star-telegram.com: Brett Hoffman

Rodeo Insider: Paradise cowgirl has number to remember

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:44 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

In the world of rodeo, the term "No. 1 back number" has a ring to it.

That's because the contestant who enters the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with the highest regular-season earnings receives the first contestant back number.

Last year, the honor went to Trevor Brazile, who entered the Las Vegas championships with $285,412, almost twice the earnings of second-ranked Josh Peek.

Likewise, the North Texas High School Rodeo Association awards the contestant who has earned the most points from the regular season the first back patch to wear during the finals. And the honor will go to Stevi Roubion for the second consecutive year.

"I wanted to have the No. 1 back number and to be a lot of points over everybody else going into the finals," said Roubion, a senior who is home schooled and is from Paradise. "I also was reaching for 5,000 points. All season, I wanted to go over 5,000."

The association concluded its regular season of 28 rodeos last weekend and Roubion leads the NTHSRA's 2007-2008 girls all-around race over second-ranked Shady Foreman, 5,072 to 3,389. Roubion has clinched the girls all-around title for the second consecutive year and she has the break-away title sewn up.

Roubion also has qualified for the finals, which are scheduled for May 29-31 at Cowtown Coliseum, in goat tying, team roping heading, team roping heeling, ribbon roping and steer undecorating.

"It's been a lot of hard work in the arena with my horse and practicing a lot to come out on top," Roubion said.

Brazile taking control

Trevor Brazile, the defending world all-around champion, finished in the money at three Texas rodeos last weekend and took the lead in the 2008 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association standings.

After earning $8,424 in Bridgeport, Beaumont and Conroe, Brazile surpassed Josh Peek in the world standings. In the standings released Monday, Brazile leads Peek, $75,101 to $72,704.

Peek had an early-season lead mainly because he won a $50,000 bonus after claiming in the tie-down roping title at RodeoHouston in March.

But Brazile rallied by consistently winning an abundance of smaller checks. At the Bridgeport rodeo, for example, Brazile pocketed $3,496 after placing in all three steer roping rounds and winning the title.

Brazile and Peek also are entered in the 35th Windy Ryon Memorial Roping, which is scheduled for May 23-25 in Fort Worth. For more information, visit www.windyryon.com.

Briefly

Mary Burger, the 2006 world barrel racing champion, won the title last weekend at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo after turning in an arena record time of 15.61 seconds, according to the weekly rodeo's public relations department.

The Professional Bull Riders has scheduled Built Ford Tough Series tour stops in San Antonio on Saturday and in Dallas on June 21-22. A PBR Copenhagen Challenger Tour stop is scheduled for May 24 in Decatur. For more information, visit www.pbrnow.com.

RODEO INSIDER: Bob Doty will retire after next month's College National Finals

Tue, 06 May 2008 07:32 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

After 29 years of calling plays from behind the college rodeo chutes, Tarleton State coach Bob Doty is retiring.

Doty won men's and women's National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association titles in 2005 at Tarleton State and the 1986 men's national title at Western Texas College.

But coaching is extremely taxing, especially in the NIRA's tough Southwest Region.

"I just didn't think that I could keep putting in the hours that it takes to have a great all-around rodeo program," said Doty, who will continue teaching agriculture classes at Tarleton. "I just didn't want to quit putting out the full effort, but then retire five years later."

Doty, who has coached 14 seasons at Tarleton State after taking over in 1994, will take a women's team to next month's College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. To qualify, a team must finish first or second in a regional title race after 10 regular-season shows. Tarleton finished second.

Doty, 56, led Western Texas for 15 seasons from 1979 to 1994 and has helped shape the career of many competitors, including 1988 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world all-around champion Dave Appleton, 1997 Professional Bull Riders world champion Michael Gaffney and saddle bronc rider Bradley Harter, who is on pace to qualify for his third National Finals.

Doty said it's rewarding to watch his athletes grow.

