Paul D. Tierney

Oral, S.D.
In the history of the CINCH Timed Event Championship, the Tierney family of South Dakota has six world titles. Paul, the patriarch, has four, and Paul David owns two of the last three. In fact, over the last four years, the youngest man in the clan has also finished among the top two; he had reserve champion finishes in 2013 and 2015. Entering his sixth “Ironman of ProRodeo,” Paul David Tierney has pocketed $227,500. Last year, he set a new recprd for the fastest 25-run aggregate with 267.5 seconds, worth $3,000, plus the top prize of $100,000. He also had the second and fourth fastest rounds, worth an additional $10,000 combined. Only 12 men have earned the coveted title over the last 32 years, and Tierney has earned his place among the legends.
What buckle you always wear? “I wear the first Timed Event Championship buckle I won (in 2014).”

Trevor Brazile

Decatur, Texas
Nobody has ever done it better. He is the only cowboy in the 33-year history of the Timed Event to have earned seven titles and has pocketed $779,000 over his 21-year run in the “Ironman.” Last year he made a run at No. 8 all the way to the final go-round before finishing as the runner-up. In all, he pocketed $27,500 for finishing second and also tying for the fifth-fastest go-round. He’s been one of the top two men in the field most of his tenure in the Timed Event. Throw in his 23 PRCA world championships, and there’s no doubt he is the man to beat when he arrives at the Lazy E.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “That year K.C. Jones and I tied on 25 head was fun, and we had to have a rope off to decide the winner. The average was on 30 head instead of an average on 25.”

Josh Peek

Pueblo, Calif.
The 2016 rodeo season was one of success for Josh Peek. He needed it. After a few years of struggle, he returned to the game’s elite all-around hands. He finished fourth in last year’s Timed Event, earning $10,000 by finishing the five-round battle in 367.7 seconds. It was his second straight year to finish fourth. Peek won the title in 2010, just a few months removed from earning the all-around championship at the National Finals Rodeo; in fact, he still wears that all-around buckle to every competition. He parlayed last year’s Timed Event success into his first NFR qualification in six seasons. Now he hopes to carry it over into this weekend’s “Ironman.”
What is your favorite CTEC event? “I enjoy all the events at the TEC, because it’s such a cowboy event. It’s such a battle to overcome some of the events you don’t do every day.”

Cody Doescher

Oklahoma City, Okla.
Cody Doescher finally felt the sweet run of success inside the Lazy E Arena. It was a year ago, when the local cowboy put the wraps on a fifth-place finish in the average by knocking down 25 head in 369.1 seconds. He earned $7,500, and it gave him a good taste in his mouth after missing the 2015 championship. It was his biggest Timed Event paycheck, but more importantly, it gave Doescher the confidence he needs. He used that momentum to collect all-around championships at big events like the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup and the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. He’ll need that confidence when he competes this weekend.
What is your favorite quote? “Success is when preparation meets opportunity.”
 

Kyle Lockett

Visalia, Calif.
Kyle Lockett is a money-making machine at the Timed Event. He’s a two-time champion, having won the crowns in 2005 and 2011. He’s also finished as the runner-up several times, which is just as defining of the talent the California man possesses. As a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in heeling, he finished the 2002 ProRodeo season as the reserve world champion. But his focus since has been on this event and a few others. Last year he had the eighth-fastest aggregate time and earned $3,000. He has now pushed his Timed Event earnings to $230,500, sixth among all contestants that have ever played this game. He’s ready to add to it.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “It was the fifth round of the first year that I won it (in 2005), because Trevor and I went back and forth in every event on that final day.”

Daniel Green

Oakdale, Calif.
There are only a handful of men who are more successful at Lazy E-produced events than Daniel Green. He has three CINCH Timed Event Championship titles and two in the World’s Greatest Roper. It’s a true showcase of all-around abilities, and that’s something he’s focused on since he retired from the full-time business of rodeo. It’s a God-given talent that the Californian has carried with him since his last of 10 National Finals Rodeo qualifications in 2003. He had been an all-around talent in his home state for many years, but he has proven over and over again that he has all the tools needed inside this arena.
What is your favorite quote? “Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm,’ and the warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’ ”

Jess Tierney

Hermosa, S.D.
Jess Tierney has proven to be one of the greatest steer ropers in the game today, but he’s much more than that. Two years ago in this arena, he proved it by finishing third in the average and earning $17,000. It was his best Timed Event finish in his run. He’s been around this game since infancy, watching his father, Paul, win four championships. That same 2015 season, he won four go-rounds at the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping and finished third in the PRCA world standings. Now he wants to take this title and add a seventh to the family’s legacy.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “It was when Jimmie Cooper and my dad went back and forth in 1994. Jimmie ended up winning it that year. I enjoyed watching that one. They both just stayed in it.”
 

