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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht9VYjtZLM0&feature=youtu.be
By Susan Kanode
After 20 years of competing at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, Jerome Schneeberger of Ponca City, Okla., won the tie-down roping championship. (photo by Dan Hubbell)
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – When the 2016 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo started, there were 1,216 contestants entered. On Sunday 10 of them earned the coveted buckle that is legendary, prestigious and one of the most sought-after and hard-to-earn championships in the rodeo world.
Case in point, this year’s tie-down roping winner Jerome Schneeberger from Ponca City, Okla., has been coming here for 20 years and finally won the title. This year’s champions ran the gamut of rodeo experience from Schneeberger’s 20 years to a rodeo rookie.
Seven of the ten championships went to first-time winners at the 120th edition of the “Daddy of ‘em All.” Texan Jarett Blessing, who won the steer roping in 2014 and again this year, was the only individual to repeat as champion. J.D. Yates of Pueblo, Colo., the steer roping winner here in 1994, earned the all-around title, competing in steer roping and team roping. Early in his career, he was in the team roping here with his father. On Sunday, he roped in front of 13,235 fans with his son Trey Yates. They earned $13,317 each in team roping. J.D. Yates earned additional money in steer roping to give him a total of $24,351 to get the buckle.
The most surprising win of the day was Schneeberger’s victory in the tie-down roping. He did not win money in either of the two preliminary rounds and qualified for the 12th and last position for the finals. He was the first roper out of the box and put together a 12.4-second run to take the early lead. His total time was 39.1 seconds, but since he came into the finals about four seconds slower than the leader, the odds were stacked against him. He had to wait through 11 ropers before he was announced as the winner.
This was Schneeberger’s 20th consecutive trip to Cheyenne. He has had success here before and even come close to winning the title but saw it slip from his grasp at the last minute.
“I thought it (winning the title) could happen, but I didn’t think about winning it until the last roper started having a bit of trouble,” he said. The Oklahoma cowboy has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas 11 times, but after shoulder surgery earlier this year, he is focusing on rodeos close to home.
At the opposite end of the spectrum was bull rider Roscoe Jarboe. The 20-year-old Idaho cowboy is in his rookie season in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was ranked 14th in the world championship standings and led the rookie standings earlier this week. After earning more than $15,000 in Cheyenne, he’s in seventh and in a much better position to qualify for his first NFR. Jarboe is also in the lead in the Resistol Rookie Standings in the bull riding.
Two competitors in their second seasons of pro rodeo took home the coveted CFD trophy buckles. J.D. Struxness of Appleton, Minn., who won the College National Finals Rodeo championship in steer wrestling in June, was much less nervous about competing at storied Frontier Park this year.
“When you are here for the first time, you are a little nervous,” Struxness said. “You hear about all the wrecks people have had and never hear about the good runs. Coming back for a second time, you are not as nervous.” His more than $15,000 payday here gives him a legitimate shot to qualify for his first NFR.
Tillar Murray, a 19-year-old barrel racer from Fort Worth, Texas, also competed here for the second time. “It is such an honor to run in the finals at Cheyenne, no matter how you do,” she said.
Murray, who will start her sophomore year at the University of Texas at Austin next month, has had an up-and-down season. Earlier this year her horse was hurt, then her trainer Ed Wright died in March and she took a break from barrel racing. When she returned to competition, she began riding a different horse, Royal Star Commander, that carried her to the CFD championship.
The biggest single event money winners in Cheyenne were team ropers Tyler Wade and Dakota Kirchenschlager. The Texas duo won more than $17,000 each, not bad for a pair of cowboys who just teamed up four months ago. Kirchenschlager has qualified for the NFR twice with other partners, but he and Wade both missed last year’s NFR by a slim margin. This win puts them both in the top ten and increases their chances to rope in Las Vegas in December.
Reigning world champion saddle bronc rider, and world standings leader, Jacobs Crawley from Boerne, Texas, put another notch in his gun here on Sunday. He won second in both preliminary rounds and was in the lead coming into the finals. He got on Korkow Rodeo’s Instant Noodle and scored 88.5 points to dominate his signature event. He added $16,480 to his earnings to widen the gap in the world standings.
