PRCA Contestants fair well on Carr Pro Rodeo stock
By Alastair Lee Bitsoi
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, June 12, 2012
(Special to the Times – Donovan Quintero)
TOP: Bulldogger Russell Armenta from Bloomfield, N.M. misses the steer as it puts the brakes on Friday night at the Navajo Nation Fourth of July Celebration & PRCA Rodeo at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Rodeo in Window Rock.
SECOND FROM TOP: Bareback rider Delvecchio Kaye hangs on Friday evening at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in Window Rock. Kaye rode for a score of 60 points.
THIRD FROM THE TOP: Bull rider Jacob O'Mara from Baton Rouge, La., rides Friday night at the Navajo Nation Fourth of July Celebration & PRCA Rodeo at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in Window Rock. O'Mara rode for a score of 89 points.
T his year's Fourth of July Celebration and PRCA ProRodeo didn't disappoint with its strong showing of professional cowboys and cowgirls racking up points during the final leg of the Cowboy Christmas tour, and the highest quality and award-winning stock ever to come here.
Of those who competed successfully against the stock of Pete Carr, owner of the Dallas-based Carr Pro Rodeo stock contracting company, was bull rider Jacob O'Mara.
Starting off the year with back-to-back wins, and subsequently later sidelined for five months due to injury, O'Mara needed good things to happen at the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena.
On Friday evening, the cowboy showed glimpses of his early success when he tested his ability on Carr's bull, "Morning After", and rode to a rodeo winning 89-point ride worth $4,119.
According to Carr, no other cowboy besides O'Mara had ridden Morning After.
"It worked out that final bull rider of the weekend was Jacob O'Marra," Carr said. "I've had that bull about a year. He's a young bull and he's been bucking really good. Until Jacob, nobody had ridden him."
O'Mara's victory on July 6 ensured him a chance of earning his second straight qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
"The bull I had I really didn't know him or never seen him," O'Mara said. "He was a new bull and was from Pete Carr's. They told me they were going to save me for last so I figured it was going to be good."
Last year, O'Marra said he was bucked off but this year he was lucky to draw Morning After.
"I haven't been drawing that great but I come here and was fortunate enough to have a good one," O'Mara said adding that he hopes the win develops a hot streak at other PRCA rodeos.
Cody Teel ($3,158) came in second in the bull-riding event with a score of 87 points and Terrance Granger ($2,334) finished third with an 80-point ride. Chris Roundy ($1,510) finished out the top four with a score of 77 points.
The team-roping pair and home-crowd favorites Derrick Begay and Cesar de la Cruz didn't disappoint. The pair won their second consecutive team-roping title Friday evening with a 3.9-second run worth $4,057.
That run was also their best time of the year and was good enough to narrowly beat out Erich Rogers, of Round Rock, Ariz., and Kory Kontz, who finished with a 4.1 mark.
"It's the first time beating Erich all year," Begay said smiling. "He and I go at it all the time."
Despite the pressure to do well, particularly among the thousands of Navajo people in the grandstand, Begay said winning the team roping title mostly came down to muscle memory and reaction.
"Any time you're three seconds in team roping it's a great time," Begay said. "Doing it on the rez is a different deal and there was so much pressure, especially coming here there was pressure. For us to do well makes me really glad."
For de la Cruz, he said that to repeat as champions here and beat last year's time under the four-second mark is one of the sweetest feelings in the world.
Asked if there was pressure to hold up his end of the bargain, when Begay packed the steer as soon as it left the chute, de la Cruz said, "I knew he was going to get home super fast and I knew how to be ready. It's a quarterback-and-receiver type of relationship."
Although the win could begin a hot streak for the pair, there is still a long way to go before thinking about the WNFR in Las Vegas in December, Begay said.
"We're not ranked too high right now," he said. "We have to catch up."
Austin Foss ($3,848) won the bareback event with an 89-point ride on "Dirty Jacket" and finished ahead of the 86-point effort by Morgan Wilde ($2,950). Health Ford, Steven Anding and Ethan McNeill all tied for third place and won $1,496 each.
Floss, a rookie who recently purchased his professional membership in April, said when he drew Dirty Jacket, "one of the best bucking horses in Pro Rodeo," he was nervous.
"That's the one to have," Floss said of the 7-year-old bay gelding. "He really gets up there in the air and does his job. He's definitely a fun one to get on."
To come out on top in the bareback division with injuries, it's a great feeling, Floss said.
"I'm riding better than ever," he said. "I got a stinker in my left free arm and a nick in my left MCL. Other than that you got to hold it together and heal in time. Rides like this only make it better."
In the saddle bronc event, Jack Wright posted the highest score with an 88-point marking and picked up a $3,437 paycheck. Bradley Harter ($2,635) finished second with an 86-point ride. For third place, Allen Boore, Taos Muncy and Cody Angland all tied and each won $1,337.
Wright, of Milford, Utah, posted his victory on Carr's "Cool Runnings", a horse that's been electric all season.
"That horse has been really good this year," Carr said adding that the horse had gotten the better of some of the best cowboys in the game. "That horse threw off Rusty Allen in Pecos."
Allen is a five-time WNFR qualifier from Eagle Mountain, Utah.
"When I saw that Jake had Cool Runnings, I was pretty excited," Carr said. "Jake's been one of the hottest guys going down the road right now, and he handled that horse pretty well. It all came together pretty nicely."
Wright is currently ninth in the world standings, and the $3,437 he took home will make a big difference when the money list is updated next week, according to Carr.
The barrel racing paid out 12 winners headed by Ennis, Texas cowgirl Mary Walker, who picked up $2,943 for her 16.94-second run.
Barrel racer Carly Todd ($2,502) came in next with a 17.22 run ahead of Robin Montague (17.39) and Jana Bean (17.53). With a time of 17.54, Carrie Jankee rounded out the top five.
In the tie-down event, Jesse Clark netted the top prize of $2,775 for his 7.7-second effort. Mesilla Park, N.M. native Kyle Dutton finished with a respectable 8.5 run as did cowboy Shank Edwards, who recorded an 8.7 run.
Other winners included all-around cowboy Edwards ($2,191) and steer wrestler Clayton Tuchscherer ($2,504), who won his event with a 4.1 mark.