Gitty Up's Best Posts

Monday, August 22, 2011

Rodeo: Ziober wins bareback bronc riding title

Rodeo: Ziober wins bareback bronc riding title
By Todd Brewer

Sunday night marked the third and final performance of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo at the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo, but hardly the end of rodeo action at the fairgrounds, with events scheduled through next Saturday evening.

Cowboys from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Marseilles, France comprised the roster in the bareback bronc riding, but it was Huntsville, Texas cowboy Cody Ziober who came out on top with his score of 78 aboard No. 28 Vodka. Second, third and fourth was a three way split between Kansas cowboys Yance Day and Blaine Kaufman and the Frenchman Evan Jayne.

Parker Howell of Lenapah, OK topped the steer wrestling competition with his time of 4.4Kyle Irwin and Ryan Swayze tied for second and third with a 4.8 time

Stephenville cowboy Cody Anthony scored 80 points on his re-ride in the saddle bronc riding for the win with Tol Crawley of Crockett marking a 77 on his horse Strike Force for second. Close behind him with a 76 on Buckle Bunny was Seth Schafer, from Springer Oklahoma.

Cory Solomon’s 8.3 time in the tie down roping was fast enough to capture the win for the Prairie View, Tx cowboy. Benbrook’s Monty Eakin was 8.4 for second with Sterling Smith’s 10.5 quick enough to claim third.

Team roping was a catch one and win a check kind of contest, with nearly 20 seconds separating first and third.A 4.4 second time posted by Cody Heflin and Nick Rowland was the fastest time for the win, with Cody McMinn and Will Woodfin’s 5.6 second run claiming the second spot. Finishing in third was the team of Ryan Robinson and Steve Wolf with their time of 23.0 seconds.

Women’s barrel racing was a close contest with Casey Doebbler of Stephenville posting the quickest run of 17.17 seconds. A 17.25 second time split second and third between Granbury’s Reagan Dillard and Boyd’s McKinley Goodger.

The bull riding contest featured 3 time world champion J.W. Harris and top ranked Clayton Foltyn, but it was Oklahoma bull rider L.J. Jenkins who posted the lone score of 86 for the win.

Rodeo action returns to the fairgrounds Monday night with teams from local ranches competing in traditional working ranch cowboy events like bronc riding and team penning in the annual North Texas State Fair Ranch Rodeo.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Finding nearby rodeos helps cowboys earn extra cash

Finding nearby rodeos helps cowboys earn extra cash

BY BRETT HOFFMAN

Some smaller rodeo committees see opportunity.

They calculate that their rodeo is within less than a day's driving distance of a larger one. They draw high-profile competitors by scheduling their show on the same weekend.

During the past weekend, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's marquee rodeo was the Dodge City Round Up in Kansas, which offered competitors $291,961.

But on those days they were not scheduled to ride in Dodge City, many competitors headed to Abilene, Kan., to vie for a share of a $76,681 purse at the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo. And there was eight-time world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur who also traveled to Philipsburg, Kan., and took $1,763 from the rodeo's $96,885 purse.

Five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Bradley Harter of Weatherford has effectively worked multiple rodeos over the past two weekends. Last weekend, he earned $2,117 after tying for first (85 points) in the final round and finishing fourth overall in the saddle bronc riding race at Dodge City. He also pocketed $1,683 after winning the Abilene saddle bronc title.

On the weekend of July 29-31, Harter finished second at the 115th Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming ($7,744) and also came in No. 2 at the traditional rodeo in Deadwood, S.D. ($2,725). The Deadwood show is another example of a smaller rodeo that piggybacks on a larger one, a scheduling situation that's been in place for years.

After all that, Harter was ranked third in the PRCA's world saddle bronc riding standings with $71,415, which should be more than enough to qualify for the Dec. 1-10 National Finals in Las Vegas.

On the bubble

The Dodge City Rodeo was a boon for a North Texas bareback rider who is fighting to qualify for the 2011 National Finals. In order to make the cut, a cowboy must be ranked within the top 15 in a single event when the regular season concludes in late September.

Matt Bright of Azle, who is on pace to qualify for his second NFR, showed up at Dodge City ranked 15th in the PRCA bareback riding title race. But after finishing second and earning $5,165, he was ranked 13th in the world standings released Monday with $46,728.

