2010 starts great for tie-down roper Stran
Smith
Bonner Cooper
Austin, Texas, March 22, 2010 – Fifteen years ago, Tie-Down
Roper Stran Smith of Childress, Texas arrived to compete in rodeos in a
single-cab pickup pulling a one horse trailer. This year, Stran arrived to
Rodeo Austin in a 40ft bus hauling a four-horse trailer, complete with his
wife Jennifer, his two kids, his nephew, his sister, three horses, two dogs,
and two cats. Times have certainly changed for Stran. He is quick to point
out that the cats were only there by mistake, however. On their way to
Houston two weeks ago, the Smiths stopped at a truck stop in Ennis, Texas
for fuel. It was there that they noticed three cats sitting on one of the
bus tires; apparently the trio had hitched a ride the 300 miles from
Childress. Because the cats were relatively wild, Stran knew that getting
them in the bus would be quite a task. After an hour of chasing cats
(resulting in scratches on both Jennifer and Stran) they were able to get
two of the three cats into the bus. The remaining feline is now a citizen of
Ennis.
Smith might consider the cats to be his good luck charm. After retrieving
the felines and making his way to Houston, Stran won the Shootout round to
capture the RodeoHouston title along with the $50,000 check. The victory was
a perfect birthday present for Stran’s wife Jennifer, who celebrated her
birthday on the same day of the finals. The win also catapulted Smith into
second place in the World Standings. “It’s bad when you win the $50,000 and
are still only second in the World,” said Smith while referring to 11-time
World Champion Trevor Brazile, who is currently leading the World Standings
and was sitting beside Smith at the time. Nevertheless, the win was exactly
what Stran needed to close the gap on Brazile and make a run for what could
be his second World title. Both Stran and Trevor traveled to Rodeo Austin
for their first go round on Sunday afternoon where Stran came out ahead of
Brazile once again with a time of 9.5 seconds.
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Bareback Riding
1. Kaycee Feild - 83
2. Joe Gunderson - 82
3. Chris Harris - 81
4. Bee Jay Scott - 78
5. Jared Keylon - 77
6. Caine Riddle - 73
Steer Wrestling
1. Jack Hodges 4.4
2. Blake Doyle - 14.8
3. Cash Myers - 15.4
4. Brent Lassetter - 15.6
5. Dane Hanna - 16.8
Team Roping
1. Colby Siddoway / Matt Zancanella - 5.3
2. Keven Daniel / Brad Culpepper - 5.6
3. Quincy Kueckelhan / Dustin Davis - 5.7
4. Speed WIlliams / Kory Koontz - 6.2
5. Chris Lawson / Josh Patton - 6.3
6. Matt Robertson / Chase Tryan - 6.5
7. Jake Weddle / Shawn Harris - 10.6
8. Charles Pogue / Casey Chamberlain - 11.9
Saddle Bronc Riding
1. Lyle Welling - 86
2. Wade Sundell - 81
3. TIE Chet Johnson - 77
3. TIE Chad Ferley - 77
5. Rusty Allen - 76
6. Jeff Willert - 74
7. Justin Browning - 73
8. Cody Wright - 72
Tie-Down Roping
1. Hunter Herrin - 8.6
2. Seth Childers - 8.7
3. Monty Lewis - 9.0
4. Stran Smith - 9.5
5. Wes Lockard - 13.5
6. Joseph Parsons - 18.1
7. Trevor Brazile - 18.9
