Bob Feist, center, presents awards to the 2011 BFI Champions Caleb
Twisselman, left, and Colby Siddoway, right. Photo by Kirt Steinke

Colby Siddoway and Caleb Twisselman
hit the jackpot at
34^th annual BFI in Reno

By Kendra Santos

Utah’s Colby Siddoway and California’s Caleb Twisselman took the victory lap at the Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping Classic, the world’s richest one-day open roping, by a full second today at the Reno Livestock Events Center. Siddoway, 27, and Twisselman, 30, set the pace straight out of the blocks as Team No. 1 on the 100-team roster, and took the title at the 34^th annual BFI by roping six steers in 44.63 seconds. Including a fourth-place check in the Wrangler Short Round, they earned $131,010 of the more than $630,000 in cash and prizes for the biggest win of their careers.

“Being the very first team, I just knew I needed to get out on the first one and catch him,” said Siddoway, the Hooper, Utah native son of Cindy and Brett Siddoway, who spends most of the year training horses in Texas, where his little boy, Carter, lives. “You have to score good and rope sharp to win here.”

“This is the biggest win of my career,” added Wrangler National Finals Rodeo heeler Twisselman, who’s the son of Rowly and Cathie Twisselman. “I threw faster than I thought I would, and it worked, so I’m happy. I look back and wonder what I was thinking, but what a huge relief. Everything works differently on different days. Things went my way today.”

In addition to the cash Siddoway and Twisselman hauled home, they also loaded up Running P saddles and breast collars, Gist buckles sponsored by Gist Silversmiths, Classic Ropes and Pendleton Whisky/Hood River Distillers, and Justin full-quill ostrich boots. Siddoway and Twisselman topped the 100-team field, which this year represented 21 states and Canada, to pocket the $1,500 cash bonus sponsored by Cactus Ropes, Ram Rodeo and Coors Original.

Siddoway and Twisselman just joined forces this spring. “We started winning right off the bat,” said Siddoway, who roped at his first BFI last year with Matt Zancanella, but didn’t have any luck. “We placed on eight or nine of the first 10 steers we ran together at the rodeos. Caleb’s a catcher, and he likes wild handles. I give him different looks every time. You don’t have to set steers up for Caleb. He just likes to see them turn.”

“Colby did a great job for me today,” said Twisselman, who’s roped at the BFI since he was 16. “He gave me a really good opportunity. He couldn’t have done better. Colby and I get along great, and he can rope fast or just catch, like we did today. I’ve had a blast heeling behind him.”

As for their horsepower, Siddoway rode a 9-year-old dun horse, Dunny, that he just bought last September from his friend Jory Green in Utah. “I rode him at the jackpots all winter, and he has a lot of talent and can really run, but I hadn’t won much on him so I was going to trade a guy for him about a month ago,” Siddoway explained. “But he backed out. Then he called me back and said he changed his mind. I said no. I’m really glad now.”

Twisselman rode Cher, the 8-year-old bay daughter of his first good heel horse, Karen, who he rode on a couple steers at the 2001 NFR. Like Karen, he raised and trained Cher himself. “I wouldn’t change anything about the way she worked today,” he said. “I was completely satisfied.”

Both said their big BFI win is by far the highlight of their roping careers. “This is one of the big-money ropings that are so tough to win a check at, much less win,” said Siddoway, who used a 30-foot, extra soft Cactus Whistler. “Everything has to fall together. I barely had enough money to pay my fees and get out of this week if I didn’t win anything here today. This is huge for me. It’s the biggest win of my career by far.”

“I never counted on winning the roping until they dropped the flag on that high-team steer,” said Twisselman, whose weapon of choice was a Classic Heat 35-foot hard medium. “Because I know how easy it is for stuff to go wrong when you run that many steers. We are all so grateful to Bob Feist for the chance to win this kind of money. This is one of the best things anyone does for the sport of team roping.”

A couple of teenagers came through in the clutch as this year’s reserve BFI champs. T.J. McCauley, a 16-year-old Reno native now making his home in Redmond, Ore., and Quinn Kesler, 18, of Holden, Utah, stopped the clock six times in 45.6 seconds for a $95,060 payday. McCauley and Kesler switched ends this year after finishing seventh in the average last year. The reserve champs’ prize package included Coats Saddles, and Skyline Silversmiths buckles donated by Boot Barn, Ropers Sports News and Ropes to Go.

“We switched ends, because Quinn heels better than me,” said McCauley, who’ll be a high school junior in the fall, and headed this year aboard Kesler’s black head horse Hemi. “I was nervous last night. I stayed in Quinn’s trailer and watched a BFI video. I’ve never headed at
a big roping like this, so it was a question mark.”

Kesler, who’s coming off of wins in the team roping and tie-down roping at the Utah state high school finals, rode his good sorrel horse, Hickory, 10, who’s been his main mount since the horse was 3. “We need to keep moving up the ladder,” Kesler smiled of their climb from seventh last year to second in 2011.