"I've seen a lot of students throughout the years struggle with school and their lives and then you see them 10 years later and they're successful with rodeo, their family or they may be out making a difference by coaching Little League," Doty said. "Sometimes, you see them go on the wild side for a while, but then you see them mature."

Sweet 15

As the Professional Bull Riders celebrates its 15th season, the association is offering some seats for $15 during the first weekend of the 2008 World Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1-2.

"This year, we're trying to create value," said PBR chief executive officer Randy Bernard. "If we can create a solid value for our fan, and create a loyal passionate fan that will be with us for many years, then that's what we're going to try to do during this recession."

For more information, call 866-727-7469 or visit www.pbrnow.com.

Top ropers coming

Former world champion tie-down roper Cody Ohl and nine-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Stran Smith are among four world-class calf ropers who are scheduled to compete in the featured matches on May 24 in the Windy Ryon Memorial Roping at the Windy Ryon Arena in north Fort Worth. The 35th edition is scheduled for May 23-25. For more information, visit www.windyryon.com.

Briefly

Defending world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur won the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days all-around title after earning $8,431. Brazile is ranked third in the world all-around standings with $66,680, $6,024 behind leader Josh Peek.

PBR world-title race leader Guilherme Marchi won last weekend's PBR Built Ford Tough Series tour stop ($27,320) in Des Moines, Iowa. He's scheduled to compete in San Antonio on May 17 and in Dallas on June 21-22.

The North Texas High School Rodeo Association is scheduled to conclude its 2007-2008 regular season this weekend.

Mineral Wells' traditional PRCA rodeo is scheduled to run Wednesday through Saturday.

Rodeo Insider: Ranger's Reeves gets double dose of news

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:22 CDT

By Brett Hoffman

Tom Reeves' rodeo career spurred on headlines twice during the past week.

The 2001 world champion saddle bronc rider from Ranger learned that he will be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo. And as a college rodeo coach, he also learned that he would advance another men's team to the College National Finals Rodeo.

Last year, Reeves led Ranger College to the men's collegiate national title, an honor that probably expedited his induction into the hall of fame.

"I thought I might get in the hall someday, but only after I was dead and gone," Reeves said. "It's just unreal."

The other inductees are all-around cowboy Paul Tierney, team roper Bobby Hurley, the late steer roper Shaun Burchett, the late stock contractor Feek Tooke, the late saddle bronc Trails End, contract act performers Leon and Vicki Adams, bull rider/judge Duane Howard and the late rodeo judge Buddy Lytle.

The hall's selection committee also opted to induct 16 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo committees, and the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo was among four Texas shows that will be honored. The others are in San Antonio, Houston and Pecos.

Reeves received the ProRodeo Hall of Fame Mentoring Award in 2007 after leading Ranger to the collegiate men's title in his second season as coach. As a competitor, Reeves qualified for the first 18 NFRs held in Las Vegas (1985-2002). Only Billy Etbauer has more NFR qualifications with 19.

Reeves, 43, retired in 2005 with career earnings of $1,745,962, putting him 20th on the all-time list.

Reeves resurrected Ranger's rodeo program and won the 2007 national men's title.

The top two teams from each region advanced after the 10th regular-season show, which was last weekend's Tarleton State Rodeo. Ranger finished second behind Western Texas in the 2007-2008 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region men's race. Tarleton's women advanced to the nationals by finishing second to Texas Tech.

PBR update

Brazilian Adriano Moraes, 37, a former Keller resident who lives near Tyler, earned $23,740 after sharing the title at the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series tour stop last weekend in Rosemont, Ill. Moraes, a three-time world champion, announced earlier this year that he will retire at the end of the 2008 season. He is scheduled to compete at the Dallas tour stop on Jan. 21-22.

Family tradition

Joel Bach of Millsap won the team roping heading title and earned $5,271 last weekend at the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo. He is ranked 16th in the PRCA world heading title race with $16,385. Bach's father, Allen, has four world team roping titles. The younger Bach is entered in the Mineral Wells' traditional PRCA rodeo Wednesday through Saturday.

