National Western Stock Show Rodeo Kicks Off with Super Saturday
By Susan Kanode
For the National Western Stock Show
DENVER, Colo. – The 110th annual National Western Stock Show kicked off with three action packed rodeo performances on Saturday.
For the past five years, rodeo fans have been able to watch contestants compete for titles while representing rodeos from across the country as well as across the state of Colorado. The morning performance featured all of the World contestants from Austin, Texas; Rapid City, S.D.; Guymon, Okla.; Fort Worth, Texas; San Angelo, Texas; Cheyenne, Wyo.; North Platte, Neb.; Dodge City, Kan.; Houston; and Calgary, Alberta.
The matinee performance was Colorado’s own with representatives from the National Western, as well as rodeos in Elizabeth; Estes Park; Pueblo; Loveland; Greeley; and Colorado Springs.
Those contestants all did their best to advance to the evening performance. The top four contestants from the World and from Colorado went head-to-head in the semifinals.
The final round featured the best contestant out of the World field against the best contestant out of the Colorado field. When it was all said and done, it truly was a Colorado Vs. the World duel as it was tied with two champions from each field up to the bull riding.
Bull rider Riker Carter, representing the Rooftop Rodeo at Estes Park won the title for team Colorado. Orin Larsen won the bareback rider for the same team representing the Greeley Independence Stampede. The other Colorado team winner was Jake Wright who rode in the saddle bronc riding for the Larimer County Fair Rodeo in Loveland.
In the steer wrestling, Seth Brockman rose to the top to win the championship representing Rodeo Houston. Carmel Wright won the barrel racing for the World team riding for the Black Hills Stock Show Rodeo in Rapid City.
The competition format makes it a unique challenge for any contestant to leave with the $8,000 prize money awarded to the champions. They have to compete three times in one day, and advance through the levels of the rodeo similar to being in a tournament.
This year’s event was truly a cross representation of rodeo’s best. While Carmel Wright was riding for Rapid City, she calls Roy, Mont., home. She and her family moved there 14 years ago from New Zealand.
Orin Larsen, the bareback riding champion may have been riding for Greeley, but he is from Inglis, Manitoba, making the journey from Canada to compete here.
Rocky McDonald was another World contestant that has ties with Mexico. McDonald lives in Hachita, N.M., but his family has been ranching near Chihuahua, Mexico,for years. He rode for the Dodge City Roundup in Kansas, but didn’t advance past the semi-finals.
Sunday’s events will continue the National Western tradition of showcasing cultures with the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza at 2 and 6:30 p.m.
The following are results from Super Saturday, Colorado Versus the World rodeo, Jan. 10, 2016
World Performance – (contestant, hometown, rodeo represented)
Bareback Riding: 1, George Gillespie, Hamilton, Mont., (Rapid City, S.D.) 84 points, $1,000. 2, Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., (Guyon, Okla.), 83.5, $700. 3, Clint Laye, Pocatello, Idaho, (Calgary, Alberta) 82.5, $600. 4, Matt Bright, Fort Worth, Texas, (Dodge City, Kan.) 80.5, $500.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Seth Brockman, Wheatland, Wyo., (Houston, Texas) 4.22 seconds, $1,000. 2, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., (Dodge City, Kan.) 4.49, $700. 3, Clayton Morrison, Killdeer, Colo., (Rapid City, S.D.) 4.92, $600. 4, Stan Branco, Krum, Texas, (Guymon, Okla.) 5.83, $500.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Zeke Thurston, Sheridan, Wyo., (Calgary, Alberta) 84 points, $1,000. 2, Joe Lufkin, Salisaw, Okla., (Fort Worth, Texas) 81, $700. 3, Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah, (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 80.5. $600. 4, (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw, Milford, Utah, (Guymon, Okla.); Sam Spreadborough, Snyder, Texas, (Houston, Texas); and Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah, (Rapid City, S.D.) 77, $300 each.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Carmel Wright, Roy, Mont., (Rapid City, S.D.) 15.61, $1,000. 2, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., (Fort Worth, Texas) 15.772, $700. 3, Jean Winters, Perico, Texas, (Houston, Texas) 15.88, $600. 4, Calyssa Thomas, Harrold, S.D., (Guymon, Okla.) 15.97, $500.
Bull Riding: 1, Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo., (Rapid City, S.D.) 86, $1,000. 2, Timothy Bingham, honeybille, Utah, (Houston, Texas) 85.5, $700. 3, Rocky McDonald, Hachita, N.M., (Dodge City, Kan.) 83.5, $600. 4, (tie) Clayton Savage, Yoder, Wyo., (Fort Worth, Texas) and Kody Lostroh, Ault, Colo., (Calgary) 77, $350 each.
Colorado Performance – (contestant, hometown, rodeo represented)
Bareback Riding: 1, Casey Breuer, Mandan, N.D., (Wild Card) 87.5, $1,000. 2, Jamie Howlett, Snyder, Texas, (Estes Park) 85, $700. 3, (tie) Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, (Greeley) and Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., (Denver) 83.5, $550 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Trell Etbauer, Gruver, Texas, (Denver) 3.55 seconds, $1,000. 2, Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo., (Loveland) 4.45. 3, Aaron Vosler, Cheyenne, Wyo., (Estes Park) 4.54. 4, Cole Edge, Durant, Okla., (Greeley) 4.61, $500.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, (tie) Taygen Shulke, Newell, S.D., (Wild Card) and Jake Wright, Milford, Utah, (Loveland) 84 points and $850 each. 3, Jesse James Kirby, Dodge City, Kan., (Elizabeth) 83, $600. 4, Clay Elliott, Nanton, Alberta, (Denver) 80, $500.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Shelby Herrmann, Stephenville, Texas, (Estes Park) 15.343 seconds, $1,000. 2, Christine Laughlin, Pueblo, Colo., (Pueblo) 15.684, $700. 3, Paxton Segelke, Hudson, Colo., (Wild Card) 15.707, $600. 4, Kim Schulze, Larkspur, Colo., (Greeley) 15.950, $500.
Bull Riding: 1, Lon Danley, Tularosa, N.M., (Loveland) 86 point, $1,000. 2, Guthrie Murray, Miami, Okla., (Denver) 83, $700. 3, Josh Koschel, (Wild Card) 82.5, $600. 4, Riker Carter, Stone, Idaho, (Estes Park) 81, $500.
Showdown – Colorado Vs. The World —
Bareback Riding: (semifinals) 1.Clint Laye, World, 87, $1,000. 2, Orin Larsen, Colorado, 84, $1000. (champion) 1, Larsen, 84, $8,000.
Steer Wrestling: (semifinals) 1, Seth Brockman, World, 4.02, $1,000. 2, Trell Etbauer, Colorado, 4.21, $1,000. (champion) Brockman, 3.99, $8,000
Saddle Bronc Riding: (semifinals) 1, Jake Wright, Colorado, 86, $1,000. 2, Rusty Wright, World, 80, $1,000. (champion) Jake Wright, 84, $8,000.
Women’s Barrel Race: (semifinals) 1, Carmel Wright (World) 15.386, $1,000. 2, Kim Schulze (Colorado) 15.722, $1,000. (champion) Carmel Wright, 15.237, $8,000.
Bull Riding: (semifinals) 1, Riker Carter, (Colorado) 78 points, $1,000. 2, Kanin Asay (World) no score – advanced based on highest score coming in, $1,000. (champion) Carter, 89, $8,000.