Roper Solomon eager for Stampede debut

The moment Texas calf roper Cory Solomon nodded his head at the Daines ranch rodeo on Saturday, he was in trouble.

“My calf squirted more than the others and I had no chance to be 7.8 (seconds),” he said of the hard-running red heifer.

“She ran harder than I needed and when I threw my rope I had to reach way out there.”

His loop hit the ground, the calf escaped and Solomon loped out of the infield with nothing to show for his effort.

“When it’s only a one-header, you have to be fast,” he acknowledged.

“I just tried to make something happen because I don’t rope to be nine or 10. I rope to be first.”

He knew he had to be fast; Missouri’s Jared Kempker was leading with a time of 7.9.

“I threw my rope when I did because I ran out of the 7.8 zone,” pointed out. “If I’d caught her I might have been a long eight, but I wouldn’t have won much.

“There were three or four amazing calves in that pen that you could be a short seven on and mine wasn’t one of them.”

Solomon, a 5-foot-7 AfricanAmerican, has the quickest hands in the business tying a calf. They’re a blur.

This was only his second trip to Canada. He came up here last year during the August long weekend and worked two rodeos.

He was 7.6 seconds at Medicine Hat and 7.3 at Strathmore, won first at both stops, and headed back across the border with $9,000 more dollars in his bank account.

Solomon went on to earn $85,000 at the National Finals Rodeo to cap off a fourth-best $159,000 year.

The 21-year-old third-year pro had become one of the hot, new, young ropers to watch — right along with the likes of new world champion Tuf Cooper and Shane Hanchey.

Solomon is on the roster for next month’s Calgary Stampede and for a guy who thrives on quick setups, he’ll really be fun to watch.

“I’ve never been there, never seen it, but I’ve watched it on film and I’m excited about the setup,” he said. “I like to go fast, that’s how it is back home in south Texas.”

He’s drawn up in the loaded opening 10-man “group of death” with rodeo’s poster guy Trevor Brazile, Tuf and Hanchey, among others.

Solomon is currently fourth in the world standings with $30,000 to his credit. Cooper and Hanchey are immediately in his rear view mirror.

He’ll be riding a horse named Casino, a 21-year-old that Texan Cody Ohl won four of his five world championships on in the early 2000s.

Solomon is entered at Wainwright, High River and Sundre next week and Ponoka and Airdrie the following week.

His travelling partner, Oklahoman Trent Creager, moved into a second-place tie in the roping here with an eightsecond run.

I DON’T ROPE TO BE NINE OR 10. I ROPE TO BE FIRST.

CORY SOLOMON

Rodeo bits . . .

Oregon’s Sean Santucci went to the top of the class in the steer wrestling with a time of 5.3 seconds. He’s leading the Canadian standings . . . Another Oregonian, Ben Londo, grabbed a three-way share of first in the saddle bronc riding with an 84 after watching a horse stomp on his travelling partner Ryan Mackenzie. He’s hospitalized in Red Deer with broken ribs and a punctured lung . . . Canadian champion Lisa lockhart stormed to the lead in the barrel racing with a remarkable time of 15.756 seconds.