Rodeo News

Sara Lee Anderson

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By MIKE JOHNSTON senior writer

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is moving one of its showcase events from Idaho to Oklahoma City.

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With just over three weeks left in the 2010 rodeo season, two-time WPRA Barrel Racing World Champion Sherry Cervi is closing in on another career milestone. As of Sept. 7, Cervi is $14,332 from setting a new WPRA record for most money won prior to the Wrangler NFR. 2008 World Champion Lindsay Sears holds the record set the same year she won her world title with a total of $184,567.

Recently Sears and Cervi finished 1-2, respectively, in the average at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo, the final stop on the 2010 Wrangler Million Dollar Tour. With rodeos like Puyallup, Wash., Pendleton, Ore., Albuquerque, N.M., and Omaha, Neb., Cervi could very well re-write the record books.

Back in 1999, Cervi held this same record with $130,996 before Sears broke it in 2008.

Check back each week at www.wpra.com to see how close Cervi is getting to that mark.

Duane Reichert

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Duane Reichert is an unassuming guy. Always has been, according to him. But that changes once he puts his makeup on.

For more than 40 years, Reichert has been a rodeo clown, a bullfighter and a barrelman, which comes as quite a surprise to people who ask him what he does.

“I’m used to it,” he said about people’s reactions to his profession. A lot of times, he simply says he is a rodeo entertainer.

Reichert started clowning when he was a senior in high school and fell in love with it.

“I loved both the cowboy protection and the crowds and went from there,” he said.

Lola Oja of Hill City has known Reichert for 50 years, outside of the funny get-ups.

“He’s a rancher. He’s all business,” she said, adding that she is not surprised her friend followed the career path he did.

“He’s such a good barrelman,” she said. “And he has such a way with animals.”

Reichert trained the trick pony he has used in his act for the past 20 years, Pony Baroni, and uses other animals in his skits.

When he first started out in the business, bullfighter/rodeo clowns Jerry Olson of Belle Fourche and Wick Peth from Bow, Wash., were his heroes. He said there were others, but these were the standouts…..(read more)

No one said making a living as a professional cowboy was easy.

Seth Glause is learning that with each passing day.

Glause, who is from Rock Springs, Wyo., is trying to earn his keep in the ultra-competitive PRCA as a bull and saddle bronc rider.

Glause had an up-and-down experience at the Colorado State Fair rodeo Monday night, scoring a 60 in saddle bronc and then regrouping for a solid 84 on a bull named Rockstar at the Grandstand Arena.

“I mostly ride bulls and I just do the bronc riding at a lot of the circuit rodeos,” said Glause, who is in his fourth year competing in the PRCA. “Right now, I enjoy bull riding because it is where I have been winning the most money.” In Monday’s bareback competition, Wes Stevenson of Lubbock, Texas, had the top ride of the night at 87. Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas scored a 75 on a horse named Drummer Boy.

Like many PRCA competitors, Glause’s passion for the sport began when he was just a toddler.

“I grew up around rodeo and stuff and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” said the 22-year-old Glause. “My dad (Tom Glause) rode saddle bronc horses, so I just kind of followed in his footsteps.

“I don’t feel too much pressure,” Seth said. “My dad has always supported me doing this and growing up he gave me a great opportunity to be in a lot of junior rodeos. He also provided me the opportunity to be on the professional rodeo circuit like I am now.” Glause is presently 15th in the PRCA world bull riding standings with $55,909 in prize money. If Glause can stay in the Top 15, he will qualify for the prestigious National Finals Rodeo Dec. 2–11 in Las Vegas.

“I’m just trying to get a little bit more money won so I can secure a spot to this year’s NFR,” Glause said.

Glause has qualified for the NFR once, back in 2008. He finished 15th in the world and pocketed $92,538 in prize money.

“Saddle bronc is way harder than riding bulls because saddle bronc riding is so technical,” the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Glause said. “You have to worry about doing so many things in eight seconds when you’re saddle bronc riding and if one thing goes wrong, it screws up your entire ride. Bull riding, you just have to go out there and work your butt off for eight seconds and sometimes things work and sometimes they do not. Horses, though, are not looking to come run your butt over, where bulls are looking for their chance to run you over.” If riding bulls and broncs isn’t challenging enough, Glause also has to keep his head from spinning as he says he will compete in around 120 rodeos this year.

“It seems like I’m never home and there are a lot of all night drives and jumping on planes,” Glause said. “It can get a little crazy, but this is what I’ve always wanted to do.” (article link)

Cody Cassidy finally found a steer at a rodeo this past weekend that would lie down for him.

It happened at Pincher Creek on Sunday morning, when the reigning Canadian champion flung the steer to the ground in 3.6 seconds.

It didn’t win first, but it was fast enough to tie for third, which paid $1,180.

Yet, when the results from the 30 weekend rodeos were tallied, Cassidy dropped out of the lead in the world steer wrestling standings for the first time since March, when he won $52,650 at the Reliant Stadium rodeo in Houston.

