Author: Ted Harbin

Storied bronc had a distinguished career with 13 NFRs, six round wins

DALLAS – For most of her life, Scarlet’s Web was one of the greatest bucking horses in rodeo. She will be remembered as such by the men who rode her for hundreds of thousands of dollars over her lifetime.

The Pete Carr Pro Rodeo bay mare died Saturday, Sept. 29, after suffering an aneurysm at Timbercreek Veterinary Clinic in Canyon, Texas. Scarlet’s Web was 19 years old and in her first year of retirement after a long and storied career in rodeo, where she was selected 13 straight times to perform at the National Finals Rodeo.

“She was definitely one of my favorite horses ever to ride,” said Tilden Hooper, a seven-time NFR qualifier who rode the magnificent mare to two NFR round wins in his career: the 10^th round in both the 2008 and the 2018 championships. “You knew every time you drew her that she was going to take you to the money.

“From a rider’s standpoint, she was going to get up in the air and give you a chance to go on. She was fun to ride. With some horses you win on, it’s more of a fight. With her, it felt more like a dance. She was nice to ride, but she had enough action that she was really electric.”

Her last performance was at the NFR 10 months ago, and it was a fitting end to a magnificent career. Since her first appearance in 2007, she guided cowboys to round victories six times, an unprecedented number that sets the standard for winning bucking horses.

“I had the opportunity to get on her twice, once in Guymon (Oklahoma) when she was at the prime of her career, and again last year at the NFR,” said Tim O’Connell, a three-time world champion who rode Scarlet’s Web for 88 points to finish with the second-best score of the sixth round this past December. “To be 88 points on her then and there, it shows so much about a horse that was 18 or 19 years old and still bucking that well.

“She gave you every opportunity in the world to win. She was always going to give you and honest go and an electric go at it every time. Those were some of the funnest 15 seconds of my life.”

Born in 2001, she is the daughter of the mare Scarlett and the stallion Night Jacket, two of the greatest bucking-horse producers in the history of ProRodeo. At least four of Scarlet’s Web’s full siblings have bucked at the NFR, and dozens more of her half siblings have been there, too.

Billy Jones, the general manager for Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, said the firm has two young Scarlet’s Web fillies at the ranch, one sired by Korczak, a Carr foundation stallion, and Lunatic Fringe, another high-producing stud.

“Both those fillies are big and strong,” said Jones, noting the breeding program just continues to grow each year. “We expect them to be pretty good.”

The groundwork is certainly there. Dr. Gregg Veneklasen operates Timbercreek and was just a few feet from Scarlet’s Web when she collapsed. He has built a solid foundry for breeding at his Canyon facility, with dozens of horses that reside there throughout the year.

“We have a lot of good mares here,” Veneklasen said. “I buried her next to Kattle Kate, the mother to Big Tex, and to Dirty, the mother of Dirty Jacket. She’s buried right there by other Zinser horses that have died here.”

Jim and Maggie Zinser developed a breeding program like no other 50 years ago, and other firms have begun to run with it over time. They were the original owners of Scarlet’s Web and her parents, and that legacy continues forward.

“I’ve seen the filly by Lunatic Fringe out of Scarlet’s Web, and she’s really cute, and she’s a really loud paint with a medicine cap,” Veneklasen said, noting the paint characteristics passed on by the young horse’s sire and also Scarlet Web’s sire. “I’d say she’s 3 or 4 years old now, so she’s bound to have something to her.”

If that filly is anything like her mother, she’ll be a cowboy’s dream.

“Scarlet’s Web was just a good, reliable horse you could count on every time,” said Orin Larsen, who won the rounds he was in both times he was matched with the mare, once at The American in Arlington, Texas, and the other in Lovington, New Mexico. “She went to the NFR 13 consecutive times and was in our TV pen most of the time; I can only name two or three other horses that have that kind of resume.

“I think that horse loved what she did until the day she died.”

At age 16, she guided Steven Dent to a share of the 10^th-round win at the 2017 NFR with an 88-point ride. A year later, she and Hooper matched moves for 89.5 points – a decade after the tandem scored 90 in the final round of the 2008 championship.

She was definitely special, and countless cowboys will recall those moments. Dent, now retired at age 34, won the PRCA’s 2008 tour championship in Dallas on Scarlet’s Web, then added the top dollars as both neared the end of their distinguished careers nine years later.

“She was always a money horse,” said Dent, who estimates his earnings on her back to be near $60,000 in just two times of riding the big bay. “I’m not sure she ever threw anybody off, but guys were always 87 to 91 points on her every time she turned her head out.”

“There are not many of them that stay like that for that long. She’s as good a horse as I’ve seen in my career. If you needed to win a check and you had her, you knew it was going to be a good check and probably help you win first.”

