Sunset riders

With the Polson Fairgrounds providing a breathtaking backdrop, local rodeo athletes shine

POLSON - Hometown cowboy Tim Bagnell didn't feel any nerves lining up for the tie-down roping event at the Mission Mountain PRCA last Saturday night.

"I suppose as a person is going through it early in the game, you get nervous," 48-year old Bagnell said. "You just don't want to look like an idiot in front of your home crowd."

And it was certainly a home crowd at the Mission Mountain PRCA Rodeo with over 2,000 tickets being ordered for the event last Friday and Saturday night. That crowd didn't have to worry about Bagnell making a fool of himself, though, since he has 30 years of experience of rodeos under his belt.

"You talk to my wife and it's an addiction," he said. "It's like playing golf, you can play golf or you can be competitive playing golf."

Originally from Frenchtown, Bagnell now has a dentist practice in Ronan, but that's strictly a day job. When he had finished playing football in high school, he was still looking for something competitive and rodeo fit the bill.

"After being inside all day, it's nice to get out and do something," he said.

Riding his trusty steed, Bailey, Bagnell got the home-crowd treatment as he roped and tied a calf on the rodeo arena floor.

"The calf roping is probably the hardest event for a horse," he said. "It's the only one where you go out, rope, leave the stirrup and he's still got a job to do."

That job is to slowly back up and keep the rope or lariat snug on the calf while the cowboy ties their legs together. Bagnell and Bailey completed the event with timing and precision, placing third with a time of 20.5 seconds and winning a nice $285 prize.

"Most of the guys in the event are probably half my age," Bagnell said. "I've never really hurt myself in the rodeo. My event is not as hard on you as some of the rough stock."

Along with competing in the event, Bagnell also raises horses and stock. His company sponsored the tie-down roping event and he provided the calves.

"They called me a couple of weeks ago and they needed calves for the rodeo," he said. "The reason the times are like they are is because I brought fresh calves for everybody."

"They've never been roped and they're big and they're stout."

Bagnell wasn't the only local competing in the professional rodeo. Darcy Eickhoff, of Charlo, Bobbie Reeves, of St. Ignatius, and Jessica Milliron, of Polson, also saddled up.

And like Bagnell, they had a few years of experience.

"I've been doing this for twenty years," Eickhoff said. "When I was little, my grandma would set up barrels out in the pasture and we'd go run around them on horses. We'd just mess around and I never stopped."

Eickhoff competed in barrel-racing, an event she travels around for but stays somewhat in the area.

"I'm running pretty young horses so I try to stay in the state, or what I can afford to go to. Diesel is kind of expensive," Eickhoff said. "This horse is really close to finished. She hasn't been to a lot of places, so I just go through the gates, let her work, get out of the way and hope it goes good."

Originally from Montana, Eickhoff lived in Wyoming for 10 years before moving last fall to Charlo to teach at the high school.

"It's just fun, when you do good, it's the best feeling," she said. "Even when you don't do good, it's still fun."

Reeves and Milliron were also in the barrel-racing event.

"I'm kind of a speed junkie," Reeves said. "I like to go fast."

She went fast enough to capture fifth in the event with a time of 18.10, less than three-tenths of a second off the lead pace. She earned $265 for her time.

For an event like barrel-racing, it takes a special kind of horse or at least one that can go a certain speed: fast.

"Most of them are quarter horses and most of them have a racing quarter horse bloodline," Reeves, who rides a horse named Bubba, said. "He's kind of old now so I'm not going as hard, but I have a five-year-old I'm going to start with."

Depending on the horse, it takes two to three years of training to get them ready for a competitive rodeo.

"Sometimes I wish it happened overnight, but I guess that's what separates the people who are willing to work for it and the people that don't," Reeves said.

The barrel-racing event experienced a slight change as the competitors had to switch sides since the north side chute was too muddy for the horses. The riders had to enter through the south side chutes for the event.

"The only issue going with something this wide with a horse ready to run is kicking a knee out on one of those posts," Reeves said. "It gets a little hairy."

The weather for the most part though, was very agreeable.

