First night of rodeo amps crowd
MOSES LAKE - The 69th Moses Lake Roundup Rodeo kicked off last night, with local and out of state competitors squaring off in front of a crowd clearly excited for some rodeo action.
Rodeo fans filled the arena with a sea of pink, since last night's theme was "Tough enough to wear pink," the rodeo association's way of paying tribute to those who have lost the battle to cancer, those who have won the battle and those who are still fighting the battle.
Moses Lake rider Brandon Platt ushered in the rodeo, as he was the first competitor in the bareback riding contest. Although his home crowd brought down the stands with their cheers of support, Platt was kicked off his horse and didn't score.
Competitor Austin Foss of Terrebonne, Ore. impressed the judges enough with his ride on horse Caribou Trail to earn him a score of 75.
More excitement in the tie-down racing competition, as challengers from out of state claimed the top three winning slots. No. 15 in the Columbia River Rodeo Circuit Jake Echevarria of Nampa, Idaho, was able to gain control of his calf in 12.1 seconds.
Shane Hanchey of Sulphur, La. and Cody Ohl of Hico, Texas took second and third place respectively. Hanchey finished with a time of 12.5, while Ohl was close behind him with a 12.7 finishing time.
Washington steer wrestlers got the crowd on their feet as Chance Gartner of Pasco and Scott Goodwin of Eltopia finished with the top two times in the steer wrestling category. Gartner took his steer down in a whopping 5.4 seconds while Goodwin gained control in 5.7 seconds.
Nik Hamm of Rapid City, S.D. finished the event with a time of 7.7 seconds.
In the saddle bronc riding competition, it was an out-of-country rider who stole the show. Delano Kjos of Fort St. John, British Columbia was awarded the highest score of 78 for his stint on horse Nasty Jack. A pair of 77's were handed out to both Townsend Prince of Livermore, Colo. and Mert Bradshaw of Eagle Point, Ore.
Local rider Jacob Stacy, of Moses Lake had a run good enough to earn him a 74 from the judges.
Team roping saw a lot of intense competition as a couple teams finished with excellent times, but were given penalties.
Drew Horner of Plano, Texas and Justin Copp of Justin, Texas roped their calf in 5.6 seconds. Dakota Kirchenschlager of Stephenville, Texas and Spencer Mitchell of Coulsa, Calif. finished with a time of 5.7 seconds, placing them second.
Bryce Palmer of Milton-Freewater, Ore. and teammate Garrett Rogers of Adams, Ore. would have taken first with their original time of 5.4 seconds, but judges gave them a penalty of five seconds. Their official time was 10.4 seconds, landing them in third place.
Female riders were neck and neck during most of the barrel racing event, as the top three finishers had scores under 18 seconds.
World-ranked rider Lee Ann Rust of Stephenville, Texas, crossed the finish line in 17.17 seconds. Canadian rider Lindsay Sears of Nanton, Alberta finished in 17.34 seconds.
One second behind Nanton, rider Sammi Bessert of Loma, Colo. finished with a time of 17.35 seconds.
And it was a tough night for bull riders as none of the competitors were able to stay on their bulls for the required eight seconds.
The rodeo continues tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at the Grant County Fairgrounds.