Shiozawa delights hometown fans with victory in Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo
POCATELLO, ID – Matt Shiozawa was born in Pocatello and lives in neighboring Chubbuck, so he figured that unless he figured out a way to reward all the emotional support in Holt Arena “it could lead to some uncomfortable moments over at the feed store.”
Shiozawa instead gave local rodeo fans a moment they won’t soon forget, winning the tie-down roping at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in a finish more appropriate to Hollywood than Pocatello.
Shiozawa, the last man out of the chutes in the four-man Wrangler Round, produced a time of 7.3 seconds just moments after Californian Wes Lockard had gone 7.6, the fastest time of the week to that point.
“I think it was almost better for (Lockard) to put up a 7.6, than an 8.6,” Shiozawa said, “because then you just let it go. You aren’t tempted to get conservative, play it safe and mess things up.
“It was kind of the perfect ending to what has been a wild week, with all the attention, all the calls and stuff. Luckily, I was able to keep my focus through it all.”
Shiozawa had also won the semifinal round earlier in the evening with a 7.8 second run to edge another local favorite, Nate Baldwin of Blackfoot. The two wins brought Shiozawa’s winnings for the week to $13,238 (along with the use of a Dodge truck for the year ) and helped the Wilderness Circuit easily repeat as team champion.
Montana barrel racer Shelley Murphy, devastated by the death of her father, Scott Perrigo, in a car accident a day earlier, found her own way to pay tribute to him on Saturday night.
Murphy broke the DNCFR record with a time of 14.84 seconds in the Wrangler Round, edging long-time rival Rachael Myllymaki, who had broken the record the night before with a 14.91 run.
“I know my dad was here watching over me,” Murphy said. “Rachael had a 14.97 run just ahead of me, so all I could do was pray and try to go as fast as I could.”
For 2006 World Champion Saddle Bronc rider Chad Ferley, of Oelrichs, SD, this DNCFR had something of the feel of a comeback. He says his timing is back. He’s found his rhythm.
POCATELLO, ID – Matt Shiozawa was born in Pocatello and lives in neighboring Chubbuck, so he figured that unless he figured out a way to reward all the emotional support in Holt Arena “it could lead to some uncomfortable moments over at the feed store.”
Shiozawa instead gave local rodeo fans a moment they won’t soon forget, winning the tie-down roping at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in a finish more appropriate to Hollywood than Pocatello.
Shiozawa, the last man out of the chutes in the four-man Wrangler Round, produced a time of 7.3 seconds just moments after Californian Wes Lockard had gone 7.6, the fastest time of the week to that point.
“I think it was almost better for (Lockard) to put up a 7.6, than an 8.6,” Shiozawa said, “because then you just let it go. You aren’t tempted to get conservative, play it safe and mess things up.
“It was kind of the perfect ending to what has been a wild week, with all the attention, all the calls and stuff. Luckily, I was able to keep my focus through it all.”
Shiozawa had also won the semifinal round earlier in the evening with a 7.8 second run to edge another local favorite, Nate Baldwin of Blackfoot. The two wins brought Shiozawa’s winnings for the week to $13,238 (along with the use of a Dodge truck for the year ) and helped the Wilderness Circuit easily repeat as team champion.
Montana barrel racer Shelley Murphy, devastated by the death of her father, Scott Perrigo, in a car accident a day earlier, found her own way to pay tribute to him on Saturday night.
Murphy broke the DNCFR record with a time of 14.84 seconds in the Wrangler Round, edging long-time rival Rachael Myllymaki, who had broken the record the night before with a 14.91 run.
“I know my dad was here watching over me,” Murphy said. “Rachael had a 14.97 run just ahead of me, so all I could do was pray and try to go as fast as I could.”
For 2006 World Champion Saddle Bronc rider Chad Ferley, of Oelrichs, SD, this DNCFR had something of the feel of a comeback. He says his timing is back. He’s found his rhythm.
