(Susan Kanode/National Western Stock Show Rodeo)
DENVER, Colo. – Just three years ago, bareback rider Austin Foss, from Terrebonne, Oregon, found out what it was like to win a championship at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo.
After a good ride in the finals, he had to wait for the awards ceremony before leaving the Mile-High City for the next rodeo. Making that wait with him was Richmond Champion from The Woodlands, Texas, who tied for the win.
That win in Denver helped his qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) the second of three times. He made three consecutive trips to Las Vegas to compete for rodeo’s gold buckle and world title from 2013 thru 2015. Then in 2016 he competed in events that weren’t sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Missing the opportunity to compete at rodeos across the country saw him make a comeback in 2017 where he finished the season just outside of the top 15 who qualify for the NFR. Foss is back on the rodeo trail this year and is determined to qualify for the NFR next December.
Foss got on his first horse in the Denver Coliseum Monday afternoon and scored 84.5 points. He rode again Tuesday night and nearly matched that with an 83.5. He moved into second place in the overall standings here with a total score of 168. His is just a half-point behind the leader, Nate McFadden from Elsmere, Nebraska.
K.L. Spratt, from Huntsville, Texas, had an opportunity to take command of the leaderboard in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association barrel race. She is currently second in the first round with a 15.40 that she ran on Monday. On Tuesday, she and her 11-year-old mare were making a quick trip around the barrels and got a little too close on the third one. That added a five-second penalty to her time of 15.33 which would have been the fastest of the rodeo so far. Now she will be hoping that her first-round time holds up and she gets a check from that.
There are two performances of the rodeo at the National Western Stock Show on Wednesday at 1:30 and 7 p.m.
There is one performance of the rodeo at the National Western Stock Show on Tuesday. Action starts in the Denver Coliseum at 7 p.m.
Tenth Performance —
Bareback Riding: 1, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 83.5 points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Lightening. 2, Kyle Bounds, Harrisburg, Ore., 81.5. 3, Trenten Montero, Winnemucca, 77. 4, Gavin DeRose, Kamloops, British Columbia, 73.5.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D., 4.1. 2, Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla., 5.2. 3, Brent Sutton, Oglala, S.D., 5.4. 4, Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont., 13.3.
Team Roping: 1, (tie) Cole Dorenkamp, Lamar, Colo., and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo.; and Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Walt Woodward, Stephenville, Texas, 4.8. 3, Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., and Paul Eaves, Londell, Mo., 5.3. 4, Tom Richards, Humboldt, Ariz., and Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., 5.6.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Bradley Harter, Loranger, La., 82 points on Calgary Stampede’s Zipper Whitmey. 2, Joey Sonnier III, New Iberia, La., 81.5. 3, Spencer Wright, Milford, Utah, 80. 4, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 76.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Jack Tyner, Laramie, Wyo., 8.8. 2, Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, 9.0. 3, Blake Williamson, Duchess, Alberta, 9.3. 4, (tie) Sterling Smith, Stephenville, Texas, and logan Hofer, Magrath, Alberta, 10.8.
Women’s Barrel Racing: 1, Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas, 15.39. 2, Michelle Darling, Medford, Okla., 15.45. 3, Ivy Conrado, Hudson, Colo., 15.62. 4, K.L. Spratt, Huntsville, Texas, 20.33.
Bull Riding: (three rides) 1, Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas, 87 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Optimus Prime. 2, Eli Vastbinder, Athens, Texas, 84. 3, Tyson Donovan, Sturgis, S.D., 81.5.
Current leaders –
Bareback Riding: (first round) 1, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 89.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Jason’s Pride. 2, Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 86.5. 3, Jake Brown, Cleveland, Texas, 85. 4, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 84.5. (second round) 1, (tie) Nate McFadden, Elsmere, Neb., on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Dream Machine and Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Wild Style, 85 points each. 3, Jared Keylon, Uniontown, Kan., 84. 4, Shane O’Connell, Rapid City, S.D., 83.5. (total on two) 1, Nate McFadden, Elsmere, Neb., 168.5. 2, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 168. 3, (tie) Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., and Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 166.5.
Steer Wrestling: (first round) 1, Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif., 3.8 seconds. 2, Chason Floyd, Buffalo, S.D., 3.9. 3, Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D., 4.1. 4, Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis., 4.2. (second round) 1, Jacob Talley, Keatchi, La., 3.8. 2, Cole Edge, Durant, Okla., 3.9. 3, Will Lummus, West point, Miss., 4.0. 4, Jon Ragatz, Beeville, Wis., 4.1. (total on two) 1, Chason Floyd, 8.3. 2, Jon Ragatz, Beeville, Wis., 8.7. 3, Jason Thomas, Benton, Ark., 8.8. 4, Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo., 8.9.
