Bad Bulls Good for WYO

There are always going to be a couple of nights in the national finals rodeo bull riding competition when the bulls are destined to deny riders a score. Eight seconds may not seem like a long time but if you are straddling a bucking, twisting beast that doesn’t want you on top of him it can seem like an hour. Eliminators, as they are often referred to, have learned many tricks and will not hesitate to use them. Two of Wyoming’s three bull riders at the 2009 finals in Las Vegas made it through to the whistle last night and made great strides toward challenging current champ JW Harris who is temporarily sidelined with a broken bone in his riding hand.

Powell’s Kanin Asay outlasted a bull known as Ricky Bobby to score 85.5 and earn $10,000 in a third-place finish. “I’d seen him a couple of times and the scores were in the 90s. All I could think was keep hustling and keep trying,” Asay told us after his ride. The bull has roots with Powder River Rodeo Company based in Riverton and Asay says he is one of those eliminators that just doesn’t want to let the rider get a seat in the middle. “He wants you in or out, but I talked to a lot of people for advice and they all told me to stay forward, keep my shoulders square.” The bull gave everything he had in terms of trying to force Kanin’s riding hand to buckle forcing him to let loose, but a driving shoulder and perfectly timed balance allowed Kanin to “get on over him” and win the battle:



Bobby Welsh of Gillette won fourth-place cash of $7,000 last night and he is the only NFR bull rider who has not yet been bucked off early. Many will tell you once Bobby hits his groove he’s the most consistent rider there is, yet he remains relatively unknown outside the confines of the Cowboy State. “I stay under the radar and I like that,” Welsh said. Like the other riders here who’ve not won a world championship that gold buckle is Bobby’s goal and what he’s dreamed about for a long time. He took another step toward making the race more interesting by completing his duties at the Saturday night “Eliminator” session on a bull nicknamed “West Coast Offense”:

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Stat-wise Bobby Welsh is the only man to score on all comers and thus he is the number one man in the average race. The rider with the most points on the most bulls at the end of the finals will earn an extra $44,000. Kanin Asay has won more money than any other bull rider after three rounds - $27, 500. And Asay holds the number two spot in the average.

De Panted in Vegas

Everyone knows you can lose your shorts in Vegas but who would want a pair of baggy pants? A bull in the Eliminator session, that’s who. “Foolish Pride” decided he’d take a run at Meeteetse bullfighter Dusty Tuckness’ britches and succeeded:



Tonight’s fourth round action can been seen on ESPN2 beginning at 7 Mountain Time.

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Editing chores for Wyoming Tourism are the responsibility of Mr. Mike McCrimmon.