"It was a wonderful weekend, the weather was really nice for us," Polson Fairgrounds Inc. (PFI) secretary Una Graham said.

PFI is the non-profit organization that leases the fairgrounds from the county and puts on the Mission Mountain PRCA Rodeo and other events.

Less than 20 people worked on the event for PFI and it runs up a bill of $45,000 to hold.

"We could not do it without sponsors and then the fans," Graham said.

One thing that the PFI is hoping to do in the future on the rodeo grounds is replace the grandstand that is rough ly seventy-years old.

"It's definitely showing its age and it's weary," Graham said.

However, that's not going to be cheap and the PFI is going to have to go through various fundraising routes in order to achieve their goal. Graham also said that if anyone in the community had ideas, that they should contact the organization.

RODEO RESULTS

June 27, 2010

Polson - Final results from the Mission Mountain PRCA Pro Rodeo in Polson, Montana on Friday, June 25th - Saturday, June 26th. Produced by JS Rodeo Company.

Bareback - 1. Justin Miller, Billings, 78, on 161 Motor Mouse JS, $931.00; 2. Nathan Bayes, Adrian, OR, 74, $698.25; 3. Colter Davis, Dillon, 69, $465.50; 4. Dan Herman, Homedale, ID, 57, $232.75

Steer wrestling - 1. Ty Erickson, Helena, 4.6, $646.00; 2. Rian Conway, Browning, 5.0, $484.50; Jason Schaffer, Broadus, 5.4, $323.00; 4. Bode Scott, Pryor, 6.8, $161.50

Tie-down roping - 1. Bode Scott, Pryor, 15.5, $570.00; 2. J Billingsley, Glasgow, 17.1, $427.50; 3. Tim Bagnell, Polson, 20.5, $285.00; 4. Shane Bessette, Vaughn, 23.7, $142.50

Saddle bronc - 1. Jesse Kruse, Great Falls, 80 on 432 Bad Hair Day JS, $931.00; 2. Guy Simanton, Malta, 79, $698.25; 3. Jake Costello, Newell, SD, 76, $465.50; 4. CJ Thoreson, Cheyenne, WY, 74, $232.75

Team roping (first go) - 1. Dustin Probert, Geyser/Travis Stovall, Helena, 9.3, $278.67; 2. Damon Ward, Darby/Randy Sacks, Hamilton, 13.5, $209.00; 3. Donnie Benson, Dillon/C.J. Mohl, Saltillo, TX, 14.0, $139.34; 4. Cy Murer, Bigfork,/Keith Richmond, Kalispell, 14.8, $69.67

Team roping (second go) - 1. Cy Murer, Bigfork/Keith Richmond, 12.6, $278.67; 2. Damon Ward, Darby/Randy Sacks, Hamilton, 15.1, $232.22; 3. Shawn & Shane Bessette, Vaughn, 22.5, $162.56

Team roping (average) - 1. Cy Murer, Bigfork/Keith Richmond, Kalispell, 27.4, $278.67; 2. Damon Ward, Darby/Randy Sacks, Hamilton, 28.6, $209.00; 3. Dustin Probert, Geyser/Travis Stovall, Helena, 9.3 on 1, $139.34; 4. Donnie Benson, Dillon/C.J. Mohl, Saltillo, TX, 14.0 on 1, $69.67

Barrel racing - 1. Lindsay Karp, Winston, 17.85, $554.99; 2. Morgan Knudson, Great Falls, 17.98, $482.60; 3. Theresa Walter, Billings, 18.03, $410.21; 4. Chloe Hoovestal, Helena, 18.04, $337.82; 5. Bobbie Reeves, St. Ignatuis, 18.10, $265.43; 6. Darcy Anderson, Townsend, 18.12, $193.04; 7. Maddie Matelli, Kalispell, 18.23, $120.65; 8. Lexi Archibek, Dillon, 18.31, $48.26

Bull riding - 1. Justin Whiteman, Lame Deer, 88 on 000 Village Idiot JS, $1278.33; 2. Gordon Smith, Jr., South Hampton, NY, 75, $983.33; 3. Tyler Dellen, Bozeman, 74, $688.33