Only the greatest bucking horses in ProRodeo make it to the NFR in a given year, and Scarlet’s Web did it 13 times in a row. Virtually each year, the cowboys wanted her in fifth and 10^th rounds, which featured the most electric animals in the game.

She earned her spot in that field each season; once there, she proved why she was always one of the best ones in the herd. It was part of her legacy passed on through the bloodlines she held, but it also was a testament to the type of animal she was for nearly 20 years of life.

“For a horse to be that good for that long, they must have a huge heart,” Hooper said. “She loved bucking, and you could tell it by the way she did it every time.”

 

GUNNISON, Colo. – When Tanner Butner designated 2020 to be his rookie campaign in ProRodeo, he had no idea what was in store.

A global pandemic hit, and his once promising season turned into a year of delays, cancelations and setbacks. Still, the saddle bronc rider sits No. 4 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s rookie standings and has an outside chance to catch the leader, Iowan Riggin Smith.

“Winning the rookie was one of my goals this year, and I’ve been trying to get that done,” said Butner, 23, of Daniel, Wyoming. “This weekend’s helped me out quite a bit as far as that goes.”

Yes, it did. On Saturday night, Butner rode Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Dreamliner for 87.5 points to share the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo bronc riding victory with 2017 world champion Ryder Wright, who posted the same score Friday. With that, both Butner and Wright each earned $2,003.

“I wanted to go ahead and make the finals this year, but I had a rough winter,” Butner said. “So, I just tried to get the rookie done.”

Only the top 15 in the world standings at the conclusion of the regular season advance to the National Finals Rodeo, and Butner entered the weekend 38^th on the money list. Still, earning the elusive Rookie of the Year crown is quite prestigious in ProRodeo.

With struggles through the big events in the winter months, the Wyoming cowboy was left on the outside looking in. Throw in a greatly reduced rodeo schedule, and it was a steep climb that he was unable to traverse.

That’s why his ride Saturday night was so special. It inches him up the rookie standings, and he can still move up the list to catch Smith, who held a $12,000 lead heading into this week of rodeos.

“This year, I’ve just tried to stay as busy as possible,” Butner said. “I just find anything I could do to make extra money on the side to keep me rolling.”

With COVID-19 affecting so many aspects of daily life, the young cowboy understands how important it is to ride well when the opportunities allow.

“It’s been a dang good year to have a job,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s pretty awesome what this community did to have a rodeo. I got to visit with one of the committee guys, and I know how much effort they put into it just to have a rodeo. I’m glad they did it; it’s a good deal for everybody.”

Cattlemen’s Days paid out a record $90,636 and featured many big names. In fact, the list of winners included contestants with multiple NFR qualifications, including world champions like Wright and heading titlist Levi Simpson. For Butner, it was nice to have his name in there and get on a great bucking horse in the process.

“Some of my buddies knew that horse and knew he was a pretty dang good one,” Butner said. “That’s a fun bugger. If you can beat them to the ground and pick them up a little, it helps them buck better and makes everything look a lot better. If you’re beating them back to the ground, it also feels 10 times better.”

So is earning a big win in the Colorado mountains.

 

Cattlemen’s Days
Gunnison, Colo.
Sept. 3-5
Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Cole Reiner, on United Pro Rodeo’s Pow Wow Nights, and Orin Larsen, on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s JBC Bent Rail Sourdough, 88 points, $1,923 each; 3. Wyatt Bloom, 87.5, $1,335; 5. Shane O’Connell, 85.5, $798; 5. Tim O’Connell, 85, $508; 6. (tie) Pascal Isabelle and Paden Hurst, 84.5, $327 each; 8. (tie) Donny Proffitt and Seth Hardwick, 82.5, $109.

Steer wrestling: 1. Jesse Brown, 3.7 seconds, $2,335; 2. Bridger Anderson, 3.8, $2,030; 3. Cody Devers, 3.9, $1,726; 4. Winston McGraw, 4.0, $1,421; 5. (tie) Cade Staton, Landon Beardsworth and Will Lummus, 4.1, $812 each; 8. (tie) Kodie Jang, Bill Glaunch and Dirk Tavenner, 4.2, $68.

Team roping: 1. (tie) Levi Simpson/Shay Carroll, Jake Cooper/Lane Mitchell and Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 4.5 seconds, $2,525 each; 4. Tanner Tomlinson/Brady Norman, 4.7, $1,931; 5. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.9, $1,634; 6. J.B.  James Jr./Brock Hanson, 5.2, $1,337; 7. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 5.3, $1,040; 8. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 5.4, $743; 9. Pedro Egurrola/Trevor Nowlin, 5.5, $446; 10. Clay Norell/Jesse Sheffield, 6.0, $149.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Ryder Wright, on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Flashcard Champ, and Tanner Butner, on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Dreamliner, 87.5 points, $2,003 each; 3. Cody DeMoss, 86.5, $1,285; 4. Jacobs Crawley, 86, $831; 5. Shorty Garrett, 85, $529; 6. Tegan Smith, 84.5, $378; 7. (tie) Spencer Wright and Chase Brooks, 84, $265 each.

