Hardwick overcomes injury to reach bareback semis

Jul. 29—CHEYENNE — Injuries have thrown adversity Seth Lee Hardwick's way for most of the bareback rider's season, but this didn't hold him back Thursday afternoon in the sixth quarterfinal round of the 126th anniversary Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Still recovering from a lingering back issue and a partial tear in his elbow, the former University of Wyoming standout and Ranchester, Wyoming, resident placed third with a score of 84.00. As a result, he moved on to the semifinals for the first time since the tournament format was introduced in 2019.

"I knew I had a good horse drawn," Hardwick said. "I'd been on her a few times, and she's been around for several years, so I knew she was a pretty good horse. As long as I did my job, I was hoping it would come together. I was aiming to win the round, but I guess I can get another chance whenever I'm up again."

Hardwick's back issues started flaring up around the start of March, forcing him to return home for roughly six weeks to recover. He went on to win at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada, the next month, but suffered the injury to his elbow at the start of June.

Despite still dealing with considerable soreness in both areas, he was able to compete in several rodeos leading up to Cheyenne Frontier Days. He picked up a win at Western Stampede in West Jordan, Utah, earlier this month, and appears to have carried this momentum over into the "Daddy of 'em All".

"I started out and had a decent winner, then the spring was pretty slow," Hardwick said. "I kind of screwed up my elbow and back a little bit, so I missed quite a bit of time. My elbow has been pretty sore, but it's just starting to come around and feel good again. The last couple of weeks have been good, and hopefully I just get hotter and better from here on out."

Hardwick says that "whether you're from Wyoming or not, you want to win this rodeo," but he also recognizes that there's a special element to it when you're a UW alum competing in your home state. He feels good about where he is at health-wise at the moment, something that has fueled his confidence that he can secure his first Cheyenne Frontier Days buckle this year.

"It's crazy how much better it is," he said. "It's hard to ride with a sore elbow, so things are much better when you're feeling healthy and good. You crave it more."

Johnson brothers advance

Carson and Kellan Johnson grew up watching their father, Jhett, compete at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Now, the brothers from Casper, Wyoming, find themselves on the cusp of a finals appearance of their own after placing third with a time of 8.6 seconds on Thursday.

Still in the early stages of their rodeo careers, Carson, 21, and Kellan, 23, have been competing together professionally for the past two years. The pair picked up wins in Colorado at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo and the Larimer County Fair and Rodeo last year, but they're still seeking their first win of 2022.

They can't imagine a better place to make that happen than Cheyenne.

"This is one of the rodeos I want to win before I'm done with my career," Carson said. "If we can get it done earlier in my career than later, it would be great."

Added Kellan: "It means a lot. There's a lot of history. We get to come here and compete, and it's the semifinals, so you have to draw good and rope good, and mix it in all between. To be able to come here and have some success means a lot."

Kellan gives all the credit to his brother for getting them past the quarterfinal round.

"Our success was (a result of) him doing a good job today," he said. "I didn't do a very good job, and him doing a good job saved the day to where we have a chance to win some money today, and make some more money tomorrow."

Family affair

Sterling Crawley is no stranger to Cheyenne Frontier Days, but this year's event undoubtedly has a different feel to it.

The new dad had his one-month-old daughter on hand as he made it through to the saddle bronc semifinals Thursday, placing second with a score of 84.50. His 9-year-old son is set to join him on the road in a couple weeks for the first time in his career, as well.

"Everybody makes it sound scary, and your life does change, obviously, but for the better," Crawley said on being a father. "It's so awesome."

Crawley's brother, Jacobs, a former CFD champion, nearly made it through, as well. However, their close friend and fellow Texas resident Dean Wadsworth jumped ahead of him by 1 1/2 points on the last ride of the round to secure the fourth and final qualifying spot.

"The guy that bumped him out is our hauling partner, and we're very good friends, so it's double-edged for us," Crawley said. "Jacobs isn't going to be making it back, but Dean gets to be in it. He's been riding great this year, and (him) finally getting a reward for it is exciting."

Local hands

Cole Reiner of Buffalo, Wyoming, narrowly missed out on the bareback semifinals, finishing one point behind the fourth-place finisher in fifth with a score of 82.00. Owen Wahlert of Casper College and Grover, Colorado, also placed fifth in the tie-down roping event with a time of 14.1 seconds, less than a half-second behind the final qualifier.

Shaenee Williams of Banner, Wyoming, was ninth in barrel racing in 19.28 seconds. Coralee Spratt of Shoshoni, Wyoming, was seventh in breakaway roping at 14 seconds, with a 10-second penalty preventing her from qualifying.

Chet Johnson of Buffalo recorded a no score in saddle bronc.

Josh Criswell covers the University of Wyoming for WyoSports. He can be reached at jcriswell@wyosports.net or 307-755-3325. Follow him on Twitter at @criswell_sports.