Briefly

Two-time National Finals Rodeo saddle bronc riding qualifier Bradley Harter of Weatherford won the Clovis Rodeo with a score of 84 and earned $6,006.

Former NFR qualifier Bud Ford of Everman won the tie-down roping title at the Henderson County PRCA Stampede in Athens with a time of 7.8 seconds and earned $1,102.

Rodeo Insider: A bull stomps on fans and a champ breaks a leg

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:45 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

Rodeos occasionally have incidents that turn out to be bigger stories than the competition.

That was the case at the 87th Red Bluff (Calif.) Round-Up on Sunday, when a bull scaled a fence and injured several spectators, and the defending world champion saddle bronc rider broke his leg in a non-rodeo event.

A bucking bull named Blue Steel jumped over a fence into a box in the stands after workers had attempted to load the animal in the chutes. The animal raced across the box, stepping on spectators.

Six people were treated at a local hospital, but no one was seriously injured.

Witnesses said that no more than 20 or 30 seconds elapsed from the time that the bull leapt over the fence until it was back into the pit thanks to the coaxing of a savvy crew of pick-up men.

The incident startled Levi Rosser of Marysville, Calif., who is from a famous family that provides stock for West Coast rodeos.

"The bull jumped a seven-foot wall without a running start," Rosser told the Record Searchlight of Redding, Calif. "I'm 28 years old, and I have been around the Red Bluff rodeo all my life, and I've never seen anything like it before. It was chaos for a while."

During the same performance, 2007 world champion saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy broke his right leg while participating in a traditional sideshow called "Wild Ride," in which riders dress in a costume and attempt to bust a bronc.

Muncy and Christopher Lappa of Weatherford rode double -- Muncy in the saddle as an American soldier and Lappa on back end as Osama bin Laden.

Lappa didn't last long. Muncy, however, made the qualified ride.

But, as Muncy was dismounting, his right foot hung in a stirrup.

The New Mexico cowboy suffered multiple fractures and could be sidelined three or four months.

"It was a freak deal, but I guess it wasn't too smart to be riding double," Muncy said in a statement released by the PRCA. "But I still would do it again. It could have happened at any rodeo at any time.

"This is my first real serious injury, but it could have been a lot worse. I'm still breathing."

A true cowboy

Former Dallas Cowboys star Russell Maryland is lending his name to a golf tournament to raise money for the Fort Worth-based Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame.

The tournament is Monday at Bear Creek Golf Course in Dallas. For information, call 817-922-9999 or go to www.rmcgtournament.com.

PBR update

In the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series, Zack Brown of Santa Fe, a small town near Houston, earned $37,969 by winning the tour stop last weekend in Billings, Mont.

McKennon Wimberly of Cool in Parker County finished fifth and won $6,195.

Rodeo Insider: From a humble start to cutting big checks

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:10 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

The National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes is a 20-day show that offers competitors $3.2 million.

The 4-year-old open division final Sunday at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum pays $122,000 to the winner and is the second leg of the sport's Triple Crown.

That's a far cry from the association's humble beginnings 62 years ago, when it conducted its first show in Dublin.

Today, the American Quarter Horse Association will issue a historical marker to commemorate the first competition in 1946 at the Colborn Bowl, then a renowned rodeo arena. A ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Rodeo Heritage Museum at 188 W. Blackjack St. in Dublin.

"It will gives us an opportunity to honor the foresight of some of the original founders, and it's great to see how the sport has grown," NCHA executive director Jeff Hooper said.

A newspaper advertisement that touts the first show sheds light on just how far the sport has come. The ad said the inaugural show was "Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1946, 2 days before the Dublin rodeo" and points out that there would be "entrants fees of $10 and $200 added by the NCHA."

By comparison, the added money (the portion of the purse from the organizing committee that's coupled with competitors' entry fees) at the 2008 Super Stakes is $1 million. The entry fee is $2,100.

According to the association's marketing department, the first meeting was conducted at the 1946 Fort Worth Stock Show and the organization was originally called the Southwestern Cutting Horse Association. Organizers soon upgraded to "National" because they believed that the sport could spread across the country.

