Ernie Courson Jr. Uses Castle Rock, Colo. Win for Strong Start to August
By: Alex Riley
Ernie Courson Jr.’s primary reason for visiting Castle Rock, Colo. – sightseeing.
Getting to compete at a rodeo was just an added bonus.
The Okeechobee, Fla., bull rider lets his wife schedule most of the competitions. Earlier this year, he made mention that he wanted to visit Castle Rock to check out the butte in the center of town marked by an American flag.
“She said, ‘Well, there’s a rodeo coming up there.’ I said, ‘Well, put me in it. We’re going to see the rock,'” Courson said with a laugh. “I wanted to see the rock with the American flag on top of it, so that’s how we ended up there. Everything worked out good – we were able to go rodeo, win the rodeo and see the American flag on top of the rock.”
What started as an excursion to see a landmark in the Wild West ended with Courson bringing home one of his biggest wins of the season.
Thanks to an 86.5-point ride on Summit Pro Rodeo’s No. 911, Courson picked up nearly $5,900 in his first trip to the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo, helping him start the month of August off with a bang.
Earlier in the week, Courson rode Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Moody Muley for 90 points at Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg, earning him $3,666. Coupled with the $5,878 Courson won in Castle Rock, the fourth-year pro has $9,544 won less than a week into the month, helping him snap out of a recent slump. For all of July, Courson won less than $4,000, most of which came in the first nine days of the month.
While he didn’t have any visual insight on No. 911, Courson had reviewed the stats and knew the bull liked to turn right. Turns out, that was all he needed.
“The bull going right – that’s where it started out at. I like them when they’re into my hand and he went back to the right – when he did that I was smiling from ear-to-ear,” Courson said.
Sitting just inside the top 20 of the PRCA | RAM World Standings prior to the weekend, Courson’s two victories, and the prize money that comes with it, will be a big boost toward the back end of the season.
After finishing 20th in the standings last year and just missing out on a trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Courson is looking forward to an ending that puts him among the sports best in early December. The first week of August was a good place to start.
“Before I even started ProRodeoing, that was the thing I was really good with – getting backed down in a corner,” Courson said. “Everybody who knows me says, ‘When you back ErnBob down into a corner, he’s going to come out fighting and swinging.'”
Other winners at the $183,197 rodeo were all-around cowboy Paul Tierney ($2,197, tie-down roping and team roping); bareback riders Cooper Cooke (90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Red Feathers) and Tim O’Connell (90 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail); steer wrestlers Sam Goings, Kodie Jang, Travis Munro, Dirk Tavenner, Tyler Waguespack, and Landris White (3.7 seconds); team ropers Tanner James/Wyatt Cox (4.2 seconds); saddle bronc rider Cole Elshere (88 points on Kirsten Vold Rodeo Company’s Crossbreed’s Captain Hook); tie-down roper Shane Hanchey (8.1 seconds); and barrel racer Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi (17.12 seconds).
Courtesy of PRCA