Two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) steer wrestler Gabe LeDoux of Kaplan, La., and former world champion Dean Gorsuch of Gering, Neb., traded a pair of three-second runs on Friday in slack and the performance to take a commanding lead in the average at Reno with times of 7.8 and 7.9 seconds on two, respectively.
Gorsuch, who won the world in 2006, is hoping this year to avenge his oh-so-close finish at the 2008 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year, while LeDoux is fired up to get back to Las Vegas following his agonizing 16th-place finish in 2009. The two were just outside the top 15 in the world standings prior to the Reno Rodeo.
In the saddle bronc riding, most of the glory went to Flying Five Rodeo and Big Bend Rodeo, who brought some of the world’s best broncs to the Friday-night crowd in Reno. Six outstanding bronc riders, including eight-time Canadian champion Rod Hay and world champion Chad Ferley, hit the dirt hard before announcers Bob Tallman and Wayne Brooks fired up the crowd for defending NFR average champion Shaun Stroh.
Jeff Willert, who was bucked off, described the spectacle as “just good broncs having a good night.”
“I don’t know if we weren’t ready for them or what, but they were as bad as the [NFR] eliminators,” he said. “They’re good bucking horses. They’re going to get even better and you’re going to see them a lot.”
Stroh, a 37-year-old father of five from Dickinson, N.D., became the only cowboy to make the whistle, spurring Flying Five’s Hit Man for 81 points and all the day money.
“Once it starts like that with guys bucking off, it can go like that for the whole perf,” Stroh said. “I just kind of blocked it all out and tried to ride like I always do.”
Bareback riders enjoyed the opposite fate, with none being bucked off Friday night, including Canadian Dusty LaValley, who came out on top with an 83-point ride on Flying Five’s Wind Chimes.
Texas team ropers Justin Parish and Trey Johnson went to the lead in their event with two runs Friday totaling 12.2 seconds, while tie-down roper Jerrad Hofstetter of New Mexico took a commanding lead in the second round (8.4 seconds) and average (18.7 on two).
Barrel racing fans Friday night witnessed what could hold up as the fastest run of the entire week – a 16.95-second run posted by NFR barrel racer Brenda Mays of Oregon. But 2008 world champion Lindsay Sears’ pair of runs – a 17.36 and 17.20 – put her in the driver’s seat to win the average in Reno for the second straight year. Meanwhile, newcomer Jolene Stewart, a trainer from Oklahoma, won the first round with a 17.14.
Former world champion bull rider Wesley Silcox made a spectacular 90-point ride on a Flying Five bull to go to the lead in the long round. The last time he won Reno was the same year he won the world – 2007.
Friday marked Tough Enough to Wear Pink night, and a ceremony was held honoring the $57,000 that the Reno Rodeo donated to northern Nevada’s “Moms on the Run” program to help mothers battle breast cancer.
All contestants in Reno except the bull riders compete in two long rounds, with the top 12 coming back for the June 26 short round. The 10-day rodeo boasts 700 contestants and roughly 135,000 fans, and is a Gold stop on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots.
The rodeo is accompanied this week by the World’s Greatest Roper contest on Sunday, the Bob Feist Invitational on Monday and the Reno Rodeo Invitational on Tuesday. A carnival, parade, concerts at local venues and other events add to the excitement in the “Biggest Little City in the World.”
The second performance begins at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $12 to $25 and are available at www.renorodeo.com or by calling 800-225-2277. For more information, please call 775-329-3877.
Following are results from the first performance of the Reno Rodeo:
Bareback Riding: 1, Dusty LaValley, Bezanson, Alberta, 83 points on Flying Five Rodeo’s Wind Chimes. 2, Eric Swenson, Denison, Texas, 81. 3/4 (tie), Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, and Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 78 points each. 5, Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., 76. 6, Chase Erickson, Almo, Idaho, 75.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Gabe LeDoux, Kaplan, La., 3.7 seconds. 2, Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 4.0. 3, Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 4.3. 4, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 4.5. 5, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 4.9. 6, Chad Biesemeyer, Osceola, Mo., 5.1.
Team Roping: 1, Justin Parish, Mineral Wells, Texas, and Trey Johnson, Midland, Texas, 5.9 seconds. 2, Jack Fischer, Ellensburg, Wash., and Brian Reece, Buckley, Wash., 6.1. 3, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., and Cody Doescher, Oklahoma City, Okla., 7.1. 4, Ty Blasingame, Ramah, Colo., and Cody Hintz, Spring Creek, Nev., 11.5. 5, Caleb Mitchell, Pollok, Texas, and Casey Chamberlain, Colorado City, Texas, 11.6.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (First Round): 1, Shaun Stroh, Dickinson, N.D., 81 points on Flying Five Rodeo’s Hit Man (one qualified ride).
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 8.4 seconds. 2, Austin Adams, Logandale, Nev., 10.3. 3, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 10.8. 4, Jack Vanderlands, Temecula, Calif., 12.4. 5, Seth Hopper, Stanfield, Ore., 16.1. 6, Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas, 21.2.
Barrel Racing: 1, Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 16.95 seconds. 2, Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.20. 3, Kelli Tolbert, Beaumont, Calif., 17.22. 4, Brittany Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 17.34. 5, Tracee Young, Delta, Utah, 17.46. 6, Holly Sue Richins, Riverside, Utah, 17.51.
Bull Riding : 1, Wesley Silcox, Santaquin, Utah, 90 points on Flying Five Rodeo’s #689. 2, Corey Navarre, Weatherford, Okla., 80. 3, Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, 67 with the option for a reride on Saturday.
