Another one in the books

Sitting in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo press room during Round 10, I was attempting to digest everything that was happening and the events of the last 10 days here in Las Vegas. Like a bee hive, the press room was buzzing with activity as world titles were decided and dreams dashed and realized.

Every year I’m here, I’m always amazed by how many developments pop up during the nearly two weeks we spend in the Nevada desert each December, and this year was no different. If you can’t find something at the Wrangler NFR to write about, you’d better just hang it up.

The Wrangler NFR press room was the place to be as world titles were decided Saturday.

My spot in the press room looked like a war zone, with a mountain of paper strewn in every direction imaginable. In the age of information, stats are essential to the business.

As always, it was a highly active rodeo, both in and out of the arena, and there was plenty to sink my teeth into. The following is my best attempt to put a stamp on this year’s Finals and highlight the big stories that developed.

I’m sure I’ve left something out, but this is at least a good start.

HIGHS

1. Seeing Mary Walker win a gold buckle a year after losing her only son, 21-year-old Reagon, and shattering her pelvis and breaking her hip in three places was the feel-good story of the Finals. The 53-year-old Wrangler NFR rookie is a delight of a person, and she and her AQHA Horse of the Year Latte were simply amazing. They placed in eight rounds, including four wins, and topped the single-season earnings record of $146,100 set by Sherry Cervi in 2009 by $841.

The 53-year-old Wrangler NFR rookie was overcome with emotion after earning the gold buckle.

“I’m just overwhelmed and so excited, and it’s the most amazing thing in my life,” said Walker, who finished with $274,233 in season earnings. “A lot of emotions are going on, especially yesterday. I was really upset with the fact that Reagon wasn’t here with me to celebrate, but I know he is in spirit.”

She joined her husband, 1981 World Champion Steer Wrestler Byron Walker, as a gold buckle winner, marking just the fourth time in ProRodeo history that a husband-wife tandem earned world championships.

Her story makes your heart swell, and the success couldn’t come to a classier lady. Great job Mary!

Mary Walker held her World Champion buckle while her husband, 1981 World Champion Steer Wrestler Byron Walker, showed off her RAM Top Gun Award and Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award.

2. The fact that Les Shepperson and Luke Branquinho were battling for the steer wrestling world title didn’t keep Sheepperson from lending Branquinho the services of his 2012 AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year Dillon for the final two rounds after Branquinho’s horse, Gunner, was injured was the ultimate show of sportsmanship. The traveling partners hazed for each other at the Finals, with Shepperson taking the Wrangler NFR average crown and Branquinho winning his fourth bulldogging gold buckle.

“You couldn’t ask for a better guy to do that, especially with him having a chance to win his first world championship,” Branquinho said of his buddy. “His heart is as big as that gold buckle I won, and it just goes to show you how good a guy and traveling partner he is.”

Branquinho became the first steer wrestler to repeat as world champ since Hall of Famer OteBerry accomplished the feat from 1990-91. I asked him if he’s thought of the reality that he is a lock for the ProRodeo Hall of Fame now that he’s won four championships.

“After I won my second world championship, that was sure in the back of my mind, getting to go in the Hall of Fame with some of the best guys who’ve ever gone,” said Branquinho, who finished with $158,963 in earnings to finish more than $13,000 ahead of Casey Martin for the world title. “Hopefully it can be a possibility and something a guy can cherish forever. That’s what you grow up in the sport thinking of – winning world championships, being in the Hall of Fame and being in an elite group.”

3. Team roper Jade Corkill won the heeling world title, banking $84,660 in Las Vegas to edge Hall of Famer Clay O’Brien Cooper by $1,131. Corkill and heading partner Kaleb Driggers provided the biggest drama of the night, winning the 10th round in 4.0 seconds to move up to fifth in the average, which was just enough for Corkill to realize his dream. He was joined as a first-time world champ by Walker and 20-year-old bull rider Cody Teel, who nipped three-time World Champion J.W. Harris by $1,056.

Kaycee Feild and the rest of the 2012 World Champions were mobbed by reporters after claiming their gold buckles Saturday night.

4. Young guns Kaycee Feild and Tuf Cooper repeated as world champions this year, edging closer to their fathers’ gold buckle totals. They still have a long way to go to match their proud papas, but they could both be building dynasties. Feild and Cooper are going to be fun to watch for quite some time.

LOWS

1. Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith failed to place in the last four rounds and fell from first to third in the team roping world standings. That was one of the big surprises of the rodeo, as the duo was in good position through Round 6 to add more gold buckles to their trophy cases. They finished 10^th in the average and added just $50,649 to their season earnings total at the 10-day rodeo.

2. A trio of roughstock contestants left Las   Vegas without a check, and that’s always a tough thing to see considering how hard they work all year to get here. Bareback rider Jared Keylon and bull riders Cody Samora and Tate Stratton were blanked at the Thomas & Mack Center.

3. Beau Schroeder may have won the Wrangler NFR average title in his first appearance at the Finals, but he did so riding only five of 10 bulls for 423 points (84.6 average). The bulls finished with a 112-42 edge in their matchups with the PRCA’s top 15 bull riders, a buck-off percentage of 72 percent. That’s tied for the fewest number of bulls covered for a Wrangler NFR average champion in the event’s 54-year history, along with Kanin Asay’s 5-ride average win in 2009.

