ProRodeo Sports News - October 13, 2023

WACO, TEXAS

PRCA PERMIT FINALS

Pushing Through

Bauerle escapes traffic accident, rallies in Waco BY ALEX RILEY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News O ctober 5 started like any other Thursday for Ty Bauerle. The life of a professional rodeo competitor means an abundance of time staring through a windshield, traveling from one rodeo to the next. The Jourdanton, Texas, steer wrestler loaded up his Ford pickup with gear and secured three horses in his trailer ahead of a four-hour drive from Hamilton to Rosenburg, Texas, for the Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo. While the trek was nothing new, what awaited Bauerle upon his arrival to Roseburg was going to be. The Fort Bend Rodeo was supposed to be his first competition since officially purchasing his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association tour card. In an instant, everything changed. “I was just heading to Rosenburg and just left early that morning trying to get there. I came out of Hamilton and some guy was swerving all over the road,” Bauerle said. “I just tried shutting it down and finding a way out, but I didn’t have any other way out and he just hit me head on.” What happened next could have changed the trajectory of Bauerle’s life, let alone career, as the collision totaled his truck and flipped his trailer on its roof. One of the horses was ejected from the trailer, while the other two were trapped inside. Bauerle’s left elbow went through the driver’s side window, while glass from the rear window gashed the back of his head. Fortunately for the up-and-coming rodeo competitor, those cuts, a few bruises, and some sore muscles were the extent of his injuries. The horses also fared well as none were seriously injured and are expected to be fine. The driver of the other vehicle would not be as fortunate, as he passed away from injuries related to the accident. For many, an event of that magnitude might leave them shaken. For Bauerle, it only strengthened his resolve. “As long as I knew my horses were okay, I was fine and knew I had another rodeo to get to,” Bauerle said. With some help from fellow rodeo competitors Luke Branquinho, Boyd Sawyer and Shayde Etheron, along with his mother, Bauerle was able to secure his horses, get to the hospital for treatment and eventually get back down the road. While he missed his run in Roseburg, Bauerle made it to the Waller County Fair and Rodeo in Hempstead, Texas, for his first rodeo on his tour card. After being unable to record a time there, it was off to the PRCA Permit Finals in Waco. This time, Bauerle’s journey yielded positive results, as he won the opening round on a run of 5.3 seconds. His total time of 24.1 seconds for the rodeo placed him third in the average. For a third-generation steer wrestler, bumps and bruises come with the territory, even if they normally come in the rodeo arena. His grandfather, Leon Bauerle, a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in the late 1960s and early 1970s, set an example. Now, his grandson is following that path.

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Shea Fournier ($3,838, saddle bronc riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Fournier

1. Mason Stuller ........... 244.5 pts. on 3 2. Kade Berry .................................. 244 3. Weston Timberman ................. 243.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Cole Walker ................ 11.3 sec. on 2 2. Ryley Gibb ................................. 12.5 3. Ty Bauerle .................................. 24.1 TEAM ROPING 1. J. Boos/J. Steenhoek .. 18.4 sec. on 3 2. J. Arviso/K. Graves .................... 19.0 3. C. Eiguren/T. Eiguren ......... 11.4 on 2 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Shea Fournier ........... 251.5 pts. on 3 2. Zachary Dallas ......................... 248.5 3. Bailey Small ............................. 247.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Hayden Ford ............... 28.0 sec. on 3 2. Cole Eiguren .............................. 28.2 3. Cason Kingsbury ....................... 28.5 BARREL RACING 1. Tessa Arnold ............. 48.34 sec. on 3 2. Sherri Reagan .......................... 48.36 3. Tiffany Lujan ............................ 48.47 BULL RIDING 1. Jacob Carige ................ 158 pts. on 2 2. Caleb McCaslin ........................... 149 3. Brody Hasenack ......................... 78.5

James Phifer photo Ty Bauerle survived a horrific car accident on Oct. 5 and went on to win the first round of the Permit Finals in Waco, Texas, the next day. Bauerle finished third in the average. Bauerle was hit head-on in the accident and it damaged his trailer, below left, and totaled his truck.

Complete results/Page 66

ProRodeo Sports News 10/13/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 10/13/2023

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