Champs in Hamel

By: Ruth Nicolaus

Rodeo sees record crowds; Minnesota man among winners

Hamel, Minn. – A Minnesota cowboy made good at the Hamel Rodeo.

For the second time, Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, won the bareback riding at the Hamel (Minn.) Rodeo, scoring 88 points on the J Bar J Rodeo Co. horse Blessed Assurance. He won the Hamel Rodeo in 2017 as well.

It was the third time for the 31-year old cowboy to draw the horse, an eleven-year-old paint mare. Aus rode the mare in Hamel a few years ago, and at a rodeo in Circle, Mont.

The mare, a five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo horse, is a good fit for her event, Aus said.

“She’s not an easy horse to ride, but she’s just the type of horse that bareback riders crave. If you could ride that horse every time, you’d never be sore and you’d always ride with a smile on your face.”

Like Aus, his horse at the Hamel Rodeo, Blessed Assurance, has been selected to buck at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo five consecutive years (2016-2020.)

Aus’ traveling partners are fellow Minnesotans and bareback riders Tyler Berghuis, Atwater, Kyle Bloomquist, Raymond, and Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. He and Breuer are veterans, having competed for more than a dozen years. Berghuis and Bloomquist have rode bareback horses since high school but are somewhat new to the pro rodeo world.

Berghuis and Bloomquist are learning the ins and outs of rodeo from Aus and Breuer.

“If there’s anything I can help them out with, obviously I do, but I don’t do anything for those guys that they can’t do for themselves. They’re both great riders in their own right, and they’re constantly making progress and trying to figure out how to ride better.”

Aus and Breuer, who are both 31 years old, appreciate the youthfulness that Berghuis, age 25, and Bloomquist, 23, bring to the group.

“It’s good to have those young guys,” Aus said. “They remind us why we love it. They’re a lot of fun to have around. There’s a lot of laughs in the rig.”

Aus has had an illustrious career. A Minnesota High School Rodeo contestant, he’s been in the top fifteen in the world five times, making him eligible to compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, pro rodeo’s world championship. He competes fulltime at rodeos across the nation.

“It just means the world to me to come back to my home state and compete here. There are fewer rodeos here, but the people who show up, they are a diehard crowd. I love where I’m from. I’m so thankful to come back here and rodeo.”

Aus is married to his wife, Lorissa; they have a three-year-old daughter and a fifteen-month-old son.

In addition to Hamel, Aus won first place at the Isanti, Minn. rodeo this weekend and third at Spooner, Wisc. He finished the 2020 rodeo year in fourth place in the PRCA world standings. His 88 point ride at Hamel is one point shy of the arena record, 89 points, a record he set in 2017 when he won the rodeo.

Other 2021 champions at the rodeo are steer wrestler Ty Brown, Palmyra, Ind. (10.0 seconds on two head); team ropers Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga./Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil (9.9 seconds on two head); and barrel racer Molly Otto, Grand Forks, N.D. (14.73). Tie-down roper Trent Creager repeated as tie-down roper (17.9 seconds on two head); the Stillwater, Okla. man also won the tie-down in 2019.

In the saddle bronc riding, Logan Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, won the 2021 title (86 points), and bull rider Dakota Nye, Keosauqua, Iowa, won his event (86 points).

The permit bull riding win went to Riggin Hughes, Kempner, Texas, for his 76 point ride on the J Bar J Rodeo bull Drunken Sailor. The permit bull riding is open to those cowboys who have their Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association permit and have not acquired their full membership yet.

Out of five performances, the Hamel Rodeo sold out four of them, with record crowds.

The rodeo is a fundraiser for five area non-profit organizations, and in its previous 39 years, has raised over $2 million. This year’s funds will be divided equally between the Hamel Volunteer Fire Department, the Hamel Lions Club, the Heinzen-Ditter VFW, the John Pohlker American Legion and the Lord of Life Military Family Support Ministry.

The 2022 rodeo will be July 7-10. For more information, visit the website at www.HamelRodeo.org.

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Final Results, Hamel Rodeo, July 8-11, 2021

All-Around champion: Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn. (tie-down roping, team roping)

2021 Bareback riding champion: Tanner Aus

1. Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn. 88 points on J Bar J’s Blessed Assurance; 2. (tie) Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, and Jayco Roper, Oktaha, Okla. 87.5 each; 4. Ty Pope, Marshall, Mo. 86; 5. (tie) Seth Hardwick, Ranchester, Wyo., Cole Reiner, Weatherford, Texas and Trenten Montero, Winnemucca, Nev. 85.5 each; 8. Job Dunlavey, Loraine, Ill. 82.5.

2021 Steer Wrestling champion: Ty Brown, Palmyra, Indiana

1st round
1. Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La. 4.2 seconds; 2. JC Duncan, Hazel, Kentucky 5.1; 3. (tie) Ty Brown, Stude, Calif. and Carson Good, Long Valley, S.D. 5.6 each; 5. Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. 5.9; 6. Noah Lassa, Merrill, Wisc. 6.7

2nd round
1. Ty Brown, Palmyra, Ind. 4.4 seconds; 2. Wade Steffen, Richmond, Ill. 4.6; 3. Noel Strahan, Bonfield, Ill. 5.3; 4. Reed Kraeger, Elwood, Neb. 5.4; 5. Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. 5.7; 6. (tie) Brian Conrad, Madrid, Iowa and Ben Kilburg, Waterloo, Iowa 5.8 each.

