MEMORIAL NIGHT AT THE WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO
Round 4 – Dec. 6, 2009
Tonight is Memorial Night at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with the rodeo world taking a pause to pay tribute to some of the sport’s great contributors who have died in the last year, including 1958 World Champion Team Roper Ted Ashworth. MJM Rodeo’s saddle bronc horse Wild Falls is being retired from competition and will be recognized in the arena tonight following the steer wrestling competition. Wild Falls took Isaac Diaz to a 79.5-point ride on Thursday night – good enough to share sixth place – in what would be the bronc’s last competitive turn in the Thomas & Mack Center. The national anthem will be sung tonight by Elena Batman and Susie Luchsinger will perform during the opening ceremonies. The performance sponsor tonight is the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
ROUND 3 LIVE ON TELEVISION, RADIO AND INTERNET
Tonight’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo will be televised live on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. (PT) with Jeff Medders, Butch Knowles, Joe Beaver and Don Gay calling the action and Jennifer Smith handling the arena interviews. ProRodeo Live is airing coverage on a national network of radio stations and also online at www.prorodeolive.com with Steve Kenyon, Kelly Kaminski, Clint Corey and Wade Wheatley doing the announcing. ProRodeoLive.com is also doing a daily broadcast (11 a.m.-noon PT) of NFR Today from Cowboy Christmas, featuring interviews and rodeo news. All 10 rounds of the Wrangler NFR will also be broadcast on ESPN360.com. The Internet broadcast is available at no charge to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection from an ESPN360.com affiliated Internet service provider. ESPN360.com is also available to fans who have access to the Internet from U.S. college campuses and U.S. military bases.
THE TREVOR BRAZILE WATCH
Trevor Brazile earned checks in both team roping and tie-down roping Saturday night and is now on the verge of surpassing $300,000 in season earnings for a record fourth consecutive year. Brazile and heeler Patrick Smith finished sixth in the team roping to earn $2,764 each and Brazile was fifth in the tie-down roping for another $4,423 on Friday to push his season total to $295,776. His lead in the all-around standings over second-place Clint Robinson stands at $113,861, leaving him in a commanding position to win his seventh all-around gold buckle and equal the record held by Ty Murray. He entered this 51st Wrangler NFR with nine world titles; should he hold his leads and win both the all-around and tie-down roping gold buckles, he would move into a tie for third place on the all-time list with Dean Oliver and Charmayne James. This is the sixth time that Brazile has qualified for the National Finals in three events (TR, TD, SR) in the same year, one short of the record held by Larry Mahan (1966-70, 1971, 1973). He has qualified for National Finals events 31 times, one short of Roy Cooper and Guy Allen in second place. Tee Woolman holds the record with 42 appearances.
TRAVIS TRYAN POISED TO JOIN HIS BROTHER AS MILLION DOLLAR COWBOY
When Travis Tryan and partner Michael Jones won the third round of the team roping on Saturday night, Tryan pushed his career earnings to $994,674. A finish of fourth or better tonight would make him the 82nd ProRodeo cowboy to surpass $1 million in career earnings, joining older brother Clay Tryan who passed that milestone during the regular season.
WRANGLER NFR NOTES
* Brittany Pozzi’s second place result in the barrel racing Saturday lifted her season earnings to $200,096, the second time in three seasons she has surpassed that milestone. Pozzi has won more money than other competitor over the first three days of the Wrangler NFR with $44,231, followed by tie-down roper Clint Robinson ($37,965) and steer wrestler Shawn Greenfield ($34,279).
* The first four positions in Saturday night’s barrel racing competition were filled by past world champions (Sherry Cervi, Pozzi, Sears and Mary Burger); the average standings are controlled by the same foursome (Pozzi, Sears, Cervi and Burger).
* The impact of the two-loop rule is beginning to come into focus. Only five of the 15 team roping pairs have had qualified runs in all three rounds, raising the possibility that the average title could, for the first time, go to a team that failed to post a time in all 10 rounds.
* Injury report: Reigning bull rider J.W. Harris will sit out the competition tonight for the second consecutive performance with a broken right (riding) hand; he will decide tomorrow whether to continue. Bareback rider Clint Cannon (concussion), steer wrestler Blake Knowles (concussion), bull rider Cody Hancock (lacerated chin) and bull rider Steve Woolsey (left foot contusion) will all compete tonight. Jesse Kruse, the saddle bronc riding world standings leader from Great Falls, Mont., is competing with foot and knee injuries.
* Josh Peek of Pueblo, Colo., has made the biggest jump in the world standings through the first three days, going from 15th to sixth place in the tie-down roping. Among roughstock competitors, saddle bronc rider Justin Arnold of Santa Margarita, Calif.,
* If Shawn Greenfield, of Lakeview, Ore., wins the steer wrestling tonight he will be first man to win three consecutive rounds outright in that event since Jerry Peveto in 1972. Trevor Knowles won outright or shared the win in four consecutive rounds a year ago.
