Payne Wrestles Gooding Title

By: Ted Harbin

GOODING, Idaho – With six weeks left in ProRodeo’s regular season, Don Payne hoped some magic would happen once he reached the Northwest portion of the campaign.

He may have received it on the final night of the Gooding Pro Rodeo after wrestling his steer to the ground in 3.6 seconds to share the bulldogging title with Idahoan Dirk Tavenner, who made his run two nights before.

“I need to keep on winning every time I get a chance,” said Payne, 29, of Stephenville, Texas.

Yes, he does. Heading into this weekend, he was 13^th in the world standings with $71,458 in earnings. By splitting the victory at the “Beer Worthy” rodeo, he added $3,760 to his pocketbook and gave himself a better chance to advance to the National Finals Rodeo for the first time in his eight-year career. Only the to 15 on the money list at the end of the regular season advance to the NFR, so he needs things to continue to happen.

“Being in that spot doesn’t bother me much,” he said. “I have a goal ever week of how much I want to make … I’d like to get to the next $10,000 mark. I keep aiming for the next number. I know if I get $90,000 won, that should be enough (to make the NFR).”

He is having the best season of his career by far. His previous best came in 2021, when he earned $38,000 and finished 31^st; a year ago, he was 42^nd.

He had moved his way up the standings this season, thanks in part to riding a horse owned by fellow bulldogger Denard Butler, who was injured two weeks ago. With that change, he opted to get his own horse and utilize his brother on the hazing side of each run. That paid off in Gooding.

“I’ve ridden my horse the past two or three years, and I was just doing good on Denard’s horse, so I went with him this summer,” Payne said. “After he got injured, I knew I had to bring mine up and finish off the year.

“My brother came up; he usually rodeos with me, but this year he was staying home. Now that we’ve got our horses up here, he knows my haze horse, so it’s back to doing what we used to do.”

He took his bulldogging old school Saturday night, and he got to experience the best that Gooding has to offer.

“It’s always a tough competition, and I’m just glad to do well here,” Payne said. “After you throw your steer down and the crowd’s cheering, it feels great.”

And the most noteworthy section rewarded him with some cold suds to quench his thirst.

“That was great, too,” he said. “I just heard about that a couple weeks ago, and I was hoping I’d get to try it.”

That’s what happens when a cowboy is “Beer Worthy” in Gooding.

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Gooding Pro Rodeo
Aug. 16-19
All-around cowboy: Paden Bray, $1,891 in team roping and tie-down roping.

Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Jess Pope, on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Red Beard, and Ty Pope, on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Cowtown, 87 points, $4,857 each; 3. Kade Berry, 86, $3,116; 4. Andy Gingerich, 85.5, $2,016; 5. Dean Thompson, 85, $1,283; 6. Mason Clements, 84.5, $916; 7. (tie) Leighton Berry, Kade Sonnier, Keenan Hayes and Taylor Broussard, 84, $321 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Don Payne and Dirk Tavenner, 3.6 seconds, $3,760 each; 3. (tie) Stephen Culling and Walt Arnold, 3.7, $2,820 each; 5. Tristan Martin, 3.8, $2,115; 6. (tie) Levi Rudd and Baxtor Roache, 3.9. $1,763 each; 8. (tie) David Chambers and Stan Branco, 4.0, $1,283 each; 10. Kyle Irwin, 4.1, $940; 11. (tie) Justin Kimsey and Billy Boldon, 4.2, $588 each.

Team roping: 1. Jake Clay/Kollin VonAhn, 3.8 seconds, $4,097; 2. (tie) Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins and Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 4.2, $3,624 each; 4. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler and Pace Freed/Cole Wilson, 4.3, $2,836 each; 7. Nelson Wyatt/Chase Tryan, 4.4, $2,206; 8. Brenten Hall/Paden Bray, 4.5, $1,891; 9. Wyatt Bray/Josh Patton, 4.8, $1,733; 10. Coy Rahlmann/Jonathan Torres, 5.7, $1,576; 11. Cole Garland/Dillon Bahem, 6.4, $1,261; 12. Chaz Kananen/Britt Newman, 9.5, $1,103; 13. Billy Bob Brown/Kirby Blankenship, 9.7, $945; 14. Brayden Schmidt/Chris Young, 10.2, $630; 15. Kellan Johnson/Carson Jonson, 10.4, $315.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Ross Griffin, 85 points on King Rodeo & Wentz Bucking Bulls’ Blood Tracks, $4,753; 2. (tie) Stetson Wright and Wade Sundell, 84.5, $3,835 each; 4. Cash Wilson, 83, $2,109; 5. (tie) K’s Thomson and Ira Dickinson, 82.5, $1,151; 7. Dawson Dahm, 82, $767; 8. Kole Ashbacher, 81.5, $575.

Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Addy Hill and Braylee Shepherd, 1.9 seconds, $5,478 each; 3. Josey Murphy, 2.2, $3,956; 4. (tie) Bradi Good and Hali Williams, 2.3, $2,739 each; 6. (tie) Jill Tanner, Rickie Engesser and Shelli Scrivner, 2.4, $1,572; 9. (tie) Aspen Miller, Codi McPherson, Hanna Hundsdorfer, Alex Loiselle and Jordan Joe Hollabaugh, 2.5, $913 each; 14. J.J. Hampton, 2.6, $456; 15. Kassidy Dennison, 2.7, $304.

Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Shane Hanchey and Cash Hooper, 7.9 seconds, $5,132 each; 3. Cody Craig, 8.2; 4. (tie) Luke Potter and Caleb Smidt, 8.3, $3,483 each; 6. Tuf Case, 8.4, $2,933; 7. (tie) Quade Hiatt and Dylan Hancock, 8.6, $2,383 each; 9. Zack Jongbloed, 8.8, $1,833; 10. Garrett Jacobs, 8.9, $1,466; 11. Jake Pratt, 9.0, $1,283; 12. Ryan Jarrett, 9.1, $1,100; 13. Lane Livingston, 8.3, $733; 14. (tie) Rylee Rogers, Matt Shiozawa and Drake Wycherley, 9.5, $306 each.

Barrel racing: 1. Dona Kay Rule, 16.76, $5,195; 2. Ashley Castleberry, 16.79, $4,156; 3. Sue Smith, 16.84, $3,377; 4. Nicole Driggers, 16.87, $2,598; 5. LaTricia Duke, 16.88, $2,078; 6. Toria Madsen, 16.94, $1,559; 7. Katie Joe Halbert, 16.95, $1,299; 8. Meka Farr, 16.98, $1,169; 9. Jennifer Kalafatic, 16.99, $1,039; 10. (tie) Sara Winkelman and Molly Otto, 17.02, $844 each; 12. Shelly Hrubochak, 17.06, $649; 13. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.07, $520; 14. (tie) Tarryn Lee and Abby Phillips, 17.10, $324 each.

Bull riding: 1, Jeff Askey, 88,5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Burnt Oil, $5,945; 2. Canyon Bass, 85.5, $4,558; 3. Robbie Taylor, 85, $3,369; 4. (tie) Ethan Skogquist and JaCauy Hale, 83.5, $1,784 each; 6. Cullen Telfer, 83, $991; 7. Roscoe Jarboe, 82.5, $793; 8. Ky Hamilton, 78.5, $595.

Courtesy of twisTEDrodeo.com