November 21, 2011 at 7:31 PM

INVERNESS, Fla. – It will be a few more months before Clovis Crane takes up the craft of steer wrestling again. In the meantime he is laying down a strong foundation in his bid for the Linderman Award with his usual hearty diet of roughstock competition.

Crane more than covered his expenses – even counting his airfare from Pennsylvania – at the Nov. 12-13 Citrus Stampede Rodeo by earning checks in all three bucking events, a total of $1,299.

He finished second to Chris Smith in the bareback riding, shared first place in the bull riding with Bobby Peaden and took first outright in the saddle bronc riding.

Following a successful weekend in Glens Falls, N.Y., on Nov. 4-5, Crane has climbed on eight bucking animals this month and ridden seven of them for the required eight seconds. So, yes, he's covered at the roughstock end of the arena.

In order to qualify for the Linderman Award, however, a competitor has to earn at least $1,000 in three events with at least one of those at the timed-event end of the arena and one in a roughstock event. And the Linderman is at the very top of Crane's wish list.

"I'm still learning steer wrestling," Crane said. "I'd never done any bulldogging before mid-July of last year. I went to (fellow First Frontier Circuit cowboy) Greg Bennett's school last summer, and that helped get me on the right track.

"I came close to qualifying in the steer wrestling last year ($779) until I injured my knee at the end of July. I want to be sure I'm fully healed before I start bulldogging as a regular thing. I'll probably start back with it in the spring."

Because he was on the wrestling team at Purdue University, Crane says the transition to steer wrestling seems sort of natural to him.

"The biggest similarities are that both require a lot of grit," Crane said, "and a lot of confidence that you impose your will on your opponent, whether it's a man or a steer."

The other champions at the Citrus County Fairgrounds were steer wrestler Shayde Etherton (4.4 seconds), team ropers Arky Rogers and Clint Summers (5.7 seconds), tie-down roper Jeff Clair (8.8 seconds) and barrel racer Sally Young (15.60 seconds).

Provided Courtesy of the PRCA to Cuttin Up Radio

The PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the largest and oldest professional rodeo-sanctioning body in the world. The recognized leader in ProRodeo, the PRCA is committed to maintaining the highest standards. The PRCA, a membership-based organization, sanctions approximately 600 rodeos annually, and there are nearly 30 million fans in the U.S. The PRCA showcases the world’s best cowboys in premier events through the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots, and its subsequent Justin Boots Playoffs, the Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, the PRCA’s bull riding tour; and the world-renowned Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Action from PRCA-sanctioned rodeos and its premier events appears on Great American Country (GAC) and Pursuit Channel (DISH Network 240 and DirecTV 608). Each year, PRCA-sanctioned rodeos raise more than $26 million for local and national charities. www.prorodeo.com

 

Category: Sports
Tags: Clovis Crane, Citrus Stampede Rodeo, Chris Smith, Bobby Peaden