roping header Riley Minor ($1,068,647) and team roping heeler Russell Cardoza ($1,021,387).
    Aside from Waguespack, the only other WNFR earnings record broken was set by world champion header Simpson and heeler Buhler, with $186,000 each in team roping.
    Nogueira, O’Connell, Kimzey and barrel racer Mary Burger were the only world champions who led their events heading into the WNFR. As a result of the shakeup at the top, there were seven first-time world champions in 2016: Nogueira (all-around), O’Connell (bareback riding), Waguespack (steer wrestling), Simpson (team roping header), Buhler (team roping heeler), Zeke Thurston (saddle bronc riding), and Tyson Durfey (tie-down roping).

  • Best in the World Invited to RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN, presented by Polaris RANGER

    Best in the World Invited to RFD-TV’s THE AMERICAN, presented by Polaris RANGER

    courtesy of the PRCA
    Rodeo Fans only chance to see the champions of the PRCA, PBR, and ERA compete in one event on February 19th at AT&T Stadium

    courtesy of RFD-TV’s The AMERICAN

    (NASHVILLE, TENN. — December 14th, 2016) RFD-TV president and founder Patrick Gottsch announced RFD-TV’s The American top invitees on a special selection show edition of “Western Sports Weekly.” The cowboys or cowgirls invited in each event features a mixture of champions and top competitors from the PRCA, PBR, and ERA. The American is the only time the champions of these three professional organizations can be seen at one event. Two fan exemptions, Cole Bailey and Sage Kimzey, were also announced. The recipients, listed below will automatically qualify for the finals in the world’s richest one-day rodeo, to be held February 19th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They will be eligible for a $100,000 check plus a wealth of prizes should they win their event.

    “This is a mixture of ERA, PRCA, and PBR champions,” said Patrick Gottsch, founder and president of RFD-TV. “I think what’s really neat is that all these folks will be able to compete head-to-head really for the first time since their finals took place.”

    The world’s richest one-day rodeo is an action packed day, explains Gottsch. “We kind of brag about the fact that this is a five-hour rodeo. It’s gone fast in the past and I think people are going to enjoy it just as much, if not more this year.”

    One million dollars is also up for grabs in the Semi-Finals, held at Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards February 14 – 17, 2017. This year, RFD-TV added $500,000 to the purse, making the Semi-Finals a $1,000,000 rodeo in its own right. Payouts will be larger and deeper for qualifiers. In addition to the added money in the Semi-Finals, qualifiers will have a chance to win their share of the $1,000,000 side pot should they win their event at The American. Watch the announcement online.

    RFD-TV’s The American Ten Invitees (by event):

    BAREBACK

    1. Tanner Aus
    2. Caleb Bennett
    3. Richmond Champion
    4. Steven Dent
    5. Kaycee Feild
    6. Austin Foss
    7. Orin Larsen
    8. Bobby Mote
    9. Tim O’Connell
    10. Jake Vold

     

    STEER WRESTLING

    1. Bray Armes
    2. Luke Branquinho
    3. Dakota Eldridge
    4. Stockton Graves
    5. Clayton Hass
    6. Kyle Irwin
    7. Matt Reeves
    8. J.D. Struxness
    9. Jason Thomas
    10. Tyler Waguespack

     

    TEAM ROPING

    1. Derrick Begay/Clay O’Brien Cooper
    2. Dustin Bird/Russell Cardoza
    3. Trevor Brazile/Patrick Smith
    4. Luke Brown/Jake Long
    5. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira
    6. Riley Minor/Brady Minor
    7. Erich Rogers/Cory Petska
    8. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler
    9. Clay Smith/Paul Eaves
    10. Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill

     

    SADDLE BRONC

    1. CoBurn Bradshaw
    2. Jacobs Crawley
    3. Cort Scheer
    4. Wade Sundell
    5. Zeke Thurston
    6. Jake Watson
    7. Cody Wright
    8. Jake Wright
    9. Ryder Wright
    10. Rusty Wright

     

