Friday, July 4, 2014

The Start to the Fourth of July Run

Ace, Roger, and I made it back to Greeley, CO on Monday afternoon for the perf that evening.  Mexico gave Ace a hop when he nodded his head and made him get out of the barrier late.  He tied his second calf in 12.7 seconds, which was a little too long for them to make it back for the short go.

Click HERE to watch Ace's second run in Greeley

After the perf in Greeley, Ian Wells and his horse joined our rig.  Both Ace and Ian were up in the slack in Cody, WY on Tuesday morning.  It was going to be an all-night drive and luckily the guys were able to split sleeping and driving time.  Ace drove us to Caspar, WY and Ian hauled the rest of the way, bringing us to Cody at around 4 am.  After just a handful of hours of sleep, it was time for the morning slack. 

Ace tied his calf in 8.3 seconds, which may seem pretty fast, but a mental mistake cost him some crucial time.  After driving all night and putting everything you have into a run that lasts only a few seconds, Ace was super disappointed with the outcome. 


After the slack in Cody, WY we had to hustle to get over to Livingston, MT, where Ace was in the afternoon slack.  Once we made it to the arena and got everything situated, we had lunch at the hospitality tent and ran into town for a quick oil change.  We made it back to the arena with plenty of time to spare.  Ace and Mexico were a little off cue at the start and knew they broke the barrier when they crossed the line.  So, Ace chose to take a couple extra swings and make a practice run to help him and his horse in the field. 


On Wednesday morning, Ace was up in Red Lodge, MT.  He made a good run and tied his calf in 9.2 seconds, which would’ve placed for a pretty good payday, but the calf got up before the 6 seconds expired, resulting in a no time.


Although Ace is still placing at Cody, he has narrowly missed out on a couple big paydays.  We are hoping that our last few rodeos over the Fourth of July get us back on the winning streak.  Rodeo life is all about ups and downs, forgetting one run and doing our job on the next.  At times this is easier said than done, when tenths of a second come down to missing out on thousands of dollars in winnings.  Ace’s bobbled hooey at Cody genuinely affected him more than I could’ve known.  I’ve tried my hardest to keep him motivated and keep his head up, as our Fourth run isn’t quite over yet.  All we can do is move on to the next state and next rodeo with a positive mindset and execute with the draw we are given. 


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