CRAZY HORSE - For three years, the bulls have stolen the show at the Crazy Horse Stampede.
Going into Sunday's final round, all seven riders had been thrown off big and fast bulls and no rider had gone the full eight seconds in three years at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned event. That all came to an end Sunday when Chris Bob Bernt, of Standing, Neb., made the first qualified ride, scoring a 65, on a bull named Fire Fly, to win the event.
"It feels good to win. I can't say it was the greatest ride ever, but I felt confident," Bernt said. "The draw wasn't too bad, but I would say that the two bulls that already bucked me off this weekend definitely prepared me for today."
On what was one of the rides of the day Todd Suhn, who has been to the National Finals Rodeo 11 times, beat what looked like a guaranteed first-place time by one-tenth of a second in steer wrestling. Suhn jumped out of the gate quickly, got a handle on the steer, and executed a perfect tie, finishing the run at 4
seconds, just ahead of Saturday's leader Ivan Teigen who came in at 4.1.
"It always feels good to win, but it is especially nice to win on Father's Day. Today was my first one." Suhn, who
became a father just six months ago, said. "I had a lot of family in the crowd today, and my wife Wendy and I are thinking about moving back to South Dakota. It was a beautiful day at Crazy Horse."
Suhn wasn't the only rider who had a great rodeo. Paul Tierney of Oral, won two events on Sunday. Tierney won the tie down roping competition with a time 9.7 seconds, which Tierney turned in during Saturday's round. Tierney teamed with Rapid City's Lee Olson to win the team roping, as the duo won with a time of 5.5 seconds.
A strong field competed for the title in the girls barrel racing, though no one was able to best Jodie O' Bryan's Saturday ride of 14.83 seconds. Jessica Routier, of Montfort Wisc., posted a 14.86 for a close second.
"I thought I rode well enough for first, but I came up just a couple tenths short," said Routier. "But it is always good to place whether I finish first, or second."
There were several close finishes in other events as well.
Jace Garret, of Alliance, and Jeremy Meeks, of Batesland, shared first- and second-place prize money in the saddle bronc, tying for the title with a 75.
Travis Sharp took the bareback title with a score of 81, edging Dustin Reeves who scored a 77. Rapid City's Scott Montague finished fourth, scoring a 73.
