Bad bearing, good rodeo

ST PAUL – It took more than a bearing going out on a trailer that kept Shane Frey from doing well at the St. Paul Rodeo.

The Duncan, Okla. man had a time of 3.5 seconds in the steer wrestling to take the lead in the first round of the rodeo.

Ten miles out of St. Paul, Frey and his traveling partners had a bad bearing on their trailer, and limped into town before making their runs during afternoon slack.

Frey, 32 years old, had done his homework on the steer, noting that the animal had run twice at the Reno, Nev. rodeo, but both cowboys in Reno hadn’t gotten a score. “They told me he was a little slower, and I had a good chance” of making a competitive run, he said.

Before St. Paul, he hadn’t done well during Cowboy Christmas, so named for the lucrative rodeos on and around the Independence Day holiday.

“I haven’t been steer wrestling my best,” he said. “I’ve drawn a couple bad ones, and I’ve been out of placing by a couple tenths (of a second). Things haven’t gone my way.

“It’s been a long week, honestly, and I just wanted to be aggressive and take a chance, and things worked out.”

Leading his event in the first round feels good, and doing it in St. Paul is even better.

“I love this rodeo. It’s such a good time, and the crowd loves it. It’s great money and everyone here is so friendly. It’s just a great chance to win a lot of money, end your week and be happy about it.”

Frey has one more rodeo before his Cowboy Christmas travel is over; he still has to compete in another rodeo.

He was aboard his horse, Cruise, a horse he took a chance on a year ago.

The eleven-year-old brown gelding had a torn suspensory injury, when Frey bought him a year ago, with a fifty-fifty chance of full recovery.

“He was actually hurt when I bought him. I took a chance on him, rehabbed him, and he’s been a huge blessing. He’s a cool little horse and he makes my job easier.”

Frey is traveling with six other steer wrestlers: Riley Duvall, Tyler Pearson, Sam Goings, Gus Franzen, Mason Couch, and Colt Honey.

They’re traveling in two rigs, but when Pearson’s wife and kids came out on the road with him for a few days, they’re all in Frey’s truck and trailer.

With seven cowboys in one rig, it means one person doesn’t have to do all the driving, as they’ve made their way from rodeos in Dickinson, N.D., to Greeley, Colo., then Livingston and Red Lodge, Mont., to Oakley, Utah, then Basin City, Washington on the morning of July 5, then to St. Paul.

“We’ve got so many drivers, it hasn’t been too bad,” he said. “And you always have someone to talk to.” He and Duvall do a lot of the driving. “We’re the old guys,” he joked.

Other high scores and fast times from slack and the fifth performance of the St. Paul Rodeo include bareback riders Gauge McBride, Kearney, Neb. and Ty Pope, Garrett, Kan. (82.5 points each); saddle bronc rider Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont. (86.5 points); bull rider Brody Yeary, Morgan Mill, Texas (79.5 points); breakaway roper Josie Conner, Iowa, La. (2.4 seconds) and barrel racer Cambria Estep, Parma, Idaho (17.63 seconds).

In the timed events, Frey leads the steer wrestling in the first round; second round leader is Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore. (3.6 seconds); Massey also leads the average, the fastest combined time on two runs (7.1 seconds on two head). In the team roping, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga. and Junior Nogueria, Presidente Prudente, Brazil lead the first round (4.8 seconds) and Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla. and Douglas Rich, Herrick, Ill. are on top in round two (4.6 seconds). Driggers and Nogueria also lead the average (10.2 seconds on two head.)

The leader in the first round of the tie-down roping is Haven Meged, Miles City, Mont. (8.3 seconds), with the second round leader being Beau Cooper, Stettler, Alb. (7.4 seconds). Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas leads the average (17.3 seconds on two head).

The St. Paul Rodeo wraps up on July 6 with an evening performance at 7:30 pm. An estimated $490,000 will be awarded to the winners.

For more information, visit the website at StPaulRodeo.com .

Results from the slack and evening performance, St. Paul Rodeo, July 5, 2024

Bareback Riding

1. (tie) Gauge McBride, Kearney, Neb. 82.5 points on King Rodeo and Wentz Bucking Bulls’ Big Velvet and Ty Pope, Garnett, Kan. 82.5 points on Big Stone Rodeo’s Sassy Spurs, 82.5 points; 3. Jess Pope, Waverly, Kan. 80.5; 4. Kody Lamb, Sherwood Park, Alb. 79.

Steer wrestling

1st round fast times:

1. Shane Frey, Duncan, Okla. 3.5 seconds; 2. Gavin Soileau, Bunkie, La. 3.8; 3. Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla. 4.1; 4. Sam Goings, Fallon, Nev. 4.3.

2nd round fast times:

1. Gavin Soileau, Bunkie, La. 3.9 seconds; 2. Tyler Pearson, Atoka, Okla. 4.2; 3. Gus Franzen, Kearney, Neb. 4.4; 4. Rowdy Parrott, Mamou, La. 5.1.

Bull riding

1. Brody Yeary, Morgan Mill, Texas 79.5 points on Big Stone Rodeo’s Bert; no other qualified rides.

Tie-down roping

1st round fast times:

1. Connor B. Atkinson, Needville, Texas 9.2 seconds; 2. Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla. 9.5; 3. Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla. 10.0; Kincade Henry, Mt. Pleasant, Texas 10.1.

2nd round fast times:

1. Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La. 8.5 seconds; 2. Garrett Elmore, Springer, Okla. 9.1; 3. Connor Atkinson, Needville, Texas 9.3; 4. Kincade Henry, Mt. Pleasant, Texas 9.9.

Breakaway roping

1. Josie Conner, Iowa, La. 2.4 seconds; 2. Annie Minor, Ellensburg, Wash. 2.9; 3. (tie) Sarah Angelone, Lipan, Texas, Beau Peterson, Council Grove, Kan. and Tacy Webb, Midway, Texas 3.0 each.

Saddle bronc riding

1. Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont. 86.5 points on Big Stone Rodeo’s Give or Take; 2. (tie) Darcy Radel, Injune, Australia and Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia 84.5 each; 4. Brody Wells, Powell, Wyo. 83.

Team roping

1st round fast times

1. Erich Rogers, Round Rock, Ariz./Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo. 5.2 seconds; 2. JC Yeahquo, Mandaree, N.D. Buddy Hawkins, II Stephenville, Texas 5.4; 3. Derrick Begay, Seba DAlkai, Ariz./Colter Todd, Willcox, Ariz. 6.2; 4. Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho/Jake Minor, Caldwell, Idaho 7.7.

2nd round fast times

1. JC Yeahquo, Mandaree, N.D./Buddy Hawkins, Stephenville, Texas 5.0 seconds; 2. Brye Crites, Welch, Okla./Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark. 9.1; 3. Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho/Jake Minor, Caldwell, Idaho 10.6; 4. Derrick Begay, Seba Dalkai, Ariz./Colter Todd, Willcox, Ariz. 14.8.

Barrel racing

1. Cambria Estep, Parma, Idaho 17.63 seconds; 2. Megan McLeod-Sprague, Marsing, Idaho 17.67; 3. Ashley Rogers, Amite, La. 17.76; 4. BryAnna Haluptzok, Tenstrike, Minn. 17.94.

** All results are unofficial. For more information, visit www.StPaulRodeo.com .