2001 MGM Winter Tour Finale

Top 8 Semi's & Top 4 Finals Results

Round 1 results <> Round 2 results

Judges:  Allen Jordon -- Butch Kirby

Notes: Attendance was up.   The important thing about that was the greatest increase came from the East Coast.  The significance of that is that the move of the PRCA’s television package to prime time Eastern time slots is paying off.   It also suggests that there IS a market for rodeo on the East Coast.

Viewing the audience it appeared to me that this event draws a younger demographic than the NFR does.   That is really important.

I can't imagine that this event won’t grow into a sold-out house in a couple more years.  What a great facility.  Number one… it still seats 16,000 and unlike Thomas @ Mack—there isn’t a bad seat in the house.   Number two… people can stay at the MGM and never have to leave.  No parking, no long lines waiting for taxis to and from anywhere, a three minute walk from the elevators to the Grand Arena, the contestants, stock contractors, and contract personnel are all right there and you can see and interact with them all day long, the timed event horses and livestock are all right, there are great restaurants on site, you’re within short walking distance of several other properties and shopping adventures… there’s a good movie theater a half a block away, there’s an airport style foot court located between the elevators and the arena, nice rooms, the MGM has it all.   

Except for three or four perfs at the NFR, this is probably a better product -- particularly the last performance.   It’s a better arena for competition too. And they had contract acts which no matter what you say -- HELPS.

I had to catch a flight, so I didn’t get the top 4 Finals judges’ sheets or the pay-offs.  That stuff will get posted by mid week when PRCA staff gets back to Ranch Headquarters.

Top 8 Semi Final Round Results:

Philip Elkins  008 Boot Scoot    Scotty Lovelace    86  21-22.   
Judging along with the PROS  I 21+ed the bull.  Philip was the first guy out and Butch later said he too thought the bull was a 21+ but he 22’ed him just in case they didn’t ride many—the winning score would be more appealing to the audience.   He was right.   Bull went to the left which helped Elkins pulled right groin.   You’ll have to go over to the pay-off file to see what Philip won. He would've received championship points on the first place money and got the rest of the dough as ground money.   Musta been $10,000 dollars combined.

Note: After checking on it I found that like Pocatello this rodeo had a hybrid rule in regard to ground money. If no one rides then all the competitors in that round split the money equally. However, if one or more ride then the remaining places are paid according to how the contestants came into that round. I have yet to find anyone who can explain the logic of that variation—but I guess that person exists… somewhere in the universe.

Cody Hancock   906  Young Gun (click here for picture)   Pinz    22+ 22+  4.75.
Athletic bull went aways then leaped and went to the right… then drifted fifteen feet and came to the right again—into Cody’s hand.   Thinking Gun clicked Cody’s heels.

Jesse Bail  695  Mighty Whitey  Growney / Kish  21E 21  4.0 
This Bull is a Semi or Baby E… went to the right away from Jesse’s hand.  Lots of front end and forward movement then a delayed kick—makes it really hard to get by going away from your hand.

Danell Tipton   VC8  Copenhagen Hurricane   Stace Smith   23+ 23+  2.6.  
The second time Danell got on him at this rodeo. Danell also has pulled groins.  Big Boy really bucked again.  Sure not the rankest bull at this rodeo but maybe the best bull.

Mike Moore  SIL  Skoal Mountain  Pinz --- 22 20+  5.6 
Cow Horned brindle circled around trying to get on the correct lead then went to the right a way from Mike’s hand.  Got him on the turn back.   They say he’s a really good bull.

Vince Stanton   521  Windmill    Beutler/Gaylord    21+ 21+  3.4   
Vince fought him too long in the chute…. one of those deals where your hand goes to sleep and you get so worn out fighting with the sucker that you have nothing left.  Vince re pulled and split fingered him but when he nodded the bull jumped and kicked which loosened Stanton up and he never had his seat when Mill went to the right.

Slade Malone  73 Rampage II   Harper/Morgan/Auger    22+ 23  4.7.  
Even though this bull went out a ways before he turned back to the right—I thought he really bucked.   Lots of kick.    Like to see someone get around the corner in good shape and then see what the bull does.

Jason McClain.   604  No Can Do  Kish   23 23?  3.4
Little red demon got the audience into it with a wild leap to start off with.   If Jason could’ve stayed on a second longer this bull mighta won one of the awards.   He really bucked.

As a side note… someone said that Jason has entered 3-4 rodeos for over the fourth and is already up at ALL of them at the same time—ON THE 4th.   When you’re low on the priority list that is what happens on Cowboy Christmas.   The hot topic among the contestants in all the rodeo events was Ranch Headquarters approving two rodeos with finals at the same time (Greeley and Cody on the afternoon of the 4^th).   Cody is a Summer Tour Rodeo too.   The problems are obvious… for the contestants—they can be up in two short go’s at the same time… running for points the have to enter other rodeos for that day just in case they don’t make a short go… airfares are high and short go’s on short notice cost lots of money to get to.   For the OTHER 4^th of July rodeos—it has the potential to wipe out their most important performances.   