Today, the association has more than 17,000 members who compete in 2,200 shows annually for more than $44 million, and the majority of the horses are registered by the AQHA. The NCHA's corporate office is in Fort Worth, as are all three jewels of the Triple Crown: the December Futurity, the April Super Stakes and the Summer Spectacular in July and August.

Briefly

Millsap's Kory Pounds, riding Playin N Fancy Smart, advances to the Super Stakes' 4-year-old open division semifinals Saturday after turning in a two-ride score of 443 (221 and 222), the highest aggregate score after two rounds.

In the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Bradley Harter of Weatherford won the saddle bronc title and $7,089 last weekend at the Grand National Rodeo in San Francisco, turning in a final-round 90 aboard Flying Five Rodeo's No. 756.

Tuf Cooper of Decatur won tie-down roping at the Clark County Fair & Rodeo in Logandale, Nev., and pocketed $5,372. He's the son of six-time world tie-down roping champion Roy Cooper.

Speed Williams of De Leon and Allen Bach of Weatherford won team roping at the Oakdale (Calif.) Saddle Club Rodeo, earning $5,712 each.

The 35th annual Windy Ryon Memorial Roping has been scheduled for May 23-25 in Saginaw. For information, visit www.windyryon.com.

Brian Canter turned in a final-round 92.5 Saturday atop Hot Stuff, owned by the D&H Cattle Co., to win the Professional Bull Riders stop in Omaha, Neb. The North Carolina cowboy earned $35, 771.

Cutting edge might be luck of the draw

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:05 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

Not only has superstar rider Matt Gaines guided a pair of cutting horses to today's NCHA Super Stakes 5- and 6-year-old open finals, he also has two "ideal" draws.

After National Cutting Horse Association officials conducted a random draw, Gaines, 39, of Weatherford, was slotted to compete in the fifth and eighth spots out of 13 in the second of bunch of cattle during the finale at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

Those spots are viewed as ideal positioning because the herd is more settled and some of the better cattle have not been worked.

"Obviously there's more cattle to choose from at that point, and it gives you a little more time to learn about the cattle and to see how they act under pressure," Gaines said. "A lot of times, it's easier to find cattle that will give your horse a good challenge when you're [scheduled to work] a little deeper in the bunch."

Had Gaines been scheduled in a No. 1 or No. 2 slot, the cattle might be somewhat unsettled and that would reduce his chances of winning.

"If you are [slotted] too early, those cattle won't get ahold of your horse strongly enough to challenge your horse," Gaines said.

And had he been slotted No. 12 or No. 13, his odds of succeeding would be less because by that time the better cattle already have been worked.

In the No. 5 position, Gaines will ride a veteran horse named Im Countin Checks ($333,863 in NCHA earnings) and he will be aboard Cats Playboy 003 in No. 8. spot.

Gaines, who has almost $4.7 million in NCHA earnings, won the 2003 Super Stakes 5-and 6-year-old open title aboard Nu I Wood and the 2001 4-year-old open crown atop Sunettes Dually.

On the offensive

Twenty years ago, a score in the 90s was a rarity on national pro rodeo circuits. But today, the Professional Bull Riders is one organization that regularly features 90s by matching all-star riders against the toughest bulls around.

Last year, 73 rides were marked in the 90s on the PBR's Built Ford Tough Series. But after Luke Snyder was scored in the 90s three times last weekend en route to winning the title at a midseason tour stop in Nampa, Idaho, the total number of scores in the 90s in 2008 reached 82.

PBR chief executive officer Randy Bernard said he's elated about the dramatic increase because that's what fans really want to see.

"I love to see great offenses, and every time you see a cowboy ride a bull for 90 points, you're watching a home run," Bernard said.

With all that in mind, it's highly probable that fans will see cowboys reach the 90s when the tour stops at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 21-22.