Tie-down roping: 1. Trampus Quarnberg, 8.6 seconds, $2,800; 2. (tie) Tyler Prcin and Ike Fontenot, 8.7, $2,252 each; 4. Marcos Costa, 9.0, $1,704; 5. Luke Potter, 9.1, $1,339; 6. Charlie Gibson, 9.3, $974; 7. Shad Mayfield, 9.5, $609; 8. (tie) Ty Harris and Caleb Smidt, 9.8, $122 each.

Barrel racing: 1. Shali Lord, 17.48 seconds, $1,769; 2. Nicole Drigggers, 17.50, $1,516; 3. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.64, $1,263; 4. (tie) Sherry Cervi and Lake Mehalic, 17.65, $969 each; 6. (tie) Brittany Barnett and Nicole Waggoner, 17.67, $590; 8. Megan Champion, 17.74, $337; 9. Emily Miller, 17.76, $253; 10. Lexie Goss, 17.87, $168.

Bull riding: 1. Ty Wallace, 87.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Buck Jam, $2,961; 2. Roscoe Jarboe, 87, $2,270; 3. Chase Dougherty, 85.5, $1,678; 4. (tie) Cole Meloncon and Dustin Boquet, 85, $888 each; 6. Garrett Smith, 84.5, $494; 7. Brady Portenier, 84, $395; 8. Chance Ekins, 83.5, $296.

 

-30-

 

GUNNISON, Colo. – Orin Larsen had every reason to be excited about his Friday night ride at the Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo.

He matched moves with Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s JBC Bent Rail Sourdough for 88 points to move into a tie for the bareback riding lead with rookie Cole Reiner, who earned his 88 in Thursday’s first performance. For Larsen, the big score means a chance at big bucks in Gunnison, but it also means a lot more.

“I really want to win that rifle,” he said of a specialized gun that is awarded to the top-scoring bareback ride. “This is a great rodeo, but it’s a rodeo I’ve never been to. I know the committee has done a really good job of trying to get it going with the whole COVID deal going on. I know they moved on from their original dates and worked hard to make it happen.

“Like a lot of rodeos that have worked to go on through this year, it means a lot to us that they went ahead and had the rodeo.”

Like most professional sports, the global pandemic has turned rodeo on its side. More than half the rodeos on the 2020 schedule were canceled, while others, like Cattlemen’s Days, were postponed. That affects the bottom line of the cowboys and cowgirls who make this game their business. A year ago at this time, Larsen had secured more than $100,000 in earnings.

This year, though, he’s quite content with the $55,181 he’s pocketed; he sits seventh in the world standings and just needs to close out the final 25 days of the regular season to secure his sixth straight berth to the National Finals Rodeo.

“Everybody’s just scrambling right now,” said Larsen, 29, of Inglis, Manitoba, now living in Gering, Nebraska, with his wife, Alexa. “We’re all going to the same rodeos. It’s kind of a grudge match with everybody going to the same places. It makes rodeo a little more exciting.”

It was pretty exciting Friday. JBC Bent Rail Sourdough has been around for years, and Larsen recalled getting on the big horse a few years ago at the NFR.

“Everyone I talked to said that would be a really good horse to have here,” said Larsen, who earned $123,000 in 10 nights at the NFR last December and finished as the No. 2 bareback rider in the game. “She took a pretty long scoot and had a wild jump, but after that she was just up and down and felt really good. It was the perfect horse to have here.

“This has been a hard year to make a living rodeoing. You’re going to every rodeo, so you’re spending money to get there. A lot of committees have had to drop their sponsorship money, so it’s hard to make money. I try to look at things half full; I get to go to rodeos I’ve never been to. I try to make the most of it and have fun with what you’re having to deal with.”

That’s why he’s still finding success.

 

Cattlemen’s Days
Gunnison, Colo.
Sept. 3-5
Bareback riding leaders: 1. (tie) Cole Reiner, on United Pro Rodeo’s Pow Wow Nights, and Orin Larsen, on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s JBC Bent Rail Sourdough, 88 points; 3. Wyatt Bloom, 87.5; 5. Shane O’Connell, 85.5; 5. Tim O’Connell, 85; 6. Pascal Isabelle, 84.5; 7. Donny Proffitt, 82.5; 8. (tie) Jamie Howlett and Zach Hibler, 82.

Steer wrestling: 1. Jesse Brown, 3.7 seconds; 2. Bridger Anderson, 3.8; 3. Cody Devers, 3.9; 4. Winston McGraw, 4.0; 5. (tie) Cade Staton, Landon Beardsworth and Will Lummus, 4.1; 8. (tie) Kodie Jang, Bill Glaunch and Dirk Tavenner, 4.2.