THIS AND THAT

Walker-ing away with a massive haul

Not only did Mary Walker earn $146,941 in Las   Vegas to win the Ram Top Gun Award and claim a world championship, but she pocketed another $5,000 for earning the inaugural Jerry Ann Taylor Best Dressed Award. Walker was voted as the barrel racer who best exemplified a sense of style in her attire during the Wrangler NFR. The award was created earlier this year by the family of former trick roper Jerry Ann Taylor, who died in February. It is sponsored by the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame (in which Taylor is enshrined) and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.

Cha-ching!

By begin the only bull rider to last eight seconds in Round 9 Friday night, Trevor Kastner of Ardmore, Okla., took home a hefty paycheck. He won $18,257 in official money, but also another $40,637 in unofficial “ground money” as well. The Wrangler NFR pays $58,894 nightly in each event, and the money all went to the 25-year-old, who was competing in his second career Finals. It was just the fifth time in Wrangler NFR history that there was only one qualified ride in the bull riding, and there have also been two rounds with no qualified rides in the rodeo’s 54-year history.

Money for a good cause

The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund (JCCF), which provides financial assistance to contestants injured in the arena who are unable to compete, received a pair of big donations during this year’s Finals. The ProRodeo League of Women Luncheon raised $100,000 for the worthy cause, and Crown Royal donated $10,000 in honor of the Crown Royal Riders – 2012 Wrangler NFR bull rider Cody Whitney and PRCA cowboys Wesley Silcox, Steve Woolsey and Tilden Hooper.

Speaking of money …

World Champion Bareback Rider Kaycee Feild and Wrangler NFR barrel racer Lisa Lockhart eclipsed the $1 million mark in career earnings at this year’s Finals. Feild pocketed $135,211 in Las Vegas to push his career total to $1,084,831, while Lockhart’s $107,875 put her career mark at $1,064,670. Lockhart joined the WPRA in 2000, while Feild just finished his sixth PRCA season.

Tuf Cooper won his second consecutive tie-down roping gold buckle, but fell short of the millon-dollar mark and will have to wait until 2013. Cooper earned $108,464 at the Finals and now has $992,506 in career earnings.

Trevor and Shada Brazile stepped out on the town Dec. 10 to attend the American Country Awards at Mandalay Bay. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Tom Donoghue)

Trevor on the town

Seventeen-time World Champion Trevor Brazile took some time out of his busy schedule at this year’s Wrangler NFR to have a special date with wife, Shada. The two attended the American Country Awards at the MandalayBayEventsCenter on Dec. 10 and hung out with Hall of Famer Ty Murray and his wife, Jewel. Trevor and Ty looked OK, but the ladies were stunning.

 

Well, that’s it folks. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my columns again this year, and I look forward to the chance to do it again next year. Thanks for reading, and I’ll keep writing.

Until next time ….

A chat with the new ‘First Lady of Rodeo’

She’s blonde, she’s beautiful, she’s the new Miss Rodeo America.

Chenae Shiner of Utah bested a field of 30 other state rodeo queens to earn the title of Miss Rodeo America 2013 at the MGM Grand Wednesday, becoming the sixth MRA from the Beehive State after nearly a weeklong competition that was both grueling and exciting. Shiner, who is pursuing a bachelors degree in radiologic sciences from Weber State University, was all smiles Friday as she made a lap around the Thomas & Mack Center arena before Round 9 as part of the opening ceremony.

Chenae Shiner became the sixth rodeo queen from Utah to win the title of Miss Rodeo America. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Tom Donoghue)

She was still riding high on Cloud Nine Saturday evening before the final round and was nice enough to spend some time talking to me about her experience. Next year will be a blur for the 22-year-old as she logs more than 100,000 miles traveling the country as the sport of rodeo’s most visible ambassador.

Shiner said the experience of being part of the opening of Round 9 was a thrill.

“Oh, it was amazing,” said Shiner, who grew up on a beef ranch in Roosevelt, Utah. “I don’t think there is any greater feeling than riding down that alleyway in the Thomas & Mack and hearing them call your name as Miss Rodeo America. You can hear (fans from) your state in the crowd cheering for you, and that absolutely just made it so much more real for me.”

Shiner won the appearance and photogenic events and placed high enough in the personality, horsemanship, speech and congeniality events to edge Miss Rodeo South Dakota Courtney Peterson for the crown. Peterson was the person who helped make Shiner realize she’d actually won the title.

“It took a moment for it to sink in,” she said. “I had actually tallied up the scores from when they were giving out category prizes, and I thought I was going to be first runner-up. So, as they were sitting there listening to it and heard them announce the other state as first runner-up, it took a few moments for it to finally sink in.

“The other girl had to grab me and be like, ‘You’ve just won,’ before it finally hit me. It was just pure shock, and I just feel honored to be chosen from such an amazing group of girls to be the one to come forward and be able to represent this organization.”

Miss Rodeo South Dakota Courtney Peterson, left, had to tell Chenae Shiver she’d won before it sank in. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Tom Donoghue)

Shiner said she used her horse trailer to bring all of her clothes and gear, which included six hats and nearly 20 pair of cowboy boots. The six-day competition was grueling for her and the other pageant contestants.

“It was definitely a long week,” Shiner said. “We were extremely lucky though, and this year they actually gave us girls a lot of down time. So, we had a few more breaks in between to catch up on our sleep.”