Landon McClaugherty

Tilden, Texas
Landon McClaugherty has all the tools necessary to win the CINCH Timed Event Championship; it just hasn’t come together for the Texan yet. He’s a proven winner in nearly all the five events that make up the “Ironman of ProRodeo,” so it’s only fitting that he’s among this weekend’s field. This marks his seventh invitation to be part of this exclusive field of 20 men, and that says so much. He entered the fray in 2011 and walked away from the Lazy E with a fourth-place finish. Now he brings with him two qualifications to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping and dozens of all-around titles from ProRodeos across this land. It’s those credentials that prove why McClaugherty has a shot at the title this weekend.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “When I was able to place in the first year I competed.”

Clay Smith

Broken Bow, Okla.
Clay Smith was just 21 years old when he first entered this majestic building to compete in this prestigious event. He had learned just three days before that he was to be an injury replacement for legendary Timed Event champion Jimmie Cooper. He quickly showed why. In his inaugural run in 2013, he had the fourth fastest round. The next year, he was the reserve champion, and he placed fifth in the average in 2015. In all, he has earned $36,500 in this event. In ProRodeo, he’s is a two-time NFR header; he earned more than $111,000 this past December. Now he brings all that talent back to the Timed Event for the fifth time.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “Getting the call my first year was my favorite memory. I know exactly where I was at and what I was doing when I got the call.”

Trell Etbauer

Goodwell, Okla.
Let’s face it: Trell Etbauer was having a horrible run at the 2016 CINCH Timed Event Championship. He finished with a big smile because of an outstanding final round, one in which he roped, wrestled and tied five animals in 44.7 seconds to finish with the fastest round of the three-day challenge. That was worth $10,000. But overcoming adversity is nothing new to Etbauer, the son of two-time world champion saddle bronc rider Robert Etbauer. Trell was the 2008 PRCA Resistol Rookie of the Year and has four Linderman Awards, honors paid out to the best all-around cowboys who compete in both roughstock and timed events. He brings that back to the Lazy E Arena this weekend.
What buckle you always wear? “I used to always wear my rookie buckle, but now I wear my Cheyenne buckle everywhere.”

Brodie Poppino

Big Cabin, Okla.
His inaugural run at the CINCH Timed Event Championship didn’t go the way he had hoped. He dropped the ball in his primary event, steer roping, last year, but he learned a lot about the most rugged game in rodeo. That’s a good thing, because Brodie Poppino has all the talent necessary to compete for the title inside the Lazy E Arena. He proved it in 2016, and he should make a better showing this weekend. Just 26 years old, he is a two-time qualifier to the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. He’s carrying on a strong family legacy in that event, but he’s proven he has the all-around skills necessary to win this title.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “For me, it was just being invited last year for the first time. It means a lot to me. There are a lot of guys out there that are great hands, and they only take 20. To be one of the 20 is a huge deal.”

KC Jones

Burlington, Wyo.
For the first time in a quarter century, K.C. Jones was forced to miss the CINCH Timed Event Championship because of an injury. He is ready to return, and he has good reason. He’s one of just two men who have earned at least five “Ironman” titles, claiming gold in 1993, ’96, ’99, ’01 and ’12. Now 49 years old, Jones has a chance to set the record for the oldest man to have ever won this prestigious title; legend Paul Tierney won his fourth title in 2000 at 47. Jones keeps a simple approach to the game, and it’s paid off for him more often than not. That’s why he remains one of the favorites to win this weekend.
What is your favorite quote? “I’m a lot more concerned about what I’m going to win than what I have won.”

Erich Rogers

Round Rock, Ariz.
Erich Rogers was in injured reserve during last year’s CINCH Timed Event Championship after suffering a serious thumb injury just a week before the competition was to begin. He’s excited to return. In 2014, he earned $6,000 for having the second fastest go-round. In his last appearance in 2015, he placed seventh in the average and had the fifth-fastest round, pocketing $7,500. After the injury, he returned to competition and earned his sixth straight qualification to the NFR, where he earned $116,192 in 10 nights with heeler Cory Petska. Now he has the momentum of a fifth-place finish in the world standings to bring to the Lazy E this weekend.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “A couple years ago I had a chance to place third or fourth, and it came down to the last bulldogging steer. The steer got away from me. I bailed back on my horse and went to re-jump him, and I ran right into the wall. Those walls don’t give.”