Team roping: 1. (tie) Levi Simpson/Shay Carroll, Jake Cooper/Lane Mitchell and Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 4.5 seconds; 4. Tanner Tomlinson/Brady Norman, 4.7; 5. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 4.9; 6. J.B.  James Jr./Brock Hanson, 5.2; 7. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 5.3; 8. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 5.4; 9. Pedro Egurrola/Trevor Nowlin, 5.5; 10. Clay Norell/Jesse Sheffield, 6.0.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Ryder Wright, 87.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Flashcard Champ; 2. Cody DeMoss, 86.5; 3. Jacobs Crawley, 86; 4. Shorty Garrett, 85; 5. Spencer Wright, 84; 6. Wyatt Casper, 82; 7. Rusty Wright, 80.5; 8. Isaac Diaz, 69; 9. Taos Muncy, 78; 10. Stetson Wright, 77.5.

Tie-down roping: 1. Trampus Quarnberg, 8.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Tyler Prcin and Ike Fontenot, 8.7; 4. Marcos Costa, 9.0; 5. Luke Potter, 9.1; 6. Charlie Gibson, 9.3; 7. Shad Mayfield, 9.5; 8. (tie) Ty Harris and Caleb Smidt, 9.8.

Barrel racing: 1. Shali Lord, 17.48 seconds; 2. Nicole Drigggers, 17.50; 3. Sherry Cervi, 17.65; 4. (tie) Brittany Barnett and Nicole Waggoner, 17.67; 6. Megan Champion, 17.74; 7. Emily Miller, 17.76; 8. Lexie Goss, 17.87; 9. Lori Todd, 17.89; 10. Andrea Busby, 17.98.

Bull riding: 1. Ty Wallace, 87.5 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Buck Jam; 2. Roscoe Jarboe, 87; 3. Chase Dougherty, 85.5; 4. Cole Meloncon, 85; 5. Garrett Smith, 84.5; 6. Brady Portenier, 84; 7. Chance Ekins, 83.5; 8. Daylon Swearingen, 82.

 

-30-

 

During pandemic isolation, Proctor finding a silver lining to moments at home

PRYOR, Okla. – Anybody who knows him will describe Coleman Proctor in an abundance of ways, but most will discuss his openness and ability to communicate with anyone and everyone.

“I’m a pretty social person, so the hardest thing for me is being so far out of the loop,” Proctor said, describing his thoughts on self-isolation through the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s like being on my own little island.”

His piece of paradise is 240 acres near Pryor, and he shares that plot of land with his wife, Stephanie, and their two daughters, Stella, 2, and Caymbree, 9 months. On a typical year, he would have just returned to Oklahoma from a spring run California. Instead, he’s been hanging out with his girls, performing tasks around his place and finding a little extra work when possible.

“It’s actually been nice,” he said. “I’ve had a set of heifers I’ve been calving; we have about 240 head of cows, 40 of which were first-year heifers.

“I’ve been catching up on the around-the-house stuff. My youngest has been changing, so that’s been fun to see in person. I got to see her crawl for the first time, and how she’s standing up and pulling herself up to things.”

There were several little things he missed when Stella was this age that he’s not missing with Caymbree. That’s the life of a rodeo cowboy, especially one in the elite status like Coleman, a five-time National Finals Rodeo qualifying header. He’s roped with three cowboys at ProRodeo’s grand finale: Longtime friend Jake Long, Billie Jack Saebens and, most recently, Ryan Motes.

Other than calls and other forms of communication, that’s really all he’s been able to do as far staying in touch with other ropers.

“Motesy and I did a Zoom interview for our friends at Brazos Valley Equine, and that was the first time I’d seen him since we left Houston,” said Proctor, noting that he and Motes had competed in the first two rounds of the third set at RodeoHouston before it was canceled in March. “It was definitely odd leaving Houston and not knowing when we’d see each other again.

“We’ve got our run down pretty good. I’m practicing on what makes me really good, and he’s practicing on what makes him really good. He and (wife) Courtney are the most hospitable people you’d ever meet. I’ve been missing out on being with them, grilling out and roping.”

The hardest part of being at home, he said, is not having a steady income, which is proof of his roping prowess; he has made a pretty good living roping the horns. For a man who is used to the confidence it takes to pay the entry fees at rodeos and ropings and understand the opportunity before him, it’s a bit of a stretch to know the chances of that have been diminished greatly.

“It feels like you’re spending a lot of money, and you’re not making a lot,” he said, noting that he’s taken on some skid-loader work recently. “I think we get accustomed to how rodeo can be a very profitable business.”

