1. Woolsey regains elite form at Seminole Classic
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – From Steve Woolsey’s point of view, drawing Robinson Pro Rodeo’s I’m Back could be taken as a good omen on a couple of scores.
For openers, the bull had just a day earlier taken Clint Craig to a win at the Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo – in the same arena – and “I’m Back” is exactly the message Woolsey was hoping to deliver at the Feb. 17 Seminole Classic.
“I had a pretty good look at that bull the day before because I helped Clint get on him,” Woolsey said. “I pulled his rope. I knew I had a pretty good chance to score well when I saw I’d drawn him. I was really very lucky with both my draws.”
Woolsey improved on Craig’s effort by a half-point in winning the first round of this $47,470 Xtreme Bulls Tour event with an 88.5-point ride on Robinson’s bull. He then came right back to win the short go with a 90-pointer on Wild Card Rodeo’s Little Shyster to secure his first PRCA title in 17 months and his first Xtreme Bulls title since he won in Laughlin, Nev., in May 2009.
Woolsey’s total score of 178.5 points gave him a 10.5-point margin over Corey Navarre in second place and paid him a total of $14,526 – just a bit less than the $17,764 that he earned during all of his injury-plagued 2012 season.
A 1,500-pound bull stepped on him at a PRCA event in Rapid City, S.D., last winter and Woolsey underwent groin surgery in Philadelphia last March.
“The bull forced me down into a sort of splits,” Woolsey said, “so I looked like a wishbone. My groin muscle just pulled right off the bone.”
Woolsey didn’t return to competition until the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo in June and missed qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo last season for the first time in five years and just the second time in his eight-year PRCA career.
The hard part was that he worked so hard from June through mid-September with so little return. He went to 70 rodeos and ended up with his lowest earnings total for a season by more than $50,000.
“Everybody who goes down the rodeo road is competitive and wants to win, and when I came back I basically went to everything,” Woolsey said. “In hindsight, I probably should have been more selective … pick and choose a little bit more.”
He conceded the obvious – that the NFR was out of reach – and went home after the rodeo in Lewiston, Idaho, Sept. 6-8 to rest for more than a month.
That strategic retreat started paying real dividends here at the Fred Smith Arena.
“The groin has been pretty good since the first of the year,” Woolsey said, “and it’s been mostly a matter of getting stronger, getting back in good riding shape. This (win) felt great. It was a long time coming.”
Navarre finished fourth in the long round with a score of 85.5 points and tied for third in the finals with 82.5 points for a total of 168 points. Reigning World Champion Cody Teel was third with 167.5 points, followed by Chris Roundy with 162.5. They were the only four contestants with two qualified rides.
2. Comeback seems to be on Kruse control
JACKSON, Miss. – The emotional lift Jesse Kruse took away from his week’s work at the Mississippi Coliseum may prove even more valuable than the spending cash.
Matched with four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo mare Prom Night, Kruse had an 88-point ride to earn a win at the Feb. 7-13 Dixie National Rodeo that was one of his most significant in the last couple of years.
“Jesse was just in charge from the beginning,” said David Morehead of Three Hills Rodeo, Prom Night’s owner. “He looked like he meant business. It seemed like he stayed ahead of her the whole way. He dominated that ride. She had a really good day and he did too.”
It was the highest-scored ride for Kruse since his world championship season of 2009, when he had seven trips that were scored at 88 or above, won 13 rodeo titles and finished with $194,465.
And he did it on a horse that has a 50 percent buck-off rate at the WNFR, his victims including five-time World Champion Billy Etbauer and Jesse Bail.
“I just tried to stay to the basics and get her rode,” Kruse said. “She about had me bucked off the whole way. She’s one of those horses that, if you stay ahead of her, you can get her rode and get a good score. But if you mess up, she’ll make you pay.
“It dang sure helps get my confidence up, especially after the last three years.”
Since his gold buckle campaign of ’09, the Great Falls, Mont., native has slipped to 10th in 2010, 15th in 2011 (earning the last NFR spot by just $85 over Jake Wright) and 17th a year ago, missing the 15th and final spot in Las Vegas by $4,046 to his fellow Montanan and new traveling partner Tyrell Smith.
“It felt pretty bad sitting there at home and watching it (on TV), especially when there is that much money at stake,” Kruse said. “I went out to Vegas for the bronc futurity at the South Point (Hotel, Casino & Spa) and that was a good deal … but it’s just not the same.”
