Following a hot, grueling week of competition at the International Finals Youth Rodeo in Shawnee, 10 event champions were named Saturday, as well as an All-Around Cowgirl and All-Around Cowboy.
Bull riding
Mt. Vernon, Ark., cowboy Lane Wyatt Lasley covered three bulls throughout the week and was tops in the bull riding competition at the IFYR. His three-ride score, including an 80 in Saturday’s finals, was 235 points — only two points ahead of second-place finisher Colter White of Tyrone.
Lasley entered Saturday’s finals in second place at 155 points. Clint Miller of Sulphur was first at 156, but ultimately finished in fourth place after posting a no-time Saturday.
Lasley’s explanation of his success this year was pretty straightforward — “Staying calm, and the good Lord blessed me with good bulls and kept me safe.”
His injuries over the years have included a broken jaw, broken ribs and a punctured lung.
“You’ve just got to pay the consequences,” said Lasley, whose 2010 IFYR bull riding winnings totaled more than $2,840.
Lasley plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and ride bulls professionally. His family, especially his father, has served as an inspiration for him to go as far as he can.
“He’s been there and done it, and he knows that I can win,” Lasley said.
Goat tying
Hayden Segelke of Snyder, Colo., won the goat tying event this year after entering Saturday’s finals in sixth place in the average. Segelke held a combined two-round time of 17.7 seconds before posting an 8.4 ride in the finals.
“It wasn’t super fast, but it wasn’t slow,” Segelke said of her last ride. “It was just solid.”
A good horse, Segelke said, is what can win it or lose it for a competitor.
“My horse is super honest,” she said. “You can’t do good without a good horse, and a lot of it is how much time you spend in the practice arena. It’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
Segelke, now a three-time IFYR entrant, won more than $3,300 in this event.
“You can’t find many youth rodeos that pay this well,” she said.
Steer Wrestling
Tyler Waguespack became steer wrestling champion with an average time of 13.0. Wasguespack’s first go score was 3.6 and his second go score was 4.9. He took the title after scoring 4.5 yesterday during the final round.
The 19-year-old said the steer he drew was “pretty good” throughout the week.
“He let me do what I needed to do,” he said.
The Gonzales, La. native won a total of about $1,023 in the event.
Waguespack plans to attend Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School in Ardmore next year.
Barrel racing
Brittany Hurley of Clarksville, Ark., is the IFYR barrel racing champion with an average time of 49.747 seconds. Hurley’s first go time was 16.727 seconds and her second go time was 16.565 seconds. She won the title yesterday after racing at a time of 16.455 seconds.
Hurley attributed her win to her Palomino horse, Casino, who she’s had for one and a half years.
“I’m excited,” she said. “My run was pretty great.”
Hurley earned a total of about $3,062 in barrel racing.
Saddle bronc
Mason Laviolette became the saddle bronc champion with an average score of 211. Laviolette’s first go score was 68 and his second go score was 74. He took the title with a score of 69 in the final round.
Laviolette said his win wasn’t easy.
“I didn’t like my horse too much,” he said. “She was really hard to ride but I got her rode and it worked out good.”
The Rayne, La. native won a total of about $1,627 in this event.
Laviolette said he plans to save the money for college.
Breakaway roping
With the help of her horse Bob, Ashley Goforth, 18, of Azle, Texas, made her Saturday run in 3.24 seconds to win the breakaway roping championship in her first IFYR.
“I had a good feeling at the beginning,” she said. The 18-year-old has received a rodeo scholarship and is off to college in Weatherford, Texas. She won about $2,423 in this event.
Pole bending
Mary Gentry of Elko, Ga., who also served as a Youth Director, placed first in pole bending with a final ride of 20.005 seconds. She described the victory as “overwhelming.” Gentry is off to New Mexico Junior College this fall. She’ll continue to rodeo, but wants to pursue a career as an ER nurse. Gentry won about $4,195 in this IFYR event.
Bareback bronc
Huntsville, Texas cowboy Bill Tutor, 18, placed first overall in bareback bronc riding after earning a 77 on his Saturday ride. He said he felt good about the ride beforehand and knew the horse he’d drawn would be “a handful to ride,” but also would provide an opportunity to earn points.
This was Tutor’s first IFYR competition — he entered last year, but broke his hand before being able to compete. Tutor’s total earnings in this event was about $1,813.
Calf roping
Broken Bow Cowboy Clay Smith won the calf roping competition Saturday with a total time of 10.3 seconds. Smith said he enjoys the IFYR because it pays well and is a good rodeo. Smith earned a total of $2,346 in this event.
Team roping
Tate Kirchenslager of Yuma, Colo., and Clint Summers of Lake City, Fla., teamed up to win the team roping competition with a final run of 5 seconds. For Summers, winning the IFYR has been one of his goals. He’s participated in the IFYR the past four years. Their total earnings for the event was $4,351.