"See ya down the road."

Monday, May 17, 2010

Antone and Miles City

Wish I had been two guys this past weekend; I would love to have been in Miles City for the bucking horse sale but my heart decision was to go support the benefit for Antone Helfrich in Killdeer, ND. Saturday was the poker tourney at the Buckskin in Killdeer.

44 players I believe: Wendell Viegan was the winner - he and JW Lorenz went head to head at the end.  They also had a silent auction. Antone was there but didn't look too bad for a guy who's had a coal dust explosion right in front of him. Frankly, I think he's lucky to be alive. The young bulldogger still wears gloves and cover for his arms to protect the skin grafts. He's recovering well but his Mom told us Sunday that he was still very uncomfortable and in some pain.


The steer wrestling on Sunday at the Killdeer arena was great! An absolutely gorgeous day with a nice crowd and 51 contestants. Chad Smith of Trotters, ND was the winner on 3 head (it was a 2 header with the top 12 to the Finals). The Dickinson State grad and College National Finals veteran never wavered when it was his turn to go last. The whole shebang went off nicely and I got to announce and spend quite a bit of time with Benny Paulson - that was nice too.

Meanwhile, in Miles City the world famous Bucking Horse Sale enjoyed the same good weather and huge crowds. Jack, at the Saddlery, told me it was probably the best weekend they'd ever had for business. Cousin Pete Larson went up to report for us on the matched bronc ride on Sunday. The 3 Elshere boys from South Dakota took the top 3 places with JJ coming out on top. Maybe next year I'll make it...

...See ya down the road!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Finally getting some pictures posted...

Fred McLanahan got the action at the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping in Torrington, Wyoming.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!


L toR
1) JP Wickett - Oklahoma
2) Torrington Champion Ralph Williams - Oklahoma
3) Miss Rodeo Wyoming
4) Harold Bumgartner - Local Event Chairman - Torrington
5) A member of the event committee - sorry, we don't have his name.
Photo by Fred McClanahan, Jr.


 

Photo by Fred McClanahan, Jr.



Left to right:
1) Billy Ward - pickup man, Wyoming
2) Tami Larsen - timer, Wyoming
3) Jackie Higlin - secretary, South Dakota
4) DeDe Dickinson - timer, Wyoming
5) Jim Thompson - announcer, South Dakota
Photo by Fred McClanahan, Jr.


Photo by Fred McClanahan, Jr.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Hey folks...

...getting ready for the Anton Helfrich Benefit in Killdeer, ND this weekend. Anton, a young steer wrestler from western North Dakota, was burned over a large part of his body in a work related accident a month ago. This benefit will help in two ways: raise money for the cost of recovery and travel for treatment; and most important, it will let Anton know how much he's liked and how his friends turned out to help.

I'll be playing in the Texas Hold 'Em Tournament at the Buckskin in Killdeer at 2 p.m. Saturday, then announcing the steer wrestling at noon at the rodeo grounds on Sunday. There are lots of items for the silent and live auction both days. Bring a check book and help out.

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Also, Lee Akers at KYUS Miles City and KIKC Forsyth, Montana will be broadcasting the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale Parade live this Saturday morning at 9:30, May 15th. You can watch the live streaming video down main street at www.kyuskmta.com. Way to go Lee!

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College rodeo is over for the regular season; the top three contestants in each event in each region will qualify for the National College Finals in Casper in mid June at the Casper Events Center. Nikki Steffes of the University of Wyoming is after yet another Ladies All-Around crown. Nikki is 2nd in the nation right now. The placing nationally is really just for comparison because the season points are of no consequence except for qualifying for the Nationals. Once there, everybody starts from zero and works through three rounds in each event and then the top 12 go to the short round on June 19th to determine the national champions.

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If you missed it, NFR timed event qualifier JD Crouse of Canon City, Colorado turned 40 on May 12th...he's a multi-talented friend and former Nebraskan.

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On May 19th, Rick Thompson's "Talk Rodeo" on Live with JT will feature one of the young bull riders who was on CBS's Amazing Race; should be an interesting conversation.  By the way, May 19th is also Rick's birthday.  He will be helping with the Marvin Garrett Rough Stock Series this weekend in Mesquite, Texas; he will be handling the TV interviews for the production.

 See ya down the Road!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Bob Logue Remembered

A friend recently asked me to do some research into Bobby Logue. Seems he couldn't find anything on him in the PRCA web site...so I went to my files (all the old media guides I'd saved through the years).

Bob Logue burst on the PRCA scene as a young California bareback rider in the late 70's.  Heck, he had to compete against Jack Ward and Joe Alexander, Mickey Young and Bruce Ford, but he entered and rode and eventually made the finals in 1979. He'd moved to Texas and didn't just back into the NFR, he wound up 4th in the world standings losing only to Ford, Alexander and Sam Perkins. He was 4th again in 1980, this time seeing JC Trujillo, Ford and Young ahead of him.

In 1981, he moved to 3rd place losing only to Trujillo (JC's only title) and the Hall of Famer Ford. Lesser men may have thrown their hat in the dirt, but not Bobby.  In '82 he lost only to Bruce Ford, who was forever winning titles, wasn't he? I think '82 was the year that Logue placed at 100 rodeos. Imagine that! They weren't paying as much in those days, but still he finished as reserve champion.

It must have been 1983 when Bobby broke his neck. He qualified for the NFR but had to be replaced by TJ Walter and wound up 15th. I was announcing a lot of rodeos in the '80's and I remember seeing Bobby with that halo to stabilize his head and let his neck heal. It was sad, because he was in his prime. The question was simple; could he come back from this injury and compete against all the kids coming out of college? He did, as he also watched young brother Chuck hit the road and begin to succeed (Chuck won the world in 1990).

Bobby moved back into the mainstream and finished 7th in the barebacks in '85, and now had to enter against Marvin Garrett, Clint Corey, Lewis Field, Wayne Herman and Larry Peabody. (All of that crew just mentioned went on to win world titles in their prime). Bobby never rode as well as before his injury. Oh, he was competitive, but by '93 he was done.

Today he lives in Colorado, still has a part in rodeo, and is well respected by his peers. What would he have done without the injury in the middle of his best riding days? Nobody really knows, but Bobby is certainly one of those cowboys who truly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He defined "class", "professionalism" and "heart". I doubt you'll hear him cry about it...he is a cowboy after all and in the end, that's probably enough for him.