Elbow surgery sidelines Teel for 2-3 months
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Sometimes life can be just a little bit too much like a roller coaster ride.
Just one day removed from being honored with a banquet in his hometown of Kountze, Texas, reigning World Champion Bull Rider Cody Teel dislocated and shattered his left elbow while competing at an unsanctioned rodeo.
He underwent a four-hour surgery on March 7 in which doctors inserted two plates and 10 screws. In the short term, Teel will be wearing a soft cast and will start very light rehabilitation work shortly in Beaumont, Texas.
Teel was released from the hospital on March 10 and returned home to Kountze.
“The doctors are saying it will be 2-3 months before he can do any heavy duty physical therapy,” said Teel’s mother, Kami, “and that he’ll need more time to be ready to compete. As hard-headed as Cody is, he’s talking about being back in June, in time for the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo or earlier.
“Of course, when he had abdominal surgery, the surgeons said he wouldn’t be able to ride bulls for a year and he was back in three months. He has proved people wrong before.”
Teel became the second current world champion to undergo surgery in as many weeks. Team roping header Chad Masters blew out his knee March 1 at the Timed Event Championship in Guthrie, Okla., and is benched for 6-8 months.
Teel, 20, became the youngest bull riding world champion in the sport’s history last December when he held off three-time gold buckle winner J.W. Harris by just $1,056.
The Hardin County Commissioners honored their favorite son for his achievement with a proclamation making March 5 Cody Teel Day and his hometown named him Citizen of the Year at a special Kountze Chamber of Commerce banquet that night.
2. Nebraskan’s draw a matter of Scheer delight
ARCADIA, Fla. – Saddle bronc rider Cort Scheer knew once he saw the stock draw that he had history on his side and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away.
Scheer, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, rode Frontier Rodeo’s Maple Leaf for 89 points and the win at the March 8-10 Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo – just as Cody DeMoss had done a year ago in the same arena.
Well, actually, it was a bit better than what DeMoss did in 2012; he rode Maple Leaf for 85 points to get that win.
“That horse has been good for a long time,” Scheer said. “He’s a bucking son of a gun. I just had to stay on him. Cody Taton had a good ride on the horse in Jackson (Miss.), so he was able to help with how much rein I needed.
“It was challenging all the way. I’ll be honest, I got a little bit loose there for a second, but I managed to pull it together.”
The judges rewarded Scheer’s effort with 45 points out of a possible 50 and Maple Leaf, a Wrangler NFR veteran himself, earned scores of 21 and 23 from the PRCA officials.
It all added up to be enough to hold off 2011 World Champion Bull Rider Shane Proctor and Isaac Diaz – who tied for second place – by two points and 2008 Reserve World Champion Bareback Rider Steven Dent by three.
Scheer earned $3,255 for the win and moved up from seventh to sixth in the saddle bronc riding world standings.
While he was at it, Scheer took a shot at earning the first all-around title of his career in Arcadia, entering the team roping with fellow Nebraska saddle bronc rider and traveling partner Travis Sheets. They stayed among the leaders for the first two days, but ultimately got bumped out of the money.
“I roped and bulldogged in high school and college,” Scheer said, “but this was the first time I team roped in a PRCA rodeo. When I first bought my card I wanted to concentrate on my saddle bronc riding and see if I could establish myself.
“This is just for fun. We’ll probably do it again somewhere down the road and I’d like to enter the bulldogging once in awhile, too. That’s kind of a goal.”
The biggest bit of final-day drama came in the bull riding where Josh Barentine, the leader at the start of the day with a score of 88 points (good enough to win here a year ago), got bumped all the way down to fourth place during a performance that had three 90-point rides.
Clint Craig, of Mena, Ark., ended up with the win. He had a 91-pointer on Frontier Rodeo’s Sponge Bob, a point better than Rookie of the Year frontrunner Cooper Davis and Cole Echols.
The other champions in this $76,651 event at the Arcadia Rodeo Arena were bareback rider Caleb Bennett (87 points), steer wrestler Tyler Pearson (4.7 seconds), team ropers Brent Aldoff and Kyle Lawrence (5.4 seconds), tie-down roper Will Lane (10.7 seconds) and barrel racer Tiany Schuster (17.80 seconds).
