Organizers happy with Stampede attendance

With events starting on Friday, July 20, and continuing Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the 2012 Spirit Mountain Stampede looked like the best ever attended, said Tribal Elder and Rodeo Special Event Board Vice Chair Dale Langley.

"We got a good crowd today," said Langley on Saturday. "The most ever, and it's a good day for it."

The stands were almost full and included Tribal Council members and families, as well as a group of eight St. Paul High School exchange students from Taiwan. The weather remained in the comfortable 70s.

Langley and Rodeo Special Event Board Chair Harold Lyon, also a Tribal Elder, and many other volunteers put in "a couple hundred hours" of work getting the grounds tilled, groomed, domed and raked away from the fences before the show. Saturday night, they wet down the grounds and Sunday morning they groomed the ground again, said Lyon.

Preparations underway since the beginning of the year also included pulling together food and merchandise vendors and, said board member Jim Holmes, "many new sponsors."

Sponsors included DiabetOmics (working with the Tribe's Wellness services); Mattecheck & Associates (the Tribe's benefits broker); Hays Companies (a broker for property and casualty insurance); Les Schwab; Shasta Administrators (Tribal health insurance); Stuck Electric; Doris Rose, CPA; and Dave Gunderson, who works with with DiabetOmics but also made a personal donation.

Volunteers worked right up to the Stampede's opening, said board member Joy Burcham. "Confusion reigns!" is how she put it.

Other rodeo board members included Tribal Elder Ed Ashman.

Holmes, son of Tribal Restoration pioneer Merle Holmes, awarded the Bull Riding trophy at the end of competition on Sunday. His family sponsors a trophy and buckle each year in honor of his father. The Merle Holmes Memorial Cup is engraved and stays at the Tribe while the buckle goes with winner.

"Dad was always a big rodeo fan," said Holmes. "He really enjoyed the bull riding.

"We approached the rodeo board a year after (Merle Holmes) died, and said, 'If we purchased a trophy, would they take it on in honor of him?' and they said they would."

This year's buckle was designed by Columbus, Mont.-based Montana Silversmiths.

The Stampede was sanctioned by the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association. Howell Rodeo, out of Veneta, provided the animal stock. Cody Hodge announced the show.

Sheep for a new event this year, Mutton Bustin', were provided by Wool Busters out of Lebanon.

Spirit Mountain Casino provided raffle prizes for a couple of weekends at the casino and dinners for two. The Ross Coleman Invitational in Molalla donated four pairs of tickets for that event.

Winners' purses were based on entry fees plus prize money added by Spirit Mountain Casino, including $1,500 for timed events and $2,000 for the rough stock events.

Langley and Lyon both rode horses throughout their youth.

"Wish I was 45 years younger," said Lyon during the show, thinking about riding again. He rode horses, he said, from the time he was 3.

"Wish I was 60 years younger," said Langley.

Spirit Mountain Stampede results

Bareback Broncs

1 - Evan Miller

2 - Tony Buckman

3 - Nick Gutzwiler

Saddle Broncs

1 - Mark Gage

2 - Jacob Stacy

3 - Charlie Barker

Bull Riding

1 - Andy Crozier

2 - Klay Lanham

3 - Josh Dollins

Calf Roping

1 - Jason Minor

2 (tie) - Jordan Weaver and Kurtis Barry

Breakaway Roping

1 - Caleb McMillian

2 - Shelly Treat

3 - Jordan Crossley

Steer Wrestling

1 - Taylor Gregg

2 - B.J. Taruscio

3 - Christian Radabaugh

Team Roping

1 - Brian Reay/Tanner Lurrell

2 - Tanner Patzke/Quade Patzke

3 - Jason Detring/Nick Chapman

Barrel Racing

1 - Kayla Gregory

2 - Jordan Crossley

3 - Brooke Thomas