    TIE-DOWN ROPING

    1. Trevor Brazile
    2. Tuf Cooper
    3. Marcos Costa
    4. Tyson Durfey
    5. Shane Hanchey
    6. Hunter Herrin
    7. Cody Ohl
    8. Caleb Smidt
    9. Marty Yates
    10. Cade Swor
    11. Marty Yates
    12. Cole Bailey (Fan Exemption)

     

    BARREL RACING

    1. Mary Burger
    2. Pamela Capper
    3. Sherry Cervi
    4. Chayni Chamberlain
    5. Kassidy Dennison
    6. Lisa Lockhart
    7. Amberleigh Moore
    8. Fallon Taylor
    9. Mary Walker
    10. Kimmie Wall

     

    BULL RIDING

    1. Eduardo Aparecido
    2. Cooper Davis
    3. Ryan Dirteater
    4. Mike Lee
    5. Jess Lockwood
    6. Guilherme Marchi
    7. JB Mauney
    8. Kaique Pacheco
    9. Fabiano Vieira
    10. Joao Ricardo Vieira
    11. Sage Kimzey (Fan Exemption)

    Great tickets are still available for both the Semi-Finals and the Finals. For those who might not have done their Christmas shopping, RFD-TV is offering 10% off to the Finals. Visit www.AmericanRodeo.com and click on the ticket link and enter “Top10” when prompted at checkout.

  • Cherry Custard Fruit Pie

    Cherry Custard Fruit Pie

    courtesy of Karen Vold

    Ingredients:
    Crust:
    2 cups flour
    2 tbs sugar
    3 tbs mild
    1 tsp salt
    2/3 cup oil
    Topping:
    2 eggs
    1 pint sour cream
    1 cup sugar
    1 tsp vanilla
    21 oz can cherry pie filling or blueberry

    DIRECTIONS: Mix crust ingredients together and press in deep-dish 10” pie pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon on bottom.  Pour can of pie filling on bottom of crust.
    For topping, beat eggs, add sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Mix together and pour on top of fruit, then sprinkle a little cinnamon on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
    My sister, Pam Barton, served this fabulous pie to me when we went to Florida to visit her. She got it from her neighbor, and it’s oh so good! You will be sorry it doesn’t make more.

  • Wild Rice Casserole or Dressing

    courtesy of Karen Vold

    Serves 8

    Ingredients:
    1 box of Uncle Ben’s Brown and Wild Rice Seasonings – cook according to instructions.

    DIRECTIONS: Sauté onions and mushrooms and add to rice; mix, then pour half and half over it until soupy, 3 cups or more. Bake 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees. Add more liquid if needed.  You can use 3/4 – 1 cup of sour cream to replace equal amount of half and half if you like. This makes a great accompaniment to a turkey dinner.
    Shirley Churchill has brought this dish several times for Thanksgiving and everyone always enjoys it.  Good any time of year if you like rice.

     

  • Mocha Punch

    Mocha Punch

    courtesy of Karen Vold

    Yield: 20-25 servings (about 5 quarts)

    Ingredients:
    1 1/2 quarts water
    1/2 cup instant chocolate drink mix
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/4 cup instant coffee granules
    1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
    1/2 gallon chocolate ice cream
    1 cup whipped cream, whipped chocolate curls (optional)

    DIRECTIONS: In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Remove from the heat. Add drink mix, sugar and coffee; stir until dissolved.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. About 30 minutes before serving, pour into a punch bowl.  Add ice cream by spoonfuls; stir until partially melted. Garnish with dollops of whipped cream and chocolate curls if desired.
    Christmas 2007 was the first time I tried this punch. I used it at our Christmas party and it was so pretty in the punch bowl. It looked like a giant chocolate milkshake. It really disappeared fast. I highly recommend it if you like chocolate shakes. I found it in the “Country Catalogue.”