Kruse arrived at the Mississippi Coliseum just 48th in the world standings, but the check for $5,501 he earned here and the $2,456 he picked up in advancing to the semifinals of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo the same week will have him among the leaders in the world standings shortly.
The big issue now is – what else? – staying healthy. Kruse has been dealing with a sore left hip for about a year. The doctors tell him it will get better with rest. The trick is figuring out a schedule that keeps Kruse in contention for a gold buckle chase while getting enough rest so that the hip problem doesn’t interfere.
When the hip is troubling him, he sometimes has been unable to mark his horses out in accordance with the rules – to get his spurs in contact with the horse above the point of the shoulders before the horse’s front legs hit the ground leaving the chute.
“I felt great at Jackson,” Kruse said, “but I tweaked it a little bit at San Antonio. It’s not bad, but you have to be aware.”
The other champions at this $190,320 rodeo were bareback rider Evan Jayne (87 points), steer wrestler Gabe Burrows (8.2 seconds on two head), team ropers Payden Emmett and Len Dorman (10.6 seconds on two head), tie-down roper Houston Hutto (16.3 seconds on two head), bull rider Jeff Askey (87 points) and barrel racer Taylor Jacob (15.26 seconds).
Ross Lowry and Stephen Britnell tied the arena record in winning the second round of the team roping with a time of 3.8 seconds; they failed to claim an average check because they did not have a qualified run in the first go.
• Four-time World Champion Team Roper Allen Bach, 55, who failed to win a PRCA rodeo title last year for the first time in more than 30 years while concentrating on his business ventures, is back on the road and winning. He teamed with header Arky Rogers to win the Feb. 15-16 Brighton Field Day Festival & Rodeo in Okeechobee, Fla., with a 4.8-second run. It was Bach’s first win in 20 months (he only entered 14 rodeos a year ago) – since he paired with his son, Joel, to win the Crooked River Roundup in Prineville, Ore., in June 2011. And Bach wasn’t the only past world champion to make some noise in Okeechobee. Eight-time World Champion Fred Whitfield, 45, tied Murray Pole for the win in the tie-down roping with a 7.9-second run, while Rope Myers, the 2001 world champion steer wrestler who is 43 and has been semi-retired for several years now, had a solid 4.1-second run to finish third behind Justin Shaffer (3.7) and Tyler Pearson (4.0). The other Okeechobee champions were bareback rider Winn Ratliff (81 points), saddle bronc rider Joaquin Real (80 points), bull rider Clint Craig (88 points) and barrel racer Mary Walker (15.12 seconds).
• Being a rodeo cowboy in Stephenville, Texas – the Cowboy Capital of the World – it can be tough to get noticed, especially if you are a circuit guy who is just about to turn 39. Saddle bronc rider Bryan Hammons is giving it a shot anyhow. A farrier by trade, Hammons moved to 27th in the world standings with his third consecutive win at the Feb. 7-9 rodeo in Belton, Texas – oddly, all of them have come on Andrews Rodeo’s NFR horse Lock N Load – and this week followed that up with a win at the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee, Fla. His 80-point ride on MJM Rodeos’ Double Vision gave the ex-Marine a two-point margin over second-place Joaquin Real and paid him $2,437. The other champions at this $92,186 rodeo in Kissimmee were bareback rider Jared Smith (83 points), steer wrestler Juan Alcazar Jr. (4.5 seconds), team ropers Jake Cooper and Jim Ross Cooper (4.7 seconds), tie-down roper Brad Hartt (7.6 seconds), bull rider J.W. Harris (88 points) and barrel racer Sidney Forrest (15.37 seconds).
• For full results of last week’s PRCA rodeos, visit www.prorodeo.com.
