Las Vegas Weekly

December 11, 2011 · 1:41 PM

NFR Day 10 photos and videos: Rodeo’s world champions crowned

By Robin Leach

The 10th and final round of the 53rd Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 10, 2011.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com

It was a grand evening of champions as Round 10 closed the 53rd Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and bareback rider Kaycee Feild and steer wrestling star Luke Branquinho were the standout heroes last night at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Amid the excitement, one note of near tragedy when bull rider Shane Proctor, who was seconds away from a world title, was ejected. His bull Black Attack stomped him and broke his left arm. Shane remained motionless for several minutes before he was carried out on a stretcher.

After X-rays at the arena, a medical team determined that his injuries were serious enough to warrant surgery this morning, and the question remains whether he’ll try to attend today’s ceremony to receive his world championship.

The winners receiving their gold buckles today at the awards event are Kaycee, bareback riding; Luke, steer wrestling; Shane, bull riding; Turtle Powell, team roping (header); Jhett Johnson, team roping (heeler); Taos Muncy, saddle-bronc riding; and Tuf Cooper, tie-down roping.

The WNFR average champions are Kaycee, bareback riding; Luke, steer wrestling; Turtle, team roping (header); Jhett, team roping (heeler); Jesse Wright, saddle-bronc riding; Matt Shiozawa, tie-down roping; and L.J. Jenkins, bull riding.

It was a close battle down to the final rounds between Shane and three-time world champion J.W. Harris. Shane led the standards narrowly all season, and he was assured the title when J.W was thrown off in the final go-round. But he, too, was thrown, and his bull took its revenge.

Kaycee didn’t have to worry about his finish last night because he had already clinched his title, but he rode for gold like his Round 1 start. Not only did his bareback bluster win him first spot again -- he’d already won or split five of the first nine rounds -- but he scored an event-record 6 Finals go-rounds and topped Justin McDaniel’s 2008 NFR record.

“I wanted to come out and dominate,” Kaycee said. “Beating the average wasn’t my goal coming in, but through the week, I looked up at the score and knew what I would have to do to beat it. So I made that my goal.”

Winning a Ram truck thanks to his $179,327 this week -- a Wrangler NFR record in bareback riding and for any cowboy in a single event -- was icing on the cake for a year in which he earned a record $319,986.

He wasn’t the only one setting records. Team ropers Turtle and Jhett beat the year-old $120,419 earnings record set last year by Trevor Brazile and Patrick Smith with their $125,625. It also propelled Turtle from 13th to 1st in the heading world standings and Jhett from 12th to 1st in the heeling standings.

“I told Jhett this morning we should have met for breakfast at 5 a.m. because we were both laying there staring at the ceiling unable to sleep,” Turtle said. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of the 10th round at the NFR with the championship on the line.”

Every night that Californian Luke has won a round, he’s shaken his booty in celebration, and last night was a big reason to do his trademark shake and shuffle with 17,720 fans cheering. It was a three-man race to the end among Luke, 2007 world champion Jason Miller and Shawn Greenfield. Luke fought to the end to win $146,779 on his visit that sent his season earnings to $234,518, plus his third world title and first since 2008.

Said Luke: “Winning one is amazing, but winning three I can’t even explain it. It’s just an amazing feeling.”

Championship Saturday featured a relatively equal number of veteran champions and gold-buckle newcomers. Saddle-bronc rider Taos and lone Canadian barrel racer Lindsay Sears joined Luke in the veterans’ category. Newcomers to the club were Kaycee, Turtle, Jhett, tie-down roper Tuf and bull rider Shane.

It was Lindsay’s second barrel-racing world title with her 13.75-second run. She took 2nd place in the round, but with $238,854 in 2011 earnings, she won it by more than $55,000 overt 2nd place Brittany Pozzi.

Our sincere thanks to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for his incredible photo galleries the past 10 days and to Kyle Partain from Pro Rodeo Sports News for assisting so valuably with these reports.

Country star Joe Nichols entertained the Patriot Night crowd, Steve Holy performed the national anthem, and Mackenzie Carr of Vernonia, Oregon, was crowned 2012 Miss Rodeo America in a ceremony at MGM Grand before the final rides.

Other than Shane’s final-night broken arm, only two other riders were seriously hurt. Royce Ford became the third bareback rider and fourth contestant overall to withdraw from the rodeo, sitting out two nights with a concussion and then spasms in his hips and abdomen when he miraculously returned to competition in Rounds 7 and 8 before calling it quits.

Saddle-bronc rider Chuck Schmidt was stepped on by his horse, breaking bones in his right foot. The Justin Boots Sports Medicine Team provided him with a boot and crutches as he laughed, “I’m glad it didn’t happen earlier in the week. At least I’ve got some money won.”

Most riders head into NFR hoping to take a large check home. For the second consecutive year, Crown Royal Riders entered with a goal of giving some back to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The whisky brand originally pledged to donate $2,000 to the fund for every 90-plus-point ride by one of their cowboys, and although they put only two 90-plus-point rides on the board, Crown Royal made a $10,000 donation.

The Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund is a nonprofit formed in 1989 to lend a helping hand to professional rodeo athletes and their families in the event of catastrophic injuries. The fund aims to fill the void created by financial hardships brought on by injuries to riders. Many riders receive assistance from the JCCF throughout their careers.

In addition to presenting the $10,000 check to Cindy Schonholtz, program manager of JCCF, the riders gave another gift to the 2011 NFR champions and medicine team: bottles of Crown Royal XR, its rarest whisky blend, enclosed in personalized bags. The riders gifted the bottles to nine-time all-around champion Trevor and Mike Rich, executive director of JBSMP.

All of us at Vegas DeLuxe want to say a sincere thank you to the contestants of the 10 exciting rounds that have thrilled fans and locals alike. We’re glad all 200,000 cowboys and cowgirls had a great time on their annual visit to Las Vegas, and we look forward to welcoming you back again the same time next year.

Having met so many of you this week with your Stetsons and spurs in town, you are some of the nicest, warmest and politest of visitors to Vegas. We love having you in our great city -- come back and see us soon, y’all!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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