Defending CFD champ Hamilton takes step toward repeat

Jul. 26—CHEYENNE — Ky John Hamilton has been struggling to ride bulls that spin right.

Hamilton rides with his right hand and was coming off the bull and getting up over his rope whenever bulls spun into his hand. To counter that, the Australian moved his hand deeper into his rope, which allowed him to get closer to it.

"It made me keep my hips down on my rope better, and helped me lift on my rope a little more," Hamilton said.

The tweak worked as Hamilton started his Cheyenne Frontier Days championship defense with a 92.5-point ride on Smith Pro Rodeo's Fire Ant to win Monday's quarterfinal round.

"My traveling partner, Stetson (Wright), rode him here in the short round last year, so I knew he was going to be pretty good, and that it would take a little bit of work to ride him. I was ready for it," Hamilton said.

Hamilton surpassed the 90-point ride Cody Teel of Kountze, Texas, posted during the same section of bull riding. The day also saw an 88.5 and an 86.

Hamilton is working his way back into form. He lacerated his kidney when he landed flat on his back after being flung into the air by a bull. Hamilton also broke his back when a bull stepped on him earlier this summer, and compounded the injury by returning to the arena too quickly. He took some time off to rest and gets daily treatment to keep him ready to ride.

"I'd been having hell until about Thursday, but things kind of clicked for me," said Hamilton, who is No. 13 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings. "I told myself it would only take one to change things around. It damn sure did."

Creek Young of Rogersville, Missouri, tallied the 88.5 during the first section of bull riding. He is currently No. 11 in the world standings with more than $70,000 in earnings this season.

"I saw some videos of that bull earlier in the day, and thought he'd fit me pretty good," Young said. "I just had to get my job done, and it would all work out really well. That bull leaps in the air and spins, which gives me more time to react. I knew his style and my style were going to fit pretty well.

"It was almost exactly what I saw. It played into my favor with him going into my hand."

Like Hamilton, Young has battled injuries. He dislocated his left elbow on a landing and then broke his left leg.

"Ever since I came back, I've been winning money consistently, and everything has been going pretty good," Young said.

Steer wrestling

Will Lummus made the final round of CFD's aggregate-style rodeo in 2017. Yet he never earned a paycheck that year, and hadn't in any of his subsequent trips. That changed Monday.

Lummus stopped the clock in 5.9 seconds to win his quarterfinal round.

"I had a good steer, No. 1. They were 6.8 or something like that on him in the first round," the Byhalia, Mississippi, resident said. "I also was able to get on Riley Reiss' horse, which works so well here.

"I kind of hit that steer on the head on my way down, which slowed him down and helped me get to work."

Bareback riding

Yance Day's wife is expecting the couple's first child in November. That impending life event has the 32-year-old Day mostly competing in circuit rodeos around Talequah, Oklahoma.

"I can't wait to get my stuff packed up and haul ass back to Oklahoma so I can be home," Day said with a smile.

Day had plenty to be happy about Monday, scoring 85.5 points on Dakota Rodeo's Preacher to win the round.

"He hung in the air and was just nice, really nice," Day said. "When you have a horse that's heavy like that, they'll get high up into the air and then just fall straight out of the sky. You're strapped to them, so you have no choice but to go with them.

"You can feel it through your arm and all the way to your neck."

Breakaway roping

Devan McAdow was the last breakaway roper to leave the box Monday. She knew cowgirl after cowgirl was struggling to catch Monday. The ones who did manage to slip a lasso around the calf's neck either had an illegal catch or broke the barrier.

McAdow wasn't worried about that. The Hyannis, Nebraska, resident was only focused on what she needed to do.

McAdow stopped the clock in 5.2 seconds to win the day.

"I knew I just needed to catch my calf, and wherever it landed in the standings, it landed," McAdow said. "I focused on my start, was really aggressive and took my first shot. Everything worked out."

Taya McAdow — who split first place in the first qualifying round July 19 — advanced to the semifinals, despite breaking the barrier and clocking in at 14.7 seconds. The McAdows are married to brothers.

Jennifer Canik of Iowa, Louisiana, was the only other cowgirl to record a successful run Wednesday. She finished second in 6.0 seconds.

Devan McAdow has only been to 10 rodeos this season, and the horse she rode Monday has been to even fewer.

"My good horse got hurt this spring, so I had to bring this mare out," McAdow said. "God just wanted her to be the one, I guess. She is really good in the box and real honest off my hand. She's patient with me and goes when I want to go. She has done really good."

Other winners

Defending all-around champion Stetson Wright scored 84.5 points to win Monday's saddle bronc qualifying round. He was thrown from his bull before the 8-second whistle. Wright is currently No. 1 in the PRCA's all-around standings. He will have his second bull riding attempt today.

Mile Kobold and Clint Brower won the team roping round at 8.6 seconds.

Tyson Durfey of Brock, Texas, won the tie-down roping round in 11.8 seconds.

Emily Beisel of Weatherford, Texas, picked up a quarterfinal win in barrel racing in 17.49 seconds.

Local hands

Laramie County Community College saddle bronc rider Sage Miller scored 77 points. He qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo earlier this summer.

Miller's LCCC teammate, Garrett Long, scored 73 points in rookie saddle bronc. Former LCCC and Chadron State College steer wrestler Kalane Anders had a time of 18.4 seconds, thanks to a 10-second penalty for breaking the barrier. Anders reached the CNFR in 2015 while competing for LCCC.

Breakaway roper Charity Hoar of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, had a no-time after an illegal catch. Lacy Holeman of Carpenter, Wyoming, missed her calf in breakaway roping.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.