(By Susan Kanode for the Caldwell Night Rodeo)
CALDWELL, Idaho — Tim O’Connell’s rodeo bucket list is getting shorter in 2018. The reigning and two-time world champion bareback rider has had a lot of success in his career, but he is always looking for the next win and checking rodeos off his list.
He came one step closer to taking the Caldwell Night Rodeo off of that list on Wednesday night. O’Connell rode the Burch Rodeo horse named Pip Squeak for 89 points to take the lead in the bareback riding. That score not only put him in first place in the preliminary competition, it nearly assures him a spot in Saturday night’s Championship.
As the high-marked ride in Wednesday’s bareback competition, O’Connell also got to climb on the back of a saddle horse and make a victory lap around the arena in front of the “Civies” and “Rowdys.” It was the second time he has gotten to do that, but the first that it was legitimate.
“My rookie year here, (2013) they announced that I had an 84 score. That got me a victory lap, but really my score was 74 and that didn’t get me anything,” he said. “It’s really cool to experience that and it’s fun to see fans that are into it. I’ve never even made the finals here, so I’m really excited to come back Saturday and get on again.”
Two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, Ivy Conrado now has the fastest barrel racing run of the 84th edition of the rodeo. Conrado, from Hudson, Colo., was riding her palomino mare named J Lo and stopped the clock in 17.09 seconds. That leads the second round of competition and has a total time of 34.40 on two runs to put her at the top of the overall standings.
There was one bull rider to make it to the eight-second mark and he is also a new leader. Derek Kolbaba from Walla Walla, Wash., rode the D&H Cattle Company bull 93Z for 89 points. Kolbaba is hoping that score remains at the top of the leaderboard through Saturday night’s competition and he earns his first championship here. Bull riding is the only competition with just one round at the Caldwell Night Rodeo. So, the champion could come out of any of the five performances in that event.
Rodeo competition continues here on Thursday night beginning at 8 p.m. It is Power of Pink night with money raised for mammograms and breast cancer awareness.
Second Performance –
Bareback riding: 1, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 86 points on Burch Rodeo’s Pip Squeak. 2, (tie) Caleb Bennett, Tremonton, Utah and Cody Kiser, Carson City, Nev., 84.5. 4, Hunter Brasfield, Delta, Colo., 80.
Steer wrestling: 1, K.C. Jones, Decatur, Texas, 4.8 seconds. 2, Andy Weldon, Greenleaf, Idaho, 5.0. 3, Trever Mark Knighton, Riverside, Utah, 5.3. 4, Brandon Mackenzie, Jordan Valley, Ore., 14.3.
Team roping: 1, Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 5.0 seconds. 2, Jake Orman, Prairie, Miss., and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas, 5.3. 3, Cyle Denison, Stephenville, Texas, and Coleby Payne, Lipan, Texas, 5.7. 4, Kolton Schmidt, Barrhead, Alberta, and Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas, 5.9.
Saddle bronc riding: 1, (tie) Hardy Braden, Welch, Okla., D&H Cattle Company’s Oh So Foxey and Joe Lufkin, Sallisaw, Okla., on Burch Rodeo’s Maria Bartimoro, 86 points each. 3, (tie) Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, and tim Ditrich, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 83.5.
Tie down roping: 1, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 8.1 seconds. 2, Cimarron Boardman, Stephenville, Texas, 9.7. 3, Cooper Mills, St. John, Wash., 11.1. 4, Jordan Ketscher, Squaw Valley, Calif., 11.4.
Barrel racing: 1, Ivy Conrado, Hudson, Colo., 17.09 seconds. 2, Lynnzie Lindstrom, Rigby, Idaho, 17.36. 3, (tie) Teri Bangart, Olympia, Wash., Tracy Nowlin, Nowata, Okla., 17.37 each.
Bull riding: 1, Derek Kolbaba, Walla Walla, Wash., 89 points on 93Z
Current Leaders –
Bareback Riding: (first round) 1, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 86 points on Burch Rodeo’s Pip Squeak. 2, Connor Hamillton, Calgary, Alberta, 85.5. 3, (tie) Caleb Bennett, Tremonton, Utah, and Cody Kiser, Carson City, Nev., 84.5. 5, Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif., 84. 6, Jessy Davis, Power, Mont., 83.5.
Steer wrestling: (second round) 1, Tanner Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 4.0. 2, Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 4.1. 3, Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La., 4.2. 4, (tie) Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala.; Hunter Cure, Holliday, Texas; Justin Shaffer, Hallsville, Texas; and Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore.; 4.3 each. (total on two) 1, Waguespack, 8.4. 2, Cure, 8.8. 3, Knowles, 9.1. 4, Blake Mindemann, Apache, Okla., 9.3. 5, Brendan Laye, Consort, Alberta, 9.5. 6, Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, Idaho, 9.8.
Team roping: (second round) 1, (tie) Riley and Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash.; and Cory Kidd, Statesville, N.C., and Caleb Anderson, Mocksville, N.C., 4.7 seconds each. 3, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil, 4.8. 4, (tie) Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla., and Tyler Worley, Yuma, Colo.; Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Okla., and Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo., 4.9. (total on two) 1, Smith and Eaves, 10.7. 2, Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla., and Tyler Worley, Yuma, Colo., 11.1. 3, Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 11.4. 4, Jake Orman, Prairie, Miss., and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Mo., 11.5. 5, (tie) Jesse Stipes, Salina, Okla., and Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla.; and Kolton Schmidt, Barrhead, Alberta and Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas; 11.7 each.
Saddle bronc riding: (first round) 1, 1, Mitch Pollock, Winnemucca, Nev., 87.5 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Baby Sitter. 2, (tie) Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah; Hardy Braden, Welch, Okla.; and Joe Lufkin, Sallisaw, Okla.; 86. 5, Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah; Tim Ditrich, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas; 83.5.
Tie-down roping: (second round leaders) 1, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 7.9 seconds. 2, tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 8.0. 3, Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash., 8.1. 4, Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 8.3. (total on two) 1, Corey Solomon, Prairie View, Texas, 17.2. 2, Brazile, 17.5. 3, Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah, 18.2. 4, Cimarron Boardman, Stephenville, Texas, 18.9. 5, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 19.1. 6, Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif., 20.2..
Barrel racing: (second round) 1, Ivy Conrado, Hudson, Colo., 17.09 seconds. 2, Amberleigh Moore, 17.23. 3, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 17.28. 4, Brittney Burrow, Meridian, Idaho, 17.30. (total on two) 1, Conrado, 34.40. 2, Teri Bangart, Olympia, Wash., 34.66. 3, Amberleigh Moore, 34.70. 4, (tie) Tammy Fischer, Ledbetter, Texas, and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Victoria, Texas, 34.72 each. 6, Darby Fox, King Hill, Idaho, 34.83.
Bull Riding: (first round leaders) 1, Derek Kolbaba, Walla Walla, Wash., 89 points on D&H Cattle Company’s 93Z. 2, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 82. 3, Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont., 76.5. 4, Aaron Williams, Pismo Beach, Calif., 69.
