Rodeo Media Relations
Contact: Ted Harbin (660) 254-1900
GEARY, Okla. – For cowboys making their living on the rodeo trail, the stretch of rodeos surrounding the Fourth of July holiday can make or break the season.
The first week of events proved quite profitable for Geary, Okla., saddle bronc rider Bobby Griswold. The three-time National Finals Rodeo competitor nearly doubled his annual income in less than a week.
“I really wanted to have a strong Fourth to kick off the rest of this season,” said Griswold, who began riding bucking horses professionally in 1990. “I’d really like to win another $20,000 the rest of July.”
He’s well on his way during what is called Cowboy Christmas, quite easily the busiest stretch of high-dollar rodeos of the season over a two-week span. Over the past week, he competed in eight rodeos in five states: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona and Oregon.
Griswold, 40, entered the stretch 26th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings with $16,502 in earnings. He then won the bronc riding in Oakley, Utah, with an 87-point score atop Bar T Rodeo’s Fire Fly while competing July 2. That was worth about $3,100.
He finished second at the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede, picking up another $6,374. Griswold then matched moves with Beutler & Son Rodeo Co.’s veteran bronc Come Together for 85 points during the championship round of the Greeley (Colo.) Independent Stampede. He finished tied for second in the all-important two-round aggregate with 166 points and earned $6,087.
In all, the 19-year pro collected more than $15,500 and moved into the top 10 on the bronc-riding money list. It’s critical for Griswold to remain high in the standings if he hopes to return to Las Vegas and the NFR for a fourth time in his storied career.
“When you have a good Fourth run, it’s what people talk about in rodeo,” he said.
Another key point is despite the thousands he earned riding bucking horses, his venture to Oregon was rather frustrating. A delayed flight into Portland meant a missed opportunity in Molalla, then a chute mishap led to a broken saddle and another missed opportunity in St. Paul.
“I think I had a chance to pull a little bit out of there, especially at St. Paul,” Griswold said. “But that’s part of rodeo, and I’ll take what I got last week with no complaints. A guy’s just got to stay on that roll, which is what I plan to do.”
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Rodeo Media Relations - P.O. Box 663 - Maryville, MO 64468 - (660) 254-1900
This page was last updated July 6, 2008