COLORADO SPRINGS, (PRCA) – Montana Silversmiths might as well ship the all-around champion buckle pre-printed with Trevor Brazile’s name on it.
The Decatur, Texas, cowboy will arrive in Las Vegas with a $140,019 lead on nearest challenger Shane Proctor, and Brazile will compete in two events while those in pursuit have qualified for just one at the Dec. 1-10 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
With 15 world titles to his credit, Brazile is poised to pass legendary roughstock hand Jim Shoulders for second most in PRCA history. That record ninth all-around crown will push him into a tie with Shoulders, who won five all-around buckles, seven bull riding crowns and four bareback riding titles for his total of 16.
A second title in Las Vegas would move Brazile to within one championship of steer roper Guy Allen for the most in the sport’s history at 18.
The biggest question hanging over Brazile at this point is whether he can claim a third world title in one season for the third time in the last five years. To make that happen, he’ll have to rope well in either the tie-down roping (where he trails Tuf Cooper by $53,297) or the team roping (he trails first-place header Derrick Begay by $48,426) during his 10-day stay in Las Vegas.
Considering he won $239,586 at the Wrangler NFR and the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping in 2010, nothing’s out of the question for Brazile.
Winning his third steer roping title in November put Brazile in position to win his third Triple Crown in five years. Should he leave Las Vegas with two more gold buckles, he’ll become just the second cowboy in ProRodeo history to win three Triple Crowns. Shoulders managed to win his three Triple Crowns in consecutive years from 1956-58. Brazile won his first in 2007 and added a second in 2010. Last year, he joined Everett Bowman (1935, 1937), in an elite group of two that has achieved the feat in different events. In 2007, Brazile won the all-around, tie-down roping and steer roping world titles. The second time around, he claimed the top spot in the all-around, tie-down roping and team roping heading.
In addition to the Triple Crown milestone, Brazile will also be looking to tie or break Billy Etbauer’s record for most rounds won in National Finals competition. Etbauer had 51 from 1989-2009, and Brazile is just three back at 48.
Those will be the primary bits of history the rodeo world will be focused on in the Thomas & Mack Center next month, but it is by no means the only historical storylines worthy of consideration:
• J.W. Harris of Mullin, Texas, will be seeking to become the first bull rider to win four consecutive gold buckles since his mentor Don Gay did it from 1974-77 and just the fourth man in bull riding history to win four straight.
• Bobby Mote of Culver, Ore., is taking aim at his fifth world title, which would tie the record currently shared by Joe Alexander and Bruce Ford. Mote needs just $45,232 in Vegas to become the 18th cowboy to surpass $2 million in career earnings.
• Saddle bronc rider Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M., will be trying to become the third cowboy ever to win the Canadian and world championships in the same year, joining fellow bronc rider Mel Hyland (1972) and steer wrestler Lee Graves (2005).
• Jake Barnes of Scottsdale, Ariz., could tie the team roping record of eight world championships held by Speed Williams and Rich Skelton, if he and partner Walt Woodard could rise through the ranks and win the gold buckle. Barnes and Woodard would also be the oldest team in ProRodeo history to win the world championship, a combined age of 108 years; Barnes is 52 and Woodard turns 56 on Sunday.
• There are two events where there is a very strong possibility that rodeo fans will see the crowning of a second-generation world champion. Roy Cooper, the winner of eight gold buckles, has three sons in the tie-down roping field – Tuf (No. 1), Clint (No. 5) and Clif (No. 15). Bareback riding leader Kaycee Feild of Payson, Utah, is this son of five-time world champion Lewis Feild and Royce Ford is the son of five-time world champion Bruce Ford. They are all aiming to follow in the footsteps of the five previous father-son world champions: Deb and Jeff Copenhaver, John Sr. and John Jones Jr., John and Clark McEntire, Butch and Rope Myers and Bobby and Sid Steiner.
2. Wrangler National Finals Rodeo to be telecast in Canada on Sportsnet
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) announced Nov. 16 that it has entered into a one-year partnership with Sportsnet to telecast the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in Canada.
Sportsnet will carry all 10 rounds of the 2011 Wrangler NFR in high definition on the 24-hour all-sports networks Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet West. Broadcast details will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are excited to welcome Sportsnet as our Canadian broadcast partner for the Wrangler NFR,” said PRCA Commissioner Karl Stressman. “Canadian ProRodeo fans are a passionate group, and we have been working to make sure they will have access to this year’s exciting WNFR action. Sportsnet will be a great partner for ProRodeo in Canada, and we encourage our Canadian fans to make sure to tune-in to these great broadcasts.”
“Our new partnership with the PRCA will offer Canadian rodeo fans a great marquee event in the 2011 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo,” said Scott Moore, President of Broadcasting, Rogers Media. “Rodeo has a fervent following in many parts of Canada, and we are proud to have one of the premier events of the year on Sportsnet.”