The following are leaders in each event at the Reno Rodeo as of June 18, 2010:
Bareback Riding (First Round): 1, Dusty LaValley, Bezanson, Alberta, 83 points on Flying Five Rodeo’s Wind Chimes. 2, Eric Swenson, Denison, Texas, 81. 3/4 (tie), Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, and Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 78 points each. 5, Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., 76. 6, Chase Erickson, Almo, Idaho, 75.
Steer Wrestling: (First Round): 1, Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 3.9. 2, Gabe LeDoux, Kaplan, La., 4.1. 3, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 4.9. 4, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 5.1. 5, Trevor Knowles, Mount Vernon, Ore., 6.0. 6, Cody Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 7.0. (Second Round): 1, Gabe LeDoux, Kaplan, La., 3.7 seconds. 2, Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 4.0. 3, Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 4.3. 4, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 4.5. 5, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 4.9. 6, Chad Biesemeyer, Osceola, Mo., 5.1. (Average): 1, Gabe LeDoux, Kaplan, La., 7.8 seconds on two head. 2, Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 7.9. 3, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 9.6. 4, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 9.8. 5, Trevor Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 15.6. 6, Chad Biesemeyer, Osceola, Mo., 22.1
Team Roping: (First Round): 1, Colby Siddoway, Hooper, Utah, and Matt Zancanella, Aurora, S.D., 5.3. 2, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., and Cody Doescher, Oklahoma City, Okla., 5.7. 3, Caleb Mitchell, Pollok, Texas, and Casey Chamberlain, Colorado City, Texas, 5.8. 4, Justin Parish, Mineral Wells, Texas, and Trey Johnson, Midland, Texas, 6.3. 5, Tom Richards, Humboldt, Ariz., and Tyler Getzwiller, Scottsdale, Ariz., 7.1. 6, Jack Fischer, Ellensburg, Wash., and Brian Reece, Buckley, Wash., 7.5. (Second Round): 1, Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Randon Adams, Logandale, Nev., 5.3. 2, Matt Funk, Hermiston, Ore., and Bucky Campbell, Benton City, Wash., 5.4. 3, Justin Parish, Mineral Wells, Texas, and Trey Johnson, Midland, Texas, 5.9. 4, Jack Fischer, Ellensburg, Wash., and Brian Reece, Buckley, Wash., 6.1. 5, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., and Cody Doescher, Oklahoma City, Okla., 7.1. 6, Ty Blasingame, Ramah, Colo., and Cody Hintz, Spring Creek, Nev., 11.5. (Average): 1, Justin Parish, Mineral Wells, Texas, and Trey Johnson, Midland, Texas, 12.2 seconds on two head. 2, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., and Cody Doescher, Oklahoma City, Okla., 12.8. 3, Jack Fischer, Ellensburg, Wash., and Brian Reece, Buckley, Wash., 13.6. 4, Caleb Mitchell, Pollok, Texas, and Casey Chamberlain, Colorado City, Texas, 17.4. 5, Ty Blasingame, Ramah, Colo., and Cody Hintz, Spring Creek, Nev., 20.9.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (First Round): 1, Shaun Stroh, Dickinson, N.D., 81 points on Flying Five Rodeo’s Hit Man (only one qualified ride).
Tie-Down Roping (First Round): 1/2/3, Seth Hopper, Stanfield, Ore., Jack Vanderlans, Temecula, Calif., and Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas, 9.4 seconds each. 4, Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 10.3. 5, Austin Adams, Logandale, Nev., 10.8. 6, Stran Smith, Childress, Texas, 12.9. (Second Round): 1, Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 8.4 seconds. 2, Jay Adams, Logandale, Nev., 9.1. 3, Jason Vohs, Las Vegas, Nev., 10.1. 4, Austin Adams, Logandale, Nev., 10.3. 5, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 10.8. 6, Jack Vanderlands, Temecula, Calif., 12.4. (tie) (Average): 1, Jerrad Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 18.7 seconds on two. 2, Austin Adams, Logandale, Nev., 21.1. 3, Jack Vanderlans, Temecula, Calif., 21.8. 4, Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 24.3. 5, Seth Hopper, Stanfield, Ore., 25.5. 6, Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas, 30.6.
Barrel Racing: (First Round): 1, Jolene Stewart, Springer, Okla., 17.14 seconds, $3,082. 2, Sherrylynn Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 17.18, $2,642. 3, Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas, 17.26, $2,201. 4/5 (tie), Carmen Creekbaum, Carson City, Nev., and Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.36 seconds each, $1,688 each. 6/7/8, (tie) Timi Lickley, Jerome, Idaho; Nellie Williams, Cottonwood, Calif.; and Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 17.38 seconds each, $881 each. 9, Danyelle Campbell, Beaumont, Calif., 17.41, $440. 10, Jessi Eagleberger, Stringtown, Okla., 17.45, $294. (Second Round): 1, Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 16.95 seconds. 2, Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 17.20. 3, Kelli Tolbert, Beaumont, Calif., 17.22. 4, Brittany Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 17.34. 5, Tracee Young, Delta, Utah, 17.46. (Average): 1, Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta, 34.56 seconds on two runs. 2, Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore.,34.69. 3, Brittany Hofstetter, Portales, N.M., 34.88. 4, Sherrylynn Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 34.89. 5, Kelli Tolbert, Beaumont, Calif., 34.91. 6, Tracee Young, Delta, Utah, 35.02.
Bull Riding (First Round): 1, Wesley Silcox, Santaquin, Utah, 90 points on Flying Five Rodeo’s #689. 2, Corey Navarre, Weatherford, Okla., 80. 3, Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, 67 with the option for a reride on Saturday.