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Kinsel Dominates Bracket Competition in San Antonio

By Jolee Jordan

Hailey Kinsel
Photo by Greg Westfall

San Antonio, Texas — As Mother Nature gave indication of being bi-polar over the weekend—or it was just “Texas weather” according to the locals—the final two brackets competed in San Antonio, going from nearly 90 degree temps on Friday to closer to 50 on Sunday.

Despite the ups-and-downs in weather, the competition remained reliably hot inside AT&T Center during the 2019 edition of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo with top performances by the ladies of the WPRA.

One of the huge winter stock show rodeos that bring lucrative purses to ProRodeo competitors, San Antonio is a tournament style rodeo. The rodeo is divided into brackets of 10 contestants each and each bracket holds three rounds of preliminary competition. At the end of the third round, the top four money winners from the three rounds (no average money is figured or paid) advance to the Semi-Finals.

Total payout is nearly $200,000 for the ladies of the WPRA, making San Antonio one of the richest rodeos of the season. Famous for its hospitality, it is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame committee and has been named the Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year many times over by the PRCA.

Bracket competition wound up over the weekend, setting the stage for the Semi-Finals beginning on Tuesday night, February 19.

Each of the two, ten-contestant semi-finals is comprised of two more rounds, paying more than the preliminary rounds and contestants again vie for round money to add to their bracket earnings. The five highest money winners from each semi-finals will move on to the finals, February 23.

The key to success here is grabbing as much cash as you can . . . not only does a high bracket earnings total advance a competitor to the semi-finals, it makes the path to the finals a bit easier as well. And, because the champion here is crowned on total money won, being the last cowgirl standing on Saturday night depends largely on a big performance in earlier rounds.

Two cowgirls who know well how to play this game are the last two champions here, Amber Moore and Hailey Kinsel. Both competed over the weekend and were left with a chance to earn a second title as the final week of the SASSR begins.

Reigning Champion

The fourth bracket featured the return of 2018 SASSR Champion Hailey Kinsel to AT&T Center and the cowgirl who is practically a local here did not disappoint (her home in Cotulla is just over an hour away). The reigning WPRA World Champ picked up the opening round win on Friday night, February 15th, by more than two tenths of a second.

Her 13.93 aboard the super fast mare Sister was the only run under fourteen seconds during the round.

Callahan Crossley and the ageless Brownie finished second at 14.20 seconds. Crossley is the reigning Canadian Champion and her partner Brownie Bi Bogie is 21 this year.

The group returned on Saturday for a pair of rounds held during the matinee and evening performances.

In round two, Emily Miller stole the show as the only cowgirl in the 13’s. Miller had tipped a pair of barrels in round one to be very fast and corrected the mistake for the round win on Saturday afternoon aboard her gelding Chongo. Miller’s time of 13.88 seconds earned her $2,500.

Kinsel was right on her heels at 14.01 while Crossley won third with a time identical to her first round time of 14.20 seconds.

A few hours later, Kinsel was right back to the top of the board on Saturday night with the bracket’s best time of 13.84 seconds. She easily clinched the bracket win with total earnings nearly maxed out at $7,000 and took to social media to dedicate the win to a lost friend.

“Yesterday and today I have been reminded of what a strong, loving South/Central Texas rodeo family I was blessed with growing up,” Kinsel posted on Facebook. “Not only at the rodeo in San Antonio, but through the loss of our dear friend Cody Lawrence.” A fellow rodeo competitor, Lawrence tragically passed away on February 15 at the age of 27.

“Cody was a wonderful, beautiful person with the biggest heart. He made everyone he talked to feel like somebody, including me since I can’t remember when. He will be dearly missed here on earth by all of us while he’s at the biggest roping of all on the best horse, but we’ll get there someday too and be greeted by that same big smile,” she continued. “To that special rodeo family, this round win was for you.”

“We will be back in San Antonio for the semi finals next week. Until then, hug your loved ones tight and please keep Cody’s family and friends in your prayers.”

Crossley and Brownie found another gear, stopping the clock at 13.94 seconds for another second place finish. She finished with earnings of $5,450, moving on to the next round.

Miller had an equipment malfunction in round three that resulted in a no time but her round two victory proved enough to keep the Oklahoma cowgirl in contention for a title. She advanced with $2,500 in earnings.