  • Champions Crowned at the Inaugural Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) World Championship in Dallas

    Champions Crowned at the Inaugural Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) World Championship in Dallas

    American Airlines Center hosts one of the most incredible all-star rodeo competitions, featuring 87 of the sport’s top athletes and, now, 143 World Championships

    DALLAS (Nov. 13, 2016) – The world’s premier professional rodeo athletes and animals that represent the new Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) tour brought the year-long competition to a thrilling end today at the American Airlines Center, crowning 16 final event and overall champions and handing out more than $1,000,000 in cash purse prizes.

    “What started out as a fresh idea between a few cowboys on how we could advance and better the sport of rodeo turned into a dream-come-true this weekend in Dallas,” said ERA interim President Bobby Mote. “We couldn’t be happier with how the ERA World Championship turned out over three days at the American Airlines Center.

    “Rodeo is a big part of Texas’ great heritage and boy did the ERA deliver to our fans at the event and tuning in worldwide on FOX Sports 2 TV, SiriusXM Rural Radio and FloSports.com.”

    Saluting the newly-crowned champions of the ERA’s inaugural season, Mote tipped his hat to winners Chandler Bownds (Bull Riding), Bray Armes (Steer Wrestling), Clay Tryan & Jade Corkill (Team Roping), Cort Scheer (Saddle Bronc Riding), Lisa Lockhart (Barrel Racing), Shane Hanchey (Tie-Down Roping) and Steven Dent (Bareback Riding).

    Sunday’s Round 3 competition results and overall ERA World Championship results:
    Bull Riding
    Friday’s bull riding winner Bownds (Lubbock, Texas) put up the best number again on Sunday, posting up perfectly on a right-handed spin by the bull they call “Spotted Canyon,” and rocking a score of 86.5 at the buzzer. Bownds’ second gold belt buckle of the weekend topped Oregon’s Cannon Cravens by two points (84.5).
    chandler-bownds-bull-riding-2289
    Said Bownds on his Sunday win and overall title: “It feels great to get this title. I had a tough bull in the second round, Bushwacked, and he bucked me off pretty quick and sored me up a bit. But I came back today got another round win on a bull who was just good right there in the gate and around to the right and lucky enough to get the round win.”

    • Bull Riding Round 3 Event Results:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
        • 1st Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, TX, Spotted Canyon, 86.5
        • 2nd Cannon Cravens, Porum, OK, Frosty Whiril, 84.5
        • 3rd Neil Holmes, Houston, TX, Ruff Em Up Truck, 80.5
    • Bull Riding Event World Standings:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, TX, 3350
        •  2nd Cody Campbell, Summerville, OR, 3025
        • 3rd Beau Hill, Columbia Falls, MT, 2600

    Steer Wrestling
    Getting out of the gate a bit slow, times in the four-second range and a couple no scores with the steers early on were disrupted by the night’s No. 1 effort  when Louisiana’s Casey Martin shot out to a quick and clean 3.58 second run. Two other ERA athletes put up sub-four second efforts on the floor of the American Airlines Center, the 2nd place of 3.76 coming from the newly crowned ERA Steer Wrestling Champion Armes.

    Said Martin: “It feels great, especially since I didn’t place in the first two rounds. So to get it done and get my steer down it feels great to win the round – and run the fastest time of the rodeo. It lets me know I’ve still got it.”

    Added Armes on his overall championship: “Unbelievable. It’s been a dream all year long. I’ve just worked hard at it and thanks to everybody that has always supported me. I feel very blessed.”

    bray-armes-steer-wrestling-8531

    • Steer Wrestling Round 3 Event Results:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Casey Martin, Sulpher, LA, 3.58
        • 2nd Bray Armes, Pilot Point, TX, 3.76
        • 3rd Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, AL, 3.92
    • Steer Wrestling Event World Standings:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Bray Armes, Pilot Point, TX, 3850
        • 2nd Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, AL, 3675
        • 3rd Stockton Graves, Alva, OK, 3087.5

    Team Roping
    Disrupting the overall team roping champions’ potential sweep of the ERA World Championship in Dallas, Turtle Powell (Stephenville, Texas) and Jhett Johnson (Casper, Wyo.) teamed up to head & heel the night’s only sub-four second time, clocking a lightning quick 3.6 seconds for the double gold ERA belt buckles. In the 2016 ERA World Championship season the largest margin of victory in the roping events – 800 points – came courtesy of the team of Tryan (Montana) and Corkill (Nevada) as the two grabbed two of three wins in Dallas to secure the overall title.

