Laramie County (Wyo.) Community College
GILLETTE, Wyo. — The Laramie County Community College rodeo team hit the ground running on the men's side in their first competition of the spring, erupting for 680 team points on their way to their first team title of the 2022-23 season. The win is also the first win for the Golden Eagle men since Head Rodeo Coach Seth Glause has been involved with the program.
"Everything fell our way and we really capitalized on Sunday which is always good and helps on the team points some," Glause praised. "I was proud of our students. They all competed well and competed with a purpose and did a really great job."
The effort was led by senior Bernard Girard — of Alliance — who took home the All-Around title along with a championship in Tie-Down roping.
Girard was also able to garner a third-place finish in Steer Wrestling on the way to tallying 255 points for the Golden Eagles team effort. He said the team has been using a variety of ways to get ready for the opening rodeo and it kept them all on their toes.
"The last three weeks, everyone has been getting ready to go," he said. "We had a steer wrestling jackpot Thursday night before we left to go to Gillette and got everybody in the zone to go. I went to a jackpot the weekend before and just having that good of a start was awesome and made me want to keep the ball rolling."
Girard was joined by a pair of other Golden Eagles who took home titles in their first goes of the spring.
Freshman Dixon Tattrie brought home the top spot in bull riding for his third rodeo win of the year going back to the fall and he continues to lead the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) standings with 360 points.
"I've started to ride really good this spring at practice and I feel more confident in what I was doing and how I was riding," Tattrie said about getting a good lead. "You try not to watch the standings as much as you can. The more you watch it the more pressure you put on yourself. If you take an eye off it and just go and ride bulls every weekend, it's a lot easier to do that than say 'I have to ride this bull so I stay here in the standings.'"
Tattrie also added a runner up in the first go of Saddle Bronc riding and finished fifth in the average to bring 80 more points for the team total there.
Fellow freshman Dane Pokorny of Thedford was another standout for LCCC, bringing home a tie for the title in Steer Wrestling after winning the first go with a time of 4.4 and adding a 4.7 in the short go to bring 140 more points to the team tally.
"We've got nine guys that can win any weekend (in steer wrestling) and they back into the box and they know they have an opportunity. We just missed having seven guys (in the short go)," Glause said. "I think they were 11th, 12th, and 14th so they bulldogged very well."
The win also moved Pokorny into a tie for second in the CRMR with Girard and putting both into position to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo in June.
Other quality performances for the Golden Eagles included Chance Derner taking the top spot in the first go in Tie-Down, although the South Dakota junior failed to record a time on his second head.
Freshman Bull Rider Griffin Koester picked up a round win on his second ride with a score of 67 to add to his CRMR total and move into second place behind Tattrie.
"Dixon is in a good spot, he kind of separated himself from the field this weekend," Glause said. "They both just need to continue to ride with confidence and continue to give themselves opportunities to win and they both have the opportunity to go to Casper."
The Golden Eagles packed in a few more individuals in Steer Wrestling with freshman Tucker Ravenscroft oif Nenzel and senior Cauy Pokorny of Thedford both making the short go, and both put down times to finish fifth and sixth respectively in the average.
On the women's side, it wasn't a flashy rodeo for Laramie County. The team only had one make it to the short go in Wheatland freshman Rayne Grant who picked up a sixth-place tie in the first go in breakaway and was able to make the top ten in barrels. Unfortunately, her rides in the short go were not enough to bring any points in to the team.
The Golden Eagle men remained in third place in the team standings, but picked up almost 300 points on region leading University of Wyoming and 465 points on second place Casper College. The team now sits just 275 points out of second place with four rodeos' remaining.
"We need to keep the pressure on and continue to perform at a high level so that we have a opportunity come Laramie to go and compete in Casper as a team," Glause said.
The LCCC women remain in third place also, trailing the University of Wyoming by 580 points for the second spot in the team standings while Gillette College continues to dominate the region with wins in four of the six rodeos' so far.
Next week, the teams will be closer to home for action when they travel to Torrington, Wyoming for the EWC Lancer Rodeo at the Goshen County Fairgrounds March 24th through the 26th.
Details on the next rodeo can be found at www.golccc.com.