Lane also won the all-around title, pairing his tie-down roping win with a second-place finish in team roping to bank a total of $3,072.
The rodeo set a single-day attendance record with an overflow crowd of about 8,000 on March 9 and also broke the overall record with more than 21,000 spectators for the three days.
“I’ve been president of the rodeo committee for 14 years,” Don Hall said, “and this is the first time we’ve had to turn people away. We finally sent volunteers down to the intersection to let people know that there was just no more room.”
• The Silver Spurs Club made some history at the March 9-10 Okeechobee (Fla.) Cattlemen’s Spring Rodeo … or, at the very least, earned itself a share of a record that can never be broken. Biggin Gold was one of four horses that the Kenansville, Fla.-based stock contracting firm bucked in both the bareback riding and saddle bronc riding in Okeechobee and he came through with wins in both. Australian Sam Spreadborough went first, riding Biggin Gold for 82 points on March 9 – a score that would prove four points better than any other saddle bronc rider could manage over the weekend. The following day, Dustin Smith of Rome, Ga., climbed onboard the horse and earned a score of 76 points in the bareback riding to edge runners-up Blade Elliott and Jon Luse by a single point. “There aren’t a lot of horses out there good enough to win both events at the same rodeo,” Spreadborough said, “and stock contractors don’t do it (use a horse in both) that often. It makes this kind of unique.”
• It’s true that bareback rider Chris Harris hasn’t qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo since 2008. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking he can’t compete at the top level anymore. Kaycee Feild can tell you. Harris had an 85-point ride on Classic Pro Rodeo’s Wilma to win the March 7-9 Marshall (Texas) ProRodeo by one point over the two-time and reigning World Champion Feild.
• Minnesota’s Matt Pojanowski was the show stealer at the North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City, N.D., with a winning 90-point bull ride on Dakota Rodeo Company’s Double Vision. It was the third ride of 90 points or better in Pojanowski’s career and one point off his career best achieved back in 2007.
• For full results of last week’s PRCA rodeos, visit www.prorodeo.com.
3. Former PRCA bareback rider hooks check in Shark Tank
Former PRCA bareback rider Ryan “Cowboy” Ehmann appeared on ABC-TV’s Shark Tank March 8, and came away with a $120,000 investment from one of the show’s panelists to expand Ehmann’s weight loss and fitness business.
Ehmann, of Mead, Colo., runs the Firm Body Boot Camp out of a gym in Loveland, Colo., where he teaches his Cowboy Fit Zone methodology. He has also developed a product he calls Lose 12 Inches with 12 Workouts that he markets on multiple websites.
Ehmann presented his enthusiastic pitch to the full panel of six entrepreneurs on the network television show, offering 25 percent of the profit from his business in exchange for the $120,000 in capital he was seeking.
Daymond John, the president and CEO of the FUBU clothing company, made the investment based as much on Ehmann’s personality and utter commitment to succeed as he did on the business model.
The 41-year-old Ehmann bought his PRCA card in 1999 and competed in ProRodeo through the 2006 season.
Shark Tank, based on a show originally developed in Japan, features a panel of entrepreneurs and business executives called “sharks,” who consider pitches from other entrepreneurs seeking funding for their business or product.
In the March 8 episode, Ehmann appeared alongside groups that proposed throwing dance parties for kids with a traveling disco and the production of a damage-proof cell phone.
