With 125 years of history behind it, the rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days is where legends are made and that gets contestants’ blood pumping any time they get in the arena.
It certainly was the case for Texan John Douch in the tie-down roping. Douch joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 2017. The very next year, the Huntsville resident finished one spot out of qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) at number 16.
This year he is on a mission to be in Las Vegas in December and compete for a gold buckle that says he is the world’s best. He’s very familiar with those gold buckles. His mentor Joe Beaver has won eight of them, five in the tie-down roping and three all-around championships.
Douch is on pace to do something that his mentor never accomplished, win a championship at the “Daddy of ‘em All.” He stopped the clock in 14.0 seconds in the qualifier round to advance to the Quarter Finals which began at the first performance on Saturday afternoon.
In front of a sold-out crowd, he was at the top of the leaderboard with an 11.3-second run. He now will be competing at the Semi-Finals that starts on Friday. Douch is currently in 18th place in the world standings so anything he wins is going to help him achieve his goal of competing for rodeo’s championships in December.
Jessica Routier has become a very familiar face in barrel racing circles, thanks to her great horse Fiery Miss West, “Missy.” The 10-year-old palomino mare has taken her to three NFRs and earned Routier many rodeo championships. One from Frontier Park would be among the biggest.
The barrel racing here started out with a field of over 200. Routier qualified for the Quarter Finals by being among the top 72. She will now be competing at the Semi Finals after stopping the clock in 17.41 seconds, one of the fastest times of the rodeo so far. She and her husband have five children and raise cattle near their home in Buffalo, South Dakota.
The second performance of the Quarter Finals will start at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday with another great crowd expected.
###
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 24, 2021) – The following are unofficial results from the Quarter Finals (first performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Saturday, July 24. Payoff subject to change.
Bareback Riding: 1, Mat Turner, Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia, 77 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dodge Avenger, $2,448. 2, Bodee Lammers, Stephenville, Texas, 75, $1,836. 3, Mike Fred, Wamego, Kan., 73.5, $1,224. 4, Keenan Reed Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 73, $611.
Breakaway Roping: 1, Josie Eichler, Newburg, Mo., Newburg, Mo., 4.3 seconds, $2,952. 2, Jayme Marcrum, Springtown, Texas, 5,1, $2,214. 3, Kayelen Helton, Stephenville, Texas, 5.2, $1,476. 4, Kirsten Smith, Fruita, Colo., 5.7, $737.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, John Douch, Huntsville, Texas, 11.3 seconds, $1,899. 2, Chance Oftedahl, Pemberton, Minn., 11.6, $1,424. 3, Jase Staudt, Nathrop, Colo., 12.4, $949. 4, Craig Leonard, Sonora, Texas, 12.6, $475.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding: (one ride) 1, Kody Rhinehart, Rienzi, Miss., 71 points.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Sterling Crawley, Huntsville, Texas, 85.5 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Hired Gun, $2,354. 2, Logan Cook, Alto, Texas, 84, $1,766. 3, Hardy Braden, Welch, Okla., 81.5, $1,177. 4, Cameron Messier, Herald, Calif., 80, $589.
Team Roping: 1, Jason Stewart, Pendleton, Ore., and Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore., 9.3 seconds, $1,847 each. 2, Tanner Baldwin, Vail, Ariz., and Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz., 9.5, $1,386 each. 3, Logan Olson, Flandreau, S.D., and Matt Kasner, Cody, Neb., 12.1, $924 each. 4, Cooper Bruce, Springer, Okla., and Reed Lewis Boos, White Cloud, Kan., 14.9, $462 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Chance Howard, Sadler, Texas, 6.0 seconds, $1,951. 2,(tie) Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., and Jay Williamson, Iowa, La., 8.2, $1,219 each. 4, Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D., 8.8, $488.
Barrel Racing: 1, Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D., 17.41 seconds, $2,225. 2, Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas, 17.75, $1,669. 3, (tie) Jana Bean, Ft. Hancock, Texas, and Shelly Mull, Amity, Ore., 17.79, $834 each.
Bull Riding: 1, Mason Spain, Forney, Texas, 84 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Outer Limits, $2,397. 2, Braden Richardson, Carthage, Texas, 82.5, $1,798. 3, Jesse Hopper, Mangum, Okla., 79.5, $1,198. 4, Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont., 78.5, $599.
John Douch, of Huntsville, Texas, won the tie-down roping at the first performance of Cheyenne Frontier Days. He stopped the clock in 11.3 seconds to advance from the Quarter Finals to the Semi Finals. – PRCA photo by Click Thompson.