I’m sure Ranch Headquarter’s response will be… “Look… if a rodeo adds a minimum of $7,500—they can have a short go and we don’t have a basis to not allow them to.”   That MIGHT BE technically correct but I seem to remember reading on the approval application the PRCA does retain the right to NOT approve a rodeo for ANY reason.   Two finals at the same time is a darn good reason.   On the other hand … there should not be a TOUR rodeo over the 4^th-----period.   That is something that Ranch Headquarters for sure DOES control.  

If a rodeo wants to have a finals they sure can but they risk having some contestants not enter or turn out in the finals.   Rodeos HAVE finals in order to be able to sell a performance for a higher ticket price and to perhaps get some of their audience to come to two performances instead of the norm of one rodeo performance per year.

TOP 4  Finals:

Note:  I didn’t get to see the judge’s sheets so this is all from memory.

Cody Hancock   -75 Mr. USA    Diamond G (the Gilberts)     93 
I’m guessing one judge was 23 Ride 23 Bull and the other was 24 Ride 23 bull.   This is a very good young bull.  Got a bit flat for me but he turned back in the gate into Cody’s hand and he kept trying the whole time.   Right after the whistle blew he brought Cody and they met heads.   Cody ended up with a laceration on his chin which I’m sure took several stitches.   The really encouraging thing for me (a person of many concussions) is that it didn’t knock Cody out.  After being out for 6 minutes at Red Bluff I wondered if it was going to become a career ending problem for him.   Sometimes the accumulated damage becomes so severe that the wind can blow and the lights can go out.     

Danell Tipton  573 Gold Coast  Gambler  Kish -- 92 ( bet they were 23/23 23/23). 
I thought the little bull had a good day. He went to the right—a way from Tipton’s hand and Danell made him look easy.   Really nice bull ride.

Philip Elkins   763 Little Willie     Andrews  
Never heard the score… he rode him and had a reride option but they packed Philip out (major groin problem)—so he took his marking and won 3^rd.    Little bull looked a little disoriented… went down in the back-end.

One reason I nearly missed my flight was a sudden onslaught of stock contractors.  If you’ve seen the movie PEARL HARBOR… (you should—it’s kind of a chick flick but it’s a good movie)  anyway… I was PEARL HARBOR and they were the Japanese planes.   It wasn’t Sammy Andrews -- he never says anything about anything.  But it was about this bull ride.  

THEIR point was… “@&^%^&**(&&@$%%.   Look… Elkins had a shot to get out on that little bull…. %^&^%@!@@$$@… he purposely didn’t take it… @#$%@$^&$##%…. hocks that rope in them and he waits --trying to soak them.  #@$@@&*(($%%^.   He pulls that crap every damned time. (*&^%$$#@#$%%^&& **((**))@@&&.!!!!!!!!”    

Dodging cuss words like bullets I ran and jumped into MY fighter plane and attacked. “No YOU look… It was MY fault for bringing that bull here… he is TOO young and TOO small.  Philip is Philip.  He NEVER takes his first shot.   Tuff was Tuff.   Lane was Lane…all tight rope guys    If a bull can’t take the heat then leave the sucker home.”

THEM… more “#$@%^^&*(()@@%%^&**&^^%$**$”     Bad breath too.

Me…  just a simple gesture with my hand.    I guess they figured a was a one fingered lethal Karate guy move cuz they broke off their attack.   A noisy retreat none the less.

Jesse Bail   610 High Voltage   Beutler/Gaylord 
Not sure what they woulda marked this bull. He wasn’t a flat spinner for sure.  It was wild.  To the right—into Jesse’s hand and kept fading and shifting gears trying to well him—which he eventually DID.   Looked like it would have been first place to me.

BULL AWARDS:

I think the announcer’s said it paid $10,000 to win.   Not sure what 2^nd and 3^rd paid. Like at Mesquite last fall,  they had an evaluation committee pick.

1.  R410  Copenhagen T Bug     Diamond G
You can call him a Big E but he bucked hard.   Lots of drop and he’s a big boy and athletic too. Rankest bull at the rodeo. Strap your rope on him. Loops, Two hands, Super Glue... Whatever you want to try..

2.   9 Stray Dog Skoal    Honeycutt
Highest marked bull at the rodeo. Didn’t get to see much of him -- big long leap and roll.  

3.    VC8   Copenhagen Hurricane.  Stace Smith
My favorite bull.   Wasn’t the rankest bull here but he had two really good days.   I’m sure the bull riders would’ve picked this bull to win first.

Other Bulls I thought coulda won something. Not in any particular order

-75   MR. USA   Diamond G
If we hadn’t brought him back for a second trip (two perfs in a row) he mighta won 1^st.  He was something special his first trip out.

G21  Dodge Durango    Rafter G
I didn’t think he had his best day but I also don’t think anyone was going to ride him either.

604  No Can Do    Kish
He looked like a bucking little sucker (or a sucky little bucker) to me.

238    Lightning Strike   Russell
Never got a shot.  half a jump but he looked like he mighta been a bucking SOB (son of a brindle).

73 Rampage II  Harper/Morgan/Auger
Really good bull.

Bryan McDonald
© 2001 Probullstats.com