He’s done pretty well over his career, most of it coming in the last six years. At the NFR alone, he has pocketed about $325,000, but that’s even small compared to the big win he and Motes secured at The American in 2019; they each earned $433,000 by winning the team-roping title, $50,000 of which helped them secure their NFR bids.

He’s holding out hope everything recovers quickly from the pandemic, which not only hit the rodeo industry hard but also has affected the overall economy.

“I think we’re going to see a pretty good drought of selling horses right now, and that limits everyone,” Proctor said. “Diesel is below $2 a gallon, and while that seems nice, it’s not good for anybody. Oil fields drive a lot of what we do.

“Still, I love the time at home and the time I get to spend with my family. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve been able to work on Steph’s breakaway roping.”

Interest and financial support have boomed in breakaway roping over the last two years, and more rodeos are planning to include the event in their schedules. That might open the door for more opportunities for the family.

Doing things with ropes is nothing new for Coleman Proctor. With the support of his parents, friends and other family members, he’s been doing it all his life.

“Even though they were divorced, my mom and dad were very good friends,” he said. “Both would take me roping. Jake Long and I roped together when we were 2 and 3. That’s all I ever wanted to know. My freshman year of high school, Jake and I started going around Miami (Oklahoma) with our Fast Lane (roping dummy). We’d rope in parking lots all over town, and we’ve been kicked out of every parking lot.

“We’d rope in all the different parking lots, and we’d save the Walmart parking lot to last. It didn’t have the best lighting, but they’d let us rope there longer.”

Even then, he had an end goal in mind.

“Even when I got jobs, it as what I needed to do to get my fees paid,” Proctor said. “Working was a way to gather up money. I wanted to rope for a living and make the National Finals.”

He’s done that, and over time, his priorities have changed. That comes with having a family; in his case, Proctor looks directly into the eyes of his three girls.

“My greatest accomplishment would be giving Stella and Caymbree everything I had,” he said. “I want Stella and Caymbree to feel it for the rest of their lives.

“I want a gold buckle. Now I’ve made a living with a rope in my hand, but I want something more. Last year was the first time I went to the National Finals and really wanted to win the gold buckle. This is the only reason I’m still doing this.”

Still, he’s ready to get back out on the road and chase his dreams of that elusive world championship. He knows what it takes, and he has faith in Motes that the tandem can make it happen in short order, but there’s work to be done.

“I think being home more is almost making me more excited about getting started again,” Proctor said. “This has been a first-hand look at life after rodeo. You’re getting a free look at what it could be. I know my time on the road is getting shorter. I’m more excited and grateful. I have so much at home that keeps me grounded.

“Sometimes it’s hard to leave and go to rodeo, but I think this year, it’s going to be a little more reactive. At the end of the day, the competition is what drives me.”

 

Santos holds off Tierney to become 16^th man to win CINCH Timed Event crown

March 15, 2020 / Guthrie, Oklahoma – Taylor Santos’ youth was spent in roping pens and rodeo arenas.

When he wasn’t practicing or competing, he was watching it on TV. The family’s pile of video cassettes included years of the CINCH Timed Event Championship, and those images helped fill the young cowboy’s thoughts of being one of the greatest ever.

Fast forward to Sunday, when his dreams were realized. He roped, tied and wrestled 25 animals in a cumulative time of 340.4 seconds over just three days to win $103,000 and become just the 16^th person in the 36-year history of the CTEC to claim the elusive title.

“This is a long three days, but it’s so worth it,” said Santos, 25, of Creston, California. “It was a blast.”

Yes, it was. Of course, when one pockets that kind of cash, it’s bound to be more exciting. But there was more to it. The weekend’s festivities featured one of the tightest championships in recent history. Only 30.2 seconds separated first through fifth place, and Santos edged the runner-up – 2017 champion Jess Tierney – by just 7.3 seconds.

“Things can go great or they can go the other way, but this weekend went really good,” said Tierney, the rodeo coach at Western Oklahoma State College, who pocketed $29,000. “I’d say that money will fit just right.

“I feel like I overcame some things, but I had great help and some great support. There are some things I’d change, but there are some things I wouldn’t change. In anything you do, you can win something or you can learn something, and I think I got to do both this weekend.”

This was just an extension of recent first for Santos. In 2019, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his young career. He finished 10^th in the tie-down roping world standings and earned $81,076 in Las Vegas this past December. All the while, he also gained a boatload of confidence, and that carried over into this weekend.

Still, he had to overcome some early jitters.

“After getting that first steer under my belt, I felt a lot better about things,” Santos said, referring to Friday afternoon’s first run of the opening round. “You don’t have time to overthink things too much. It’s definitely a battle and definitely a marathon.”

This endurance-test included his older brother, Lane Karney, who just completed his fourth CTEC. In his first trip to the Lazy E Arena in 2017, Karney enlisted in Santos’ help. That, too, paid off for the younger sibling, albeit three years later.