The third-place team of Keven Daniel and Chase Tryan, who’s a cousin to NFR ropers Clay, Travis and Brady Tryan, grabbed $61,110 for their total time of 46.76 seconds, and were followed in fourth place by Erich Rogers and Kory Koontz, who roped six steers in 47.84 for $30,555. Wrangler Jeans and Shirts pumped $6,500 in bonus bucks into the Wrangler Round in addition to BFI short-round money. Richard Eiguren and Kyle Lockett, who were the 10th high team back, were 6.67 on their last steer to drag down an additional $9,500, including the Wrangler bonus.

The Best BFI Head and Heel Horses received Lazy “L” saddles and CSI pads. BFI officials awarded 2011 Best BFI Head Horse honors to Eiguren’s bay horse Jim, 14, whose registered name is Docs New Boots. Eiguren bought Jim as a 6-year-old, and ranched on him for six years in remote Jordan Valley, Ore., before starting him as a head horse two years ago. Eiguren’s wife, Marcia, also ropes on Jim. “He scores good, runs hard and really uses his
butt,” Richard said. “He runs flat across the line, and is just a nice horse. I finally quit cowboying on him, because I don’t want to risk hurting him. He’s too valuable for that now. The horse makes all the difference in the world here, and this horse gives you a chance to win on any steer you draw.” Eiguren and his partner, Kyle Lockett of Visalia, Calif., placed sixth in the BFI average in 51.42 seconds.

This year’s Best BFI Heel Horse award went to a 9-year-old red roan horse by the name of Stranger—his registered name is Baileys Dry Doc—that Todd Hampton of Chowchilla, Calif., borrowed from David Howze, who lives in Hanford. “I sold my sorrel horse Monkey to Utah’s Derick Fleming in April, and had this roan horse there to show Derick at the same time,” Hampton explained (Fleming finished fifth in this year’s BFI average with Montana’s Britt Williams in 48.63 seconds). “When Derick bought my horse, David said to just keep his horse for a while, because he was headed to Alaska. He’s a good one. I’ve rodeoed on him a month, and have won quite a bit on him. My brother, Justin, used to head on him a little bit too.”

Classic Ropes and Boot Barn awarded Hampton and his header, fellow Californian Daniel Green, a $2,000 bonus for being the team that finished just out of the average money in seventh place. They roped six steers in 52.77 seconds. Cory Kidd of Statesville, N.C., and Adam Plyler of Pageland, S.C., won the third round in 5 flat, and are now deadlocked with Charles Pogue and Dennis Gatz for the fifth fastest time in BFI history. Kidd and Plyler cashed the $2,000
Fast Time bonus sponsored by Justin Boots, Priefert, Silver Legacy and Coors Original. This year’s Fast Time team also received Cactus Saddlery saddles. The 4.46-second BFI Fast Time record was set in 2008 by Coleman Proctor and Jake Long. Champion’s Choice buckles were again awarded in every round.

The “BFI 34 Club” remains intact. Team roping icons who haven’t missed the BFI books in 34 years include Allen Bach, who won the 1979 BFI with Brian Burrows; Denny Watkins, who won it with David Motes in 1981; Mike Beers, who won the 1987 BFI with Dee Pickett; and Walt Woodard, who topped the 2008 BFI with Clay Tryan.

The BFI is “Open to the World,” and held in conjunction with the “Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West,” the million-dollar Reno Rodeo, which this year runs June 16-25 Announcers Bob Tallman, Reed Flake and Dru Stewart called the BFI action, and Harry Rose and Philip Murrah flagged the roping. Steve Branco and Danny Martinez served as the line judges. Flying T Cattle Company of Carrisa Plains, Calif., provided the cattle, which were run over an 18-foot score and out of a 19-foot box. Flying T is the Twisselman family, and per Caleb they roped every steer and cut out 30 of them that didn’t fit in order to bring the most uniform cattle possible.

The Silver Legacy Resort Casino is the official headquarters of the BFI. Other major sponsors of the 2011 BFI included Wrangler, Justin Boots, Boot Barn, Ram Rodeo, Priefert Ranch Equipment, Cactus Ropes, Champion’s Choice Buckles, Coors Original, Running P Ropes and Saddles, Classic Ropes, Coats Saddlery, B&W Trailer Hitches, Cactus Saddlery, Lazy “L” Saddles and Ropers Sports News. New major sponsors on board at the BFI in 2011 included Pendleton Whisky/Hood River Distillers and Ropes to Go.

Complete BFI ’11 results are posted online at bobfeistinvitational.com. In-depth coverage of this year’s BFI will be featured in the July issue of Ropers Sports News. BFI fans also were able to listen to this year’s action live via ProRodeoLive.com. BFI 2011 DVDs can be ordered through Rodeo Video by calling 800-331-1269. BFI photos can be ordered from Kirt Steinke at 208-739-2416.