Consistent cowboy

In the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Evan Jayne, a native of France who lives near Huntsville, won the bareback riding title with a score of 87 as the Mesquite Championship Rodeo opened its 51st season last weekend. Jayne also won the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo bareback title in February.

Veteran rider steps aside while on the mend

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:07 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

When the National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes begins its 20-day run this morning, one of the sport's successful longtime riders will be missing in action.

Pat Earnheart, 60, who lives in Hernando, Miss., is sidelined from competition at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum while he recovers from a heart procedure. Doctors recently repaired a hole in the back of his heart, and he is handing the reins to his 22-year-old daughter, Kelle, and Austin Shepard, who won the NCHA Futurity open title in December.

Earnheart raised Kelle on the cutting horse circuit and the family recently learned that she will be inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame in December.

"When she shows, I get really nervous, but I don't know why because I don't get that nervous when I show," Earnheart said.

Earnheart said he also has lots of confidence in Shepard, but he will keep a close watch.

"I always like to be here and I always want to be involved," he said.

Mission accomplished

It took in the neighborhood of $48,000 to earn a barrel racing berth in last year's Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and most of the cowgirls had to compete in 50 to 70 rodeos to rustle up enough cash to qualify for the Las Vegas championships.

For Lindsay Sears, who lives in Ropesville, the road just got a lot easier after earning $61,500 at the Houston stock show March 22. That one payday all but clinched her a spot in the NFR.

"It's a very hard road to the NFR and knowing that I've got it made in March is a big relief," said Sears, 27, a two-time National Finals qualifier.

The $61,500 was the largest paycheck ever awarded at a regular-season show that counts toward qualifying for the NFR. It surpassed the previous record of $60,000 earned by 2007 Houston champion barrel racer Codi Baucom.

The victory will also allow Sears to rest her prized mare Martha.

"My goal is to look after my horse, to be selective where I go and keep her healthy," Sears said.

Changes at Mesquite

The Mesquite Championship Rodeo begins its 51st season Friday and the world's most famous weekly rodeo will undergo significant changes.

The rodeo has traditionally had a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association show for its entire six-month season. However, this year PRCA shows are scheduled only through June 7. After that, organizers will feature an open rodeo, meaning professionals and amateurs can enter. And from June 13 through Sept. 27, the bull riding event will be approved by the Professional Bull Riders.

Call 972-285-8777 or visit mesquiterodeo.com.

Briefly

Chicken on a Chain, the PBR's world champion bull, is in the lineup at the PBR Spring Spectacular Copenhagen Challenger Tour show scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Stephenville. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Lone Star Arena. For information, call 254-965-4929.

Former NFR qualifier Bradley Harter of Weatherford earned $5,145 by winning the saddle bronc riding in Laughlin, Nev., and he ranks seventh in the world-title race with $23,772.

RODEO INSIDER: Area cowboys cash in on big-money weekend

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:41 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's largest shows last weekend were in Houston and Pocatello, Idaho, and three Fort Worth area competitors made their way to the winner's circle.

Chad Masters, who has residences in Stephenville and Clarksville, Tenn., earned $33,075 after he and partner Jade Corkhill won the team roping at RodeoHouston. In Pocatello, Chris Harris of Itasca pocketed $10,433 for winning the bareback riding title, and Decatur's K.C. Jones earned $11,871 for winning the steer wrestling crown at the Dodge National Circuit Finals.

Masters won Houston's heading title after he and Corkhill, of Fallon, Nev., topped the final-round field with a time of 4.3 seconds Saturday at Reliant Stadium.

Masters said he and Corkhill knew what they had to do.

"I knew that we had to beat a 5.3," Masters said, referring to the time that was posted by second-place finishers Travis Tryan and Michael Jones. "The steer that we drew was really good, and we just had a great start."

Masters and Corkhill each earned $27,500 for winning the final, plus $5,575 from the preliminary rounds.

The victory also vaulted Masters to the top of the PRCA team roping standings with $39,956.

Last year, Masters clinched the world heading title after earning $183,102 for the year, including $73,245 at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.

