PRCA rodeo enjoys large crowds

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
A bronc rider prepares for a wild ride during the Daniel Dopps 2nd Annual Memorial Rodeo in Mountain Home.

Cowboys and cowgirls tested their talents at the 2nd annual Daniel Dopps Memorial Rodeo, a PRCA professional cowboys event held last weekend at the Optimist Park rodeo grounds.

"Honoring all who have served in the Armed Forces past, current and future," was the theme for Friday's rodeo.

The stands were full and people were sitting in the grass in front of the arena fence to get a close-up view of the evening's competition.

The children got things started as they competed in the Calf Scramble and Goat Tail Untying events.

However, the cowboys and cowgirls were ready to strap in and get started with the seven events of competition -- saddle bronc, bareback, bull riding, tie down roping, team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing.

During bareback riding Friday night, Daniel Herman of Marsing rode Guardian Angel and scored 75 points. Herman was the only cowboy to receive a score in the event.

Nick Arnold of Corvallis, Ore; Eric Mader of Cottonwood, and Tyson Smith of Rigby, all received a no score.

In other Friday night events, the tie down roping event brought out some competition between times when Jason Vohs of Las Vegas came in first with 11.2 seconds, and Jeremy Sutfin of Joseph, Ore., followed close behind with 13.7 seconds. Joel Jeffries of Homedale brought up the rear with 23.6 seconds.

Throughout the evening music and entertainment was provided for the crowd during "intermissions" while the cowboys got ready.

Scott Allen, the announcer, and Kevin Higley, who has clowned for over 25 years and received his pro card 23 years ago, provided comedy and entertainment to the crowd.

During one intermission, Higley was cooking up an All-American hot dog for a youngster in the crowd, but when all was said and done, Frank, the Dachshund dog, ran out of the hot dog cart in a bun.

After the short comic relief, the competition was back on as saddle bronc riding began.

Ira Slagowski of Carlin, Nev., rode Keno and received the highest score of 80 points. He was closely followed by Hadley Hunting of Warren, Utah, who rode Payday and received 77 points.

Both John Uhalde of Ely, Nev., and Ramos Benny of Fredonia, Ariz., received 73 points in the event.

Shawn Morehead of Bruneau lagged just behind those two with 72 points, and Ty Sumner of Baker City, Ore., was on Morehead's tail after he received 71 points.

Max Filippini of Battle Mountain, Nev., received 67 points, followed by Jacob Nebeker of Battle Mountain, Idaho, with 63 points.

Bryce Jenkins of Caldwell and Darren Anderson of Mack's Inn, both received a no score for their efforts in the saddle bronc riding event.

Steer wrestling went to Andy Weldon of Middleton with a time of 5.6 seconds.

With the competition heating up, Higley took the time to please the crowd again with his entertainment.

He came into the arena on a horse and explained how it was the latest in cars. He turned the horse on its back and sat on it while he explained all its state-of-the-art features, for example, it being an all-climate convertible. He said the best thing is it converts back to a cowboy truck.

After the entertainment the competition heated back up when Justin Hodson of West Haven, Utah, and Jade Anderson of Goshen, Utah, took the team roping event with a time of 6.6 seconds.

Jarrod Roberson wowed the crowd during the saddle bronc riding competition. His horse actually rolled over on top of him, but that didn't stop Roberson. He continued to hang on until the horse got upright again, leaving him with an outstanding score of 92 points (out of a possible 100).

Roberson might have had skill and luck riding his horse, but bull riding proved to be a problem for the cowboys. That is until the last cowboy of the 18 cowboys rode.

Clancey Mummert of Bellevue scored 56 points after he successfully rode Kaden's Special for the required eight seconds.

Caleb Johnson of Vale, Ore., stayed on his bull for 7.99 seconds at the beginning of the event, almost making eight seconds, but almost doesn't count.

Although only one cowboy could say he rode the bull, all the cowboys, no matter how long they stayed on the bull, were able to remain safe thanks to bullfighters Shad Stevens and Jamie Cox.

Stevens and Cox were in the arena ready to distract the bulls from any riders who had fallen, even if it meant being hurt themselves, as did happen when a bull trampled one of them.

The cowgirls played it a little safer. Mackenzie Woods of Caldwell took home the barrel racing event with a time of 18.82 seconds.

Even when another one of Higley's dogs tried to show Woods up and show the audience how barrel racing was really done at 22.66 seconds, Woods remained the fastest competitor in barrel racing for the evening.

The rodeo was about who could stay on a horse or bull the longest or earn the most points, but it was also about precision, training and teamwork, and that is what the cowboys and cowgirls out in the arena showed the audience.

After the evening's rodeo events came to an end the audience and cowboys enjoyed music performed by the Jeff Palmer Band.

Saturday, June 23, was "Tough Enough To Wear Pink" night, an initiative sponsored by Wrangler as a 2007 fundraising effort for breast cancer research.

Saturday night's results were not available at press time.

All proceeds from the raffle tickets for a Mountain Silversmith "Tough Enough To Wear Pink" watch and necklace were donated to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Daniel Dopps, a star of the Mountain Home High School rodeo team, was killed in a freak accident in the rodeo arena during his first year on the pro circuit, and last weekend's rodeo was in honor of his memory and love of rodeo.

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