PBR update

Brazilian Valdiron de Oliveira, who lives near Decatur, won last weekend's Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series tour stop in Billings, Mont., and earned $41,920. He clinched the title after turning in a final-round score of 89.5 aboard Jeffrey Scott's Titanium Tough (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls).

Silvano Alves, the PBR's 2010 Rookie of the Year, finished the weekend tour stop in second place, but held onto his world title race lead. In the world standings, Alves is No. 1 with 9,091.75 points, 200 ahead of No. 2 De Oliveira who has 8,891.75. This weekend, the tour stops in Tulsa.

Up and comer

Matt Birdwell, who is from the East Texas town of Bronson near Jasper, won the senior open division title at the Cinch World Bull Riding Finals last weekend in Abilene. The championships featured 197 contestants ages 19 and under.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Roper Whitfield surpasses $3 million

Roper Whitfield surpasses $3 million
Fred Whitfield became the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association’s third member to surpass the $3-million mark in career earnings after the tie-down roping superstar placed in a round at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming.
Only Trevor Brazile, an eight-time world all-around champion, and Billy Etbauer, a five-time saddle bronc riding gold buckle winner, had previously achieved the milestone in the PRCA.
Whitfield, an eight-time world champion from Hockley, surpassed the mark after finishing second in the first round of the Frontier Days with a time of 11.2 seconds for $6,088.
Prior to the rodeos during the weekend of July 29-31, the ProRodeo Hall of Famer was $3,825 short of the $3 million mark, according to the PRCA.
In 1999, Whitfield made headlines by becoming the sport’s first African-American world all-around champion.
Jake Barnes, a seven-time team roping champion, was another high-profile cowboy who reached a milestone during the weekend of July 29-30. Paired with two-time world champion heeler Walt Woodard, Barnes earned checks totaling $19,754 from three rodeos to become the 17th man in the PRCA to surpass $2 million in career earnings.
Barnes’ and Woodard’s biggest check was $15,095 from winning the average at the 115th Cheyenne rodeo. Other Cheyenne champions were steer wrestler Olin Hannum, saddle bronc rider Jesse Bail, steer roper Rocky Garnett, barrel racer Kim Schulze, tie-down roper Jerrad Hofstetter, bareback rider Casey Colletti and bull rider Shane Proctor.
Proctor, who is from Grand Coulee, Wash., has accomplished the rare feat of winning the bull riding title at two of the world’s most famous summer rodeos two weeks apart. He’s finished No. 1 at the Calgary Stampede and the Cheyenne rodeo.
After winning the $100,000 bull riding title July 17 at the Calgary rodeo, which was approved by the Professional Bull Riders, Proctor has earned more than $185,000 this season, which is expected to be way more than enough to qualify for the Oct. 26-30 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. After earning $11,871 on July 31 in Cheyenne, which was sanctioned by the PRCA, Proctor was ranked No. 1 in last week’s PRCA’s bull riding standings with $118,966. And that should be way more than enough to qualify for the Dec. 1-10 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
■ Lowe riding tough: Three-time world champion Will Lowe of Canyon was ranked No.1 in last week’s PRCA world bareback standings with $86,276 after finishing third at Cheyenne. In recent months, it’s been a close race among Lowe, Kaycee Feild, who was ranked No. 2 ($84,903) and Tilden Hooper, who was No. 3 ($83,130).
■ Gray on the mend: Don’t be surprised to see Ryan Gray on the card at the 2011 National Finals. Since he came from the injured list in June, Gray, who has homes in Cheney, Wash., and Petersburg, has been one hot bareback rider. During the weekend of July 28-31, Gray won the Last Chance Stampede in Helena, Mont., and the Chief Joseph Days in Joseph, Ore. After all that, Gray was ranked 20th in last week’s PRCA world bareback riding standings with $32,640 in 2011 earnings. He conceivably can move within the top 15 by the time the regular season ends in late September.
■ Cutting horse update: Many of the National Cutting Horse Association’s top aged-event competitors will visit Amarillo for the traditional West Texas Futurity. The show is scheduled for Aug. 13-21 at the Amarillo National Center.
Brett Hoffman, a Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame member, has written a rodeo column for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram during the past two decades. Email him at brett@myrodeoinsider.com

Friday, August 5, 2011

Third-annual Chicks n Chaps women-only rodeo clinic sells out

Third-annual Chicks n Chaps women-only rodeo clinic sells out

Thursday night was a change of pace for Brett Crump.