4. News and notes from the rodeo trail
ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Paul Tierney has been honored by the Omaha World Herald as one of the 100 greatest athletes in Nebraska’s history. Tierney was recognized for a career that has lasted more than 40 years and produced a tie-down roping world championship in 1979, an all-around gold buckle in 1980 and 14 trips to the National Finals Rodeo. “Anytime you get recognized like that for achievements in life, it’s kind of like frosting on the cake,” Tierney told the SandHills Express of Broken Bow, Neb. “In high school I had become a state champion in all-around and calf roping. I realized in my college years that if I made the sacrifices and applied myself, I could do this.” Tierney was born in Kearney, Neb., and grew up in Broken Bow. He was ranked 95thby the World Herald, the only rodeo star on a list that was headed by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson, Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers and pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander, who finished his career tied for third in career wins (373 for the Phillies, Cubs and Cardinals) … With Pete Carr’s purchase of Classic Pro Rodeo from Scotty Lovelace now finalized, the stock contracting company has been renamed Pete Carr’s Classic ProRodeo. The March 7-9 Marshall (Texas) Pro Rodeo was the first event produced under that name … The Industry Outreach Department of the PRCA offered a unique interactive rodeo experience to the fans at last month’s San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. The ProRodeo Hall of Education allowed fans to meet with rodeo cowboys, try their hand at roping a dummy and see what a bareback riggin and bull rope felt like. The display also featured information on the history of ProRodeo as well as information on the livestock involved. The ProRodeo Hall of Education was a stop for the Boy/Girl Scout Day scavenger hunt on Feb. 10. Participants were encouraged to learn more about ProRodeo with several rodeo history and general knowledge questions. The PRCA distributed pencils, stickers and rodeo education booklets to participating scouts … The Mohave County (Ariz.) Supervisors have allocated $50,000 for improvements to the Mohave County Fairgrounds in Kingman, where the PRCA-sanctioned Andy Devine Days Rodeo has been staged for the past 28 years … Rex Phebus, who served on the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo Board of Directors for more than 50 years and was manager of the Clovis Veterans Memorial District for 30 years, died in his beloved hometown on March 1. He was 92. Phebus was recognized with a plaque by then-PRCA Commissioner Lewis Cryer for his long service to rodeo, the Veterans Memorial Building in Clovis is named in his honor and he helped establish many youth and senior citizen programs in his community. “He had his hands in a little bit of everything,” longtime friend and former Clovis City Councilman Stan King told the Fresno Bee. “If you wanted (to know) anything of historical reference on Clovis, he was the go-to guy. He definitely was ‘Mr. Clovis.’” … PRCA photographer Molly Morrow will have her work exhibited March 14-17 at the Great Western Living and Design Exhibition in Great Falls, Mont. … The Pioneer City Rodeo in Palestine, Ill., is returning as a PRCA-sanctioned event for the first time since 2008. It is best remembered in rodeo history as the site of the 98-point bull ride made by ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Denny Flynn on Steiner’s Red Lightning in 1979 – a world record that stood for 12 years … For the 56th year, the Mesquite (Texas) ProRodeo Series will be heralded with a parade through the downtown streets. Entries from area businesses are being accepted through March 29.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“You’re only as good as you believe you are. He taught me how to be positive and that I could win and was as good as the next cowboy. He would tell me to have confidence, that the bull didn’t care what color I was; to be positive and trust myself.”
– ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull rider Charlie Sampson, telling the Scottsbluff (Neb.) Star Herald the valuable lessons he learned from one of his early mentors.
5. Next Up
March 11 Rodeo Austin (Texas) ongoing (WRANGLER MILLION DOLLAR TOUR)
March 13 Xtreme Bulls Division 2, Mercedes, Texas
March 14 Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show & Rodeo, Mercedes, Texas, begins
March 15 Camrose (Alberta) Spring Classic Pro Rodeo begins
March 15 Goliad County Fair PRCA Rodeo, Goliad, Texas, begins
March 15 Florida Gateway Pro Rodeo, Lake City, begins
6. 2013 PRCA World Standings leaders
AA: Trevor Brazile………………$25,445