At the Houston Rodeo, the champions in the individual events received $50,000 for winning the final round. Lindsay Sears, a former National Finals qualifier from Canada, who lives in the West Texas town of Ropesville, won the barrel racing title and she finished the 19-day rodeo with $61,150, the highest earnings of any competitor.

Other attention grabbers in Houston were five-time world champion Billy Etbauer, who won the saddle bronc riding at age 45 and earned $55,000, and 2006 PRCA champion B.J. Schumacher, who won his second consecutive Houston bull riding title and pocketed $55,000.

RodeoHouston's purse was a PRCA regular-season record $1.3 million.

In Pocatello, Harris clinched the bareback riding title with a final-round score of 87 Saturday aboard Street Dance, owned by Kesler Rodeos, according to the PRCA.

"I was just put here to ride bucking horses," Harris said. "You can tell by the way that I ride."

In the steer wrestling finals, Jones clinched the title with a time of 4.3. Jones received a last-minute opportunity to enter the Pocatello rodeo after Matt Reeves of Pampa opted not to compete.

Generally speaking, the Pocatello rodeo catered to the sport's weekend warriors who compete mainly at the regional level. To qualify, a competitor had to win the regional circuit's annual championship or win the circuit's regional finals. On the Texas Circuit, that meant the top money winner in 2007 in each event advanced as well as the winner of the average at the Texas Circuit Finals in Waco in January.

However, the Pocatello rodeo has always been a mix of well-known, full-time athletes and part-time competitors. Harris is one of the full-timers who made enough money on the Texas Circuit to not only qualify for the National Circuit Finals, but the NFR in Las Vegas where he finished fifth.

Cutters on the way

The National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes is scheduled for April 1-20 at Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum. The show's 4-year-old open division finals on April 20 is the second leg of the sport's Triple Crown Series. For information, call 817-244-6188 or visit www.nchacutting.com.

A homecoming

It's been 10 years since Ty Murray clinched a record seventh world all-around title; now a key adviser for the Professional Bull Riders.

PRCA turns its spotlight on weekend warriors

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:39 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will cater to its weekend warriors this weekend in Pocatello, Idaho.

The Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, and the championships will feature competitors from 12 geographic regions in the United States, including the Texas Circuit, which is traditionally a big player at the national event.

In order to qualify for the Pocatello rodeo, a competitor must finish as the year-end champion on one of the 12 circuits or win a regional circuit finals.

On the Texas Circuit, the top money winners in 2007 in each event advanced as well as the average winner at the Texas Circuit Finals in Waco in early January.

But one interesting fact about the Pocatello rodeo is its field is a mix of prominent, full-time athletes and part-time competitors. Bareback rider Chris Harris from Itasca is one of those full-timers headed for Pocatello. Harris made enough money at numerous Texas rodeos last year to qualify for the sport's signature event - the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. But that Texas Circuit money also enabled him to advance to the National Circuit Finals.

At the other ends of the spectrum, tie-down calf roper Bud Ford of Everman is a talented part-time competitor who advanced to the Pocatello championships by winning the average at the Texas Circuit Finals after posting the fastest aggregate time on three runs in Waco. When he's not roping and tying up calves, Ford markets auto parts.

And Ford hasn't slowed down since Waco. He won the final round of tie-down roping at RodeoAustin with a time of 9.6 seconds as the traditional stock show rodeo concluded Saturday. The blistering time helped Ford tie for fifth in the average with 2007 National Finals qualifier Clint Cooper of Decatur.

Mesquite changes up

The weekly Mesquite Championship Rodeo is breaking from its tradition of featuring only PRCA shows during its six-month season, which runs from April through September.

This year, PRCA shows are only scheduled for the first 10 weekends (April 4-June 7) at Resistol Arena. During the remaining 15 weekends (June 13-Sept. 27), organizers will shift to an open rodeo, featuring both amateurs and pros. However, the bull riding segment of each rodeo performance will be sanctioned by the Professional Bull Riders.

