News and Notes from the Rodeo Trail, July 13
The final two performances of California Rodeo Salinas will be broadcast live on the Wrangler Network July 18-19 at 1 p.m. (PT). To watch, fans can visit www.wranglernetwork.com.
Wrangler NFR bareback rider Tim O’Connell fractured the third metacarpal of his left (riding) hand and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action. O’Connell is scheduled to see a hand specialist July 14, but surgery isn’t thought to be needed. The Zwingle, Iowa, cowboy is currently third in the world standings.
Jack Hannum, who will be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame Aug. 8, was inducted into the Utah Rodeo Hall of Fame July 10. Hannum qualified for the NFR four times as a steer wrestler (1978-80, 1983) and as a tie-down roper in 1977. Joining Hannum in the Utah Rodeo HOF were 1996 Miss Rodeo America Tanya Bartlett, Gary L. Cooper, Bud Favero, Dean Steed and Francisco Zamora.
Ralph Lamb, who was an instrumental part of the National Finals Rodeo Committee and the group from Las Vegas that promoted the move of the NFR from Oklahoma City to Las Vegas, and a PRCA Gold Card member and team roper, passed away July 3 in Las Vegas. He was 88. Lamb, who was known as the “Cowboy Sheriff,” gained fame for enforcing the law in the 1960s in Clark County and then again in 2012-13 when his career was fictionalized in the TV show “Vegas.” Lamb was elected Clark County Sheriff in 1962 and stayed in that position for 18 years, the longest anyone has held that job.
Ted Thompson of Deadwood, S.D., will serve as the PRCA Rodeo Committee Executive Council Representative – At Large. He replaces Gary Williams for the duration of the term, which will be through March 2016.
The Snake River Stampede in Nampa, Idaho, celebrating its 100th year, will honor the memory of the late bull rider Scott Newby. Newby was a Nampa native, and was killed at the age of 19 when a bull stepped on his skull in New Westminster, British Columbia, in 1973. Each year since his death, the Scott Newby Memorial buckle is given to the top bull rider in Nampa. This year, Newby’s sister, Cynthia Workman, will be on hand with her four children and eight grandchildren to award the buckle to the bull riding winner. Eight-time World Champion Don Gay won the first Scott Newby buckle in 1974.
“Man in the Can” – a 38-minute film which follows the personal journey of aspiring rodeo clown and barrelman Ronald Burton – was just selected to play at DocuWest Film Festival, which is co-produced by the Denver Film Society. The festival takes place September 9-13, at the Sie FilmCenter in the Capital Hill area of Denver.
NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Austin Dillon survived a spectacular, wild crash July 5 at the end of the Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet became airborne and crashed into the front stretch catch fence just past the start-finish line. Amazingly, Dillon was uninjured in the wreck. What Dillion did moments after he climbed out of his mangled car was a tribute to legendary bull rider Lane Frost, a ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy who was the 1987 PRCA world champion (Frost passed away July 30, 1989). Instead of waving his hand to acknowledge the support of fans, Dillon made a dual motion with his hands, which he explained on July 7 was a tribute to Frost. “He’s probably one of the best bull riders of all time,” Dillon said in a story on nascartalk.nbcsports.com. “After we won the (Xfinity) race (July 4), I thought it was a cool tribute to him to kind of start doing that and just embrace it because he was one of my heroes.”
Bull rider L.J. Jenkins, the 2011 Wrangler NFR average champion from Porum, Okla., announced his retirement July 7, effective immediately. The 28-year-old suffered a fractured first cervical vertebra (C1) in April, and doctors advised that it would be in his best interest to stop riding bulls.
PRCA bareback rider Andy Bolich has been named the new rodeo coach at Montana State University (Bozeman). Bolich won the year-end bareback riding title in the Columbia River Circuit in 2004 and won it three times in the Montana Circuit (2005-07). He also won the RAM Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo in 2005 and 2007. Bolich is an MSU graduate and served as an assistant rodeo coach there for 12 years.
As part of its celebration of its 125th anniversary, and as a salute to the military, the Sheridan WYO Rodeo recognized military members before each performance of the July 8-11 rodeo. Dana Bowman, a double-leg-amputee military veteran, parachuted into the rodeo each night. Bowman is a former Green Beret Special Forces and Golden Knight. He has since retired and currently works for the military giving motivational speeches and parachuting for events. Bowman signed autographs for fans at the rodeo and gave a powerful presentation to local veterans and staff at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center on July 9.
About 400 Corriente steers made their way down Interstate 25 and through the streets of Cheyenne, Wyo., July 13. Onlookers watched as the Cheyenne Frontier Days Cattle Drive brought the cattle from a pasture north of the city into Frontier Park. The cattle drive is traditionally known as the unofficial beginning of the rodeo, which starts in full July 18.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I know I’m one of the best guys around, and I think I should be in contention (for a gold buckle) every year. Last year I was 59th in the world and only went to eight rodeos. I know what I’m capable of doing, it’s just a matter of getting the opportunities to compete, which I am this year.”
-2011 World Champion Bull Rider Shane Proctor – currently ninth in the standings – talking about staying healthy and winning in 2015
Courtesy of PRCA