7-21 Pages for Bryan

Greeley Stampede – Greeley, Colo.
Cowboy Christmas means traveling a lot of miles, and in Shane’s case
it was about 3,000 highway miles – so he, Tim O’Connell (no relation) and
Logan Corbett hired a pilot to fly them to five rodeos in three days.
“When you’ve got to get to a rodeo, there’s nothing you won’t do,” Tim
said. “If we had to get on a crop duster, we would do it. You’ve got to do what
you’ve got to do for Cowboy Christmas.”
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to ride with the best,” Shane said.
“If you stub your toe, he (Tim) will point it out to you. There’s little tricks – I
won’t give his secrets away, but there’s some little things here and there, and
you can always get better and can always learn and pick up on the little things
– it goes a long way.”
Tim, the reigning bareback riding world champion, won Greeley in
2014, the first year he qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
presented by Polaris RANGER.
“That rodeo holds a special place to me and it’s when I had my first big
score – an 89 – which Shane copied exactly,” Tim said. “It’s not an easy rodeo
to win. Benny brings his buckers there and you’ll have to grit
your teeth for both rounds. There’s no easy way to get to the
short round at a Benny Beutler rodeo. You have to bear down to
get one – even his nice ones are tough.”
“It’s a huge win, and my first buckle from the PRCA, and
that’s a big deal, too,” Shane said. “I was like a little kid getting to
take the hardware home.
“Besides getting to take home my first buckle and making
two great rides and making two great scores, it gives me
confidence for the rest of the year,” Shane said. “I simply crave
bucking horses and just love everything about them. It was one
of the coolest weeks of rodeo I ever had.”
The O’Connells and Corbett were picked up by Tim’s
friend, Phillip Eggers, on July 2 and they flew to Greeley, Belle
Fourche, S.D., Killdeer, N.D., St. Paul, Ore., and Molalla, Ore.
“We’ve been riding outstanding in the last week and I can’t
wait to see what the next few months hold,” Shane said.
Shane also competed in Prescott, Ariz., during Cowboy
Christmas, where he won $1,316 for placing fifth, and he won
$1,089 for placing eighth in St. Paul. He left Greeley for the
Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche, where he placed fourth
and won $1,152. From there, he hitched a ride back to Greeley
with some bull riders for the final round.
“I got on another great horse and it was the most points
I’ve ever had,” Shane said.
Shane made his first 89-point ride at the Lexington (Ky.)
Rodeo on June 17.
“I can feel a 90 coming pretty quick,” Shane said.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him – he’s got a lot of talent
and an energetic personality and he’s ready to slay dragons every
day,” Tim said. “When you have that mentality, it makes rodeo
pretty awesome.”
Prior to Cowboy Christmas, Shane was No. 24 in the
WEATHER GUARD® PRCA World Standings and his win at
Greeley bumped him to 21st.
“This is the hot time of the year,” Shane said.
Last year’s Cowboy Christmas was wild for Shane. He
entered the week with only $5,000 won and didn’t win any money until the
last day at the Livingston (Mont.) Roundup when he tied for second-place –
good for $2,840.
“I snapped one in Livingston and from there on to the end of September
I made $50,000 – so Cowboy Christmas is cool, but the real money is coming
in the next few months,” Shane said. “Cowboy Christmas keeps going for me;
it’s when you have to keep going and grinding. We’ve been on a lot of horses,
but if a guy can push through August and September and keep riding hard,
that’s where you’ll pick up a lot of money.”
Shane ended the 2016 season 19th with $56,621, and now he’s well on
his way to breaking into the Top 15.
“I’m excited and ecstatic to be where I am going into the next few
months,” he said.
Shane flew into Estes Park (Colo.) on July 5, then headed to Minnesota,
and hit Wyoming right after that.
“There’s no rest for the wicked,” Shane said.
Photo courtesy Tim O’Connell
Shane O’Connell, Logan Corbett and Tim O’Connell flew from one rodeo to the next
during Cowboy Christmas with Tim O’Connell’s friend, Phillip Eggers (right), as the pilot.
Complete results on Page 50
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
1. Rusty Wright ........... 168.5 pts. on two
2. Bradley Harter ............................ 164.5
3. Spencer Wright ............................. 161
4. Audy Reed .................................. 159.5
TIE-DOWN ROPING
1. (tie) Shane Hanchey .. 19.0 sec. on two
Cade Swor .................................... 19.0
3. Caleb Smidt .................................. 19.1
4. two tied at .................................... 21.1
BARREL RACING
1. Sydni Blanchard ...... 34.45 sec. on two
2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi ................ 34.49
3. Ericka Nelson ............................. 34.52
4. Hailey Kinsel .............................. 34.66
BULL RIDING
1. Brody Yeary .......................... 85.5 pts.
2. Jess Davison ................................ 83.5
3. Dustin Muncy .................................. 82
4. Bayle Worden ............................... 78.5
ProRodeo.com ProRodeo Sports News 7/21/2017 41