    Said Powell: “Well it felt good. We struggled the first two rounds and I struggled and didn’t rope very well. We were talking about it earlier and we always win something, so it was nice to win tonight … nice to win one of those buckles.”

    Added Corkhill on the overall title: It’s really cool because there are certain things that only happen once and getting to be the first one, you only have one shot at that so to get it done is something that will be special to us forever.”

    • Team Roping Round 3 Event Results:
      •    Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        •   1st Powell/Johnson, Stephenville, TX/Casper, WY, 3.6
        •   2nd Tsinigine/Motes, Fort McDowell, AZ/Weatherford, TX, 4.38
        •   3rd Proctor/Long, Pryor, OK/Coffeyville, KS, 4.4
    •         Team Roping Event World Standings:
      •    Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        •   1st Tryan/Corkill, Plentywood, MT/Fallon, NV, 4650
        •   2nd Begay/O’Brien Cooper, Winslow, AZ/Gardnerville, NV, 3850
        •   3rd Driggers/Nogueira, Albany, GA/Scottsdale, AZ, 3175

    Saddle Bronc Riding

    Two big scores in saddle bronc highlighted the season’s final event in the popular, high flying discipline. And in the end the overall champ (Scheer) was edged out by Iowa’s Wade Sundell, 87-point ride. Sundell, riding the horse they call “Out West,” would secure his 2nd place overall position in the ERA season standing with the win, though was still well back of Scheer for the overall title (1,000 points). Canada’s Zeke Thurston would place 3rd overall in the standings, the only Canadian to make the ERA’s overall podium in in the opening season.
    Said Sundell: “It’s a good three days here it’s exciting to come out on top the last day and just ride against all these great guys. And it’s been an honor to beat them all (he said with a laugh).”

    cort-scheer-3817
    Scheer on his overall championship: “Unbelievable, you know? You watch all of your idols walk around with gold buckles all the time so it’ll be pretty cool to finally get to wear one.”

    •         Saddle Bronc Riding Round 3 Event Results:
      •    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
        •   1st Wade Sundell, Boxholm, IA, Out West, 87
        •   2nd Cort Scheer, Elsmere, NE, Bitter Robin, 86
        •   3rd Ty Kirkland, Lufkin, TX, Lunatic From Hell, 84.5
    •         Saddle Bronc Riding Event World Standings:
      •    Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        •   1st Cort Scheer, Elsmere, NE, 4862.5
        •   2nd Wade Sundell, Boxholm, IA, 3875
        •   3rd Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 3337.

     

    Barrel Racing
    If there was a surprise underdog story of the 2016 ERA World Championship it had to be Texan and ERA Last Chance Qualifier, Kassie Mowry’s 1st/1st/1st sweep of the three barrel racing events. Mowry was unstoppable, topping everything from numerous legends in the sport to a couple young girls that weigh about half as much as the senior competitors. Mowry and Sunday’s runner up, Ashley Schafer (Yoder, Wyo.), both rode their horses to sub-13 second times – Mowry’s 12.793 topping Schafer’s 12.994 by a mere two tenths of a second.
    Said Mowry: “I am just beyond ecstatic. I really had no idea that he (Mowry’s horse “Firewatermakehappy”) would come out like he did – I just thought this would be a really good learning experience. I am just thrilled that he is taking it in and getting stronger even at the end … just thrilled.”
    Added Lockhart on her overall title: “Oh it is amazing, and it is a sigh of relief. I knew it was going to be close. We were just too long today and I really worried about it, but I thought it is what it is and if we are, great, and if not kudos to whoever did.”

