Image provided by: Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR
About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1998)
Page 10-Special EOton Morrow County Far & Rodeo • Heppner Gazette-Times. Wednesday, August 12,1998 Big Bend Stock will wow OTPR The Coppertop Clown 1997 Bull of the Year, "Rapid Fire”, Big Bend Rodeo Co., not ridden successfully in 1997 Sankey of Cody, WY. She also won the top-stock award in 1994. It’s no surprise that Skitso Skoal bucks with such great force. She is the granddaughter of Sankey’s famous sire Custer, and Rum and Coke, another well-known bronc. Skitso Skoal has also foaled two colts and is pregnant with a third. “I guess I’ve thought all along she was an outstanding horse,” Sankey said. “She never quits.” Of the 100 riders who have tried to ride Skitso the past three years, only nine have been suc cessful. The few cowboys who rode the eight year old mare for eight seconds usually received scores over 80 points. The top bucking bull of 1997 also belongs to Big Bend Rodeo Company. Rapid Fire, a 1,600 pound red bull, was raised on Katich Ranch in Keller, WA., and comes from the same herd as fa mous bulls Dog Face and Bear Swawilla. Known to go into a clockwise spin immediately after he leaves the chute, Rapid Fire is so fast no one is completely sure what he does to get the cowboys off his back. “He does a little bit of ev erything. He’s just real rank,” Hutsell said. Rapid Fire was not successfully ridden in PRCA competition in 1997. The last cowboy to ride the bull was David Foumier, who scored 87 points on Rapid Fire during the 1996 NFR. In the fighting bull pen, the meanest of the mean in 1997 was Howdy Dooty of the Coyote Hills Rodeo company of Hastings, OK. The 1,250 pound Mexican halfbreed blasts out of the chutes low to the ground and looking for a fight. “The minute you turn him loose, he’s going to be looking for some one to hook,” said former bull fighter Rex Dunn, owner of Coy ote Hills Rodeo. And Howdy Dooty is special in another way- his owner is only six year old. The bull is part of a pen that Dunn gave to his son, Jace. “He’s as excited as anyone about it,” Dunn said about Jace. Fair exhibits accepted Aug. 17 1997 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year, “Skoal’s Spring Fling", Big Bend Rodeo Co. By Carmen Polk Pro Rodeo Sports News In the world of professional rodeo, not all of the stars wear Wrangler jeans. Some of the four-legged vari ety prefer a saddle, a rigging or a bull rope. Those stars are profes sional rodeo’s iop bucking animals. Each year, the Professional Rodeo Cowboy’s Association rec ognizes the sport's top bucking stock. The award winners are selected on their ability to carry cowboys to high scores or buck off cowboys who try to nde them. The PRCA’s 1997 bareback horse of the year is Skoal’s Spring Fling, owned by Don Hutsell and Sonny Riley of the Big Bend Ro deo Company in Ritzville, WA. Spring Fling, the daughter of former NFR horse Spring Rose, is a five year old brown mare who was bom to buck. “She just kicks real hard and jumps real high,” Hutsell said. “They (cowboys) ei ther win the rodeo on her or she bucks them off.’’ Big Bend purchased Spring Fling as a foal from the Snake River Rodeo Company. At the 1997 DNCFR, she carried Clint Corey to a record-setting 89 point ride. “She could win a title as a saddle bronc too, someday,” Corey said. “She’s that caliber of horse.” The 1997 saddle bronc of the year is the gray mare Skitso Skoal, owned by stock contractor Ike Fair time is here! Exhibits will be accepted on Monday, August 17, from 1-8 p.m. It is most helpful to the superintendents if you have your exhibitor’s tags filled out prior to going to the various departments. Drop by the Fair Office and pick up your premium sheet and exhibitor tags prior to August 17 if possible. That will help you be more prepared come entry time. The Fair Office will be open Saturday, August 15, from 8 am. until noon for your convenience. Exhibits will again be released on Saturday night, August 22, from 9-10 p.m. If you are unable to be present during this time, every effort will oe made to put the exhibits in a locked area to keep them safe. The office will be open on Sunday through Friday the week following fair so that you may pick up your articles. Karaoke, a fair time favorite A fairgrounds favorite last year. Karaoke, presented by Tom and Linda Lohuis, will again be featured entertainment at the 1998 Morrow County Fair on Saturday night.
