Chad Rutherford Eyes Top 15 After Kitsap Stampede Victory
There are moments in life when you hit all green lights going to work, the coffee temperature is just right and the pizza in the break room tastes more like gourmet than a hockey puck.
Chad Rutherford experienced this type of synchronicity on Friday night at the Kitsap Stampede in Bremerton, Wash. He drew Fired Up, stock from Big Stone Rodeo Inc. It was a perfect fit as Rutherford scored an 88 to capture the title, while moving into the Top 15 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with a month remaining in the season.
“It was everything we needed. To get back to the NFR, it’s one of those deals you crave all year round,” said Rutherford, who qualified for the NFR in 2020, his lone appearance. “We are just keeping our blinders on and not looking at the numbers, and just staying focused.”
Fired Up provided easy clarity for Rutherford. A former football lineman, Rutherford boasts an aggressive style.
“It was a nice young horse. He had really good jumps right out of the chute. And he was the type of horse that liked to be spurred,” Rutherford said. “It was perfect for me.”
For Rutherford, this season features a new strategy and purpose. He has been traveling with his wife Katie and their two sons James, 4, and Ty, 1, since July 4. It has created happiness and peace as Rutherford pursues his goal across highways leading to far away arenas.
“We’ve made this season all about faith. Whatever God wants to happen, we are okay with it. And on the road, we are blazing a trail as far as rodeo fathers. I hope others see me taking my family out here,” said the 30-year-old Rutherford. “The worst part was being gone and putting the whole load on my wife. I was just tired of doing that. It’s about being with them and being a better father.”
As for his growth as a rider, Rutherford’s background in football plays a role, shaping his mentality. He played offensive and defensive line in high school – “I was short and stocky. Instead of growing up, I grew out. So, I had to find a new sport,” he said with a laugh – and he brings that bareknuckle style to the bucking chutes.
“I changed my workout plans to tone up and tighten up and I found something I was meant to do,” said Rutherford, who started rodeoing at age 19. “It’s all about the fight for me. My riding is aggressive. It’s what I loved about football, trying to beat the guy across from me all game. Now it’s just a shorter fight, eight seconds, against someone far bigger than anyone I faced on the football field. I love it.”
Other winners at the $165,989 rodeo were all-around cowboy Stetson Wright ($1,268, saddle bronc riding and bull riding); steer wrestler Stetson Jorgensen (3.9 seconds); team ropers Dustin Egusquiza/Travis Graves (3.9 seconds); saddle bronc rider Logan Hay (87.5 points on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Second Thoughts); tie-down roper Shad Mayfield (7.4 seconds); barrel racer Michelle Alley (17.08 seconds); and bull rider Jesse Flores (87.5 points on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Cherry Bomb).
Courtesy of PRCA