“Lane and I are two years, two weeks apart in age,” Santos said. “Every day of our lives, we were basically matching each other.

“I’ve been on the waiting list the last couple of years. I’m glad I’ve seen it on TV and on the tapes so many times, but that first year I came with Lane, I realized that it’s completely different than what it looked like on the big screen. I got a whole new vision and idea of what the event was. I learned a lot that year.”

And it paid off in his first time competing at the “Ironman of ProRodeo.” It’s not often that newcomers walk away with the biggest check at this unique event, but this marks the second straight year that a CTEC rookie earned the crown – a year ago, Georgia cowboy Justin Thigpen won the title, then he missed this year after suffering an injury just two weeks ago.

“Taylor is a great kid with an amazing talent,” Tierney said. “Everybody here was such a great talent, and that made for fun watching.”

 

First round: 1. Jordan Ketscher, 65.3 seconds, $3,000; 2. Marcus Theriot, 65.8, $2,000; 3. Roger Nonella, 68.6, $1,000.

Second round: 1. Jess Tierney, 58.3 seconds, $3,000; 2. Haven Meged, 59.3, $2,000; 3. Clay Smith, 63.7, $1,000.

Third round: 1. Taylor Santos, 56.6 seconds, $3,000; 2. Marcus Theriot, 58.6, $2,000; 3. Seth Hall, 61.8, $1,000.

Fourth round: 1. Clay Smith, 53.4 seconds, $3,000; 2. Haven Meged, 65.2, $2,000; 3. Jess Tierney, 66.4, $1,000.

Fifth round: 1. Clay Smith, 45.8 seconds, $3,000; 2. Kyle Lockett, 51.2, $2,000; 3. Clayton Hass, 52.8, $1,000.

Average: 1. Taylor Santos, 340.4 seconds on 25 runs, $100,000; 2. Jess Tierney, 247.7, $25,000; 3. Seth Hall, 351.5, $15,000; 4. Clay Smith, 360.6, $10,000; 5. Marcus Theriot, 370.6, $7,500; 6. Haven Meged, 395.1, $5,000; 7. Paul David Tierney, 400.4, $4,500; 8. Jordan Ketscher, 445.7, $3,000.

Total money: 1. Taylor Santos, $103,000; 2. Jess Tierney, $29,000; 3. Clay Smith, $17,000; 4. Seth Hall, $16,000; 5. Marcus Theriot, $11,500; 6. Haven Meged, $9,000; 7. Jordan Ketscher, $6,000; 8. Paul David Tierney, $4,500; 9. Roger Nonella and Clayton Hass, $1,000 each.

 

Oh, Canada!

McLeod battles through Jr. Ironman to claim crown, $11,750

March 15, 2020 / Guthrie, Oklahoma – Long ago, Tee McLeod knew he was representing his home country of Canada, his home province of Saskatchewan.

On Sunday morning, he earned the first international title in the young history of the Jr. Ironman at the Lazy E Arena. He was somewhat dominant over the three days of rugged competition, though it got a bit hairy at the end.

“This is a dream come true,” said McLeod, 20, of Waldeck, Saskatchewan. “I prepared every day for two months. I did all the events every day and went to the gym.

“This place is awesome. Everybody does a great job putting this on, and I’m just fortunate enough to be here.”

He won the first two rounds, then finished second in Sunday’s final round. By winning the title and earning top pay in the rounds, he pocketed $11,750. Quade Hiatt, a two-time competitor from Canyon, Texas, finished second in the overall average, just three-tenths of a second behind the Canadian. For that, Hiatt earned $5,000. He also won the third round worth $750, and his calf horse, Hercules, was named the WCRA’s Top Horse of the Jr. Ironman, valued at another $250.

Hiatt made a run for the title, though. His 4.7-second steer wrestling run to close out the competition on Sunday put the pressure on McLeod, who needed to be 7.2 seconds or faster to claim the top prize; McLeod stopped the clock in 7.0.

“I’ve never been to anything like this,” he said “I had a good friend come and help me out, saddle my horses and get them warmed up. He talked me through it the whole way. (Helper) Paden Bray was huge, too.

“That money is not like the big guys,” he said, referring to the $100,000 paid out to the winner of the CINCH Timed Event Championship, “but that’s life-changing money to me. I’m going to take it back to college, and it’s going to help out a bunch.”

While the exchange rate might mean that he keeps the cash close to his vest at Eastern New Mexico State University instead of sending it home, he’s still awfully proud to carry on a strong Canadian legacy in rodeo.

“I have a lot of family and friends that were supposed to come down here,” McLeod said. “With the coronavirus, they didn’t want to come down here, but they got to watch it on TV. Representing Canada is awesome. I’ve done it my whole career, going to the high school nationals, but this is huge.”