Nikki Hansen rounded out the Bracket 4 semi-finalist with three solid runs aboard her gelding Sky. She picked up two fourth place checks in rounds one and three to secure her spot with $1,500 won.

All Tied Up

The first round of the final bracket on Sunday afternoon was almost more about survival than anything else. Of the ten cowgirls, six suffered barrel penalties. With so many ladies having troubles, the final two to run, Michelle Darling and Dona Kay Rule, knew they just needed to go clean for a check and they did.

Donna Kay Rule
Photo by Greg Westfall

Jimmie Smith was the first to run and posted a smoking fast run of 14.09 seconds to earn the round win and take the inside route towards the semi-finals.

On Sunday night, former San Antonio champion Amber Moore and Paige found their groove, taking the win with a flawless run of 14.01 seconds. Ivy Conrado and JLo came thundering back after a hit barrel in round one cost them a check; their time of 14.19 was good enough for second. Smith was in the money again, this time winning third.

“My first day San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo was unforgettable! Thank you Lena for all your try,” Smith posted to Facebook after competing in her first San Antonio rodeo performances.

With six different ladies earning money in the opening rounds on Sunday, the field was still wide open for the four positions into the semi-finals. It all came down to the final run of preliminary action, held on Monday, February 18.

Lisa Lockhart began the night with zero in earnings after running into penalty issues on the Sunday runs. She righted the ship with her mare Rosa, running a smooth 14.12 seconds as the first gal to run down the alley.

Lockhart’s time held on all the way to the final lady to compete, Prairie Circuit Finals champion Dona Kay Rule. Rule had grabbed a fourth place check on Sunday afternoon but really needed to add some cash to the total to move on and she did with a round winning spin through the pattern in 14.07 seconds.

Though they failed to place on the final night, Moore and Smith finished as co-champions of the bracket with $3,750 each. Rule’s big win allowed her to tie with Ivy Conrado for third and fourth with matching earnings of $3,250.

Next Up: Semi-Finals

The first of two semi-finals gets underway on Tuesday night, February 19. All cowgirls in this round will get two more runs to add to their total earnings. The second semi-final begins on Thursday night, February 21 and the field will be finalized on Friday, February 22.

For more information on the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, visit them on-line at www.sarodeo.com. Stay tuned to www.wpra.com for continuing updates from the 2019 edition.


Current Results

Bracket 4

1st Go

1. Hailey Kinsel, DM Sissy Hayday, 13.93, $2,500
2. Callahan Crossley, Brownie Bi Bogie, 14.20, $2,000
3. Tracy Nowlin, DJG Madison, 14.27, $1,250
4. Nikki Hansen, Sky High Guy, 14.33, $750

2nd Go

1. Emily Miller, Namgis D33, 13.88, $2,500
2. Kinsel, 14.01, $2,000
3. Crossley, 14.20, $1,250
4. Cheyenne Allan, RS Mollys Honor, 14.21, $750

3rd Go

1. Kinsel, 13.84, $2,500
2. Crossley, 13.94, $2,000
3. Leia Pluemer, Famous French Bug, 14.11, $1,250
4. Hansen, 14.20

Total Money Won

*Kinsel, $7,000

*Crossley, $5,250

*Miller, $2,500

*Hansen, $1,500

Nowlin, $1,250

Pluemer, $1,250

Allan, $750

*Advance to Semi-Finals

Bracket 5

1st Go

1. Jimmie Smith, Lena on the Rocks, 14.09, $2,500
2. Michelle Darling, Morning Traffic, 14.30, $2,000
3. Amber Moore, CP Dark Moon, 14.31, $1,250
4. Dona Kay Rule, High Valor, 14.42, $750

2nd Go

1. Moore, 14.01, $2,500
2. Ivy Conrado, KN Fabs Gift of Fame, 14.19, $2,000
3. Smith, 14.22, $1,250
4. Kellie Collier, Koolspeed Ta Kash, 14.23, $750

3rd Go

1. Rule, 14.07, $2,500
2. Lisa Lockhart, Rosas Cantina CC, 14.12, $2,000
3. Conrado, 14.14, $1,250
4. Darling, 14.34, $750

Total Money Won

*Amber Moore, $3,750

*Jimmie Smith, $3,750

*Dona Kay Rule, $3,250

*Ivy Conrado, $3,250

Lisa Lockhart, $2,000

Michelle Darling, $2,750

Kellie Collier, $750

Courtesy of WPRA

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