Record number of top PRCA
cowboys to compete at rodeo
Certain TTetssll
0 o f O t;cv 3 ?T .-3 P L i b r a r y
Eu¿oue,
OH
Mike Beers
Billy Etbauer
VOL. 120
NO. 33
8 Pages
Wednesday, August 15,2001
Morrow County, Heppner. Oregon
Queen Tammy Booth a real animal lover
|
'Jammt/
| rß öt)tlt
‘E yes: (Blue
|
Hiair: Brown
Äße: 16 years old
H
‘ ome-schooled
I
Tarents:
Sherrie Smiley o f Boardman
and Woody Earf o f
I Vancouver, Washington
(grandmother is
I Carolyn Lilly o f Boardman)
In terests:
Änimals, cou> penning,
j riding, equestrian drill team
i--------------------------------------------- 1
Not many people can say
they were riding horses before
they were bom, but this was the
case for Morrow County Fair and
Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Queen
Tammy Booth. Queen Tammy's
mother, Sherrie Smiley, says that
she was still riding when she was
eight months pregnant with
Tammy and exercised colts to
buy baby clothes. "She (Tammy)
got bucked off several times
before she was even bom,"
laughs Sherrie.
And it wasn’t long
afterward that Tammy began
riding herself. "We didn't have a
car when Tammy was little," said
Sherrie, "so we rode horseback.
We had a sled that we pulled
behind the horse and in
summertime we used a plastic
tobaggan. That's what we used to
go to the grocery store."
Sixteen-year-old Tammy
and her mom still share a close
bond and enjoy many activities
together. Sherrie has been in an
equestrian drill team for around
10 years and Tammy has also
become an intregal part o f it.
After fair and rodeo are over,
they plan to become active again.
According to her mom, Tammy
has ridden just about every
position in the drill team and will
be a "big help" in teaching
newcomers to the team. The
mother-daughter duo form a trio
with Tammy's grandmother,
Carolyn Lilly, a full-blooded
Indian with Cherokee and
Choctaw blood, who also rides in
the drill team.
Besides drill team, the
three generations compete in
"sorting to cow pen". One year
Mom and Grandma won the
ladies open in cow penning at the
Clark County Fair, while Tammy
won reserve champion, high
point and stock type in Western
By Sue Gibbs
A record number of Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association world
leaders and past world champions
will vie for the championship titles
at the 79th annual Oregon Trail Pro
Rodeo this weekend. The top ranked
contestants will be facing tough
competition from an outstanding
representation o f local talent.
The PRCA rodeo kicks off in
Heppner with timed event slack
beginning at 12 noon on Friday,
Aug. 17. The Friday night show
begins with mutton bustin' at 6:30
p.rm, with the professional
performance at 7:30 p.m. Women's
Professional Rodeo Association
barrel racing slack will follow the
Friday night performance.
A second show will be on
Saturday, Aug. 18, beginning with
mutton bustin' at 12:45 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased at the
gate. Adult prices are $8 each and
the cost for children seven-12 is
$5. Children six and under are
admitted free.
Sunday afternoon, Aug. 19, will
bring the Morrow County Rodeo
with local residents or graduates
competing for money and awards.
This action gets underway with slack
at 10 a.m. followed by the main
event at 1:15 p.m.
Headlining the list of entries for
the PRCA rodeo are four of the top
10 contestants and the current all
around cowboy vying for the
number-one back number at the
Nations Finals Rodeo: representing
the most money won in any event.
Those contestants include Blair
Burke, Durant. OK. with SI00.432
won this year and currently standing
first in the world in calf roping. B..I
Campbell of Benton City. WA. has
won $84,122 and is sitting first in
the world in the team roping event.
Brad Goodrich, Hermiston, has a
total year’s earnings of S71,311 and
Lightning fires
Morrow County Fair and Oregon Trail Pro Rodeo Queen Tammy
Booth with her official mount Skip's Passing Fancy.
Pleasure, English Pleasure, for two days. They think maybe
Western Equitation, English she was poisoned. I almost lost
Equitation, Showmanship and her. She's doing fine now and
Trail in Vancouver. Tammy, only she's carrying a baby."
Tammy and her mom got
eight years old at the time, won
the mare a year ago in May. and
the events against adults.
The three also enjoy she has been primarily a brood
hunting bear, elk and deer, mare.
"I'm training her to run
although Tammy adamantly
barrels and rope off her," said
refuses to kill anything.
Sherrie is also Tammy's Tammy. "Now that we've taught
teacher since she is home her to ride," added Mom.
