Guymon Pioneer Days champs finish on a high note

January 7, 2013

Well, that’s a wrap.
The 2012 Pro Rodeo season officially ended as of December 15 after the tenth and final round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Champions were crowned, records were broken, and a good time was had by all. The new season has only just begun, but before we move ahead, here is a recap of the Guymon event champions that finished the 2012 rodeo season on a high note.
Bareback rider, J.R. Vezain finished the season 4th in the world standings. He won at Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo this last May on MGM Deuces Night (Bareback Horse of the Year) of Carr Pro Rodeo Company. Placing in five rounds and making a final statement the last night of the NFR, Vezain rode to the highest marked score in the tenth round with an 86.5, grabbing the last round buckle.
Newly crowned world champion Kaycee Field, the cowboy that split second with Justin McDaniel at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo stole the gold again for the second year in a row to capture another world title in the bareback riding. Placing in eight of the ten rounds and winning Rounds 1, 4, and 8, Kaycee was determined to remain at the top of his field. Kaycee’s father, Lewis Field, was a five-time world champion as a bareback world champion from 1985 to 1987 and all-around champion in 1985 – 1986. Kaycee has style and continues to exemplify his world status as a great bareback rider and all around nice guy.
Dean Gorsuch who took the steer wrestling title at Guymon Pioneer Days by throwing all three of his steers in consistent times of 4.3, 4.5, and 4.7; finished 5th in the world. His best two runs came in Round 1 and Round 2 at the NFR, placing second in both with a 3.5 and a 3.9.
Gruver, Texas cowboy Bray Armes placed in five of the 10 rounds for his first trip to the finals, splitting second and third in Round 3, second in Rounds 4 and 10, and third in Rounds 6 and 8. His fastest times were 3.5 in Round 10 and two times of 3.6 in Rounds 4 and 8. 
A job well done to our Texas neighbor who secured a 6th place finish overall in the world standings.
Another talented cowboy, saddle bronc rider Cole Elshere, also qualified for his first NFR appearance this year. His 87 point ride on the outstanding horse Lipstick and Whiskey at the Hitch Pioneer Arena last May no doubt helped him boost his qualification. Splitting the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo with Chad Ferley, (a past world champion who ended up  12th overall this year), Elshere snatched his first career round win in Vegas with an 83 point ride on Lunatic Fringe in Round 5, finishing the season as the number seven cowboy in the world. 
The future looks bright for this young cowboy from Faith, South Dakota.
In the ladies event of barrel racing, Mary Walker who finished second at the 2012 Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo took the Thomas and Mack arena by storm this December. Winning three consecutive rounds, rounds 1, 2, and 3 along with the seventh round towards the end of the week and placing in another four, Walker blasted out the competition in her NFR debut.
In April 2011, her son Reagan was killed in a tragic car accident. Only two months later, a tragedy of her own would occur on Latte, the horse that her husband, Byron Walker, (a former steer wrestling world champion) bought her to help ease the pain of their lost loved one.  
During a barrel race, Latte fell on Mary shattering her pelvis, breaking her hip in three places and causing two fractured vertebrae confining Walker to a wheelchair.
Now, just a little over a year later Mary has captured her first world title and an NFR earnings record with $146,941, a WPRA record.
Not only did she win her first gold buckle, but she captivated the rodeo world by her story of endurance with a strong will and a determined heart. The world will see the amazing team of Mary Walker and Latte for many years to come that’s for sure.
So who did Mary Walker finish second to in Guymon you ask? Well, that would be the team of Sherry Cervi and Stingray. Although a fall in Round 6 at the Finals would take Cervi out of the average and a chance at another world title, the team still ended up winning Round 4, placing in three rounds and finishing eighth in the world overall.
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo claims that it’s the place “Where Legends are Made,” but it’s during those other 11 months of the year, the 339 days leading up to the opening night in Las Vegas, that mold the rodeo athletes into top contenders vying  for a World Championship Title each December. All of the barely getting by circumstances, the long highways, fast food drive thru’s, and much time spent away from home; yes it takes a tough individual to tackle the rodeo road.
It’s on the road however, when traveling across the country trying to make it to the next rodeo on time, where the real legacy begins. It’s that drive, that determination and ultimate love for the sport that molds each individual into the top athlete that we see on the greatest rodeo stage of them all when they compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
For the first timers that just qualified this year and the ones that have made repeated trips to Vegas many times, they have blazed their own paths to the Thomas and Mack. The many young guns coming up look to do the same making their presence known through sheer heart and try to show they have what it takes.
Spencer Wright, Tyrel Larsen and younger brother Orin Larsen have started their New Year right aiming high and setting their paths in the same direction- for the NFR next December.
A lot can happen between now and then, but right now, Spencer Wright, younger brother of world champions Cody and Jesse, and first time qualifier Jake, is enjoying his time at the top of the world for the moment.  By winning Brawley and San Francisco this winter, Spencer looks to make an appearance at the 2013 Finals. 
Mr. Wright as well as the current number two cowboy in the world standings, Tyrel Larsen, both competed for Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Larsen graduated in 2010 and will finish his Master’s degree in business from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in May. 
Winning the Saddle Bronc Riding Title at the College National Finals Rodeo this past June, Larsen now has his eyes set on the big stage and a gold buckle. Paving his way for the new pro rodeo season, he won Tulsa and split the win in Allen, Texas with Cody Wright (who rode Cool Runnings of Carr Pro Rodeo).
Tyrel’s younger brother, Orin, currently sits in the number four position in the bareback riding standings as well.
Beginning the New Year strong, taking each step in stride and living in the moment are key elements in the year to come. The year 2013 looks bright in the world of rodeo.
The long standing tradition of tough, hardworking cowboys and cowgirls that show the ultimate try and sacrifice it takes to become a legend is shown every day, not just in the ten days of the National Finals Rodeo, but the 339 days leading up to it as well. Good luck to all competitors as the New Year begins!