Orin Larsen from Inglis, Manitoba won the bareback riding with 255.5 points. Larsen qualified for his first NFR last December. Then he won the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo in February and has been among the top three in the world standings since then. He earned $16,331 here.
Blessing had a total time of 53.9 seconds to earn his second steer roping title. The Paradise, Texas, ag teacher won $11,033.
Dates for the 121st Annual Cheyenne Frontier Days are July 21 – 30, 2017.
2016 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Champions
Bareback Riding – Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, 255.5 points, $16,331
Steer Wrestling – J.D. Struxness, Appleton, Minn., 26.7 seconds, $15,583
Team Roping – (header) Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, 27.0 seconds, $17,261
(heeler) Dakota Kirchenschlager, Morgan Mill, Texas, $17,261
Saddle Bronc Riding – Jacobs Crawley, Boerne, Texas, $16.480
Tie-Down Roping – Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla., 39.1 seconds, $11,434
Barrel Racing – Tillar Murray, Fort Worth, Texas, 52.73 seconds, $16,417
Bull Riding – Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, 246 points, $12,512
Steer Roping – Jarrett Blessing, Paradise, Texas, 53.9 seconds, $11,033
All-Around – J.D. Yates, Pueblo, Colo., $24,351 won in team roping and steer roping
Bareback Riding: (final round) 1, Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas, 88.5 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Onion Ring, $1,650. 2, Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba, 86.5, $1,250. 3, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 86, $900. 4, (tie) Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev., and Shane O’Connell, Rapid City, S.D., $475 each. 6, Tyler Nelson, Victor, Idaho, 84.5, $250. (total on three) 1, Larsen, 255.5 points, $8,276. 2, (tie) Tim and Shane O’Connell, 250, $5,518 each. 4, Champion, 247, $3,035. 5, Nelson, 246, $1,931. 6, (tie) Wyatt Denny and Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., 245.5, $1,241 each. 8, Justin Miller, Billings, Mont., 242.5, $828.
Steer Wrestling: (final round) 1, Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev., 9.0 seconds, $1,829. 2, J.D. Struxness, Appleton, Minn., 9.1, $1,590. 3, Chance Howard, Cedarville, Ark., 9.6, $1,352. 3, Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 10.4, $1,113. 5, Billy Bugenig, Ferndale, Calif., 10.7, $875. 6, Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho, 10.9, $636. 7, Gary Gilbert, New Underwood, S.D., 11.2, $398. 8, Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 11.3, $159. (total on three) 1, Struxness, 26.7, $9,374. 2, Bugenig, 27.9, $8,151. 3, Howard, 29.8, $6,929. 4, Gilbert, 30.6, $5,706. 5, Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb., 30.9, $4,483. 6, Dirk Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La., 32.7, $815.
Tie-Down Roping: (final round) 1, Jerome Schneeberger, Ponca City, Okla., 12.4 seconds, $1,702. 2, Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 14.8, $1,480. 3, Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 15.5, $1,258. 4, Josh Jennings, Glendale, Utah, 15.6, $1,036. 5, Brice Ingo, Boone, Colo., 16.5, $814. 6, Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas, $592. 7, Lane Jeffrey, Wilburton, Okla., 18.6, $370. 8, Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 19.8, $148. (total on three) 1, Schneeberger, 39.1 seconds, $9,732. 2, Solomon, 40.8, $8,462. 3, Jennings, 41.7, $7,193. 4, Etbauer, 41.9, $5,924. 6, Ingo, 42.9, $4,654. 6, Riemer, 44.1, $3,385. 7, Cooper, 44.7, $2,116. 8, Jeffrey, 45.2, $846.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (final round) 1, Jacobs Crawley, Boerne, Texas, 88.5 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Instant Noodle, $1,650. 2, Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La., 86, $1,250. 3, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 85.5, $900. 4, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 84.5, $600. 5, Garet Aldridge, Huntsville, Texas, 82, $350. 6, CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah, 81.5, $250. (total on three) 1, Crawley, 261, $7,334. 2, Heith DeMoss, 257, $5,623. 3, Thurston, 255.5, $4,156. 4, Hardy Braden, Welch, Okla., 249.5, $2,689. 5, Ryder Wright, 246, $1,711. 6, Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La., 242, $1,222. 7, Aldridge, 241, $978. 8, Bradshaw, 240.5, $733.