Fancy has been in all the
schooled. Tammy has completed
the equivalent o f ninth grade and parades and grand entries. "Our
plans to complete 10th and 11th first parade was a little
this year. Tammy is enthusiastic interesting," said Tammy.
"She's a card," said
about
her
home-school
experience. "I like it better Sherrie. "She talks with her nose
because we get through and when she gets excited, she
everything quicker," said really gets going. She's a real
Tammy. "It takes about four clown."
hours a day and then you're
"One time she fell with
done,” said Mom. "You don’t me and I hurt my knee and my
have to take time for recess."
ancle and she actually stood there
"You
get
more and let me crawl back on her and
interesting field trips and they ride her home," said Tammy.
also don't teach you how to hang
Tammy's other horse, Yo
IVs," laughed Tammy, who had Yo, is a 21-year-old pinto.
a recent scary, but educational, Mother and daughter can't help
experience with her horse. Skip's teanng-up when talking about
Passing Fancy (Fancy), a 10- YoYo because the versatile horse
year-old black Quarter Horse is now crippled. With the help of
mare.
Oregon Trail Veterinary Clinic
"She went down," said a YoYo has a baby they call their
spunky Tammy. " They still don’t "miracle baby". Heavenly Sent
know what caused it. She had
Luckily,
Tammy's
blood gushing out of her nose boyfriend is a horseshoer
and I called the vet. The vet put
an IV up and I got to sit with her continued page 2
A lightning storm moved through
Umatilla County late Sunday and
early Monday starting a number
o f forest fires. The largest, the
Bridge Creek Fire, is burning in
the Bridge Creek State Wildlife
Management Area, seven miles
south of Ukiah. It was 3.000 acres
at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14.
An Oregon Department of
Forestry Incident Management team
was brought in Tuesday morning
to fight the fire. Fire fighting
resources are in short supply with
wildfires burning is several western
states. For Tuesday, four dozers,
and two large helicopters will be
battling the blaze.
The fire is burning almost
exclusively in grass and timber on
the wildlife management area. It
has burned through on small amount
timber in Bridge Creek on the
Umatilla National Forest.
The wildlife area is an important
winter elk range and Oregon Fish
and Wildlife managers are
concerned about the fire destroying
important thermal cover.
No structures have been burned,
and none were threatened as ot
Tuesday morning.
is ranked ninth, following last
weekend's win at the Farm City Pro
Rodeo in Hermiston.
Competing with these world
leaders is Joe Beaver. Huntsville.
TX, the three-time all around world
champion, and five-time world
champion calf roper with current
earnings of S61,228.
Big Bend Rodeo Company of
Ritzville, WA, will provide "top
ranked" NFR stock to challenge
an "outstanding" list of current world
saddle bronc leaders: Glen O'Neill,
Water Valley, Alberta, currently
ranked second in the world and Dan
Mortensen, Billings. MT, a past all
around champion and five-time
world champion, is close behind
in third. Challenging for the OTPR
title will be the current world fourth-
place saddle bronc rider Rod Hay
who is the Canadian all around and
saddle bronc champion. They will
be facing tough competition from
three time, and current world
champion Billy Etbauer, Edmond.
OK; and will be challenged by
Shawn Eng, formally o f Heppner.
Rough stock contestants face
tough challenges. Fifteen of stock
contractor Donny Hutsell's animals
w ere chosen to compete in the 2000
National Finals Rodeo. Big Bend
Rodeo Company w as honored at
the NFR with Skoal's Spring Fling’s
second title as saddle bronc of the
year. Hutsell was also awarded
bucking bull of the year with Skoal's
Border Patrol.
Expect to see the saddle bronc
o f the year and many other NFR
bucking stock at this year’s OTPR.
Top 10 bareback nders challenging
this stock will be Bobby Mote.
Redmond, currently ranked fourth,
and Joe Ketter. Roy, WA. Local
talent Brian Knowles will be
competing for high scores on this
quality stock.
Steer wrestlers will be facing
tough competition with five of the
current top 10 world leaders.
Heading the list is number-one
ranked. Birch Negaard, Buffalo.
S.D.,
Chad
Biesemeyer.
Stephenville, TX, Lee Graves,
Calgary. Alberta, and Rody Lyman.
Victor. MT. Past world champion
Brad Gleason. Touchet. WA, will
also be competing for the title. Justin
Matteson and Blake Knowles, both
of Heppner. Emmett Evans,
formally o f Heppner. and Trevor
McCoin. Condon, will be applying
their combination o f strength,
timing, technique and horse power
for the fastest time this weekend.
Blair Burke, currently ranked
number one in calf roping with
$91.574. Brad Goodrich. Joe Beaver.
