Dec 14, 2017
Round 7
Roping, Wrestling and Running â By Kendra Santos
Cowboy camaraderie is for real, and a couple of the Round 7 winners are prime examples of that fact. Nevada steer wrestler Dakota Eldridge had struggled in the early going of the 2017 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but he wasnât too busy with his own stresses, strains and regrouping to recognize that he was not alone.
His California cowboy friend Ryle Smith, who was a tie-down roper here last year, had already tried his luck aboard two different bulldogging horses in the previous six rounds of the rodeo and was having hell. What did Dakota do in his own time of need? He offered his sorrel secret weapon, Rusty, to Ryle. It was the definition of selfless in the pressure-packed heat of NFR battle.
âRyleâs a cowboy, a friend and a good guy,â said Dakota, whoâs wrestling steers at his sixth-straight NFR. âIf I see a guy struggling, I want to help him out. Weâve all been in Ryleâs shoes. He just hasnât had any luck, and needed to make a change.â
I ran into Dakota down in the Justin Sportsmedicine Room right before Round 7. I was visiting with Justinâs medical miracle worker Dr. Tandy Freemanâwho has reconstructed the knee I blew out in the rodeo arena as a teenagerâand on this night had an ear, nose and throat specialist write me a prescription after cringing at my raw throat.
Dakota was there getting his right hip stretched by a Justin Sportsmed trainer. All the extra miles it takes hereâbetween barn duty, autograph sessions around town all day and checking the draw in the rodeo secretaryâs officeâadd up, and have been making his hip mad.
Dakota had previously cashed two checks for placing in Rounds 4 and 6, but his big breakthrough in Round 7 came when he went back to basics, blocked out yesterday and tomorrow, and just kept it simple.
âSometimes youâre just trying too hard,â said the Elko, Nevada, cowboy. âBut you canât be faster than the steer you have each night. Itâs a lot easier when your mindâs clear and youâre not overthinking it. It always works out the best when you just go do your job. That feeling I had tonight when the crowd went ecstatic is a feeling you want to feel every time.â
Itâs a longstanding annual tradition that we celebrate Canada Night on the last Thursday of the rodeo, which lands the Maple Leaf flag-waving on Round 8. Texas tie-down roper Randall Carlisle borrowed a horse by the name of Fletch from his Canadian cowboy friend Kyle Lucasâwhoâs the son of longtime NFR tie-down roper Smokinâ Joe Lucasâto turn his week around and take the Round 8 victory lap.
If you havenât heard about the level of athletes among us here in the cowboy herd, you should know that Randall set the national high school basketball record for three-point shots as a point guard for Lipan High School from 2003-05 in his native Lone Star State. He sunk 519 three pointers while âdialing long distanceâ for 1,557 points earned the hard way.
Randallâs dad, Randy, holds a national high school basketball record of his own for most assists with 1,592 from back in his glory days at Minden High School in Louisiana. Randy grew up with basketball star Pistol Pete Maravich, who taught him the importance of passing the ball.
âIâd rather pass the ball than shoot it,â Randall said ironically, as an all-time leading scorer. âIn my family we live by the motto that the goal is to make your teammate an All-American. Weâd rather not be selfish. Basketball taught me to always be humble, and when youâre down to keep positive so you can come back and turn things around.â
The luck of the draw has not been in Randallâs favor here this week. Heâs only had two calves who cooperated and werenât downright deal breakers. Heâs been kicked out of the money in all but two of the first seven rounds.
âIâm happy and my bankerâs happy,â smiled a relieved Randall. âIt took a lot of failures to get here to get this (go-round) buckle, thatâs for sure.â
I was thinking about my late and wonderful Grandma Hazel during Round 8, because it was her birthday. I thought it was fun to find out that first-generation cowgirl Tillar Murray, who won the seventh round of the barrel race, is named after her great grandmother on her dadâs side, Alice Tillar Reagor.
Itâs miraculous that Tillar, a 21-year-old junior liberal arts, business honors and finance major at the University of Texas at Austin, is even here at her first Finals after breaking her back last summer. She had a nasty wreck at the rodeo in Sheridan, Wyoming, when her horse Commander spooked at some chalk in the arena dirt in front of the second barrel, which was there to mark the boundaries of the Indian races.