A professional bull rider, a four-time qualifier for the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo and a 10-time qualifier in the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals, Crump spends most nights trying to spend 8 seconds on a twisting and bucking 2,000-pound animal.

On Thursday, Crump got to kick back and pass on his rodeo wisdom to a group of about 200 women, all of whom were dressed in pink and eager to learn from a real cowboy.

"It's fun to socialize with the ladies," Crump said.

Lots of socializing, along with drinking of pink beers — and maybe a little flirting — went on at the Chicks n Chaps all-women rodeo clinic Thursday evening at the Montana State Fair.

"I'm married so I can't flirt," Crump said.

Instead, he got a front-row seat to watch his fellow bull-riders charm the ladies.

Chicks n Chaps is in its third year in Great Falls. The women-only rodeo clinic got its start in Missoula, and is now held in five cities across Montana.

The Great Falls event raises funds for the Circle of Hope Survivorship Program at Benefis Sletten Cancer Institute. Proceeds from the event help women going through breast cancer treatment purchase wigs and prosthetics, said Katie Murphy, cancer services coordinator at Sletten.

The clinic sold out well before it kicked off.

"We have turned away a lot of ladies in the past couple days," said Erin Townsend, a Chicks n Chaps committee member.

Last year, Chicks n Chaps raised $5,700, Murphy said. She expected this year's event to raise more than $10,000

The women at Chicks n Chaps rotated between stations Thursday, trying their hand at skills needed for calf roping, barrel racing and bull riding. Women also got to participate in another activity not included in most rodeos — groping, or, more specifically, self breast exams.

Jodi Dake, a two-year breast cancer survivor, showed the women how to conduct self breast exams.

Dake was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 31, thanks to a self exam.

"I knew what was normal and what was not," she said.

After two years of attending the Chicks n Chaps clinic, Cindy McLendon is nearly a pro at bull riding.

"It's a good adrenaline rush," McLendon said, after hopping off a model bull body that is attached to hinges and springs designed to simulate the movement of a real bull.

Kattie Swartz and about 10 of her friends attended the clinic as part of Swartz's bachelorette party.

"I'm a rodeo fan, not that I could do rodeo," Swartz said.

She said that in addition to being a fun time, the event was a chance to contribute to a worthy cause.

"I think it's a great way to support a good cause," she said.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Benton County Fair and Rodeo Kicks Off


Benton County Fair and Rodeo Kicks Off
By Heather Turner

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Fair season is here, and Wednesday is opening day of the Benton County Fair and Rodeo.

And that's great news for families, because Wednesday is Kid's Day, meaning children 12 and under get in free.

And if that's not incentive enough, there are big changes in store for fairgoers.

When you head out to the Benton County fairgrounds you're going to notice a lot has changed.  One of the biggest, and perhaps most obvious changes, are all of the new rides.

They go up, and around, upside down, but one of them does something that most of you have never experienced.

"It's the only one of it's kind in the northwest," said Rob Rhew, Funtastic Shows Vice President.

It's basically a giant swing that spins you around.

"I just like this ride because it looks like it goes really high," said Tori Johnson, fairgoer.

One hundred and ten feet in the air.

"Super fun and super exciting," said Anna Mitchell, fairgoer.

All of the 19 rides are new to the Benton County Fair and Rodeo this year, but the "Vertigo" is really unique.

"This is only the third time it's been used, it's a brand-new ride," said Rhew.

And there's more in store for fairgoers than just the big rides.

"That over there is for the smaller kids so that they go can have fun, too, before they progress onto the bigger rides," said Rhew.

There's fun for all ages.

And of course, don't forget the carnival games.

"Being here is just a joy because there's so many games and stuff, great prizes, too," said Harrison Kalmar, fairgoer.

