Big money lures rodeo’s best to LV

Victoria Sun

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001 | 12:01 p.m.

With $4.6 million up for grabs at the 43rd National Finals Rodeo, champions will be crowned, dreams will be fulfilled and hearts will be broken.

When it's all over, the total of 120 cowboys and cowgirls who made the trip to Las Vegas undoubtedly will ride off into the sunset a little bit richer.

The NFR begins Friday with the first of 10 sold-out performances at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The record amount of prize money available ranks between NASCAR's Brickyard 400, which awards $6.1 mil., and golf's U.S. Open, which pays $3.5 mil.

And if increased prize money is a good measuring stick of the sport's success, then the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is in the best shape ever. Three cowboys already have broken records for regular season earnings.

Bareback rider Kelly Wardell of Bellevue, Idaho, has earned $105,903 to surpass Marvin Garrett's record of $94,713 set in 1995; saddle bronc rider Glen O'Neill of Watervalley, Alberta, has earned $159,705 to surpass Dan Mortensen's record of $144,029 set in 1997; and calf roper Cody Ohl of Stephenville, Texas, earned $152,670 to surpass Fred Whitfield's record of $129,516 set last year.

Fan favorite Joe Beaver of Huntsville, Texas, the reigning all-around world champion, is back this year to defend his title.

Beaver relished his role as an underdog last December by putting on a thrilling performance at the NFR to catapult from 12th in the all-around standings to capture the world title.

"The more they count you out, the more you keep fighting to prove that you can win," Beaver said last year. "When you're not the favorite, it just means you've got to work harder."

Beaver, the holder of five world calf roping titles and three all-around titles, is even more of a long shot to win the all-around title this year. He comes to the finals 11th in the all-around standings with $104,936 and 11th in calf roping with $64,562, but will only compete in calf roping.

The top 15 cowboys in each of the PRCA's seven events -- saddle bronc riding, bull riding, bareback riding, calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing -- qualified for the season finale.

None of the 15 steer wrestlers who have made it to Las Vegas have won a world championship.

Bob Lummus of Folsom, La., leads the pack with $81,401 with Birch Negaard of Buffalo, S.D., second at $76,961.

Coincidentally, the $4,440 that separates Lummus and Neggard makes steer wrestling the most closely contested event entering the finals.

But with so much money at stake over the next 10 days, every event is expected to come down to the final go-round.

Ohl comes into the NFR first in the all-around standings with $227,064 ahead of Trevor Brazile of Pueblo, Colo. at $183,314. Ohl ranks first in calf roping with $152,670 and is fourth in steer roping (which isn't a part of the NFR) with $48,474.

The calf roping team of Blaine Linaweaver of Leavenworth, Kan., and Jory Levy of Twin Oaks, Okla., recorded a PRCA record this year in San Angelo, Texas with a time of 3.5 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 3.7 set by veterans Tee Woolman and Bobby Harris in 1986.

Linaweaver ranks 12th in heading at $50,019 and Levy is 13th in heeling at $50,019.

There will be two substitutions at this year's event.

Saddle bronc rider Todd Hipsag of Firth, Neb., will be replaced by Bud Longbrake of Dupree, S.D. and bull rider Greg Whitlow of Olds, Alberta, Canada will be replaced by Kagan Sirett, of Nielberg, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Hipsag and Whitlow were injured earlier this year and have withdrawn from the finals.