ProRodeo Sports News - January 25, 2019

Roaring Start

Levi Gray rides Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Short Bus for 87 points and the win in the third round of the RAM Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo, Jan. 13. Roseanna Sales photo

Rookie bull rider wins Columbia River crown

BY SCOTT KANIEWSKI L evi Gray’s permit season didn’t start off the way he’d hoped. The bull rider couldn’t get into some rodeos, and the ones he did get into he struggled to ride. By the time March rolled around, Gray had yet to win any money. In his phone conversations with his parents, they could hear his frustration. His dad, Tim, and mom, Jami, came up with a solution. “My mom called me and said, ‘What do you think about flying Dad down there,’” Levi recalled. “I told her I didn’t have any money to fly him down. She said they’d cover that, but I also didn’t want him to take time off work. She said, ‘You need to get your head straight. Pick up your dad at the airport.’ I said, ‘I guess we’re going rodeoing.’” Levi was in Texas between rodeos. His dad flew down fromOregon. Over the next couple days – at Texas rodeos in Beaumont and Nacogdoches –

Levi notched his first two ProRodeo checks.

His dad flew home, and Levi kept on going. That success continued into the RAMColumbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo in Yakima, Wash., where Levi notched 167 points on two head to claim the average title and a berth to the RAMNational Circuit Finals Rodeo. “I was pretty excited,” said the 19-year-old who has purchased his card. “It was cool because both my parents

and my brother were there. My dad was ecstatic. It was just another step of achieving my dream. Being that the circuit finals count toward the world standings and the RAM finals count, ultimately, it’s everyone’s dream to be world champion. I knew this was a step in that direction. It was definitely cool to make that step and make that progress (throughout the season) on my permit year.” UPSAND DOWNS OF RODEO LIFE Once the ball got rolling, things picked up for Levi. Until the summer, when in the span of three weeks he hit two deer, totaling two cars.

TOPS AT YAKIMA — January 11-13 BAREBACK RIDING

STEER WRESTLING 1. Jesse Brown............. 13.9 sec. on three 2. Blake Knowles................................14.8 3. Riley Jones.....................................18.4 4. Clayton Morrison............................21.2

TEAM ROPING 1. B. Dahozy/Q. Patzke. 15.6 sec. on three 2. J. Farber/C. Smith...........................20.6 3. S. Erickson/B. Falon.......................20.7 4. C. Campbell/P. Everano.......10.0 on two

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Sam Harper.............237.5 pts. on three 2. Joe Harper....................................236.5 3. Johnny Espeland.............................226 4. Kolby Wanchuk.................157.5 on two

1. Austin Foss ................241 pts. on three 2. Steven Peebles ...............................231 3. David Peebles...............................222.5 4. Kirk St. Clair....................................216

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ProRodeo Sports News 1/25/19