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| 8/13/2003 | Email this article • Print this article
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| Zack Bright learns quickly why it’s a smart idea to wear a helmet as his bull gets a lot of air before blowing the Ephrata, Wash., rider out the back door and flat on his back in Saturday’s bull riding competition. |
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Fair rodeo rips, snorts
By Tim Adams
Sports editor
JOHN DAY — Samantha Gallagher from Pendleton and Hines bull rider Clint Johnson saved their best performances for the final day of the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association event at the Grant County Fairgrounds Arena on Sunday, Aug. 10.
Gallagher, who was third-scheduled rider in the breakaway roping event, arrived late to the arena and was the final rider to take her place behind the barrier for her chance to rope a speeding calf.
Up to that point, Shayne Arnold from Glenwood, Wash., was leading the pack of ropers, having turned in a sizzling time of 2.94 seconds in Sunday’s slack performance, and appeared to have a lock on the first-place prize money.
However, everything went right for Gallagher and her horse in the last run of the day. The pair managed to work the rope around the calf without breaking the barrier to record a time of 2.78 seconds to come away with the victory.
Third place went to Jennifer Casey from Mesa, Wash., who had a run of 3.00 seconds in Sunday’s slack.
After Saturday’s go-round of bull riding in which the bulls were 13-3 winners, fans were itching to see some action in the arena and the cowboys were up to the task turning in some great rides.
Joe Meling from Camas, Wash., had the top score on Saturday with 71 points.
Early in Sunday’s go-round, the “Wolf Man”, Dan Wolfe from Redmond, turned in an 80-point ride and appeared to be in the driver’s seat after Bryan Barker, the 2002 NPRA champion, scored 79 points aboard Zodiac to take over second place.
Then it was Johnson’s turn aboard a bull named The Rabbi, who had nothing resembling a religious personality.
The rank animal tried nearly every trick in the book spinning and dipping, but Johnson was up to the task and remained upright for the full eight seconds to score 87 big points and emerge as the 2003 Grant County Rodeo bull riding champion.
Other events on Sunday were equally exciting, with Caleb Bayes from Wilder, Idaho, turning in a 79-point ride in the bareback competition to unseat Mark Barkely from Redmond who had been the leader with 78 points after Saturday’s competition.
Boise, Idaho, bareback rider Ty Jones finished third with a Sunday score of 77 points.
Saddle broncs from the P-9 Rodeo Company were also a mean, rank bunch, and only Randy Shaffer from Arlington was able to remain in the saddle over two days of competition.
There were no successful rides on Saturday, and Shaffer’s 62-point ride on Sunday was an ugly one, but good enough to take home the first-place prize money.
First and second place in the steer wrestling were won by Jaye Kuebler from Eugene and Clint Seders from Adrian.
Both bull doggers recorded their times in the slack competition, with Kuebler’s time of 4.44 seconds coming on Sunday, and Seders having a run of 4.47 on Saturday.
Local steer wrestler Monte Legg from Mt. Vernon, recorded a time of 4.56 seconds in the Sunday afternoon performance in front of the home-town fans to finish third in the competition.
Paul Cope from Nampa, Idaho, scored a time of 8.72 seconds on Sunday to win the calf roping and unseat Tyler Bronkhorst from Walla Walla, Wash., who had held the lead after Saturday’s go-round with a time of 9.12.
Blaise Black from Meridian, Idaho, placed third after roping his calf in a time of 9.37 seconds in Sunday’s slack round.
California team ropers Waylon McCurley from Escalon and Mike George from Oakdale had a time of 6.16 seconds in Sunday’s go-round, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Brett McDowell from Twin Falls, Idaho, and Black who recorded a time of 5.81 in Sunday’s slack to win the event.
Sam Willis from Terrebonne and Kuebler finished in third place with Sunday slack time of 6.28.
Heidi Yarbor’s time of 17.45 seconds recorded in Saturday’s performance held up to give the Deer Island, Wash., rider the 2003 Grant County Rodeo barrel racing title.
Sammy Jo Willis from Terrebonne had a time of 17.51 in Sunday’s slack to place second, and Bobby Joan Jones from Bruneau recorded a time of 17.54 in the slack good for third place.
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