LAS VEGAS \u2013 Cort Scheer and Zeke Thurston have been cashing in for plenty of money during the 60th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
\nThey each added another $23,481 to their world standings when they split Round 6 and set the round record with rides of 89.5 points at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Dec. 11. \u00a0Scheer did his on Mo Betta Rodeo\u2019s Sue City Sue, while Thurston was aboard Powder River Rodeo\u2019s Miss Chestnut.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe horses are so awesome now and everyone rides so good that you can\u2019t count on the rest of the field to make mistakes,\u201d said Thurston, the 2016 Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion. \u201cYou have to just worry about what you have control of.\u201d
\nScheer has been in control plenty. He won two rounds outright before adding the split in Round 6.
\n\u201cI had drawn a great horse and had a good spur out, and she got better and better,\u201d he said. \u201cI was 90 at Houston on her earlier this year.\u201d
\nScheer has won $92,712 at the Finals through six rounds (averaging $15,452 in winnings per night). He\u2019s also third in the 2018 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $194,554. Reigning world champion Ryder Wright continues to lead the standings with $243,194.
\nThurston and Scheer were excited to share the record and the win.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun, and with the best 15 guys and the best 15 horses, you have to do something to set yourself apart,\u201d Thurston said. \u201cAnd Cort has won like all the rounds so far, so I had to at least be co-winner.\u201d
\nScheer jumped in and joked: \u201cI don\u2019t want to be greedy \u2013 oh wait, yes, I do.\u201d
\n\u201cI think it\u2019s awesome to win a round and split it with your buddy,\u201d Scheer continued. \u201cZeke is a world champion, so it\u2019s fun to win it with him.\u201d
\nScheer, of Elsmere, Neb., knows he must continue pressing if he wants to climb to the top of the chart.
\n\u201cThe goal is to win the round and keep your momentum going,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t think about the past or future, just lift your rein and spur out and go at them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cassidy notches second go-round win of 2018 Finals
\nSince dipping out of the pole position in the steer wrestling world standings following Round 2, Curtis Cassidy has looked determined to capture his first world title.
\nCassidy won Round 6, his second go-round victory of these 2018 Finals.
\n\u201cThis feels awesome,\u201d said Cassidy, 40. \u201cI had a good steer. It was the one (Scott Guenthner) won Round 3 on. He\u2019s a great steer, and I was happy to get a good start and make a good run. They let me win first.\u201d
\nSince reigning world champion Tyler Pearson moved into first place following the second round, Cassidy, who then dropped to fourth, has won two rounds and added a third-place finish. He\u2019s climbed back into first with $184,125 and extended his lead to $27,654.
\nBut Cassidy isn\u2019t banking on anything yet. With four rounds left and him sitting 13th in the average, Cassidy knows he\u2019s a long way from a title.
\n\u201cI know I\u2019m not in the average,\u201d said Cassidy, who has two no-times out of six goes. \u201cMy goal is to have $60,000 more won than the next-place guy going into Round 10 because I\u2019m not in the average.\u201d
\nCassidy has made it a family affair in the arena, using his younger brother, Cody, as his hazer.
\n\u201cHe has hazed for me the whole time here,\u201d Curtis Cassidy said. \u201cIt is awesome to have him here. He\u2019s good support to have in my corner. He watches the cattle and knows them good, and he has been doing a good job hazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kinsel captures second win of 2018 Finals
\nHailey Kinsel continued to show why she\u2019s the season leader in barrel racing.
\nKinsel stopped the clock in 13.63 seconds to notch her second win of the Wrangler NFR and again extend her lead in the world standings.
\nKinsel has $286,815 in the standings, putting her $93,342 ahead of second-place Amberleigh Moore.
\n\u201cThis win is sure good for my confidence,\u201d Kinsel said. \u201cI still have four more runs to make, so that won\u2019t change anything for the next few days, but (I\u2019ll) just go at it every night and try to do my best.\u201d
\nKinsel was aboard Sissy Hayday, \u201cSister,\u201d the 2018 PRCA | AQHA Horse of the Year for barrel racing. They continue to work and progress throughout the Finals.