Steer Roping: (final round) (only 5 times) 1, Troy Tillard, Douglas, Wyo., 18.9 seconds, $1,813. 2, Jarrett Blessing, Paradise, Texas, 20.36, $1,500. 3, J.D. Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 20.7, $1,188. 4, Bobby Joe Hill, Mexia, Texas, 22.2, $875. 5, Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla., 22.4, $563. (total on three) 1, Jarrett Blessing, Paradise, Texas, 53.9 seconds, $8,939. 2, Bobby Joe Hill, Mexia, Texas, 58.6, $7,773. 3, J.D. Yates, Pueblo, Colo., $6,607. 4, 37.4. 5, Troy Tillard, Douglas, Wyo., 60.0, $5,441. (on two) 6, Todd Casebolt, Ryan, Okla., 32.8 $3,109. 7, Delon Parker, Worden, Mont., 37.4, $1,943. 8, Darin Suit, Ames, Okla., $39.2, $777.
Team Roping: (final round) 1, Kaleb Driggers, Albany, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Burleson, Texas, 8.8 seconds, $1,627 each. 2, Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Dakota Kirchenschlager, Morgan Mill, Texas, 9.8, $1,415 each. 3, Cole Dorenkamp, Lamar, Colo., and Josh Fillmore, Penrose, Colo., 11.0, $1,203. 4, Aaron Macy, Post, Texas, and Bret Tonozzi, Loma, Colo., 11.1, $991 each. 5, J.D. and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 11.8, $778 each. 6, Tom Richards, Humboldt, Ariz., and Evan Arnold, Santa Margarita, Calif., 12.8, $566 each. 7, Joe Beaver, Huntsville, Texas, and McCoy Profili, Okeechobee, Fla., 15.2, $354 each. 8, Pace Freed, Chubbuck, Idaho, and Logan Medlin, Stephenville, Texas, 17.6, $142 each. (total on three) 1, Wade and Kirchenschlager, 27.0, $9.,508 each. 2, Driggers and Nogueira, 28.4, $8,268 each. 3, J.D. and Trey Yates, 30.3, $7,027 each. 4, Richard and Arnold, 31.9, $4,547 each. 5, Dorenkamp and Fillmore, 33.3, $3,307 each. 7, Beaver and Profili, 35.4, $2,067. 8, Freed and Medlin, 39.3, $827 each.
Barrel Racing: (final round) 1, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 17.42 seconds, $4,601. 2, Amber Leigh Moore, Salem, Ore., 17.50, $3,451. 3, (tie) Jana Bean, Fort Hancock, Texas, and Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., 17.51, $1,725 each (total on three) 1, Tillar Murray, Fort Worth, Texas, 52.73 seconds, $9,318. 2, Cervi, 52.82, $7,987. 3, Lockhart, 52.85, $6,655. 4, Bean, 52.90, $5,768. 5, Sydni Blanchard, Albuquerque, N.M., 53.05, $4,437. 6, Amber Leigh Moore, Salem, Ore., 53.09, $3,550. 7, Sabra O’Quinn, Ocala, Fla., 53.29, $2,662. 8, Tyra Kane, Dublin, Texas, 53.30, $1,775. 9, Brenda Mays, Terrebonne, Ore., 53.36, $1,331. 10, Carley Richardson, Pampa, Texas, 53.43, $887.
Bull Riding: (final round) (five rides) 1, (tie) Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, on Dakota Rodeo’s Wipeout and Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., on Dakota Rodeo’s Crazy Days, 86 points, $1,450 each. 3, Trevor Reiste, Linden, Iowa, 83, $900. 4, Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, 81, $600. 5, Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho, 77, $350. (total on three) 1, Jarboe, 246, $8,772. 2, Askey, 241.5, $6,725. (on two) 3, Reiste, 169.5, $4,971. 4, Kimzey, 167, $3,216. 5, Eli Vastbinder, Statesville, N.C., 166, $2,047, 6, (tie) Ty Wallace, Collbran, Colo., and Justin Hendrix, Belton, Texas, 160.5, $1,316 each. 8, Freeman Yoder, Zearing, Iowa, 159.5, $877.
Wild Horse Race: (overall winners) 1, Billy Sharton Team, $5,383. 2, Team Allen, $4037, 3, (tie) Team Krack-A-Latch and Dylan Pierce Team, $2,019 each.