Rodeo Weekend Wrap-Up 9/2-9/5

Courtesy PRCA Media


The Badlands Circuit Steer Roping Finals turned into a family affair. Jess Tierney, 29,
and his ProRodeo Hall of Fame father, Paul, 59, were the only two competitors to rope and
tie all five of their steers in the Sept. 3 championship event at the Deadwood (S.D.)
Days of ’76 Arena. The edge went to Jess, who won the first two rounds and placed in a
third on his way to finishing with a total time of 79.6 seconds on five head, while his
dad was second in 85.5 seconds. Ora Taton was third with a time of 56.7 seconds on four
head. Jess Tierney earned $3,333 and Paul Tierney won $2,063, giving the South Dakota
family nearly 43 percent of the event’s total purse of $12,690. The other round winners
were Coy Thompson, Bobby Harris and 2010 Badlands Circuit champion Jay Pixley. Harris 
recorded the day’s fastest time, winning the fifth round in 11.0 seconds. 


In danger of going winless for the first time in his 35-year professional career, Guy
Allen pulled off a dominating steer roping win at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo Sept. 4. 
Allen, an 18-time world champion in the event, placed in both rounds and finished with 
a combined time of 26.9 seconds to hold off fellow Texan Shandon Stalls, who was second 
in 30.7 seconds. Chris Glover of Keenesburg, Colo., was the only other competitor to have 
two qualified runs and finished third in 34.8 seconds.


Wright Brothers take flight: Cody Wright equaled his season high by winning the saddle 
bronc riding at the Sept. 2-3 Sanders County Fair & PRCA Rodeo in Plains, Mont., with 
a 91-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Lipstick & Whiskey. He had earlier recorded 
91-point scores in Fort Worth, Texas, and Ogden, Utah. The two-time and reigning world 
champion also led a family 1-2-3 sweep at Plains. Jake Wright was second with 86 points 
and his twin brother, Jesse, followed with an 83.  Cody Wright also won the rodeo in 
White Sulphur Springs, Mont., and finished in a tie for third in Ellensburg, Wash., to 
increase his lead over second-place Taos Muncy in the world standings to more than $10,000.


It may or may not be a record, but it’s worth noting: When he won the team roping average 
with Garrison Dixon at the Dayton (Iowa) Championship Rodeo Sept. 5, Mel Potter was 76 years, 
eight months and three days old. A tie-down roping qualifier at the inaugural National 
Finals Rodeo in 1959, Potter just made the shift to team roping and kept on competing. 
He qualified for the Ram Great Lakes Circuit Finals Rodeo as recently as last season. 
The record that could be verified at Dayton? That would be the arena record of 4.3 seconds 
set by Troy Kitchener and Chad Mathes set in winning the second round of the team roping.


The Brazile Watch: Trevor Brazile was third in the all-around standings at the Ellensburg 
(Wash.) Rodeo with $1,750 for finishing fifth in the steer roping and $2,568 for winning 
the second round of the team roping with Patrick Smith. Those checks and another from Walla 
Walla, Wash., brought Brazile’s total season earnings to $225,216 – $4,331 ahead of last 
year’s pace when he broke ProRodeo records for regular-season and year-end money.