\n\u201cYou learn something new every night here,\u201d Kinsel said. \u201cBut, Lisa (Lockhart) can tell you that this is still a new rodeo each and every day. You apply what you learn, but you still change as it goes.\u201d
\nUnlike when she\u2019s on the road throughout the rodeo season, Kinsel has plenty of family with her in Las Vegas, and it\u2019s helping the Cotulla, Texas, cowgirl.
\n\u201cHaving my family here with me makes a big difference,\u201d Kinsel said. \u201cMost of the year I have one person with me at best, and when you come somewhere like this where it\u2019s a big deal and your whole family gets to come, it just puts you in a good comfort zone. It\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boquet on the hunt after first go-round win
\nNot every cowboy at the Wrangler NFR knows how he\u2019s going to spend his winnings.
\nBut Dustin Boquet isn\u2019t every cowboy.
\nThe Bourg, La., bull rider, in his first trip to the Finals, notched his first round win, riding Hi Lo ProRodeo Company\u2019s Divinity for 91 points in Round 6.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s just been great lately,\u201d Boquet said. \u201cThe NFR didn\u2019t start out the way I wanted, but it\u2019s like football, and you need to have time and start somewhere.\u201d
\nBoquet hadn\u2019t been on Divinity before, but his fellow Louisianan Koby Radley had.
\n\u201cI had seen my buddy Koby ride him, and I knew I would get some points,\u201d said Boquet, 24. \u201cI\u2019d seen him (the bull) a few times before that and he does the same thing all the time.\u201d
\nBoquet upped his Finals earnings to $51,885, which increased his season earnings to $166,472. He\u2019s in seventh place in the world standings and eighth in the average race.
\n\u201cAfter tonight, I\u2019m feeling really good,\u201d Boquet said. \u201cI don\u2019t have much of a plan, just take it a bull at a time and let the good Lord put me where I need to be.\u201d
\nWhile there are still four more rounds of the 60th edition, Boquet has his first win and is looking forward to spending some of that cash.
\n\u201cIt means everything,\u201d he said of the win. \u201cI had some goals to get some round wins and I hope to get a couple more. It\u2019s awesome to come in and win a round. \u2026 I\u2019ll do a bunch of duck hunting after this with the money I won.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wade\/Davison cash in with 3.9-second run
\nTeam roping header Tyler Wade and his partner, heeler Cole Davison, were one spot out of the money in Rounds 1 and 5.
\nThe three rounds in between also were fruitless.
\nBut Tuesday night, the duo clocked a 3.9-second run to win the round and take home $26,231 apiece.
\n\u201cAwesome,\u201d Wade said. \u201cGlad to get the ball rolling finally.\u201d
\nWade, 26, is in his second trip to Las Vegas for the $10 million rodeo.
\nDavison, 29, now has his first go-round win in his first trip to the Finals. Despite the drought before Round 6, Davison was feeling pressure. But he did say he needed to relax, and that worked.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not a very pressure-filled person,\u201d Davison said. \u201cI finally quit trying so hard tonight and just let it happen.\u201d
\nNine team roping pairs missed in the round. Wade and Davison didn\u2019t worry about that, they were focused on their steer.
\n\u201cWe stay in our own lane and do our own deal,\u201d Wade said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing tag a little bit \u2013 he\u2019s missed one, I\u2019ve missed one. But we\u2019re on the same page and glad to be here. We\u2019re just going to keep roping and hopefully it will pay out.\u201d
\nTeam roping heading leader Clay Smith and heeling leader Paul Eaves did not miss. They added $15,654 to their bank accounts when they placed third in Round 6. Each of them has $197,127 won on the year. They each have nearly $30,000 leads on their next closest competitors.
\nWade and Davison have been keeping busy with their families on the trip with them.
\n\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve got two little girls, my wife, her parents and my parents are here,\u201d said Davison, of Stephenville, Texas. \u201cEverybody is out here.\u201d
\nWade has his family in town, too.
