Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1994)
BESSIE U ° f * ORE WETZELL n e w s p a p e r L I B E u 0 7 4 0 3 gene or Top competitors vie for cash and prizes Bobby Hurley Joe Beaver Allen Bach "Troy Pruitt, I thought, roped exceptional this week. He drew some good calves and he really roped good," Beaver said. "I was just trying, if I had a good calf, to win money, and if I didn't, to get by." Marvin Gay VOL. 113 NO. 34 8 Pages Wednesday, August 17, 1994 Morrow County Heppner, Oregon Queen Staci rules with a radiant smile Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Queen Staci O'Brien rules this week's annual event with her radiant smile. She will be waving at spectators as she heads up the Saturday morn ing parade. Her official white divided skirt riding habit is ac cented with fuchsia matching the colorful outfits of her three princesses. Capping a full week of fair activities, after the parade the court will host a luncheon, perform in grand entries and hand out awards, those royal duties that Staci handles with natural grace. This role has come easily to the 19 year old daughter of Burke and Ginger O'Brien, Staci formerly served as a pennant bearer and she was a princess on the 1992 court of Jenni Ashbeck. Court life is a family tradi tion. Her older sister, Kristi, was a princess in 1988. Her brother, Casey served as a pennant bearer. Her mother, Ginger, and her aunts have been on royal courts and both of her parents were former court chaperones. It's been a busy summer for Staci who also has a full time job at Kids World Day Care in Pendleton. Besides travel- Queen Staci O'Brien Height: 5 7 ” Eyes: Green Hair:Blond Parents: Burke & Ginger Age: 19 year old Activities: '93 HHS grad, freshman at BMCC- general business, Swim ming and Aerobics, Ride Horses, Hunting, Emp loyed with Kid's World Day Care ing back and forth from Pendleton to Heppner, this year's court has participated in many out-of-town rodeos and events. Their striking parade appearances have given them five first place wins and other placings. Those official trips are an im portant part of promoting the hometown fair and rodeo, Staci says. Recently they combined business with pleasure during a day in Pendleton. They made recordings at the KTIK radio station, put up fair and rodeo posters and toured Pendleton's Underground. They visited at Camlu where they were luncheon guests of Gladys Raymond, the great grandm other of Princess Jossie Evans. Queen Staci graduated from Heppner High School in 1993. While in school she par ticipated in sports and she was a member of the dance team. She was chosen as the 1993 prom queen and she was a homecoming princess in 1992. Riding horses has been a way of life as long, as Staci can remember. Her mount for court appearances is "B u m ” a 15 year-old thoroughbred that had already been indoc trinated to court life. From the age of 10, Staci was involved in 4-H with numerous livestock and horse projects. This family has also been active Wrangler Riding Club members, where Staci en jo y s p articipating in playdays and trail rides. As an ambassador for Mor row County, Chaperone Julie Ashbeck says that Queen Staci is an excellent role model. This year's court has become a very cohesive group who take their royal duties seriously while also having a good time, she added. Queen Staci reads to Brent Eckman (I) and Torri Lovgren. Clint Corey Many former world cham pions and top 15 cowboys and cowgirls will be competing at this year's Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo to be held this Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Scheduled to appear are former world champion bareback riders Gint Corey and Marvin Garrett, five-time world champion calf roper Joe Beaver and 1993 world champion team roper Bobby Hurley. Not many guys would have the guts to trade in a horse that helped him win the first round of the National Finals Rodeo for one that he'd owned just three months. Not many guys are Joe Beaver. "It doesn't really matter that much to me what horse I ride,” Beaver said. "I just kind of go in there and whichever one I catch that day, I ride." During the first two rounds of the 1993 NFR, Beaver rode Prime Time, the sorrel gelding that carried him to the 1992 ti tle.. Following the second ¿round, however,-he switched to Touchdown, a roam he bought from Doug Clark in ear ly September. Beaver said he thought Prime Time was a lit tle too