ProRodeo Sports News - November 19, 2021

LOUISVILLE, KY.

RAM GREAT LAKES CIRCUIT FINALS RODEO

Tom Terrific BY JOLEE JORDAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News I t was a great week to be a Crouse in Louisville, Kentucky.

Crouse wins average in tie-down

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY WINNER Tim O’Connell ($10,082, bareback riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Members of the Missouri family roped six calves in three days of action at the RAMGreat Lakes Circuit Finals Rodeo (CFR) and picked up the maximum number of possible berths to the NFR Open to be held in conjunction with Pikes Peak or Bust in July 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado with both siblings advancing to the National Championship event. TomCrouse led the way as the winner of the three head average in the tie down roping while his big sister Kirbie finished second in the average in the debut of breakaway roping at the North American Championship Rodeo, the long time hosts of the season ending championship for the Great Lakes Circuit. “It’s kind of what our family does,” Crouse, 20, said, “we take care of cows and go to rodeos.” Crouse’s father Gene has made many trips to the Great Lakes CFR as a competitor himself and momCarrie is a roper too. The family owns a ranch outside of Gallatin, about an hour north of Kansas City. At just 20 years old, Crouse was competing in his second Great Lakes CFR and he is undefeated so far. “I won it a year ago but it was in Palmyra, so this was my first time in Louisville,” Crouse noted. He was also the 2020 year-end champion as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the circuit to relocate their finals but everyone was back home again in Louisville in 2021. “I really like indoor rodeos and by Saturday, that sucker was packed,” Crouse said. “You could just feel the energy and it was pretty sweet.” Crouse started the rodeo off right, winning the first go round with an 8.5 second run. “I hit the barrier really good on the first one,” he said. “I thought I broke it but I got out and the calf just loped out there and let me tie him up fast.” Crouse relied up his good horse Bob, another family legacy. “I’ve been riding him since around the sixth or seventh grade. We’re the same age,” he laughed. “Dad trained him and roped on him and then my sister rode him for awhile and now I get to ride him.” “He’s special to our family.” Crouse and Bob stopped the clock at 9.1 in the second round earned another check, this time for third and sent him into the final night ranked second. “I was about a half a second behind Blake Ash,” Crouse said. “My plan was to not change anything. I’d been right on the barrier all week and I just tried not to think about it too much.” He took advantage of a good draw on the final calf, one that had been tied fast in a previous round. “My last calf was really good and I just took a wrap and a hooey,” he said. The gamble led Crouse to another round win with his time of 8.2 seconds, which in turn was fast enough to clinch his second straight average win as well. His three head total was 25.8 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of second place Roy Lee, and he earned $9,218 for the rodeo. Sister Kirbie finished second in the average and year end of the breakaway but as average winner Alli Masters also won the year end, she’ll be packing for the NFR Open along with her brother. The whole weekend was special for the Crouse family. Not only were his parents in attendance as well as his sister’s fiancee, but his grandmother also made the trip to watch the Crouse kids win. “She just turned 80 and she still gets to some of them [to watch]. It was pretty neat to have them all there,” he said. “In addition to that, a lot of the Missouri Valley College guys that I’m around a lot were there,” Crouse said. He’s a sophomore majoring in ag business and competing on the rodeo team at the Marshall, Mo., school. “We had a bunch of guys there in the bareback riding and saddle bronc and even in the steer wrestling.” Crouse even finished ahead of his rodeo coach in the tie down. “Roy is the assistant rodeo coach,” he noted. “I think we figured our MVC guys and alumni won like over $50,000 during the rodeo.” “It was pretty cool,” Crouse said of the experience. “Outside of college rodeos, you don’t normally have a team like you do there with the circuits. It’s an interesting way to do it.”

O’Connell

1. T. O’Connell ...... 258.5 pts. on 3 head 2. Jess Pope .................................... 254 3. Tanner Aus ............................... 250.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. S. Pickerill ........... 14.4 sec. on 3 runs 2. Chance Carlson .......................... 15.8 3. Justin Zwiefel ............................. 16.2 TEAM ROPING 1. Wallace/Von Ahn ......... 17.7 sec. on 3 2. J. Pruitt/D. Henry ....................... 18.8 3. J. Arndt/C. Clayman ................... 30.5 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. B. Gilliland ........ 228.5 pts. on 3 head 2. Trey Watts ................................... 221 3. Cable Wareham ........... 159 on 2 head TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Tom Crouse ....... 25.8 sec. on 3 head 2. Roy Lee ...................................... 27.5 3. Jody Green ................................. 29.0 BARREL RACING 1..B. Haluptzok ...... 46.12 sec. on 3 2. Lacinda Rose ........................... 46.49 3. Alyssa Gabrielson ..................... 46.86 BULL RIDING 1. Jimy Marten ........ 244 pts. on 3 head 2. Trevor Reiste ........... 170.5 on 2 head 3. Jarrett Evans .............................167.5 ALL AROUND CHAMP Justin Zwiefel ($3,745, tie-down roping and steer wrestling)

Complete results/Page 92

Phillip Kitts photo Tom Crouse won two rounds in Louisville, Ky., on his way to the tie-down roping title at the RAM Great Lakes Circuit Finals Rodeo.

ProRodeo Sports News 11/19/2021

ProRodeo Sports News 11/19/2021

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