Average
1. Ty Brown, Palmyra, Ind. 10.0 seconds on two head; 2. Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. 11.6; 3. Reed Kraeger, Elwood, Neb. 13.9; 4. Bridger Anderson, Carrington, N.D. 19.0; 5. Carson Good, Long Valley, S.D. 19.8; 6. Jordan Wagner, Cokato, Minn. 21.9.

2021 Tie-down roping champion: Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla.

1st round
1. Matt Peters, Oral, S.D. 8.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Tanner Stec, Bassett, Neb. and Blake Chauvin, Raceland, La. 8.2 each; 4. Blake Ash, Aurora, Mo. 8.4; 5. Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla. 8.7; 6. Nolan Richie, Bristel, S.D. 8.8.

2nd round
1. Cody Huber, Albia, Iowa 7.7; 2. Jody Green, Ada, Okla. 8.9; 3. Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn. 9.0; 4. (tie) Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla. and Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas 9.2 each; 6. Cody McCartney, Ottawa Lake, Mich. 9.5.

Average
1. Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla. 17.9 seconds on two head; 2. Cody Huber, Albia, Iowa 18.3; 3. Cody McCartney, Ottawa Lake, Mich. 19.3; 4. Blake Ash, Aurora, mo. 19.6; 5. Riley Istre, Vinton, La. 21.8; Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn. 22.0.

2021 Saddle bronc riding champion: Logan Hay, Wildwood, Alberta

1. Logan Hay, Wildwood, Alb. 86 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Painted J; 2. Locky Sheppard, Snyder, Texas 84; 3. (tie) Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La.; Trey Watts, Marshall, Mo.; Riggin Smith, Winterset, Iowa; Jake Clark, Crane, Ore. and Kobyn Williams, Huntsville, Texas 82 each; 8. Jake Burwash, Nanton, Alb. 80.

2021 Team roping champions:

1st round
1. Brandon Webb, Big Wells, Texas/Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla. 4.9 seconds; 2. Curry Kirchner, Ames, Iowa/Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla. 5.2; 3. Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga./Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil 5.4; 4. Dalton Turner, Sidney, Ark./Garrett Smith, Mt. Juliet, Tenn. 5.5; 5. Clint Summers, Lake City, Fla./Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas 5.7; 6. Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn./JW Nelson, Alta, Iowa 5.8.

2nd round
1. (tie) Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga./Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazile and Justin Yost, Citra, Fla./Reno Gonzales, Scott, La. 4.5 seconds each; 3. Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla./Daniel Braman IV, Victoria, Texas 4.7; 4. Jake Orman, Anderson, Texas/Brye Crites, Welch, Okla. 4.8; 5. Tucker Menz, Boerne, Texas/Cole Curry, St. Francisville, La. 5.0; 6. Coy Rahlmann, Ellsinore, Mo./Douglas Rich, Herrick, Ill. 5.3.

Average
1. Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga./Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil 9.9 seconds on two head; 2. Nick Sartain, Bandera, Texas/Reagan Ward, Wayne, Okla. 11.4; 3. Tucker Menz, Boerne, Texas/Cole Curry, St. Francisville, La. 11.9; 4. Brandon Webb, Big Wells, Texas/Kollin VonAhn, Blanchard, Okla. 12.3; 5. Coy Rahlmann, Ellsinore, Mo./Douglas Rich, Herrick, Ill. 13.9; 6. Justin Yost, Citra, Fla./Reno Gonzales, Scott, La. 15.7.

2021 Barrel racing champion: Molly Otto, Grand Forks, N.D.

1. Molly Otto, Grand Forks, N.D. 14.73 seconds; 2. Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D. 14.82; 3. (tie) Brooke Wills, Kamloops, B.C. and Kristen Meyer, Clintonville, Wisc. 15.08 each; 5. Kricket Gintner, Eau Claire, Wisc. 15.09; 6. Alyssa Gabrielson, Perham, Minn. 15.19; 7. (tie) Ivy Saebens, Nowata, Okla. and Austyn Tobey, Bemidji, Minn. 15.22 each; 9. Stephanie McCready, Marshalltown, Minn. 15.29; 10. Shelby Janssen, Austin, Minn. 15.35; 11. Ronda Casey, Plymouth, Ind. 15.36; 12. Melora Potter, Marion, Kent. 15.37.

2021 Bull riding champion: Dakota Nye, Keosauqua, Iowa

1. Dakota Nye, Keosauqua, Iowa 86 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Jim; 2. Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa 85; 3. (tie) Pedro Fonseca, Elk River, Minn. and Casey Fredericks, Porcupine, S.D. 81 each; 5. Dakota Warnken, Wakarusa, Ind. 80; 6. Ethan Skogquist, Elk River, Minn. 74; 7. Jaron Hughes, Canton, Texas 72; 8. Blaine Beaty, Deer Creek, Minn. 67

2021 Permit section bull riding champion: Riggin Hughes, Kempner, Texas

(only cowboys with permit cards are allowed to compete)

1. Riggin Hughes, Kempner, Texas 76 points on J Bar J Rode’s Drunken Sailor; 2. (tie) Zach Parker, Durant, Okla. and Tristan McClelland, Bowen, Ill. 75 each; no other qualified rides.

For complete results, visit www.ProRodeo.com.