North Platte, Neb. (June 15, 2016) – North Platte is about 1,000 miles from Las Vegas, but a bareback rider at the Buffalo Bill Rodeo on Thursday night got a bit closer to the bright lights of Sin City.
Tim O’Connell rode the Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. horse Nodbig.com’s Wonderland for 85 points to take the lead after the first night of rodeo.
A check from North Platte would get O’Connell, who is ranked third in the PRCA’s world standings, a step closer to his third qualification for the PRCA’s world championships, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in Las Vegas in December.
He’s been excited about the horse he drew since he learned his draw last week. He’d ridden her in San Antonio three years ago, and scored 83 points then. “I was nervous,” the 24 year old cowboy said, “not really nervous, but the excited nervous, that feeling you get when you first start riding bucking horses. Over time it goes away, and when you draw one like that, it all comes back.” Wonderland comes with her own impressive stat sheet. “She’s been to the NFR nine years in a row in the eliminator pen,” he said. “That’s an accomplishment in itself. She’s a great, strong bucking horse, and if you get out of time (with her), she will put you down.”
O’Connell is focused on winning a world championship gold buckle this December, and he’s taken steps to get there. He’s hired a personal trainer, a wrestling coach from his alma mater, Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo. The coach knows wrestling but he also knows bareback riding. “He actually went and learned what bareback riding was, so he could figure out a workout program for me.” O’Connell knew lifting weights wasn’t enough. “I didn’t need to gain fifteen pounds of muscle, I was going to gain muscles that I needed. The core stuff, the speed in your feet, the strength in your legs and your shoulders.” His trainer has designed his workout to be a mixture of weight lifting and Crossfit. “In fifteen minutes he can wear my butt out. He’s got me to puke a few times, unfortunately. He found a way to push myself to my limits and up the bar more and more. I really enjoy it, honestly. I don’t enjoy the puking but I enjoy knowing that my limits can go farther.”
O’Connell grew up in Zwingle, Iowa, but now lives in Marshall, Missouri with his wife, Sami.
In the steer wrestling, a Kansas cowboy has the lead in the first go-round. Jule Hazen, Ashland, had a time of 3.7 seconds to set the bar. Hazen, who celebrated his thirty-fifth birthday two days ago, is in the top 35 in the world standings and looking to make a fourth run for the WNFR, after having qualified in 2007, 2010 and 2013. His run followed his friend Dean Gorsuch’s run of 3.8 seconds, which moved Gorsuch from first to second. Gorsuch, a two-time world champion from Gering, Neb., was happy for Hazen even though Hazen’s time put him into second place. “I consider him a really, really good friend,” Hazen said. “He was one of the first ones to come over and congratulate me.” After he makes his second run in the slack on Thursday morning, Hazen will hit the rodeo trail for two months straight, during the busiest time of the season. He and traveling partners Josh Clark, Jon Herl, Blair Jones and Richard Coats will head to Pleasant Grove, Utah, then on to Reno, Nev., Springdale, Ark, Pecos, Texas, Santa Fe, N.M., Greeley, Colo, and Livingston, Mont., by the time the Fourth of July holiday ends.
After the morning’s slack and the evening competition, other leaders are saddle bronc rider Will Smith, Marshall, Mo. (81.5 points), team ropers Adam Rose, Willard, Mo. and Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas (6.1 seconds), and barrel racer Taylor Jacob, Carmine, Texas (17.40 seconds). Tie-down roper Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, won the first go-round with a time of 9.0 seconds. In the bull riding, Bryce Burnell was the only cowboy to make a qualified ride. The Buffalo, Wyo. cowboy scored 79.5 points.
The 2017 Miss Rodeo Nebraska was crowned, with the title going to Laramie Schlichtemeier of Ogallala. The 22 year old cowgirl is the daughter of Jeff and Shari Schlichtemeier and is a student at Chadron State College, majoring in business administration with an emphasis in agri-business.
The second of four nights of rodeo takes place Thursday, June 16 at 8 pm. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show awareness of breast cancer, and proceeds will be donated to the Callahan Cancer Center in North Platte. Tickets are $15 for adult general admission and upper grandstand and $7 for kids. Reserved seating in the lower grandstand is $20 per ticket. For more information, visit NebraskalandDays.com.
Results, 1st Performance and slack, June 15, 2016
North Platte, Nebraska – Buffalo Bill Rodeo
Bareback riding
1. Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, IA 85 points; 2. Kyle Brennecke, Stephenville, TX 82.5; 3. (tie) Blaine Kaufman, Pretty Prairie, KS and Casey Breuer, Mandan, ND 78 each.
Steer wrestling
First go-round results
1. Jule Hazen, Ashland, Kan. 3.7 seconds; 2. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. 3.8; 3. Josh Peek, Pueblo, Colo. 4.2; 4. (tie) Weston Taylor, Perryton, TX, Jacob Talley, Keatchie, La., and Tee Burress, Piedmont, S.D. 4.5 each.
Tie-down roping
First go-round results
1. Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas 9.0 seconds; 2. Tyson Durfey, Weatherford, Texas 9.1; 3. Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas 9.7; 4. Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Ida. 9.8
Saddle bronc riding
1. Will Smith, Marshall, Mo. on Painted Flower, 81.5 points; 2. Taygen Schuelke, Newell, SD 78; 3. Hardy Braden, Welch, OK 76; 4. Jade Blackwell, Rapid City SD 71
Team roping
First go-round results
1. 1 Adam Rose, Willard MO/Walt Woodard Stephenville, TX 6.1 seconds; 2. Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D./Jace Davis, Stephenville, Texas 6.4 seconds; 3. Jason Thorstenson, Rapid City, S.D./Paul Griemsman, Piedmont, S.D. 6.8; 4. Tad Sheets, Brewster, Kan./Chase Boekhaus, Alva, Okla. 7.4
Barrel racing
1. Taylor Jacob, Carmine, Texas 17.40 seconds; 2. Sidney Forrest, Lipan, Texas 17.59; 3. Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas 17.71; 4. Britany Diaz, Solen, N.D. 17.75.
Bull riding
1. Bryce Burnell, Buffalo, Wyo. 79.5 points on Game on; no other qualified rides.
** All results are unofficial.