Ryle Smith

Oakdale, Calif.
The biggest moment in Ryle Smith’s life came in 2016, when he qualified in tie-down roping for the National Finals Rodeo. He also competed in steer wrestling and earned 11 event titles during the regular season: one in bulldogging, five all-around and five tie-down roping. His biggest win came last winter when he won Fort Worth. At the NFR, he placed in a couple go-rounds and earned more than $27,000, but he got the thrill of a lifetime by riding in the grand entry in Las Vegas for 10 nights this past December. He’ll have a similar thrill when he steps into the Lazy E Arena to compete for one of the most coveted titles in the game, the “Ironman.”
What buckle you always wear? “My Fort Worth buckle that I wear since I won it last year.”

Shay Carroll

LaJunta, Colo.
Shay Carroll is coming off his best season in ProRodeo, where he earned his second National Finals Rodeo qualification and finished 11th in the final heeling world standings with nearly $111,000 in earnings while roping with Canadian Kolton Schmidt. He first competed at the NFR in 2014 with veteran Charley Crawford and finished 12th in the standings. The Colorado cowboy has done almost all the five disciplines necessary for the “Ironman of ProRodeo.” He bulldogged in high school and college and is confident in heading, heeling and tie-down roping. He’s been working on his steer roping, so he arrives with plenty of incentive.
What buckle you always wear? “I wear my grandpa’s buckle. He died last year, and he wore it pretty much the whole time I knew him. It’s nothing special as far as a buckle I’ve won, but it was special to me because it’s what he wore every day.”

Jordan Ketscher

Squaw Valley, Calif.
To understand the true all-around talent that Jordan Ketscher possesses, you only need to look at his college career. He was a four-year qualifier to the College National Finals Rodeo, earning four qualifications in tie-down roping, three in team roping and one in steer wrestling. He had his best season in 2015, when he finished 12th in the all-around and 21st in tie-down roping. Last year, he was 15th in the all-around and 34th in tie-down roping, but he earned 13 event victories, five of which were all-around titles. He lives within miles of two-time CTEC champ Kyle Lockett, so he has a great mentor to help him with the challenges of the championship.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “Two years ago I took a calf horse for Kyle Lockett to ride, and I got to stay and watch the whole thing. I left there wanting to be in it someday. Having seen how it goes, I have a better plan of what it takes to be there.”

Marcus Theriot

Poplarville, Miss.
Marcus Theriot has some fond memories of the Timed Even. He was a youngster watching his dad compete with all the greats, and he was given the opportunity to help drive cattle out of the Lazy E Arena after every run. Now the 19-year-old cowboy will be making those runs. He is the reigning college all-around and tie-down roping champion, becoming the first cowboy in NIRA history to have won two titles in the same year. He was also the first freshman to win the all-around crown. He qualified for the college finals in tie-down roping, steer wrestling and team roping as a header, so he has the skills necessary for this event.
What is your favorite CTEC memory? “The funniest thing I remember was B.J. Campbell missing three bulldogging steers. He’d get off pretty fast, then would miss the steer, but he’d get up and run all the way down the arena, and he did that three steers in a row with the crowd really cheering him on.”

Lane Karney

Creston, Calif.
Lane Karney is a fourth-generation all-around cowboy. A college all-around rookie of the year and the reigning California Circuit all-around rookie of the year, Karney placed in two events at the 2016 College National Finals Rodeo to help his Feather River (Calif.) College team win the national men’s team title. The 2015 PRCA Permit Header of the Year was a state steer wrestling and all-around champ in high school, and is one of the rare ropers who’ve won the prestigious Oakdale 10-Steer Roping as both a header and a heeler. He has all the talent and, more importantly, he knows just how special it is to be part of the “Ironman.”
What buckle you always wear? “I wear my bulldogging buckle from the PRCA rodeo in Lakeview, Ore., that I won last year. That was the only time I bulldogged at a PRCA rodeo last year, and I won it.”

Shank Edwards

Junior Ironman

Kash Cattoor
St. George, Utah
All-around titles are nothing new to Kash Cattoor. He began competing in the National Little Britches Rodeo Association at 5 years old; now 16, he has earned championships at every level. He brings a strong roping background with him to the Jr. Ironman Championship. As the only boy in a family with four children, he’s learned to juggle many aspects of life; in addition to being a stellar cowboy, he also is a member of the National Honor Society with a 3.97 GPA.

J.D. Draper
Oakley, Kan.
J.D. Draper brings a strong resume with him to the Lazy E Arena this weekend. He finished 2016 as the reserve steer wrestling champion and third place in tie-down roping in the National Little Britches Finals Rodeo. He also won the bulldogging title in the Kansas High School Rodeo Association, then finished fourth at the National High School Finals Rodeo. He also won the Kansas steer wrestling crown and added the all-around championship in 2015, further cementing his qualification to this prestigious event.