Shiner will get the rest of December off to rest and recharge, and she’ll need all of her energy next year to fulfill her obligations in a schedule that’s going to be chock full of appearances and events.

“Ready or not, here it comes,” Shiner said. “I’m going to jump in with both feet and hit the ground running. I’m really excited to be able to travel to all of the different rodeos and meet so many great people across the country.

“I feel ready and excited.”

Miss Rodeo America 2012 Mackenzie Carr gave Shiner helpful tips about what she’s to expect next year.

“We’ve exchanged numbers, and we’ve been able to associate a lot these past few days,” Shiner said. “She’s given me all sorts of advice, from traveling and how to do laundry while you’re on the road to how to enjoy the down time and every little moment you can. She’s an amazing woman, and I just hope I can step up and do as great of a job as she has.”

Miss Rodeo America 2013 Chenae Shiner hung out in the press room to watch Rounds 9 and 10.

Perhaps what Shiner is looking forward to most in 2013 is being able to attend rodeos in her native state as Miss Rodeo America.

“I’m especially looking forward to attending my own Utah rodeos, because they supported me so much as Miss Rodeo Utah,” she said. “I can’t think of any greater honor than coming back as Miss Rodeo America.”

Part of Shiner’s compensation for becoming Miss Rodeo America is a $20,000 college scholarship, which she’ll use to finish her degree after her reign is complete. She wants to help people by working as a radiology technician.

“I was able to spend a couple summers between college semesters volunteering at a local hospital, and one summer, I volunteered in the radiology lab,” Shiner said. “From that, I just got hooked on the whole system, helping people and being in the scene of modern technology. I just think it’ll be an amazing career.”

Poignant words from a woman who will be a great representative of the sport and who is an inspiring example for little girls everywhere.

Use your noggin’ guys!

No man should ever have to ask another if his eye is still in place in its socket.

But that was the situation bull rider Ardie Maier found himself in last year in Omaha, Neb., after a bull hit him square with the force of a locomotive and rearranged his face. It may go without saying, but Maier wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time.

He is now.

“That bull hit me so hard in Omaha and there was so much blood, immediately when I got out of there, my eye was looking kitty-corner and up in the air,” said Maier, who is competing in his second Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year. “I just tried to put it back up in my head. I asked the bullfighter Quirt (Hunt), I said, ‘Quirt, is my eye still in my head?’

“I’ve broken my back in Cheyenne and things like that, but that moment was the scariest thing that’s happened to me.”

Wrangler NFR bull rider Ardie Maier is wearing this helmet after suffering a horrific injury in Omaha, Neb., last year.

Because of that injury, instead of gunning for a Wrangler NFR qualification, Maier was just fighting to see correctly again.

“If I had a helmet, and I would have had two more bulls to make the NFR because I’d made the eight-round (in Omaha), but that took me out for four to five months,” he said. “Even after surgery, it took me six months to get to where I could see and have depth perception.”

Wearing a helmet in 2012 has been an asset for Maier on more than one occasion, including as recent as the Wrangler NFR.

“In the second round (of the NFR this year), if I hadn’t had that helmet on, I might not be riding today,” Maier said. “He hit me so hard, it bent my face guard. I’ve worn it all year, and there’s been four or five times it’s saved me. If it can keep me riding – especially this week in Vegas – I can stay in the game and have a shot.”

Seth Glause suffered a broken nose after taking a horn to the face in Round 2 of the Wrangler NFR. He began wearing a helmet the next night. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Tom Donoghue)

Seth Glause was one of three bull riders at this year’s Finals who wasn’t wearing a helmet when Round 1 began. Then, he had his bell rung and nose broken after a fourth-place ride in Round 2.

Glause went to a helmet for Round 3 and climbed into the world title picture by placing in three of the next seven rounds. He told me after a fourth-place finish in Round 3 that he was going to take it day by day, but hadn’t decided if he was going to make the switch to a helmet a permanent move.

I, for one, hope he does.

After Glause’s switch, 13 of the 15 bull riders at the Finals were wearing helmets, a record for the Wrangler NFR. That’s a great trend that most people in the industry hope will continue, despite any backlash from traditionalists who knock it as being less manly or traditional.

“I’m a huge proponent of the helmet, and I don’t think it takes anything away,” said Wrangler NFR barrelman J.J. Harrison, who has witnessed too many scary injuries in the bull riding in his time. “The wrecks I’ve seen that are head-related are season-ending or career-ending injuries. That Western heritage is a living thing, but safety is our No. 1 job and goal.”

The PRCA hasn’t – and likely won’t – mandate the use of helmets, but the trend is growing in the sport from the ground up. Most young bull riders of today begin their careers wearing helmets in high school and amateur rodeos before they ascend to the pro ranks, but it’s a cowboy’s personal choice in ProRodeo.

“I don’t think it should be mandatory, but I prefer to wear them,” Maier said.

Unfortunately, most bull riders who gravitate to wearing helmets are forced to learn the hard way.

“Generally, by the time they decide they’re going to wear a helmet, they’ve gone through a couple of concussions, or worse,” Harrison said. “As a barrelman sitting in the arena, the last thing I want to see is a cowboy getting hurt and laying there. It’s almost 90 percent helmet-wearers at the high school level, and I think that’s crucial.

“You wouldn’t see a football player going out there with a leather helmet, because we’ve changed the technology a little bit.”

I asked the great Dr. Tandy Freeman of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team for his opinion on the issue. There’s no doubt he’s a big proponent of bull riders wearing “brain buckets.”

