Pasco Rider Gets The Jump On Ex-Bareback Champion

Mike Hammer was just happy to be close. His smile just got bigger when he found out he was first.

The pipe fitter from Pasco rode Diligent Skoal to an 80 to edge former world champion bareback rider and 11-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier Clint Corey by one point in the first performance of the three-day Wrangler Prorodeo Classic.

The four-year-old rodeo made its Arena debut on Friday night before 6,240 fans.

Hammer was the first cowboy out and his score was announced as a 79.

Three riders later, Corey, the 1991 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association champion from Kennewick, scored a 79 on Duster.

“Heck, any time I can split first or finish second to Clint, I’m happy,” said Hammer, who placed at this rodeo each of the last three years at the old Coliseum.

Later, when the scores were made official, Hammer had the lead with two performances remaining, tonight at 8 and Sunday at 2:30.

“Tonight I just out-drew Clint,” Hammer said. “If Clint had that horse, he probably would have beat me by a point or two.”

Hammer knew he had a chance when he drew Diligent Skoal, a former NFR horse.”I saw him last week in Portland,” Hammer said. “I thought I’d like to have him or the one Clint drew. Either one I’d be happy.”

He wasn’t the only happy cowboy as the leaders in all six events had scores or times close to or better than the best of the three previous years.

Bull rider Ron Halverson of Dillon, Mont., electrified the crowd with an 81 on Skoal Time. Six-time NFR qualifer Skeeter Thurston of Hyannis, Neb., leads saddle bronc with a 78 on Spring Rose.

In timed events, Guy Gregg of Milton-Freewater, Ore., and Dave Inman of Colfax had a 6.1-second run in team roping; Mike Garthwaite of Merritt, British Columbia, had a 5.1 in steer wrestling; and Shane Crossley had a 9.7 in calf roping.

Team roping, saddle bronc and bareback are the best-ever for this rodeo.

“When you see a rodeo that is a PRCA rodeo, whether it’s Houston or Spokane, you’re going to see top contestants,” Hammer said. “None of these rodeos are easy.”

Corey came to Spokane because his cows kept him close to home.

“I bought a bunch of cows after the National Finals that are calving for the first time so I thought I better stay home,” said Corey, who runs about 35 head of cattle and a few races horses just outside of Kennewick.

He decided he better skip two big season-opening rodeos currently underway, Denver and Fort Worth, which won’t be a problem if he can duplicate last year’s success.

“I went to about 20 less rodeos (70) and won the most money ($84,000) I ever did in the regular season,” he said. “You just pick and choose the rodeos you want to go to. If you’re not beating yourself down on the road, you’re feeling better and you’re more enthused to ride. You just have to concentrate. And, fortunately, I drew well.”

, DataTimes