And to add to the whole new feel of the fair, there are about 150 more animals this year that were brought up from Lane County 4-H.

"A lot more in the sheep area, and llamas, horses, just about everything has increased," said Lonny Wunder, fair manager.

Also new, and to help house all of those extra animals, a solar-powered livestock pavilion.

And to keep the old traditions running, there's plenty of various activities and shows.


"The logging competition's one thing.  Lots of fun, lots of entertainment," said Wunder.

This year's theme is "We've Got a Good Thing Growing."

The fair and rodeo runs through Saturday, with an entertainment lineup featuring Emily Osment, Aaron Tippin, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Johnny Limbo and The Lugnuts.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Rodeo a family matter for Brazile

Rodeo a family matter for Brazile

DODGE CITY —Trevor Brazile’s rodeo resume screams success. The eight-time PRCA All-Around World Champion is the epitome of hard work, intelligence and some God-given ability thrown in the mix. But when the Decatur, Texas resident has a rare slip up, a no time or fails to make a final, the first person to tell him what he did wrong is his three-year-old son Treston.

“Sure he hollers,” Trevor said. “If I miss he hollers no time before the announcers.”

That dependable and no-holds-back voice is with Brazile at just about every rodeo. Along with his wife, Shada, and other child, one-year-old daughter Stella, he has a complete support system that is there in the stands watching and waiting for him when he finishes the day.

“You know, they don’t know any different,” Shada said of Treston and Stella. “They just kind of adapt and what’s cool about it, is no matter what situation, they’re game for it.”

The ability to adjust and go with the flow has been key for the entire Brazile family and their success. Shada, who said they have been on the road since June, mentioned that the kids find enjoyment in each rodeo.
“It’s been a busy summer,” Shada said. “But yeah, they love it. They have a lot of fun. They have a lot of friends that will be at the rodeos so they look forward to seeing there friends at each rodeo.”

Trevor mentioned, however, that while Stella really doesn’t understand rodeo yet, Treston has caught onto the sport.

“Well, Treston’s starting to. He’s three and he takes his horse with us most of the time and rides it around at all the rodeos so he’s having fun. But he knows the difference between a good run and a no time or something like that,” he said.

Shada said that they look forward to hearing Treston’s thoughts on how his dad has performed.
“Treston is just now to where he understands the concepts and understands what’s going on,” she said. “So we look forward to hearing his comments and critiquing his daddy. It’s a lot of fun.”

Brazile and his family are in Dodge this week for the Dodge City PRCA RoundUp Rodeo at the RoundUp Arena. Tuesday, Brazile competed in steer roping and celebrity team roping. Brazile, who is currently ranked No.1 in the All-Around standings at $188,879.00 earnings, according to prorodeo.com, said he always looks forward to coming to Dodge and competing.

“The fans, you know. This is cowboy country,” Trevor said. “They know the rodeo and where it came from and they’re just fans of the sport. The aren’t coming just to get out in the sun, they’re coming to enjoy the sport that’s what we love. And it’s fun competing in front of knowledgeable fans.”

Brazile also hopes that this week out at the RoundUp Arena he can get back on track.

“It’s been a slow two weeks before this and we need to get it kicked back up,” Trevor said. “I have a lot of confidence in this rodeo, it’s been good to me over the years and hopefully it will kind of end my drought.”
And if it doesn’t, Treston will be the first to let him know.

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Tuesday, August 2, 2011

More Than 150 Entered the Gerry Fire Department's 67th annual PRCA rodeo

More Than 150 Entered the Gerry Fire Department's 67th annual PRCA rodeo
By Paul Cooley
GERRY - More than 150 professional cowboys and cowgirls from 19 states have registered to compete for $30,000 in prize money at the Gerry Fire Department's 67th annual PRCA rodeo which opens Thursday and continues for four performances through Sunday.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in Colorado Springs made the announcement following the deadline for entries on Friday. The list is led by the women's barrel racing which has 42 entries, followed by 30 competitors in tie-down roping and 25 bull riders. All of the competitors must be current members of either the PRCA or the Women's Professional Rodeo Cowgirls Association (WPRCA) and registration for all sanctioned rodeos is done through the Colorado Springs office.