“The thing about helmets is, they have a very specific and limited protective element to them,” Freeman said. “What they protect against – if they’re the right kind of helmet – are skull fractures and major injuries to the brain that occur with the kind of forces that can create skull fractures. With the right kind of facemask on them, they can also reduce the numbers of facial fractures we have to deal with.”

But he was quick to point out that they aren’t a failsafe against everything.

“What helmets don’t do – which a lot of people don’t understand – is they don’t have any effect on concussions, because what happens in concussions happens inside the skull,” he said. “As one of the speakers at our sports medicine conference put it, ‘Until they can build a car you can run into a brick wall and not have the crash-test dummies move, you won’t have a helmet that prevents concussions.’”

Kanin Asay, left, Tate Stratton, center, (preparing to put on his helmet) and Cody Teel are three of 13 Wrangler NFR bull riders wearing helmets. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Greg Westfall)

While he was encouraged by the growing numbers of helmet-wearers, Freeman was cautious about a blanket endorsement of helmets of varying types and quality.

“If they’re the right kind of helmet, they can really protect against the catastrophic injuries like the Brent Thurman-type injuries,” said Freeman, alluding to the death of 25-year-old bull rider Thurman, who was killed in the arena in Round 10 of the 1994 NFR. “The problem is, unfortunately in spite of the fact that guys are wearing helmets, some of the helmets they’re wearing really don’t meet the right standards. A lot of helmets they wear are modified hockey helmets, and those are built to meet a standard that applies to hockey.

“That standard, when you take that helmet and test them in an environment that’s akin to a summer rodeo with warm temperatures, doesn’t then provide the same kind of protection the helmets do in a cold environment and are not as effective.”

The development of high-quality helmets is an ongoing trial-and-error process, one that will evolve over time.

“While it’s encouraging that they’re wearing them, the fact of the matter is what would be better is if they were wearing better equipment and equipment that was designed for what they’re doing,” Freeman said. “Right now, there’s one helmet that’s been certified that does that, but out of the guys who are riding here (in Las Vegas), I’m not sure any of them are wearing that helmet. But, it’s a start.”

Why then, won’t the PRCA or a sponsor take the lead in developing a state-of-the-art helmet available to bull riders for free? It’s a slippery slope.

“The problem with something like that is, unfortunately, we live in a very litigious society,” Freeman said. “As soon as somebody starts providing that type of equipment – even if it’s quality equipment and it’s gratis – there’s that potential for somebody to come back who’s been catastrophically injured to come back and say, ‘Well, what you gave me wasn’t good enough.’ Once corporate lawyers start getting involved, that’s the kind of risk people are averse to.

“The PR for helping take care of a guy who’s been hurt badly, from a corporate standpoint, is probably as beneficial as the PR for setting up a program like that, and you don’t have the liability.”

For now, a mix-match of a varying style of helmets is the norm, but at least the contestants are taking more precautions with their melons than in the past.

“As some of the technology improves, the better technology becomes more reasonably priced for these guys and we’re able to educate them more, maybe we’ll see a shift more and more toward the better stuff,” Freeman said. “Right now, it’s just encouraging that they are wearing helmets that do have facemasks on them. Hopefully, we’ll see over time that they’re all wearing them and they’re all wearing quality equipment.”

Change is often slow-moving in rodeo and has been likened to trying to stop a cruise ship that’s running full bore. But, these baby steps are a sign of a move in the right direction.

I’ve heard and read about the gruesome wrecks of bull riders like Hall of Famer Charles Sampson, who lost an ear, Kanin Asay, who had to have part of his right ear reattached, and Tag Elliott, who underwent 20 surgeries and missed two years after having the right side of his face crushed. Those guys, and many more, have unfortunately gone through the unimaginable, and I can’t begin to understand what that kind of pain is like.

In a puzzling change, three-time World Champion J.W. Harris – who won all three of his gold buckles (2008-10) while wearing a helmet after suffering five concussions in 2008 – has gone away from the practice this year.

I sure wish he’d reconsider, because I’m tired of reading those horror stories.

A day in the life of a Wrangler NFR barrel racer

This is my ninth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and I realized I really didn’t know what an average day was like in Las Vegas for a barrel racer. So, I set about to remedy that.

Through Jolee Lautaret of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) – herself a three-time Wrangler NFR qualifier – I was connected with Trula Churchill, who is competing in her first Finals. I called Trula to set up a time to meet her at the barn where she keeps her horse, Worm.

“I usually get there about 7:30 or 8,” she said.

Using my powers of deduction and knowing the nightly performances began at 6:45, I realized she was talking about 7:30 or 8 in the MORNING! People are actually up at that hour in Vegas? Who knew?

Some barrel racers have “handlers” who do all the dirty work for them, but Churchill is not one of them. She prefers to do the work herself and is admittedly protective of her prized steed.

Trula Churchill has raced her 7-year-old horse, Worm, since he was 4.

I met up with Trula and her husband, 2006 Wrangler NFR steer wrestler Linn, around 8 on a chilly and wet morning on Friday. I went to bed at a reasonable hour – by Vegas standards, at least – and probably looked like Zach Galifinakis’ character Alan from “The Hangover,” half awake with one eye open, but at least I was wearing pants.