Matt Shiozawa. Pocatello. ID. Tv-
Hays. Weatherford. OK, and Trent
Walls are world leaders vying for
the coveted Mike Curnn Memonal
Buckle. They face tough competition
from current calf roping champion
Jerry Gentry. Heppner. Steve Cumn,
Columbia River Circuit all around
leader. Heppner. Tony Curnn.
Dayton, WA, Jeff Coelho. Long
Creek, current Columbia River
Circuit leader and 2000 NFR
contestant. The athletic skills of
quickness and strength w ill be the
key in the arena this weekend for
the title.
Sunday's Morrow County
I om Sores
Joe Beaver
Dan Mortensen
Amateur Calf Roping Saddle
donated by Ktnzua Resources LI.C,
will also be given to the amateur
roper with the fastest time.
Twenty-seven bull riders will
compete for the title Vince Stanton.
Weiser, ID. currently leading the
Columbia River Circuit and ranked
fourth in the world standings. Shawn
W aite, Kuna. ID. J.C. Bean.
Goldendale. WA. top Columbia
River Circuit cowboys will be
competing. The stock will challenge
these contestants to their limits. You
can expect to see past NFR bull of
the year. Rapid Fire, and NFR bulls.
Unforgiven and Two Spot.
A loaded team roping field
includes the number-one ranked
team of Richard Eiguren. Jordan
Valley, and B.J. Campbell, Benton
City, WA, Frank Graves, Poplarville,
MS, and Monty Joe Petska, Turlock,
CA, ranked third. Bobby Hurley,
Ceres, CA, and Mike Beers, Powell
Butte. Kyle Lockett, Ivanhoe, CA,
and Chance Kelton, Mayer. AZ.,
Bntt Bockius. Claremore, OK. and
Charles Pogue. Claremore. OK.
Local contestants includes Justin
Matteson. Heppner. Tom Camarillo,
lone, Jim Ward, Heppner, Joe
Talbott. Pilot Rock. Trev or McCoin.
Condon, and Willy Hart. Yakima.
WA. Perfect timing between horse
and rider is the key for this event.
Many top contenders enter
multiple events to vie for the coveted
all around saddle donated by
Gardner's Men's Wear of Heppner
and made by Rich Boyer Saddlery.
Hermiston.
The barrel racing field will have
50 talented horses and riders
competing for the fastest time in
the OTPR arena. Expect to see four
of the top 20 contestants in the world
plus our local favonte barrel racers.
Randa Kinchen from Arcadia. FT.
Rayna Prewitt. Sidney. MT, Jennifer
Wilson. Terry, MS. and Iara Polich.
Canby are expected to run and
improve their world standings. The
competition is tough with our local
favorites. Maureen Crossley of
Hermiston has been on a winning
streak with this year's Farm City
Pro Rodeo barrel racing title. This
year's title could go to any woman
with the fastest time. Look for other
local talents such as Candice Eng,
Kelly Greg and Judy Pederson-
Cumn of Hermiston. Kelli Curnn,
formerly of Heppner. Randy Rae
Britt o f Echo, Shirley Martin of
Lexington and young Jonie Nash
of Pilot Rock are expected to run
for the title and added money
sponsored by Blue Eagle Travel
and best dressed awards donated
by Anipro distributors. Kyle
Robinson.
The success of the Oregon Trail
Pro Rodeo is made possible by the
corporate sponsors: The Bank of
Eastern Oregon, Heppner: Morrow
County Gram Growers. Lexington;
Klamath First. Heppner; Graybeal
Distributing. Pendleton: Central
Market. Heppner; Tillamook Cheese.
Boardman. Electro. Inc. Vancouver.
WA: Thunder Country FM 94.9;
Morrow County Wheat Grow ers:
Tad and Melba Miller. Mark and
Shannon Miller. Lyle and Virginia
Peck. John and Diane Kilkenny and
Starvation Farms, and Les Schwab
Tire Center. Heppner. who also
sponsor the bounty bull money to
the rider who can ride the animal.
The Rodeo Committee is looking
forward to sell-out stands for the
top name entertainment and
competition this year About one
hour south of Hermiston. the drive
promises quality entertainment and
excitement. Handicapped parking
is available and day activities w ill
start at the fair for the family on
Aug. 15. Don't miss the Oregon Trail
Pro Rodeo, Aug. 17-18 and the
Morrow County Rodeo, Aug. 19
HCCC will be dosed Saturday. Aug. 18
WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE
HORROW COUNTY FAIR & RODEO!
MORROW COUNTY GRAIN GROWERS
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