BB: Kaycee Feild…………………$38,199
SW: Casey Martin………….……..$31,753
TR-1 Landon McClaugherty.……..$30,128
TR-2 Tommy Zuniga……….…….$30,128
SB Cody Wright………….…….$31,835
TD Sterling Smith………………$31,021
BR Josh Koschel………………..$47,741
SR Chet Herren…………………$22,415
7. 2013 PRCA WORLD STANDINGS
Through March 11, 2013
All-around
1. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas $25,445
2. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 22,588
3. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas 22,357
4. Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Ga. 11,593
5. Blake Hirdes, Turlock, Calif. 11,043
6. Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash. 10,745
7. Payden Emmett, Ponca, Ark. 9,873
8. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D. 7,468
Bareback Riding
1. Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah $38,199
2. J.R. Vezain, Cowley, Wyo. 23,189
3. Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore. 21,726
4. Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas 20,069
5. Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore. 18,617
6. Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 17,291
7. Jared Smith, Cross Plains, Texas 16,155
8. Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash. 16,071
9. Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas 16,058
10. Jessy Davis, Power, Mont. 13,927
11. R.C. Landingham, Pendleton, Ore. 13,379
12. Clint Cannon, Waller, Texas 13,185
13. Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La. 12,449
14. Matthew Smith, Leesville, La. 12,175
15. Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo. 10,334
16. Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa 10,215
17. George Gillespie IV, Placerville, Calif. 9,582
18. Evan Jayne, Marseille, France 9,111
19. Clint Laye, Odessa, Texas 8,108
20. Mac Erickson, Sundance, Wyo. 8,108
Steer Wrestling
1. Casey Martin, Sulphur, La. $31,753
2. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif. 27,042
3. Straws Milan, Cochrane, Alberta 19,288
4. Jule Hazen, Ashland, Kan. 18,903
5. Les Shepperson, Midwest, Wyo. 18,162
6. Jason Miller, Lance Creek, Wyo. 17,874
7. Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss. 15,634
8. Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore. 15,618
9. Clayton Moore, Pouce Coupe, British Columbia 15,311
10. Stan Branco, Chowchilla, Calif. 14,835
11. Sean Mulligan, Coleman, Okla. 14,542
12. Cooper Shofner, Huntsville, Texas 12,106
13. Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La. 10,818
14. Wade Sumpter, Fowler, Colo. 10,566
15. Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta 9,495
16. Wyatt Smith, Rexburg, Idaho 8,335
17. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. 7,825
18. Casey McMillen, Redmond, Ore. 7,296
19. Jake Rinehart, Highmore, S.D. 7,245
20. Jason Thomas, Benton, Ark. 7,162
Team Roping (header)
1. Landon McClaugherty, Tilden, Texas $30,128
2. Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz. 20,540
3. Drew Horner, Plano, Texas 19,104
4. Dustin Bird, Cut Bank, Mont. 16,115
5. Brock Hanson, Casa Grande, Ariz. 14,854
6. Turtle Powell, Stephenville, Texas 14,775
7. Nick Rawlings, Stephenville, Texas 14,257
8. Nick Sartain, Dover, Okla. 13,822
9. Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont. 13,753
10. Chace Thompson, Munday, Texas 12,555
11. Caleb Mitchell, Mason, Texas 11,469
12. Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M. 11,223
13. Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo. 11,156
14. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas 10,404
15. Calvin Brevik, Durango, Colo. 9,972
16. Ty Blasingame, Ramah, Colo. 9,804
17. Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore. 9,743
18. Bradley Massey, Perry, Fla. 9,583
19. Manny Egusquiza Jr., Madison, Ga. 9,560
20. Justin Van Davis, Madisonville, Texas 9,320
Team Roping (heeler)
1. Tommy Zuniga, Centerville, Texas $30,128
2. Cory Petska, Marana, Ariz. 21,939
3. Kory Koontz, Sudan, Texas 20,023
4. Buddy Hawkins II, Columbus, Kan. 19,104
5. Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo. 16,115
6. Travis Graves, Jay, Okla. 15,446
7. Rich Skelton, Llano, Texas 15,391
8. Dugan Kelly, Paso Robles, Calif. 13,082
9. Tyler McKnight, Wells, Texas 13,028
10. Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M. 11,853
11. Chad Williams, Stephenville, Texas 11,362
12. York Gill, Stephenville, Texas 10,971
13. Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla. 10,404
14. Travis Woodard, Stockton, Calif. 9,606
15. Ryan Motes, Weatherford, Texas 9,592
16. Shane Hester, Lakeland, Fla. 9,583
17. Matt Zancanella, Aurora, S.D. 8,236
18. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 8,150
19. Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas 8,124
