Rodeo

The Clarendon College Men’s Rodeo team were the champions at both the Eastern New Mexico University Rodeo and the Sul Ross Rodeo the past two weekends.

These two wins are the first team championships in the program’s history.

At ENMU, Tegan Smith placed first and Riggin Smith placed third in Saddle Bronc Riding, and Brody Rankin and Casey McCleskey placed third in Team Roping.  They were the #1 team with 345 points.  Tarleton placed 2^nd as a team with 335 points.

At Sul Ross, Tegan Smith won the bull riding, 3rd in the Saddle Bronc riding and was the All-Around Champion Cowboy. Riggin Smith won the Saddle Bronc Riding and Brody Rankin was 2nd in the Tie Down Roping.  CC was the first placed team with 610 points, and Cisco College placed 2^nd with 470 points.

The Rodeo Team will compete at Vernon College Rodeo Oct. 4-6.

The Clarendon College Rodeo program is hosting a National Finals Rodeo watch party and prime rib dinner on December 9 at the Bairfield Activity Center.

The catered meal will be served at 7 p.m. followed by the viewing, and there will be drawings for cash prizes and silent auction items will be available for bidding.

Tickets are $100 each and include a meal for two people and one entry into the $1,000 cash giveaway drawing.

Tickets can be purchased from any rodeo team member or by calling Bret Franks at (806) 440-1366.

Clarendon College Rodeo had a strong fall semester in the Southwest Region - the men’s team currently sitting in 4^th place and the women’s team is 16^th.

At the first rodeo in Portales, the men’s team finished 3^rd when Tegan Smith won 3^rd in the Saddle bronc Riding, and 2^nd in the Bull riding and was the reserve all-around cowboy. Brayden Roberson was 3^rd in the bareback riding and Kyle Hash was 9^th in the Steer Wrestling.

At the second rodeo in Vernon the men’s team placed 4^th and the women’s team finished 11^th as Tegan Smith won 2^nd in the Saddle Bronc Riding, Colton Kelly won 2^nd in the Bull Riding, Garrett Heinert won 6^th in the Bull Riding and Kyle Hash finished 4^th in the Steer Wrestling. Bucki Shepherd finished 9^th in the breakaway roping and Lana Bell was 10^th in the Goat tying.

At the Frank Phillips College Rodeo held in Perryton the Clarendon College Men’s team came in 4^th place when Brayden Roberson finished 8^th in the Bareback Riding, Tegan Smith won the Saddle Bronc Riding, won 2^nd in the Bull Riding and was the All-Around Champion Cowboy. Casey McCleskey added points to the team finishing 5^th in the Team Roping. Rilee Didway made the short round and finished 9^th in the Barrel racing for the women’s team.

At the fourth Rodeo in Lubbock at Texas Tech, the men’s team finished 7^th. Robert Haley, coming off an injury that held him out of competition for the first three rodeo’s, finished 3^rd in the Saddle Bronc Riding. Brayden Roberson ended up 5^th in the bareback riding, Trey Engel won 2^nd and Garrett Heinert was fourth in the Bull Riding.

The last rodeo of this semester was held in Alpine TX at Sul Ross. Tegan Smith won 2^nd in the saddle Bronc riding, Mitchell Phillips was 8^th in the Bareback Riding, Casey McCleskey split 2-3^rd in the Team Roping with partner Brandon Muniz from ENMU and Colton Kelly won the Bull Riding. This placed the Men’s team 4^th at the rodeo and currently 4^th in the regional standings after their first half of the year.

The Southwest Region is the most competitive Region in the nation with 17 Colleges and Universities competing at each rodeo.

The rodeo teams will compete next at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo Collegiate Challenge on Feb 11^th and then at the next 5 regional rodeos of the spring semester in Odessa, Snyder, Brownwood, Big Spring, and Stephenville.

Wyatt Casper finished the year as Chamion Saddle Bronc rider and Reserve Champion All Around Cowboy in the NIRA Southwest Region.

He received a breast collar for Reserve Champion All Around Cowboy, and a saddle for being the Champion saddle bronc rider.

Wyatt has qualified to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, in June.

Many would love the opportunity to win $1 million.

Wyatt Casper has that opportunity.

The Clarendon College sophomore will ride at The AMERICAN, a one-day rodeo that will take place Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event offers a purse of more than $2 million, with $1 million being paid to the winner or winners who earned their way via a series of qualifiers. That’s where Casper’s opportunity lies.

“I don’t know if it’s set in on how big of a deal it is,” said Casper, a member of the Clarendon College rodeo team from Balko, Okla. “I’m confident in my bronc riding, and I think I can compete with all the best guys there. I’m sure that riding in front of that big of a crowd it will be real nerve-racking.”

It’s all a bit of a whirlwind for the young cowboy, who grew up roping at his Oklahoma Panhandle home. He has competed in team roping and tie-down roping all his life and actually just started riding bucking horses three years ago as a way to increase his opportunities for all-around championships.

