“… Trevor Brazile, he’s like Kobe Bryant.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It’s like any other sport. Everybody works hard, but some guys just have God-given talent. Kobe Bryant is just better because he’s Kobe Bryant. Trevor Brazile, he’s like Kobe Bryant.”
- Team roper Seth Gurney, in the Idaho Statesman • Nonella has breakthrough week in Northwest: Tie-down roper Roger Nonella, 23, enjoyed a breakout week in the Northwest Aug. 18-22, winning titles against top fields at Canby, Ore., and Moses Lake, Wash., to go with a sixth-place finish in the average at the Caldwell Night Rodeo. It was the first week of his three-year PRCA career in which Nonella, of Klamath Falls, Ore., and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo University, has won multiple titles, and it produced earnings of $7,197.

• Gray extends lead in world standings with double win: Just when Ryan Gray was starting to feel a little pressure from Steven Dent in the bareback riding world standings, the Cheney, Wash., cowboy returned home to his native Northwest for a banner weekend. Gray shared the title at the Canby (Ore.) Rodeo and won the Moses Lake (Wash.) Roundup outright. With round money at Caldwell, Idaho, he banked $6,403 to increase his lead in the standings to more than $19,000.

• Steamboat Springs (Colo.) Pro Rodeo Series comes to end: Bull rider Lonny Graham and barrel racer Julie Haskins posted wins in the Aug. 20-21 season finale of the Steamboat Springs (Colo.) Pro Rodeo Series, helping them secure the season championships in their events. Other season champions were all-around cowboy Cole Dorenkamp, bareback rider Craig Wisehart, steer wrestler Shawn Mills, team ropers Clay Norell and Caleb Anderson, saddle bronc rider Jake Griffin and tie-down roper Darnell Johnson.

• Parker, Lyman find outlet for competitive needs: Bill Parker, the only Montana cowboy ever to qualify for the Wrangler NFR in tie-down roping (1980) and also an NFR qualifier in team roping, came out of retirement Aug. 19-21 to join forces with 15-time NFR steer wrestling qualifier Rod Lyman and compete in the team roping at the Yellowstone Stampede Pro Rodeo in Billings, Mont. They roped their steer in 11.4 seconds and earned $406 each for finishing fifth. “We didn’t embarrass ourselves,” a smiling Parker told the Billings Gazette. While Lyman had competed as recently as three years ago, it had been 17 years since Parker, 56, had been in a PRCA arena, and he took the task seriously. “We didn’t drive over just to have a good time at the fair,” Parker said. “These kids can laugh at us all they want; we’re here to rope.”