Landingham hoping to continue streak of good fortune at Gooding Pro Rodeo
GOODING, Idaho – Bareback rider R.C. Landingham has never lived in Gooding County, but it’s a good place to call home when the opportunities arise.
“I’ve spent time there, and when I go through Idaho rodeoing, that’s one of the places I hang out at because my good buddy, Kash Wilson, lives there,” said Landingham, 33, of Hat Creek, California. “Kelly Wardell lives right down the road from there in Shoshone, and I spent some time there with him, too.
“Kelly’s helped me out a lot over the years, basically just learning ow to ride bareback horses in the beginning and working out the kinks when I’ve gone through things. He’s really good at breaking down the event, picking things apart and helping you fix things you’re trying to fix.”
Landingham is expected to return for the Gooding Pro Rodeo, set for Thursday, Aug. 15-Saturday, Aug. 17, with a special “Beauty and the Beast” performance set for Wednesday, Aug. 14. All performances take place at 8 p.m. at Andy James Arena. He’s riding a hot streak as the rodeo season rolls into August, and he hopes it continues.
He is fourth in the world standings with less than two months remaining in the regular season and has virtually locked himself into position to make his fifth qualification to the National Finals Rodeo. So far this year, he’s won titles at lucrative stops in Reno, Nevada; Red Bluff, California; and Calgary, Alberta.
“This year’s been pretty unreal,” said Landingham, who has earned nearly $140,000 already this season. “Throughout your career, you have a checklist of rodeos you want to get won, and I’ve gotten to check off quite a few. I got to set the arena record (92.5 points on C5 Rodeo’s) Virgil in Red Bluff, and I got the win in Reno; I’ve had luck in Reno, but I’d never won it.
“I got the win in Calgary. Those are rodeos you want to win, and to actually get that done so soon in one season has been pretty incredible.”
For the second time in three months, he rode Virgil – the big, gray bucker that’s twice been named PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year – to win the $50,000 shootout round in Calgary.
“I’ve been rodeoing for 15-16 years, and Virgil’s been in the draw at a lot of rodeo’s I’ve been to,” Landingham said. “When I had him in Red Bluff, being the hometown rodeo and being able to get on that horse has been an incredible opportunity in itself. When I got off him at Red Bluff, I thought I’d never get to get on him again.
“Because I won the 12-man round at Calgary, I got to be the first pick for the four-man round, so I picked him. I’ll never expect to get on him again, but any chance to get on that horse is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To be 94 points on him there is something that guys dream about for their entire careers. You go down that list, and there’s not very many guys that ever got that accomplished. It will always be something special to remember.”
Every step of this year’s journey has continued to build confidence in the California cowboy. Every ride has built confidence, and he’s hoping to carry that and a healthy body through the final few weeks of the ProRodeo season. He expects to be battling for the title in Gooding in mid-August.
“It’s the people there that make me want to come back,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family close by there. It’s a really good rodeo that has worked hard to improve its quality every year. It’s a good, central location for that time of year, and it’s an easy one for guys to enter. They want to keep improving it, and that just makes it easier to throw your name in there.”
Of course, he hopes to put on a show to prove to the large crowds that pack the arena that he’s “Beer Worthy.”
“You’re either going to have to make a really good ride or have a really good wreck to be ‘Beer Worthy,” ” Landingham said. “At least when you do it in Gooding, you get to go on the sideline and have a drink with somebody.”