 

Jr. Ironman first round: 1. Tee McLeod, 39.3 seconds, $750; 2. Tyler West, 44.1, $250; 3. Sam Morgan, 47.8.

Jr. Ironman second round: 1. Tee McLeod, 36.1 seconds, $750; 2. Tyler West, 39.5, $250; 3. Quade Hiatt, 40.3.

Jr.  Ironman third round: 1. Quade Hiatt, 33.0 seconds, $750; 2. Tee McLeod, 46.5, $250; 3. Denton Good, 53.2.

Jr. Ironman average: 1. Tee McLeod, 121.9 seconds on 12 runs, $10,000; 2. Quade Hiatt, 122.2, $5,000; 3. Tyler West, 151.5, $2,000.

 

Two former champions sit atop the CINCH Timed Event Championship standings

March 13, 2020, 2020 / Guthrie, Oklahoma – Since the early days of the CINCH Timed Event Championship, the name Tierney has been a staple at the Lazy E Arena.

Over the 36 years of the “Ironman of ProRodeo,” a Tierney has been crowned its champion seven times. It began in 1987, when Paul Tierney won the first of his four titles – the last time in 2000. Youngest son Paul David followed with titles in 2014 and ’16, then Jess earned the 2017 crown.

This is no easy title to claim, either. Only 15 men in the event’s history have been crowned titlists, because the unique challenge pits top all-around cowboys competing in each of the five timed events to complete a round. Over the five-round weekend, each man will make 25 runs over just three days.

On Friday night, Jess Tierney put the finishing touches to a long, two-round day with the fastest-round of the weekend so far, stopping the clock in a cumulative time of 58.3 seconds to win the second go-round and pocket $3,000 for doing so.

“These rounds are really good for getting your fees back, but you don’t want to focus on winning the rounds, because it’s such a marathon here,” he said. “If you focus on going too fast here, a bunch of crazy stuff can happen.

“Solid rounds are great. I’ve watched (seven-time winner) Trevor Brazile for years, and he wasn’t scared of winning three or four rounds. Anytime you can put a good round together, it just gives you confidence going into the next one.”

In fact, Jess Tierney finished the opening round in seventh place, then utilized a strong second performance to move into the No. 2 spot, just 7.2 seconds behind leader Jordan Ketscher’s 130.1-second cumulative time on 10 runs.

“It’s a long weekend,” said Tierney of Hermosa, South Dakota, now living in Altus, Oklahoma, where he is the rodeo coach at Western Oklahoma State College. “It’s the longest weekend I have all year. Anytime you can keep your mind straight here – where you’re making practice-type runs but still hustling and trying to get the most out of yourself and out of your horse – that’s when I’ve had the best luck.”

It happens because of his experience and his talent, but there’s also something special that occurs at the CTEC. Because he competes in each event, he relies on other cowboys and their horses to assist.

“Tony Reina (who has made both the National Finals Rodeo in tie-down roping and the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping) has been a huge blessing this year letting me use his good mare as a calf horse,” Tierney said. “He’s a great guy to have in my corner, as is my dad. I have never been here without (team roper) Jace Crabb; nothing rattles that guy. (Steer wrestler and hazer) Kody Woodward has always been here. I don’t even call those two. They just now they’re going to be here.

“The thing about the Timed Event is that it’s a huge mental game. I don’t know anybody that’s come to this event that’s just awesome in all five events. There are going to be obstacles. When you get here, you’ve got to play the game where you can see those obstacles coming.”

Ketcher hasn’t had many obstacles. He took the lead in the opening round, which took place Friday afternoon. The 2018 CTEC winner from Squaw Valley, California, Ketscher never relinquished the top spot. He won the opening round and has just continued to build.

“My whole game plan was to make solid runs and rope what I draw, and it seems to be working out,” he said. “I still don’t have a great amount of experience in (steer roping), but being around here the last four years, I’ve seen these scenarios play out. It’s just about me not getting ahead of myself and grinding it out.”

How will he approach the final three rounds of this unique competition?

“I’ll try not to do anything different,” he said “I’ll just keep making my runs and let the cards fall where they’re going to fall.”

The Jr. Ironman took on a bit of an international flavor, when Canadian Tee McLeod won the opening round Friday morning. He roped, tied and wrestled four animals in a cumulative time of 39.3 seconds to claim the $750 prize. Reigning champion Tyler West finished second in 44.1 seconds to pocket $250.

 

 

First round: 1. Jordan Ketscher, 65.3 seconds, $3,000; 2. Marcus Theriot, 65.8, $2,000; 3. Roger Nonella, 68.6, $1,000.

