Top marks for Rocky Mountain Classic Rodeo
Things got off to an interesting start at Friday night’s Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Rocky Mountain Classic Rodeo at the Majestic Valley Arena. Buck Lunak of Cut Bank hung on for an eight-second bareback ride, kicking off the evening with a bang.
And although he managed to hang on, he was offered an optional reride because his horse bucked itself right off its feet and almost sat on the rider. Lunak took the reride and posted a score of 79, in the one go-round event, with Tate Schwagler of Mandan, N.D., coming first with an 80-point ride. In fact, all five bareback riders posted qualifying rides.
The tie-down ropers in the next event didn’t have quite as good a run as the bareback riders, with only four out of 10 posting times. Richard Riley Warren of Settler, Alberta, took top honors in the single-round event with a time of 10.4
Saddle bronc riders had their hands full with some rank rides, one of which almost ended up in the audience, colliding face-first with the arena fence. Luckily, no one was hurt. But the frisky horses meant there weren’t many qualifying rides, with only three out of 12 posting. Jacob Stacey got the winning ride with a score of 72.
Chance Gartner of Pasco, Wash., turned in the fastest time for steer wrestling, managing to get his draw to the ground in just four seconds. In fact, the event went quickly, with five out of 12 cowboys posting times, all under 5.9 seconds.
Clay Ullery of Two Hills, Alberta, and Riley Richard Warren of Settler, Alberta, took home the purse for team roping with a time of 7.9 seconds, a full second faster than their closest competators. Out of nine teams, four managed to post qualifying times, with Shayne Bishop of Malta and Jordan Handy of Chinook placing second with a time of 8.9 seconds.
Katie Rassmussen of Choteau posted the fastest time in barrel racing, coming in at 14.96 seconds. Eleven out of the 12 riders posted qualifying times, making the event a real crowd pleaser.
The last event of the evening saw Pandemic loose his rider in a matter of moments, and in fact, there were no qualifying bull rides posted.
The PRCA Rocky Mountain Classic Rodeo has another performance tonight at 7:30 at Majestic Valley Arena. Tickets are available at the door.
Friday’s Results
Barrel Racing: Katie Rassmussen, Choteau, 14.96; Amber O’Donnell, Belgrade, 15.27; Julie Lenoir, Cut Bank, 15.63; Raelene Konzak, 15.04; Tammy Thompson, Ramsay, 15.12; Theresa Walter, Billings, 21.68; Valee Cooley, Billings, 15.6; Darae Larson, Belt, 15.61; Jamie Martin, Great Falls, 15.08; Jessica DeSaveur, Joliet, 15.5; Nikki Ostrum, Huntley, 15.37.
Bareback Riding: Seth Shelton, Kennewick, Wash., 69; Goldman Real Bird, Crow Agency, 68; Buck Lunak, Cut Bank, 79; Tate Schwagler, Mandan, N.D., 80.
Tie-Down Roping: Brant Davis, Sand Coulee, 12.7; Zane Not Afraid, Lodge Grass, 12.8; Clayton Miller, Billings, 20; Settler, Alberta, 10.4.
Steer Wrestling: Rian Conway, Browning, 5.5; Ty Erickson, Helena, 5.7; Chance Gartner, Pasco, Wash., 4.0; Straws Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 5.8; Todd Woodward, Lethbridge, Alberta, 5.5.
Saddle Bronc Riding: Chad Thomson, Black Diamond, Alberta, 69; Adam Gilchrist, Maple Creek, Saskatechewan, 65; Jacob Stacey, 72.
Team Roping: Mark Cassel, Shelby, and Casey Bird, Cut Bank, 13.1; Shayne Bishop, Malta, and Jordan Handy, Chinook, 8.9; Brant Davis, Sand Coulee, and Sam Levine, Wolf Creek, 15.8; Clay Ullery, Two Hills, Alberta and Riley Richard Warren, Settler, Alberta, 7.9.
Bull Riding: No qualifying rides.