âCommander jumped sideways, I got drilled, he got scared and mowed me over getting over me,â Tillar remembers all too vividly. âI was more worried about him than me. I wasnât mad at all. He wasnât being mean. It scared him. Yes, he spooks at things. But heâs so talented and so special.â
She fractured the transverse process of her L3 vertebra. Several people suggested she sell the bronc. Tillar was having none of that, and three days later strapped on a back brace and saddled up to try and defend her 2016 title at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Tillar keeps her horses with renowned horse trainer, mentor and close family friend Martha Tompkins, when sheâs at school. Martha manages the horses and keeps them tuned up for her, so she can hit the books with minimal distraction. Marthaâs the daughter of ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull rider Harry Tompkins.
âI hadnât had a whole lot of success before tonight,â said Tillar, who overcame the adversity of running very last on the ground in Round 7, which is virtually always considered a disadvantage. âMartha reminded me that I needed to have a more positive attitude, so I snapped out of it. I also wasnât riding my horse all that well. I knew Commander (whoâs 9) could do it. It was just a matter of me helping him more.â
Dustin Equsquiza and Kory Koontzâs victory lap in Round 7 was their second of the week, and Koryâs 23rd in the 21 times heâs team roped at Rodeoâs Super Bowl. The talented twosome that also tied Luke Brown and Jake Long for the win in Round 4 turned in the fastest run of the rodeo in Round 7 with a wicked, 3.5-second run.
This diverse team of Finals freshman Dustin and veteran Kory is somewhat reminiscent style-wise of eight-time world titlists Speed Williams and Rich Skelton. Brave bomber Speed used to tell me all the time, âLive by the sword, die by the sword,â always refusing to back down and play it safe. Speed to their teamâs chances, and Rich was the consistent closer in their unparalleled winning combination.
âItâs hard to put myself on the same level as Speed Williams in any sort of comparison,â said humble Floridian Dustin, just 22 years of age next to his 46-year-old partnerâs 21 trips to this rodeo. âBut there are times when going for it is a necessity.â
Like, say, when you miss your first steer and go out of the average straight out of the blocks.
âI decided earlier today that Iâm going to go as fast as I can the last four rounds,â Dustin continued. âI donât want to say Iâm reckless and I donât want to call myself conservative. I guess youâd say I want to be whateverâs in-between.â
During the reign of Speed and Richâs legendary roping relationship, they had a deal. Quarterback Speed took the chances, and wide receiver Rich was the closer.
âClosing the deal is every heelerâs job,â said Kory, who also mentioned that he was kicking himself after their run in Round 6. âI didnât throw very fast last night. I was disappointed in myself for not taking the chance to win some money, and we ended up being way too long (4.9 when 4.1 won last hole). I knew Dustin was going to be aggressive tonight, and I wanted to be more aggressive, because weâd been too slow a couple times.â
Their 3.5 was the fastest of the rodeo thus far, and hot on the heels of the 3.3-second world record set here in 2009 by Chad Masters and Jade Corkill, who are roping with Travis Graves and Clay Tryan, respectively, this year. The 3.5 also was the fastest run of Koontzâs crazy-cool cowboy career.
âI loved watching the video afterwards, because it looks like Iâm in total control,â said Kory, who got on a big-time roll to win four of 10 rounds here in 2003 heeling for Californiaâs Daniel Green. âBut it did not feel that way when I made the shot. That run was basically a blur.â
Bulls, Bares and Saddle Broncs â by Susan Kanode
There was a lot of reason for celebration in Round 7 of this yearâs NFR. Tanner Aus and Hardy Braden took their second victory laps of the week around the Thomas and Mack Center. Joe Frost took his first.
Joe has been steadily ticking away for the past seven nights. He has only bucked off two bulls and is likely to get a big average check. When he finally got the round win on Wednesday night, rodeoâs angels had a lot to smile about.
While Joe won over $100,000 here last year and finished fourth in the average, this was his first round win in two years. Some bull riders work hard all year to get here only to struggle in the competition. Joe has never done that. The first year he qualified, 2014, he finished as the reserve world champion. Then he finished sixth and fourth the next two. While his chances to win a world title this year are slim after bucking off in rounds three and six, he has won nearly $90,000 and is third in the average.