\n\u201cOh, yeah, I\u2019ve got a kid,\u201d said Wade, of Terrell, Texas. \u201cWe went to the dolphin habitat about nine times. We\u2019ve also been busy signing autographs. It kind of fills up the whole day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cooper Martin stops clock in 7.6 seconds.
\nIn his second trip to the Wrangler NFR, tie-down roper Cooper Martin nailed down his second career round victory.
\nMartin stopped the clock in 7.6 seconds, the same time he clocked in Round 4 of the 2017 Finals.
\nIt was the first money he\u2019s won through the first six rounds.
\n\u201cIt has been a rough week and a round win always helps,\u201d Martin said. \u201cI was just looking for any kind of check and to get things turned around.\u201d
\nMartin has been riding Cade Swor\u2019s horse, Shooter, who helped him get the job done.
\n\u201cMy good horse, Waterboy, got injured in October,\u201d said Martin, 21. \u201cI called Cade up and this horse, Shooter, is the one I have been riding all week. I rode (Shooter) about eight times and won eight checks on him before I came here. This is a great start to the second half (of the Wrangler NFR).\u201d
\nThe Alma, Kan., cowboy knew what to expect from his calf, and he wasn\u2019t disappointed. He was focused on making a good run.
\n\u201cThese calves were the bigger set, and they have been pretty good all week,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes stuff doesn\u2019t go right and the guys make mistakes. I\u2019ve made mistakes all week, so I don\u2019t have anything to talk about. It is hard to put runs together out here in this building.\u201d
\nShane Hanchey continued to hold on to first place in the world standings for tie-down roping. Hanchey has $164,347 this season. Marty Yates is close behind, trailing by $2,076.<\/p>\n
Breuer stays focused to win Round 6
\nThrough the first five rounds, bareback rider Ty Breuer had yet to place. Not finishing in the top six was starting to get to him.
\nBut the 28-year-old, North Dakota cowboy put those rounds behind him and rode Calgary Stampede\u2019s Tootsie Roll for 88 points and the Round 6 win.
\n\u201cOh, that was big time for me,\u201d Breuer said. \u201cYou know, when you go the first five rounds and you don\u2019t win a check you start wondering if you don\u2019t belong here. But tonight, it felt good, really good.\u201d
\nBreuer knew he had a good chance when he drew Tootsie Roll. The two knew each other and had won a round at the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up.
\n\u201cReally excited, especially because usually the second time they buck her she\u2019s even better,\u201d Breuer said. \u201cShe was out the first round, so this round I knew she was going to be good. I just had to do my part.\u201d
\nAfter leaving the arena $26,231 richer, Breuer climbed the bareback riding world standings to 11th with $127,789.
\nBreuer knew not to lose faith in his skills.
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve just got to believe,\u201d said Breuer, who won Round 4 at the Finals last year. \u201cYou have to believe, trust the Lord and keep spurring.\u201d
\nTwo-time defending world champion Tim O\u2019Connell continues to lead the race to the coveted gold buckle. O\u2019Connell has won $227,147. He\u2019s leading Caleb Bennett by $7,488.<\/p>\n
Brazile extends lead in all-around race
\nTrevor Brazile continued his pace toward winning the all-around world title and his PRCA-record 24th world championship.
\nBrazile placed fifth in the tie-down roping in Round 6 with an 8.3-second run, earning $6,769.
\nBrazile is up to $298,026 in all-around money. He holds a $34,842 lead over his brother-in-law, Tuf Cooper.
\nRhen Richard is third in the all-around race with $192,647. While Cooper and Brazile are competing in tie-down roping at the Finals, Richard is in tie-down roping and team roping.<\/p>\n
Kinsel gains ground in Top Gun chase
\nBarrel racer Hailey Kinsel closed the gap on fellow barrel racer Amberleigh Moore in the race for the Top Gun Award, given to the Wrangler NFR competitor who wins the most money during the Finals.
\nMoore leads the way with $104,346. Kinsel, after winning the barrel racing Tuesday, is $10,365 behind.
