Cody Cassidy is on his way home today after grinding out the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo's 10-night marathon.
He plans to make a pit stop at a Cabela's store in Lehi, Utah. It sells all sorts of hunting paraphernalia from clothes to trail cameras and guns.
Cassidy, a guide and outfitter when he isn't rodeoing, said he'll probably get rid of about $3,000 after already spending $3,000 here on a safe to store his guns.
The 29-year-old Donalda, Alta., steer wrestler can afford it.
He won $79,134 in this desert oasis by tossing 10 steers in a total time of 48.7 seconds.
"If somebody told me before I left home that I'd win $40,000, I'd have been happy," he chuckled. "Shucks, this is about twice as good."
Cassidy went into Saturday night's closing round with an outside chance of winning a world championship, but that didn't happen.
Nebraska's Dean Gorsuch managed to hang in with a time of 4.8 seconds that allowed him to split first in the aggregate for $40,673. That boosted his NFR earnings to $93,774 and his income for the year to $186,477.
Still, Cassidy was all smiles after splitting fifth three ways with a 4.2-second run, worth $2,848 and cashing third in the aggregate for another $28,810.
"They'd only been 4.4 and 4.6 on him and I didn't think I could win the round or even be second on him. But, I knew he was a chance to place if I did my part right," Cassidy said. "He hugged up on me and I had to ride on his back for a couple of jumps until I got my hands on him and that was my main concern.
"He was a bigger steer, I'm kind of a skinny guy and sometimes that doesn't go hand in hand."
Overall, Cassidy put together a career-best $155,567 year to end up fifth in the world standings.
Older brother Curtis won the closing round with a time of 3.7 seconds that returned $17,512 and capped a $56,302 NFR. He ended up No. 2 in the world with $166,775.
"A really good way to end the week," he said after a disappointing turn of events that saw him miss three steers earlier in the week.
"I wasn't expecting to win the round, at best a second and hopefully a third or fourth. But I got a helluva start, rode up there, got that steer's head and I knew he was real good to throw once you get hold of him."
The brothers were aboard the family's legendary horse Willy and Curtis was the second last bulldogger out. It was only fitting that both placed and Curtis won the round because it was the 24-year-old brown gelding's last appearance in a rodeo arena.
"He was amazing and if I'd been on him all week, there's no telling what might have happened," said Curtis, who came into the $5.875 million showdown leading the pack. He started off riding his grey horse Casper and then Lee Graves' world champion black Jesse, before switching to Willy.
"I came within $20,000 of winning the world and if I'd been riding him all week there's a good chance I would have won that much pretty easily. The two steers I missed on my grey horse were good enough to win money on; live and learn."
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Trip+pays+Alberta+Cassidy+brothers/3964524/story.html#ixzz17uK1hxFf
Not bad pay for a weekend gig!
Not bad pay for a weekend gig!
ReplyDeleteTrue, dat! And now Willie can enjoy himself in retirement. He sure earned it.
What fun!
ReplyDelete