Bareback and Saddle Bronc Riders Rule at San Antonio
Susan Kanode
SAN ANTONIO, Texas --- It was a day for high-marked rides in the bareback riding and saddle bronc riding at the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo on Saturday.
With outstanding horses fromCalgary Exhibition and Stampede and Andrews Rodeo Company up against top talent in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association there were several changes in the leader board.
The reigning National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association bareback rider, Ryan Gray is making a name for himself as well in the professional ranks. Gray is coming off a win at the National Western Stock Show in Denver. Gray, who is
going to school at Texas Tech in Lubbock, makes his home in Cheney, Wash. In the afternoon performance, he rode Honey Sweet for 80 points, successful in the first round but not enough points to get a check.
Gray knew he had his work cut out for him at the Saturday night performance
The horse he would ride was Coconut Roll from Calgary, a known bucker who is the mother of two-time world champion bareback horse Grated Coconut. Last August at the Caldwell Night Rodeo in Idaho, Gray rode Grated Coconut and
it was all he could do to make the eight-second whistle.
He learned from that experience and made the most of his eight-seconds on Coconut Roll. When the judges added up their scores, Gray had an 87-point ride at the top of the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Scoreboard. He also moved to the top
of the over-all standings with 167 points on two head.
He is traveling from San Antonio to Jackson, Miss., tonight with Tyson Thompson from Templeton, Calif., and Zach Dishman from Beaumont, Texas. Thompson was also successful here scoring 84 and 82. He is in second place in the
overall standings. Dishman was very successful in the second round, scoring 83. He didn't have as good a trip in the first round so is questionable to make it back here for the Wrangler ProrRodeo Tour Round on Feb. 20.
"That all-night drive to Jackson is going to be much easier now," Gray said. "We'll have plenty to talk about." After they compete in Jackson, they will drive back to Lubbock where Gray and Dishman will be back in class on Monday.
Rodeo fans missed Dan Mortensen at the 2004 edition of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The six-time world champion saddle bronc rider was injured in Dallas at the Pace Picante ProRodeo Classic last November. He has recovered from
that injury and got on his first horse here on Saturday. That ride was successful with a 79 point marking. With a little help from the Justin Sports Medicine Team, Mortensen was ready to ride again Saturday night and he bettered himself
with an 84-point ride on Calgary's Darn Sassy. Mortensen is currently in third place in the aggregate and has a good chance of coming back here to compete in the tour round.
There are two performances at the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo at the SBC Center on Sunday, at 1 and 7:30 p.m.
The following are results from the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo, Feb. 11, 2005 courtesy of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company.
Ninth Performance
Bareback Riding: 1, Tyson Thompson, Templeton, Calif., 84 points on Grit Your Teeth. 2, William Pittman, Florence, Miss., 83. 3, James Boudreaux, Cuero, Texas, 81. 4/5, Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., and David Smith, Bellville, Texas, 80.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Casey Martin, Sulphur, La., 5.2 seconds. 2, Trey Picou, III, Grand Chenier, La., 6.3. 3, Rod Lyman, Victor, Mont., 6.4. 4, Eric Savant, Kinder, La., 6.8.
Team Roping: 1, Colby Schneeman, Big Lake, Texas, and Jed Middleton, Lubbock, exas, 4.7. 2, Rance Gantt, Athens, La., and Arles Pearce, Washington, Texas, 5.4. 3, Todd Arthur, Navasota, Texas, and Paul Hopkins, III, Santa Fe, Texas,
5.8. 3, Brandon Bohac, Victoria, Texas, and Luke Sullivan, Beaumont, Texas, 6.0. 4, Matt Tyler, Lipan, Texas, and Cody Cowden, Merced, Calif., 6.3.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Alan Bandy, Wainwright, Alberta, 82 points on Papa Smurf. 2/3, Dan Mortensen, Billings, Mont., and Shawn Morehead, Bear River, Utah, 79. 4, Kyle Thomson, Black Diamond, Alberta, 76.
Team Roping: (three times) 1, J.D. Bacon, Haworth, Okla., and Mike Bacon, Soper, Okla., 4.9 seconds. 2, Chris Lawson, Austin, Texas, and Kurt Lassmann, Meyersville, Texas, 5.6. 3, Joe Serrata, Los Fresonos, Texas, and Glen Holland,
Belton, Texas, 6.7.