\nSaddle bronc rider Cort Scheer, who split the Round 6 win with Zeke Thurston, is $11,634 behind Moore.<\/p>\n
60th annual Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
\nSixth Performance Results, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018
\nThomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.<\/p>\n
Bareback riding: 1. Ty Breuer, 88 points on Calgary Stampede\u2019s Tootsie Roll, $26,232; 2. (tie) Steven Dent, Richmond Champion and Tilden Hooper, 87.5, $15,795 each: 5. (tie) Caleb Bennett and Will Lowe, 87, $5,500 each; 7. Tim O’Connell, 86.5; 8. Kaycee Feild, 85; 9. (tie) Clayton Biglow and Mason Clements, 84.5; 11. Jake Brown, 84; 12. Orin Larsen, 82.5; 13. Shane O’Connell, 78.5; 14. Wyatt Denny, NS, 15. Bill Tutor, INJ. Average standings: 1. Steven Dent, 510.5 points on six head; 2. Kaycee Field, 510; 3. Tilden Hooper, 507.5; 4. Tim O’Connell, 505; 5. (tie) Will Lowe and Richmond Champion, 501.5; 7. Shane O’Connell, 494.5; 8. Caleb Bennett, 485.5. World standings: 1. Tim O’Connell, $227,147; 2. Caleb Bennett, $219,659; 3. Clayton Biglow, $192,551; 4. Steven Dent, $184,926; 5. Richmond Champion, $173,114; 6. Kaycee Feild, $170,522; 7. Orin Larsen, $165,617; 8. Tilden Hooper, $160,545; 9. Bill Tutor, $154,162; 10. Mason Clements, $149,587; 11. Ty Breuer, $127,789; 12. Jake Brown, $115,069; 13. Wyatt Denny, $113,728; 14. Shane O’Connell, $107,720; 15. Will Lowe, $91,517.<\/p>\n
Steer wrestling: 1. Curtis Cassidy, 3.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Jacob Talley, 3.7, $20,731; 3. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Kyle Irwin and Nick Guy, 4.1, $11,141 each; 6. (tie) Scott Guenthner and Will Lummus, 4.5, $2,115; 8. Blake Mindemann, 4.8; 9. Hunter Cure, 5.1; 10. Riley Duvall, 5.5; 11. Bridger Chambers, 6.1; 12. Tanner Brunner, 6.7; 13. Blake Knowles, 10.9; 14. Tyler Pearson and Ty Erickson, NT. Average standings: 1. Will Lummus, 25.2 seconds on six head; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 26.9; 3. Blake Knowles, 35.8; 4. Bridger Chambers, 39.4; 5. Riley Duvall, 44.3; 6. Nick Guy, 53; 7. Tanner Brunner, 76.2; 8. Kyle Irwin, 20.2 on five. World standings: 1. Curtis Cassidy, $184,125; 2. Will Lummus, $156,471; 3. Tyler Waguespack, $153,186; 4. Scott Guenthner, $150,765; 5. Kyle Irwin, $139,416; 6. Tyler Pearson, $133,856; 7. Ty Erickson, $128,854; 8. Hunter Cure, $122,268; 9. Bridger Chambers, $120,159; 10. Blake Knowles, $119,515; 11. Jacob Talley, $111,448; 12. Blake Mindemann, $106,919; 13. Nick Guy, $99,514; 14. Tanner Brunner, $98,193; 15. Riley Duvall, $96,528.<\/p>\n