Tanner Green
Cotulla, Texas
The accolades for Tanner Green started early in his rodeo career. He was the rookie all-around cowboy in the Texas High School Rodeo Association and national association as a freshman and has earned more titles since. This past year, he was the Texas state champion team roper and all-around cowboy. He has qualified for the Junior National Finals Rodeo and has advanced to The American semifinals two times. Green has also won the San Antonio youth rodeo title, Roy Cooper’s Junior World Calf Roping and the IFYR’s all-around crown.

Wyatt Hansen
Oakdale, Calif.
Wyatt Hansen will forever be tied to the late Broc Cresta, a rodeo champion also from northern California. Last April, Hansen teamed with ProRodeo legend Jake Barnes to win the pro-am heeler title at the Broc Cresta Memorial. It was just one of many titles that have come Hansen’s way, from winning the average title at the California Cowboy Professional Rodeo Association finals to being a four-time champ in the California High School Rodeo Association’s District 5 – two in tie-down roping, one in steer wrestling and one in team roping. It all adds up to a solid qualification for the 17-year-old high school senior.

Garrett Jacobs
Latimar, N.M.
When Garrett Jacobs looks back at his 2016 rodeo season, he has to be happy. He was the reserve all-around champion at the National High School Finals Rodeo and also finished fifth in steer wrestling. He finished as the tie-down roping and all-around champion at the International Youth Finals Rodeo, then added his first PRCA title in Payson, Ariz. The year before, he was the reserve all-around champion and the steer wrestling winner in the New Mexico High School Rodeo Association. Now rodeoing at Weatherford (Texas) College, he has excelled at every level.

Haven Meged
Miles City, Mont.
Over an already incredible career, Haven Meged has proven his all-around talents and his true horsemanship. He was an 11-time champion in the Montana State High School Rodeo Association. Last year as a senior, he claimed the all-around, boys cutting and tie-down roping titles. He also has been crowned the champion at the Battle of Yellowstone Timed Event Challenge, Joe Beaver’s 21 and under shootout and was a four-time winner of the Flint Memorial Calf Roping. Throw in his two qualifications to The American semifinals, and there is plenty of proof as to why he’s in the field this weekend.

Clay Morlan
Pritchett, Colo.
Clay Morlan is a proven commodity from a tiny southeastern Colorado community. He has found his way among the leaderboard in team roping, steer wrestling and tie-down roping, and he brought it with him to the Lazy E Arena last summer during the National Little Britches Rodeo Association Finals. He placed in at least one round in all three events and was the event’s reserve all-around champion. He finished the season sixth in the final tie-down roping and third in the all-around standings. He also finished sixth in tie-down roping in 2014 and has all-around championships at four Little Britches events over the 2015-16 seasons. That’s why he’s here.

Allen Morse
Dawson Springs, Ky.
The 2016 rodeo season was outstanding for Allen Morse. He parlayed a solid run at the National Little Britches Rodeo Association Finals at the Lazy E Arena last summer into this qualification into the Jr. Ironman. He finished third in the average and third in the year-end in steer wrestling and also placed fifth in the average in tie-down roping. He was the NLBRA Rookie of the Year. He was also the Kentucky High School Rodeo Association’s champion tie-down roper, reserve champion team roper and all-around cowboy. It’s a solid resume for a young cowboy and why he returns to the Lazy E this weekend.

Myles Neighbors
Benton, Ark.
Myles Neighbors was born into rodeo. His grandfather was a former president of the IPRA, and now Myles is taking it to the next level. He is a three-time rookie of the year in the Arkansas Rodeo Association – team roping at age 13, steer wrestling at 14 and tie-down roping at 16, the same year he was the youngest cowboy ever to win the association’s all-around title. He was the National Little Britches top rookie in 2014 and was the Little Britches champion steer wrestler in 2016. Also this past year, he was the Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association’s rookie of the year and also qualified for The American semifinals in bulldogging.

Bo Yaussi
Udall, Kan.
In junior high rodeo, Bo Yaussi was dominant in his home state of Kansas, a two-time state champ in team roping and tie-down roping; he also added the all-around, ribbon roping and chute dogging titles as an eighth-grader in 2013. Two years later, he was the high school champion in the all-around and team roping in the KHSRA; he also was the reserve champion in both the all-around and steer wrestling at the IFYR. Last year, he crossed the southern border and was the OHSRA’s all-around champ and reserve champion in steer wrestling, and he’s quite ready to return to the state to compete for the inaugural Jr. Ironman Championship crown.