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Brothers Looking To Make PRCA
National Finals Rodeo As Team
By Johnna
Espinoza and reprinted with permission from the Professional Rodeo
Cowboys Association
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
— It’s clear that brothers Riley and Brady Minor can team rope
together. The duo from Ellensburg,
Wash., leads the PRCA World
Standings after wins in Billings,
Mont.,
Odessa,
Texas, and Denver. But can the good times last?
Team roping, in the best
situation, can be a pressure cooker. Two cowboys, two horses and a
steer all have to come together. If you throw in the dynamics of
brotherhood, it can get even more complicated, especially when the
brothers have very different personalities.
Brady, the older of the
pair, is the heeler and the boss of the team. The 23 year-old does
the entering at rodeos. He is a somewhat serious morning person. On
the other hand, Riley, who just turned 20, is an outgoing night owl.
Riley and Brady may pick
on each other a bit, but they share a single vision. They want to
make it to the Wrangler NFR as a team. They were close to making it
last year.
Rodeo is a deeply-rooted
tradition in the Minor family, so it is not surprising that Riley
and Brady ended up roping on the same team. The Minor family was
inducted into the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2007 for their
contributions to rodeo through seven decades and four generations.
Their father, Brent, put ropes in his sons’ hands from about the
time they could walk. They were team roping before the age of 10
from the backs of ponies. They received home-schooling through part
of their education so they could focus more on roping.
Brady turned pro two
years before his younger brother and roped with a few different
partners. When Riley turned pro, his brother already had a partner.
They both ended up without partners about a year ago and decided to
try roping together. They started the 2008 season winning the first
three big rodeos they entered, success that reflected team roping
chemistry found in their own backyard. Years of practicing in the
same arena and watching each other rope is paying off.
Things have cooled off a
bit after a hot start, but they expect to be in the hunt the rest of
the year because despite their differences, they understand each
other.
In the all-around
competition, Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, leads with $26,462 in
season earnings to date. He is followed by Clint Robinson, Spanish
Fork, Utah, with $23,787; Seth Glause, Rock Springs, Wyo., $21,705;
Cash Myers, Athens, Texas, $20,800; and Marty Becker, Edmonton,
Alberta,
Canada,
$14,313.
Standings by event:
Bareback riding: 1.
Jessy Davis, Payson, Utah, $29,691; 2. Justin McDaniel, Porum,
Okla., $28,244; 3. Royce Ford, Briggsdale, Colo., $24,738; 4. Wes
Stevenson, Kaufman, Texas, $21,802; 5. Cleve Schmidt, Belle Fourche,
S.D., $21,018.
Steer wrestling: 1. Luke
Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., $26,348; 2. T-Roy Orr, Lebanon,
Tenn., $22,731; 3. Beau Franzen, Sidney, Mont., $22,465; 4. Curtis
Cassidy, Donald, Alberta, Canada, $15,402; 5. Matt Reeves, Pampa,
Texas, $15,005.
Team roping (heading):
1. Riley Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., $21,572; 2. Speed Williams,
DeLeon, Texas, $18,805; 3. Matt Sherwood, Queen Creek,
Ariz., $14,933; 4. Jake
Barnes, Scottsdale,
Ariz., $14,474.
Team roping (heelers):
1. Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., $21,572; 2. Allen Bach,
Weatherford, Texas, $18,805; 3. Clay O’Brien Cooper, Morgan Mill,
Texas, $16,717; 4. Randon Adams, Logandale, Nev., $14,933; 5. Kinney
Harrell, San Angelo, Texas, $14,069.
Saddle bronc riding: 1.
JJ Elshere, Quinn, S.D., $36,158. 2. Cody Wright, Milford,
Utah, $31,297; 3. Samuel
Kelts, Millarville,
Alberta, $21,029; 4. Taos Muncy,
Corona, N.M., $20,612; 5. Jess Martin, Dillon, Mont., $18,047.
Tie-down roping: 1.
Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., $18,047; 2. Fred Whitfield, Hockley,
Texas, $23,137; 3. Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, $21,629; 4. Mike
Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., $21,030; 5. Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork,
Utah, $20,431.
Steer roping: 1. Marty
Jones, Hobbs, N.M., $8587; 2. J.R. Olson, Greeley, Colo., $7197; 3.
Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, $5935; 4. Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla.,
$4922; 5. Scott Snedecor, Uvalde, Texas, $4189.
Bull riding: 1. Chance
Smart, Philadelphia, Miss., $80,471; 2. Wesley Silcox, Payson, Utah,
$34,631; 3. Kanin Asay, Powell, Wyo., $34,340; 4. Mike Moore,
Kankakee, Ill., $31,371; 5. Logan Knibbe, Rockdale, Texas, $28,010. |
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