Let's talk about sex
In ProRodeo, two sanctioning bodies control things in and out of the arena. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association controls the men's events, and the Women's Professional Rodeo Association controls barrel racing.
Seems odd to those not in the know, and it's kind of odd for those in.
Either way, each organization has its own way of doing business, and they don't always see eye to eye. But barrel racers compete at virtually every ProRodeo and are members of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. There have been conflicts between the two groups in recent months, but it looks as though a plan has been set to keep the girls with the men for years to come.
Now let's get down to the dirty of the National Finals Rodeo, which will have its seventh of 10 go-rounds tonight (Thursday) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. A young lady I've gotten to know through a few interviews has had a tremendous NFR, winning three of six go-rounds and earning nearly $60,000.
Shali Lord placed in the opening round, then won the next three before somewhat stumbling in Rounds 5 and 6. She and her trusty mount, Slider, have rounded the cloverleaf barrel pattern better than most anyone, even on the nights she finished out of the top 10. You see, in barrel racing, cowgirls are blanketed with five-second penalties when they knock over one of the three barrels in the pattern.
Lord has banged a barrel each of the last two nights. Had she not done so, she would've won both those rounds -- her time minus the penalty would've been faster than all the rest.
Shali was born in Guymon, Okla., and spent her early childhood 20 miles away near the town of Texhoma on the Oklahoma-Texas border in the Panhandle -- that's where her parents, Jim and Leslie Nichols, were raised, too. Jim, by the way, is a higher-up in charge of special events for the men's rodeo association, the PRCA. But he's a supporter of rodeo. And why not, his little girl and her stead are having the runs of their lives in Las Vegas.
A little insider's take on the two runs with penalty: Barrel horses are not only tremendously fast, they're also pretty darn smart. By the fifth go-round, ol' Slider'd been on that pattern quite a few times considering practice and the earlier rounds. He was already anticipating those turns around the barrels. That's just one of the things that comes with racing these equine athletes around sharp corners.
But check out tonight's seventh go-round, because I reckon Shali will complete a clean run and win a round for the fourth time this week.
And Slider will virtually smile as he sprints out of the arena.
Seems odd to those not in the know, and it's kind of odd for those in.
Either way, each organization has its own way of doing business, and they don't always see eye to eye. But barrel racers compete at virtually every ProRodeo and are members of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. There have been conflicts between the two groups in recent months, but it looks as though a plan has been set to keep the girls with the men for years to come.
Now let's get down to the dirty of the National Finals Rodeo, which will have its seventh of 10 go-rounds tonight (Thursday) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. A young lady I've gotten to know through a few interviews has had a tremendous NFR, winning three of six go-rounds and earning nearly $60,000.
Shali Lord placed in the opening round, then won the next three before somewhat stumbling in Rounds 5 and 6. She and her trusty mount, Slider, have rounded the cloverleaf barrel pattern better than most anyone, even on the nights she finished out of the top 10. You see, in barrel racing, cowgirls are blanketed with five-second penalties when they knock over one of the three barrels in the pattern.
Lord has banged a barrel each of the last two nights. Had she not done so, she would've won both those rounds -- her time minus the penalty would've been faster than all the rest.
Shali was born in Guymon, Okla., and spent her early childhood 20 miles away near the town of Texhoma on the Oklahoma-Texas border in the Panhandle -- that's where her parents, Jim and Leslie Nichols, were raised, too. Jim, by the way, is a higher-up in charge of special events for the men's rodeo association, the PRCA. But he's a supporter of rodeo. And why not, his little girl and her stead are having the runs of their lives in Las Vegas.
A little insider's take on the two runs with penalty: Barrel horses are not only tremendously fast, they're also pretty darn smart. By the fifth go-round, ol' Slider'd been on that pattern quite a few times considering practice and the earlier rounds. He was already anticipating those turns around the barrels. That's just one of the things that comes with racing these equine athletes around sharp corners.
But check out tonight's seventh go-round, because I reckon Shali will complete a clean run and win a round for the fourth time this week.
And Slider will virtually smile as he sprints out of the arena.
posted by Teditor at 10:45 AM
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