| Bareback rider Tilden Hooper had the high-marked ride of the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo on Sept. 6. With the 85-point effort on Calgary Stampede’s Muffled Cries, the Texas cowboy advanced to the Ellensburg finals on Sept. 7. |
Qualifiers for Monday’s Ellensburg Rodeo finals
Bareback riding: Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, Calgary Stampede’s Coconut Roll; Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., Flying Five Rodeo’s Rio’s Edge; James Sursa, Bluebell, Bluebell, Utah; Flying Five Rodeo’s Faded Dice; Kaycee Feild, Elk Ridge, Utah, Flying Five Rodeo’s No. 801; Justin McDaniel, Porum, Okla., Calgary Stampeded’s Mad Money; Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., Calgary Stampede’s Grated Coconut; Josi Young, Kimberly, Idaho, Calgary Stampede’s Majestic Rocket; Joe Gunderson, Agar, S.D., Calgary Stampede’s Gorgeous Connie; Zac Compton, Hermiston, Ore., Flying Five Rodeo’s No. 708; Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., Calgary Stampede’s Knight Rocket; Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas, Plow Bottom; Matt Bright, Azle Texas, Flying Five Rodeo’s Cajun Queen.
Steer wrestling – Buster Barton, Kyle Hughes, Dean Gorsuch, Blake Knowles, Shawn Greenfield, Daryl Joe Elliott, Clayton Morrison, Joey Bell Jr., Ronnie Fields, Cody Cassidy, Lee Graves and Luke Branquinho.
Team roping – Tyler Smith Lewiston, Idaho/Andy Carlson Stanfield, Ore.; Keven Daniel Franklin, Tenn./Kory Koontz Sudan, Texas/Colby Siddoway Hooper, Utah; Matt Zancanella, Aurora, S.D./Turtle Powell Stephenville, Texas; Travis Graves Jay, Okla./Kelsey Parchman Cumberland City, Tenn./J.W. Borrego Pueblo West, Colo.; Steve Purcella Hereford, Texas/Jhett Johnson Casper, Wyo.; Joel Bach Millsap, Texas/Allen Bach Weatherford, Texas; Jason Minor, Ellensburg, Wash/Taylor White Prosser, Wash; Jake Stanley Hermiston, Ore./Justin Davis Cottonwood, Calif.; Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Cesar de la Cruz Tucson, Ariz; Charly Crawford Prineville, Ore./Russell Cardoza Farmington, Calif.; Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo./Ryan Motes Weatherford, Texas.
Saddle bronc riding – Justin Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif., Flying Five Rodeo’s Classic Toddy; Frank McKay, Ontario, Ore., Flying Five Rodeo’s Sundance; Chad Ferley, Oelrichs, S.D., Flying Diamond’s Handsome; Cody Taton, Newell, S.D., Flying Diamond’s Fu Man Chu; Sam Spreadborough Snyder, Texas, Calgary Stampede’s, Calgary Stampede’s Fearless Warrior; Rod Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, Flying Five Rodeo’s Spring Planting; Louie Brunson, Interior, S.D. Calgary Stampede’s Knife Money; Ryan MacKenzie, Jordan Valley, Ore., Calgary Stampede’s Lynx Mountain; Cody Wright, Milford, Utah, Flying Five Rodeo’s Little Iron; Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, Mont., Flying Five Rodeo’s, Kool Toddy; Shaun Stroh, Dickinson, N.D., Calgary Stampede’s Lacquer Whiskey; Dustin Flundra, Pincher Creek, Alberta, Flying Five Rodeo’s Spring Blues.
Tie-down roping – Justin Maass, Trevor Brazile, Kody Curry, Hunter Herrin, Ryan Watkins, Landon McClaugherty, Shank Edwards, Ryan Jarrett, Cimarron Boardman, Murray Pole, Clint Robinson, Blair Burk.
