Kimzey bucks the elements at Stampede
Oklahoma rider earns big money with second bull-racing title in three years
Sage Kimzey was experiencing some déjà vu on Sunday, and not just because he hoisted another $100,000 cheque as the winner of the Calgary Stampede bull riding.
“I picked the same bull that bucked me off here last year (in the Final 4), in the pouring rain actually. Then, when barrel racing came ’round, I felt a cool breeze blowing in.
“I was like, ‘Oh man. That is not good.’ ”
First there was the lightning, followed by the thunder. Then, there was the rain and wind. Then, the hail.
“Sure enough, it started sprinkling, and I was like, ‘It can stay sprinkling.’ Then, here it comes. Hailstorm. Rainstorm,” Kimzey said. “I was like, ‘No. Not again.’ ”
Last year at the Stampede, like Sunday, the 22-year-old from Strong City, Okla., hopped on Night Moves. Also like Sunday, it was in the pouring rain.
But this time, he was determined to stay on, just like he did in 2015 when he won the Calgary Stampede.
“There was a ton of drama, for sure,” he said. “I just told myself, ‘Close your eyes and just ride him. That’s all you gotta do.’ It wasn’t happening this year … there was a bit of bad blood, and it made it that much sweeter.”
Sure enough, Kimzey was one of two riders to stay on in the Final 4. Jess Lockwood of Volberg, Mont., and Brazilian rider Joao Ricardo Vieira were both bucked off while Garrett Smith of Rexburg, Idaho, scored 90.5 on Compton Bound.
The victory came after Kimzey managed to score an 87.5 ride on Pound The Alarm in the first round Sunday.
The lone Canadians in the championship final were Tanner Byrne of Prince Albert, Sask., and Longview’s Brock Radford, but both were bucked off.
Ryan Dirteater of Hulbert, Okla., Mike Lee of Fort Worth, Texas, and Brennon Eldred of Sulphur, Okla., were also bucked off.
As for Kimzey, the final round was rather predictable aboard Night Moves and he racked up a 91-point winning ride.
“He knocks out the same tracks every time he cracks his head out of the gate,” he said. “A great, honest bull that you can get a pile of points on but you can’t stub your toe because he’ll put you in the dirt.”
STEER WRESTLING
Last year, Tyler Waguespack came to the Calgary Stampede on an invitation and finished second.
On Sunday, the good-natured Gonzales, La., native had made it to the Greatest Oudoor Show on Earth by putting in the work and qualifying.
And it just keeps getting better. Waguespack hoisted the winner’s $100,000 cheque after producing a 3.8-second run in the final four — the fastest time among Donalda’s Cody Cassidy and a pair of cowboys from Oklahoma: Stockton Graves of Alva and Riley Duvall of Checotah.
“I’m at a loss for words — it’s awesome. I’ve never won a cheque this big,” Waguespack said. “All I really wanted was one of those pretty Calgary bronze (statues) when I got that. The cheque was awesome too.
“I just bought a house at home, but a lot of that (prize money) is going to go into that. I might have to get some horses to play with.”
Truth be told, Waguespack arrived in Calgary with a few big cheques after winning the 2016 PRCA world championship at the National Finals Rodeo.
Currently, the 26-year-old is second in the world with a total earnings of $84,330.27.
In total, he walks away from Calgary with around $110,500 after qualifying for Sunday’s finals through Wild Card Saturday.
He had another shot at $100,000 when he finished top four in Sunday’s opening round when he threw down his steer in 3.9 seconds — the third-fastest time of the top four.
“I was really nervous about that 3.9 holding up,” Waguespack said. “It was crazy. But it wound up working out.”
TIE-DOWN ROPING
The memory showed up on Cory Solomon’s Facebook page on Sunday morning, reminding him of the exact moment that he’d won the 2012 Calgary Stampede.
Five years ago — to the day — Fred Whitfield had run out into the middle of the infield and threw his arm around Solomon, then just 22 years old.
Following the final four, the two tie-down ropers had competed in a tiebreaking final in the mud with Solomon bundling a calf back in 7.7 seconds for the victory.
Whitfield, the classy veteran rider. Solomon, the up-and-coming star.
Nothing but respect between the two Texas cowboys.
“I almost shared it (on Facebook), thinking it’d be pretty cool for it to happen again (Sunday)” said the Prairie View, Texas, native who now is 27. “But I’m very thankful for how things turned out.”
Whitfield wasn’t in the final four this time around, however he did compete with Solomon in the first round of Sunday’s championship. Solomon beat him out by the smallest of margins — 0.3-seconds — and advanced with a 7.5-second performance.
Solomon tied his calf in 6.7-seconds on his 15-year-old horse named Twinkie, beating out Matt Shiozawa of Chubbuck, Idaho, Marty Yates of Stephenville, Texas, and Timber Moore of Aubrey, Texas.
Afterwards, Whitfield was right there at the stage, congratulating his pal again.
“We lived 11 miles away from each other,” Solomon said with a grin. “His rookie year was 1990, and I was born in 1990. My dad taught me and my brothers how to rope, but Fred was a big help to me. I’ve looked up to him my whole career. Not because he lived close to me but just what he went through to get to where he is.
“I’ve looked up to him and been around him and learned to take care of business, taking care of your horse you know, the business side of it. I looked up to him.”
Solomon is currently sitting No. 13 in the PRCA standings with $52,119.32 in earnings, but after winning $9,500 in Pool A competition, he advanced right into Sunday’s final.