The sun had apparently hit the snooze button and was hiding behind a blanket of clouds, and the temperature gauge in my car said 48 degrees, although it felt colder and you could see your breath. The UNLV practice soccer fields, where the livestock and horse barns are located, were a muddy mess the morning after the city got more than an inch of rain dropped on it from one of its 20 or so rainy days a year.

Praising myself for wearing my old pair of boots instead of my new Justins, I followed Trula to her trailer, where she put together the morning feed for Worm and Linn’s bulldogging horse, Dynamite. I’ve seen and been in worse mud pits before – notably in Tampa for the 1997 Outback Bowl in which my Auburn Tigers were trounced by Joe Paterno and Penn State – but this was still pretty bad.

The practice fields where the Wrangler NFR horses are kept was largely a mud pit after big rains Thursday night.

Clad in an Oklahoma Thunder hoodie and mud boots, Trula led me back to Worm’s stall, where he enjoyed breakfast as she set about cleaning his stall. The urge to offer to help her clean the stall passed quickly, and I instead peppered her with questions while taking notes and a few photos – you know, the hard work of a journalist.

Mary Walker, whom I’ve written about in this column earlier this year, was a few stalls down with her AQHA Horse of the Year Latte, and stopped by to chat a bit. She’s such a great lady, and I think everyone is jazzed that she is probably on her way to a gold buckle.

Trula, who was great to talk to, said Worm – a 7-year-old blue roan gelding who weighs 1,225 pounds and stands 15½ hands tall – is a “very good” eater who gets perturbed if he doesn’t get fed regularly. I can definitely relate to that.

“Some horses get anxious if they eat too close to competing, but he gets that way if he doesn’t have something,” said Trula, the 1996 WPRA Rookie of the Year.

I asked her to describe Worm’s personality.

“He’s pretty inquisitive,” said Trula, who was born in Oklahoma. “One guy asked me what cartoon character he would be, and I said Dennis the Menace, because he’s always getting into things. He’s also really kind and is affectionate if it’s his idea.”

Wrangler NFR barrel racer Trula Churchill had the glamorous job of cleaning out the stall of her horse, Worm, as he enjoyed breakfast Friday morning.

She laid out her daily schedule for me, and while no two days during the Wrangler NFR are the same, Trula and Worm stick to a pretty consistent routine. After his 8 a.m. breakfast of feed and hay, she usually takes him to the large warm-up pen on the soccer fields for a walk and a light exercise session to get him going, and those last anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on how ornery he is.

After checking the warm-up pen on the UNLV soccer fields, Trula Churchill decided against exercising her horse, Worm, Friday morning.

This morning, however, the mud was too sticky in the practice pen, so Trula led Worm on a walk in one of the few remaining grassy areas next to the holding pens for the team roping steers and bulls. She ran into two-time World Champion Steer Wrestler Dean Gorsuch and Darrell Kraupie – the father of Gorsuch’s hazer, Dale – who were exercising Gorsuch’s bulldogging and hazing horses, and the fellow Nebraska residents chatted for a bit as Worm and Gorsuch’s horse, Skip, playfully tried to bite each other.

Trula Churchill ran into two-time World Champion Dean Gorsuch, center, and Darrell Kraupie next to the holding pens, and they enjoyed a chat.

Airplanes took off from nearby McCarran International Airport every few minutes, but the horses and other animals seemed not to mind, or at least appeared to have become accustomed to the frequent loud annoyances at their home for the 10-day event.

Airplanes fly directly over the holding pens and makeshift barns of the Wrangler NFR every few minutes, but the animals don’t seem to mind.

The horse’s stall gets a good cleaning in the morning, and then the Churchills usually go grab a bite to eat before getting going on the rest of the day. What that constitutes varies daily in Vegas, as the contestants have immensely full schedules, and their time can be spent doing anything from attending autograph sessions and functions like the ProRodeo League of Women Luncheon that was held Thursday at the South Point or other appearances around town.

Trula has also spent some quality time with her parents when she hasn’t had commitments during the day and has even worked in a nap or two, but she usually gets to the Thomas & MackCenter around 3:30 to start ramping up for the night’s performance. Worm gets fed again around 4 p.m. so he has time to digest his food before their nightly run, and Trula gets into her “cowboy clothes” and ready to compete.

Midway through the steer wrestling, Trula puts his “boots” and saddle on, and the duo heads to the warm-up tent behind the Thomas & Mack Center once the team roping begins. She said he knows when it’s time to get down to business once they get lined up in the alley leading to the arena.

“He knows when I pull my hat down and take my coat off, it’s time to go,” who began running barrels competitively with Worm when he was 4.

After making her run, Trula leads Worm back to the soccer fields, where she puts a magnetic blanket on him to promote blood flow, takes off his boots and saddle, cools him down with a walk in the warm-up pen and puts liniment on his legs before putting him in his stall for the night.

The Churchills run out for a post-event bite to eat, then return to the barn to get Worm set up for the night. The blanket he wears for the night depends on the temperature, and she makes sure he has enough water, a salt lick and a protein bucket in his stall before heading out.

If she’s asleep by midnight, it’s a good night, and everything starts again bright and early at 7 a.m. the next day.

Trula and Worm have had an up and down Finals, knocking over barrels in Rounds 4 and 6 and placing in Rounds 5, 7 and 8. She admits they were both nervous in the early rounds, but is proud of the way he has worked in the arena.

“He’s done well,” she said. “He’s worked his little butt off every night. Things haven’t quite gone our way, but it’s not because he wasn’t trying.”

