July 2014 Helena Rodeos & 1984 Golf, Baseball Events

Six local area cowboys and cowgirls qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo in July, led by prep state champions Hailey Burger (Capital High) in goat tying, Ella Begger (Townsend) in pole bending and Payton Levine (Wolf Creek) in barrel racing. Payton sits atop the Northern Rodeo Association’s current leaderboard as well, with prize monies of $5271.

Burger amassed a season-high 217 points, Begger scored 204 while also placing third in breakaway roping, and Levine tallied 206.5 markers for her title.

Rounding out the local group were bareback runner-up Leighton LaFromboise (Jefferson High); Elle Werner (Clancy), fourth in both pole bending and light rifle shooting; and bull rider J.R. Harrell, who finished fourth at State. Leighton, a JHS wrestler, is the son of Capital High grad and former NRA champion Heath LaFromboise.

At the NHSFR in Rock Springs, Wyoming, Ella Begger and JR Harrell were the top local finishers overall, both placing 14th. In Round 2, Harrell won the bulls with an 82.5 ride, while Begger posted a combined time of 66.32 seconds for her runs in the poles.

Werner placed runner-up in Round 2 in pole bending at 20.17, and finished 179th overall. LaFromboise covered one of his two broncs, for 63 points and a final placing of 46th.

Hailey Burger took 67th, tying two goats in 18.89, and Levine, who finished 24th in both of the first two rounds (22.52, 22.41), totaled 44.93 seconds and came in 172nd overall.

At East Helena’s Rodeo, local winners were Leighton LaFromboise in bareback, with 75 points for $498, adding to his NRA lead of $3888; steer wrestler Austin Whitehouse in 4.1 seconds, for $711; Chad Turner/Gavin Beattie, at team roping with 5.5, pocketing $1266 each.

Clint Craig (EH) placed third in tie-down roping with a 12.7 ($517).

In barrels Lisa Warfield at 15.98 ($556) and Jessica Stroop in 16.22, placed fourth and sixth, respectively. Also finishing fourth were bulldogger Logan Beattie at 8.7 ($271), Gavin Beattie in calf roping in 12.9 ($336) and Abbigayle Keech (EH) in junior barrels with a 16.85.

In breakaway, Paje Turner (EH) took seventh at 3.6. Wolf Creek’s Royce Levine garnered the jr. breakaway in 2.8, for $209. Royce’s step grandmother and J.R. Harrell’s grandmother – Bobbi (Wirth) Levine and Bobbie (McGowan) Hicks – both graduated from Helena High in 1970.

At the Calgary Stampede – and just 10 weeks after a broken leg, a severe ankle injury and extensive surgery – Ty Erickson captured the steer wrestling’s $50,000 Shootout. The 2019 world champion posted a 4.5-second run in the semi-finals, and then collected the winner-take-all prize monies with a fast 4.0 in the finals.

Erickson, who currently ranks sixth in the PRCA standings with earnings of $93,926, is only the second Helenan to claim Calgary’s Shootout. The first was fellow Capital High (1989) alum Jesse Peterson, who turned the trick in 1998.

Sam Petersen, 21, was the top local placer at the 64th annual Last Chance Stampede Rodeo, claiming fourth in bareback. He achieved an 81-point ride while earning $1448, and stands 19th in the PRCA standings at $79,388.

Jesse Kruse (Winston) tied for sixth in the LCSR’s saddle bronc event, scoring 77 for $558. In steer wrestling, Jhet Murphy and Tim Sparing shared 7th-place, at 4.9 for $193 each. Placing eighth were Sam Levine (Wolf Creek) and Ian Augistguy in team roping at 11.1, while barrel racers Lindsay Kruse (17.86) and Cally Goyins (17.91) came in eighth and 10th.

10 years ago, Susan Court and Spencer Williams captured the 2014 Bill Roberts Golf Club championship, after the tourney was shortened from 36 to 18 holes when it was rained out on Saturday.

Court, who opened with three straight bogeys, shot an 81 to beat runner-up Julie Eggleston’s 90 by nine strokes. The win extended her BRGC titles to nine.

Williams fired a 4-under par 68, edging Justin Ahlers at 69 by just one stroke, for his first Bill Roberts crown. Williams carded six birdies in his men’s open triumph. Bennett MacIntyre, the defending champion, placed third in the field of 32, with a 2-under 70.

In the seniors division, Doug Olson and Mardi Millons won their second BR titles. Olson was tied after 18 holes with Mike Majors, both carding identical 1-under 71s. He then earned the victory on the first hole of a sudden death playoff, chipping in for a birdie-3 on No. 10. Dave Duffy placed third – and won the first flight – with a 74.

Millons posted an 88 for her victory, finishing ahead of D.J. Jones (91) and Carole Herron (95), in the five-person field.

Over at the Green Meadow CC, Michael Williams and defending women’s champion Amy (Caruso) Quarles golfed their way to the club championships.

Williams shot back-to-back rounds of 70, for a 2-under par 140 to capture the mens title by one stroke over runner-up Tevin Lewis (70-71—141). On the gal’s side, Quarles carded an 84 on Saturday before firing