The Trevor Brazile Watch

Trevor Brazile collected two more all-around titles last week – to bring his total to 13 in six weeks – and advanced his bid for a record-tying seventh all-around world championship by traveling to three states and banking checks everywhere he went.

Brazile earned $4,531 at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, $2,119 at the Magic Valley Stampede in Filer, Idaho, and $5,413 at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo, missing a sweep of all-around titles only when Josh Peek out-earned him in Filer.

Still, it left Brazile with earnings of $218,265 through the Labor Day weekend, $20,552 ahead of his pace in 2007 when he set a single-season earnings record of $425,115.

And it could have been even better: Brazile and team roping partner Patrick Smith had what would have been an arena record time of 4.1 seconds at Ellensburg, but were assessed a 10-second penalty for breaking the barrier that kept them from cashing in the round and from reaching the short go.

Corkill breaks regular-season earnings record for heelers

As the heeler for 2007 World Champion Chad Masters, Jade Corkill has been following Masters’ lead all season. Over the Labor Day weekend, he followed him right into the PRCA record book.

With $620 at the Colorado State Fair & Rodeo in Pueblo and another $1,877 for finishing sixth in Filer, Idaho, Corkill broke the regular-season earnings record for team roping heelers of $110,626 set by Rich Skelton in 2000. Corkill’s season total is $112,246.

Masters, who won Winter rodeos in Odessa, Texas, and Denver with Michael Jones before pairing with Corkill, broke Speed Williams’ record for team roping headers (also $110,626) two weeks ago and has pushed that record to $121,718 and counting.

Knowles leads record-breaking weekend in Walla Walla, Wash.

Steer wrestler Trevor Knowles, of Mount Vernon, Ore., broke the arena record with a time of 3.5 seconds in the first round and then came back with a 3.9-second run that gave him the win and the record for two-head average at the Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days.

JoJo LeMond and reigning World Champion Heeler Randon Adams had an arena record time of 8.9 seconds on two head to win the team roping title over reigning World Champion Header Matt Sherwood and Rhen Richard.

Nate Baldwin of Blackfoot, Idaho, broke Josh Peek’s arena record with a time of 7.3 seconds in the first round of the tie-down roping, but the two-head average title went to Timber Moore, of Aubrey, Texas, in 17.9 seconds.

In a bareback riding competition that might serve nicely as a preview of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, world standings leader Clint Cannon won first-place money of $2,323 with an 84-point ride on Four Star Rodeo’s Star Wars. That was one point better than two-time World Champion Bobby Mote managed on Four Star Rodeo’s Short Fuse and two ahead of Ryan Gray.

PRCA cowboys to help build Habitat House

PRCA cowboys will be among those to help construct a Habitat for Humanity House from 4 to 6 p.m. (PT) Sept. 11 at the Puyallup (Wash.) Fairgrounds. The cowboys will be on-site for the 2009 Justin Boots Playoffs, the culmination of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots.

The cowboys chosen to represent the PRCA during the two-hour shift will be determined once the rodeo’s competition draw has been completed and schedules can be confirmed. The Playoffs run Sept. 11-13.

This is the second consecutive year Puyallup Fair staff, sponsors, service groups, volunteers and the receiving family have constructed a Habitat for Humanity house at the fairgrounds. The house is put together during the fair and then moved to its permanent location.

Visit ProRodeo.com for a story and photos about the project. In-depth coverage of the Justin Boots Playoffs and Puyallup festivities will be in the Oct. 2 ProRodeo Sports News. The Puyallup Fair Web site is www.thefair.com/puyallup-fair.

All five performances of Justin Boots Playoffs to air on ProRodeoLive.com

ProRodeoLive.com, the Internet voice of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, will provide complete live coverage of all five performances of the Sept. 11-13 Justin Boots Playoffs from Puyallup, Wash.

The top 24 finishers in the regular-season standings of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots will be competing for $540,000 in prize money at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

At the conclusion of Puyallup, the top 12 contestants (12 teams) will advance to the Justin Boots Championships in Omaha, Neb., Sept. 24-26, at the Qwest Center.  ProRodeoLive.com will also broadcast live from Omaha.

Veteran PRCA announcer Steve Kenyon will provide play-by-play coverage at both rodeos with analysis from World Champion Bareback Rider and ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Clint Corey and former Wrangler National Finals Rodeo saddle bronc riding average winner Butch Knowles.

ProRodeoLive.com’s Puyallup broadcasts will begin at 12:45 p.m. (PT) for the three afternoon performances Sept. 11-13, and at 6:15 p.m. for the evening performances Sept. 11-12.

ProRodeoLive.com will provide the only live coverage of all 10 performances of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Dec. 3-12 from Las Vegas.

For more information about ProRodeoLive.com’s live rodeo coverage and the nationally syndicated RodeoProfiles Radio program, log on to www.prorodeolive.com. 

Owens benefit scheduled for Sept. 19

A benefit rodeo will be staged Sept. 19 in Townsend, Mont., for PRCA bareback rider Scott Owens, who suffered a career-ending injury in July at the C.M. Russell Stampede in Stanford, Mont.

The bronc Owens was to ride went over backwards in the chute, breaking his back. Eight pins and two rods were surgically implanted.

Owens, who has a ranch south of Townsend where he lives with his wife Shawna and two young children, will be unable to work for at least a year while he goes through rehabilitation.

All proceeds from the Crazy Legs Classic, which will have barrel racing, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, a taco feed, live music, dancing, refreshments and a live auction, will go toward Owens’ hospital bills.

For further information contact Dick Lyman at 406.799.1469 or John Walsh at 406.439.2843.

Benefit planned to aid injured former PRCA member

A two-day roping and barrel race, called the Sage Mountain Benefit, will take place Oct. 10-11 to help cover medical costs for former PRCA team and tie-down roper Cal Stucky, who was severely injured in an Aug. 12 automobile accident.

The benefit will take place at the Deer Lodge (Mont.) Fairgrounds and will feature an open barrel race, a kids barrel race, a girls breakaway roping and a team roping competition with several different classes. Prizes will be awarded in every event on Oct. 10, and an auction will take place after the roping.

For event information, call Tim Garrison at 406.491.4548 or 406.782.5164, and to check on Stucky’s current status, log on to: www.caringbridge.org/visit/calstucky.

Former PRCA steer wrestler loses home to California wildfire

Steer wrestler Chris Whitehead, a PRCA member since 1989, lost his house, barn, garage, truck, boat and quad runners to the 49 Fire that has burned more than 340 acres near Auburn, Calif.

“I sat there in shock on the fence and watched it burn to the ground,” Whitehead told the Auburn Journal. “It was the worst feeling in the world. Luckily (all the animals) are alive, and my heart goes out to the other people who lost their homes.”

Whitehead’s was one of 68 houses destroyed by the fire, along with six businesses.