strong for the pen of calves at NFR '93. But, he ad mitted, that wasn't the only reason he changed horses. For the third performance, Beaver's tack man "saddled the wrong horse, so I just rode him the rest of the week," Beaver said with a laugh. Whatever the motive, riding Touchdown turned out to be the right decision. "H e's been real good," said Beaver, 28. "I've won about $45,000 on him, so he's been a good investment." Beaver of Huntsville, Texas, split first-place money in the third round riding Touchdown, and remained consistant throughout the week to place third in the average. He earn ed $118,787 for the season, $6,510 ahead of runner-up Troy Pruitt of Minatare, Neb., and $7,639 ahead of third-place finisher Shawn McMullan of Iraan, Texas. "It came all the way down to today," Beaver said minutes after the 10th round ended. "It kind of came down to what Shawn did." If McMullan had roped his final calf three seconds faster than his 12.2 time, he would have tied with Pruitt for the NFR average victory and walk ed away with the world title. Another key moment in Beaver's fifth world champion ship came with his win in the eighth round. Despite a case of stomach flu, Beaver was able to rope and tie his calf in 8.0 seconds. "I'v e been real sick the last four or five days, but I just kind of made myself focus in on why I was h e re," Beaver said following the final round. "I'v e had a good week, a good year," he said. " I felt pretty good (about the NFR). I roped good and my horses worked good. I didn't draw as well as I have out here before, but you can't draw good every year. I had enough chances that it let me w in." Surprisingly, Beaver's closest competitor by the end of the NFR was Pruitt, the 1990 world champion calf roper who entered the Finals in the 15th and final qualifying position. Pruitt earned $68,111 at the NFR to climb to the runner-up spot with $112,277 on the season. World championship fires have been burning inside Bob by Hurley since he was a youngster in Arkansas emulating his heroes. "When I first started roping, the guys that were roping good then were people like Leo and Reg (Camarillo),"Hurley said. "When we'd practice at home, I liked to pretend it was the last steer at the finals and when we were backing in the box we'd say we were Reg and Leo or Jake (Barnes) and Clay (O'Brien Cooper). You don't ever think, in your deepest dreams, that the stuff in your practice pen could be a reality." The fire that burned Hurley's name into his first gold buckle started in the opening round at the National Finals Rodeo, when he and Allen Bach tied for third place with Charles Pogue and Bobby Harris. The Continued Page 2 Top stock at Rodeo *1 '* • ■ * • ’ - Copenhagen Heckle Copenhagen Yellow Knife "Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo is proud to have Copenhagen Heckle and Copenhagen Yellow Knife of the top quality bucking stock from the Beard Rodeo C o .," said an Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo spokesperson. Copenhagen Heckle was selected six times to buck at the National Finals Rodeo, three times at Dodge National Circuit Finals and six times at the Col umbia River Circuit Finals. He was also named 1993 co-bare- back horse of the year for the Columbia River Circuit. "Copenhagen Yellow Knife and Skoal Sourdough Kid are two of the most popular bulls in the string. Cowboys can count on a paycheck if they ride one of them to the whis tle ,"s a id the OTPR spokesperson. Daily doubles begin Aug. 22 at HHS Daily double football practice at Heppner High School will be held on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 22 and 23 at 7 a m. and 4:30 p.m. Practice will be held at 3:45 p.m. only on Wednes day, Aug. 24, through Friday, Aug. 26. All fall sport athletes must have their fees paid for par ticipation before practice begins. Beginning this year students will be charged $50 per sport with a maximum of $200 per family for the year. Any player who participated The job bank program should call Cheryl Ployhar or Marcia DeBo to inquire about the money he or she earned through the job bank. Players must also stop by Heppner High School to pick up physical, insurance and waiver forms before practice begins. For more information call Heppner High School, 676-9138. Enjoy th e Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo We will be closed Saturday Morrow County Grain Growers Lexington 989-8221 1-800-824-7185 ___