Barrel racing – Layna Kight, Willspoint, Texas; Benette Barrington Lubbock, Texas; Jordon Peterson, Chilton, Texas; Andrea Bruch, Brock, Texas; Deb Renger, Okotoks, Alberta; Brittany Pharr, Victoria, Texas; Kathy Grimes, Evans, Wash.; Rachael Myllymaki, Arlee, Mont.; Sue Smith, Blackfoot, Idaho; Kelli Tolbert, Hinckley, Utah; Natalie Deking, Burlbank, Wash.; Sheena Robbins, Fresno, Calif.
Bull riding: Cody Whitney, Asher, Okla., Calgary Stampede’s Before Dark; Colin McTaggart, Las Vegas, Nev., Corey & Horst’s Joe Buck; Steve Woolsey, Payson, Utah, Corey & Horst’s North Star; Zack Elliott Thatcher, Utah, Corey & Horst’s Oakie Dokie; J.W. Harris May, Texas, Corey & Horst’s Rezboy; Clayton Savage, Casper, Wyo., Speed Dial; Jason Beck, Prairieville, La., Big Bend Rodeo’s Backdraft; Shawn Waite, Prineville, Ore., Big Bend Rodeo’s Fire Bird; Corey Navarre, Weatherford, Okla., Corey & Horst’s Due North; Wesley Silcox, Santaquin, Utah, Big Bend Rodeo’s McNasty; Chad Denton, Berry Creek, Calif., Flying Diamond’s Hell Sakes; Tyler Smith, Fruita, Colo., Big Bend Rodeo’s Wack & Snap.
Field is set for the Ellensburg finals
By Johnna Espinoza
ELLENSBURG, Wash., - Bareback rider Tilden Hooper forgot his pink shirt for Wrangler Tough Enough to Wear Pink day on Sept. 6 at the Ellensburg ( Wash.) Rodeo. No problem, the rodeo committee just gave him a pink bandanna to wear around his neck. The arena was muddy from rain when he got on Calgary Stampede bucking horse Muffled Cries – no problem – the Carthage, Texas cowboy just made the most of it and scored 85 points to lock up a spot in Monday’s finals.
“I like it,” said Hooper about competing in the rain and mud. “It’s fun. It’s something we don’t get to do every day. It makes you feel kind of tough, I guess.”
Tough is right. At this point in the season, staying among the top 15 in the PRCA World Standings and Tour Standings is critical, if cowboys want to make it to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in December.
The Ellensburg Rodeo is the final regular-season stop of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots and cowboys were mindful the Justin Boots Playoffs get under way next week at the Puyallup (Wash.) Pro Rodeo.
“I’m not in the Top 12 in the tour standings,” said the former Rookie of the Year and college national champion. “I need to win here and win in Puyallup, so I can go to Omaha (site of the Justin Boots Championships, Sept. 24-26).
Hooper was 15 th in the Aug. 31 tour standings and eighth in the world standings.
“That was a really good horse,” Hooper said. “That probably was the best one out today, so I think I was pretty fortunate.”
Dickinson, N.D., saddle bronc rider Shaun Stroh also didn’t mind riding in the rain. He had the high-marked ride of the performance with an 86-point effort on Big Bend Rodeo Company’s No Dice. The score advanced him to Monday’s finals, just behind Dustin Flundra, who leads the group with an 87.
“Right before I got on is when it started raining really hard,” he said. “There was a great big puddle of water on my saddle. The rain can make it a little hard to hang onto the rein, but we have been riding in the rain a lot this year. You just have to stay to the basics.”
Stroh could really use a strong finish tomorrow. He was 22 nd in the Aug. 31 world standings and 14 th in the tour standings. He hopes to change his luck in central Washington.
“This is one my favorite rodeos and I haven’t done very well here,” he said.
All eyes on Ellensburg, Sept. 4-7
Contestants and fans are gearing up for the final tour rodeo of the regular season in Ellensburg, Wash., Sept. 4-7, along with the Xtreme Bulls finale, Sept. 5. Below are informational items on both events. Check back on ProRodeo.com for coverage.
- The top 24 qualifiers (or teams) from the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots will advance to the Justin Boots Playoffs, Sept. 11-13 in Puyallup, Wash.
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