Second round: 1. Jess Tierney, 58.3 seconds, $3,000; 2. Haven Meged, 59.3, $2,000; 3. Clay Smith, 63.7, $1,000.
Average leaders: 1. Jordan Ketscher, 130.1 seconds on 10 runs; 2. Jess Tierney, 137.3; 3. Marcus Theriot, 140.4; 4. Roger Nonella, 153.4; 5. Taylor Santos, 156.9.

Jr. Ironman first round: 1. Tee McLoud, 39.3 seconds, $750; 2. Tyler West, 44.1, $250; 3. Sam Morgan, 47.8.

 

Feb. 28, 2020 / Guthrie, Oklahoma – Tyler West had a slip on the third run of the 2019 Jr. Ironman, but he didn’t let that get him down.

He battled back over the final two days of the competition, producing an event-record 32.2-second third round to win the championship. That wherewithal proved to be beneficial, and he will return to defend his title at this year’s event, set for March 13-15 at the Lazy E Arena.

“When I think about winning it last year, it makes me want to win it again,” said West of Mertzon, Texas, a sophomore at Southwest Texas Junior College. “The first day wasn’t a good day, taking a 60 (second run). I realized I needed to just have fun. I realized it was just like going to rodeos and doing what I love to do.

“Having fun carries into winning.”

In both the Jr. Ironman and the CINCH Timed Event Championship, a 60-second run is the equivalent to a no-time. For West, that happened on his first heeling attempt, the third of 12 runs he made over the weekend. But his perseverance was a building-block for the cowboy. He finished his freshman year in Uvalde, Texas, as the reserve national champion in steer wrestling at the College National Finals Rodeo.

“It’s just proof that hard work pays off,” he said of his second-place finish at the College National Finals Rodeo last June. “When you give your all to something, you can expect big things. I wasn’t expecting to finish second, but I was doing the best I could do. I was thankful for how it all happened.”

He’ll bring that back to this year’s Jr. Ironman as one of four cowboys to return from the 2019 edition: reserve titlist Trevor Meier of Garden City, Kansas; Rylen Sutherland of Benton, Kentucky; and Quade Hiatt of Canyon, Texas.

Meier, who led the race after Round 2, suffered a 60 in heeling on the final day. He finished as the runner-up.

“I’m glad I get a second chance to redeem myself,” he said. “It would be really nice to come out first instead of second.”

Like West, Meier competes in three of the four Jr. Ironman disciplines in college, where he is a sophomore at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He doesn’t look at last year as a bad outcome; it was a learning opportunity.

“Probably the best thing I learned was keeping your head up for every run,” Meier said. “Even if something doesn’t go right, you just roll on.

“The thing I’m looking forward most to is being there with Cooper (Slavin), my cousin. It’ll be good to experience it with him.”

Meier and Slavin (of Goodwell, Oklahoma) are actually two sets of cousins in this year’s field of 10 young cowboys; they are joined by Sutherland and his cousin, Kolton Powell of Benton, Kentucky.

“Cooper and I are close enough in age that we competed at Little Britches Rodeos, junior high and high school, and we’ve roped against each other a bunch,” Meier said. “Living down here close to him, we get to practice together quite a bit.”

That practice will come in handy, as will the work done by every cowboy in this elite field. The Jr. Ironman is a tremendous challenge, battling through four timed events: heading, heeling, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. It’s a test of talent, horsemanship and mental fortitude over three days of competition.

Each round will pay the winners $750, but the biggest earnings come in the 12-run aggregate, with the winner collecting $10,000. The incentive is well worth the challenges each man will face.

“The biggest thing about that event is that being consistent wins in the long run,” West said.

 

2020 Jr. Ironman Championship Contestants

Tyler West – Mertzon, Texas                                                 Trevor Meier – Garden City, Kansas

Rylen Sutherland – Benton, Kentucky                                   Quade Hiatt – Canyon, Texas

Denton Good – Long Valley, South Dakota                           Dalton Hartle – Rochester, Indiana

Cooper Slavin – Goodwell, Oklahoma                                   Kolton Powell – Benton, Kentucky

Tee Mcleod – Waldeck, Saskatchewan                                 Sam Morgan – Southwest Ranches, Florida

 

The 2020 CINCH Timed Event Championship and Jr. Ironman is sponsored by CINCH, Priefert – Farm, Ranch & Rodeo, YETI Coolers, Montana Silversmiths, Sooner Trailers, ABI Equine, Nutrena, CSI Saddle Pads, P&K Equipment, WCRA, National Saddlery, Cross Bar Gallery, Carroll Original Wear, The Team Roping Journal, Western Legacy, RAM and Pendleton Whisky.

The 2020 CINCH Timed Event Championship and Jr. Ironman are Lazy E Productions. For more information on the CINCH Timed Event Championship or other Lazy E events, contact the Lazy E Arena, 9600 Lazy E Drive, Guthrie, OK 73044, (405) 282-RIDE, (800) 595-RIDE or visit www.lazye.com.