BY LUKE CREASY
Special to TwisTed Rodeo
LOVINGTON, N.M. – Breakaway roper Tibba Smith hopes to pull off a hometown win as Lovington rodeo hosts breakaway roping for the first time.

“I just have to sweat it through 15 more girls,” Smith said Friday night after posting a 2.3-second run in the second round of the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. The 2.3 – coupled with her first-round run of 2.2 seconds from Friday morning – has her No. 1 in the average.

“There were 15 contestants, so I was number 12. I like that, because with the format here in Lovington, there were 15 of us that went, and they took the top five back. So, I got to see how fast the other girls went and know if I had to go real fast or just catch. I had one that ran a little harder this morning, I got by the barrier really good, and I didn’t really mean to throw that fast but it worked. I was splitting the round.”

That means she is tied for the lead with Danielle Lowman with one day of competition remaining.

“Tonight, I came back on one that was a little bit slower, so I just told myself I need to get out (without a barrier penalty), and it worked out great again,” she said.

“My horse worked great, it’s actually a borrowed horse of Reid and Tierra Zapalac. Mine got crippled right before Cheyenne two weeks ago. I rode one of their horses up there and had good luck and rode this one here and am winning the average.”

She’s found success. She earned nearly $8,400 in Cheyenne, and now she’s got a chance to do more. That’s thanks to having solid horses, even if she’s had to borrow them.

“It’s gone great these last two weeks, and I couldn’t have done it without them,” Smith said. “This is the first time they’ve had breakaway roping in Lovington. I’ve got to get through 15 more of them tomorrow, but I really hope I can win the average of Lovington, my hometown rodeo”

Smith lives 35 miles from Lovington, between Hobbs and Carlsbad on her family ranch.

“I live in the middle of the oil-patch out there,” she said. “That’s where I was raised, and where we live now. My great grandparents are the ones who started the ranch. My granddad, grandma, my dad, my mom, my whole family rodeos.”

Smith hasn’t travelled that much this year, as the storms in Lea County have had her busy in her day job as an insurance adjuster. Pretty soon Smith will have to curtail her run for the National Finals Rodeo at the end of the season as she is also the secretary for the Southwest Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, which has its first rodeo mid-September.   

“With this one, if I win the average I have a good chance to hold on to a spot in the top 15,” Smith said. “They have good added money here, it’ll help a lot, and I get to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

“Basically, I have ten picked out, ten more chances, and if it works it works, and if it doesn’t, I’ll try again next year.”

Friday night saw a leaderboard shift in many other events as well. Richmond Champion edged out last night’s 88-point rides by half a point with an 88.5 on Pete Carr’s Night Bells, Katie Pascoe stole the barrel racing lead in slack after the performance with a 17.12-second run, Cole Patterson gained first in the steer roping average with 34.3 seconds on three runs and Shane Proctor was 85.5 points on Pete Carr Rodeo’s Bruised to take over the bull riding lead.

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 4-7
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Richmond Champion on Pete Carr Rodeo’s Night Bells, 88.5; 2. (tie) Tim O’Connell and Jess Pope, 88 points; 4. (tie) Chad Rutherford, Wyatt Denny and Cole Reiner, 84; 7. Caleb Bennett, 83.5; 8 Logan Patterson, 80.5.

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Luke Branquinho, 3.3 seconds, 2. Chance Howard, 3.5; 3. Jacob Talley, 3.7; 4. Dalton Massey, 3.8; 5. Rowdy Parrott, 3.9; 6. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Tristan Martin, and Justin Shaffer, 4.0. Second round leaders: 1. Hunter Cure, 3.4 seconds; 2. Trever Nelson, 3.6 seconds; 3. Blake Knowles, 3.8; 4. (tie) Clayton Hass and Chance Howard, 3.9; 6. (tie) Denard Butler, Tyler Waguespack, Ringo Robinson, Justin Shaffer, and J.D. Struxness, 4.0. Average leaders: 1. Chance Howard, 7.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Hunter Cure, 7.7; 3. (tie) Justin Shaffer and Tyler Waguespack, 8.0; 5. (tie) Tristan Martin and Blake Knowles, 8.1; 7. Ringo Robinson, 8.2; 8. Laramie Warren, 9.0.