This week's competition begins on Thursday at 8 p.m. and continues Friday and Saturday evenings with a final show on Sunday at 2 p.m. All seven traditional rodeo events - bareback and saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, and bull riding - will be featured at each performance.

Each competitor must pay an entry fee for any event entered, with those fees ranging from $55 to $125, depending on the event. These entry fees are added to money put up by the fire department and other sponsors to provide the total prize money. In addition, the winner of each event is presented with a specially designed Montana Silversmiths belt buckle.

The stock contractor for the 22nd year is the Barnes Rodeo Company of Peterson, Iowa, which has been producing rodeos across the country for 58 years.

In addition to the rodeo competition, the show will include comedy provided by rodeo clown Johnny "Backflip" Dudley with his mechanical bull and Flower, his pet skunk. Special events for children in the crowd include ''mutton bustin,'' the calf scramble and the nickel dive, all of which allow the children to actually get into the rodeo arena.

The midway has more than 20 vendors with everything from candy apples and cotton candy to Western wear and souvenirs, along with face painting, sand art and pony rides for the kids.

The famous barbecue beef dinners are served beginning at 5 p.m. each evening and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Full dinners including dessert and drink cost $10 for adults and combination tickets for both the rodeo and dinner are available at reduced rates.

Additional information is available by phone at 985-4847 or toll free at 1-888-985-4847 or on the web at www.gerryrodeo.org

Monday, August 1, 2011

True Grit: Champions show determination to win at the "Daddy of 'em All"

True Grit: Champions show determination to win at the "Daddy of 'em All"

CHEYENNE -- Two fingers were the difference between Shane Proctor riding two bulls or just one. Two late buck offs were the difference between Proctor going home a winner or just a placer.

Proctor, the No. 1 bull rider in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standings, capped a strong week of competition by posting an 88 on his final ride to win the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo bull riding title. For his efforts, Proctor pocketed $12,014.19.

After finishing No. 3 in the first two go-rounds, Proctor notched his 88 then had to watch as Brent Menz and Wesley Silcox, the two riders with better scores for the week, took their rides. Both riders were bucked off sealing the title.

"It was a lot of luck this week, that's what it comes down to. It's been going like that all year," Proctor said. "Had some key guys buck off in the short round that were really good riders and it just worked out. I'd like to say I ride good but a lot of luck is what's going for us."

Earlier in the week, the Grand Coulee, Wash., rider survived a tense situation when his rope and hand broke loose during a ride. He clung with two fingers to the bull just long enough to go 8 seconds and get an 84.

His luck was far from over.

In the first group of riders on Sunday, none of the cowboys who posted two scores during the week finished a third ride. If not for Chandler Bownds' 89, none of the first 10 riders would have scored in the third go.

Three riders before Proctor notched scores with Bobby Welsh and Tater Hins earning scores of 86. L.J. Jenkins posted an 80.

Needing a 78 or better just to tie Hins, Proctor showed them all up with an 88 to take a 10-point advantage. Even before the score was announced, Proctor bolted for the chute and began pumping his fists in the air to celebrate.

"They write songs about this place so it's really special just to win this place. This is the one that everybody watches when they're younger and dreams about winning. This is the one a lot of world champs have won. There's a lot of history in this arena," Proctor said. "It just means the world to me to get the buckle here. I'll just be able to look at it and check it out and wear it around a little bit."

Proctor's journey to the title was far from easy, both in the arena and on the road.

On Saturday, Proctor and a couple of friends were down in Thackerville, Okla., for a Professional Bull Rider event. Thanks to some understanding buddies, Proctor was able to rest up for Sunday's championship round.

The extra rest proved to be vital.

"We were in Thackerville, Okla., last night and they split the driving between the three of them," Proctor said. "We pulled in about an hour before the rodeo. They let me lay back and sleep and it worked out for the best."

With his lead over J.W. Harris in the standings continuing to grow, Proctor now has an opportunity no other bull rider before him has ever had. He not only leads the PRCA standings, but the PBR standings as well.

If his luck continues, Proctor could become the first cowboy to ever win both world bull riding titles in the same year.

It will be far from easy but Proctor wouldn't have it any other way.