Briefly

Former world champion Cody Ohl of Hico will advance to the semifinal round in tie-down roping at RodeoHouston. The semifinal round is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday at Reliant Stadium. The finals are Saturday and the winner in each event (except team roping) receives $50,000.

Travis Tryan, a Billings, Mont., cowboy who also lives in Chico, earned $88,000 after he and his heeling partner, Michael Jones of Stephenville, won the George Strait Team Roping Classic on Saturday in San Antonio, the Billings Gazette reported. Tryan, a heading specialist who qualified for the National Finals Rodeo last year, pocketed an additional $35,225 after he and another partner, Kory Koontz of Sudan, finished second overall.

On the PBR's top-tier circuit, Guilherme Marchi leads the world title race after winning the March 14 tour stop in Portland, Ore., where the Brazilian earned $40,320. It was the second consecutive victory on the Built Ford Tough Series for Marchi, who won in Kansas City, Mo., on March 9.

Dave Samsel of Haslet, a 2007 National Finals qualifier, won the bull riding title at RodeoAustin.

Chad Castillo of Lipan, who won the Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge on March 8 in Fort Worth, also leads the Championship Bull Riding 2008 title race.

Houston rodeo attracts a different crowd

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:40 CDT

By BRETT HOFFMAN

The only thing about Hannah Montana that conjures up thoughts about western life is the latter part of Miley Cyrus' stage name.

Montana is known as a cowboy state that offers an abundance of rodeos.

But other than that, Hannah Montana is the latest teenage rock star who appeals to millions of teenagers, and the majority of them probably come with no agricultural background.

But when Hannah Montana performed at the 76th annual Houston rodeo on Sunday, her concert set an attendance record by packing in 73,459 at Reliant Stadium. That surpassed the old record of 73,291 when Hannah Montana and the Cheetah Girls performed in Houston in '07.

The concert was conducted in conjunction with a rodeo performance that was part of Houston's annual $1.3 million Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association show. RodeoHouston began March 3 and is scheduled to run through March 22.

On the surface, it would appear that bringing in a non-country star such as Hannah Montana would be out-of-the-box for a high-profile rodeo. But Houston has been doing this for a long time, said chief operating officer Leroy Shafer, who has worked for the rodeo for 35 years.

"What we historically do is appeal to the masses," Shafer said. "In my first two years of working here, we had entertainers such as Sonny and Cher, Doc Severinsen, the Jackson Five, the Osmonds and the Fifth Dimension."

For a dyed-in-the-leather rodeo fan, that might be going overboard. But one of the Houston organizing committee's main missions is to appeal to the masses with no rodeo background by hiring a big-time star who can rope them in.

Sunday's performance began with an invitational PRCA rodeo that featured some of the sport's elite who turned in blistering times and tamed some very rank bucking stock. The field included seven time world tie-down roping champion Fred Whitfield, three-time world all-around champion Joe Beaver and former National Finals Rodeo barrel racing qualifier Lindsay Sears.

What's great about the Houston rodeo is organizers have found a clever method of placing the sport's elite before thousands.

"There were a record number of young people out there to see the Hannah Montana-Miley Cyrus tour and so many of them were seeing a rodeo for the first time," Shafer said. "These kids came out for a show, and they saw a lot of rodeo. In fact, they saw a tremendous rodeo."

Briefly

Brazilian Guilherme Marchi earned $26,963 after winning the Professional Bull Riders tour Built Ford Tough Series tour stop last weekend in Kansas City. Marchi also leads the world title race.

Defending world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur earned $41000, after finishing second in the Wrangler Timed Event Championship in Guthrie, Okla. Daniel Green of Oakdale, Calif., won the title and pocketed $57,000.

Chad Eubank of Cleburne finished fourth overall in the Jägermeister Toughest Cowboy, a show that featured matches in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. Wyoming cowboy Shane Proctor won the title and received a small ranch property in Pueblo, Colo.

On the Championship Bull Riding circuit, Chad Castillo of Lipan earned $15,600 after winning the Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge in Fort Worth.