3. News and notes from the rodeo trail
Fresh from winning their ninth consecutive PRCA Medium Rodeo Committee of the Year Award, the folks at the Deadwood (S.D.) Days of ’76 are expanding the program from four to five performances. They will start a day earlier, with an evening performance on Wed., July 24 and will conclude with matinee and evening performances on Sat., July 27 … Season two of GSN-TV’s show The American Bible Challenge will feature 1997 World Champion Bull Rider Scott Mendes, 1975 World Champion tie-down roper Jeff Copenhaver and rodeo instructor Kelly Clark, competing against 17 other teams based on their knowledge of the Bible. They comprise Team Cowboy Crusaders and are playing to raise funds for Mendes’ Western Harvest Ministries in Springtown, Texas, which uses rodeo instruction to reach disadvantaged and at-risk youth. The weekly, 60-minute game show (http://gsntv.com/shows/the-american-bible-challenge), which is hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, will make its season debut at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on March 21 … Several rodeo competitors appear in an original family Western movie, Wild Hearts, which is scheduled to air March 9 on the Hallmark Movie Channel (8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. MT). Produced and written by Golden Globe-winning actor and director Ricky Schroder and his wife, Andrea, and directed by Schroder, the film also stars the couple and their four children. The coming-of-age story chronicles a renewed relationship between a professional horse wrangler who’s reunited with a sophisticated daughter he has never known. Ryan Brown, a 2003 National Finals Rodeo bull riding qualifier, handled some of Schroder’s stunts, along with California High Rodeo Association champion team roper Jordan Warrack. Among other stunt crew participants were PRCA judge, bull rider and steer wrestler Allan Jordan and PRCA steer wrestler Jeff Danoff … After a successful debut a year ago, the Breckenridge (Colo.) PRCA ProRodeo Series is expanding from five to 11 weeks this year, with rodeos every Saturday night from June 22 through Sept. 1. Breckenridge Stables owner and rodeo sponsor Brad Bays is also working with the Town Council to allow Saturday morning children’s events and a few Friday night performances to the program. Seventy-five percent of Breckenridge business owners who were surveyed after last year’s summer run were supportive of the event … ProRodeoLive will provide coverage of the final rounds of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Feb. 19-23, including semifinal rounds, the championship round, and the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour event on the final day of the rodeo. Announcer Steve Kenyon will begin the webcast (www.prorodeolive.com) at 6:45 p.m. (CT) Feb. 19-21 and at 7:15 on Feb. 22. There will be two broadcasts on Feb. 23, with the X Bulls airing at 12:45 p.m. and the final round of the rodeo at 7:15 … An economic impact study commissioned by the rodeo committee for La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson demonstrated a benefit to the community of $17 million annually. More than one third of the rodeo’s attendees are from outside Arizona … Officials of the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo have requested $4.5 million in state funding to upgrade rodeo arena seating. The bid has the backing of the Kittitas County Commissioners and the county’s representatives in the state legislature, including Rep. Judy Warnick (R-Moses Lake), who is the ranking Republican on the Capital Budget Committee … The Pasadena (Texas) Livestock Show & Board of Directors is making $100,000 in scholarship money available to eligible students in the Pasadena and Deer Park school districts. For more information, visit www.pasadenarodeo.com or call 281.487.0240 … Former PRCA tie-down and team roper John “Greg” Kinnibrugh, 59, of Itasca, Texas, died Feb. 15. Kinnibrugh and his late father, Mac, also a PRCA competitor and a former Gold Card member, trained horses. Survivors include his wife, Karen (Burrus); his children, John, Whitney Ferrell, Chad and Kylie Jimenez.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Anybody who says they’re not scared is stupid.”
– Bull riding Rookie of the Year candidate Cheyne Olney, from Kennewick, Wash., telling the Arizona Daily Star about his chosen profession.
