Barrel racers take spotlight in final night at rodeo

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cowgirl barrel racers cranked up their horses and took the spotlight away from cowboys and bucking animals Saturday night as the World's Toughest Rodeo wrapped up its 32nd weekend at the U.S. Cellular Center before a near-capacity crowd of 4,445 cheering fans.

With 3,210 attending Friday night, the weekend's total of 7,655 was up just more than 700 from the 6,952 fans who celebrated the rodeo's return to the refurbished venue a year ago.

Iowans Sabrina Miller, from Springville, and Frankie Baldwin, from Le Grand, led a barrel racing charge that produced six times less than 14 seconds.

Miller completed her cloverleaf run in 13.10 seconds, followed by Baldwin at 13.42. Miller also nipped Friday night winner Jamie Newcomer, from Lake Zurich, Ill., by two-hundredths of a second to post the top time of the rodeo and claim championship money.

Also under 14 seconds Saturday were Kellie Hill of Black Creek, Wis., (13.74), Micah Burkholder of Waterloo (13.80), Jordan Moore of Mauston, Wis., (13.85), and Bailey Webb-Olson of Minneapolis (13.92).

Back in the bucking chutes, bulls and broncs defeated contending cowboys, 4-2, in the championship round.

Big Jet, Three Hills Rodeo's top-rated saddle bronc, bucked off Wes Bailey, from Tampa , Kan., and a horse named Take My Hand did the same to Cedar Rapids entrant Travis Sturdy. Bailey won the qualifying round with an 85-point score and Sturdy was second at 82.

In the bull riding finals, a bull named Hello Juice dispatched Michael Jeffers, from Marshall, Mo., and a bull named Hot Fuzz did the same to Matt Pojanowski, from Woodbury, Minn. Jeffers won the qualifying round with an 87-point ride and Pojanowski was second at 85.

Cowboys prevailed, however, in the two-man bareback championship round. Tyler Waltz, from Jersey Shore, Penn., leaned back and spurred his way to a 92-point ride on a jumping, kicking horse named Josh. Ty Pasour, from Fort Scott, Kan., claimed a close second with an 88-point ride on a horse named Dyer Straits.

Waltz won the qualifying round with an 88-point ride and Pasour placed second at 85.

The refurbished arena's 'scores to beat” are now all above 90 points: Waltz's 92 in bareback, Chase Miller's 92 in saddle bronc and John Young's 94 in bull riding. Miller, from Ogallala, Neb., and Young, from Orient, posted their 90-plus scores Friday night.