“It was a pretty goofy deal,” he said. “They had two bronc riders (in his high school rodeo region) in the first semester, and the pot filled up to about $700. That’s what motivated me to start riding. I’ve roped my whole life, ever since I could walk.

“Rodeo is all I wanted to do when I was little bitty. My parents didn’t start roping until they met each other, and my dad and grandpa picked it up as a hobby. I’m almost a first-generation rodeo cowboy.”

He’s taken to it well. For the Clarendon College rodeo team, he sits third in the Southwest Region saddle bronc riding standings and is eighth in heading. His primary focus before advancing to The AMERICAN was to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. Now his eyes are set firmly on the top prize available.

“It’s a chance at a million dollars,” Casper said. “It’s what everybody hopes to do, and it could really set you up for the rest of your life.”

In The AMERICAN’s inaugural run in 2014, bareback rider Richmond Champion became the first cowboy to win the $1 million prize. Most of the field is made up of invited contestants, and none of the seeded cowboys and cowgirls is eligible for the $1 million. Champion was the only non-seeded winner in 2014.

A year ago, there were two, bareback rider Taylor Price and tie-down roper Reese Reimer. They split the top prize. They, along with the other event winners, also won $100,000. That kind of money great incentive for any rodeo competitor.

While the saddle bronc riding field at The AMERICAN will feature many of the top cowboys in the game, Casper has had some tremendous lessons, especially from Clarendon rodeo coach Bret Franks, a three-time qualifier in saddle bronc riding to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

“He’s been a great role model to me and taught me everything I know about bronc riding,” Casper said of his coach.

For his part, the longtime cowboy-turned-coach realizes there’s something special in Casper, who is a big part of the school’s rodeo team.

“He’s got a natural talent, and he approaches things very mental,” Franks said. “He was a high school quarterback, so he’s always been a leader. He’s definitely our leader.”

That mentality can go a long ways in rodeo. Not only does it take tremendous athleticism to compete in the sport, it takes a strong mind and a willingness to overcome any challenge that comes a cowboy’s way.

“There’s nothing better than getting tapped off on a bronc,” Casper said of matching the rhythm of the horse’s bucking action with a strong spur stroke. “Everybody else tries to stay away from bucking horses, and I try to ride them.”

In just a few days, he will try to ride a couple for his chance at a million dollars.

Story courtesy of Ted Harbin,Rodeo Media Relations.

http://RodeoMediaRelations.com

http://TwisTedRodeo.com

The Clarendon College Rodeo Team started off slow this fall not garnishing a point at the first rodeo in Portales.

Everyone competed well but we came up short. We started to warm up a little in Alpine at the second rodeo. Wyatt Casper was 3rd in the saddle bronc riding and 6th in the team roping Wyatt gathered 140 pts for the team,getting the reserve all around contestant at the rodeo and placing the entire team in the top 10 out of the 17 schools represented there.

At the third rodeo held in Vernon Wyatt Casper ended up 4th in the Saddle bronc riding earning 70 points for the team putting us in the top ten again. The next rodeo we co-hosted with FPC and WTAMU in Perryton where Wyatt once again proved his worth to the team by winning 2nd in the saddle bronc riding, 2nd in the team roping, 2nd in the all around. He earned 210 points for the team and placed us 6th high team. Megan Mclain added a spark by Qualifying for the short round in the barrel racing but hit a barrel to knock her out of placing and earning points.

At the last rodeo of the fall semester, Wyatt Casper split 2nd and 3rd in the saddle bronc riding, gaining 140 pts for the team, good enough to place us 8th high team in Lubbock. We are currently the 10th place team in the southwest region and have been practicing hard to improve our standing. 

Bret Franks is a cowboy.

For the past two years, the Guymon, Okla.-born man has served as the Livestock and Equine Center director and ranch horse coach at Clarendon College, a community college in the Donley County seat. Now he’s adding rodeo coach to his list of duties, recently hired to take over the 30-year-old program.

“I feel like the Good Lord led me here,” said Franks, a graduate of Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell and a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier in saddle bronc riding. “When the rodeo coaching job came up, it was the perfect fit. It was almost like it was meant to be.”

He was raised two and a half hours north in the Oklahoma Panhandle in an agriculture family. He participated in ag-based programs and attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on a livestock judging scholarship. He transferred to Panhandle State on a rodeo scholarship and won the Central Plains Region bronc riding championship while there.

He began a 10-year career in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1993, qualifying for the NFR as one of the top 15 bronc riders in world standings in 1997, ’98 and 2000. He won the Prairie Circuit saddle bronc riding title twice and was the 2002 National Circuit Finals Rodeo champion.

From 1995-99, Franks served as rodeo coach at his alma mater, guiding the men’s team to the national championship in 1997 and 1998. He did that while also juggling a prolific rodeo career.