4. Next Up
Feb. 19 San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo (Gold Tour) ongoing
Feb. 19 San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo ongoing
Feb. 19 La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, Tucson, Ariz., ongoing
Feb. 21 Georgia National Junior Livestock Show & Rodeo, Perry, Ga., begins
Feb. 22 Hellzapoppin Rodeo, Buckeye, Ariz., begins
Feb. 22 Pasco County Fair, Dade City, Fla., begins
Feb. 23 San Antonio (Texas) Xtreme Bulls
Feb. 23 Davie (Fla.) ProRodeo begins
5. 2013 PRCA WORLD STANDINGS
Through Feb. 19, 2013
All-around
1. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah $16,116
2. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas 12,899
3. Payden Emmett, Ponca, Ark. 9,873
4. Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Ga. 9,825
5. Blake Hirdes, Turlock, Calif. 7,861
Bareback Riding
1. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. $16,063
2. Jared Smith, Cross Plains, Texas 13,963
3. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore. 12,474
4. Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah 11,636
5. Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas 11,455
6. R.C. Landingham, Pendleton, Ore. 10,186
7. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash. 9,532
8. Evan Jayne, Marseille, France, 8,886
9. Jet Price, Buffalo, S.D. 7,282
10. George Gillespie IV, Placerville, Calif. 7,106
11. Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas 6,911
12. Mac Erickson, Sundance, Wyo. 6,879
13. Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La. 6,738
14. Matthew Smith, Leesville, La. 6,610
15. Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa 6,531
16. Clint Laye, Odessa, Texas 6,505
17. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas 6,468
18. Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo. 5,991
19. Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb. 5,644
20. Jake Halverson, Decatur, Texas 5,240
Steer Wrestling
1. Casey Martin, Sulphur, La. $20,033
2. Les Shepperson, Midwest, Wyo. 17,425
3. Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo. 14,863
4. Stan Branco, Chowchilla, Calif. 14,835
5. Jule Hazen, Ashland, Kan. 13,708
6. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif. 12,222
7. Straws Milan, Cochrane, Alberta 11,832
8. Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta 8,664
9. Wade Sumpter, Fowler, Colo. 8,601
10. Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. 6,975
11. Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D. 6,262
12. Juan Alcazar Jr., Kissimmee 6,147
13. Jim Roedeske, Carwright, N.D. 5,422
14. Cooper Shofner, Huntsville, Texas 5,000
15. Wyatt Smith, Rexburg, Idaho 4,896
16. Shayde Etherton, Borden, Ind. 4,844
17. Gabe Burrows, Hugoton, Kan. 4,796
18. Stockton Graves, Alva, Okla. 4,420
19. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. 4,386
20. Tee Burress, Piedmont, S.D. 4,210
Team Roping (header)
1. Landon McClaugherty, Tilden, Texas $14,511
2. Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, Mont. 13,607
3. Brock Hanson, Casa Grande, Ariz. 11,620
4. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas 11,157
5. Caleb Mitchell, Mason, Texas 10,961
6. Nick Sartain, Dover, Okla. 10,384
7. Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo. 10,174
8. Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M. 8,411
9. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas 7,948
10. Bradley Massey, Perry, Fla. 7,497
11. B.J. Campbell, Aguila, Ariz. 6,589
12. Jesse Sheffield, Ogden, Utah 6,557
13. Brooks Dahozy, Window Rock, Ariz. 6,363
14. Blaine Linaweaver, Irvine, Calif. 6,245
15. Manny Egusquiza Jr., Madison, Ga. 6,241
16. Tate Kirchenschlager, Stephenville, Texas 6,120
17. Justin Van Davis, Madisonville, Texas 5,881
18. Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas 5,633
19. Brad Hamilton, Pollok, Texas 5,519
20. Nathan McWhorter, Telephone, Texas 5,499
Team Roping (heeler)
1. Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas $16,788
2. Tommy Zuniga, Centerville, Texas 14,511
3. Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo. 13,607
4. Tyler McKnight, Wells, Texas 12,520
5. Rich Skelton, Llano, Texas 11,952
6. York Gill, Stephenville, Texas 9,989
7. Dugan Kelly, Paso Robles, Calif. 9,464
8. Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M. 9,042
9. Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla. 7,948
10. Jaytin McCright, Canyon, Texas 7,584
11. Shane Hester, Lakeland, Fla. 7,497
12. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 7,032
13. Travis Graves, Jay, Okla. 6,967
14. Ryan Zurcher, Torrington, Wyo. 6,458
15. Jake Twisselman, Santa Margarita, Calif. 6,245
16. Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo. 6,108
17. Twister Cain, Gonzales, Texas 5,499
18. Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas 5,481
19. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas 5,389
20. Len Dorman, Greenwood, La. 4,922
Saddle Bronc Riding
1. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah $27,740
2. Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn. 11,542
3. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M. 10,613
4. Brad Rudolf, Winnemucca, Nev. 9,918
5. Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah 9,738
6. Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb. 8,407
7. Will Smith, Marshall, Mo. 7,727