Average Results - FINAL

1st Go Round

2nd Go Round

3rd Go Round

4th Go Round

5th Go Round

Short Go Wrangler Round

Fastest Time

March 12, 2011

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29TH ANNUAL GEORGE STRAIT TEAM ROPING CLASSIC

AWARDS GRAND CHAMPIONS

DAVID KEY ANDJADE CORKIL

New Qualifying System is Big Hit with Ropers

San Antonio, TX (March 12, 2011) – The 29th Annual George Strait Team Roping Classic Finals were held today at the Rose Palace in San Antonio. David Key and 2009 Champion Heeler Jade Corkill are the new champions. Fifty teams returned to compete in the finals from 500 teams who competed Friday in the preliminaries. This year, founder George Strait made a significant change to how ropers qualified for Saturday finals and cowboys welcomed the new system.

In years past, first day qualifying included two rounds of eliminations with all teams competing together. This year, the 500 teams were broken down into rotations of 50 and the Top 5 fastest times from each round qualified for Saturday’s finals. The change resulted in ro

pers competing against only 49 other ropers versus 100s at a time.

Grand Champions David Key and Jade Corkill finished with a 15.62 combined time and rode away with custom painted GSTRC Championship Chevy Silverado Duallies from Cavendar Chevrolet (Boerne, TX), Strait X-treme horse trailers from Bruton Trailers, Twister saddles from Tractor Supply, Resistol roping bags, jackets from Wrangler and Justin, Gist belt buckles and half of the $174,600 cash payoff.

2011 Timed Event Championship

by Bryan Painter - Exclusive to the Lazy E Arena

GUTHRIE, Okla., March 6, 2011 –  In 2005 Kyle Lockett described his win of the Timed Event Championship of the World as "the best moment in my rodeo career right now." Sunday afternoon the cowboy from Visalia, Calif. became the seventh multi-TEC champion, winning the 2011 TEC with 308.8 seconds on 25 head for $50,000.

At the TEC, each contestant is required to compete in all five timed events: tie-down roping, steer roping, heading, heeling and steer wrestling – over five rounds in three days. Each round of competition features excitement with the leaders changing after every run, with only seconds separating them.

FASTEST ROUND WINNER - CHANCE KELTON, Mayer, Arizona

2-MAN RACE GOING INTO 4th ROUND

by Bryan Painter - Exclusive to the Lazy E Arena

GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA -- Kyle Lockett of Visalia, Calif. is no newcomer to the Timed Event Championship of the World at the Lazy E Arena. But Clayton Hass of Terrell, Texas is. And after Saturday afternoon's third go-round at the 2011 TEC, Lockett is the leader with 185.8 seconds on 15 head while Hass is right behind him with a 186.9 seconds on 15. Daniel Green of Oakdale, Calif., the two-time TEC champion, leads the fast rounds with his 51.5 seconds on five Saturday afternoon in the third go.

In the average, Lockett, and Hass are followed by Rhett Kennedy of Chowchilla, Calif. with 218.2 seconds on 15 head in third, Beau Franzen of Sidney, Mont. With 221.4 in fourth and Scott Snedecor of Uvalde, Texas in fifth, 222.0. A year ago Lockett led the TEC average from the third to the 13th head before suffering a 60-second time, given instead of a no-time at the TEC, in the steer wrestling. This year, he's been steady, very steady, posting two of the top five fastest rounds with a 53.8 on five in the opening round, which is third, and a 56.8 on five in the third go, which is fifth. He had led this year after the first go and was third after two rounds. The 2005 TEC champion returned to the lead on the final run of the third go when he tied his draw in 18.0 in the steer roping for 185.8 on 15.

Hass, ranked 9th in the current PRCA All-Around World Standings with $7,703, has shown no sign of TEC Rookie jitters. The Texas cowboy was added to the 2011 TEC field Tuesday after long-time TEC contestant and former PRCA World Champion Steer Wrestler Steve Duhon suffered an injury while preparing for the TEC. Hass went into the third go in second and exited it in the same slot. However, he did go to the lead after posting the fastest steer wrestling run of the afternoon with a 4.8 second toss for 166.7 on 14 head. He tied his steer roping in 20.2 for the 186.9 on 15.

One interesting note is that three cowboys who went into the round low in the standings, each jumped five places: Trevor Brazile, a six-time TEC champion, went from 13th to eighth; K.C. Jones, a four-time TEC champion, went from 17th to 12th and Green, the two-time champion, went from 18th to 13th.

Fast round leaders after the third go: Daniel Green, Oakdale, Calif., 51.5; Cade Swor, Chico, Texas, 52.2; Kyle Lockett, Visalia, Calif. 53.8 seconds; Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 54.5 seconds; Kyle Lockett, Visalia, Calif., 56.8.