Team roping: 1. Tyler Wade\/Cole Davison, 3.9 seconds, $26,231 each; 2. Bubba Buckaloo\/Chase Tryan, 4.4, $20,731; 3. Clay Smith\/Paul Eaves, 4.5, $15,654; 4. Lane Ivy\/Buddy Hawkings II, 8.7, $11,000; 5. Aaron Tsinigine\/Trey Yates, 19.5, $6,769; 6. Rhen Richard\/Quinn Kesler, Kaleb Driggers\/Junior Nogueira, Dustin Egusquiza\/Kory Koontz, Clay Tryan\/Travis Graves, Cody Snow\/Wesley Thorp, Chad Masters\/Joseph Harrison, Riley Minor\/Brady Minor, Derrick Begay\/Cory Petska, Luke Brown\/Jake Long and Erich Rogers\/Clint Summers, NT. Average standings: 1. Aaron Tsinigine\/Trey Yates, 48.4 seconds on six head; 2. Clay Smith\/ Paul Eaves, 21.9 on five; 3. Kaleb Driggers\/Junior Nogueira, 27.8; 4. Derrick Begay\/Cory Petska, 42.2; 5. Rhen Richard\/Quinn Kesler, 43.2; 6. Riley Minor\/Brady Minor, 22.0 on four; 7. Cody Snow\/Wesley Thorp, 25.1; 8. Erich Rogers\/Clint Summers, 31. World standings (headers): 1. Clay Smith, $197,127; 2. Kaleb Driggers, $167,964; 3. Bubba Buckaloo, $148,721; 4. Riley Minor, $139,361; 5. Aaron Tsinigine, $134,237; 6. Cody Snow, $133,594; 7. Luke Brown, $130,756; 8. Dustin Egusquiza, $129,723; 9. Clay Tryan, $122,785; 10. Derrick Begay, $121,068; 11. Chad Masters, $120,304; 12. Lane Ivy, $114,688; 13. Tyler Wade, $109,376; 14. Erich Rogers, $98,450; 15. Rhen Richard, $92,790. World standings (heelers): 1. Paul Eaves, $197,127; 2. Junior Nogueira, $168,948; 3. Trey Yates, $148,631; 4. Joseph Harrison, $139,477; 5. Brady Minor, $138,169; 6. Jake Long, $130,756; 7. Wesley Thorp, $129,904; 8. Kory Koontz, $129,723; 9. Chase Tryan, $128,136; 10. Cory Petska, $127,525; 11. Travis Graves, $118,928; 12. Buddy Hawkins II, $111,682; 13. Clint Summers, $109,563; 14. Cole Davison, $102,482; 15. Quinn Kesler, $88,906.<\/p>\n
Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Zeke Thurston, on Powder River Rodeo\u2019s Miss Chestnut and Cort Scheer on Mo Betta Rodeo\u2019s Elsmere, 89.5 points, $23,481 each; 3. Chase Brooks, 89, $15,654; 4. Ryder Wright, 87.5, $11,000; 5. Joey Sonnier III, 86, $6,770; 6. (tie) Taos Muncy and Wade Sundell, 85.5, $2,115 each; 8. Clay Elliott, 85; 9. (tie) Rusty Wright and CoBurn Bradshaw, 82; 11. Isaac Diaz, 79.5; 12. Sterling Crawley, 76.5, 13. Jacobs Crawley, Brody Cress and Jake Wright, NS. Average standings: 1. CoBurn Bradshaw, 503 points on six head; 2. (tie) Wade Sundell and Zeke Thurston, 432.5 on five; 4. Cort Scheer, 432; 5. Rusty Wright, 427; 6. Clay Elliott, 424; 7. Ryder Wright, 351.5 on four; 8. Isaac Diaz, 334.5. World standings: 1. Ryder Wright, $243,194; 2. Jacobs Crawley, $204,331; 3. Cort Scheer, $194,554; 4. Rusty Wright, $193,684; 5. Zeke Thurston, $179,118; 6. Wade Sundell, $170,848; 7. Isaac Diaz, $160,970; 8. CoBurn Bradshaw, $132,325; 9. Jake Wright $128,287; 10. Clay Elliott, $126,445; 11. Chase Brooks, $121,680; 12. Brody Cress, $121,587; 13. Sterling Crawley, $108,748; 14. Joey Sonnier III, $95,883; 15. Taos Muncy, $90,906.<\/p>\n
Tie-down roping: 1. Cooper Martin, 7.6 seconds, $26,231; 2. Ryan Jarrett and Reese Riemer, 7.8, $18,192 each: 4. Jake Pratt, 8.1, $11,000; 5. Trevor Brazile, 8.3, $6,769; 6. Ryle Smith, 8.8, $4,231; 7. Caleb Smidt, 9.0; 8. Rhen Richard, 9.1; 9. Cory Solomon, 9.7; 10. (tie) Shane Hanchey, 10.0; 12. Tyson Durfey, 11.5; 13. Tuf Cooper, 17.2; 14. (tie) Sterling Smith and Marty Yates, NT. Average standings: 1. Ryle Smith, 49.0 seconds on six head; 2. Caleb Smidt, 49.5; 3. Rhen Richard, 52.6; 4. Reese Riemer, 57.3; 5. Matt Shiozawa, 60.2; 6. Trevor Brazile, 