Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2016)
A10 Pendleton Round-Up wallowa.com September 21, 2016 Wallowa County Chieftain Kolbaba defends crown Walla Walla native feeds off crowd for PBR Classic win “ The fans are truly unbelievable and you don’t get it anywhere else, that’s for sure.” By Eric Singer East Oregonian PENDLETON — When Derek Kolbaba plans out his travel schedule during the ro- deo season, there is one city that is always priority No. 1 — Pendleton. The 20-year-old cowboy from Walla Walla, Washing- ton frequented the town for the Pendleton PBR Classic and the Round-Up every year when he was growing up, which is why those two events are always staples for him. On Tuesday night, Kol- baba took center stage in front of his (pretty much) hometown crowd looking to defend his PBR Classic title from 2015. And after two rock solid rides with those fans behind him, Kolbaba was successful in his efforts as he scored a 175.5 on two to capture the 2016 Banner Bank Pendleton PBR Classic crown. “It’s all just unbelievable,” he said. “When I say it’s one of my favorite events, I’m not lying. The atmosphere is great, the crowd is right there on top of you and I have all my family and friends here which makes it that much sweeter.” The crowd support for the Washington cowboy was evident from the intro- ductions when the packed house at Happy Canyon are- na boomed when Kolbaba’s name was announced. It con- tinued during his irst ride, just four riders into the event, with booming cheers and high-pitched screams belting for the eight-second ride be- fore erupting into borderline pandemonium after Kolbaba dismounted and was awarded an 88.5 point ride — the top Derek Kolbaba E.J. Harris/East Oregonian Derek Kolbaba of Walla Walla rides No Dice during the Pendleton PBR Classic on Tuesday in the Happy Canyon Arena in Pendleton. score of the event. “It makes you feel just awesome to have that support behind you like I do here in Pendleton,” Kolbaba said with a big smile. “The fans are truly unbelievable and you don’t get it anywhere else, that’s for sure.” Kolbaba’s ride boosted him easily into the Top 10 for the Tuesday night inals, penciling his name into the last spot in order. As the nine other riders took their turns, none of them cleared the 173.5 threshold set by Key- GĊę ĘĊėĎĔĚĘ ĆćĔĚę SĈėĎĕęĚėĊ. In-depth Biblical studies that honor Yeshua and uphold His Torah Hebrew and Greek instruction on a schedule that �ts you Free articles shawn Whitehorse on Mon- day night. With an 88.5 point score already in his pocket, Kolbaba got set on his bull — Light um Up from Jeff Rob- inson’s Bulls — needing at least an 85 to secure the title. And he was pretty coni- dent he could get that. “I didn’t really know what I had to beat, to be honest,” Kolbaba said of his prepara- tion. “I knew I had a great bull underneath me and was lucky enough to put a good score on the board earlier so I knew if I just kept my hand shut, kept working (the bull) and stayed in there I knew it would go in my favor.” Once he was ready and the chute gate swung open, Kol- baba stayed steady as could be on his bull, which spun him around in tight circles, Internet Radio 24/7 New fall arrivals! Torahresource.com 888-547-8889 Sweaters, leggings, jackets & boots!!! A nnu al C rab F ee 70 / $ 30 0 / $ New Summer Clearance added daily ent m a n r u d T o Stop by today! S EPTEMBER 24 S S 10 TH HOTGUN PERSON PERSON TART Open Daily 10 am – 5 pm AM - G OLF & D INNER - D INNER O NLY • 4-Person Teams (Scramble Format) • Putting Contest • Cocktail Hour and Dinner (Dinner includes fresh Dungeness crab, baby back ribs, chicken caesar salad) h C as & o ut Pay es Priz Uptown Clothing & Accessories in Downtown Joseph 12 S. Main St. • 541-432-9653 R EGISTRA EGISTRATION GISTRATION R ATION AND D INNER R R ESERVA ESERVATIONS ESERVAT SER SERVA R ATT IONS O : 541-426-3246 RSVP BY S EPTEMBER 23 RD of BARGAINS the MONTH Allard takes bullighting crown In the inaugural Bullight- ers Only competition at the PBR Classic, Vinita, Okla- homa bullighter Evan Allard took home the championship after an 86-point performance on Tuesday — edging out Meeteese, Wyoming’s Dusty Tuckness (85.5). Allard com- peted and won with a pair of broken ribs sustained a few days prior and was in obvi- ous pain before and after his 60-second bullight. “It feels good to have a (Bullighters Only) win un- der my belt and to do it at such a prestigious place (like Pendleton) makes it better,” Allard told the crowd during the awards presentation. Shane Erickson best all around Oregon cowboy wins 106th Pendleton Round-Up By Eric Singer East Oregonian Before he was a profes- sional cowboy, Shane Erick- son knew the prestige of the Pendleton Round-Up. The Terrebone resident and Washington native at- tended Blue Mountain Com- munity College for one year in 1999, and after experienc- ing the Round-Up that year he started to dream about someday winning the rodeo. Fifteen years after earn- ing his pro card, Erickson’s dream became a reality by winning the all-around ti- tle at the 106th Pendleton Round-Up on Saturday af- ternoon. “I’ve been wanting one of these buckles for a long time,” Erickson said with a big smile. “It’s one of the rodeos you always want to win, and it’s so tough