“I think the biggest thing I can bring to the kids on the rodeo team is my ability to coach the mental aspect of the game,” said Franks, who lives in Clarendon with his wife, Darla, and their sons, Clint and Cole. “With my 20/20 vision of the past, I can look at the mistakes and struggles I had in the sport, and I can help them deter those problems and challenges before they ever get there.

“I can help them mentally prepare to win.”

Though he slowed down his rodeo career considerably after the 2002 season, he always was close to the game. He was the livestock supervisor and rodeo coordinator for Carr Pro Rodeo from 2005-09, then took a job as assistant manager at Cattlemen’s II Feedlot in Hedley, Texas, just a short drive from his Clarendon home. He worked there for four years until the business closed, then began his duties at Clarendon College.

The institution is the first Texas junior college to have a ranch horse team, which promotes the college and agriculture in ranches and stock horse events. As the Livestock and Equine Center director, he is in charge of all events at the facility, including ropings, barrel racing competitions, bull ridings, clinics and practices, just to name a few. Now he’ll add to that list.

“It’s a big undertaking and a huge responsibility, but I’m really looking forward to everything,” he said

Bret Franks has a powerful career of rodeo experiences to use in order to help teach the young rodeo stars at Clarendon College.

Story reprinted with permission of RodeoMediaRelations.com.

The Rodeo Team competed at Texas Tech this past weekend and ended the Fall semester with a bang.

Colton Jackson won 2nd in the first round of Saddle Bronc Riding with a score of 75. He failed to cover his short round horse ,but so did many others in the short round. He still ended up 2nd in the average.

Wyatt Casper also made it back in the Saddle Bronc Riding 8th. He also got bucked off in the short round but still ended up 8th in the average.

Cooper Kirkpatrick really stepped up this weekend while struggling this semester in the steer wrestling. He got a different horse this last week to compete on and it made all the difference. He was 5.5 in the 1st round and ended up tied 8th and 9th. Came back to the short round with a winning attitude and was 4.3in the short round. That was good enough to tie  2nd and 3rd in the short round and win 4th in the average.

The Team ended up 8th out of the fifteen teams in the region.

Colton Jackson is sitting 3rd in the year end in the Saddle Bronc Riding. Cooper moved into the top 20 in the Steer Wrestling.

The Clarendon College Men's Team is currently sitting 9th in the region.

The Rodeo Team competed well again this last weekend in Amarillo.

Kolby Whitesell from South Carolina did great. She split 5/6/7th in the breakaway in the long round with a 2.6 second run. She came back strong in the short round and drew a calf that ran and was a 3.5 and ended up eighth. Very proud of this young lady. She is a great young lady with lots of talent.

Wyatt Casper of Balko, OK, and Colton Jackson of Gruver, placed in the Saddle Bronc Riding this weekend also. Neither young man drew very good in the long round, but by Wyatt placing 7th in the long round and Colton Placing 8th they were determined to do well in the short round. Colton was 68 in the short round and split 2nd and 3rd. Ended up 3rd in the average. Wyatt was 62 in the short round good enough for fourth in the Average.

Kory Bateman and Chance McAnear  also did well in the first round in the Team Roping with a 10.2 but cut off to the short round was a 8.9. The Men's Team ended up  6th this weekend.

We are headed to Texas Tech on Thursday, October 16th.

The Rodeo Team once again competed very well October 3-4 at Vernon College.

Wyatt Casper of Balko, OK. won 10th in the Team Roping in the 1st round with a 7.4. He also came back 10th in the Saddle Bronc. Garret Keeter ended up 11th in the Team Roping with a 7.8 in the first round. W

yatt Journey ended up 13th in the first round of Steer Wrestling. Colton Jackson won fifth in the first round of Saddle Bronc with a 68. Colton ended up 8th in the average in the Bronc Riding and Wyatt ended up 10th. This last week there were 115 teams in the Team Roping entered, 58 in the Steer Wrestling, 25 in the Saddle Bronc Riding.

As you can see Clarendon College is "Stepping Up"  and getting some points on the board this year.

This week we co sponsor the rodeo with WT starting 10-9-14. We will rodeo Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the National Center.

The Rodeo Team had a good rodeo at Sul Ross September 26-27.

Colton Jackson was 8th in the first round of Saddle Bronc riding with a score of 68. He came back strong in the short round with a great score of 82! He won the short round and was second in the average.

Tyler Hobert and Kyle Hash also did well in the Team Roping. They were 7.8 in the long round which came back 10th and 11th to the short round. They struggled in the short round and got a no time. Still very proud of them for placing 11th overall out of 130 teams.

Also in the Steer Wrestling Cooper Kirkpatrick ended up 13th in the long round, while Will Carpenter ended up 14th. The Men's Team ended up tied for 6th and 7th in this rodeo out of 15 teams.