Rodeo: C-Falls' Hill bucked on bad day for cowboys

A good bull, just a bad ride.

That pretty well summed it up for Beau Hill Saturday night during the final performance of the Rocky Mountain Classic PRCA Rodeo at Majestic Valley Arena.

The veteran cowboy from Columbia Falls almost made the whistle on Smooth Crimmanal, but in the end, he said that doesn’t really count for anything.

“A nice little bull,” he said.

“Bad riding on my part.”

But he wasn’t alone.

There were no scoring rides on Saturday and just one the night before. That honor went to Kody DeShon of Helena. He scored an 82 on Action Cat during Friday’s performance. That ride turned into a $3,849 payday.

“I just didn’t ride him very well,” Hill said of Smooth Crimmanal.

“He kind of ran me to the back.”

And that’s when the bull ride ended.

It was a long day for Hill, who left Austin, Texas, at 5 a.m. He arrived in Kalispell at 1 p.m., in time to watch his 12-year-old daughter LaKaia play in a basketball tournament.

“She won both her games,” he said proudly.

He couldn’t match her success this time out.

This rodeo concluded a very busy stretch for the well-traveled Hill. He did “pretty good” at an open rodeo in Tucson, Arizona, and at a few other stops along the way.

Over the course of the last three weeks, he’s competed in 12 rodeos.

“Take a couple of weeks off,” he said.

“I’m feeling pretty sore right now.

“He’s got some good bulls,” Hill said of Shane Gunderson’s Bailey Rodeo Company.

“They are ones you wanna get on. That makes rodeos fun.”

Nolan Conway of Browning had a busy night competing in three events.

He posted the top time in tie-down roping — 10 seconds — which was good for first place.

That was the highlight.

He came up short in steer wrestling with a time of eight seconds and did not have a time in team roping. There was no cash for him in those events.

“Broke even,” he said money-wise.

He was the header in team roping with Chad Johnson of Cut Bank the heeler. Conway managed to do his part, but Johnson couldn’t finish it.

“Eventful,” he said of his day.

“Started off with that horse.”

His 13-year-old quarter horse Cody had stomach issues, which required the attention of a veterinarian.

Thus he had to ride his wife’s horse James, an 18-year-old quarter horse.

“He did good,” Conway said of James.

“We brought (James) along for my little girl to ride.

“It was a little bit distracting,” he said.

“I was kinda worried about him (Cody).”

Conway, 29, has been competing in three events for much of his rodeo career.

“I don’t know why,” he said.

“I don’t favor one over the other. I wish I would focus on one. If I did that I would be at the NFR (National Finals Rodeo).”

Walt Anseth of Helena had the winning time, 4.4 seconds, in steer wrestling.

Travis Nichols of Helena and Tim Garrison of Divide won the team roping in 7.1 seconds.

Rocky Mountain Classic PRCA Rodeo

Final Results

Saturday at Majestic Valley Arena

Saddle bronc — 1. Shorty Garrett, Dupree, S.D., 81 on Stars N Stripes, $1,184.40; 2. Wyatt Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 77, $888.30; 3. (tie) Jake Brown, Ponoka, Alberta, and Doug Fitzgerald, Babb, 72 each, $444.15 each.

Tie-down roping — 1. Nolan Conway, Browning, 10.0, $770.80; 2. Ben Robinson, Red Deer County, Alberta, 10.3, $578.10; 3. Austin Barstow, Springview, Neb., 11.4, $385.40; 4. Ben Ayre, Glendive, 11.8, $192.70.

Bareback riding — 1. Seth Shelton, Kennewick, Wash., 81 on Wyatt Earp, $940; 2. George R. Gillespie IV, Hamilton, 78, $705; 3. Nick Gutzwiler, Cheney, Wash., 70, $470; 4. Chase Redfield, Opheim, 67, $235.

Team roping — 1. Travis Nichols, Helena/Tim Garrison, Divide, 7.1, $714.40 each; 2. Travis Winters, Joliet/Kory Mytty, Lolo, 8.2, $535.80 each; 3. Chris Witcher, Roundup/Shane Bessette, Great Falls, 9.0, $357.20 each; 4. Josh Granell, Havre/John Bell, Harlem, 14.5, $178.60 each.

Steer wrestling — 1. Walt Anseth, Helena, 4.4, $1,015.20; 2. Shawn Downing, Silver Star, 4.5, $761.40; 3. Luke Gee, Stanford, 4.6, $507.60; 4. (tie) Jesse James Brown, Baker City, Ore., and Johnny Silva, Powell, Wyo., 5.1 each, $126.90 each.

Barrel racing — Results not available

Bull riding — 1. Kody DeShon, Helena, 82 on Action Cat, $3,849.