    lisa-lockhart-barrel-racing-4804

    • Barrel Racing Round 3 Event Results:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Kassie Mowry, Dublin, TX, 12.793
        • 2nd Ashley Schafer, Yoder, WY, 12.994
        • 3rd Callie Duperier, Boerne, TX, 13
    • Barrel Racing Event World Standings:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, SD, 4025
        • 2nd Kassidy Denison, Tohatchi, NM, 3562.5
        • 3rd Kassie Mowry, Dublin, TX, 2992

    Tie-Down Roping

    Bit of poetic justice for the overall champ Hanchey on Sunday as the Louisianan stepped ‘er up and topped the field, putting an exclamation point on his title with a 1st place event finish on Sunday. Saving the best for last, Hanchey would top on of the sport’s all-time greats, Cody Ohl (3rd) and runner-up Cooper Martin with a time of 7.05 seconds.
    Said Hanchey on both is Sunday win and overall title: “Well, I came into this round kind of behind the eight-ball. I knew I needed to win first or second in the round after the way it kind of unfolded. I was lucky enough to go last so I knew what I needed to do and it all kind of just fell into place, both the event win today and the overall ERA tie-down (roping) championship.”

    • Tie-Down Roping Round 3 Event Results:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Shane Hanchey, Sulpher, LA, 7.05
        • 2nd Cooper Martin, Alma, KS, 7.21
        • 3rd Cody Ohl, Hico, TX, 7.38*
        • 3rd Marty Yates, Stephenville, TX 7.38*
    • Tie-Down Roping Event World Standings:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Shane Hanchey, Sulpher, LA, 3650
        • 2nd Caleb Smidt, Bellville, TX, 3425
        • 3rd Marty Yates, Stephenville, TX, 3325

    Bareback Riding
    Like the grand finale of a fireworks display, Sunday’s bareback riding competition didn’t disappoint as the fans were brought to their feet not only by the podium trio of Dent (1st), Oregon’s Bobby Mote (2nd) Utah’s Kaycee Feild (3rd), but also by the final retirement run of longtime great rodeo star Ryan Gray. Dent’s 86-point run on the bucking horse they dubbed “Smack Daddy” was the weekend’s second-highest score, and easily the day’s top scoring bareback ride.

    Said Dent on both his event win and overall title: “I was just trying to stay calm and get a good seat before I nodded, things just worked out well after that. And on the title, it feels great. Just competing against the best guys in the world everyday just makes you better, and I’m humbled and feel blessed to be able to beat those guys. It’s unbelievable.”

    • Bareback Riding Round 2 Event Results:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
        • 1st Steven Dent, Mullen, NE, Smack Daddy, 86
        • 2nd Bobby Mote, Culver, OR, Rodeo Beyond, 84
        • 3rd Kaycee Field, Spanish Fork, UT, Painted Brush, 83.5
    • Bareback Riding Event World Standings:
      • Place, Name, Hometown, Score
        • 1st Steven Dent, Mullen, NE, 4337.5
        • 2nd Kaycee Field, Spanish Fork, UT, 3837.5
        • 3rd Austin Foss, Terrebonne, OR, 3300

    Mote would wrap up the much talked about 2016 ERA tour and highly successful World Championship in Dallas by saying, “This wasn’t just the end of our first ever ERA season, but the beginning of something bigger in the sport of professional rodeo. Ten or 20 years from now we’ll be looking back at this moment realizing this is where it all started.”

    For more information about the 2016 ERA World Championship and the ERA Premier Tour, including the announcement of the upcoming 2017 tour dates, please visit www.erarodeo.com.

    ###

    About ERA:

    Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) is a “League of Champions” where only the world’s best rodeo athletes and livestock compete. ERA is rodeo’s finest and provides rodeo athletes, fans and committees, and the entertainment and rodeo industry an opportunity to experience the most skilled rodeo athletes in the world. ERA is comprised of two tours – the Premier Tour, featuring 87 of the sport’s top athletes, representing 135 world championships, collectively; and the Qualifying Series, offering up-and-coming rodeo talent an opportunity to qualify for the Premier Tour and ultimately the $1 million ERA World Championship on Nov. 11-13 in Dallas, Texas. ERA will payout more than $2.4 million in 2016, including the ERA World Championship. FS2 (FOX Sports 2) will nationally televise 42 hours of ERA programming in 2016, including all 11 regular season events and the ERA World Championship. ERA will have the largest household network audience in all of professional rodeo.