here because of all the elements.” “I will be proud wearing the buckle, I know that.” It’s also the irst time in four years that someone oth- er than Trevor Brazile won the East Oregonian Let’er Buck Trophy, as the legend- ary Texas cowboy departed the PRCA after the 2015 sea- son to help start Elite Rodeo Athletes. Erickson said while it would have been sweeter to beat out the best, Brazile’s absence doesn’t lessen his victory. “You just have to place in more than one event, which isn’t easy,” Erickson said. Erickson clinched the all- around title on Saturday by placing in both team roping and calf roping throughout the week, winning a grand total of $3,496 in both events. In team roping, Erickson and heading partner Andy Carl- son inished tied for eighth in the irst round with a time of 6.5 seconds and qualiied for the short round. Erickson saw better success in calf roping, where he inished ifth in the second round (10.0 seconds) and then seventh in the aver- 2/$ Gal. -50° RV Antifreeze Gal. -50° Ethanol-Blend RV Antifreeze Wallowa County HEALTH LINE H 850 543 F6 519 W. North Street, Enterprise 541.426.3413 Mon-Thurs 9 to Noon/1-5pm; Fri. 9-1 Sale ends 9/30/2016 ©2016 True Value ® Company. All rights reserved. M-F 8AM-6PM • SAT 8AM-5PM • SUN 9AM-3PM Hurricane Creek Road Enterprise, Oregon 541-426-3116 age (31.5 seconds on three). “It inally hit me after hitting the (victory) lap,” Erickson said. “I’ve seen so many people make it and it feels good that everybody cheers for you — they’re all standing up. You just can’t describe the feeling ... it’s awesome.” The Round-Up has long been at the top of his list of favorite rodeos, and he said it takes a different kind of mentality to ind success in Pendleton. “It’s a rodeo that you have to have no fear, you can’t rope with fear of the grass ield,” Erickson said. “I’ve never had fear for the grass, I pasture rope at home so that doesn’t bother me; my horses know the grass, they live on it.” The 37-year-old doesn’t compete nation-wide in ro- deos anymore, choosing to stay close to home in the Paciic Northwest and competing in the Columbia River Circuit to stay close to his family. He also oper- ates his own small business, a trucking company based out of Terrebone. Before the Round-Up Erickson was fourth in the circuit all- around standings with more than $8,700 in earnings — trailing fellow Terrebone resident Russell Cardoza in irst with $13,783. Aside from the trophy, Erickson took home a tro- phy saddle, a Weatherby/ Leupold .257 trophy rile, trophy buckle, hand-crafted Justin boots, embroidered leather jacket, Pendleton Woolen Mills blanket, Le- upold McKenzie binocu- lars, American Hat Co. felt cowboy hat, engraved silver pocket watch, custom-made spurs, custom YETI cool- er, 14-karat bucking horse charm, bottle of Pendleton Whisky, bottle of Let’er Buck cologne, and a Bucks Bag gear bag. “They give so much stuff ... it’s probably truly one of the best rodeos you can win because of all the stuff they give,” Erickson said. “They appreciate you coming and they do a great job here. “And hopefully maybe I can do it again before my career is over.” 5 2/$ H 237 336 F6 Another local makes it through Hermiston native and Stanield resident Cody Ford had a tough start to his 2016 PBR Classic, as he turned in no scores on Monday and his irst ride on Tuesday. But Ford made it through to the Top 10 inals on Tues- day night after not enough rid- ers qualiied. And he did not disappoint, either. Going irst in the inals, Ford got a good grip and a good position and stayed solid atop his bull — Big Red from Jeff Robinson’s — for the necessary eight seconds which turned into an 85-point ride. With those early no-scores, it wasn’t enough to compete for a title, but it was enough to make Ford feel good in front of the hometown fans, as he thumped his chest a few times and celebrated with the crowd after the ride. Staff photo by Kathy Aney Shane Erickson does a happy dash around the Pendleton Round-Up track Saturday after winning All-Around Cowboy. ® While supplies last. 7 hugging the far fence row as it did everything to try and send Kolbaba lying off. But it was to no avail. When the eight-second horn sounded for the success- ful ride, Kolbaba jumped off the bull to a standing ovation, tossed his helmet while let- ting out a big “Woo,” climbed the fence and ist-pumped a few times to the crowd in cel- ebration. “I didn’t really know if it was good enough but I was just pumped,” Kolbaba said of his celebration. “The crowd went crazy and it was just an overwhelming feel- ing.” But when the score was revealed on the scoreboard — an 87-point ride — a huge smile broke out on Kolbaba’s face. Another win, another championship belt buckle to take home with him. “It’ll look great next to the irst one,” he said. “This one means just as much if not more than that one, and I’m just really lucky to take it home two years in a row.” OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK Specializing in Anti-Aging Skin Therapy Customized Facials Waxing Services, Brow Sculpting Body Polish-Back Facials High-Perfomance Products 541-398-0759 | Located @ beecrowbee 01 Main Joseph Keycode Entry Weight Room • Cardio Women’s Circuit • Tanning 202 W. Main, Enterprise 541-426-0313
