PAGE B2 Monday, July 17, 2017
FROM THE FRONT
Team Californias Lane Wheeler chases a calf during the first performance of calf roping at the National High School Finals Rodeo at Morningside Park.
Timed events: First go starts smoothly, but weather turns sour after pole bending competition
Continued from Page B
 1
competitor to go Sunday.
Hoss, who finished in 2.44 seconds,
was able to watch the other cowgirls
and scout out the calves while they
were in the holding area.
These calves, I dont think theyve
ever roped them before, she said.
They were fresh. My mom and I
practiced that before we left home ...
you know, with fresh calves. I think
it was just that they were fresh calves
and people werent reading that.
Hoss preparation time paid off and
could put her in a good spot to com-
pete for a national championship.
Hoss doesnt compete again until
Saturday morning in the second go,
but her time Sunday wouldve been
the sixth-best in last years short-go
championship round.
I think it was quite a bit of an
advantage (to sit back), Hoss said. I
got to see that the pen of calves was
even and it wasnt just a select few
that werent going to leave the lots.
Its a solid time.
Weather picks up
A continuous downpour of rain
and heavy wind affected half of the
events Sunday when the storm rolled
through at 8:24p.m.
One event that wasnt affected by
the weather was pole bending. When
Walkerton, Indiana, cowgirl Hope
Louderback the final pole bender
of the night finished up her pat-
tern, the wind and rain picked up.
But Mother Nature couldnt
deter Louderbacks teammate Anna
Dietrich. The Greenville, Indiana,
cowgirl turned in the only time under
20 seconds Sunday to take the early
lead. Dietrich finished in 19.981.
Hes always usually in the 20s, but
his fastest time is 19.3, Dietrich said
of her horse. As long as I can run
another clean run, I should be OK.
My horse will run for me.
Hunter Kelly
of Arizona
competes in
bull riding
at Cam-plex
Morning-
side Park in
Gillette in the
first perfor-
mance of the
2017 National
High School
Finals Rodeo.
News Record
Photo/
Alex Goodlett
S GILLETTE NEWS RECORD S GILLETTE, WYOMING
Kendall Hamm with team Virginia competes in pole bending Sunday during the first performance of the Na-
tional High School Finals Rodeo at Morningside Park.
Dietrich was the 13th cowgirl to
finish her pole-bending run and all of
her fellow competitors also finished
before the weather turned. Although
she didnt have to deal with the ele-
ments, she said she could sympathize
with what the other NHSFR competi-
tors had to deal with.
Goat tying came after pole bending
and was completed in a driving rain.
The poles got over before all that
happened, Dietrich said. Thats just Keith of Stanfield, Arizona (7.82),
the luck of draw. It sucks for them to
have to go through that.
Six girls in goat tying despite the
constant rain posted times under
8 seconds. Aimee Davis of Central
Point, Oregon, put up the top time of
the night of 7.15 seconds.
Grants, New Mexico, cowgirl
Chali Simpson was second in 7.36,
followed by Mckenna Brennan of
Fallon, Nevada (7.55), Sierra Jo
edged Brooke Wilson of Big Fork,
Bryana Lehrmann of Brenham,
Texas (7.82) and Caxton Marton of
Alma, Kansas, (7.92).
Louisiana, Wyoming, Idaho
lead other timed events
Jillian Carter of Benton,
Louisiana, topped the barrel racing
leaderboard after Sundays first per-
formance.
Carters time of 17.466 seconds
led girls cutting with 149.
Rough stock: Tough night for some
Continued from Page B
 1
during steer wrestling when Iowas
Judd Grover was helped out of
the arena on a stretcher. Grover
appeared to get stepped on while
wrestling the steer, but no update
was available on his condition after
the rodeo.
The steer wrestling event allowed
three more competitors to go after
Grover while he was being taken to
the hospital, then the competition
was halted to allow the ambulance
to come back to Morningside Park
in case it was needed the rest of the
night, which it wasnt.
Between Grovers injury and the
ambulance delay, Spring Creek,
Nevada, cowboy Daniel Eary
turned in the best chute-dogging
performance of the night.
Eary, a three-time NJHSFR and
NHSFR competitor, was the only
competitor to wrestle a steer in less
than 6 seconds. Eary won the per-
News Record Photos/ Ed Glazar
MKenzie Monfort of Hawaii com-
petes in pole bending Sunday.
Montana, who finished second in
17.609.
Wyoming cowboys Wheaton
Williams of Big Horn and Jerren
Johnson of Casper put together the
top time in team roping. Williams and
Johnson finished in 5.97 seconds, the
only mark under 6 seconds Sunday.
Wendall, Idaho, cowboy Brayden
Roe posted the best time in tie-down
roping in 9.83 seconds. Gallatin,
Missouri, cowboy Tom Crouse was
second in 10.01.
Myles Kenzy of Iona, South
Dakota, and Tyre Wittwer of St.
George, Utah led reined cow horse
after Sunday. Both posted scores of
288.5 points.
Laverne, Oklahoma, cowboy
Austin Christensen had the top
score in boys cutting with 147 points
and Kate Jaros of St. Charles, Iowa,
formance in 5.31 seconds.
On the bareback side of rough-
stock, nine riders turned in scoring
rides Sunday.
Beau Southern of Malta, Idaho,
scored 73 points to take the early
lead. The 73-point score wouldve
been the third-highest score in last
years short go championship round.
Cooper Bennett of Roosevelt,
Idaho, also topped the 70-point
threshold with a ride of 71 Sunday
night.
The saddle bronc riders werent
quite as lucky as their bareback
counterparts as only four saddle
posted scoring rides Sunday night.
Parker Fleet of Axtell, Texas,
scored 70 and edged out J.R.
Peterson of Lapoint, Utah, who
had a 69 to post the top score of the
performance.
Sage Miller of Springview,
Nebraska, was third with a 65-point
ride and Koy Myers of Thermopolis,
Wyoming, posted a 62.