Ohl in a day’s work

Monday, Dec. 15, 2003 | 9:23 a.m.

Over the 10 days of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, three competitors earned six-figure checks.

One of those, tie-down roper Cody Ohl, needed almost every penny, every ounce of energy and a world-record run to keep famous Fred Whitfield from claiming his eighth championship.

Ohl earned his fifth title Sunday in his ninth NFR when he set down a calf in 6.5 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded. That gave him $14,335 for winning the 10th and final round, and he made an additional $29,827 for finishing the NFR in second place.

Combined with his previous winnings here over the previous week and a half, Ohl takes $102,158 back home to Stephenville, Texas. He finished the season with $212,366 in earnings.

Ohl won the shiny gold belt buckle and sharp supple saddle that, among other things, come with a world title. Whitfield wound up second with $200,656 in '03.

"It is just crazy," said Ohl, who wears a U.S. Army patch on his rodeo shirts. "I don't know what to say. World record. Arena record ... I pulled it off."

Whitfield, of Hockley, Texas, clocked in at 7.5 seconds Sunday and took fifth overall at the NFR. Of the competitive duel the duo has had for about 10 years, Ohl said he and Whitfield take no prisoners during rodeos but are friends outside the arena.

According to Ohl, Whitfield greeted him with a you-deserve-it hug when Sunday settled the season.

After his epic roping and tying-down of his last calf, Ohl responded to a rousing ovation from a Thomas & Mack Center crowd of 17,683 by tossing his cowboy hat into the stands.

"The crowd loves it," he said, "and I am just glad that I am part of it."

The crowd did indeed love the 45th NFR, setting single-day (18,104 on Saturday) and overall (175,903) attendance marks.

They watched steer wrestler Mickey Gee go 2-for-2 in appearances and titles, saw Trevor Brazile successfully defend his all-around championship and cheered for tie-down roper Mike Johnson's big breakthrough.

In his 18th trip to the NFR, Johnson, 39, won his first aggregate title. He wrapped up his 10 calves in 86.4 seconds, more than five total seconds better than Ohl, and made $76,686 in Las Vegas.

"It's the greatest pressure relief," Johnson said, "in the history of life."

Barrel racer Janae Ward ($111,908) and saddle bronc rider Cody Wright ($101,118) were the other members of that exclusive six-figure club that struck it rich here.

With $155,792 on the season, Ward won her first world title by almost $30,000 over Kelly Kaminski. Finally, the Ward family can celebrate a championship; Ward's grandmother and mother participated in previous NFRs, but neither won.

Wright ended the NFR in fourth place, which gave him just enough of a bonus ($17,341) to bust the $100,000 barrier in Vegas. And Rod Warren was the only saddle bronc rider to score on all 10 of his NFR horses, giving him the top aggregate prize of $36,763.

However, Dan Mortensen ($219,999) staved off Glen O'Neill ($215,575) to win his sixth world saddle bronc championship, tying him with legend Casey Tibbs.

"Casey Tibbs did a lot for the sport of rodeo," Mortensen said. "The marks that he set and the records that he achieved will never be taken away from him. He's done so much for the sport. His legacy will live on forever."

Mortensen, 35, won his fifth title in 1998.

"It had been awhile, which makes this even sweeter," he said. "I just had a solid week, and it definitely means a lot to me."

To Will Lowe, too. He turns 21 on Christmas Eve, but capped his second consecutive NFR in fabulous fashion with his first world championship.

A year ago, he won nearly $73,000 during an NFR debut in which he scheduled his wedding. This season, he dominated the bareback circuit. He took fifth in this NFR, using nearly $51,000 to pump his earnings to $188,247.

He said he has a simple home on 15 acres in Canyon, Texas, where his wife, Jennifer, keeps more horses (three) than himself (one).

"I don't even know if I can describe it, or that I'd want to," Lowe said of the fantastic start to his career. "I just try to stay square in the middle of the saddle, with as little upper-body movement as possible."

Lowe's most ardent fans might have been the other 14 bareback riders.

"They are so supportive," he said. "In basketball, football and baseball, players squabble for millions of dollars. Here, we're competing against each other for $14,000 a night but we're supporting each other.

"That's what makes it so special."