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt, 8.2; 2. Marty Yates, 8.3 seconds; 3. J.D. McCuistion, 8.5; 4. Lane Livingston, 8.6; 5. (tie) Ty Harris and Ryan Jarrett, 9.0; 7. Westyn Hughes, 9.1; 8. (tie) Bo Pickett and Taylor Santos, 9.4. Second round leaders: 1.  Westyn Hughes, 8.1 seconds, 2. (tie) Blake Chauvin, Cory Solomon, and Tyson Durfey, 8.2; 5. Luke Potter, 8.3; 6. (tie) Ryan Thibodeaux, Charlie Gibson, 8.9, and J.D. McCuistion, 8.7; 6. Charlie Gibson, 8.9; 7. Trenton Smith, 9.0; 8. Ty Harris, 9.4. Average leaders: J.D. McCuistion and Westyn Hughes, 17.2 seconds on two runs seconds; 3. Ryan Thibodeaux, 18.3; 4. Ty Harris, 18.4; 5. Taylor Santos, 19.5; 6. Luke Potter and Caleb Smidt, 20.9; 8. Shad Mayfield, 21.5.

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Cody Demoss 87 points Pete Carr Rodeo’s Hollywood Knight; 2. Leon Fountain, 85.5; 3. Brody Cress, 83.5; 4. Layton Green 82; 5. Kole Ashbacher, 81.5; 6. Logan Cook, 81; 7. K’s Thomson, 80; 8. (tie) Jake Clark, Keene Justesen and Sterling Crawley, 78.

Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Tuff Hardman, 11.3 seconds; 2. Trey Wallace, 13.4; 3. (tie) Cody Lee and Tony Reina, 13.6; 5. Mike Chase, 14.1; 6. John E. Bland 14.7. Second round leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 10.1; 2. Scott Snedecor, 10.6;3. (tie) Cody Lee and Shay Good, 11.4 seconds; 5. Dan Fisher, 13.1; 6. Brodie Poppino 13.3; 7. Jim Locke, 13.5; 8. Tuff Hardman, 15.5. Third round leaders: 1. Scott Snedecor, 10.3 seconds; 2. Taylor Santos, 10.6; 3. Cole Patterson, 11.4; 4. Garrett Hale, 11.7; 5. Darin Suit, 12.2; 6. Dan Fisher, and Mike Chase 12.5; Average leaders: 1. Cole Patterson, 34.3 seconds on three runs, 2. Cody Lee, 38.7; 3. Garrett Hale, 40.3; 4. Dan Fisher, 41.7; 5. Mike Chase, 42.2; 6. Tony Reina, 44.3.

Ladies breakaway: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Tibba Smith and Danielle Lowman, 2.2 seconds; 3. Kassidy Denisson, 2.3 seconds; 4. Tomie Peterson, 2.4; 5. Kelsie Chace, 2.5; 6. Karen Little. Second round leaders: 1. Tibba Smith, 2.3 seconds, 2. (tie) Nicole Baggarley and Bradi Good, 2.9 seconds; 4. (tie) Kelsie Chace and Kassidy Dennison, 3.7; 6. Danielle Lowman, 11.7. Average Leaders: 1. Tibba Smith, 4.5 seconds on two runs; 2. Nicole Baggerley, 5.8; 3. Kassidy Dennison, 6.0; 4. Kelsie Chace, 6.2; 5. Bradi Good, 6.3; 6. Katie Mundorf, 15.6.

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 4.5 seconds; 2. Cory Kidd V/Ryan Motes, 4.8; 3. Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson, 5.0; 4. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 5.3; 5. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 5.3; 6. Kolton Schmidt/Wyatt Cox, 6.2; 7. Wyatt Lacey/Tye Reddell, 6.9; 8. Pedro Egurrola/JC Flake, 7.5. Second round leaders: 1. Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 4.2 seconds; 2. Colby Lovell/Paul Eaves, 4.4; 3. (tie) Korbin Rice/Jace Davis and Cory Kidd V/Ryan Motes, 4.6 seconds; 5. (tie) Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, Clint Summers/Ross Ashford, and Kolton Schmidt/Wyatt Cox, 4.9; 8. (tie) Nick Sartain/Reagan Ward and Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 5.4. Average leaders: 1. Cory Kidd V/Ryan Motes, 9.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 10.2; 3. Clint Summers/Ross Ashford, 10.3; 4. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 10.7; 5. Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson, 11.0; 6. Kolton Schmidt/Wyatt Cox, 11.1; 7. Colby Lovell/Paul Eaves, 13.8; 8. Korbin Rice/Jace Davis, 15.1.

Barrel racing leaders: 1. Katie Pascoe, 17.12 seconds; 2. Kassie Mowry, 17.33; 3. Nicole Driggers, 17.34; 4. Jill Wilson, 17.37; 5. Dena Kirkpatrick, 17.42; 6. Cindy Smith, 17.52; 7. (tie) Katie Halbert and Stephanie Fryar, 17.53.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Shane Proctor, 85.5 on Pete Carr Rodeo’s Bruised; 2. Trey Benton, 85; 3. Clayton Sellars, 84.5; 4. (tie) Ky Hamilton and Josh Frost, 83.5; 6. Sage Kimzey, 83; 7. Dustin Boquet, 71; no other qualified rides.