63.8; 7. Cooper Martin, 64.5; 8. Cory Solomon, 67.8. World standings: 1. Shane Hanchey, $164,347; 2. Marty Yates, $162,271; 3. Reese Riemer, $159,454; 4. Tuf Cooper, $158,095; 5. Caleb Smidt, $157,932; 6. Trevor Brazile, $156,643; 7. Ryle Smith, $153,056; 8. Jake Pratt, $142,088; 9. Tyson Durfey, $136,518; 10. Cooper Martin, $128,169; 11. Ryan Jarrett, $126,616; 12. Matt Shiozawa, $122,923; 13. Sterling Smith, $111,647; 14. Rhen Richard, $111,283; 15. Cory Solomon, $110,002.<\/p>\n
Bull riding: 1. Dustin Boquet, 91 points on Hi Lo ProRodeo Company\u2019s Divinity, $26,231; 2. Chase Dougherty, 88.5, $20,731; 3. Koby Radley, 88, $15,654; 4. Joe Frost, 87, $11,000; 5. Parker Breding, 86.5, $6,769; 6. Jeff Askey, 85.5, $4,231; 7. Sage Kimzey, Tyler Bingham, Roscoe Jarboe, Boudreaux Campbell, Garrett Tribble, Cole Melancon, Eli Vastbinder, Trevor Kastner and Trey Benton III, NS. Average standings: 1. Joe Frost, 347 points on four head; 2. Jeff Askey, 340; 3. Parker Breding, 330.5; 4. Garrett Tribble, 262 points on three head; 5. Koby Radley, 259; 6. Chase Dougherty, 257; 7. Sage Kimzey, 254; 8. Dustin Boquet, 175.5 points on two. World standings: 1. Sage Kimzey, $358,852; 2. Parker Breding, $225,232; 3. Jeff Askey, $174,855; 4. Garrett Tribble, $174,136; 5. Joe Frost, $173,150; 6. Chase Dougherty, $172,375; 7. Dustin Boquet, $166,472; 8. Koby Radley, $160,072; 9. Trey Benton III, $141,393; 10. Tyler Bingham, $135,064; 11. Eli Vastbinder, $132,191; 12. Roscoe Jarboe, $130,737; 13. Boudreaux Campbell, $116,431; 14. Cole Melancon, $109,973; 15. Trevor Kastner, $104,396.<\/p>\n
All-around world standings: 1. Trevor Brazile, $298,026; 2. Tuf Cooper, $263,184; 3. Rhen Richard, $192,647; 4. Steven Dent, $184,513; 5. Curtis Cassidy, $171,352; 6. Ryle Smith, $169,562.<\/p>\n
RAM Top Gun standings: 1. Amberleigh Moore, $104,346; 2. Hailey Kinsel, $93,981; 3. Cort Scheer, $92,712; 4. (tie) Paul Eaves and Clay Smith, 81,782; 5. Jessica Routier, $80,854; 6. (tie) Curtis Cassidy and Ryder Wright, $78,116; 8. Marty Yates, $75,789; 9. Steven Dent, $75,506; 10. Tyler Waguespack, $73,603.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAS VEGAS – Cort Scheer and Zeke Thurston have been cashing in for plenty of money during the 60th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. They each added another $23,481 to their world standings when they split Round 6 and set the round record with rides of 89.5 points at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Dec. 11. Scheer did his on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue, while Thurston was aboard Powder River Rodeo’s Miss Chestnut.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5812,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[52,2044,98],"tags":[2029,2023,2028,2027],"class_list":["post-5824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events-magazine","category-magazine","category-western-events-magazine","tag-2018-wnfr","tag-cort-scheer","tag-saddle-bronc-riding-world-champion","tag-zeke-thurston"],"yoast_head":"\n