Trula and Worm stand sixth in the Wrangler NFR average standings and have moved from 14^th to 12^th in the WPRA world standings after banking $23,852 in Las Vegas. She’s having a blast competing in her first Finals.

“There’s no way to describe how it feels to finally be here,” said Trula, who qualified for the 2011 Canadian Finals on Worm. “It’s the experience of a lifetime, for sure. It’s been fun, and we’ve had a good time.”

After a promising 2011 season, Trula took Linn’s advice and took the year off from teaching grades 5-8 in Valentine, Neb., and is realizing a dream of being a Wrangler NFR barrel racer. She’s clearly cherishing every minute of the experience, and that’s just the way it should be.

Worm enjoyed a morning walk with Trula before stopping to snack on one of the few remaining grass patches by the Wrangler NFR horse barns.

I left the pair to finish their morning walk and headed back to the hotel with more of an appreciation of the dedication barrel racers have to their horses and their sport. As I drove out of the rain-soaked fields, the sun made its way through the clouds, shining down on the four-legged beauties and the ones who love them.

Sears says ‘Oh Canada!’ with Round 8 victory

Being the only Canadian in the 120-member Wrangler National Finals Rodeo field can be a pressure-packed position, especially on Canadian Night. But for barrel racer Lindsay Sears, it was a chance for a breakthrough.

Sears, of Nanton, Alberta, guided her 12-year-old sorrel mare Martha through the cloverleaf pattern faster than anyone else, winning her first round of the year to brighten what has been a mediocre Finals by her standards. Sears had placed in Rounds 2-4, but had also put three barrels on the ground in Rounds 1, 6 and 7, so a victory on Canadian Night was just what the two-time world champ needed.

“It’s a huge night for us as Canadians, and I’m very, very proud,” said Sears, who won her gold buckles in 2008 and 2011. “I definitely didn’t expect it by any means, and I just wanted to go out there and get a check. That’s your goal every night.”

Lindsay Sears was mobbed by media after winning Round 8 on Canadian Night.

Sears did her best to stay positive through the up-and-down week during the first seven rounds.

“It was one of those weeks where I was having trouble getting around the barrels, and Martha’s been working great all week,” she said. “She’s been clocking great, and I’ve just had to wait it out and not get antsy about it.”

The talented barrel racer made some changes along the way, but kept her confidence in her horse, the 2008 AQHA/PRCA Barrel Racing Horse of the Year.

“Martha’s been good all week and came into the Finals strong, and she’s just gotten better,” Sears said. “She’s done her typical Martha deal, where she gets stronger as the week goes on, and we just had to change a few things up.

“The ground is a little bit different this year. It’s good, but it just has a little bit more give to it. I was having trouble leaving the barrels (up), and we changed some things with her back shoes the last two go-rounds and she got her confidence back.”

Top story from Round 8, 1A

Perhaps lost in the shuffle of Sears’ patriotic win and bareback rider Kaycee Field stepping closer to a second world title was a pair of Wrangler NFR rookies who earned breakthroughs of their own. Saddle bronc rider Tyrell Smith of Cascade, Mont., won Round 8 with an 84-pointer on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cool Runnings, and tie-down roper Bradley Bynum was tops in his event with a 7.2-second run.

Smith’s victory came a night after he placed second and earned him his fourth check in eight days.

“At first, I was a little jittery to be at my first NFR, and I put some pressure on myself that I should have more money than I do or be higher up in the standings,” said Smith, who has earned $39,459 and stands eighth in the world standings with two rounds remaining. “All summer, I never put any expectations on myself, but I did once I got here at the beginning. After the TV pen, I started to fall back into my own routine, and it’s been going well.”

Wrangler NFR rookie saddle bronc rider Tyrell Smith enjoyed a victory lap after winning Round 8. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Greg Westfall)

He has a dedicated cheering section, but isn’t too happy with his supporters’ choice of pink letters to spell out his name in their signs.

“That is my girlfriend, her mom, my mom and some family friends who have been coming down throughout the week,” said Smith, 26. “I’m not a big fan of the choice of pink for my name, but arguing with my girlfriend about her sign construction is pointless.”

Tie-down roper Bradley Bynum finally got to take a victory lap in Round 8 of his first Wrangler NFR. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Greg Westfall)

Bynum didn’t win a check until Round 5, but is riding high after his first go-round victory. Considering he qualified for the Finals on the last weekend of the regular season by going to four rodeos in one weekend, everything at the $6.125 million rodeo has been gravy for the Sterling City, Texas, cowboy.

“I’m extremely happy, just thrilled,” he said. “I’m just going to try to keep having fun and see where it goes from here. I’ll stick to the game plan and try to rope smart. You use the calves as you draw them, and if it works out, it works out.”

A dozen for Diefenbach

Longevity is a rare thing for bull riders and bullfighters, but Australian bullfighter Darrell Diefenbach has been voted to work 12 consecutive Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, including this year. He was unable to fill the role in 2006 and 2008 due to injury, so he’s even more appreciative of his chance to fight bulls this year.

The 2008 PRCA Bullfighter of the Year is enjoying his time in Las Vegas as he helps save bull riders from impending peril along with Dusty Tuckness and Kelly Jennings. Diefenbach got his PRCA card in 1998 and has fought bulls at rodeos across the country, from Wyoming and Utah to Arizona and Texas.

