Roper who’s battling cancer has spot in semis

Roper who’s battling cancer has spot in semis

Team roper Gabe Gwaltney has a busy schedule next week.

He’s set to compete in the Super Series semifinals Thursday at Reliant Stadium — two days after a third round of chemotherapy for a rare form of sinus cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Gwaltney and partner Aaron Tsinigine were the top earners in Super Series IV, finishing with the best three-head time of 25.2 seconds on Saturday and moving on with $10,000 in their pockets.

“It’s a pretty neat deal to be able to come down here to one of the largest rodeos of the year and compete,” Gwaltney said. “When I first found out about this deal, and I knew coming into this I was up in this series, I told the doctor ‘Hey, whatever we do, I want to be here for RodeoHouston.’

“I don’t know if they actually worked my schedule around it, but it worked out pretty good.”

Doctors discovered the cancer in January after Gwaltney, 34, went in for sinus surgery related to problems he’s had breathing his whole life. He’s scheduled for a checkup in April to see where he’s at.

“When anybody says the word cancer, it really scares you,” Gwaltney said. “I’m a pretty big, stout guy (6-4, 240), and you don’t think that stuff will happen to you, and it goes to show that there’s no discrimination with cancer.

“You’ve just got to be positive.”

‘Just keep going’

The first thing he asked his doctor after his diagnosis was whether he’d be able to compete in Denver.

Missing RodeoHouston wasn’t even an option.

“A lot of people want to slow up and quit going, but I’ve taken the opposite approach — just keep going, enjoy life and have fun,” Gwaltney said.

Last year was the Missouri native’s first competing in Houston. He didn’t advance out of his series.

Waller’s Clint Cannon, the 2009 Houston champion and rising rodeo superstar, won his series for the second time in three years. He was first in the first two go-rounds and moved on with $8,000.

Cannon’s 84 on the first night was the top score in the series. Canadian champ Dusty LaValley shared the high score twice, with Cannon on Friday night and Scott Montague ($2,000) in the third go-round. He was second in the aggregate, giving him $6,000.

Tomball’s Houston Hutto came out on top in a tie-down roping series featuring two former Houston champions. He won the first go-round and had the best three-head time, earning him $6,666.67.

Josh Peek, who won here in 2008, narrowly beat out 2009 champ Ryan Watkins for the fourth and final qualifying spot in the semifinals. 

Peek also made the semis in steer wrestling. He won the third go-round in 5.0 seconds and earned $4,250. Lee Graves took the aggregate and a series-best $6,500.

Saturday’s best

Cody DeMoss, a 2003 Houston champion, was the top earner in saddle bronc riding. He won the first go-round and made $7,000. Jesse Wright was second with $4,750.

Weatherford’s Luke Haught, who won the final Xtreme Bulls in Houston last year, survived in bull riding, despite earning just $500. Bobby Welsh won two rounds and a series-high $9,000.

Haught’s traveling partner, Shawn Hogg, won the Houston bull riding championship last year. He’s up next in Super Series V, which begins today and features three reigning Houston champions.

The others are Stran Smith (tie-down roping) and Ryan Gray (bareback).

Lisa Lockhart snuck into the barrel racing semis with $2,000 after winning the third go-round with a rodeo-record 14.22 — a number that’s dropping every series. Tana Renick ($7,000) was the top earner.