Buechner, Gray cram for Finals
Ryan Gray has tried not to think about the National Finals Rodeo.
Thinking about it has been about all Rowdy Buechner could do.
The two area friends and bareback riding rivals have qualified for their first NFR, which begins its 10-day run in Las Vegas on Friday. Accomplishing the goal hardly seems real.
“I’m real excited for the Finals,” said Gray, who graduated from Cheney and attends Texas Tech. “I guess it probably hasn’t hit me yet. It probably won’t hit me until I get there. I just try not to overwhelm myself with it. Definitely, when I think about it, it pumps me up.”
Buechner, from Sandpoint, just returned to action last weekend after missing two months with an injury, winning the Columbia River Circuit Finals and year-end championship.
“I don’t get too excited,” he said. “It’s kind of a dream. I guess when I get down there, it will bring it to reality. … I was hurt and sat here watching TV for eight weeks. That’s harder than going and butting heads with those guys.”
Fortunately, Buechner also had other things to think about. He married Audrey Tibbs in Moses Lake on Saturday.
Both cowboys plan to use the same focus that got them to Vegas.
“I’ve been thinking about that lately,” said Gray, who enters the Finals fourth among the 15 qualifying bareback riders with $94,417. “I’ll try not to get ahead of myself, not get caught up in the statistics. I’ll try to ride as good as I’ve been riding all year and let it all hang out, no regrets – go at every horse the same, one at a time and let the chips fall where they may.”
The Finals is a 10-day grind, with the cowboys facing the best stock in the country.
“In the summertime we do the same thing,” said Buechner, who is sitting 13th with $68,764. “All summer long we’re riding every day. You may have a day in between, riding maybe two or three a day. If it’s good enough to get you there, you better stick to your same game plan.”
At the Finals, there is more than $5 million to be won in each of the eight events. There are 10 rounds, one ride a day for 10 days. Each day there are payouts for the top six rides, ranging from $15,738 for first to almost $2,538 for sixth. At the culmination, the top eight in total points are paid, with $40,359 for first, down to $3,807 for eighth.
“With me, I never ever really worry about money,” Buechner said. “I ride bucking horses not for the money but because I love riding bucking horses. Definitely, it’s good when you win because you get money and can pay your bills. If you don’t worry about riding the horses, the money isn’t going to be there. I’m just excited to get on 10 good horses on 10 nights.”