At any rate, the Xtreme Bulls was a rainy, muddy mess, but there were a few things that happened that will have a huge effect on the rest of the season. Number one, reigning world champion Wesley Silcox broke his tibia and fibula. He was riding Western Rodeo’s Dippin’ Dots and I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I think he got stepped on. Part of the problem was the arena was so muddy. When he got bucked off he couldn’t get away. The other problem was it was so rainy, the bull riders couldn’t hold on to their bull ropes. The cold, wet rain would take all the stickiness and heat right off them after they got them resined-up. All but one cowboy got bucked off in the short round and in my opinion it had more to do with the weather conditions than anything.

The second bit of interesting news was the return of 2005 champ Matt Austin. After pulling his abductor muscle away from the bone and then blowing out the ACL and MCL of his knee, he’s been out of competition for almost two years.

If you remember, Matt dominated in 2005. What we’re seeing now isn’t the same Matt—yet. His body is back, but he’s rusty and as a result, he appears to be doubting himself a little. He shouldn’t. He rode a tough first round bull in Bremerton well, then, like everyone else, lost his rope in the short round. I hope he can remain patient and wait for everything to catch up. Easier said than done.

Regardless, it was still good to see him back in the game.

I’ll be headed to Ellensburg this weekend and look forward to reporting more from there.

The TV guys wanted to do something fun with a couple of cowboys. One of the local guys suggested going ziplining. Ziplining is basically a cable stretched over a ravine or between trees and you strap yourself to it with a pully and go for broke. Well, they asked me to find a couple of willing cowboys.

I got ahold of saddle bronc riders J.J. Elshere and 2006 World Champion Chad Ferley.

Of course they were up for it right away. So we drove from Caldwell to Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, and took the trip up the mountain for a little excitement. I must say, it was fun.

It took some nerve to step off that first 30-foot platform and go zinging across the sky, but after that, it was just a big adrenaline rush. Chad and J.J. had the most fun. As top-tier athletes who are pretty much fearless, they figured it out quick and really made the most of the trip.

I had a great time getting to know the guys a little better and find out more about how rodeo works from their perspective. It was a great day. If you're ever in Idaho, I highly recommend going to Zip Idaho in Horseshoe Bend (www.zipidaho.com). And if you're lucky, you might run into Chad and J.J., after the big time they had, they said they'll go back any chance they have.



From left to right: 2006 World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Chad 
Ferley, Camerman Ryan Moore, Producer Matt Shults, Camerman Jerry Long,  Associate Producer Hailey Johnson, 2006 Wrangler NFR Average Champion Saddle Bronc Rider J.J. Elshere, me.



That's me about to go on the last zipline at Zip Idaho: the Double Trouble. It's a dual deal and J.J. went on the other one. If it was a race, he beat me like a drum.

The first round of the Ariat Playoffs in Caldwell kicks off today. That got me thinking about last year. It’s funny how a season can turn on one rodeo. Last year, two of my personal favorites, Colter Todd and Cesar de la Cruz, were not having a good year. They were somewhere between 25-35 in the world standings.

Somehow, the caught fire in Caldwell and rode the wave of success all the way to a reserve champion finish at the Wrangler NFR.

So the question is, who will it be this year? My guess is as good as anyone’s, but Colter and Cesar are right back in the same spot with their backs against the wall as these playoffs start. This isn’t much of a limb, but I’m going to say the new partnership of Clay Tryan and Kory Koontz will be the surprise team of the playoffs and make a push to the NFR.

We’ll just have to watch and find out. I’ll be in Caldwell and blog about what I see.

On a personal note, our horse Deuce seems to be improving. It’s taking longer than expected for him to adjust his gait to a straight spine, but he gets better every day. We entered a ranch rodeo at our hometown fair this weekend and our A team fell flat on our faces, but my brother and his wife and my wife put a team together and finished tied for third. Then, later at the ProRodeo, my son Tate entered his first mutton bustin.’ He did great. I was very proud. It was a really fun weekend.

The Douglas County (Colo.) Fair is a really nice production. Kudos to the guys and gals on the board who did such a good job.

So, without further ado, here’s what I’ve learned.

Michael Jones and Travis Tryan have parted ways—despite leading the world standings—and Jones is now roping with Chad Masters, who was third in the world.

Chad’s partner, Jade Corkill, will rope with Brandon Beers at the rodeos and it looks like Jake Stanley at the Ariat Playoffs.

In the meantime, Clay Tryan and Walt Woodard decided to call it quits. All signs pointed toward Walt going home, but apparently Travis has convinced him to rope.

David Key and Kory Koontz will also try something new. Clay Tryan and Koontz will join forces to finish out the season. David Key, it appears, will rope with Marty Becker.

Becker’s partner, Jake Stanley will rope Caleb Twisselman at the rodeos. 

These things happen, and I don’t know why everything that happened did, but it’s just the way team roping goes. These changes might make a big difference come Finals time, but this leaves a few, very consistent teams with a great shot, namely Matt Sherwood and Randon Adams.

On a personal note, my brother and some of our friends entered a ranch rodeo this weekend and we did pretty well. My three-year-old Turkey handled the lights of town like an old pro. As long as he was around some other horses—and it didn’t matter what horses—he was fine. Alone in the trailer he got a little worried, but overall, I was proud of how he handled himself.