Saddle Bronc: 1/2, Dan Mortensen, Billings, Mont., on Darn Sassy, and Alan Bandy, Wainwright, Alberta, on Snort, 84 points. 3, Rusty Allen, Lehi, Utah, 80. 4, Denny Hay, Mayerthorpe, Alberta, 74.
Bull Riding: (three rides) 1, Casey Baize, San Angelo, Texas, 81 on Bad Arizona Diamond. 2, Sterling Yancy, Bulverde, Texas, 80. 3, Mark Lopes, Mokleumne Hill, Calif., 67.
Current Leaders
Bareback Riding: (first round)1, Dustin Murray, Midwest City, Okla., 86 points on Bad Perry. 2, J.D. Garrett, Jr., Grandview, Texas, 85. 3-5; Chad Klein, Stephenville, Texas; Eric Swenson, Bonham, Texas; and Tyson Thompson,
Templeton, Calif.; 84. (second round) 1, Ryan Gray, Cheney, Wash., 87 points on Coconut Roll. 2/3, Davey Shields, Jr., Bashaw, Alberta, and James Boudreaux, Cuero, Texas, 84. 4/5, Pete Hawkins, Weatherford, Texas, and Zach
Dishman, Beaumont, Texas, 83. (aggregate - on two) 1, Gray, 167. 2, Thompson, 166. 3, Boudreaux, 165. 4, Hawkins, 164.
Steer Wrestling: (second round) 1, J.W. Aldrich, North Richland Hills, Texas, 4.0 seconds. 2, Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, 4.2. 3, Rowdy Cooper, Fort Worth, Texas, 4.3. 4, Justin Smith, Castle, Okla., 4.4
(aggregate - on two) 1, Joey Bell, Jr., 9.5. 2, Brad Willis, Sulphur Springs, Texas, 9.7. 3, Bob Lummus, Folsum, La., 11.2. 4, Jeb Chesson, Bandera, Texas, 12.0.
Tie Down Roping:(second round) 1, Nate Baldwin, Rigby, Idaho, 8.0. 2, Rusty Sewalt, Del Rio, Texas, 8.4. 3/4, Scott Baker, Floresville, Texas, and Dennis Luetge, Hempstead, Texas, 8.6. (aggregate - on two)
1, Fred Whitfield, Hockley, Texas, 17.4. 2, Price Phillips, Van Vleck, Texas, 17.8. 3, Lane Lee Jeffrey, Wilburton, Okla., 18.2. 4, Luetge, 18.3.
Team Roping: (second round) 1, Garrett Tonozzi, Fruita, Colo., and Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 4.3. 2, Colby Schneemann, Big Lake, Texas, and Jed Middleton, Lubbock, Texas, 4.7. 3/4, Clay Tryan, Midland, Texas, and
Patrick Smith, Midland, Texas; and J.D. Bacon, Haworth, Okla., and Mike Bacon, Soper, Okla.; 4.9. (aggregate - on two) 1, Tryan and Smith, 10.0. 2, Ryan Jarrett, Summerville, Ga., and Casey Cox, Fort Valley, Ga., 10.4. 3,
Schneeman and Middleton, 10.5. 4, Brandon Bohac, Victoria, Texas and Luke Sullivan, Beaomont, Texas, 11.1.
Saddle Bronc Riding:(first round) 1, Cody Martin, Smackover, Ark., 84 points on Trail's End. 2, Alan Bandy, Wainwright, Alberta, 84. 3, Mark Huver, Nashville, Mich., 81. 4/5, Bradley Harter, Aledo, Texas, and David
Howard, Fallon, Nev., 80. (second round) 1, Marty Hebb, Eagle Butte, S.D., 85 points on Lonestar Smokeless. 2-5; Ira Slagowski, Plain City, Utah; Rowdy Rathmell, Wills Point, Texas; Dan Mortensen, Billings, Mont.; and Bandy;
84. (aggregate - on two) 1, Bandy, 166. 2, Martin, 164. 3, Mortensen, 163. 4-6;, Harter; Slagowski; and Mark Huver, Nashville, Mich., 160.