     

     

  • Athletes and Animal Athletes Shine at Opening Night of ERA Rodeo World Championship at American Airlines Center 

    Athletes and Animal Athletes Shine at Opening Night of ERA Rodeo World Championship at American Airlines Center 

    DALLAS (Nov. 11, 2016) – The million dollar inaugural Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) World Championship – America’s new professional rodeo tour, featuring 87 of the sport’s top athletes and, collectively, 135 World Championships – opened three nights of action on the American Airlines Center floor on Friday.

    Top bull riders, steer wrestlers, team ropers, saddle and bareback bronc riders, barrel racers and tie-down ropers all descended upon the Big D this weekend to decide – on two million pounds of dirt packed on top of the Mavs’ & Stars’ hallowed playing surfaces – the season-long, 11 tour stops of rodeo across the western U.S. in one action-packed weekend of competition.

    “A heck of night of competition – with two more to go,” said Bobby Mote, Interim President of ERA and Bareback Riding Athlete. “Dallas has such a storied history of rodeo and the ERA’s extremely pleased to bring the World Championship back to town.”

    Fans poured into the American Airlines Center some 90 minutes prior to the 7 p.m. start of the competition, mingling with the athletes on the rodeo floor, snapping selfies and scoring autographs – a fan-friendly event exclusive to ERA rodeo.

    era-wc-friday-logo-9880

    Competition results:
    Bull riding
    Drawing the bull “Doc Mosely” out of the fourth starting spot, Lubbock’s Chandler Bownds, was able to put up an early top score – that would stick through the 15-rider field. The round one win gave Bownds enough points to move into the lead of the ERA World Championship standings.

    Said Bownds: “Good bull, Doc Mosely. Started out left, went around right. Not the best get-off, but made it out safely. Felt good to be out here in front of this great crowd at the American Airlines Center.”

    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas, Doc Mosley, 85
    2nd Zack Oakes, Tolar, Texas, King Buck, 83.5
    3rd Cannon Cravens,Porum, Okla., Delco, 79.5

    Steer Wrestling
    The defensive linemen of ERA’s rodeo tour, the steers didn’t stand a chance on Friday night on the floor of the American Airlines Center. Local Texan Bray Armes (Pilot Point) threw his steer the fastest, bringing the several hundred pound steer onto his back in just under four seconds (3.97). Armes would be the only contestant to crack the four-second barrier of the evening, garnering the event win.

    Said Armes: “Everybody bulldogged great tonight. I just had a good start and did my job after that.”

    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Bray Armes, Pilot Point, Texas, 3.97 seconds
    2nd Hunter Cure, Holiday, Texas, 4.16
    3rd Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 4.21

    Team Roping
    The duo of Clay Tryan (Plentywood, Mont.) and Jade Corkill (Fallon, Nev.) were consistent and fast – two qualities fans have come to expect in the ERA team roping. Their time of 4.05 seconds was well out in front of second place, and pushed them ahead of Derrick Begay and Clay O’Brien Cooper who were winning the championship race coming into the night.

    Said Corkill: “I thought we made a good run, but I wasn’t sure if it’d be good enough for first, but I guess it was better than I thought.

    Team Roping
    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Tryan/Corkill, Plentywood, Mont./Fallon, Nev., 4.05 seconds
    2nd Driggers/Nogueira, Albany, Ga./Scottsdale, Ariz., 4.48
    3rd Begay/Cooper, Winslow, Ariz./Gardenerville, Nev., 4.63

    Saddle Bronc
    Nebraska’s Cort Scheer, aboard the horse “Good Times,” put up an exciting 85.5 score that was well out in front of the rest of the competition. Scheer’s ride went nearly the length of the arena and gave the crowd a great show with his classic riding style.