Joe is carrying on the Frost legacy of riding bulls successfully. His father, Shane is a cousin of the late Lane Frost and Joe is Clyde and Elsie (Laneâs parents) great nephew. Clyde and Elsie were on hand to watch Joe and then he took them on stage with him at the South Point.
Joe scored 87 points on a Canadian bull, Heavens Basement, from Wayne Vold. Wayne is the eldest of the late Harry Voldâs children. This is the first NFR weâve had without Harry.
Wayneâs bull man, Nansen Vold, is named after his great-grandfather. The familyâs rodeo legacy gets deeper with each generation and they were well represented here. This is the third go-round buckle that Wayne Vold Rodeo has won but the first with Heavenâs Basement.
âTo tell you the truth, we are a little surprised to be here,â Nansen said. âOn paper, putting Joe Frost on that bull doesnât look too good. Joe is a big, strong rider and youâd rather have a guy like Sage (Kimzey) get on Heavenâs Basement.
âWe would have been happy with an 84 or 85,â he continued. âJoe rode him really well and that 87 looked really good.â
I can only imagine Harry Vold and Lane Frostâs reactions to the ride.
Tanner Aus rode an eight-year-old gelding that is an outlaw horse named after an outlaw, Jr. Bonner, to get his second buckle. Harry Vold would be smiling about that one too. Jr. Bonner is a product of Dave and Marla Moreheadâs Three Hills Rodeoâs breeding program. The horseâs sire, Harry, came from the Volds and is named after the patriarch.
âHe is a total renegade, an outlaw start to finish,â Dave said. âHe doesnât like people, but he does like his job. Heâs really smart and can sense how people react to him. I told Tanner to get in there and take charge. Thatâs exactly what Tanner did.â
Tanner took charge to the tune of 87 points. What made the night even more special is that both horse and rider were representing the Great Lakes Circuit. Tanner is from Granite Falls, Minnesota. Three Hills is located at Bernard, Iowa.
âTo be on stage with the Moreheads was awesome,â Tanner said. âI wasnât sure that 87 was going to hold. Orin Larsen had a re-ride and he is doing great out here. When it did, I was really grateful. This win means a lot.â
It meant a lot to the Moreheads too. Jr. Bonner is one of five bareback horses that were selected from their herd. They also have four saddle bronc horses here. And, this is the fourth trip that the big-bay gelding has made. Heâs been here twice in the saddle bronc riding and twice in the bareback riding.
Chad Bradenâs first qualification to the NFR has seen him making two victory laps around the arena. Wait, who is Chad Braden? We will never hear it come out of an announcerâs mouth, but that is Hardy Bradenâs real name.
When he was born, his parents, Butch and Tammy settled on Chad Ray Braden for his name. Â However, a nickname of Hardy, given to him by Butch, has stuck forever. Â Now, the only person that calls him Chad is his mom. When she speaks, he listens.
Tammy was here as an NFR timer for three consecutive years starting in 2013. She times at rodeos across the country and while she is there, keeps a black book full of notes about horses to share with Hardy. She didnât have notes on Hi Lo ProRodeoâs Garden City Gal, but her talented son didnât need them. He scored 88 points on the seven-year-old mare. That brought his earnings up to $83,404 at his inaugural NFR where he is sixth in the average.
âIâm so proud of him,â Tammy said. âIâve been watching him ride for 10 years. Iâm very confident in what he does, and I donât even get nervous anymore. I just want him to do good and stay safe.â
Van Flaherty has put together a talented crew of individuals for his Hi Lo ProRodeo that owns the horse that took Hardy to the win. Garden City Gal is a big, gray mare that came from the Garden City (Kansas) Community College rodeo coach, Jim Boy Hash.
Van started raising bucking horses before he got became a stock contractor. That is just one of his three jobs. He is a petroleum engineer that spends over half the year in North Africa. He also is involved in timber and real estate.
Former bareback rider, Dustin Murray is his general manager and Travis Adams, who used to make his living fighting bulls is his flankman and takes care of the four-legged athletes. Itâs the second trip for Garden City Gal to Las Vegas. When I asked Travis about her, his first comment was âShe loves to eat.â
âShe is always waiting for feed, is the first one to the feed pan and the rest of the herd just follows her,â Travis continued. âSheâs just easy to be around and a lot of fun to have.â
A fun mare, and a fun-loving cowboy. It was a perfect match for Round 7 at the NFR.