Round Ten

Team Wyoming cowboys are bringing a huge pile of Las Vegas money back to the “Cowboy State.” One veteran team roper won his first gold buckle and every Wyoming bull rider finished off the grueling 10 nights of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo by completing a scored ride.

Jhett Takes Title

“Did we win the world?” Jhett Johnson asked after collecting honors, with partner Turtle Powell, for the average (fastest time on the most successful runs) team roping victory at the national finals. Eric Schmoldt of the Casper Star-Tribune was chasing Jhett down the hall with the tally sheet. “You won it Jhett,” he said handing the Casper man a white sheet with a lot of numbers on it. There was only one number Johnson saw before welling with earned tears. “1” The world championship – the best pro rodeo team roping heeler in 2011 – is Jhett Johnson. The last run for Johnson and Powell didn’t have to be spectacular it just had to be solid. Their 10-second outing was plenty good:

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Johnson sprang to the top from the #12 spot going into the national finals. The planning is underway for a victory party in Casper.

Four for Four

The Championship Saturday round of bull riding was one of the best in many years as a tough bunch of hombres outlasted their bulls 8-7. It has not been rare to have only two or three men make the whistle in the finals. All of Team Wyoming’s foursome lit the lamp. We’ll show you two of them. Road partners Tyler Willis (with chute help from Clayton Savage) and Seth Glause – who got to do his thing on a Wyoming bull:

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Bobby Welsh of Gillette was money king of Wyoming’s bull riders. He quietly won $81K in Vegas. Tyler Willis had an impressive first finals netting more than $75,000 successfully scoring on five of ten bulls. Seth Glause and Clayton Savage each made a not-too-shabby $30K.

A scary end to the rodeo came when Shane Proctor, who went to college at Northwest in Powell, was stepped on after coming off his bull. Justin Sports Medicine people were quick to bring care and later said Proctor – the 2011 world champ – is going to be fine and would not require hospitalization.

Miller Moves On

“I may just load the horses now and start practicing again tomorrow,” said steer wrester Jason Miller of Lance Creek after a bad outing to finish the finals. There’s nothing bad about his overall work in Vegas. Miller bull dogged well enough to earn nearly $94,000 in ten days. He finishes 2011 in the #3 spot in the world standings.