20. John Robertson, Polson, Mont. 7,816
Saddle Bronc Riding
1. Cody Wright, Milford, Utah $31,835
2. Tyler Corrington, Hastings, Minn. 30,035
3. Brad Rudolf, Winnemucca, Nev. 22,154
4. Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D. 18,257
5. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah 18,247
6. Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb. 17,481
7. Troy Crowser, Whitewood, S.D. 14,674
8. Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M. 14,058
9. Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas 11,747
10. Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah 10,966
11. Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas 10,942
12. Luke Butterfield, Ponoka, Alberta 10,286
13. Cody Taton, Corona, N.M. 10,178
14. Bradley Harter, Weatherford, Texas 10,010
15. Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La. 9,828
16. Jesse Bail, Camp Crook, S.D. 9,696
17. Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont. 9,397
18. Jeremy Melancon, Huntsville, Texas 9,063
19. Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D. 9,039
20. Dawson Jandreau, Kennebec, S.D. 8,164
Tie-down Roping
1. Sterling Smith, Stephenville, Texas $31,021
2. Justin Maass, Giddings, Texas 28,490
3. Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah 22,528
4. Randall Carlisle, Castor, La. 20,236
5. EJ Roberts, Stephenville, Texas 17,358
6. Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas 15,428
7. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 14,439
8. Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas 13,970
9. Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla. 12,788
10. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho 12,751
11. Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas 12,663
12. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas 12,579
13. Blair Burk, Durant, Okla. 12,339
14. Timber Moore, Aubrey, Texas 12,121
15. Houston Hutto, Tomball, Texas 11,563
16. Jade Conner, Iowa, La. 11,398
17. Cody Ohl, Hico, Texas 11,353
18. Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La. 11,299
19. Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas 11,082
20. Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla. 10,662
Steer Roping
1. Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla. $22,415
2. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas 18,470
3. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas 16,968
4. J. Tom Fisher, Andrews, Texas 15,721
5. Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas 14,137
6. Vin Fisher Jr., Andrews, Texas 11,537
7. Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla. 10,951
8. Jarrett Blessing, Paradise, Texas 10,314
9. Brent Lewis, Pinon, N.M. 9,903
10. Brad Prather, Skiatook, Okla. 8,852
11. Dan Fisher, Andrews, Texas 8,435
12. Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas 8,091
13. Kim Ziegelgruber, Edmond, Okla. 8,049
14. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas 7,247
15. Bryce Davis, Ovalo, Texas 6,947
16. Joe Wells, Cisco, Texas 6,737
17. Shane Suggs, Granbury, Texas 6,070
18. Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kan. 5,745
19. J. Paul Williams, Burbank, Okla. 5,280
20. Tim Abbott, Midland, Texas 4,475
Bull Riding
1. Josh Koschel, Nunn, Colo. $47,741
2. Cody Teel, Kountze, Texas 34,670
3. Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo. 33,213
4. Corey Navarre, Weatherford, Okla. 30,445
5. Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo. 30,434
6. J.W. Harris, Mullin, Texas 26,346
7. Trevor Kastner, Ardmore, Okla. 25,387
8. Tag Elliott, Thatcher, Utah 25,149
9. Cole Echols, Elm Grove, La. 20,813
10. Cooper Davis, Jasper, Texas 20,652
11. Friday Wright II, Moss Point, Miss. 18,149
12. Bobby Welsh, Gillette, Wyo. 18,093
13. Jeff Askey, Martin, Tenn. 17,537
14. Chandler Bownds, Lubbock, Texas 17,413
15. Scottie Knapp, Albuquerque, N.M. 15,996
16. Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah 15,627
17. Tyler Willis, Wheatland, Wyo. 15,221
18. Ardie Maier, Timber Lake, S.D. 14,226
19. Dustin Elliott, North Platte, Neb. 13,132
20. Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont. 12,161
*2013 Barrel Racing (through March 11, 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. $31,498
2. Fallon Taylor, Whitesboro, Texas 31,383
3. Mary Walker, Ennis, Texas 30,522
4. Taylor Jacob, Carmine, Texas 25,522
5. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 22,675
6. Sydni Blanchard, Albuquerque, N.M. 21,118
7. Shada Brazile, Decatur, Texas 19,580
8. Natalie Foutch, Eldora, Iowa 18,566
9. Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz. 17,297
10. Carlee Pierce, Stephenville, Texas 17,047
11. Annesa Self, Sanger, Texas 16,955
12. Kendra Dickson, Aubrey, Texas 14,899
13. Sabrina Ketcham, Yeso, N.M.