Team Roping: (first round) 1, Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah and Quin Kesler, Holden, Utah, 4.7. 2, (tie) Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas; and Cole Dorenkamp, Lamar, Colo., and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo.; 4.8 each. 4, (tie) Lane Ivy, Adrian, Texas, and Buddy Hawkins II, Columbus, Kan.; and Lightning Aguilera, Athens, Texas, and Brady Norman, Springer, Okla., 5.1. 4, (tie) Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Ariz., and Kyle Lockett, Visalia, Calif.; and Dawson Graham, Wainwright, Alberta, and Keely Bonnett, Ponoka, Alberta; 5.3 each. (second round) 1, Spencer Mitchell, Orange Cove, Calif., and Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore., 4.1. 2, Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 4.5. 3, Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 4.6. 4, Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Levi Tyan, Wallace, Neb., 4.7. (total on two) 1, Lightning Aguilera and Brady Norman, 10.1. 2, Aaron Tsinigine, Tuba City, Okla., and Kyle Lockett, Visalia, Calif., 10.5. 3, Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 10.6. 4, Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, and Patrick Smith, Lipan, Texas, 11.8.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round) 1, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 85.5 points on Cervi Brother’s Womanizer. 2, Tanner Lockhart, Lewis, Colo., 84.5. 3, Joey Sonnier III, New Iberia, La., 82. 4, Chanse Darling, Hyattville, Wyo., 81.5. (second round) 1, Jacobs Crawley, Boerne, Texas, 86.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Sue City Sue. 2, (tie) Tyrel Larsen, Weatherford, Okla., and Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 84.5 each. 4, (tie) Audy Reed, Spearman, Texas, and Bradley Harter, Loranger, La., 82. (total on two) 1, Zeke Thurston, 170. 2, Joey Sonnier III, New Iberia, La., 163.5. 3, Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb., 162. 4, (tie) Audy Reed, Spearman, Texas, and Chanse Darling, Hyattville, Wyo., 160.5.
Tie-Down Roping: (first round) 1, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 7.5 seconds. 2, (tie) Cody Craig, Wendell, Idaho, and Marcos Costa, Childress, Texas, 7.5 each. 4, (tie) Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla., and Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La., 8.0. (second round) 1, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 7.2. 2, Randall Carlisle, Athens, La., 7.3. 3, Matt Shiozawa, Chubbock, Idaho, 7.8. 4, Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca city, Okla., 8.0. (total on two) 1, Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla., 16.0 seconds. 2, Marcos Costa, Childress, Texas, 16.3. 3, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 16.6. 4, Matt Shiozawa, Chubbock, Idaho, 17.1.
Women’s Barrel Racing: (first round) 1, Cayla Small, Burneyville, Okla., 15.39 seconds. 2, K.L. Spratt, Huntsville, Texas, 15.40. 3, Kathy Grimes, Medical Lake, Wash., 15.46. 4, Lori Todd, Willcox, Ariz., 15.48. (second round) 1, Cayla Small, Burneyville, Okla., 15.37. 2, Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas, 15.39. 3, Wendy McKee, Craig, Colo., 15.44. 4, Michele Darling, Medford, Okla., 15.45. (total on two) 1, Cayla Small, Burneyville, Okla., 30.76. 2, Wendy McKee, Craig, Colo., 30.96. 3, (tie) Lori Todd, Willcox, Ariz., and Nikki Hansen, Dickinson, N.D., 31.05.
Bull Riding: (first round) 1, (tie) Tanner Bothwell, Rapid City, S.D., on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s HTTR, and Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo., on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Living After Midnight, 86 points each. 3, (tie) Elliot Jacoby, Fredericksburg, Texas, and Joseph McConnell, Bloomfield, N.M., 85. (second round) 1, Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo., 87.5 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Foolish Crimes. 2, Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas, 87. 3, Reid Barker, Comfort, Texas, 85.5. 4, (tie) Colby Demo, Red Bluff, Calif., and Joe Frost, Randlett, Utah, 82. (total on two) 1, Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo., 173.5 points. 2, Colby Demo, Red Bluff, Calif., 162. 3, Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash., 160.5. 4, Joe Frost, Randlett, Utah, 159.5.