"That'd be something that nobody else has ever done. It'd be something that's always been a goal of mine. It's going to be a fight to end," Proctor said.

Bareback riding

VH1 might want to contact Casey Colletti because he might just be having the best week ever.

The last 10 days have been extremely kind to the Pueblo, Colo., cowboy. On Sunday, his streak hit its highest point.

Colletti capped an improbable Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo by notching a short go score of 89 to easily win the bareback riding title with a final score of 258. He bested Royce Ford by 10 points en route to the title.

"This is literally the most phenomenal week I've ever had. I went to Eagle, Colo., I was 86, won third there. I won Rock Springs and I won Burlington. And I can't forget I won Cheyenne," Colletti said with a laugh.

Winning is one thing. Changing an entire season is another.

Colletti entered CFD $3 short of $19,000 in earnings for the year. He cashed in all four possible categories, leaving him $259 short of matching his total for the season in Cheyenne alone.

All told, Colletti walked away with $18,738.

The money will most likely vault him from No. 32 in the PRCA standings to the top 15, depending on what other riders earned over the last few days.

It also will change his approach to the rest of the year.

"I rodeo hard but I'm going to try to go everywhere now. I'm going to enter every rodeo in America to try and make the (National Rodeo Finals)," Colletti said. "It bumped me up there a long ways but there's still two months of rodeo left. Lots and lots of money to be won. I'm going to hit every single rodeo I can."

Colletti's ride to the big money was not an easy one.

All but one of the 12 bareback riders who reached Sunday's finals posted a score with six of them going for 80 or better.

After putting up a first go of 85 and a second go of 84, Colletti earned the right to be the last cowboy out of the chute. He drew a horse called Full Baggage which came with a lot of baggage.

In the end, Colletti's streak proved to be the winner.

"I knew that horse goes to the eliminator pen every year in the NFR. They marked him the rankest horse of the NFR last year in that round," Colletti said. "I just went in with the attitude I'm either going to ride him or not. I try not to let the pressure get to bad on me that way I don't choke. He bucked hard and I felt like I did what I could do to ride him. It definitely worked out for the best."

With a renewed focus, Colletti is setting his sights on making the NFR a goal he describes as "like making the Super Bowl."

While he still has work to do, Colletti was still trying soak up the reality of his recent accomplishments.

"It's hard to even imagine a check for $18,000. ... It's crazy," Colletti said.

Saddle bronc

Jesse Bail needed to save his best for last. Mission accomplished.

Bail entered Sunday's championship round at CFD tied for the third best total for the week with 159 points. Using an 86 on the back of Special Time, Bail upended his competition with the second-highest score of the day to win the title with a final total of 245.

"I came in and it was all really tight. I knew I had a good shot to win it. I just knew I had to go out there and make the best ride I could. That's all you can do," Bail said. "I was just tickled pink to have a great horse like that. And shoot, everything worked out good. It was awesome."

With only six points separating the No. 12 rider in the event from the No. 1 rider, the entire go left little margin for error.

Bradley Harter posted the highest score of the round with an 87 but just five of the riders were able to notch a score higher than 80. The Camp Crook, S.D., cowboy left no doubt he could contend for the title with his monster ride.

"Everybody I talked to said (the horse) was really good and that's what they'd want so I knew he was really good. And he actually bucked harder that I thought he was going," Bail said. "He jumped out of there, had some moves, ducked and dang near bucked me off a couple times. I just kept gassing it, laid back in my saddle and everything turned out good."

Clinging to a small lead, Bail watched as Jacobs Crawley posted an 80, J.J. Elshere was bucked and Samuel Kelts could only manage a 79. His two-point win over Harter helped Bail earn $9,711.76 for the week.

That total will also help him vault up the PRCA standings. Bail entered CFD ranked No. 9 in the standings and could crack the top five before all is finished. That would put him one step closer to a 12th NFR appearance.

While all those things still have to play out, Bail was just excited about winning Cheyenne for the first time in his career.

Injury and a little bad luck at the "Daddy of 'em All" have prevented him from a buckle in the past.

Not anymore.

"I've been here a bunch of times and I've had a little heck and things didn't go my way. Heck, this year everything just fell into place and everything just went my way it seemed like. It was awesome," Bail said.