Paydays have been few and far between for the 29-year-old Donalda product since then.

For example, he last won a cheque at the Colorado Springs Wranger Tour rodeo on July 17, when he finished fifth in the aggregate for $2,600.

Prior to that, he placed in the money at each of three rodeos on a mid-June weekend at Brooks, Rocky Mountain House and Marwayne. The return then was a mere $2,100.

“Just about everything that could go wrong has been going wrong,” Cassidy lamented. “A combination of a lot of things has been bugging me.”

He pointed to drawing bad steers, horse problems and not making strong runs. He didn’t mention an injury, but, it, too, has had a negative impact.

The two-time Canadian champion sustained a double fracture of the scaphoid bone in his left wrist joint during the July holiday weekend rodeo at Williams Lake, B.C.

Mention that injury among bull riders and they shudder; it’s much too common in their event. (read more)

Bill Parker was getting restless.

Over the years, Parker tried to feed that need to compete through his horse sales business and cutting horse competitions.

But it just wasn’t quite enough.

And the roping success of nephew Delon Parker stoked that competitive fire even more.

In early March, Parker made a decision and discussed it with his wife Jann.

“I told Jann I was going to sell my show horses and buy a couple of roping horses and rope again,’’ said the Huntley cowboy.

The conversation was a short one.

“You’re crazy,’’ Jann Parker told her husband.

Even Parker’s associates agreed with his wife.

Long-time friend and former team roping world champion Dee Pickett echoed Jann Parker’s response. “You’re crazy,’’ Parker heard again. Pickett even offered to drive from his place to Parker’s so the two could talk about it.

Parker was firm in his decision.

Jann Parker understood better than most. When Bill Parker decides on something, he’s all in. He does not take shortcuts.

“I love to compete,’’ said the 56-year-old Parker. “Whether it’s showing horses, cutting horses or roping. And I wanted to do something with Delon.’’

There was just one slight hitch to Parker’s planned comeback.

He hadn’t thrown a competitive rope in a rodeo arena in 17 years. His ropes had been collecting dust since he and Dennis Tryan of Huntley team roped together in 1993.

However, if there was anybody in rodeo who could return to the arena, it’s Parker.

He’s the only competitor from Montana to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in tie-down roping and he also competed at the NFR in team roping. Parker is a multiple Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit champion and although there are no official records, is believed to be the winningest cowboy in the history of the annual MontanaFair rodeo in Billings.

“This was always my big dream as a kid, to rope in front of this grandstand’’ said Parker Thursday night after team roping with Rod Lyman. He roped at his first MontanaFair rodeo in 1972.

 Parker did what he said, purchasing a couple of roping horses. However, his re-entry to rodeo hit a few bumps.

He suffered a minor heart attack on May 7. Doctors put in two stents and he went to rehab three days a week. “I’ve never felt better,’’ Parker said.

Three days later, his top horse was stricken with a heart attack and didn’t make it. Shortly after that, a mare that Parker planned to use was felled by colic.

“My summer was a comedy of errors,’’ Parker said, trying to inject some humor into the situation.

He bought another horse, Kid, around the Fourth of July.

“It’s just been in the past 30, 45 days that we’re starting to get together,’’ Parker said of the much-needed synchronicity between horses and rider. “We’re starting to gel now.’’

And team roping has changed since Parker last threw a loop. (read more)

Grace, Idaho-In her “day job” as a budget analyst at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden, Utah, Jetta Abplanalp says she “looks at a lot of numbers all day.” But in her barrel racing career, Abplanalp gets to look at a better set of numbers-the ones on the checks she deposits in her checking account from winnings at PRCA/WPRA rodeos.

Abplanalp rode her great black gelding Storm to victory at the Caribou County Fair and Rodeo in Grace, Idaho, August 5, just days after finishing fourth in the average at the “Daddy of ‘em All” in Cheyenne. Abplanalp is no stranger to WPRA wins; the tough cowgirl has been to three Wilderness Circuit Finals Rodeos (2005-06, 2008) and was the 2005 WPRA Wilderness Circuit rookie of the year.

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In 2009 Abplanalp married R.D., a horse shoer and team roper, and the couple had a son about a year ago named Blaze.

“I hadn’t run Storm outside in a year and half because of the time off to have my son last year,” Abplanalp says. “We just started back in June.”

In Grace, Storm and Abplanalp accomplished the incredibly tough feat of distancing the field by over two tenths. Her 17.43 posted during the second and final performance on Thursday night bested rookie Shelby Maxfield’s 17.69 for the title

and $1,061 in earnings. Abplanalp took another check at the Jerome, Idaho for a weekend haul of $1,133.

“He felt so good and open at Grace,” she says. “He was really free. In the past, I have always hit barrels there and the announcer actually has made a joke of it, saying if I hit the third I get a hot dog….(read more)