 

Australian bullfighter Darrell Diefenbach, left, has enjoyed workign this Wrangler NFR with Dusty Tuckness, center, and Kelly Jennings. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Greg Westfall)

I caught up with the 38-year-old before the sixth performance to find out what the key to his staying power was and talk about how he’s survived some vicious wrecks – one in particular – and lived to fight another day.

Q: Is it hard to believe you’ve been voted to work a dozen Wrangler NFRs?

DD: It is hard to believe, and the 12 years have gone by so fast. You never want to take it for granted, because you never know what year’s going to be your last year. When I had six NFRs under my belt, there was a hope that there was a lot more to come, but when you have 12 NFRs, you know there’s not a hell of a lot more to come. It means as much to me today as it did 12 years ago.

Q: How have you seen the sport change in those 12 years?

DD: I’ve seen the bullfighters get a lot more recognition nowadays than they used to, but other than that, it’s pretty much the same. The bulls still buck hard, and the guys are still trying to ride them.

Q: What’s it like being out in the Thomas & Mack Center arena in front of more than 17,000 people?

DD: I don’t worry too much about the crowd. This rodeo is like any other rodeo – you take care of the guys just as well here as you do at any other rodeo. That’s what gets you here, that the guys trust you enough to be one of the three guys to come here and protect them. I just go out there and try to do the best job I can, be the best bullfighter I can and keep the guys safe. You can jump the moon all year long, but you’re judged on these 10 days. So, if you’re ever going to have a good 10 days, you definitely want your best 10 days to be here.

Q: What’s it feel like to make a good save to help a guy avoid a bull?

DD: Oh, it’s awesome, and I guess (doing it) here does pump you up a little extra. I remember one of the coolest things that sticks out in my NFR career is when Fred Boettcher got a re-ride here one year. He got on a bull called Blue Velvet, I think it was, and he rides it and gets off away from us. I remember thinking to myself, ‘How the hell am I ever going to make this?’ I ended up jumping through, and that bull threw me up in the air. I got a standing ovation, and that definitely gave me goose bumps.

Any time you can put yourself between a bull and a bull rider, take a shot for that bull rider and they can get up and walk away without being touched, it’s a cool feeling. We’d be lying to you if we didn’t tell you we didn’t want to get run over at this rodeo. If you wanted to get run over at one, this would be it, because everyone’s judged on these 10 days.

Darrell Diefenbach helped save bull rider Tate Stratton during the fifth performance of the Wrangler NFR. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Mike Copeman)

Q: Do you have to be crazy to be a bullfighter?

DD: No, I just think it comes down to loving what you do. I quite often have people telling me, ‘Oh man, you’re crazy for doing what you do.’ For me, I’m no different than someone who plays basketball or football. It’s just something I enjoy doing. I think if you enjoy something and want to do it bad enough, you put in the time and effort it takes to become good at it. I’m not saying it was easy for me, and I didn’t have as much natural ability as some of the guys. I damn sure had to work hard at it, and it means a lot.

Q: What makes a good bullfighter?

DD: In my opinion, what makes a good bullfighter is being able to anticipate where that bull rider is going to land. I think that’s 80 percent of fighting bulls. By reading that bull rider’s body language and being able to anticipate where he’s going to hit the ground, you can be there rather than being like, ‘OK, there he is and that’s where I’ve got to be,’ and being too late. You can already be moving in that direction, so that when he does hit the ground, you’re in position and can take that bull away. I think the other 20 percent is just having enough heart to do it.

Q: Have you had some injuries that have made you question what you’re doing for a living?

DD: Honestly, whenever I get hurt, I look at it like a test. I think, if it was easy, everyone would want to do it. No one likes pain or being hurt – and I’ve had my share – I always use that as a time to reassure myself that I do love fighting bulls and how much I enjoy it. I think when we’re in pain, that’s when we’re at our weakest. So, if we can reassure ourselves that, ‘Hey, this is what I love doing, and I’m going to keep doing it,’ it makes me stronger.

Q: What are some of the injuries you’ve suffered?

DD: Oh, I’ve had knee surgery, broken ankles, broken legs, a broken back, broken neck, broken fingers and ribs, and I’ve had a face reconstruction twice, actually. About three years ago, I had a bull throw me in the air in Augusta, Ga., and I landed flat on my back on the ground. He came down with a hind leg and jumped on my face and pretty much crushed the right side of my face. They cut me from ear to ear, pulled my forehead down, and that bull had jumped so hard on my face that the doctors said there was an imprint of the bull’s hoof in my skull. I had a hole about three-quarters of an inch going straight into my head.

I’m onto my third eye socket. They put an eye socket in, and it collapsed, so they finally got a metal eye socket in there. Luckily, I still have all my vision, and really the only thing that got permanently damaged was my pupil. It stays dilated, so I’m real sensitive to sunlight.

I think that, of all the injuries of my career, that’s the one that has stuck with me the most. I still have a lot of nerve damage. When they took me to surgery, they said there was a good chance I was going to lose my eye. When he stepped off my face, he ran a claw right through my eye and ripped everything out. So, just being able to wake up after surgery and still have my eye and my vision, I was just thankful.

But that’s what makes rodeo and fighting bulls, in my opinion, so attractive is the danger element. I heard Jim Shoulders say years ago, ‘No one wants to see a wreck, but if there is one, no one wants to miss it.’

