Cheney Rodeo a place to gain ground for NFR

You shake Joe Meling’s hand gingerly.

The soft-spoken, Pendleton, Ore., cowboy has his sights set on qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo as a professional bull rider. Sunday his road to Las Vegas, where the top 15 performers in each event gather in December, brought him to the final day of the 40th annual Cheney Rodeo – his fourth rodeo of the weekend.

Before mounting up Sunday in Cheney, Meling already had ridden bulls in Casper and Sheridan, Wyo., and Colorado Springs, Colo.

“I didn’t make today’s short round in Sheridan, so I was able to get here to ride today,” he said. “They limit us to 70 rodeos, so we have to be a little careful. I already made about $1,200 before I got here, which puts me 14th in the world standings with just over $40,000. I figure to make the National Finals Rodeo you’re going to have to make between $60,000 and $70,000.”

The wear and tear of all that bull riding shows on Meling’s right hand – the only thing that connects him to the rampaging bull he’s bound and determined to ride. He uses it sparingly as he changes clothes and packs his gear, and as he opens the door to the rodeo office to collect a check that puts him at just under $2,000 for his weekend’s effort.

His Sunday bull broke out of the chute strong, with Meling showing why he’s one of the best in his business. And then the bull stopped with more than three seconds left in his eight-second ride.

The uncooperative bovine limited Meling to a score of just 46 for the ride. He qualified for a re-ride on a different bull at the end of the round but, because there were just two other riders to post scores, he opted to take the guaranteed check and save the wear and tear on his hand.

“I could have taken the re-ride and gone back out there, sure,” he said. “But I’m looking at a week off before I head to Cheyenne and Salt Lake City next week. I could do a re-ride here for, maybe, an extra thousand dollars, or I could rest up and be healthy for some rodeos with a lot of money on the line.”

Meling’s third-place finish in Cheney earned him a $747.32 paycheck, added to his official total of $42,410. Going into the weekend Meling was $600 out of 13th place and held a $7,000 lead ahead of the 15th place rider.

Mason Michaelis won the bull riding with a score of 78 to earn $1,354.67. Willy Ives turned in a 71 Sunday to take second and a check for $1,030.65.

Three Sunday efforts captured first-place prize money.

The Oregon father-son team-roping pair of Mike and Brandon Beers turned a time of 7.4 seconds to capture their event. The effort earned each a check for $1,119.10. Dad Mike Beers is the second-leading heeler in the world standings; son Brandon is the third-leading header. The pair are a cinch to compete in Las Vegas.

Ellensburg’s Kass Kayser turned in a 9.3 in steer wrestling to give him first-place money of $1,405.

In a high-octane field of barrel racers, Italy Spratt of Molalla, Ore., nipped Tami Semas by a hundredth of a second to take first-place and a check for $872.56. The top 10 finishers in the event were separated by just 0.41 – roughly the time it takes to blink your eye.

No one threatened Dustin Mulrony’s score of 85 in Sunday’s bareback, leaving him with a first-place check of $1,297. Same with Sam McKenzie’s 82 in saddle bronc, where he earned $1,373.

Erik Johnson’s 5-second flat time in steer wrestling held up through Sunday, leaving him with $1,219 in first-place money.

Final results

Steer wrestling

1, Erik Johnson, 5.0 seconds, $1,219.09. 2, B.J. Taruscio, 5.2, $1,008.90. 3, Tyan Grenell, 5.5, $693.62. 3, Austin Manning, 5.5, $693.62. 5, Tyson Torvik, 5.7, $378.33.

Bull Riding

1, Mason Michaelis, 78, $1,354.67. 2, Willy Ives, 71, $1,030.65. 3, Joe Meling, 46, $747.32.

Barrel Racing

1, Italy Spratt, 17.46, $972.56. 2, Tami Semas, 17.47, $833.62. 3, Leslie Hurford, 17l.58, $694.69. 4, Linzie Walker, 17.63, $602.06. 5, Kate Waetje, 17.70, $463.13.

Tie-down Roping

1, Kass Kayser, 9.3, $1,405.05. 2, Jeremy Sutfin, 9.8, $1,162.80. 3, Brian West, 10.2, $799.42. 3, Johnny Sloan, 10.2, $799.42. 5, Sterling Joe Lambert, 10.4, $436.05.

Team Roping

1, Brandon Beers and Mike Beers, 7.4, $2,238.20. 2, Willy Hart and Dave Inman, 8.4, $1,678.66. 3, Howdy McGinn and Bill Justus, 13.3, $839.32. 3, Mike Fuller and Shane Crossley, 13.3, $839.32.

Bareback Riding

1, Dustin Mulrony, 85, $1,297.89. 2, Jason Sherman, 77, $721.05. 2, Brian Jones, 77, $721.05. 2, Nathan Bayes, 77, $721.05. 5, Mitch Rickman, 76, $275.31.

Saddlebronc Riding

1, Sam MacKenzie, 82, $1,373.13. 2, Jeb Knox, 81, $1,040.25. 3, Frank McKay, 80, $624.15. 3, Ben Londo, 80, $624.15. 5, Kayle Gray, 79, $291.27.