8. Jacobs Crawley, College Station, Texas 7,011
9. Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont. 6,941
10. Dean Wadsworth, Ozona, Texas 6,759
11. Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La. 6,446
12. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah 5,941
13. Bryan Hammons, Victoria, Texas 5,569
14. Troy Crowser, Whitewood, S.D. 5,564
15. Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D. 5,090
16. Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas 5,088
17. Joaquin Real, Woody, Calif. 4,848
18. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D. 4,699
19. Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas 4,633
20. Curtis Garton, Kaitaia, New Zealand 4,443
Tie-down Roping
1. Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah $16,631
2. Randall Carlisle, Castor, La. 12,507
3. Sterling Smith, Stephenville, Texas 11,821
4. Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La. 11,299
5. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho 10,429
6. Jade Conner, Iowa, La. 10,243
7. Justin Maass, Giddings, Texas 9,556
8. Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas 9,549
9. Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla. 9,188
10. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 9,084
11. Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas 8,396
12. Jimmy Jumper, Midlothian, Texas 8,390
13. Barrett Threadgill, Hallettsville, Texas 7,321
14. Dane Kissack, Spearfish, S.D. 7,215
15. Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas 7,002
16. Houston Hutto, Tomball, Texas 6,987
17. Caleb Smidt, Yorktown, Texas 6,603
18. Blair Burk, Durant, Okla. 6,600
19. Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas 6,093
20. Cimarron Boardman, Stephenville, Texas 6,080
Steer Roping
1. Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas $11,207
2. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas 7,247
3. Bryce Davis, Ovalo, Texas 5,941
4. Joe Wells, Cisco, Texas 5,084
5. Kim Ziegelgruber, Edmond, Okla. 4,935
6. J. Paul Williams, Burbank, Okla. 4,705
7. Vin Fisher Jr., Andrews, Texas 4,276
8. Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla. 4,232
9. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas 3,570
10. Tim Abbott, Midland, Texas 3,361
11. Coy Thompson, Whitewood, S.D. 3,017
12. Walter Priestly, Robstown, Texas 2,525
13. Shorty Garten, Pawhuska, Okla. 2,420
14. Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas 2,262
15. Rod Hartness, Pawhuska, Okla. 2,169
16. Jarrett Blessing, Paradise, Texas 2,151
17. Neal Wood, Needville, Texas 2,106
18. Mike Outhier, Utopia, Texas 2,037
19. Shane Suggs, Granbury, Texas 2,005
20. Will Gasperson, Decatur, Texas 1,837
Bull Riding
1. Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo. $22,684
2. Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas 21,827
3. Corey Navarre, Weatherford, Okla. 19,681
4. Friday Wright II, Moss Point, Miss. 16,361
5. Scottie Knapp, Albuquerque, N.M. 15,996
6. Jeff Askey, Martin, Tenn. 15,975
7. Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah 15,627
8. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo. 14,709
9. Cole Echols, Elm Grove, La. 14,023
10. Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas 13,974
11. Cooper Davis, Jasper, Texas 13,565
12. Trevor Kastner, Ardmore, Okla. 12,400
13. Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo. 11,491
14. Howdy Cloud, Kountze, Texas 10,670
15. Reese Cates, Monticello, Ark. 10,543
16. Ardie Maier, Timber Lake, S.D. 10,365
17. J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas 9,884
18. Beau Hill, West Glacier, Mont. 9,246
19. Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont. 9,214
20. Clayton Foltyn, Winnie, Texas 8,083
*2013 Barrel Racing (through Feb. 19, 2013)
Barrel racing standings, provided by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), are unofficial, subject to audit and may change. Unofficial WPRA Standings are published by the PRCA as a courtesy. The PRCA is not responsible for the verification or updating of WPRA standings.
1. Jane Melby, Burneyville, Okla. $30,183
2. Taylor Jacob, Carmine, Texas 25,522
3. Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas 23,690
4. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas 15,717
5. Natalie Foutch, Eldora, Iowa 15,624
6. Kendra Dickson, Aubrey, Texas 14,899
7. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 14,558
8. Mary Walker, Ennis, Texas 14,456
9. Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore. 11,324
10. Annesa Self, Sanger, Texas 10,542
11. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz. 9,112
12. Kenna Squires, Fredonia, Texas 8,637
13. Sammi Bessert, Loma, Colo. 8,630
14. Randa Kellogg, Point, Texas 8,287
15. Sydni Blanchard, Albuquerque, N.M. 7,854
16. Sarah Kieckhefer, Prescott, Ariz. 7,303
17. Lee Ann Rust, Stephenville, Texas 7,010
18. Kelley Carrington-French, Boston, Ga. 6,772
19. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas 6,677
20. Kay Blandford, Sutherland Springs, Texas 6,575
6. 2013 PRCA Xtreme Bulls Standings
Unofficial through Feb. 19, 2013
1. Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo. $18,629
2. Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah 14,526
3. Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas 13,970
4. Scottie Knapp, Albuquerque, N.M. 11,944
5. 