Q: So, you still appreciate being here at the Wrangler NFR just as much as you did the first time?

DD: Oh, absolutely. It’s everyone’s goal who has a PRCA card to make the NFR. To make it once is awesome, but to make it 12 times is special. The hardest part is having to share a dressing room with the guys you have to have here. It’s hard to soar like an eagle when you’re surrounded by turkeys.

Hey loudmouth! Nice job

You can’t attend a performance of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo without noticing some distinct voices booming through the Thomas & Mack Center each night.

The job of Wrangler NFR is a coveted one, but also one of the more challenging roles in the sport. Making a mistake at the “Super Bowl of Rodeo” is catastrophic, and the announcers are tasked with the responsibility of driving the ship that is the Wrangler NFR.

If there’s a hiccup in the action or an unplanned event – which is a rarity – during one of the performances, it’s the announcers’ job to smooth things over and keep the show moving along. Being able to think on their feet is a necessity, and hours and hours of work are required to pull off the job in a professional and entertaining manner.

Once again this year, veteran announcers Bob Tallman, Boyd Polhamus and Randy Corley have been selected to fill these roles in Las Vegas, and I spent some time with the talented trio during rehearsals following Round 6 on Tuesday night. I’ve known what their jobs have entailed for the two hours of each performance, but I was interested in learning what the other 22 hours of the day are like for them.

Wrangler NFR announcers (from L to R) Boyd Polhamus, Randy Corley and Bob Tallman have extremely difficult, but coveted, jobs. (PRCA ProRodeo photo by Greg Westfall)

What I found out was interesting.

For instance, I had no idea that the announcers arrive in Las Vegas two weeks before the Wrangler NFR to study video of Finals from previous years and rehearse various segments and parts of the rodeo. The announcers pore over pages and pages of notes and statistics, for both contestants and stock, and they have daily “homework” to do during the 10-day rodeo to stay on top of what is coming next.

Virtually every hour of their day is allocated to one obligation or another, and they are doing well if they get six hours of sleep a night. It’s a tough grind that can only be understood by those who have the job.

“Until you start working it, you don’t know the pressure that’s on you,” said Corley, who is working his 12^th career Wrangler NFR.

While the job is tough on the trio, they have a talented team of support staff – guys like sound guru Benje Bendele – who work together like a well-oiled machine to make the production a success.

“This is a major team,” Tallman said. “Just to be a part of it all is a thrill. I love the excitement of it and knowing that there will be a butt in every seat and that they are truly coming here to watch the greatest rodeo in the land.”

Corley agrees and never takes for granted the opportunity to work the world’s richest rodeo.

“It’s always an honor, and if you said it wasn’t an honor, you’d be lying,” Corley said. “If you said it was easy, you’d be lying worse. It’s a great team to be a part of, and I’m privileged to get to work with those two guys.”

Those two guys, Polhamus especially, give each other heck at every opportunity. Smart-aleck remarks and witty banter is the norm among them, and you can just see the connection they share. It’s a brotherhood, that’s for sure.

I noticed that during the hour-long rehearsal, which is run once with staff only and then again with General Manager Shawn Davis sitting in the stands taking notes, and I connected with the camaraderie the three men share. After all, that’s the way I interact with most of my male friends, and if you can’t make fun of them, then you’re just not doing it right.

They are working hard, but the announcers feel they are lucky to have a front-row seat to history.

“I’ve seen it all, and I’ve seen kids who make their first trip here who go on to be the greatest cowboys we have known in our era,” Corley said. “It’s fun to be a part of that part of history.”

“I’ve got dozens of great memories, so it’d be tough to single out any one of them,” said Polhamus, who is working the Wrangler NFR for the 17^th time. “But to say what I will remember from all my time behind the mic at the Wrangler National Finals – the night Brent Thurman died.”

The 25-year-old Thurman was killed in Round 10 of the 1994 NFR when a bull stepped on his head in front of a capacity crowd. It was a difficult night for all involved.

“Adriano (Moraes) came up crying after riding his 10^th-round bull – and he’d ridden all 10 – and he said, ‘I ride that one for Brent. I ride that one for Brent,’” said Polhamus, who took home his fourth PRCA Announcer of the Year award last week. “I remember throwing the microphone down, looking at Randy and going … I felt dirty. I felt like I was making money off someone else’s loss.”

Tallman said one of his favorite memories is from Round 1 of this year, when prayer was added to the opening ceremony for the first time ever. All three announcers love the sport, love the Western way of life and cherish being able to have a career and earn a living working in the industry they hold dear.

Their passion and determination is paramount and impressive, and I, for one, applaud their efforts.

An “average” day for a Wrangler NFR announcer in Las Vegas:

6 a.m. – Wake up

8-10 a.m. – Morning meeting, Shawn Davis’ office, Thomas & Mack Center

10-Noon – Study day sheets, stock and other materials at hotel

Noon-3 p.m. – Lunch and more study

4 p.m. – Arrive at Thomas & Mack Center

4:45 p.m. – Announcers’ meeting, Shawn Davis’ office, Thomas & Mack Center

6:20 p.m. – Begin pre-performance announcing at announcers’ stand

6:45-9 p.m. – Rodeo performance

9:30-10:30 p.m. – Rehearsal for next night’s performance

11 p.m.-Midnight – Host post-performance shows at different locations around town

*Midnight – Sleep

*An optimistic and usually unrealistic goal on most nights.