For ProRodeo fans in the United States, the 2011 Wrangler NFR is available live on Great American Country (GAC). For a full schedule of GAC’s coverage of the 2011 WNFR, go to www.prorodeo.com.
3. Crane’s quest for Linderman Award begins on familiar turf in Inverness, Fla.
INVERNESS, Fla. – It will be a few more months before Clovis Crane takes up the craft of steer wrestling again. In the meantime he is laying down a strong foundation in his bid for the Linderman Award with his usual hearty diet of roughstock competition.
Crane more than covered his expenses – even counting his airfare from Pennsylvania – at the Nov. 12-13 Citrus Stampede Rodeo by earning checks in all three bucking events, a total of $1,299.
He finished second to Chris Smith in the bareback riding, shared first place in the bull riding with Bobby Peaden and took first outright in the saddle bronc riding.
Following a successful weekend in Glens Falls, N.Y., on Nov. 4-5, Crane has climbed on eight bucking animals this month and ridden seven of them for the required eight seconds. So, yes, he’s covered at the roughstock end of the arena.
In order to qualify for the Linderman Award, however, a competitor has to earn at least $1,000 in three events with at least one of those at the timed-event end of the arena and one in a roughstock event. And the Linderman is at the very top of Crane’s wish list.
“I’m still learning steer wrestling,” Crane said. “I’d never done any bulldogging before mid-July of last year. I went to (fellow First Frontier Circuit cowboy) Greg Bennett’s school last summer, and that helped get me on the right track.
“I came close to qualifying in the steer wrestling last year ($779) until I injured my knee at the end of July. I want to be sure I’m fully healed before I start bulldogging as a regular thing. I’ll probably start back with it in the spring.”
Because he was on the wrestling team at Purdue University, Crane says the transition to steer wrestling seems sort of natural to him.
“The biggest similarities are that both require a lot of grit,” Crane said, “and a lot of confidence that you impose your will on your opponent, whether it’s a man or a steer.”
The other champions at the Citrus County Fairgrounds were steer wrestler Shayde Etherton (4.4 seconds), team ropers Arky Rogers and Clint Summers (5.7 seconds), tie-down roper Jeff Clair (8.8 seconds) and barrel racer Sally Young (15.60 seconds).
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“It’s 11 days away and I have no idea yet. All I know is I need to have a horse by 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 in Las Vegas.”
– Team roping header Brady Tryan talking to the Billings Gazette about his search for a horse to use at the Wrangler NFR. Tryan is about to test-ride a horse in Texas and another in Oklahoma.
4. Next Up
Dec. 1 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Las Vegas, begins
Dec. 2 Benny Binion Bucking Horse and Bull Sale, Las Vegas, begins
5. News and notes from the rodeo trail
Wrangler NFR steer wrestler Stockton Graves has a new job waiting for him when he finishes his labors at the Thomas & Mack Center next month. Graves, who turns 33 midway through the NFR, will return to alma mater Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva to serve as the coach of the men’s and women’s rodeo teams. Athletic Director Andrew Carter made the announcement Nov. 17, saying that Graves’ record of success and familiarity with the program made him the best choice for the job following a nationwide search. “I am very excited about the opportunity to serve as the new head coach, and to be coming back to Alva and Northwestern,” said Graves. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Northwestern and want to share that experience with the current and future members of the rodeo team. I’m pleased to be able to give something back to the University and the community.” Graves competed for Northwestern Oklahoma from 1997-2002, qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo three times and still holds the CNFR arena record with a time of 3.4 seconds. A PRCA card holder since 1997, he has twice won the Prairie Circuit steer wrestling championship and won the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in 2006. The 2011 Wrangler NFR will be the seventh of his career, and he is approaching $1 million in career earnings … Purchase of a 17.5-acre equestrian center and rodeo arena east of Cody, Wyo., has been approved by the board of trustees at Northwest College in Powell. College Vice President for Administrative Services Kim Mills says the $550,000 purchase price for Heart Mountain Equestrian Center will come from the school’s $5.3 million operation reserve fund. Northwest College has rented the facility for years. The school will begin a search for a new rodeo coach within the next few weeks. Becky Nose is serving as the interim coach, assisted by six-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider and ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee Dan Mortensen.
6. 2011 PRCA World Standings leaders
AA: Trevor Brazile……….…$259,043
BB: Kaycee Feild………………..$140,660
SW: Dean Gorsuch……………..$100,511
TR-1: Derrick Begay..……….. $118,754
TR-2: Cesar de la Cruz…………$118,754
SB: Taos Muncy..….…………..$155,443
TD: Tuf Cooper………………….$145,311
BR: Shane Proctor……………….$171,758
SR: Trevor Brazile…………………$77,162
No comments:
Post a Comment