Monthly Archives: January 2010

 *photo credit here.

Steamboat Springs — Skis, poles, snow and cowboy hats went flying over the gates on the sides of Stampede run Tuesday afternoon, as 64 cowboys on skis and snowboards flew, tumbled or ran the final event of the 36th annual Cowboy Downhill.

Jed Moore — a bull-riding rodeo cowboy from Cheyenne, Wyo., who came into his 13th year racing in Cowboy Downhill hoping to take home his second consecutive win — said he knew his fellow rodeo competitors would be gunning for him at Tuesday’s event.

“They told me that they’d rather take themselves out and put me out of the race than have me win, so I was a little bit weary of some of the competition today,” Moore said.

By catching a solid jump off the kicker on the Cowboy Downhill course, Moore was able to reclaim his title as champion of the event-ending stampede.

He claimed third in the timed slalom event. (read more)

GREAT FALLS — Chase Tryan and Cody Tew went for it all, but the team roping pair suffered a tough defeat Sunday during the final go= round of the Montana PRCA Circuit Finals.

After the first two days, Helena’s Tryan had made strides in the year-end heeler earnings, sneaking into second place as he and Tew, of Harlowton, finished in the money the first two nights.

But with year-end leader Justin Viles and his partner Matt Robertson pulling a time of 4.8 seconds earlier in the round, Tryan and Tew knew they would have to come out fast.

The result: Tew’s first loop slipped off the steer’s head as he tossed the rope just barely exiting the gate.

“We had to take a chance on it,” Tryan said. “I don’t know what happened, stuff happens when you try to win.”

Tew re-roped, but the two would finish with a time of 28.7, slipping them out of the money and out of the average for the weekend.

Tryan needed roughly $2,650 to catch Viles, which would’ve required a top-two finish on Sunday and the money in the average.

With the slow time, however, he failed to snag one of the two spots at the Dodge National Circuit Finals in Pocatello, Idaho, on April 7. The winners of the year-end earnings and the winners of the average this weekend in the Four Seasons Arena each earn a spot.

Tryan finished the 2009 season in second with earnings of $11,188.95

“Chase is a great competitor, he’s one of the best heelers up here and one of the best up and comers in the sport,” said Viles, (read more)

Bull rider Jared Long of Ramona won the International Finals Rodeo average to overtake season leader Shane Rickly of Lancaster, Ohio. 

Long, 24, trailed Rickly by more than $3,000 entering the IFR but was one of only two cowboys to ride three of four bulls at State Fair Arena.

It was Long’s fourth time to qualify for the IFR.”This is the first year I have been close enough (entering the IFR) to actually have a chance to win it,” Long said. “I thought it was going to be a good week, and it turned out real good.”

Team ropers Jesse and Casey Stipes of Salina also won their first gold buckles.Casey, 18, and Jesse, 24, are brothers.”It really hasn’t had time to sink in yet, but we know it will,” Jesse Stipes said of the title. “It’s the payoff for all of the work you put into it.” (read more) 

Read more: http://newsok.com/international-finals-rodeo-notebook-jared-long-of-ramona-wins-first-world-title/article/3432816#ixzz0cyJ63A6z

It was a record-setting weekend for Ohio bronc rider Shawn Minor at State Fair Arena

The former Southwestern Oklahoma State University cowboy became only the fourth man to win three International Professional Rodeo Association world titles in the same season Sunday after capturing the all-around, bareback and saddle bronc championships at the International Finals Rodeo.

Minor also moved into second place on the all-time list of IPRA titles with 13 overall.

“It’s pretty satisfying,” Minor said. “It feels really good.”

The all-around title was Minor’s fourth in a row and fifth in the past six years.

“Long time coming,” Minor said of winning three world titles in the same season. “I’ve been in this position four other times, and things just didn’t work out. I feel like I’ve earned it.” (read more)

Christina Dusendang still tears up today when she talks about Cash, her 19-year-old quarter horse that helped qualify her for the past two International Finals Rodeos. 

  “I always said he would run on three legs for me, and he did,” said the Whitesboro, Texas, barrel racer.

Cash fractured his leg during a barrel race last July.

Dusendang tearfully agreed the next day to put down Cash when equine surgeons told her nothing could be done to save him.

But thanks to a little luck and a last-minute experimental surgery, Cash was saved.

Dusendang hadn’t seen Cash since July until she reunited with her beloved quarter horse in Oklahoma City at the International Finals Rodeo.

Cash was injured in July in Tennessee. As he approached the first barrel, the horse “overreached” and shattered a bone in his left front leg, Dusendang said.

“It sounded like a shotgun went off,” she said. “I heard it, but I didn’t know what was going on. My adrenalin was going.

“He still kept running to that first barrel on three legs and he made a beautiful first barrel (turn). I felt something, weird, obviously. I looked down and could see a leg hanging in the air and everybody screaming for me to stop. (read more)

Georgia Cowboy, Clint Thomas is one of 15-tie down ropers to qualify for the International Finals Rodeo.

He is like the other cowboys. He loves to rodeo. He loves to rope. He wants to be a world champion someday.

But the 24-year-old IFR rookie also is different than the rest. He is deaf.

Thomas has been deaf since birth, but it hasn’t prevented him doing what he loves and doing it well.

“He doesn’t hear the crowds. He doesn’t hear the announcer,” said Thomas’ friend, team roper Dustin Buchanan. “He just backs in there and goes and ropes and ties them down.

“He feels like he is an equal in a world where a lot of us probably feel like he is at a disadvantage. I am inspired by him all of the time.”

In his first year in the International Professional Rodeo Association, Thomas already has locked up the Rookie of the Year honor in tie-down roping.

Thomas is the only rookie to qualify for the IFR in tie-down roping. He also is battling for the All-Around Rookie of the Year title, an award he covets.

“I want it a lot,” Thomas said by writing his answers to questions from The Oklahoman. “I have been working hard to win the all-around rookie.”

Thomas said his parents were not reluctant about letting him compete in rodeos because of his disability.

He comes from a rodeo family. His father, David, is a rodeo cowboy and so is his older brother, Matt, and younger brother, Jake.

The Ranger, Ga., cowboy was taught to rope by his dad at a very young age.

“I started roping at 2 or 3 years of age,” he said. “I’ve rode horses all my life.” (read more)

*photo from www.ipra.com

Bull rider Cody Stephens died about 6:30 p.m. today.

He was 23, from Cherryvale, Kan., and suffered acute myeloid leukemia.

A story in Friday’s Star told how world champion barrel racer Lindsay Sears hurried from Texas to be with Cody at the University of Kansas Hospital. The two had never met in person, but she had recently learned of his crush on her.

She went to his bedside Wednesday, and they talked for hours about rodeoing and their love for horses.

When Cody sank off to sleep Friday afternoon, his parents told Sears the end was near. It was OK for her to go.

Sears offered to stay, but then went home to Lubbock; she had horses to tend to.

Cody would understand. (link)