Ep. 32 - NFR Round 9 Recap
December 13, 2019 (Las Vegas, Nevada) - With only one round remaining in the 2019 PRCA National Finals Rodeo, we have seen many story lines play out! Veterans have been successful but rookies have been more successful. Some have held absolute dominance and some results we will have to see what happens in Round 10! Be the first to know by listening to our podcast today and keeping up with all things rodeo and western lifestyle!
Round 9 Quiz Questions
Our daily quizzes involve current rodeo facts, NFR happenings, rodeo terminology and history!
The Pendleton Round Up won the award for the FIFTH time in the row - that’s right! FIVE TIMES consecutively has the “Let’er Buck” cheer been heard at the PRCA Awards! They’ve won the award a total of seven times so far. Three Pendleton Round Up contract acts also took home awards as well, including Dusty Tuckness for PRCA Bullfighter of the Year, Justin Rumford for PRCA Clown of the Year, and Matt Twitchell for Pick Up Man of the Year.
The correct answer is 20 with a caveat; Miss Rodeo America also gets to be a flag girl but our hosts didn’t count her, considering her title as the reigning lady of professional rodeo to be more important! A competition is held annually for a few rotating spots in the flag girl line up. The must be female, between the ages of 21 and 30, a capable equestrian, and a legal resident of the U.S. Chosen by a panel of judges during the prior NFR, their job is to support the NFR and represent the sponsors.
In 1936, after a walkout in protest of rodeo promoters at a Boston Garden rodeo, the Cowboys Turtle Association was formed - the precursor to today’s PRCA. So named because, while slow to form, the members were willing to stick out their neck for what they felt was right! These contestants wanted a fair judging system, consistency, and paychecks. They finally had their voice heard and never looked back, changing their name in 1945 to the Rodeo Cowboy’s Association and then the name we know now in 1975.
A standardized saddle was dictated by the early members of the Cowboys Turtle Association so that there would be uniformity in the sport and more fair for contestants across the board. First one was originally made at Hamley’s, located in Pendleton, Oregon, and they still make the Pendleton Round Up’s coveted trophy saddles. Rodeo’s originally provided the saddles for the contestants but, as time went on, contestants began to order their own to take with them down the road!
Ranch bronc saddles are used in ranch bronc riding competitions. To learn more about ranch bronc riding, check out Episode 21 with our good friend Jane Revercomb, the star of the reality tv show Cowgirls on Ride TV!
At 10 years old, Ann Lewis aka “Annie the Okie,” won the prestigious title posthumously after being killed in a vehicle accident leading up to the NFR with the nine-time NFR qualifier Sissy Thurman who was sitting second. Ann began winning rodeos at the age of 8 years old in the midwest on her semi-feral bay horse Charlie Bay Dan. Feral or not, they set the Shreveport, Louisiana arena record! Ann was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1981.
Round 9 Event Recap
Bareback
First place in Round 9 went to Jake Brown with an 89.5 point ride. It was a rough night for the cowboys as Austin Foss landed hard on his right shoulder in Round 8, separating it and deemed medically disqualified for the remainder of the 2019 NFR. Joining him with injuries was Orin Larson, who has been SO hot, who got smashed by a bronc called “Pip Squeak” in the chute - he ended up taking that re-ride option as he is still in hot pursuit of a world title.
Clayton Biglow had to cowboy up tonight with a bronc named Sozo who didn’t want to pick his head up in the chute. Not wanting to pass up on a horse that he knew he could get big points on, Biglow took him anyway and scored an 86 point ride. That was good enough to split 5th in the round with Tim O’Connell who is still leading the average. At this point, Biglow has completely won over the Vegas crowd - it seems as if he can’t do anything wrong! When you’re hot, you’re hot!
Steer Wrestling
In a weird twist of events, the stars aligned for Montana Cowboy Ty Erickson! With a 3.6 second run, he not only got the round win but a blessing in the average when two-time world champion Tyler Waguespack missed his steer when it stopped promptly upon leaving the chute. Wag didn’t have a chance and it killed him in the average leaving the door open for Matt Reeves, Riley Duvall and Ty Erickson!
Minnesota’s big man, J.D. Struxness, would have had the fastest run of the NFR but broke the barrier making it 13.3 seconds long. If he hadn’t of broke, Struxness would have moved into the top slots for the average and potential world title as well with Wag’s miss.
Team Roping
First place went to the familiar names of Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira with a 3.6 second run. Tyler worley and Tate Kirchenschlager were geared up to give them a run for their money as they were both mounted on the head and heel horses of the year but they were still a full second slower. Round 9 was a definite game changer for the average and while it looks like the young guns of Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp are going to win the average, they’re going to need a Round 10 win tomorrow and a no time for Clay Smith to give Snow a chance for a heading world title.
Saddle Bronc
First place went to the Canadian cowboy that you can’t help but love, Zeke Thurston, AGAIN this round witha 91 point ride. In an emotional interview with CBS Sports Network’s Kadee Coffman, he dedicated his ride to JR Vezain who helped him on the same horse a few years back at the NFR.
Mitch Pollock had his first qualified ride of th NFR and got money.
Tie Down Roping
First place went to Marty Yates with a seven second flat run in Round 9. It was great to see him back and showing up for his fans! He had a rough go in Round 7 that cost him the world title. He’s working for day money at this point but you never know in rodeo what might happen!
Two rule infractions resulted in a no time for Michael Otero and Tyler Milligan due to the jerk down rule. Taylor Santos also had troubles but of a different kind - his only horse that he brought to the finals didn’t want to settle down and he almost got flagged out on a time penalty.
Tyson Durfey passed Tuf Cooper by 3/10 of a second in the average race with today’s times.
Barrel Racing
“LOUIE, LOUIE!”
And the crowd goes wild!
Louie was BACK for his 85th run at the NFR! Talk about a legend, some would even call him the barrel horse of the decade!
Stevi Hillman was emotional in getting her first NFR Round win in four qualifications and, to top it off, it was her husband’s birthday! Also noteable is the ground is getting worse with our first full fledged fall of the finals by Can Man, one of two stallions at this year’s NFR in the barrels.
Hailey Kinsel is looking right in line with winning her second consecutive world title - this would make her and her new husband, Jess Lockwood, world champions in the same year.
Bull Riding
Josh Frost had his first qualified ride of the 2019 NFR with a 70.5 point ride and a re-ride option. He took the ride but didn’t cover which may make this a not so memorable pain point in his illustrious bull riding career. Jordan Hansen rode Silver Creek ProRodeo’s Chao’s Ghost who had never been ridden before. Stetson Wright also got a re-ride option in this round as well.
Boudreaux Campbell had the match up of the night with a bull called Goofy. He has a shot for the Top Gun Award with a 91 point ride that definitely helped in that race.
One PRCA Rule Change, Remove or Create
On every podcast episode we ask our guests for one rule that they would change, remove or create to the PRCA or WPRA. Keeping up with tradition, we are sharing our thoughts or our fans’ suggestions on each episode of the NFR Podcast rounds.
Tonight’s PRCA rule was sent in by one of the NFR Flag Girls that we thought was really interesting. If a flag girl is hit by a contestant in grand entry or a victory lap, it is a PRCA fine. That fine, however, goes to the PRCA and NOT to the flag girl that was hit. We vote that that should change and at least have a percentage given to the flag girl who was hit.