Rodeo club has rough outing
The home arena advantage was not enough to salvage a lackluster performance by the Utah State rodeo team this past weekend at the Cache County Fairgrounds. Only six Aggie cowboys and one cowgirl made it to the final go-round Saturday night, with two top finishes.
Fans gathered Friday and Saturday to catch rodeo action during Utah State’s Homecoming weekend. Compared to other years, professor Jeff Hall, the rodeo club’s adviser and coach, said he felt they had more attendance for home rodeos in the past. Competing with other sporting events, including a home hockey game, the crowd numbers dwindled, but the rodeo club still came out looking to put on a performance.
Most notable was Ken Lym, a senior from Fort Hall, Wyo., who won the average and first go-round on the horse called Little Muddy in the saddle bronc riding.
“My first horse felt really good,” Lym said. “We got in time, and once you are in time with a horse a lot of your hard work turns to fun. I fell a little bit behind in the end but was able to make up for it.”
In the second round, Lym’s horse got the best of him, but he still pulled out a win. Lym’s two first-place finishes gained important points for the USU team.
Another top finish came in calf roping by Colton Thacker, who placed first in the average. After a rough rodeo two weeks ago in Pocatello, Idaho, Thacker looked to finish strong this weekend. With a 10.4 run in the first go and an 8.4 in the second, the senior from Bountiful, Utah, clinched the win.
“I just wasn’t trying as hard (this time),” Thacker said. “I went out to have fun — let it happen.”
Another noteworthy calf roper is Jace Austin, who placed second in the average.
Many contenders participated in multiple events, racking up as many points possible. Devon Pope is one of those competitors, who returned to the short round in team roping and steer wrestling and was barely out of the final round in calf roping, sitting eleventh after the first round.
Pope had considerable success in the steer wrestling event. On his fifth steer ever jumped, Pope finished third in the second round, receiving points in an event he has never competed in before and hardly practiced before his performance Friday night.
Other points gained came from team roping, when Pope and Aggie partner DJ Anderson broke out and slipped a leg before facing for a time, giving them third in the average. USU roper Jake Wanner and Weber State University partner Taylor Christensen placed sixth in the average, even though they missed on their second steer. Jace Austin and brother Kyler Austin also missed their second steers but ended up eighth in the average, just out of point placing.
Only one contender from the women’s team made it to the final round. Lacy Larsen competed in goat tying Saturday, finishing sixth in the second round and eighth in the average, out of point placing. Larsen also competes in team roping and breakaway but did not reach the short go in either.
The Aggie women’s team is still looking for wins and top finishes as the fall rodeo season comes to an end next weekend
“In the women’s — they are coming along — a couple girls were just out of coming back in the final round,” Hall said. “It will take time but we will see the women start making it to the short go.”
The men’s team is still sitting second in the region but has room for improvement as well.
“I had a couple of people I was expecting to make it to the short round, but didn’t do as well as I was expecting,” Hall said. “Everybody has bad weekends.”
USU’s rodeo team heads to Pleasant Grove, Utah, next weekend for its final rodeo of the fall season. Action will pick back up next spring, when the Aggies will look to continue earning points and climbing the placing ladder in the region.
– mega.bodi@aggiemail.usu.edu