ProRodeo Sports News - March 9, 2018

Mia Larocque photo

Bullfighters help Dave Mason after his 79.5-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Bulletproof in the first round in Tucson, Ariz. Mason won the average at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros. Fighting Through

Freestyle Bullfights on tap in Alabama PRCA Freestyle Bullfights will take place March 15-17 at the Southeastern Livestock Exposition in Montgomery, Ala., after the bull riding each night. The rodeo begins at 7 p.m. (CT) March 15-16, and has performances at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 17. The bullfights will take place after the 7 p.m. performance March 17. The contestants in the Montgomery bullfights will be Cody Emerson, Wayne Ratley and Dakota Knight. All three bullfighters will compete against one bull during each of the three performances. They will be competing for $6,000 in prize money. “There’s more adrenaline in this sport than there is in any sport in the world,” said Blue Jeanes, clown-bullfighter, representative-elect for the PRCA. “We’re hoping to have at least 15 events this year and maybe even more than that. We’re trying to grow the program and get the ball rolling and do it right. The bullfighting deal is growing, and there’s dang sure a market for it. We want ours to be the biggest and the best.” Myers 50th Anniversary event scheduled Butch Myers 50th Anniversary Clinic will be March 29 through April 1 at the NRS Arena in Decatur, Texas. On March 29, there will be a cowboy reunion and barbecue from 6:30-10 p.m. (CT). On March 30, there will be a clinic from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On April 1, the clinic will run from 8:30-11 a.m. Butch Myers won the PRCA steer roping world championship in 1980, and his son, Rope, was the 2001 world champ. Butch Myers’ brother, Cash, qualified for the NFR six times as a steer wrestler. The NFR steer wrestling average record has been in the Myers family all but one year since the NFR has been in Las Vegas.

“I grew up at these schools and my father has had them ever since I’ve been alive,” Rope Myers said. “I’ve seen amazing boys and men of all ages and backgrounds come through these schools through the years. My dad has continued to innovate and change. I remember when video cameras were new, and you filmed onto VHS. My mom would film hours and hours of steer wrestling at big rodeos, and he would break that video down and look at it and start to recognize whether things that were being taught forever were successful in steer wrestling. Then, he has continued to change and grow and keep these schools relevant for 50 years.” Rope said that about 20 cowboys who attended his family’s clinics have gone on to compete at the NFR. “This is an opportunity to celebrate the amazing things my dad has done for the sport of rodeo,” Rope said. Ellensburg Arena to receive funding A capital budget spending plan recently passed by the Washington State House of Representatives included funding for the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo Arena. The capital spending plan allocates $100,000 for the rodeo arena project in the Washington State Department of Agriculture section of the budget dedicated to improving safety and access at fairs, according to a news release from Rep. Matt Manweller’s office. “This funding would get the ball rolling to make the Ellensburg Rodeo grounds ADA accessible and make needed repairs and upgrades,” Manweller said in a press release. “The rodeos and fairs in our region are important to our local economies. For the rodeos and fairs to continue to be a strong draw we want to make sure we have high-quality facilities.” The 2018 Ellensburg Rodeo is scheduled for Aug. 31 through Sept. 3.

ProRodeo Sports News 3/9/18

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