The last two days of competition
inside of the Orleans Arena all came down to what transpired there earlier this afternoon. The last day did not disappoint as the opening ceremonies almost literally set the place on fire as the music, lights and pyrotechnics started off the championship day with a level of excitement the fans and contestants deserved. The excitement that was buzzing around kept on getting stronger as the top qualifiers displayed their talents that got them to the championship round as the runs and rides were not for the faint of heart!
The top six rodeo athletes from the first two rounds were invited back to compete today for a prize pool of over $200,000. Once the first round was all said and done the contestant field was cut down to the top three contestants from each event that were able to move on to the next round. Out of those three it was only one who would eventually be crowned champion of the inaugural Boyd Gaming Cinch Chute Out in their respective events!
The six bareback contestants that advanced from the two qualifying rounds went toe to toe as the slate was wiped clean as they started the next phase of this monumental event. Once the first round of the championship Saturday was complete it was Jake Vold, J.R. Vezain and Jessy Davis who gained their spot in the “money round” that will make one cowboy very happy. Once it was said and done it was Jake Vold, who outlasted the other two, to claim the first event champion of the inaugural Boyd Gaming Cinch Chute Out!
The big boys in the professional rodeo event of steer wrestling wowed the crowd as they pushed themselves to the limit to make sure that they advanced to the chute out round. The top three cowboys Stockton Graves, Billy Bugenig and Tyler Pearson topped the other three and advance to the final round of competition. Once the chute out round was concluded it was Tyler Pearson that came out on top as the Boyd Gaming Cinch Chute Out Steer Wrestling Champion!
Rodeo fans that came to the performance this afternoon were treated to some fantastic roping featuring one of the legends of the sport of professional rodeo. Joe Beaver displayed he still had what it takes as he advanced to the third day of competition to have his chance on that prize money that was awarded earlier tonight. The top three teams that advanced to the round of three were Travis Tryan & Dakota Kirchenschlager, Joel Bach & Tyler McKnight along with Tee Woolman & Boogie Ray. After all three teams made their runs, it was the team of Joel Bach & Tyler McKnight, who pulled out the most important win of the weekend earning them the payday and Champions status that they deserve from the Boyd Gaming Cinch Chute Out!
The classic event of saddle bronc riding took center stage as the top six cowboys from the qualifying rounds matched up head to head after wiping the board clean to gain their chance at the championship round. This field that was on display in the saddle bronc riding included some young guns as well as past World Champions that competed for their shot at the money that was available to them at the end of the performance. Moving on to the top three chute out round was Cole Elshere, Allen Boore and Chad Ferley but no one was able to raise the bar higher than Cole Elshere, who claimed championship status and his share of the cash at this year’s Boyd Gaming Cinch Chute Out!
In the tie-down roping event it was all eyes on a true rodeo legend and emulated icon Fred Whitfield as he made his push towards the chute out round. After the top six got whittled down to the final three it was Fred Whitfield, J.C. Malone and Michael Otero, who came out on top to advance. Once the chute out round was complete nobody could beat the run that Michael Otero laid down on the arena floor making an electrifying 7.0 second Run!
The pretty ladies on fast horses made their way into the Orleans Arena to take their turns running that clover leaf pattern around the Cinch covered barrels on their way to the final chute out round. The six ladies that moved on from the qualification rounds pushed their counterparts to their limits trying to be one of the top three fastest times to move on to the chute out round. In the final round it was Carmel Wright, who topped the other two opponents to claim the first ever Boyd Gaming Chute Out Barrel Racing Champion title!
The bad boy sport of the bull riding was the last event of the night and paired up six of the absolute best bull riders in the world to see who would obtain the highest three scores to be able to advance to the chute out round later in the performance. After all was said and done it was only Jacob O’Mara, who managed to make his way to the round that would determine who the champion would be. In the championship round it was Jacob O’Mara, who managed to rise above the rest to claim the first Boyd Gaming Chute Out Championship title, after Jeff Askey and Trevor Kastner gave him a run for his money!
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Enjoy rodeo entertainment and the Chute-out participants put on an excellent performance. However will never attend another if you have the announcer screaming so loud that ones head is throbbing throughout the performance. Everyone I talked to had the same complaint. Try turning down the volume knob.