    Said Scheer: “The place was electric tonight. Lots of good spur runs. Definitely had a good time and pleased I was able to win here at the first ERA World Championship at the American Airlines Center.”

    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb., Good Times, 85.5
    2nd Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., Shining Mountain, 82
    3rd Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Can., Show Biz, 82

    Barrel Racing
    Dublin’s Kassie Mowry qualified for the ERA World Championship this past Wednesday through a Last Chance Qualifier competition that took place at Fair Park in Dallas. The qualifying competition progressed the top two barrel racers, giving them a chance to compete against the best in the world. Mowry showed up as an underdog, but quickly made her mark. She drew the No. 1 starting spot and set the pace for the night with a time of 12.91 seconds. Mowry’s time would hold up as the only sub 13-second run, gaining her the win in the highly-talented field.

    Said Mowry: “Everything happened just so fast. I was just trying to stay in the middle of my horse and let him do his job.”

    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Kassie Mowry, Dublin, Texas, 12.91
    2nd Fallon Taylor, Collinsville, Texas, 13.05
    3rd Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 13.06

    Tie-Down Roping
    Texan Caleb Smidt was the only cowboy to break the seven-second barrier on Friday, putting together an impressive run at just 6.95 seconds. The win gave him enough points to shorten Shane Hanchey’s sizable lead down to just 225 points. With two more round of competition at 650 points per round, the tie-down roping points race just got real interesting.

    Said Smidt: “I had a great run, had a good calf and my horse was awesome. Definitely looking forward to tomorrow night here in Dallas.”

    Tie-Down Roping
    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, 6.95
    2nd Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, 7.23
    3rd  Cimmaron Boardman, Stephenville, Texas, 7.27

    Bareback Bronc
    One of the discipline’s all-time greats, Wes Stevenson (Kaufman), went for a wild one on his horse “Dairy Day,” scoring an 82.5 for the win over Kaycee Feild and Ryan Gray (who announced his retirement from the sport following this Sunday’s ERA World Championship finale).

    Said Stevenson: “I felt things went well. Dairy Day comes from a great breeder and great family. Horses like that help cowboys show off really well. You know what they say, you’re only as good as the one you dance with.”

    Place, Name, Hometown, Stock, Score
    1st Wes Stevenson, Kaufman, Texas, Dairy Day, 82.5
    2nd Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah, Pin Ball Girl, 81.0*
    2nd Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., Lunatic Clown, 81.0*
    *Tie

    Tickets for the three-day competition start at $31 and can be purchased online at www.Tickemaster.com, by phone at (800) 745-3000, at the American Airlines Center Box Office or Ticketmaster kiosks located inside Fiesta Foods, Macy’s, Walmart, and the Shops at Willow Bend Mall. Tickets subject to additional fees. The competition begins at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11-12 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13.
    For more information about the 2016 ERA World Championship and the ERA Premier Tour, visit www.erarodeo.com. Fans can catch the action live on FloSports.com’s www.FloRodeo.com.

    ###
    About ERA:
    Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA) is a “League of Champions” where only the world’s best rodeo athletes and livestock compete. ERA is rodeo’s finest and provides rodeo athletes, fans and committees, and the entertainment and rodeo industry an opportunity to experience the most skilled rodeo athletes in the world. ERA is comprised of two tours – the Premier Tour, featuring 87 of the sport’s top athletes, representing 135 world championships, collectively; and the Qualifying Series, offering up-and-coming rodeo talent an opportunity to qualify for the Premier Tour and ultimately the $1 million ERA World Championship on Nov. 11-13 in Dallas, Texas. ERA will payout more than $2.4 million in 2016, including the ERA World Championship. FS2 (FOX Sports 2) will nationally televise 42 hours of ERA programming in 2016, including all 11 regular season events and the ERA World Championship. ERA will have the largest household network audience in all of professional rodeo.